The Backlog Check-in Vol. 270: 3/4/23: Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania/Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Super Console Cube X3

Finished: Nothing

Playing ?

Added: Underworld Ascendent

I’m in the hospital again, my foot with the wounds got infected. I’m going to have a skin graft done. The fun never ends.

Games releasing this week
Before Your Eyes
Big Ambitions
Bleak Faith: Forsaken
Caverns of Mars: Recharged
Chippy & Noppo
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos
Contraband Police
DC’s Justice League: Cosmic Chaos
Deceive Inc.
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania
Do Not Feed the Monkeys 2099
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Figment 2: Creed Valley
Flashout 3
Germinal
Goblins of Elderstone
Hotel Renovator
Ib
KartRider: Drift
Know by Heart...
The Last Spell
Little Witch Nobeta
Mari & Bayu: The Road Home
Masterplan Tycoon
Mato Anomalies
Mondealy
Monster Energy Supercross - The Official Videogame 6
Oni: Road to be the Mightiest Oni
Outlanders
Papetura
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Pronty
Relic Space
Romancelvania
Sanctuary Saga
Session: Skate Sim
Space Tail: Lost in the Sands
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism
Super Ninja Miner
Terraformers
Tiny Troopers: Global Ops
Titanium Hound
Train Life: A Railway Simulator
Transport Fever 2
Uncharted Waters Origin
Vessels of Decay
Volley Pals
Zapling Bygone

[jfissel]

Finished: A Short Hike (platinum)

Now Playing: Stray, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, Like a Dragon: Ishin

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 44 games

Finished A Short Hike and got the platinum. Wasn't too bad, though I had to use a guide to help me find a couple feathers and a few of the rubber flowers. Fun little game, glad I picked it up on izzy's recommendation.

[isthatallyougot]

Fun little game, glad I picked it up on izzy's recommendation.

Glad you and cane enjoyed it too.

I think I'm finally done with Adventure Island. Let me tell you about area 8 round 3 section 4.





The final run up to the end of the level is just too much. I mean you must be perfect, and I don't mean close to perfect, I mean PERFECT.
There's absolutely no room for error and the timing and input adjustments that must be made on the 7th out of 8 falling platforms in this section, while navigating your jumps, speed and dealing with moving enemies interfering with that platforming is simply ridiculous. REEEEE-diculous. I'm not sure I could have beaten this section in my youth. If I made run after run, I might get lucky and do it even now, but it's simply torturous. I've very much enjoyed the game, and it has been really challenging in spots up to this point, but this...THIS is just stupid. It makes all of the other hard patches seem like a walking simulator in comparison, lol. The game ends after 8-4, so I'm right on the doorstep, but I'm not about to punish myself just to say I beat it. Really fun game, and very tough generally speaking, but there's challenge and then there's abuse. I'll have to satisfy myself with *almost* beating it and enjoying it for what it is up to that ending stretch. If you see someone do it, it looks doable. Well, please do it and get back to me.

[canedaddy]

Bro, why are you doing that to yourself? Is your dominatrix forcing you to?


Played recently: A Short Hike, American Fugitive, Wo Long demo, Tesla vs Lovecraft

Finished: A Short Hike

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 29


Well, after A Short Hike I wasn't sure what to play next. I fired up American Fugitive thinking that would hit the spot -- isometric GTA-style game -- but I bounced off it pretty quickly. Something about it didn't click. Maybe too much of a sim or the tone is too serious? Maybe it just feels second-rate? Not sure.

After that I checked out the Wo Long demo, and didn't like it either. The combat and movement felt stiff and joyless, and the atmosphere was another depressing postapocalyptic hellscape ... sigh. I dropped that one fast.

Then I fired up my other recent izzy-inspired purchase, Tesla vs Lovecraft, and it's been a lot of fun! Great twin-stick shooter loop where you grab power-ups and mech parts to get some crazy action going. I imagine I'm in the last third or so and some of the levels have been tough, but it's hitting the spot.

[argyle]

Games added: Callisto Protocol

Last week: Finished nothing, played Hogwarts Legacy & enough Shadow Warrior 3 to get a daily achievement.

This week: I'll finish HL, or it will finish me. Either way, something ends this week.

My Hogwarts progress has been hampered by the fact that Tam is also playing it and doesn't want to see any spoilers, so I have done WAY more of the side stuff than I had intended. Pro tip: if any of you play this game, don't go hard into the side stuff. It's...a bit much. I'm definitely finishing it this week tho, because I am beyond ready to move on. Probably to Callisto, which I picked up on a whim Saturday when I saw it marked down a little @ GS.

I also didn't realize that the Castlevania DLC for Dead Cells was dropping this week, definitely going to be grabbing that.

The game ends after 8-4, so I'm right on the doorstep, but I'm not about to punish myself just to say I beat it.

Reminds me of Shinobi on the PS2. Brutal game, but the way it works is genius once you get into it. Basically, each consecutive hit from a combo does a percentage more damage than the last. You can finish bosses in just a few hits - once you get good. Like, REALLY good. It's super satisfying once you finally do it. Unfortunately, the last level before the final boss is pretty dumb in that it asks some insane things of you & gives you no mid-level checkpoints, so you basically have to do a perfect run of the entire level. I finally had to nope out of it, as much as I wanted to finish the game.

[isthatallyougot]

Bro, why are you doing that to yourself? Is your dominatrix forcing you to?

Then I fired up my other recent izzy-inspired purchase, Tesla vs Lovecraft, and it's been a lot of fun! Great twin-stick shooter loop where you grab power-ups and mech parts to get some crazy action going. I imagine I'm in the last third or so and some of the levels have been tough, but it's hitting the spot.

Ooh! Awesome! Did the version you bought come with the 'For Science' DLC? I ask because the epic weapons you can get in that version really amp up the power fantasy to 11 and makes the whole game feel different/better (when you get an epic drop) because of the addition. You also get endless Dreamland difficulties that let you play ever-increasingly difficult campaigns which is fun. I think I did another 3 full runs with that, if I'm remembering.


Speaking of firing up new games, I've been interested in Chronicon since before I bought it, but I've always been slow to jump in. I knew it was going to be a lot to chew on. This is a pretty good review that gives you a taste of what it's all about.



I had that sensation you mentioned when firing up the game recently. (Pathfinder, was it?) That feeling of overwhelm just making me tired before really getting into things, lol. But I've already put about 3 1/2 hours into it, and I'm having fun. But I still feel like an illiterate thrown into the Library of Congress and asked to give a thorough summary of my findings.

Reminds me of Shinobi on the PS2. Brutal game, but the way it works is genius once you get into it. Basically, each consecutive hit from a combo does a percentage more damage than the last. You can finish bosses in just a few hits - once you get good. Like, REALLY good. It's super satisfying once you finally do it. Unfortunately, the last level before the final boss is pretty dumb in that it asks some insane things of you & gives you no mid-level checkpoints, so you basically have to do a perfect run of the entire level. I finally had to nope out of it, as much as I wanted to finish the game.

I've still got a sealed copy in my backlog, and I always thought I'd love it based on reviews I'd read. But yeah, I know it's got that hair pulling rep.

[canedaddy]

[Ooh! Awesome! Did the version you bought come with the 'For Science' DLC? I ask because the epic weapons you can get in that version really amp up the power fantasy to 11 and makes the whole game feel different/better (when you get an epic drop) because of the addition. You also get endless Dreamland difficulties that let you play ever-increasingly difficult campaigns which is fun. I think I did another 3 full runs with that, if I'm remembering.

No, it doesn't look like I have the DLC. I'll probably pick it up at some point.

Speaking of firing up new games, I've been interested in Chronicon since before I bought it, but I've always been slow to jump in. I knew it was going to be a lot to chew on. This is a pretty good review that gives you a taste of what it's all about.

I had that sensation you mentioned when firing up the game recently. (Pathfinder, was it?) That feeling of overwhelm just making me tired before really getting into things, lol. But I've already put about 3 1/2 hours into it, and I'm having fun. But I still feel like an illiterate thrown into the Library of Congress and asked to give a thorough summary of my findings.

Ha, yes, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. I almost dozed when going through all the abilities and races and religions and...

Chronocon looks very appealing. Alas, no console versions.

[Phaseknox]

As I mentioned in my first post, I’m back in the hospital. I’ve been here for almost a week now. My foot wounds got infected, and I had to come back to the hospital to be put on IV antibiotics. While my foot is looking better, I also have an infection in my heel bone which is even more serious. I have to have IV antibiotics every day for a month to get rid of the infection, so when I leave the hospital I have to go to the infusion clinic five days a week for a month to have IV antibiotics put in me. That’s in addition to going to the wound clinic three times a week to have my foot wounds cleaned and bandaged. Thankfully they’re both right next to each other, so I can schedule the appointments back to back.

[canedaddy]

Dang. Sorry to hear that, Phase. That is awful. I will pray for you.

[argyle]

As I mentioned in my first post, I’m back in the hospital. I’ve been here for almost a week now. My foot wounds got infected, and I had to come back to the hospital to be put on IV antibiotics. While my foot is looking better, I also have an infection in my heel bone which is even more serious. I have to have IV antibiotics every day for a month to get rid of the infection, so when I leave the hospital I have to go to the infusion clinic five days a week for a month to have IV antibiotics put in me. That’s in addition to going to the wound clinic three times a week to have my foot wounds cleaned and bandaged. Thankfully they’re both right next to each other, so I can schedule the appointments back to back.

Oh man, I'm sorry (and I have no idea how I missed that in your first post *doh*). I hadn't had a foot checkup in a couple of years, ever since my primary doctor left the state & I was switched to a new one, so I mentioned it to the new one & she set me up. Just had the appt a few weeks ago, and I remember the doc stressing me keeping on the lookout for wounds. He said everything looked good for me right now, but it was just what he said to be on guard for - he even suggested wearing shoes of some sort when I'm just around the house. I thought that was silly at the time...maybe not.