The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Edition

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Phaseknox
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The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

Played: Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Black The Fall, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, Eight Dragons, The Last Stand: Aftermath, Marchen Forest

Finished: Eight Dragons

Playing: Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

Added: Asdivine Saga, Atom RPG, Eight Dragons, Exile’s End, Marchen Forest, My Memory of Us, Tanuki Justice, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula

I played the following games recently:


Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a cool comic book art style turn-based RPG with colorful graphics, cartoon quality animations and an interesting cast of characters. I didn’t play too much of it since I didn’t want to get invested in a lengthy RPG right now, but I liked what I played and I think that it’s something that most of you might like as well.


Black The Fall is a side scrolling 2.5D platform puzzle game similar to Inside. It has really good graphics, clever/creative puzzles and challenging platforming. I don’t particularly like the character that you play as since he’s basically just a generic avatar that looks a little dopey, but this is a pure gameplay driven game primarily about solving puzzles so it’s not too big of a deal. I was enjoying figuring out the puzzles, but figuring out how to get through an area to reach the next one is basically all that you do. There’s some platforming segments, but they’re usually brief. Some combat segments would have been a nice addition for some variety IMO, because just figuring out puzzles every step of the way and nothing else gets a little tedious. I was enjoying it enough to want to play through it, but I’m just not in the mood for a pure puzzle game right now.


I’m currently playing Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, it’s a somewhat linear third person co-op action game. I’m playing as Catti-Brie the archer, and she’s a good character with ranged arrow attacks and acrobatic kicks. The graphics are impressive, the character controls are decent if albeit a little clunky/stiff, the combat is fun for the most part and there’s a lot of loot to find/collect. The story is serviceable enough to give a reason for what you’re doing, but there’s really no character development.

It had the potential to be a really good single player RPG, but they opted to make it an arcade-y co-op action game instead. It’s more Gauntlet than Dungeons & Dragons. The levels are like dungeons that would be in an action RPG, but there’s no game world or character interaction. There’s simply a small hub area where you select a level to go to, and then start the level. There’s no adventure or RPG elements beyond some basic leveling, attribute upgrading and skill unlocking.

It could have been a full-fledged RPG if there was a game world to travel with towns and NPCs to interact with, but instead it’s essentially just a series of dungeons that you go through and nothing else. I’ve been enjoying it since the combat is kind of fun and the levels are fairly well designed with some platforming and traps in them, but it ultimately feels like I’m playing an unfinished RPG that’s missing everything but its dungeons.

Games releasing this week
Aery: Calm Mind 2
APFTU
The Ascent
BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land
Expedition Zero
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Itorah
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
A Memoire Blue
Relayer
Richy’s Nightmares
Rune Factory 5
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tunche
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
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jfissel
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by jfissel »

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Horizon: Forbidden West

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 41 games

94 hours into Horizon and 77% complete. The story is winding down and I clearly still have a good amount of side stuff to finish. Working on it!
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canedaddy
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by canedaddy »

Phase, I haven't been paying attention. Is that Dark Alliance game a modern Norrath/Diablo/Baldur's Gate type of game, with couch co-op?


Played recently: Elden Ring

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 21 (17 PS4, 4 Switch)


Elden Ring is a blast. So hard to put down. I showed it to my daughter and she gave it a try -- and she's loving it too. #argylewasright
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by Phaseknox »

canedaddy wrote: Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:57 pmPhase, I haven't been paying attention. Is that Dark Alliance game a modern Norrath/Diablo/Baldur's Gate type of game, with couch co-op?
Kind of, but it only has online co-op. It has a similar design structure to the games that you mentioned, you make your way through somewhat linear dungeons/levels with branching paths fighting enemies and collecting loot. That’s pretty much the game in a nutshell. I’ve been enjoying it because the environments are impressive looking, the levels are long and fairly well designed with things to discover off the beaten path and the combat is a lot of fun.
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canedaddy
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by canedaddy »

Thanks. I'll check it out eventually, but it would have been much more appealing with couch co-op.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by argyle »

canedaddy wrote: Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:57 pm Elden Ring is a blast. So hard to put down. I showed it to my daughter and she gave it a try -- and she's loving it too. #argylewasright
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Games added: The Cruel King and the Great Hero

Last week: Finished nothing, played Elden Ring

This week: Elden Ring.

I have over 110 hours in ER now. Tam and I are still very addicted. There's still no end game in sight for me, and I'm still discovering new areas w/ large parts of the map still undiscovered/untouched. The scale of the game is insane, as is the quality. Sorry izzy, you're missing out man. ;)
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by Phaseknox »

I finished Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, and I had a decent time with it. Not much really happens in it, you just go through rather linear levels fighting enemies and collecting loot. The story is bare bones, and there’s no character development whatsoever. It’s a relatively repetitive game with many of the levels having a somewhat similar aesthetic, and you fight the same few enemy types and bosses throughout. The graphics, gameplay and combat are all pretty good, but it’s an ultimately shallow experience without much substance to it. It was just fun enough to keep me playing until the end, but that was the extent of it.
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by Phaseknox »

I started playing Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, and it’s been pretty fun so far. It’s a linear third person action game with a dark fantasy setting, and you can play as two characters - a melee fighter guy and an archer girl. They’re always together, and you can switch from one to the other at certain points in the levels. I don’t know why you can’t just switch between them at any time, but I only play as the archer girl so it doesn’t matter. She has melee attacks too, so it’s not like you have to play as the guy for melee combat. The game can be played couch co-op as well.

It’s kind of campy and self aware, so it has a bit of a comedic nature to it at times. It was made by the same developer (inXile) as The Bard’s Tale (2004) after all. It’s primarily a combat driven game, and the combat is fun. The two characters are always talking to each other, and there’s cutscenes, scripted events and set pieces. I’ve been enjoying it.

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isthatallyougot
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by isthatallyougot »

I started playing Blue Fire alongside RDR2 and Unreal World and wow, what a really nice game. It's kind of a mix between Zelda & Souls with a stronger emphasis and clear inspiration of the former while still feeling like its own thing. And the platforming/navigation is excellent. Just has a really cool vibe overall.
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Dragon kick your a$$ into the Milky Way!
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 220: 3/19/22: Ghostwire: Tokyo/Kirby and the Forgotten Land/Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Editio

Post by Phaseknox »

isthatallyougot wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 10:21 amI started playing Blue Fire alongside RDR2 and Unreal World and wow, what a really nice game. It's kind of a mix between Zelda & Souls with a stronger emphasis and clear inspiration of the former while still feeling like its own thing. And the platforming/navigation is excellent. Just has a really cool vibe overall.
Good to know, I’ll buy it when it’s on sale.
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