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Video Game Discussion Thread vol. 2

misterBee

By misterBee
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MillionX Level 16

MillionX

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Well, due to the shit-show concerning the woman from that studio that's working on the Black Panther game... now I'm actually more curious about what that game will end up being like.  It should be interesting to see how that all turns out.

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Camacho Level 13

Camacho

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More updates on Contra: OG after 12 hours in the game. I have done multiple arcade mode runs with different settings and all but one of the challenges (have 1 more character to unlock before I can do it).

 

-As expected, the game is fucking hard if you want it to be. 1 hit kill mode alone obviously makes things way more tough. Doing it with no perks activated makes it truly old school Contra tough. I haven't done Hard mode with 1 hit kills yet, hard with the lifebar is already pretty challenging. You still get unlimited continues on hard, but there are fewer checkpoints- just one per stage, generally after the sub-boss. There's a higher difficulty you can buy that I read is 1 hit kill only, 2 lives, no continues. I'll be passing on that one.

 

-My biggest criticism this far in is that the screen sometimes gets too busy with effects and explosions, making it easy to lose projectiles and hazards in the chaos. The level 2 crush weapon in particular is just way too visually obstructing. Of course, it's also the most powerful weapon, so you'll want to use it a lot despite the problem it causes. I'd like to see it patched in a way to reduce this effect, but I doubt that will happen. There are also a few bosses that have too much shit going once acid or fire lingers and creates obstacles as you're already dodging a ton of other stuff. Ironically, the best way around those is the same weapon I complained about, which can eat most projectiles. 

 

-The 3d graphics actually add something to the gameplay with camera zooms and pans. Some of the bosses wouldn't work well with a locked playfield- glad to see this addition.

 

-The challenges don't seem as brutal as they were in C4, although there is an optional "par time" to meet that does make them tougher. I am disappointed to see that not all of the bosses/minibosses are in challenge missions- this would be a welcome add on, as practicing them in C4 with strict limits was fun and helpful. Still very glad to have this mode in the game. 

 

-The additional characters all have something that makes them play different, such as a hover, grappling hook, no double jump, triple jump, no dash, projectile counters (like Hard Corps: Uprising), melee attacks, and alternate versions of weapons and overloads. These are cool additions that actually add some flavor to replays rather than just being skins like they were in C4. 3 characters from Hard Corps can be unlocked, and their playstyles vary the most. 

 

-The one complaint I have about the perk shop is that some of the unlocks are really expensive, a bit too much so, IMO. You do get way more credits for 1 hit kill mode, higher difficulty settings, and most of all, stages completed consecutively without continuing. I'd have liked to see things a little "cheaper" so there wasn't as much grinding involved. 12 hours in and I'm just short of that last character, and there are bunch of other perks to go, a couple of which are even more expensive. I suppose it's still a good thing to have for the sake of encouraging replays and rewarding skilled play, even if it could use a little rebalancing.  

 

-As expected, being able to use alternate soundtracks alleviated my complaint about the new soundtrack. There's a good selection, and hopefully they'll add more (like C3, Rebirth, and SS).

 

-All of the stages but one are well paced. the second hoverbike level drags a bit- other than that, they're good. There's definitely a big difficulty spike at a certain point.

 

-I haven't played co-op, as my wife is uninterested in games, and I vary rarely have the chance to play games with friends anymore. I'm sure 4 player co-op would have been a blast in my teens or early 20's.

 

In conclusion, if you're a Contra fan and know what you're getting with the series, it's a great game. It certainly has a lot of C4 DNA, which is a very good thing. Lots of people are complaining about the price- I don't think those complaints are warranted if you're a fan of the genre. There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and it's very well tuned. Not perfect, but really good, and it shows that way more work went into this than the fan games whiners are pointing out. If $40 is too much, get it on sale. I paid $28, and I'm sure we'll see it for $20 within a few months or so. Who knows when or if we'll get another game like this after the mediocre reviews and kids expecting a 10 hour campaign in a Contra game.

 

Edited by Camacho
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MillionX Level 16

MillionX

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BG3-- another dark deed is done... the butler Sceleritas told me of a young cleric woman that should be killed....I went to that Last Light Inn where she was and happily obliged with that "dark urge" there.  Another "True Soul" was there at the behest of General Thorm, but the order was apparently to take her alive... unfortunately clashing with my goals, obviously.  Heh, yeah she didn't survive when shit hit the fan; I made sure of that.... 

 

...Jaheira gets pissed as well but has to help fight off all kinds of enemies that show up later...heh heh, I made sure she had an unfortunate "accident" amidst the chaos of the ensuing battle as well....when it was all over, she lay there half-naked in a pool of blood just like the others.  Nothing survived.  Unfortunate thing here is that this probably won't go over well with General Thorm, I bet....probably should've killed that other "true soul" that was sent by him so I could just lie about it all later... whatever the case, oh yeah the reward I just got was worth the trouble....I am now even more of a monster with this new power.  

Edited by MillionX
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Faltimar the Dark Level 13

Faltimar the Dark

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4 hours ago, Camacho said:

In conclusion, if you're a Contra fan and know what you're getting with the series, it's a great game. It certainly has a lot of C4 DNA, which is a very good thing. Lots of people are complaining about the price- I don't think those complaints are warranted if you're a fan of the genre. There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and it's very well tuned. Not perfect, but really good, and it shows that way more work went into this than the fan games whiners are pointing out. If $40 is too much, get it on sale. I paid $28, and I'm sure we'll see it for $20 within a few months or so. Who knows when or if we'll get another game like this after the mediocre reviews and kids expecting a 10 hour campaign in a Contra game.

 

What you dont seem to understand about people not liking the price is that there are games in the same genre that cost half as much (or less) and are far superior.  Just cause it has the name Contra doesn't mean it needs to have a higher price tag.  Its not a bad game but its not a great game and the cost shouldn't be 40 dollars (I know you and me got it on sale and its still on sale).

Edited by Faltimar the Dark
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MillionX Level 16

MillionX

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BG3 - so...that was quite the odd difficulty spike there... I finally got to the point of having to fight Balthazar.  At first I was thinking this might be just impossible with how my party is set up....then I went back to an older save before a certain cutscene triggers so I could start off asap on my terms...starting with an attack *before* going to the lower platform area which triggers the scene and dialogue...  suddenly it went from being impossible to somewhat easy.

Right off top I dropped that "Hunger of Hadar" spell right on him *and* made sure to drink a speed potion to get an extra attack action for a while.  I intended to go all out here because this fight is absurd.  I also had Shadowheart cast a "Silence" status on him....and Minthara hit with the "Sunbeam" which did huge damage AND blinded him for a while.  It's important to kill that bastard asap and worry about the crazy number of minions later.  This seemed like the only way to do it----each time I tried from the cutscene where you're already speaking with him, it's instant checkmate....it was an impossible fight every damn time since he always gets initiative to go first and does  at least 2 or 3 attacks immediately for huge damage while summoning a whole legion of undead minions. 

Even with the cool new "Slayer" power I got for killing the cleric I couldn't kill him and that entire undead horde alone (haha since the rest of the party was dead on that attempt; I *only* survived so long because of that power)

 

There's so many interesting, difficult decisions to make in this game... I wasn't sure which way to go with this after Balthazar was dead; either you let Shadowheart do a certain very important thing here or choose to do nothing or try with persuasion so something else happens.  For once, I went with what is apparently the "good" option on this one.

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Camacho Level 13

Camacho

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14 hours ago, Faltimar the Dark said:

What you dont seem to understand about people not liking the price is that there are games in the same genre that cost half as much (or less) and are far superior.  Just cause it has the name Contra doesn't mean it needs to have a higher price tag.  Its not a bad game but its not a great game and the cost shouldn't be 40 dollars (I know you and me got it on sale and its still on sale).

I realize value and quality are subjective, but I do think it's a bit unrealistic to have expected this game to cost what a box of cat littler does these days. There were a lot of people working on it for probably at least a year or so- those people have to be paid, and labor costs aren't what they were 17 years ago when C4 was released (I think DS games were $30 at the time?). As for "far superior" games in the genre that cost half as much, what games are you talking about? Cuphead is the only one that comes to mind that doesn't feel like a low budget game, and it was released in 2017, with a very small team  who started work several years before  the huge inflation we've had since covid. Blazing Chrome is the only other really good recent one I can think of, and it definitely doesn't have the meat or polish to it that C4 does- you can tell it's a lower budget indie retro game. I'm absolutely not shitting on it, but having a good bit of time in both, I wouldn't put it on C4's level. Super Cyborg is another one that comes up a lot- anyone who puts it on the level of the greats in the genre either hasn't played it, or is plain delusional- it feels like what it is, a super low budget passion project that looks like a glorified flash game. 

Edited by Camacho
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Faltimar the Dark Level 13

Faltimar the Dark

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Cuphead is shitty too.  I mean, do you actually play many games in the genre or just the big name ones?

 

Cuphead isnt shitty but once again its not a great game.  Its just ok.  I cant remember how much that one cost.

 

Here is a small list of those kinda games.  Right away I see 3 at the top of the list that I think are better than Contra and they were only 20 bucks to start off. 

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34907518-Games-for-Lovers/list/46516/

Edited by Faltimar the Dark
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Camacho Level 13

Camacho

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8 hours ago, Faltimar the Dark said:

Cuphead is shitty too.  I mean, do you actually play many games in the genre or just the big name ones?

 

Cuphead isnt shitty but once again its not a great game.  Its just ok.  I cant remember how much that one cost.

 

Here is a small list of those kinda games.  Right away I see 3 at the top of the list that I think are better than Contra and they were only 20 bucks to start off. 

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34907518-Games-for-Lovers/list/46516/

Taking a quick glance on my lunch, I'm unfamiliar with most of those. I'll look further into them later.  On the surface most of those look super low budget. Games like that don't take the kind of resources the new Contra did, even if they're great.

Like I said before, it will be on sale soon enough. 

 

Also, Blaster Master being on that list makes me wonder how many on that list are really run and gun games. 

Edited by Camacho
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Wellman Level 14

Wellman

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9 hours ago, Hecatom said:

 

I tried that before when I was younger and damn near fell on my face. Also this got me remembering there was area in the NES Batman game where you had to do that which always gave me trouble. The Mega Man X wall jump with cling slide was much better 

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MillionX Level 16

MillionX

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ha, the cool wall-jumping ability is one of the main things I remember about the old NES Batman game from Sunsoft....actually I think that was the first time I remember seeing that ability in a game.

 

...oh I guess Ninja Gaiden had that going on as well; I forgot if that was before the Batman game or not....you could cling to a wall then jump off but quickly re-direct Ryu back to the wall....or jump from one wall to another that way, and the animation in between was a flip.

 

Ever since unlocking that new "Slayer" power in Baldur's Gate, it makes playing the Dark Urge that much better/cool....I had no idea going in that the character would get a power like that; it's awesome.  From now on, I'd feel like I'm missing out with my other characters that are NOT a "Dark Urge".   Man, I'd love to discuss how awesome this is with my friend who also plays the game, but I of course I don't want to spoil things....then again it may be forever before he finds out since I don't think he's playing a Dark Urge character.

*I have a small vacation coming up with the holiday next week; I should've asked for more time off---oh yeah I plan to spend a LOT more time on the game.

 

....frustrating thing though---of course Dragon's Dogma 2 will be out by then!  ...and yep, my current Baldur's Gate characters will likely just get remade into the Dragon's Dogma world as well....their adventures will continue there too.  This reminds me; I've seen videos of the character customization, and I noticed already that some people have created near-perfect versions of Lae'Zel, Shadowheart, Astarion, etc.

 

...oooh yeah, I should make an evil leprechaun as a character next!

 

*EDIT---well well...I'm back at the tower and woooo boy... my recent activities certainly did not go over well with home base....looks like I have to fight with Disciple Zrell and everybody now....

Edited by MillionX
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Darc_Requiem Level 19

Darc_Requiem

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I beat Unicorn Overlord. There is an epilogue that I haven't messed with it yet. It was a good time. I think I got all but two of the side quests done. Setting up your unit parametes is paramount though. The default setting are often, well dumb. So just keep that in mind. I hear it's selling better than expected. I know it was the #1 selling game in Japan for the week. I may go back and wrap up Rebirth now. I'm a bit RPG'd out right now though. So I may just beeline to the end and wrap up the side quests in the future. I want to try to get into Helldivers 2 a bit and play more fighting games.

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