So I finished PD yesterday, had to use a guide for the last level because it would have frustrated me too much wasting the items on the wrong pillars. Also the boss. I just didn't really know what was going on to be honest lol. So a bit anti climactic.
That said, I did overall enjoy the game. It's dated and a bit obtuse but not so bad that its unplayable. I think as well, once you get the hang of how the different in-game elements present themselves, it's much easier to spot what you need to do in similar moments later on.
As always, I am very very fond of upscaled N64 graphics. Seeing those textures presented cleanly in HD and without the horrid draw distance fog that the original hardware was known for.
I was quite fond of the music and the sound effects. I think the only "sequence" I found annoying was between levels when the next level objectives were presented over a traveling-at-lightspeed style graphic. That in combination with the repetitive music gave me a bit of a headache sometimes.
I liked the sound effects and the dialogue. I like how lo-fi they sounded, presumably because of them having to fit onto an n64 cart. The voice acting was... interesting but it fit the overall vibe of the game. Bit cheesy, bit B-movie. Very cool.
The screaming cat sound that the Skedars made in the last level gave me some not entirely pleasant flashbacks to playing Turok!
@ralphdibny Noice! Yeah, the last boss is far from the best moment of the game... Regarding the columns in that level you have a map gadget that lets you know which ones to hit. Not sure how did you use a guide as at least on the normal difficulty they change every time though
@Balta666 I just needed it to point me in the right direction as to what I was actually supposed to be doing. I think on my first run through the level, I just killed all the Skedar available to me, I didn't know it was the spires she was referring to when she said something and I was looking at the weird sculptures, throwing out the gadget triggered a mission failure and using all the explosive rounds triggered a mission failure. So all I read in the guide I suppose was that your supposed to throw the thing on the spires that the detector tells you to. Also that the weak point in the wall to blow up was detectable by the IR camera, I got thrown off by a cracked rocky wall by the second shield (in Agent).
Unless I missed something in the dialogue, it reminded me of Terminator 2 on the game boy. I could never get past the first level when I was a kid. It wasn't until I was older and read a guide or something that I found out your supposed to destroy the towers in height order 😂. I am very thankful for the QoL design in modern games!
@Utena-mobile thank you and no worries. I can imagine it being a bit weird being a newbie during a changing of the guard. Thankfully (or unthankfully depending on your perspective 😂) I will be sticking around for a bit, but just as a fan though!
I completely agree about hearting forum posts, sometimes you just want to lend support to a statement without derailing a thread into a series of short posts akin to the muddled grumbles of a passed motion in the House of Commons.
@ralphdibny Sorry to hear about your situation! You've been an absolute boss running the club throughout the years (can't believe it's been almost three years now!) even though we've had our differences in opinions. It's completely understandable that you need a break. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. I'm sure @Balta666 will do a fantastic job of taking the reins from here on out.
In terms of next month's game, I've installed Ori 2 now and I'm ready to start it up either early next week or maybe even this weekend. It's been quite some time since I've played a Metroidvania, so I'm looking forward to playing it!
Mission 1:
dataDyne Central: Defection, Research, and Extraction were some of my favorite levels. I love the level design, the autoaim is so crazy broken, and even though aiming is terrible, I found it really fun to move side-to-side. There was something really satisfying in just stepping left and right to dodge bullets. lol. Also, I liked that Casandra has a small army of only women and they all have shotguns. I tried multiplayer and Joanna in a bodyguard costume is my favorite.
Mission 2 - Carrington Vila
Ugh. This level opens up with sniping and the aiming problems are really obvious. Trying to snipe snipers is really hard to do and I lost count how many times I died (it was less than 10 though). I liked shooting all the wine bottles, and even got an achievement for it. Also, there's only like two bathrooms for the entire mansion. gross.
Mission 3 - Chicago Stealth, G5 Building
These were great. I liked how Stealth directly impacted G5 building, like which escape route to take. I kind of wish that the level was more stealthy and we could go through the entire level without being caught and knocking out people. Mr Blonde is a pretty cool villain. Trent is a dork.
Mission 4 - Area 51 Infiltration, Rescue, Escape
Mixed feelings. Infiltration feels way too small. Also, I found out how to ride a hover bike, but there was nothing to do with the bike. ( T_T). Rescue felt too long, and I kept getting confused on how to do all the objectives. This was where I had to start using a guide. Escape was a bit better, but I didn't know what to make of Elvis. I still can't make up my mind if he is cute, funny, or annoying. lol. But I love the music and creepy X-files atmosphere.
Mission 5: Air Base, Air Force One, Crash Site
I don't know why anyone would have let me board Air Force One after there was a huge shoot out and the President is on board. But as long as I don't think too hard about the story, this was a fun mission. A lot to do, and with the disguise it was great to be able to explore before the shooting started. Crash Site is amazing!!! I can't believe how massive the level is considering it was on the N64.
Btw, I hope I don't get in trouble for spamming the forums. Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules.
Don't you worry about that. You can post as much as you want.
However when discussing spoilerish stuff of the game please mind that some may have not reach those points. You do so by typing your spoiler between spoiler tags like this: [spoiler]insert message here[ /spoiler] and removing the space between [ and /.
Mission 6 - Pelagic II, Deep Sea
Bleagh. This is the mission that broke me. I finally had to go from Special Agent to regular Agent. The level is confusing, it's hard to dodge, too many enemies, and why the heck do they give me mini nuclear grenades when everything is a corridor?
Deep Sea though is my favorite level in the entire game. Super creepy, and the first time one of the tiny baby skedar lunged at me, I literally jumped. lol. Elvis really came across as a fun partner (and he actually helps) and I liked Joanna's stealth suit a lot. I even felt sorry for Dr. Carrol. The music and scene was pretty emotional, but I feel like it would have worked if the story spent more time with Joanna and Dr Carrol. So it sort of felt like, awww, that sucks, welp, time to move on.
Mission 7 - Carrington Institute
This mission was intense. No matter how hard I tried I was never able to save everyone. Also, I was so nervous that I accidently killed a Carrington Guard, and unloaded a whole clip into Jonathan. lol.
Mission 8- Attack Ship
This was another level that made me wish the story was more thought out. I loved that Casandra was so proud and spiteful that she was willing to die if it meant she could take down her enemies. There's a good story in Perfect Dark, but unfortunately we never got to see it. Level is fun though. And pretty spooky.
Mission 9 - Skedar Ruins
I love this mission (but not the boss). I was using a guide so I got to find out about the double Phoenix pistols. They made the rest of the mission really fun with them set to explosive rounds. This was another place though where the baby skedar kept scaring me.
The boss is a nightmare though. I haven no idea how anyone without a guide could have figured out how to beat him. But it felt really good to finally finish the game. The music at the end really fit, and even though the game didn't feel super epic, the last cutscene music and the ending credits made me think I played an epic game. lol.
So, overall, I liked the game. The music is great, and the gameplay was fun and very shootey. It didn't feel too short or too long. But I wish that we got a full, actual story, because there's a lot that's really great, like the world building, the kind of corporation dystopian setting, AI, clones, drones, hacking, etc. But at the same time it doesn't feel like other cyberpunk stories. It's closer to like cold war stuff than it is Bladerunner or Cyberpunk2077.
Also, this is kind of a weird thing, and I bet most guys wouldn't care, but I love that Joanna changes her clothes and uniform depending on the mission. Everything from combat stealth suits to dresses. I can always appreciate a good fashion sense. Although I spent way too much time trying to figure out how her standard Carrington Suit zips up. I think from the front, and under her lapel, but I'm still confused. lol
But yeah! This was a lot of fun! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did (or more!).
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is our game for August.
We played Blind Forest a couple years ago and it was a wicked game, an incredibly accessible Metroidvania that falls more heavily into the platformer genre. I'm hoping Will of the Wisps builds on that!
Bit of a weird one this month as I will be passing on most of the admin duties to @balta666 so all posts regarding next month's game and your votes/suggestions should be directed toward them with the tag @balta666
I'll still be around to participate and also I'll still be changing the thread title and updating the list of games we've played that's located in Post #1 of this thread.
Just Wana say thank you to all who have participated over these last few years. You've all made it worth doing and I am extraordinarily proud of all of you and what we created here on Pure Xbox. You are an amazing community. Thank you all!
Please use spoiler tags when discussing spoilerish moments of the game. You do so by typing your spoiler between spoiler tags like this: [spoiler]insert message here[ /spoiler] and removing the space between [ and /
Some HLTB Stats:
Main Story - 12 Hours
Main + Extras - 15½ Hours
Completionist - 18 Hours
Tag list, please tag me and let @balta666 know if you want to be added or removed.
Also please let @balta666 know if you change your username, I might not notice and you won't get the notification (equally let them know if you have changed your username to get away from the notifications and they will delete you off the tag list 😆)
Tag @balta666 in a post with your vote(s). (Just hit reply on one of their posts or write @balta666)
Write your votes in bold (put two asterisks around it) and try and keep it separate from any paragraphs.
One line will do, "My vote is such and such a game(s)"
Feel free to make the post longer but try and keep the actual vote separate from the main body of the text and at the top of the post next to the tag @balta666
Vote for as many games as you like!
The votes reset every month and start from Zero. Feel free to suggest new games and @balta666 will add them to the list and count your vote toward it!
I've refreshed the list a little bit this month...
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