Review Requests thread

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Okay, in order:
Searchlike wrote:Risk of Rain
It's unique in that your dude is super tiny inside ridiculously huge stages. Each character has a different moveset and can provide a different experience.

The meta of the game is striking a balance between farming the infinitely spawning mooks to grind money to accumulate powerful perks (things like passively zapping nearby foes with chain lightning and such) verses summoning the boss quickly to go to the next stage before the steadily increasing rank meter gets too high.

I bounced off it myself. I just didn't like the handling of my dude and never got the ideal rhythm for the rank control. You should probably ask for a second opinion on this one.
Searchlike wrote:Crypt of the NecroDancer
Listen to the OST before you buy. If you like it, you'll have lots of fun. If you don't like it (especially zone 2), you'll get bored like I did.

The big innovative hook for CotN is that it's playable with a Dance Dance Revolution pad. If you've got one of those laying around, that's a bonus.

Two games I prefer are JRPG/rhythm game hybrid The Metronomicon which is much more a DDR-clone than CotN, but benefitted from just licensing a bunch of actual club music. And FPS/rhythm game hybrid BPM: Bullets Per Minute. Though note the enemy and item-spawning RNG balance for BPM is out-of-control and if I didn't enjoy the core gameplay so much I'd have dumped it long ago.
Searchlike wrote:FTL
FTL birthed an entire subgenre, with many attempts at actual clones, but I don't think any of them surpassed the original. There is no game that specifically re-creates the starship battles from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (with a heavy focus on the crew's actions and movements throughout their ships, and where a single shot can change the balance of the battle) better than FTL.

I would prefer if there was less RNG from "engine" evasion in the late game, but that's a minor gripe.

This game is a true classic and while you may be frustrated sometimes, you won't be disappointed. Note that FTL doesn't really play like anything else and it's brutally difficult for newcomers so there is NO DISHONOR in starting on Easy difficulty!
Searchlike wrote:Into the Breach
Same developers and aesthetic as FTL, completely different genre. The two games aren't really comparable at all.

You know those chess puzzles in the newspaper, where they draw a board with pieces arranged on it and you've gotta pin black's bishop in one move? That's kinda what Into the Breach is like, a nonstop generator of random chess puzzles, with some of the more idiosyncratic unlockable mech companies controlling about as weird as chess knights.

It's less epic in scope than FTL and has zero RNG in the gameplay itself. The final battle always irked me because
Spoiler
it breaks the rule of 3 and while it implies the existence of a giant queen, you never actually fight it.
Fights in Tight Spaces is an Early Access game that mixes Into the Breach's chess puzzle gameplay with the deckbuilding of Slay the Spire. I'm not quite ready to say it's rendered Into the Breach obsolete yet, but it checks a lot of the same gameplay boxes with a much cooler aesthetic.
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
BareKnuckleRoo
Posts: 6162
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:01 am
Location: Southern Ontario

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Searchlike wrote:A few roguelite-related questions:

Risk of Rain
This is really cheap on GOG right now so I should just grab it but still. I rarely play games co-op, will this still be fun? What makes this stand out from other sidescrolling roguelites?
RoR is fun in single player. There's a large number of classes to unlock and play with. It's still possible to play this local multiplayer or online, but note that online was never properly fixed before they abandoned the game for RoR2; as a result, online multiplayer is prone to crashing, and there's no way for players to rejoin games if they crash. Single player is very stable though. It's very amusing, especially once you get some of the more melee oriented classes and get to dash through large crowds of enemies, seeing how items synergize when you pile on tons of items in a single playthrough, and so on. The collectables all have bits of lore to them that's also fun to read through. I recommend it.

Note that there's a very wide margin between what classes are good vs bad. There's a good 3-4 characters lacking in mobility that have no dodge move or i-frame roll that are very heavily reliant on luck for what items they get as to if they'll survive a run (or use the artifact that lets you pick items), but most of the cast has sufficient mobility and damage output that they don't need to rely on RNG providing specific items to survive a particular run (and there's several "pick 1 out of 3" item boxes you'll find throughout each game; makes it easy to nab a Foreign Fruit or a Shield Generator).

Though the gimmick is randomized items, the game is designed not to be entirely at the mercy of RNG and at its core is precise enough that you can do some fairly intense challenge runs. Here's one showing it off on the hardest difficulty with three optional challenge modes enabled together (enemies always spawn as top tier "elite" versions, you have a fraction of your normal HP but deal more damage per hit, and enemies drop explosive bombs on death that can kill you very easily). You don't have to play the game at this difficulty level to have fun with it, but it shows you that the game's mechanics are solid enough that it's not an RNG luck-fest that determines victory or anything like that.
Searchlike
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Searchlike »

Thank you. 8)
User avatar
Marc
Posts: 3407
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 10:27 am
Location: Wigan, England.

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Marc »

I found RoR really, really odd. I tried it a few times and got my ass handed to me. I left it forever, booted it while determined to clean up the PS4 HD, and finished it a couple of times without breaking sweat. It's fun, but can be pretty annoying in the early stages. Actually, I want another go now, that and Xenon Valkyrie +.
XBL & Switch: mjparker77 / PSN: BellyFullOfHell
User avatar
BareKnuckleRoo
Posts: 6162
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:01 am
Location: Southern Ontario

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

Risk of Rain also changes as you unlock new items to play with that then become permanently part of the drop pool. Many are the sort that will unlock naturally over time without needing to do anything special, whereas some of the class specific ones will require dedicated attempts to unlock (you can always just use a fully unlocked save file if you're having trouble with a few of them).

On a first playthrough some fairly useful items like the common tier Goat Hoof that boosts mobility isn't available (you'll unlock it very quickly without any deliberate effort though), so while it's certainly beatable on a fresh save file, it's easier once a few items are unlocked because there's some very useful ones that can get added to the drop pool that are game changers. The last update to the game added a few already unlocked items to the drop pool that boost mobility in various ways so you've now got two items that will functionally improve jumping, running speed, albeit in different ways.

Fortunately the really difficult to unlock items (that generally involve getting to a certain point without taking damage using a specific character) are not actually very high priority; they're either super rare and thus don't affect the drop pool much or are useful but not game-changers so you don't have to feel like the game's broken without them. I'd recommend trying to get all the unlocks yourself first, and then once you have all the characters and most of the items, if there's some difficult ones you're stuck on don't feel bad using an unlocked save file.
Searchlike
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:17 pm

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Searchlike »

Just grabbed RoR, will definitely be picking FTL up next time it's on sale. And thanks again for the game recommendations and tips! The backlog is growing :!:
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

I'm toying with getting Edge of Eternity, the graphics are certainly what I'm in the mood for.

Anyone try it? Have any feedback on how the hex-based combat system works? The reviews have been so irritatingly vague.
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Blinge
Posts: 5369
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 4:05 pm
Location: Villa Straylight

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Blinge »

RoRaining my piss all over that terribu game!!! :x
Image
1cc List - Youtube - You emptylock my heart
User avatar
Stevens
Posts: 3799
Joined: Thu May 01, 2014 11:44 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Stevens »

Is Ghosts of Tsushima worth playing? Wife bought it a while back.

Also Nuclear Blaze keeps popping up. Anyone play it yet?
My lord, I have come for you.
User avatar
Volteccer_Jack
Posts: 446
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:55 pm

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Volteccer_Jack »

Stevens wrote:Is Ghosts of Tsushima worth playing? Wife bought it a while back.
Have you played Assassin's Creed Origins/Valhalla? Ghost of Tsushima is basically the same as those games, except it's better IMO. Big open world game with focus on stealth, but is usually happy to let you charge in the guns blazing and has plenty of options to accomodate both methods of 'conflict resolution'. You can tell that the devs put a lot of research and care into making Tsushima, and I had a great time just seeing the world. Combat and stealth mechanics are well above average for this sort of open-world hybrid, but they aren't on the level of dedicated action or stealth games (DMC, Thief, etc). I never bothered to 100% it or do NG+, but I got 50+ hours out of it and didn't have any major complaints.
"Don't worry about quality. I've got quantity!"
User avatar
drauch
Posts: 5637
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:14 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by drauch »

Any fans of Windjammers played 2 yet? The trailers kinda scared me, but watching gameplay it actually seems pretty faithful, just with more animations and such.

Edit* Also, goddammit, I shouldn't have read the YT comments, obviously. So many comparisons to pong, as if that giant 2 next to Windjammers isn't representative of a continuation. Fuuuuuuck.
BIL wrote: "Small sack, LOTS OF CUM" - Nikola Tesla
User avatar
Herr Schatten
Posts: 3259
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:14 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Herr Schatten »

What's the verdict on Clockwork Aquario? Any good?

The spritework is all sorts of charming, but I'm not exactly blown away by what I've seen of the stages. Also somehow it looks like they couldn't actually decide on a core mechanic, so they just included a bunch of them, but they don't really seem to complement each other.
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Any opinions on Neon Abyss?

I've heard it described as Binding of Issac with pleasant glowy synthwave effects instead of piles of shit and dead fetuses. Mixed with the sidescrolling gameplay of Abuse.

WHAT'S THE REAL STORY???
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Has anyone tried Roguebook?

It would be so wonderful to finally have an indie game with a beautiful aesthetic AND fun gameplay to match!
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Stevens
Posts: 3799
Joined: Thu May 01, 2014 11:44 pm
Location: Brooklyn NY

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Stevens »

Well I haven't played it, but Garfield attached to it bodes well.
My lord, I have come for you.
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Anyone have any experience with Relayer Advanced?

It looks like Fire Emblem with Gundams, but the marketing material is a confusing mess. Are all these DLCs upgraded mechs for each individual character? Skins? Missions?
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Anyone have an opinion on Spectacular Sparky?

Gameplay looks kinda like Alien Soldier. Published by Nicalis.

Thoughts?
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Volteccer_Jack
Posts: 446
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:55 pm

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Volteccer_Jack »

Mischief Maker wrote:Has anyone tried Roguebook?

It would be so wonderful to finally have an indie game with a beautiful aesthetic AND fun gameplay to match!
Roguebook is good. Combat is very similar to Slay the Spire, with the twist that you have two characters and both characters' cards are shuffled into one big deck. Most attacks will only damage your front character while playing a block card will move the corresponding character to the front, so there's a big tag-team element to battling.

After you win a run for the first time, there's an involved customizable difficulty system. I haven't gone deep enough yet to see if the game balance holds up on the highest settings, but at the lower levels it's a fun time.
"Don't worry about quality. I've got quantity!"
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: Review Requests thread

Post by Mischief Maker »

Ah! I already got Roguebook and it's probably one of my favorite games of 2022. A Goldilocks mix of Slay the Spire's intimate hero-based action with the expanded card upgrade system of Monster Train.

But thanks for the review anyway!

I also bought Spectacular Sparky. Impressions to come.
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
Post Reply