What Are You Currently Playing? 6.65: Neighbor of the Beast

[Nel_Annette]

Finally getting back to Tales Of Xillia, and I'm warming up to it. Environments are beautiful, combat feels more fluid than it did in previous games, and I actually quite like the shop expansion system. The hexagon/grid/whatever system for upgrading isn't really to my liking, but hopefully I'll figure it out. I still need to see if the title system works like it did in Graces as well.

[Foggle]

Okay, now that I'm awake...

Jolly Roger's Lagoon aside (I hate swimming levels), Banjo-Tooie holds up amazingly well for me. I still like it far more than Kazooie, which I already ended up rekindling my love for last year. I was afraid to try BT again out of fear of ruining my nostalgia since I'd begun growing an aversion to collectathons and everyone else here seems to hate it, but I'd say it's still one of my all-time favorites. It can be somewhat tedious at times, certainly, but it still has excellent gameplay, humor, level design, and music IMO. Really, the only pre-Microsoft Rareware games to not hold up for me at this point are DK64 and Conker's BFD.

[talonmalon333]

Okay, now that I'm awake...

Jolly Roger's Lagoon aside (I hate swimming levels), Banjo-Tooie holds up amazingly well for me. I still like it far more than Kazooie, which I already ended up rekindling my love for last year. I was afraid to try BT again out of fear of ruining my nostalgia since I'd begun growing an aversion to collectathons and everyone else here seems to hate it, but I'd say it's still one of my all-time favorites. It can be somewhat tedious at times, certainly, but it still has excellent gameplay, humor, level design, and music IMO. Really, the only pre-Microsoft Rareware games to not hold up for me at this point are DK64 and Conker's BFD.

I've actually heard that Conker holds up the best of their N64 platformers. I haven't played it yet, though.

Also, isn't Jolly Roger's Lagoon the name of the water level in Super Mario 64?

[Foggle]

I've actually heard that Conker holds up the best of their N64 platformers. I haven't played it yet, though.

People may say that, probably because it isn't a collectathon and they're remembering wrong (god knows I did), but it actually feels a lot more dated than the Banjo games and perhaps even DK64 to me.

- The pacing is tedious. If you do something in BFD, you're probably going to do it at least 3 times in a row with no differences.
- The N64 can't keep up with the game's graphics, causing the frame rate to drop below 30 FPS fairly often.
- It's extremely difficult in a bad way - the challenge arises almost entirely from flawed design choices, a shit camera, and cumbersome controls.
- It's definitely quite funny at times, but a lot of the humor isn't that great. Banjo-Tooie does immature sex comedy much better and is actually witty, while the film references are mostly just recreations of actual scenes from them.
- Even with the ludicrous amount of padding, frustrating difficulty spikes, and unskippable cutscenes, it still ends up being only about 8 hours long.

The music, voice acting, and core level design all hold up exceptionally well, but it's very much a game best remembered for the adventure it took you on when you were 10 years old than one you'd want to actually revisit (or experience for the first time) today. I'm convinced that most of its fans haven't played it recently, and have painted a better picture in their mind of what the game was like than how it really is (I'm one of them). Copies still go for $60+ because it sold horribly, so I'd avoid the game entirely if I were you. I would suggest to just try playing a ROM, but you can't, because it either won't work properly or will crash about an hour in.

This is all just my opinion though, and I seem to be one of the only people who feels this way. By all means, ignore me and try it for yourself if you can find a copy for a reasonable price. Also, for all its faults, the Xbox version really isn't that bad. It's actually better in some ways (the shooting controls, oh god the shooting controls).

Also, isn't Jolly Roger's Lagoon the name of the water level in Super Mario 64?

You're thinking of Jolly Roger Bay.

[talonmalon333]

I've actually heard that Conker holds up the best of their N64 platformers. I haven't played it yet, though.

People may say that, probably because it isn't a collectathon and they're remembering wrong (god knows I did), but it actually feels a lot more dated than the Banjo games and perhaps even DK64 to me.

- The pacing is tedious. If you do something in BFD, you're probably going to do it at least 3 times in a row with no differences.
- The N64 can't keep up with the game's graphics, causing the frame rate to drop below 30 FPS fairly often.
- It's extremely difficult in a bad way - the challenge arises almost entirely from flawed design choices, a shit camera, and cumbersome controls.
- It's definitely quite funny at times, but a lot of the humor isn't that great. Banjo-Tooie does immature sex comedy much better and is actually witty, while the film references are mostly just recreations of actual scenes from them.
- Even with the ludicrous amount of padding, frustrating difficulty spikes, and unskippable cutscenes, it still ends up being only about 8 hours long.

The music, voice acting, and core level design all hold up exceptionally well, but it's very much a game best remembered for the adventure it took you on when you were 10 years old than one you'd want to actually revisit (or experience for the first time) today. I'm convinced that most of its fans haven't played it recently, and have painted a better picture in their mind of what the game was like than how it really is (I'm one of them). Copies still go for $60+ because it sold horribly, so I'd avoid the game entirely if I were you. I would suggest to just try playing a ROM, but you can't, because it either won't work properly or will crash about an hour in.

This is all just my opinion though, and I seem to be one of the only people who feels this way. By all means, ignore me and try it for yourself if you can find a copy for a reasonable price. Also, for all its faults, the Xbox version really isn't that bad. It's actually better in some ways (the shooting controls, oh god the shooting controls).

Also, isn't Jolly Roger's Lagoon the name of the water level in Super Mario 64?

You're thinking of Jolly Roger Bay.

I probably won't end up getting to it. The only way I'd see myself doing it is through a ROM. My N64 has been buried in my basement for years now, so I probably won't be digging it out anytime soon. Is it the type of game that's best known for its humor than for gameplay?

Also, Jolly Roger Bay one of the best songs in Super Mario 64. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx6nOkdeNKs

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, I'm the type of guy who hates to leave things unfinished, even if I don't like a game at all (which is why I still trudged through games like Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect). So I decided that before I could continue on with replaying games like MGRR, Vanquish, and so forth, I at least had to finish the other 3 games that I got close to the end on but took a hiatus from. As for Gears of War: Judgement, I actually do enjoy the game well enough. It's just that I happened to be playing it at the same time as Vanquish, and naturally the latter stole my attention away from it. As for Bishock: Inifinte, I'll get back to that last.

Currently I got back into playing Darksiders II since I'm near the end. Good god is it easy to see why I quit in the first place. The Swarm is such a annying an unfun enemy to fight, and that whole section on Earth pretty much neglects everything that was good about the game and attempts to make the game a TPS despite it never having done anything with that play style before this point. It's downright obnoxious since you will basically end up killing a bunch of enemies charging at your, walk literally just a few feet forward, and then have to do the same damn thing all over again throughout the entire dungeon. There are no interesting puzzles to solve, nor any decent platforming sections. It's literally just one giant enemy gauntlet from start to finish, and it's also the most linear dungeon in the entire game. The funny thing, though, is that once you're done with it, you go back to the normal level design that you were used to from the game, and there's no indication of that section's play-style ever coming back (and good lord I hope it doesn't). It really baffles me how the developers could keep something so obnoxious in there. Really if they had just cut that section from the game, it would've been so much better for it.

[Foggle]

I probably won't end up getting to it. The only way I'd see myself doing it is through a ROM. My N64 has been buried in my basement for years now, so I probably won't be digging it out anytime soon. Is it the type of game that's best known for its humor than for gameplay?

It's known for both, and really, the concept of the gameplay and its multiplayer mode are phenomenal. I think, back in the day, its terrible shooter controls and infuriating camera were fine, but after playing newer 3D platformers like Super Mario Galaxy (and especially ones with shooting like Ratchet & Clank), it's really hard to go back. Pacing aside, BFD is actually a very good game, it's just extremely dated. I hate using that term, but it's the truth. The platforming doesn't hold up as well as Super Mario 64 and the shooting doesn't hold up as well as Doom. The amount of variety is incredible, and the better jokes and voice acting are still hilarious, but it's frankly just not much fun to play once you've had a taste of the newer games it's inspired.

In fact, while the censored cursing is incredibly stupid, I'd honestly say the Xbox remake is superior to the original, because the gameplay itself is much more fun and less frustrating. It's a bit on the easy side by comparison, but that's because Bad Fur Day was never actually a hard game, it just didn't play or function well enough to accommodate its various challenges (humorously, the segment they removed from the remake was actually one of the easiest in the original release).

Also, Jolly Roger Bay one of the best songs in Super Mario 64. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx6nOkdeNKs

Hell yeah.

[Avaitor]

I never got to play the original N64 Bad Fury Day, but I did go through Live & Reloaded. I don't think the gameplay itself is awful, but it just isn't that fun when you play after the expiration date.

And wow, I haven't played Tooie in so long. Kazooie holds up for me fine, but I remember BT being more involved with mini-games, and I loved all of them. I still want to try it out again sometime soon.

[Foggle]

I never got to play the original N64 Bad Fury Day, but I did go through Live & Reloaded. I don't think the gameplay itself is awful, but it just isn't that fun when you play after the expiration date.

Bingo. It's still good, but it isn't as timeless as Rareware's other games.

And wow, I haven't played Tooie in so long. Kazooie holds up for me fine, but I remember BT being more involved with mini-games, and I loved all of them. I still want to try it out again sometime soon.

I suggest trying it again, especially if you still have an N64 or own a 360 (it crashes a lot on an emulator). It's still very fun, creative, and funny. There aren't quite as many mini-games as I'd grown to believe, and most of them are actually fun to boot! I can see why this was my favorite game as a kid.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I still need to play the XBLA versions of BK and BT. Perhaps I'll do so after I get around to Strider, which currently has my interest peaked.

I also might see if I can find a copy of the original MGS and give that game a try (as it should work on my brother's PS2, despite it being a PS1 game). To this day I haven't played any of that game aside from the little it of it that I tried as a kid (and I can't even remember that anymore). But of course I still want to play the classic RE games as well. Damn. come to think of it there are just way too many classics that I'm interested in right now, and the sad thing is that I just don't have the time or money for most of them, so despite still talking about getting into them right now, I'll still probably only just be talking about them for a long while to come. It's one of the reasons why I appreciate it when publishers can release GOOD ports in the form of HD collections. It saves me a lot of trouble. I may have ended up picking up the MGS HD Collection if it at least had MGS 1 in it as well. And just why the hell can't Capcom release an RE HD Collection? Sure, the critics would say that the games haven't aged well because of tank controls, but fuck them, I still guarantee that the games would sell pretty well anyways, or at least turn in Capcom a decent profit for how relatively cheap (I assume) it would be to just up-res a game to feature HD graphics and port it to the HD consoles, rather than create a brand new game from scratch that everyone will probably hate.

[talonmalon333]

Rare's worst mini-game of all time.

[Foggle]

I still need to play the XBLA versions of BK and BT. Perhaps I'll do so after I get around to Strider, which currently has my interest peaked.

I think you'll like them! I know not everyone here enjoys BT, but I do think it holds up surprisingly well.

I also might see if I can find a copy of the original MGS and give that game a try (as it should work on my brother's PS2, despite it being a PS1 game). To this day I haven't played any of that game aside from the little it of it that I tried as a kid (and I can't even remember that anymore). But of course I still want to play the classic RE games as well. Damn. come to think of it there are just way too many classics that I'm interested in right now, and the sad thing is that I just don't have the time or money for most of them, so despite still talking about getting into them right now, I'll still probably only just be talking about them for a long while to come. It's one of the reasons why I appreciate it when publishers can release GOOD ports in the form of HD collections. It saves me a lot of trouble. I may have ended up picking up the MGS HD Collection if it at least had MGS 1 in it as well. And just why the hell can't Capcom release an RE HD Collection? Sure, the critics would say that the games haven't aged well because of tank controls, but fuck them, I still guarantee that the games would sell pretty well anyways, or at least turn in Capcom a decent profit for how relatively cheap (I assume) it would be to just up-res a game to feature HD graphics and port it to the HD consoles, rather than create a brand new game from scratch that everyone will probably hate.

MGS1 is still a very good game, but goddamn did I forget how many cutscenes it has. They're good cutscenes... but wow, I totally forgot that even the original has so many. If you do end up getting the HD collection, be sure to play Metal Gear 1 and 2. MG2 is probably my third favorite game in the series after MGS3 and MGR.

That said, I'd probably recommend the Ratchet & Clanks and God Hand over any other PS2 game.

Rare's worst mini-game of all time.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Shit! And I forgot about those as well. At this rate I'll never get around to any of the classics from the PS1 era.

But, really, it's very telling about modern gaming that I'm starting to look so much into retro stuff. I'm really trying to appreciate modern games, guys, I swear! It's just that....something about the vast majority of them is just not doing it for me. That said, there are a lot of games from this gen that I missed out on that I still need to try, including a bunch of Wii exclusive titles. I also need to try other games that I've wanted to give a shot for a long time but still haven't gotten around to, like Max Payne 3 and Bulletstorm, among other things.

[Grave]

I also might see if I can find a copy of the original MGS and give that game a try (as it should work on my brother's PS2, despite it being a PS1 game). To this day I haven't played any of that game aside from the little it of it that I tried as a kid (and I can't even remember that anymore). But of course I still want to play the classic RE games as well. Damn. come to think of it there are just way too many classics that I'm interested in right now, and the sad thing is that I just don't have the time or money for most of them, so despite still talking about getting into them right now, I'll still probably only just be talking about them for a long while to come. It's one of the reasons why I appreciate it when publishers can release GOOD ports in the form of HD collections. It saves me a lot of trouble. I may have ended up picking up the MGS HD Collection if it at least had MGS 1 in it as well. And just why the hell can't Capcom release an RE HD Collection? Sure, the critics would say that the games haven't aged well because of tank controls, but fuck them, I still guarantee that the games would sell pretty well anyways, or at least turn in Capcom a decent profit for how relatively cheap (I assume) it would be to just up-res a game to feature HD graphics and port it to the HD consoles, rather than create a brand new game from scratch that everyone will probably hate.

The benefits of owning a PS3 .

I don't know. As great as I think the MGS series is I don't think I'd recommend it to you considering you don't exactly care for how slow it can be. Granted cut-scenes can be skipped, but on it's highest difficulty it forces you to play stealthily (I think. Gameovers if you're spotted or something like that).

At least you are willing to go back and give games a shot. Unfortunately, I'm not and I still have a load of games I've yet to touch.

[talonmalon333]

Beaver Bother still so much of my time as a child. I honestly don't remember if I ever beat it. Part of me thinks that, even when I was young, I might have subconsciously known that DK64 isn't a very good game. The mini-games are grating, and I get sick of every level in the game within an hour. Not a game I'd like to go back to.

MGS1 is still a very good game, but goddamn did I forget how many cutscenes it has. They're good cutscenes... but wow, I totally forgot that even the original has so many. If you do end up getting the HD collection, be sure to play Metal Gear 1 and 2. MG2 is probably my third favorite game in the series after MGS3 and MGR.

I don't think are bad, though. Well, the writing in the cutscenes from the last 10 minutes of the game do show their age a bit. But for the rest of the game, they are fine. They aren't even half as bad as they are in MGS2. It's just... in particular, the last 40 minutes of cutscenes from MGS2 is just shockingly bad.

As great as I think the MGS series is I don't think I'd recommend it to you considering you don't exactly care for how slow it can be. Granted cut-scenes can be skipped, but on it's highest difficulty it forces you to play stealthily (I think. Gameovers if you're spotted or something like that).

MGS1 is easily the most fast paced game in the series, I think.