The Backlog Check-in Vol. 277: 4/22/23: Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Trinity Trigger Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: BloodRayne ReVamped, BloodRayne ReVamped 2

Finished: Nothing

Playing: BloodRayne ReVamped, BloodRayne ReVamped 2

Added: Nothing

I’m still playing BloodRayne ReVamped and enjoying it despite it lacking level checkpoints, and having some difficult and frustrating levels. It also doesn’t help that my Dual Shock 4 controller has left stick drift so Rayne likes to constantly walk backwards which sucks for precise platforming parts. I ordered another like new Dual Shock 4 controller from Amazon, and it cost me $42 which was the cheapest like new one that there was.

I also started playing BloodRayne ReVamped 2, and it’s improved over the original in every way offering bigger production values, better graphics that look almost like PS3/Xbox 360, better controls, combat and gameplay. However, I still kind of like the first game a little more. It’s a fast paced run ‘n gun/hack ‘n slash action game with open-ish/maze-like levels fighting demons and nazis. I like its story, characters and overall premise more. The second game is a more linear slower paced beat ‘em up/hack ‘n slash platformer with a somewhat generic hunt and kill vampires story. So far I’ve been mainly fighting street thugs, vampires and the camera. The camera in the first game is tight and responsive, the camera in the second is chaotic constantly spinning around erratically. Combine this with my Dual Shock 4 controller left stick drift with Rayne constantly walking backwards and playing is more frustrating than it should be. And it’s a challenging game, there’s mobs of enemies and tough bosses. There’s level checkpoints unlike the first game has, but they’re still not all that helpful since they’re spaced far apart. I could see myself quitting the game due to its difficulty, with so many games to play I just don’t have the patience for difficult games these days that require me to keep redoing challenging sections and bosses over and over again.

My two pet peeves with games these days are difficulty spikes that halt my progress, and needing to look online to figure out what to do/where to go/solve puzzles. I will quit playing games if I find them too hard, or have me constantly looking online to figure out how to progress in them. I have too many games to play and don’t feel well enough these days to deal with this kind of crap in the games that I play for entertainment and fun.

Games releasing this week
Afterimage
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Ampersat
Animal Shelter Simulator
ArcRunner
Ash of Gods: The Way
Bramble: The Mountain King
Cassette Beasts
Catacomb Master
The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story
The Creepy Syndrome
Crystarise
Desta: The Memories Between
DoraKone
Drago Noka
Dungeon Drafters
Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord
Fantavision 202X
Honkai: Star Rail
The Last Case of Benedict Fox
Light of Life
Live A Live HD-2D Remake
Magical Drop VI
Mangavania
Mistrogue: Mist and the Living Dungeons
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Moto Rush GT
Mugen Souls
Mail Time
Minabo: A Walk Through Life
Nuclear Blaze
Odyssey: Your Space, Your Way
Omega Strikers
Picross S9
Protodroid Delta
Roots of Pacha
R-Type Final 3 Evolved
Shadows of Doubt
Smile for Me
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Stranded: Alien Dawn
Strayed Lights
Sweet Bakery Tycoon
The Swordsman X: Survival
Tin Can
TramSim: Console Edition
Treachery in Beatdown City
Trinity Trigger
Varney Lake
Velocity Noodle
Welcome to Goodland
Wuthering Waves
Zoria: Age of Shattering

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, Horizon Burning Shores DLC

Added to Backlog: Horizon Burning Shores DLC

Current Backlog: 43 games

Burning Shores is good so far...trying hard to get back to somewhat skilled with Horizon combat, lol. Looks gorgeous, as always.

[Phaseknox]

I finished BloodRayne ReVamped, it took me around 8 hours which was the right length for it. It was a pretty fun third person action game throughout without too many frustrating moments. The ending sucked though, it had a good amount of in-game story cutscenes throughout so it was disappointing that it ended so abruptly.

I quit playing BloodRayne ReVamped 2 because it was testing my patience with its difficulty and camera, and my Dual Shock 4 controller left stick drift wasn’t helping. I’ll play it again in the future when I’m more in the mood for it, and I have a new Dual Shock 4 controller.

[canedaddy]

That's a bummer about your controller. I only have one that works now... hoping it will last forever. I do not want to have to buy a new one.


Played recently: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Finished: Aria of Sorrow

Added to backlog: Octopath Traveler II

Current backlog: 30

I finished Aria of Sorrow last night. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fun 2D combat and exploration with a multitude of abilities, weapons, armor, etc. Much more of an RPG than I expected. The story/dialogue was delightfully goofy. A very pleasant surprise for me.

[argyle]

Games added: Croixleur Sigma, War Tech Fighters, Warlocks 2, Blazing Beaks (all Switch physical releases from a Red Art Games sale), RAD, Rustler, Lost Words (from a digital blow-out sale on the Xbox)

Last week: Finished Ryse: Son of Rome & Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, played RAD.

This week: My copy of Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord is supposed to arrive today, and I'm really looking forward to that.

I've been eyeing RAD for a while now (it's a Double Fine joint) and when it dropped to around $3 this week I had to bite. It's fun, will probably put some more time into it, but I admit I probably would have been more impressed if I hadn't already played Hades. Very similar in structure to that game, but Hades is in a class all of its own.

Ryse was a surprisingly fun beat-em-up. Looked really good, especially considering it was a Xbox One launch game. And it had a pretty good rock/paper/scissors combat mechanic that gave it JUST enough depth - it kinda reminded me a bit of Mark of Kri, if you guys remember that gem. It also didn't overstay its welcome - I stretched it out over a couple of weeks because I was using it for my game to get a daily achievement (and therefore 50 Bing points ) but it couldn't have been more than 7-8 hours or so. Played on easy, was just the right difficulty for my old reflexes. Very solid game, a recommend if any of you ever turn to the dark side.

Fairy Fencer F on the PS4 was probably the only Compile Heart game I ever got into, and I loved it. So I've really been looking forward to the sequel, and from early reviews it doesn't disappoint. I had forgotten it came out this week - preordered it in one of those Target b2g1 deals a while back (along with Trinity Trigger, which is a Secret of Mana homage that's also supposed to be really good).

Unrelated to all of that, I came across this video last night and I feel what this guy is saying in my SOUL. 1000% agree, and he hits on all the main reasons why I have been shying away from most of the "AAA" games these days. Language warning, but WELL worth a watch:

[canedaddy]

I get the point there, but I usually like doing the checkbox/collectible/side stuff in AAA (or other) games that some would see as padding, whether it's God of War Ragnarok, Ghost of Tsushima, Yakuza or Psychonauts 2.

If it's just pointless and unfun and annoying, I'll pass... but most of the games I play seem to do it pretty well.

[Phaseknox]

Fairy Fencer F on the PS4 was probably the only Compile Heart game I ever got into, and I loved it. So I've really been looking forward to the sequel, and from early reviews it doesn't disappoint. I had forgotten it came out this week - preordered it in one of those Target b2g1 deals a while back (along with Trinity Trigger, which is a Secret of Mana homage that's also supposed to be really good).

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force is great, I still need to go back and finish it. I stopped playing it because I reached a part in the game where the disc was corrupt, so I rebought it digitally. I’ve been meaning to play it again, but I have so much else to play that I haven’t gotten to it. Now Refrain Chord is coming out and I want it, but I can wait to buy it digitally on sale since I don’t need to play it right now. The same with Trinity Trigger. RPGs/JRPGs are probably my favorite genres, but they’re time consuming. I know that when I start one that it’s all that I’m going to be playing for a while.

I came across this video last night and I feel what this guy is saying in my SOUL. 1000% agree, and he hits on all the main reasons why I have been shying away from most of the "AAA" games these days. Language warning, but WELL worth a watch:

That was really funny, and I agree with a lot of it. However, I do like a big open world checklist type game every once in a while. It’s easy for me to skip the repetitive filler content, and mainly focus on the main quests and side quests. By the way, we’ve been getting less of those types of games lately probably because they take so long to develop.

[Phaseknox]

It looks like I’ll be getting a PS5 after all, because I asked the people at the message forum who gave me money to buy a Switch if they would mind if I used the money to buy a PS5 instead and they were all fine with that. I’m not going to buy one right away because apparently a detachable disc drive version is coming out as well as possibly a Pro. I would rather get one of those instead of the current one, especially a Pro.

[canedaddy]

That's great.