The Backlog Check-in Vol. 12: 3/24/18: Far Cry 5 Edition

[Phaseknox]

Far Cry 5 comes out next week, and I plan on buying it on day one since I'm a big fan of the series. But I admit that despite liking the concept of the story I'm a little concerned about the narrative since not only do you choose a character instead of playing as an established one which from what I understand means that they're a silent protagonist, the entire campaign can be played co-op which probably means completely non cinematic and scripted story missions without any exciting set pieces. I hope that these things aren't true since a big part of the appeal of Far Cry 3 and 4 are their stories, voiced protagonists and scripted story missions. We'll see what reviews say.

However, the world and gameplay look really good perhaps the best in the series yet. I like the concept of taking on a fanatical cult and its leaders, and it apparently has an open-ended design structure which makes the main storyline less linear. After playing a lot of Kingdom Come: Deliverance which is rather dull and void of action, excitement and fun factor, it will be nice to play something that is pretty much nothing but action and fun factor.

Speaking of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, I plan on selling it to GameStop along with some other PS4 games that I want to get rid of. I got 30+ mildly entertaining hours out of it, but I've basically played all that I want to especially knowing that it's not a complete experience. It was one of my most anticipated games of the year, and unfortunately it turned out to be a disappointment and not the game that I was expecting it to be.

[canedaddy]

I'm skeptical about Far Cry 5 for numerous reasons, including the ones you mentioned. Waiting for impressions from you all.

Played this week: inFamous: First Light, The Last Guardian

Finished last week: inFamous: First Light

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 38 (13 PS4, 11 Vita, 7 PS2, 5 3DS, 2 PS3)

I finished First Light last week and loved every minute of it. Not sure why it took me so long to fire it up, but once I did it hooked me right away. I did all the side stuff and whatnot except for the arena challenges (not my cup o' tea).

I started TLG yesterday and it's the same deal... can't stop playing. Thanks a lot for the loan, jfissel!

[argyle]

The heavy use of Christian imagery for the cult in Far Cry 5 has completely turned me off of the game. A shame, since 4 & Primal were such good games.

Games added: Attack On Titan 2, Tales of Berseria, One More Dungeon, The Inner World, Pharonic, Geometry Wars 3 Dimensions Evolved, Lego Batman 2 (vita), Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2

Last week: Finished nothing, played Attack On Titan 2, Shadow Warrior, Linelight, and dabbled with a few others

This week: More of those 3, and will start on Ni no Kuni 2 as soon as my copy arrives

I had asked one of my friends at GS to let me know when The Inner World got converted to used, because they've been doing that rather quickly for their indie games it seems and that one looked interesting. Turns out not only did it get converted & drop to $9.99 this week, but they started a 4/$20 sale (4/$16 after PUR discount) on all $9.99 games. So both it & Pharonic were actually still factory sealed. Another friend of mine is moving to Japan in July so he's selling off some of his collection. He cut me a really good deal on the Tales of Berseria CE - I actually gave him $10 more than he asked for & still feel like I got a steal. I had Paypal'd him the money probably a month ago or so but just got to catch up with him on Friday to get it from him. Attack on Titan 2 was a whim, but once I saw a review that said it pretty much re-tells the story from the first game just from a different angle - so playing the first game isn't necessary - I decided to give it a go. It's a TON of fun so far.

[isthatallyougot]

Still really enjoying UC4. I think I'm in chapter 16 or 17. Unfortunately I saw the brothers' relationship telegraphed. I wish I hadn't. But it has been great fun, nonetheless. Sometimes you're just in the mood for a big-budget romp, and this has filled the bill nicely. I've always loved the Uncharted series for what it is, despite its shortcomings.

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: Virtue's Last Reward

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 31 games

I'm currently enjoying VLR, making my way through the game with whatever decisions I decide at the time. And then there's this giant flow tree to check out in order to get all of the endings. I don't know how long that'll take, but I'll give it a shot.

[argyle]

Get a code good for 20% off your next order (everything in your cart) on PSN, directions here:

https://slickdeals.net/f/11414647-far-c ... t113673687

[canedaddy]

The heavy use of Christian imagery for the cult in Far Cry 5 has completely turned me off of the game. A shame, since 4 & Primal were such good games.

That's an issue for me too... definitely need to hear from someone I trust before I'd consider a purchase.

I had asked one of my friends at GS to let me know when The Inner World got converted to used, because they've been doing that rather quickly for their indie games it seems and that one looked interesting. Turns out not only did it get converted & drop to $9.99 this week, but they started a 4/$20 sale (4/$16 after PUR discount) on all $9.99 games. So both it & Pharonic were actually still factory sealed. Another friend of mine is moving to Japan in July so he's selling off some of his collection. He cut me a really good deal on the Tales of Berseria CE - I actually gave him $10 more than he asked for & still feel like I got a steal. I had Paypal'd him the money probably a month ago or so but just got to catch up with him on Friday to get it from him. Attack on Titan 2 was a whim, but once I saw a review that said it pretty much re-tells the story from the first game just from a different angle - so playing the first game isn't necessary - I decided to give it a go. It's a TON of fun so far.

Amazing.

[Phaseknox]

I went to GameStop today to trade in some games, and I was looking at the pre-owned games and was surprised by how much lower the prices were for Pro members. Then I saw that they said Elite Pro, and I asked what that was and they said that it costs $30 (twice as much as a Pro membership) and gives 20% off pre-owned games. And another thing that it does is make them give even less for games to accommodate for it. They gave between $2-$6-$10 for the games that I traded in. I was disappointed to say the least, but that's nothing new when it comes to trading in games to GameStop. At least I got $1-$2 more for each them since I put them towards the purchase of Far Cry 5, but they still didn't completely cover the cost of it so I had to pay an extra $10+.

I was there for a while looking at games and deciding what I wanted to do, and during that time a lot of people came in for Far Cry 5. I think that it's going to be a big seller. Most reviews have been really positive, but they also confirmed some of my fears as well. However, the good definitely seems to outweigh the bad so I think that I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.

[argyle]

So I've been dabbling with several smaller/indie games lately since I didn't want to get invested in anything big so close to Ni no Kuni 2 (side note, my copy was supposed to be delivered today by 10:30 - Tam waited around until at least then but then had to go, and of course they tried to deliver it at some point after she left ). Anyway, thought I'd give a few impressions:


Wonderboy: The Dragon's Trap - This is a remake of an old game, I believe originally for the Sega Master System (which is a system I don't believe I have ever touched). You can actually swap to the original 8-bit graphics and soundtrack with the press of a couple of buttons. The new graphics are gorgeous, it looks like a hand-drawn cartoon. But the gameplay is what's surprising, because if I didn't know any better I'd swear it was a modern made indie platformer. It's not perfect, but it has features that, given how old it is, put it well ahead of its time. It's non-linear - as you defeat bosses, you unlock different "forms" that allow you access to different areas and provide for accessing secrets in previously explored areas. It also has an equipment system that lets you up your attack & defense, as well as occasionally bestowing an added benefit (such as lava resistance). I'm pretty close to the end of this one, so I'll probably wrap it up this week. Highly recommended for someone looking for a fun & very pretty platformer.


Linelight - I don't *think* I've mentioned this one here, but if so I apologize. This is a very basic game at heart that really exemplifies the "less is more" philosophy. Basically, you are a light traveling along a line and puzzle elements are slowly introduced as you proceed that you have to solve to continue. The game is broken up into "worlds", with each world introducing and then expanding upon a new puzzle concept, so it never gets old. Visuals are basic but still very competent for what the game is doing, and the music is appropriately quiet and non-intrusive. Basically this is the perfect "wind down" game - I've been playing a chapter every few nights before I go to bed. A good friend highly recommended this one to me, and I'm glad he did because I definitely would have overlooked it otherwise. I got it on sale for about $4, so keep an eye on the PSN sale & give it a go if it sounds like it's your type of game.


Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star - So a co-worker recommended the anime Fate/Zero to me a couple years back and I've been slowly watching through it (I tend to watch anime in spurts). It's pretty good, an action/adventure anime where specially chosen people summon "servants" - reincarnations of historical figures - to fight for them for the "holy grail", an item which will grant the winner a single wish. Sounds Dragon Ball-ish on the surface, but it's darker than that (one of the servants is a reincarnation of a serial killer who is especially nasty). So since I liked the anime, and I knew Fate/Extella was basically a Dynasty Warriors-like, I decided to give it a go. Ugh. First of all, the tone & story of the game are NOTHING like the anime I've watched. It's long-winded story segments go on forever and are extremely boring, often making little to no sense and seeming to go over the same points repeatedly. Plus there's this weird overt lesbian tone to almost every line of dialog. Suffering through all of that gets you to the gameplay which is decent but still plays like a watered-down Dynasty Warriors. I think I would probably be ok with that if you could skip the story, but you can't and I really can't express how long these segments are. I'm pretty sure I've sat through more innuendo-filled dialog at this point than gameplay. Thankfully it's someone else's problem now since I sold it on Ebay last night.


Matterfall - I've only played a couple levels of this one so far, but I can already wholeheartedly recommend it. A great blend of a side scrolling platformer with a twin-stick shooter, it has the feel and look of a AAA game. But coming from Housemarque (Super Stardust, Resogun, Outland, Dead Nation, etc.) I wouldn't expect any less. Seriously, I think these guys easily take the title of my all-time favorite indie developer. They've released physical copies of all of their games this gen (except for Resogun) overseas and I've imported every single one. I can't recommend their games enough. Sadly, sales of these games haven't matched the quality so they recently announced that they've been forced to shift focus as a studio to something more multiplayer focused. http://www.housemarque.com/arcade-is-dead/


Attack on Titan 2 - What I've played of this game so far is an absolute blast. I wasn't really able to get into the anime - it was a little slow & depressing for my taste - but the game seems to do a more entertaining job of telling the same story, for me at least. It looks fantastic, but I always have been a sucker for a cell shaded game. More importantly, the controls are spot on. For something so complex (if you haven't seen any of the anime, they use these contraptions that shoot out grappling cables and swing around the environment - think steampunk Spiderman. ) it is surprisingly easy to pick up and natural feeling. The between mission story segments are more engaging than I expected, having you talk to different characters to raise your bond with them which in turn unlocks skills you can equip. And since it tells the story of the first season of the anime, neither having watched the anime or having played the first game are required. Looking forward to putting more time into this one.

[Phaseknox]

I played some Far Cry 5, and I'm really impressed with it so far. I was a little worried since some critics were saying that it didn't seem much different from the previous numbered games in the series, so I was thinking that it might be another Far Cry 4 situation where that seemed like Far Cry 3.5 to me since it was basically more of the same just set in a new but similar environment. But that isn't the case.

Back when Far Cry 3 came out a critic called it Skyrim with guns which was used in a lot of marketing for it. It seemed a little silly for Far Cry 3 with its heavy focus on story, characters, linear and scripted story missions and tropical setting. However, based on what I've played of Far Cry 5 so far it feels like Skyrim with guns to me. You play as a silent protagonist taking on missions for people that have their own little mini stories taking place in a forest/wilderness environment with loot and RPG elements.

For me silent protagonists work better for first person games than for third person ones because I feel like I'm the character as opposed to playing a character. I understand why they went with a nameless silent protagonist, because unlike the previous Far Cry games the game isn't about the main character but instead about all of the other characters. You're a nameless rookie cop with no backstory or personal mission, what you do in the game isn't for yourself but for everyone else. Basically, you're doing what you're doing because it's your job. And with the character being silent other than for some grunts and groans, it does make it feel like I'm the person in the game as opposed to playing as a character in the game. This was their intention, and it works for me.

Another reason why it works is because this is a gameplay first, and story second game. Sure it has the standard cinematic Far Cry beginning to introduce you to the main villain of the game, but after that it becomes an open-ended action sandbox game where you're given a ton of stuff to do in any order that you feel like doing it in.

Basically, there are three different regions in the game each controlled by one of the cult leader's family members. You gain resistance points in each region by rescuing hostages, destroying cult owned stuff and liberating cult outposts which bring out the family member controlling the region so that you can take them down. Take down all three, and then you go against the cult leader.

The story while having a dark theme is campy in a B movie style, and is there just to give you a reason to do all of the shooting and blowing stuff up in the game. While it of course has elements of previous Far Cry games, it doesn't feel like just another Far Cry game in a different location. It feels like an open world mission driven FPS with RPG elements that takes place in rural America.

It looks amazing offering one of the most realistic open worlds that I've experienced in a game, and it plays really good and runs smoothly. The music is really good, too. It's packed with varied things to do, and the fun factor is through the roof.

Wonderboy: The Dragon's Trap - This is a remake of an old game, I believe originally for the Sega Master System (which is a system I don't believe I have ever touched). You can actually swap to the original 8-bit graphics and soundtrack with the press of a couple of buttons. The new graphics are gorgeous, it looks like a hand-drawn cartoon. But the gameplay is what's surprising, because if I didn't know any better I'd swear it was a modern made indie platformer. It's not perfect, but it has features that, given how old it is, put it well ahead of its time. It's non-linear - as you de which I'm really looking for feat bosses, you unlock different "forms" that allow you access to different areas and provide for accessing secrets in previously explored areas. It also has an equipment system that lets you up your attack & defense, as well as occasionally bestowing an added benefit (such as lava resistance).

It's definitely a great action adventure platformer that was essentially ahead of its time, and the sequels for the Genesis were even better incorporating RPG elements. They're both included on the upcoming Sega Genesis Classics collection which I'm really looking forward to.