The Backlog Check-in Vol. 282: 5/27/23: Street Fighter 6 (and a Special Proposition and Memorial Day 2023) Edition

[sonuckles]

Hey everyone. Long time no see. It's your old pal sonuckles. Sorry to hijack the thread naming convention, but I was groggily wandering out of bed this morning thinking about how I haven't checked in here in forever, when a thought occurred to me. Would you guys be up for moving over to a Discord server?

Our setup here is already borderline close to most of the servers I'm already a part of, and it would be nice just having access to our group right from the same app I'm already using for everything else. We can create channels specifically for each of our recurring threads (so a backlog discussion channel, a deals channel, a "holy crap you'll never believe what just happened to me" channel, etc.) Plus it's free so there wouldn't be any maintenance costs involved like we have now (assuming we still have those).

It was just a thought. If anyone's interested just say so.

Anyway as for me, the main thing on my backlog right now is Zelda TotK.

I got in a car accident on Monday. I'm healing up, and doing relatively okay. Just a lot of bruises. Nothing broken. My car is going to be totaled, and then I can get something new. The other guy is fine, too. I'm the only one who went to the hospital. But it has given me a lot of time to play TotK. At least I have the time whenever the kiddo isn't trying to climb on my (rather sore) lap and take the switch from me to play Mario Maker 2.

Anyway, I'll hopefully hear back from you guys. Have a great memorial day weekend!

[Phaseknox]

Hey everyone. Long time no see. It's your old pal sonuckles.

Who? Just kidding, welcome back.

Sorry to hijack the thread naming convention

I usually post the backlog check-in threads here each week, and this was going to be the Street Fighter 6 Edition. But I guess that I can forgive you for hijacking it this one time.

Would you guys be up for moving over to a Discord server?

I’ve heard of Discord, but I don’t really know what it is.

We can create channels specifically for each of our recurring threads (so a backlog discussion channel, a deals channel, a "holy crap you'll never believe what just happened to me" channel, etc.)

What are channels?

I got in a car accident on Monday. I'm healing up, and doing relatively okay. Just a lot of bruises. Nothing broken.

I’m sorry to hear that you were in a car accident, but I’m glad that you’re relatively okay.

[Phaseknox]

Played: Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories, King’s Bounty II

Finished: Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories

Playing: King’s Bounty II

Added: Succubus

I started playing King’s Bounty II, and I’ve been enjoying it. It’s a story driven third person medieval fantasy RPG with a tactical turn-based battle system. It’s like a mix of Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Two Worlds. It’s a mid-tier AA game with decent graphics and voice acting. It has a big varied game world, and a lot of main and side quests.

The one somewhat awkward thing about it is that you traverse the game world and interact with NPCs by yourself as if you’re alone, but you have a small squad of fighters in your party that fight for you in combat. They’re not actual party members that travel with you, they’re disposable fighters that only appear during combat. They can die in battle, but you can recruit more with money.

The tactical turn-based combat is fun, but transitioning from third person solo traversal gameplay to isometric view squad based tactical battles for combat is a little weird. However, it still manages to work. I’ve been enjoying the story, characters, quests and combat.

Games releasing this week
Away: The Survival Series
Backpack Hero
Battle Talent
Budget Cuts
The Caligula Effect: Overdose
Candle Knight
Company of Heroes 3
Decarnation
Doomblade
Driftwood
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection
Farworld Pioneers
Friends Versus Friends
Frigato: Shadows of the Caribbean
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
Gunfire Reborn
The Highrise
Homebody
Hubris
Killer Frequency
Laserpitium
Lucy Dreaming
Minabo: A Walk Through Life
Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2
Mythrealm
Project Nightmares Case 36: Henrietta Kenward
R.A.C.E.: Rocket Arena Car Extreme
Return to Grace
The Riftbreaker: Into the Dark
Shame Legacy
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer
Space Mechanic Simulator
Speed Truck Racing
Spiral Dystopia
Stasis: Bone Totem
Street Fighter 6
Sugar Tanks
Super Mega Baseball 4
System Shock Remastered
The Tartarus Key
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis
Urban Flow
We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie

[sonuckles]

I usually post the backlog check-in threads here each week, and this was going to be the Street Fighter 6 Edition. But I guess that I can forgive you for hijacking it this one time.

I updated the title to reflect that. Far be it from me to disrupt a tradition.

And as for what Discord is, it's a website/app for communicating with each other. Someone creates a server (which is basically like a group of ongoing chat threads centered around various topics) and then sends out a custom link that anyone interested in joining the server can use. You sign up and then you'll see any servers you're a part of. From there you pick your server (say a PS2 Backlog server), and then pick which channel you want (ex "Backlog discussion", "Deals", "Hauls").

Instead of being broken up into individual posts it's more like long instant message threads.

It can be a little tricky to wrap your head around at first, and I know for people who are new to the concept, it's not the most exciting idea. That said, when you have a bunch of servers you're a part of it makes it easier to keep up to date on all of them vs having to remember to go to several different websites in order to keep up with people.

I just thought it was worth floating the concept. At the very least I'm going to try to keep this place opened in a tab so I can remember to check it.

[canedaddy]

Hey everyone. Long time no see. It's your old pal sonuckles.

Great to see you back here!

Sorry to hijack the thread naming convention, but I was groggily wandering out of bed this morning thinking about how I haven't checked in here in forever, when a thought occurred to me. Would you guys be up for moving over to a Discord server?

I guess so. I've never gone there, but everything I've heard is good.

I got in a car accident on Monday. I'm healing up, and doing relatively okay. Just a lot of bruises. Nothing broken. My car is going to be totaled, and then I can get something new. The other guy is fine, too. I'm the only one who went to the hospital.

Yikes! Glad it wasn't worse.



Played recently: Octopath Traveler II

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition

Current backlog: 31


I've done all the characters' first chapters in OT2 and the second for many of them. I'm still enjoying it but I am wondering where it's going, i.e. how (if?) these eight stories will be intertwined into a coherent whole.

[Phaseknox]

The tactical turn-based combat is fun, but transitioning from third person solo traversal gameplay to isometric view squad based tactical battles for combat is a little weird. However, it still manages to work.

Actually, the more that I play the game the more that the transition from third person solo character world traversal/interaction to isometric view tactical turn-based combat using a squad of fighters doesn’t really work. It’s really awkward, and kind of jarring. It makes the game feel less organic since the world is detailed and alive with people everywhere so I’m immersed into it, but then the combat takes me out of it and feels very video game-y since it’s isometric view grid based.

It feels like two different games combined into one which it essentially is, it’s one part third person adventure RPG and one part isometric view tactical turn-based combat game. And your character doesn’t fight in combat, they simply stand off to the side issuing commands to the squad and occasionally you can use magic to attack enemies, heal the squad and add buffs to them. Real-time in-world action combat would have been better because it’s a third person adventure RPG, the separate isometric view turn-based combat in it feels like you’re playing a different game which you basically are.

I like the combat for the most part, but that doesn’t change the fact that it feels out of place. I’m still enjoying the game because I like the story, characters and world, but I would be enjoying it even more if it had real-time in-world action combat instead of separate isometric view tactical turn-based combat.

[argyle]

Games added: Alan Wake Remastered

Last week: Finished nothing, played Tears of the Kingdom.

This week: Tears of the Kingdom.

TotK absolutely lives up to the hype. The game is phenomenal. It's massive in size and scope, but it never feels padded or empty - it's not big for the sake of being big, it's absolutely stuffed with things to do, places to discover & explore, etc. The big talk is the creation system, and it is awesome - being able to build almost anything (seriously, some of the things I've seen people build so far are just insane) and fuse anything to your weapons really opens the game up. But the real game changer here is how all of this is integrated with the puzzles. Gone are the days of trying to figure out what the dev wanted you to do in order to solve a puzzle. If you've ever been playing a game and came across a puzzle and thought "this SHOULD work, but it isn't the solution" then this game is for you. An example, I was in a shrine the other night - they are back, mini dungeons with 2 or 3 puzzles all based around a common theme. The first puzzle is usually fairly easy & just gets you to understand the concept, then the last one really tests you to think outside the box. Well I was at the last puzzle in this particular shrine, and I had to complete an electrical circuit. Problem was, I couldn't find anything to use to do so. After being stuck on it for 10-15 mins, I finally had the thought of trying to use my weapons. So I dropped a couple of swords, used the creation ability to fuse them together end-to-end, and laid them across the gap to complete the circuit - and it worked. I knew that wasn't the "intended" solution, but that doesn't matter - if it works, it's a solution. I lost those two swords, but they were nothing special and easily replaceable. After I finished it, I looked up a youtube video to see what the intended solution was, and sure enough there was something in the room you could use to complete the circuit that I overlooked - but again, doesn't matter. Some puzzles are even more open ended than that - I've seen discussions online around what the "intended" solution actually was for some puzzles, where the people discussing it had come up with at least 3 different ways of solving it.

I honestly just can't say enough about this game. I've put a LOT of time in it, and there's still a ton left to do & explore. This is my current GOTY by a mile, and I will be shocked if anything else this year comes close. Heck, this is a strong GOAT contender.

As for the Discord discussion, I'm not super familiar with it either - but isn't it more of a real time chat service? I'll admit I'm a little hesitant to uproot us again, because I'm not sure how many more moves our little group can survive. That said, I'll go where everyone else decides to go.

[Phaseknox]

TotK absolutely lives up to the hype. The game is phenomenal. It's massive in size and scope, but it never feels padded or empty - it's not big for the sake of being big, it's absolutely stuffed with things to do, places to discover & explore, etc. The big talk is the creation system, and it is awesome - being able to build almost anything (seriously, some of the things I've seen people build so far are just insane) and fuse anything to your weapons really opens the game up. But the real game changer here is how all of this is integrated with the puzzles. Gone are the days of trying to figure out what the dev wanted you to do in order to solve a puzzle. If you've ever been playing a game and came across a puzzle and thought "this SHOULD work, but it isn't the solution" then this game is for you. An example, I was in a shrine the other night - they are back, mini dungeons with 2 or 3 puzzles all based around a common theme. The first puzzle is usually fairly easy & just gets you to understand the concept, then the last one really tests you to think outside the box. Well I was at the last puzzle in this particular shrine, and I had to complete an electrical circuit. Problem was, I couldn't find anything to use to do so. After being stuck on it for 10-15 mins, I finally had the thought of trying to use my weapons. So I dropped a couple of swords, used the creation ability to fuse them together end-to-end, and laid them across the gap to complete the circuit - and it worked. I knew that wasn't the "intended" solution, but that doesn't matter - if it works, it's a solution. I lost those two swords, but they were nothing special and easily replaceable. After I finished it, I looked up a youtube video to see what the intended solution was, and sure enough there was something in the room you could use to complete the circuit that I overlooked - but again, doesn't matter. Some puzzles are even more open ended than that - I've seen discussions online around what the "intended" solution actually was for some puzzles, where the people discussing it had come up with at least 3 different ways of solving it.

That sounds awesome. I know that I said that I was having a hard time getting into Breath of the Wild because the world felt big and directionless, but I’m convinced that a big part of it has to do with playing it on the small Switch Lite screen. A game as big and sprawling as it just doesn’t really work as a portable game IMO, it needs to be experienced on a big screen to really get immersed into it.

As for the Discord discussion, I'm not super familiar with it either - but isn't it more of a real time chat service? I'll admit I'm a little hesitant to uproot us again, because I'm not sure how many more moves our little group can survive. That said, I'll go where everyone else decides to go.

I personally think that I would rather stay here (sorry sonuckles), because I don’t really see how the move to Discord would benefit our tiny community. Also, wouldn’t it also mean losing the five years of content here? We already lost years of content in the past, and I don’t want to lose any more.

[sonuckles]

I don't fault you guys for wanting to stay put. Given that it sounds like everyone who posts here regularly isn't that familiar with Discord, I don't think y'all would get much out of it, anyway. No sense in rocking the boat when it's been smooth sailing so far.

[argyle]

I don't fault you guys for wanting to stay put. Given that it sounds like everyone who posts here regularly isn't that familiar with Discord, I don't think y'all would get much out of it, anyway. No sense in rocking the boat when it's been smooth sailing so far.

I am glad to see you back around tho - definitely keep our tab open (that's what I do as well so I don't forget to post - usually works ).

So crim has been hyping up Street Fighter 6, and I watched a very informal review from a guy I follow on YouTube today. One of the quotes from the video said that the single-player mode was "...the Street Fighter version of Yakuza...". That definitely grabbed my attention, and I figured it would interest most of you as well. They basically raved about the single player in particular talking about how much fun it was & how much there was to do. Said that it was basically a game unto itself. I've been sitting on some PS5 credit so I think I may use it on that.