Played: The Alliance Alive HD Remastered
Finished: Nothing
Playing: The Alliance Alive HD Remastered
Added: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Games releasing this week
Astro Colony
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
A Castle Full of Cats
Caterpillar
Cobra Kai 2: Dojo’s Rising
Crowalt: Traces of the Lost Colony
Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime
Football Manager 2023
Garfield Lasagna Party
Geometric Feel the Beats
Geometric Sniper
God of War: Ragnarok
Kaiju Wars
Kingdom Under Fire: War of Heroes Gold Edition
Legend of Keepers
A Little to the Left
Lord of the Click III
The Lost Village
Lunistice
Orbital Bullet
Paper Flight: Speed Rush
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
Return to Monkey Island
Robo Legend
Roboplant
Save Room
7 Days of Rose
Shadow of the Guild
Sonic Frontiers
Soulstone Survivors
Super Woden GP
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
This Way Madness Lies
The Unliving
Vampire Survivors
The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
I almost made the thread this morning & was going to call it the Sonic Frontiers / Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Edition because I honestly forgot all about GoW. 
Games added: Nothing
Last week: Finished (with) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, played one level of the new Battletoads & that's all I remember.
This week: Not sure yet - Target is supposedly running a b2g1 game sale starting tomorrow, so if some of the recent games I've had my eye on are included I may pickup something in that to start.
Circle of the Moon is a bad game. I looked it up last night, because I was thinking "this can't be an Igarashi Castlevania." It's not. Here are a few of the horrible design decisions in this game:
* There are rarely save points near the bosses. This sucks because you have to backtrack a lot if you lose the fight, obviously, but combined with the second issue it creates another problem...
* The bosses don't drop health orbs. So yeah, you typically end the fight at death's door, and you then have to backtrack a long way to get to a save to heal. This is only made worse by...
* Health items are EXTREMELY rare, and the ones you do get are worthless. They almost never drop, and there is no store where you can purchase them - but the ones that do drop only heal a whopping 10-20hp anyway.
* The map is just poorly designed in general. There's no real "flow" to it like there is in an "Igavania" - you often get lost with no real clue where to go next, and there are extreme difficulty spikes between areas.
The rewind time ability granted with the port is the only thing that allowed me to make it as far as I did, to the final form of Dracula himself. But even that isn't enough to allow me to beat him. The last several fights before him were tough enough & devolved into a constant string of rewinds & retries until I managed to eek out a few hits or dodge that near-undodgeable attack. But Drac...uh-uh. In his second form he is nearly as tall as the screen, and he has this attack where he flashes and just charges you that's almost impossible to dodge (because he will home in on you & charge in any direction). If he hits, it's 700hp worth of damage. That's over a third of my health bar. That's absolutely ridiculous.
So I'm done with what very well may be the worst Castlevania I've played.
Games added: Nothing
Last week: Finished (with) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, played one level of the new Battletoads & that's all I remember.
This week: Not sure yet - Target is supposedly running a b2g1 game sale starting tomorrow, so if some of the recent games I've had my eye on are included I may pickup something in that to start.
Circle of the Moon is a bad game. I looked it up last night, because I was thinking "this can't be an Igarashi Castlevania." It's not. Here are a few of the horrible design decisions in this game:
* There are rarely save points near the bosses. This sucks because you have to backtrack a lot if you lose the fight, obviously, but combined with the second issue it creates another problem...
* The bosses don't drop health orbs. So yeah, you typically end the fight at death's door, and you then have to backtrack a long way to get to a save to heal. This is only made worse by...
* Health items are EXTREMELY rare, and the ones you do get are worthless. They almost never drop, and there is no store where you can purchase them - but the ones that do drop only heal a whopping 10-20hp anyway.
* The map is just poorly designed in general. There's no real "flow" to it like there is in an "Igavania" - you often get lost with no real clue where to go next, and there are extreme difficulty spikes between areas.
The rewind time ability granted with the port is the only thing that allowed me to make it as far as I did, to the final form of Dracula himself. But even that isn't enough to allow me to beat him. The last several fights before him were tough enough & devolved into a constant string of rewinds & retries until I managed to eek out a few hits or dodge that near-undodgeable attack. But Drac...uh-uh. In his second form he is nearly as tall as the screen, and he has this attack where he flashes and just charges you that's almost impossible to dodge (because he will home in on you & charge in any direction). If he hits, it's 700hp worth of damage. That's over a third of my health bar. That's absolutely ridiculous.
So I'm done with what very well may be the worst Castlevania I've played.
- AhL4.gif (416.78 KiB) Viewed 14148 times
"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
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
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet don’t come out until the 18th, and I’m surprised that you forgot about God of War: Ragnarok especially since we were just talking about it.
What about Iconoclasts?
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
I stopped playing The Alliance Alive because I hadn’t played it for a few days, and when I came back to it today I wasn’t really into it for some reason and reached a tough boss that I would have had to grind to beat which I didn’t feel like doing. It’s a good turn-based JRPG and I was enjoying it, but I’m going to play it at another time when I’m more in the mood for it.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Sat Nov 05, 2022 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
You're right, I misread the Pokemon release date as the 8th. And yes, I forgot about Iconoclasts. Still enjoying that one, will be playing more of it this week.
"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
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
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
I got in the mood to play Assassin’s Creed: Liberation which I’ve wanted to play since it originally came out 10 years ago for Vita. I played a bit of it, and I’m enjoying it so far. It’s the remastered version that’s included with the remastered version of Assassin’s Creed III, and it looks and plays pretty good considering that it’s a 10 year old Vita game. However, it runs at 30fps instead of 60fps which is disappointing because it would be even better running at 60fps. I don’t know why they couldn’t make it run at 60fps on PS4, but it still looks good running at 30fps.
I’m liking it more than Revelations, AC3, Black Flag, Rogue and Unity. It’s a shame that Ubisoft wasn’t confident enough in it to make it a main AAA entry in the series instead of a smaller lower budget side game for Vita which I can only assume is because the main protagonist is female. Ubisoft still isn’t confident in making a big AAA game with a female protagonist, they either have a male protagonist or a female protagonist as a secondary option.
This game having a black female protagonist is part of what makes it stand out from other AC games, because it’s designed around her specifically instead of an AC game like Syndicate, Odyssey or Valhalla where they give you the option to play as either a male or female character but there’s no difference between the two. In this game the character’s race and gender are both acknowledged, and are utilized in the actual gameplay since you can wear three different types of outfits including an assassin outfit, a fancy dress outfit and a slave outfit which the NPCs and guards will react differently to. It’s a cool concept, but unfortunately isn’t as fully realized as it could be. The game takes place in New Orleans which is a good setting for an AC game. While it’s structured like an older style AC game, it feels a little different than the usual “hoodie guy” AC game. And it also doesn’t have any modern day sci-fi stuff in it.
I’m liking it more than Revelations, AC3, Black Flag, Rogue and Unity. It’s a shame that Ubisoft wasn’t confident enough in it to make it a main AAA entry in the series instead of a smaller lower budget side game for Vita which I can only assume is because the main protagonist is female. Ubisoft still isn’t confident in making a big AAA game with a female protagonist, they either have a male protagonist or a female protagonist as a secondary option.
This game having a black female protagonist is part of what makes it stand out from other AC games, because it’s designed around her specifically instead of an AC game like Syndicate, Odyssey or Valhalla where they give you the option to play as either a male or female character but there’s no difference between the two. In this game the character’s race and gender are both acknowledged, and are utilized in the actual gameplay since you can wear three different types of outfits including an assassin outfit, a fancy dress outfit and a slave outfit which the NPCs and guards will react differently to. It’s a cool concept, but unfortunately isn’t as fully realized as it could be. The game takes place in New Orleans which is a good setting for an AC game. While it’s structured like an older style AC game, it feels a little different than the usual “hoodie guy” AC game. And it also doesn’t have any modern day sci-fi stuff in it.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Sun Nov 06, 2022 6:56 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
B2G1 is live on Target, and there are quite a few preorders included. They charge when they ship, so I like it when there are preorders. 
You CAN cancel them & just get the remaining games for the reduced price, but I like to preorder stuff that I actually think I'll want. If I end up changing my mind later that's one thing, but I don't usually order w/ the intention of canceling. That said, here's what I have ordered:
Order #1 - $50 retail games:
Preorder - Cult of the Lamb Deluxe (Switch)
Preorder - Loop 8 (Xbox - had not heard of this one, but looks really cool, "slice of life" turn based RPG set in rural Japan)
Out Now - RE8 Village Gold Edition (Xbox - have been looking for a deal on this)
Averages out to $31.66 +tax each (including 5% Target Redcard discount since I'm using my Target debit card).
Order #2 - $60 retail games:
Preorder - Resident Evil 4 Remake (Xbox)
Preorder - Trinity Trigger (PS5 - had not heard of, action RPG - will look into further before release)
Out Now - Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (Switch)
Average out to $37.99 +tax each.
Order #3 - 2 $40/1 $45 retail games:
Preorder - Scars Above (Xbox - not sure on this one, will research more before release)
Preorder - Astergos (Xbox - this is the $45 one)
Out Now - Potion Permit (Switch)
Averages out to $26.91 +tax each.
You CAN cancel them & just get the remaining games for the reduced price, but I like to preorder stuff that I actually think I'll want. If I end up changing my mind later that's one thing, but I don't usually order w/ the intention of canceling. That said, here's what I have ordered:Order #1 - $50 retail games:
Preorder - Cult of the Lamb Deluxe (Switch)
Preorder - Loop 8 (Xbox - had not heard of this one, but looks really cool, "slice of life" turn based RPG set in rural Japan)
Out Now - RE8 Village Gold Edition (Xbox - have been looking for a deal on this)
Averages out to $31.66 +tax each (including 5% Target Redcard discount since I'm using my Target debit card).
Order #2 - $60 retail games:
Preorder - Resident Evil 4 Remake (Xbox)
Preorder - Trinity Trigger (PS5 - had not heard of, action RPG - will look into further before release)
Out Now - Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (Switch)
Average out to $37.99 +tax each.
Order #3 - 2 $40/1 $45 retail games:
Preorder - Scars Above (Xbox - not sure on this one, will research more before release)
Preorder - Astergos (Xbox - this is the $45 one)
Out Now - Potion Permit (Switch)
Averages out to $26.91 +tax each.
"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
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
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
I never heard of these, but they all look really good and are coming to PS4. So that’s three more games that I’m looking forward to next year.argyle wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:35 amLoop 8 (Xbox - had not heard of this one, but looks really cool, "slice of life" turn based RPG set in rural Japan)
Trinity Trigger (PS5 - had not heard of, action RPG - will look into further before release)
Scars Above (Xbox - not sure on this one, will research more before release)
-
isthatallyougot
- Posts: 1312
- Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:52 am
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
Before I shifted to primarily PC, I would have been all over those sales - maybe not for all those particular games, but in general. (I remember Best Buy and TRU having similar sales back when they existed.) They're good for physical, but I get a bit ill when I look at those prices now.argyle wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:35 am B2G1 is live on Target, and there are quite a few preorders included. They charge when they ship, so I like it when there are preorders.
Order #1 - $50 retail games:
Preorder - Cult of the Lamb Deluxe (Switch)
Preorder - Loop 8 (Xbox - had not heard of this one, but looks really cool, "slice of life" turn based RPG set in rural Japan)
Out Now - RE8 Village Gold Edition (Xbox - have been looking for a deal on this)
Averages out to $31.66 +tax each (including 5% Target Redcard discount since I'm using my Target debit card).
Order #2 - $60 retail games:
Preorder - Resident Evil 4 Remake (Xbox)
Preorder - Trinity Trigger (PS5 - had not heard of, action RPG - will look into further before release)
Out Now - Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (Switch)
Average out to $37.99 +tax each.
Order #3 - 2 $40/1 $45 retail games:
Preorder - Scars Above (Xbox - not sure on this one, will research more before release)
Preorder - Astergos (Xbox - this is the $45 one)
Out Now - Potion Permit (Switch)
Averages out to $26.91 +tax each.
Still good deals, of course, and for games that haven't been released, it's even better, but everything is relative. I simply have no desire to be day 1 or day 0 for *anything*. I know it leaves me out of the mainstream conversation loop, but I don't really care, I've always been dancing to my own drummer. btw, I enjoyed COTM, but it wasn't on par with the best Vania's I've played. I don't remember tons of it now, but I do remember it being pretty challenging though. I gave it a 4/5 back when I played it in February 2007.
Edit: And yeah, I do remember the final boss being ridiculous.
Dragon kick your a$$ into the Milky Way!
-
crimson_tide
- Posts: 464
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 5:07 pm
Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 253: 11/5/22: God of War: Ragnarok/Sonic Frontiers Edition
Ummm...Best Buy still exists.
Played:...I think Monstrum Nox I beat on Halloween? Death's Door, Lapis X Labyrinth, OP Pirate Warriors 4 but only for a few minutes each. Oh and Granblue Fantasy Vs...but...
Not ever playing again: Granblue Fantasy Vs (my PS4 randomly shut off mid game playing this one...I am now nonsensically terrified to try it again
)
Beat: Ys 9
This week: not sure yet...
I posted thoughts on Ys 9. It will definitely be somewhere on my goty list. However, I also think I am done with Ys games for a good long while. It didn't really get me into the series as I hoped it would. I have had my fill of that world. I see the appeal. But I also don't like the conceit that this is Adol writing a series of books. It means everything that happens is in the past which doesn't work for me. Also, he's basically a silent protagonist making this conceit even harder to swallow. He wouldn't write about something he has no clear opinion about. Tl;Dr: gameplay solid, framing device disqualifying. I'm weird. Deal .
Death's Door is harder than I thought. I don't know how I feel about that just yet. Lapis is goddamn insane. I kinda love the setup. It's like this weird dungeon crawler with a timer and gambling mechanic? It's like actually playing out the slot machines in DQ11 if that makes any sense to y'all. One piece pirate warriors 4 is just...great? I just love it. I haven't played a musou game except Persona 5 Strikers which I didn't care for because too much talking. One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 took all the talking out. You just beat the hell out of everything and get rewarded. Losing doesn't matter because who cares, I have no clue what is happening. Also, this might be the easiest platinum outside of those Telltale games. The percentage on trophies is insanely high, they give them out like candy. That's why I checked .
Still on the fence about Sonic Frontiers. Waiting for literally any review. A bunch of podcasts I listen to while lifting keep talking around it like they are enjoying it but are embargoed. Also might grab Scarlet Nexus since it's finally hitting under $20...
Oh and argyle is right! I did not care for Circle of the Moon. It starts out fine but I only have one or two of cards the game is built around after hours of playing ! It got ridiculously hard and he is right, the map lacks any and all flow. Very poorly designed. Still going back for the other two but COTM will like not be played again. Nostalgia isn't strong enough to draw me back in...
Played:...I think Monstrum Nox I beat on Halloween? Death's Door, Lapis X Labyrinth, OP Pirate Warriors 4 but only for a few minutes each. Oh and Granblue Fantasy Vs...but...
Not ever playing again: Granblue Fantasy Vs (my PS4 randomly shut off mid game playing this one...I am now nonsensically terrified to try it again
)Beat: Ys 9
This week: not sure yet...
I posted thoughts on Ys 9. It will definitely be somewhere on my goty list. However, I also think I am done with Ys games for a good long while. It didn't really get me into the series as I hoped it would. I have had my fill of that world. I see the appeal. But I also don't like the conceit that this is Adol writing a series of books. It means everything that happens is in the past which doesn't work for me. Also, he's basically a silent protagonist making this conceit even harder to swallow. He wouldn't write about something he has no clear opinion about. Tl;Dr: gameplay solid, framing device disqualifying. I'm weird. Deal
.Death's Door is harder than I thought. I don't know how I feel about that just yet. Lapis is goddamn insane. I kinda love the setup. It's like this weird dungeon crawler with a timer and gambling mechanic? It's like actually playing out the slot machines in DQ11 if that makes any sense to y'all. One piece pirate warriors 4 is just...great? I just love it. I haven't played a musou game except Persona 5 Strikers which I didn't care for because too much talking. One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 took all the talking out. You just beat the hell out of everything and get rewarded. Losing doesn't matter because who cares, I have no clue what is happening. Also, this might be the easiest platinum outside of those Telltale games. The percentage on trophies is insanely high, they give them out like candy. That's why I checked
.Still on the fence about Sonic Frontiers. Waiting for literally any review. A bunch of podcasts I listen to while lifting keep talking around it like they are enjoying it but are embargoed. Also might grab Scarlet Nexus since it's finally hitting under $20...
Oh and argyle is right! I did not care for Circle of the Moon. It starts out fine but I only have one or two of cards the game is built around after hours of playing
! It got ridiculously hard and he is right, the map lacks any and all flow. Very poorly designed. Still going back for the other two but COTM will like not be played again. Nostalgia isn't strong enough to draw me back in...