The Backlog Check-in Vol. 254: 11/12/22: The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me/Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Assassin’s Creed: Liberation, Ys: Memories of Celceta

Finished: Nothing

Playing: Ys: Memories of Celceta

Added: Nothing

Games releasing this week
American Truck Simulator - Texas
As Far as the Eye
Babol the Walking Box
Ballads of Hongye
Bound by Blades
Bravery & Greed
Cardfight! Vanguard Dear Days
Creature Lab
Cthuhlu: Books of Ancients
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
Do Not Open
Drakensang Online
Edengate: The Edge of Life
Farming Simulator 22
Finding Paradise
Flat Eye
Floodland
Frozen Flame
Garfield Lasagna Party
Goat Simulator 3
Heidelberg 1693
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch
Let’s Sing 2023
LONN
McPixel 3
Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten
My Fantastic Ranch
9 Years of Shadows
Nobody - The Turnaround
The Oregon Trail
Pentiment
Pid
Pokémon Scarlet
Pokémon Violet
RWBY: Arrowfell
Smurfs Kart
Somerville
Starsand
Super Buckyball Tournament
Syberia: The World Before
Wobbledogs

[argyle]

Games added: Sonic Frontier, Mario+Rabbids 2, Valkyrie Elysium, Resident Evil 8 Gold Edition, Potion Permit

Last week: Finished Iconoclasts, played Sonic

This week: More Sonic, and probably start something else on the Switch

Iconoclasts was fantastic. There were a few hiccups - a couple of times where it wasn't exactly clear what to do, mainly in a couple of the boss fights. And one area that was a lot of backtracking & figuring out what you had triggered where to be able to proceed. But these were minor issues in the grand scheme of things. The puzzles were fantastic (and not too tough IMO - Phase, never play Braid if you think the puzzles in this were too hard ). The boss fights were great - tough but fair, and the main challenge was usually just figuring them out. Each one was unique. The story was very intricate as well, and even tho there were a few loose ends and I'm still wrapping my head around the ending, the characters were great and it had some fantastic moments - the next-to-last boss fight was especially heartbreaking. Overall it was a great game, highly recommended, and a real marvel considering one guy did the entire game.

[Phaseknox]

Iconoclasts was fantastic. There were a few hiccups - a couple of times where it wasn't exactly clear what to do, mainly in a couple of the boss fights. And one area that was a lot of backtracking & figuring out what you had triggered where to be able to proceed. But these were minor issues in the grand scheme of things. The puzzles were fantastic (and not too tough IMO - Phase, never play Braid if you think the puzzles in this were too hard ).

I’m glad that you enjoyed it, I might give it another go in the future if the mood strikes me. I don’t plan on playing Braid, because I’m just not really into puzzles in games much anymore. I like some environment puzzles and key item puzzles in action adventure games, but that’s about it. Having to stop to figure out brain teaser puzzles, or not knowing what to do or where to go aggravates me now. I don’t like having my progress halted in games, that’s part of why I like an easier go of things now as well because I don’t like getting stuck at a hard part and having to redo it over and over again until I “git gud”. Of course I still like some challenge and pushback in games, but not to the point where I’m getting angry and no longer having fun.

[isthatallyougot]

I've got Iconoclasts in my backlog. I thought it looked fun when I picked it up. Definitely sounds intriguing.

And phase, I'm very hit or miss when it comes to puzzles. I don't usually enjoy puzzle-centric games, but sometimes they're fun. My issue with puzzle games is that they're hard to balance well for everyone. They can be stupidly easy, rendering them pointless or needlessly obtuse, which is no fun. I don't mind some real tough head scratchers when they're implemented *within* a non puzzle-focused game either. It's just a form of gaming that varies so wildly in quality / execution that it walks a fine line that can easily turn some nice presentation elements into tedium in terms of actual gameplay.

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Stray, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, God of War: Ragnarok

Added to Backlog: God of War: Ragnarok

Current Backlog: 44 games

[Phaseknox]

phase, I'm very hit or miss when it comes to puzzles. I don't usually enjoy puzzle-centric games, but sometimes they're fun. My issue with puzzle games is that they're hard to balance well for everyone. They can be stupidly easy, rendering them pointless or needlessly obtuse, which is no fun. I don't mind some real tough head scratchers when they're implemented *within* a non puzzle-focused game either. It's just a form of gaming that varies so wildly in quality / execution that it walks a fine line that can easily turn some nice presentation elements into tedium in terms of actual gameplay.

I can enjoy a puzzle-centric game like Portal for example if solving clever, creative and logical puzzles is the actual game, but I find a lot of puzzle-centric games especially point-and-click adventure games to have obtuse puzzles that aren’t logical and when I look up their solutions I want to ask the designer(s) of them WTF? One of my favorite point-and-click adventure games is Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out, because the puzzles in it are actually logical and the solutions to them make sense. It’s one of the few point-and-click adventure games from the past that I could actually finish without getting stuck. I don’t really like brain teaser puzzles in other genres of games such as action adventure games, action platformers and RPGs. Some environment and key item puzzles are fine, but not puzzle game type puzzles that feel out of place and can stump me and halt my progress. I don’t play those genres of games to solve challenging puzzles, and I get aggravated when I come across them and I have to go online to look up their solutions.

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Stray, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, God of War: Ragnarok

Added to Backlog: God of War: Ragnarok

Current Backlog: 44 games

You’ve been playing Stray for months, shouldn’t you have finished it by now? It’s a linear and short cat walking sim, not some big epic RPG. And I was hoping for some God of War: Ragnarok impressions.

[canedaddy]

Played recently: Yakuza 6, Dragon Quest IV

Finished: Yakuza 6

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 27


I thought I had mentioned this but I guess not. I beat Yakuza 6 before I went on my trip last week. It was a great sendoff for Kazuma Kiryu. I liked the Hiroshima crew and setting, and the story had a whole lot of powerful beats. The only negatives for me were some of the main minigames (gang fight RTS and baseball management) weren't really my thing. (I really enjoyed the bar and its characters/stories, though.)

Failing to find anything else that grabbed me for my flights, I just brought my 3DS and DQIV, which I've largely forgotten since my brain is all old and crumbly. I'm going to just play that whenever I fly now.

No idea what I'll play next on PS4. It was brought to my attention recently that Nino Kuni 2, though lacking some of the charm of the first one (no Drippy, story not as heart-tugging), has a lot of features I'd like. Anyone have thoughts?

[isthatallyougot]

I can enjoy a puzzle-centric game like Portal for example if solving clever, creative and logical puzzles is the actual game, but I find a lot of puzzle-centric games especially point-and-click adventure games to have obtuse puzzles that aren’t logical and when I look up their solutions I want to ask the designer(s) of them WTF? One of my favorite point-and-click adventure games is Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out, because the puzzles in it are actually logical and the solutions to them make sense. It’s one of the few point-and-click adventure games from the past that I could actually finish without getting stuck. I don’t really like brain teaser puzzles in other genres of games such as action adventure games, action platformers and RPGs. Some environment and key item puzzles are fine, but not puzzle game type puzzles that feel out of place and can stump me and halt my progress. I don’t play those genres of games to solve challenging puzzles, and I get aggravated when I come across them and I have to go online to look up their solutions.

Yeah, I really enjoyed Portal. I need to play the second one. And, like you, I certainly prefer logical puzzles, of course. I don't mind the occasional absurd puzzle, but if a game is built around that sort of thing, it's a turn-off for me as well.

[Phaseknox]

Yeah, I really enjoyed Portal. I need to play the second one.

Portal 2 is one of my favorite games of all-time. It’s an adventure puzzle game with some of the most creative and fun puzzles that I’ve experienced in a game, and it’s lengthy with an interesting story and a lot of humor. I hope that they make a Portal 3.

[crimson_tide]

I wish I had a better answer as to why I fell off Iconoclasts. It just didn't register. I don't know how far I got but it was a good chunk of the way through. Maybe it was because I was playing it on Vita? Glad you liked it argyle!

Played: One Piece Pirate Warriors 4, Sonic Frontiers...I have thoughts...

Beat: Nothing

Bought: Sonic Frontiers

This week: Sonic Frontiers

So. Sonic Frontiers. The thoughts are...I ******* LOVE THIS ******* THING!!!! It's not completely flying off the rails somehow. It absolutely should but it's the spit and hope they used to keep this all together is holding. Seriously though, the core loop is just fine and as long as the center holds, this should be fine. The action stages are short and fine. The open world nonsense is really shockingly good. The story is taking a weird twist I am here for with the dynamic between Robotnik and Sage, his new god-tier thing he found that will inevitably turn on him...or will it this time? It's still plenty goofy but the characters have a center to them and the constant references to the past give just a bit of texture. I like the dumb skill tree and being grossly overpowered. It's like baby's first open world character action game...in fact, one might say it gives off the vibe of a PS2 game. And I have been in a PS2 nostalgia phase all year. It's not my game of the year just yet but unless it all completely falls apart at the back half (which yes, is entirely possible because it is a Sonic game), it'll be pretty high. I am really curious about the story and where they are going with it and looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Oh and old man, the fishing is mad basic like DBZ Kakarot. Which I also loved. Though I did not love Ni No Kuni 2. It was fine. Like exceedingly, soul crushingly fine. You will WANT to like it more but simply CAN'T. It doesn't particularly excel in any one area. The battle system is functional but never feels really good. The side stuff is just content. You can get through huge tracts of the game leaving it running and going away. When you come back, the game rewards you like an idle clicker phone game. And the story has all the wrong parts of tonal whiplash. Not the good ones like Yakuza...fine, Like A Dragon. They open on the weirdest note and don't come back to it for SO LONG that when they get there it derails the entire rest of the endgame. I couldn't be assed to even mess around with the DLC because once the credits rolled, I was very much done after the story turns. And the game just isn’t as immediately and infinitely charming as the first. Even not in comparison to the first, as its own game, it's just there. It was one of the games I put the most hours into the year I played it but again that was just leaving the game running for hours for rewards. It might be 30-40 hours tops for a main story run. If the first few hours grip you, it's pretty much that for the entire game. Give it a go if you’re curious old man !