Topic: Last Game You Beat

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (PS5)

Think this may actually be my first PS5 review here.

General Gameplay:

• A survival horror adventure game that sees you exploring the dilapidated ruins of an old mental hospital, exorcising spirits, solving a variety of light puzzles, and more to progress. The first 2/3rds of the game generally take place across the same 2 building complexes, and features a lot of back & forth backtracking to access a new room or two here & there. The last stretch of the game opens up considerably, albeit through a much more linearly designed environment (not really a complaint, but I don't think the game world was that much, if at all, larger than that of Maiden of Black Water, & IIRC some complaints I remember about that one being that the game world felt smaller compared to it's predecessors. I don't really feel that's the case in this instance though).
  
  Whether it be rhythm mini games, sliding tile puzzles, or even math, you'll have to stretch your brain a bit to progress.
• Although the game world is one large interconnected environment, it's still broken up into 12 story chapters. You'll actually be taking on the role of 3 different characters during your playtime, and as a general rule of thumb your playable character is swapped from one chapter to the next (they all start at different points in the hospital, though in general all the rooms you unlock as one character are unlocked for the others as well once you reach an area you already explored as another character). Also, each character has their own independent inventory & equipment upgrades.
• Of course it does feature those divisive "tank" controls prevalent in the genre, though I don't think they're much of an issue here (at least when it comes to exploration). The most irritating part is probably that you have to shine your flashlight across the environment in order to reveal interactive elements/pickups (the game will give you a general indicator that something is near you), and sometimes the game can be very finicky with how precise you have to be in order to illuminate something (sometimes I had to go over a surface 3 or 4 times before that familiar sparkly glow would appear). Also, there is a slow and long animation involved pretty much anytime you reach out to touch/grab anything. The reason for this is that some items are optional, and in those cases there's a chance that a ghostly hand can reach out & grab you (causing you to permanently lose said pickup) if you don't let go of the button & pull back quick enough. Luckily, these grabs didn't seem to be as common as they were in Maiden of Black Water.
  
  You aren't gonna grab me... and I'm not gonna get a good photo of you.
• The game doesn't include an auto-save function (well it does, but it only activates when you pass by a save point anyways), so you'll have to seek out a save point if you want to save your progress. Luckily there's usually one nearby with how interconnected the environments are, but even when not it's usually not all that dangerous to trek back to the last one if you feel you really need to (most encounters seem to be scripted, so you don't have to be worried about ghost encounters in areas you've already been through unless the story is sending you back that direction again). Save points don't recover your health, but you can spend some of your score (which effects your endgame grade) as currency to buy basic healing items, film, and even alternate costumes/accessories (though those aesthetic items have to be unlocked by gameplay achievements before you can purchase them).

Combat:

• Two of your characters come equipped with a Camera Obscura, your main tool used to interact with the world & exorcise ghosts. When a ghost appears the HUD indicator at the top of the screen will flash either yellow or red (or blue if there's a non-ghost point of interest nearby). If it's yellow, the ghost won't attack you and you can nab some points by taking a picture of it before it vanishes (the harder it is to snap it, the more points it's worth, and these appearances tend to be used as a hint as to where you should head next, so keep an eye on them). If it's red the fight is on. Although you can shave off some health anytime you take a pic, what you really want to do is wait right before you're attacked, that way you can hit them with a titular "Fatal Frame". This deals extra damage & allows you to string together 3-4 total shots in quick succession dealing major damage if you pull it off (and adds a ton of points to your score, especially if you defeat it with one).
  
  Ready to go, though I don't think I'll be able to do much damage here (more on that later...).
• You do have a basic film that has unlimited "ammo", however you can obtain more powerful variants that have limited usage (the lesser of these can be traded for at Save Points, but the most powerful are only very rarely found in the environment so you'll want to hoard them). You can also obtain a selection of various "lenses" for the camera, which when equipped will unleash different special attacks if you have the special guage filled (which refills when you hit ghosts with regular shots/Fatal Frames). Some lenses may slow down a ghost's movement speed, while others take particularly powerful shots.
• The third character comes equipped with a Spirit Stone Flashlight instead of the Camera Obscura. Pretty much it's gimmick is that it can blast ghosts with stored moonlight, and in all honesty is a much more effective weapon than the camera. It only has one type of "ammo" to keep track of (it's infinite, but you have to wait for it to recharge quite a bit if you fire it off in too quick succession) meaning it's strength is generally built to last the entire game from the start and it has a wider area of effect making attacking groups of ghosts easier. Like the Camera it can also be equipped with a number of lenses (one of which allows it to take pictures in exchange for it's offensive capabilities, which is useful in certain scenarios, like snapping the "yellow indicator" ghosts). This is a pretty big departure from how it would go on to be used in Maiden of Black Water's Ayane (from DOA/Ninja Gaiden) campaign, where it could only briefly stun ghosts IIRC.
  
  This auto trophy pic is the only shot I have of Flashlight combat.
• In comparison to Maiden of Black Water, combat in general is a lot more tense, but not always for the right reasons, though there are some upsides too. With a few exceptions the environments in Maiden were a lot wider & there was more going on with the combat system, making encounters much more "gamey" & fun, but ultimately at the expense of atmosphere (especially since lesser "mook" ghosts would often respawn IIRC). Meanwhile there are a lot of encounters in Mask that take place in small or tight areas (like hallways) that make combat a bit more clunky (heck, fighting more than 2 ghosts at a time tends to be a nightmare in general with the Camera, no matter how large the environment. Luckily that doesn't happen too often. Most group ghost attacks tend to happen when you have the Flashlight, which is better equipped for those encounters). That said, as mentioned before most encounters seem to be scripted, so if you do need to trek back to save after a rough patch you won't have to deal with respawning foes.
• I should also mention that there is one ghost you'll occasionally run into who can't be defeated (hard to miss, as the screen will become black & white and all film grain-y), where you'll have no choice but to run to the nearest exit. While it can be surprising when she pops up, like the other encounters in the game I eventually learned these are scripted and you can usually re-enter the room right after you escape with no worries.

Other Gameplay:

• Along the way you'll have the chance to stock up on these Blue & Red "Spirit Stones". Blue ones are used to upgrade the general capabilities of your Camera/Flashlight (attack power, reload time, special attack meter capacity, etc.) while Red ones power up the effectiveness of Lenses. Again, each character has their own inventory, so don't hold back on one character in an effort to hoard for another one, as it doesn't work that way.
• Also, there are these creepy little "Hazuki Dolls" hidden away all across the environment (I assume there's at least one in every single room, no matter how small or insignificant) that you can take pictures of. I'm not exactly sure of their purpose (other than getting a message that it's curse has been lifted whenever you snap one), or what if anything you get for finding them all (I honestly thought I had found the vast majority of them, and while I found over 50 of them, there are more than 70 in total!) You can buy a guide that reveals all their locations at a Save Point, but it would take a huge chunk out of your score so I didn't go for it.
  
  Hey! What are you doing up there?

Story:

• Across your adventure you'll take control of Ruka Minazuki & Misaki Aso, a pair of amnesiac 17 year old girls who were patients of the abandoned hospital when they were younger (and are amongst the few survivors of whatever incident befell it). When the other survivors start dying mysterious deaths, they feel compelled to explore the complex and find the truth of the matter once & for all (they have the Camera). You'll also take control of Choshiro Kirishima, a private detective who found the girls when they were younger during the mysterious incident back when he was a cop, revisiting the site in order to solve the mystery himself (he has the Flashlight).
  Ruka Minazuki
  
  Misaki Aso
  
  I somehow managed to go the entire game without screenshotting the dude, lol.
• Outside of that, most of the lore & narrative is revealed by notes, diaries, recordings & such you find throughout your adventure.
• Apparently there are actually two different endings, with a basic "bad" (or I guess neutral) ending, and a better "good" ending. Whether or not you have to play through the game multiple times to get the good one (screw that) or if there's just something I missed (maybe the dolls? Just a guess though), I don't know.

Graphics/Audio:

• While it's origins as a Wii game become apparent if you get really up close to any textures, it's generally been touched up really well, and the dark grimy atmosphere is both effective at hiding imperfections & being genuinely unsettling. Seriously, even when I was fairly certain nothing was going to happen, the atmosphere is good at keeping you on edge. Plus there are a handful of jump scares (like a mannequin turning to stare at you the first time you point your camera at it, and only the one time) that are really fun, even if they are few & far between.
• Whether it be derelict operating rooms, subterranean caves, and ancient shrines, there are a lot of creepy environments to explore (though the starting hospital areas are the creepiest, IMO).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Our lovely leading ladies showing off some not so lovely environments.
• It has super effective audio design too. Whether it be ambient moans, scratching, creaking & more, or the sudden piercing sound of a phone ring or intercom system, it's constantly unsettling. Probably one for earphones, though I'm too much of a sissy, lol.

Overall:

• Pretty solid time if you know what you're getting into. Yes, it's a bit clunky which is common for survival horror (especially of it's time), but it has a highly effective atmosphere that oozes dread & stayed with me when I went to bed at night (especially when I was playing it late). Plus, I can't dislike a game that includes swimsuit costumes too much, lol (though the costumes pictured are the DLC swimsuits, I never met whatever conditions were required to unlock the base game swimsuits). With the Maiden port & this remaster releasing in relatively close proximity, I hope that means they're planning on doing more with the franchise soon.
  

@GarbonZoni I will play it after Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

Away from the TV, I beat Shantae (Game Boy Color, played on 3DS). An ambitious and cute GBC game with incredibly frustrating level design and enemies. You have to backtrack a lot and each time a bunch of strong enemies respawn at the worst possible points. Try to rush and you'll fall down through any of the multiple gaps or spikes which means instant death. Rush and jump and stone ruins will bounce you back to a gap. With no map at all, it's almost impossible to beat it without either learning the whole game by heart or watching a video guide. I did the latter and I realised that a bit before the ending the fun starts (and ends) with the ultimate transformation that lets you fly. I had played The Pirate's Curse on Wii U and I also disliked that one. I liked the GBC title more, though, probably because of the amazing music in spite of the GBC capabilities and the script is a bit less daft. It's technically very impressive and if it didn't mistreat players like it does, it would be a wonderful game.

PowerWash Sim, I've just finished the career mode yesterday

I beat Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSi, played on 3DS). I had played The Pirate's Curse and Shantae. Risky's Revenge is the one I've enjoyed the most, right from the start.

Unlike those games, you can play Risky's Revenge in an intuitive way except the last of only two labyrinths that has a ridiculous trial and error progression with statues whose eyes must be hit in many different ways to access different areas and, yes, you have to come later for an item. The rest of the game is very enjoyable with the magic bar that lets you use items frequently and an agile and evasive Shantae that makes navigation more fun. There are no maps in the labyrinths but there is one for the overworld that combined with Shantae's repertoire make navigation more dynamic and easier. This is the only one of three I really have enjoyed. I will play Half-Genie Hero and The Seven Sirens someday on Xbox but, for now, I'm coming back to Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and then I'll try Wo Long Fallen Dynasty because, you know, the unlimited Game Pass backlog.

@RR529 Thanks for reviewing the latest Fatal Frame/Project Zero release. I also hope that the other three are remastered!

I beat Ravenlok via Gamepass. It was an ok experience. Nothing great about it, except the visuals which were top notch. It felt pretty samey throughout with the combat being hack n slash the entire time with some small power ups you gain as the game goes on that make combat a little more fun.

Think alice in wonderfland meets 3d zelda with very little puzzle solving and worse combat. Overall, not bad, but not great. I guess worthy of a playthrough if you have GP since it's relatively short.

I have beaten Kingdom hearts: birth by sleep and it is a really good entry. I am not sure if i can put below the two main in the series so far... The three stories are well thought out and not too long and the final chapter ties everything well (also the secret ending that I did not go for is very good indeed so thanks YouTube )

Now just have to watch 3h of cutscenes to have the 1.5+2.5 completed! Which will be done just before TotK

last week or so i finally beat the last part of Force Unleashed 1 for my Playstation 3

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Series X, included in Game Pass)

The good:

• Probably, the best writing in a video game ever.
• Right pace and deep story. It gets better.
• The art: graphics, animation, music, cutscenes and voice acting.
• The original side quests that replace most fetching quests with tiny stories that allow you to guess what the heart of the being in question is missing.
• Mandatory and optional battles.
• 60fps is a delight.
• Combat is varied, real-time and fun.
• Many options for fast-travelling are unlocked progressively.
• The UI and game design let you use a huge amount of spells and items with ease.
• The navigation system, tutorials and the Wizard's Companion.
• Two difficulty levels.

The bad:

• The annoying Familiars' sound effects while managing them.
• You can only see the allies' affinities while switching Familiars but not when using the Familiar Retreat. A few UI oversights.
• The distracting sound when text is being displayed, I recommend to speed it up because it can't be turn off.
• The combat speed results in not enough time to defend even when all-defence is unlocked, so you barely have time to defend both your allies and yourself before the enemies attack again. It also gives little time to arrange familiars and be efficient. I recommend using the left bumper to pause the action and find the best choice, which results in a combination of real-time and turn-based gameplay. This makes the game more enjoyable because gameplay is too rich for being purely real-time.

Conclusion: A quite modern JRPG masterpiece that is utterly charming and enjoyable.

@Kaloudz This is it 😉.

@Kaloudz Yes, of course! For me, it's a 9.5/10 game 😊.

@Kaloudz It is. Can you write a little review or a few words about the first game, just to know your thoughts?

@Kaloudz Combat is fine once you get used to it, especially after a second and third allies fight along although the AI is not very intelligent. Each ally has lots of options for fighting: three previously assigned familiars with several abilities each and the allies' own abilities. I learnt how to use the left bumper not just for its real purpose which is switching but for pausing the action and having a look at the options and choose wisely. Combat is certainly tricky and not conventional because it's ambitious as the best turn-based RPGs but in real time. However, it's also fun because it gives you freedom and feels real.

What about the Pokemon-style league with trainers and daft introductions and all. It's great because it makes sense, using characters from the world and familiars that match their personalities and because it's a Pokemon parody at the same time!

@Banjo- @Kaloudz shamelly I could not get into it. Sold my copy on switch after 10h or so. I allways find games where you need to micromanage AI companions odd if not fully turn base (also not big on pokemon clones). I want to try the second though.

@Kaloudz No problem, I'm just curious because you recommended me the game but you can do it whenever you feel like. Good luck with the... errands. See what I did? I'm going to get Final Fantasy Maxima next time that it's on sale. I haven't because I thought that I should play the classic FF games first and I have only played some.

@Balta666 It's not a Pokemon clone except the league at the Solosseum that works almost as a parody. The rest of the game doesn't feel Pokemon except for it having... monsters. Ni No Kuni is more Final Fantasy in terms of story and exploration and more Kingdom Hearts in terms of gameplay. Considering the production values, the game has many more familiars than I thought it would and it also has a huge amount of content.

@Banjo- the Pokémon part is about catching animais to fight for you. I put SMT on the same basket. I much prefer a group of characters (single digits) you can bond with.

@Kaloudz Definitely, not a game for everybody (like any game) and the first hours don't sell how good the game eventually is gameplay-wise but I'm sad that most players don't even know that this game exists. I only knew because you talked about it when it joined Game Pass. It's one of the best RPGs I've played and I will play the sequel, as well as Final Fantasy Maxima. Nobody can play all the RPGs in the world because they are usually huge but this one should be prioritised. It's sad that a great game is ignored by many just because it's not called Zelda or Final Fantasy.

@Kaloudz Because you are my soulmate ❤️.

The first battles are devastating but I set the difficulty to "Easy", mostly because I realised that it's almost impossible to be totally efficient in real time. I don't know, perhaps somebody's fingers and brain are faster 😂. It's nice that you can change the difficulty at any time but I left it like that and it was more enjoyable because I could test different things along the way.

I am taking a break but I'll go back for the post game because I think it's more fun now with all those spells and strong familiars.

@Kaloudz Hey, I beat Metroid Prime 2 on GameCube (the most difficult version) 100% and Resident Evil 0 and 3 (classic version) in Hard! 😉 The RPG where I was the most tactical player is Bravely Default.

Street Fighter I and Street Fighter III (Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Series X), the two entries that I had not played. Street Fighter III is completely technical but I prefer to invest time on V and VI. My favourite classics are Super Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha 3 but III has amazingly smooth animation.

Now, let's talk about Street Fighter I. Yes, I beat it. If you ever think that Street Fighter VI or any other fighting game is difficult, try to beat Street Fighter I. After its frustrating controls and cheating bosses, you'll feel in heaven playing any modern fighting game. Believe me.

Assassin's Creed II (The Ezio Collection, Series X, FPS Boost)

I played Assassin's Creed I on Xbox One X just before being enhanced and I thought it was a better game than Breath of the Wild, that was the previous game that I had played. I beat Assassin's Creed II on Series X a couple of days ago because I want to play the whole series. FPS Boost is wonderful and the graphics look great even on a 4K screen. Assassin's Creed II is great with Prince of Persia/Tomb Raider-style tombs added and a lot of exploration compared to the first game. Ezio's personality is completely shown on screen and he's likeable. I'm not sure what game I liked the most. I beat all the side missions and objectives in both games but I didn't get all the flags/feathers that are the predecessor of the Koroks. Altair is also likeable and much more mysterious. Altair picks pockets in a more fun way than Ezio steals. My biggest complaint about the second game is that there is too much mandatory combat and combat has not evolved much since the first game. So I'm going to say that the second game is better but I liked the first game more.

@Banjo-
You got that right. Street Fighter I made me want to snap my controller in half.