Last Game You Finished And Your Four-ghts

Treesmurf wrote:

I really dig it/10

Balladeer wrote:

Nah, I think I've seen you do way worse ones than that.

Done pissing about in 1994 now, as I've just finished Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King. It's a very nice retro bundle that brings together several versions of two of the most popular videogame movie tie-ins ever. Here, you've got the SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy and Super Game Boy versions of The Lion King alongside the Mega Drive, Game Boy and Super Game Boy versions of Aladdin. The lack of Capcom's SNES Aladdin is a bit disappointing, but that's almost definitely due to a licensing problem rather than a lack of effort. 

There's no lack of effort at all: Digital Eclipse (the developer) have done an outstanding job here. As well as all the modern conveniences you'd hope for (like a rewind button, a Watch mode and all sorts of screen bollocks), they've included shiteloads of new content, rejigged content and even a lot of unseen content. They've been astoundingly generous with the volume of concept art, music, interviews and release-time video that they've brought together. There's even a "Final Cut" version of Aladdin, that fixes a lot of the bugs, collision issues and camera problems that the developers didn't have time to sort out in 1993. Above and beyond the call of duty, for sure.

The console games are regarded by many as these legitimate, timeless classics. Aladdin still holds up as being a very enjoyable and creative platformer that does the film justice. That Final Cut version makes it more balanced and fair, so it's a comfortable 8/10 for that. The Lion King though, bloody hell, it's so much worse than I remember. As nice as the art, the tunes and the animation are, it's unreasonably hard from the second stage onwards, intentionally designed so that folk didn't complete it in a weekend rental. That's utter dug meat. It needed a Final Cut version a lot more than a Aladdin, to be honest. It's a disappointing 5/10. All the handheld games, quite honestly, are meh.

All the same, I fully recommend this collection to fans of the either film and to fans of 16 bit platformers alike. I hope they do this for The Jungle Book, Hercules, Toy Story, Pinocchio, Tarzan, and the countless other Disney platformers. This first effort though, 7/10.

Sounds good, but I don't if you realise Cappa you've be a strike through it all.

The Emperor's New Groove had a surprisingly difficult GBC (I think) game. Aladdin's famously class, good to know that it holds up!

The_Jaster wrote:

Nah, I think I've seen you do way worse ones than that.

Like the two following that post indeed, and I am justly booed for them. Such is the way of things.

I totally missed those.

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Nice wee review there TCK, I had no idea it was more of collection type of thing with multiple different versions of the games so that is nice to see it isn't just a cash grab type of release. Although I know Aladdin is a cracking wee game (it was one me and my brothers just rented every so often back in the day) but I've not got much attachment to it so I don't see me picking this up.

Ah, that Disney game collection is so tempting! Heaving said that, I've never got the Afternoon collection with Chip n Dale etc. And I second Jaster in that I don't recall anyone point out the variety of versions of things - that gives it much more value for money.
Speaking of which - and I've said it before probably - where's my open world sandbox adventure Disney's Robin Hood game?

There's a collection with chip and dale? What console??

PS4, Xbox One and PC

Damn, I would absolutely love that on Switch

Link's Awakening DX
S'alright.
10/10

Aw. I know we all read Drunka’s reviews primarily for the score at the end, but I’d have liked to read a bit about your more general thoughts! Especially given that I’ve been away from LoZLA for a bit to focus on other games.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Link's Awakening DX
S'alright.
10/10

thumbs up

I finished Death Stranding this morning at around 1.30 am, I know I'm on holiday (I go back tomorrow ) but no game for a good while has kept me up that late as I've wanted to get to the next episode or see the next cutscene.

It what might be one of the best well not indie (technically it would be) but in the sort of games that focus more on the story type deal, I'm thinking your Journeys and ICO of this world.

That's how you've got to look at the game if it were a film it is Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Drive, Under the Skin etc it's more like an art-house film as a game. Sure that might put a lot of you off and I can't blame you, DS is very much a marmite title that I feel we do need in gaming as much as we need Avengers and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood in film.

Personally I loved the gameplay as it's rewarding in terms of I managed make that delivery, unlocking new gear, new lore, continuing the story. How it plays feels a lot like MGSV in the UI, how orders are done, unlocks but more of the MGS4 cutscenes etc

Those cutscenes would only be as good as the actors and they all do a dam fine job, which isn't that shocking with talent on board but normally a lot of actors in games that don't do VO all the time phone it in but not here.

Then you've got the music and how that is used whilst playing is fantastic, cinematology is also top-notch. Then you've got te online stuff which is sort of strands that tie us together with each other helping ut by putting down ladders for instance which then you might come across.  

Basically, if you've not gathered I really liked this game and is easily my Game of the Year with nothing coming close to it.  

I'm even going to put a score on it 9.5/10, I will score all the games I finished at the end of the year but if anything merited one it's this game.

Tetris 99



I ONLY WENT AND BLOODY DID IT DIDN'T I? Some of you may have seen me post about this last week but I booted up Tetris 99 for the Pokémon themed event as I do for all the events and the first game of the day resulted in my first ever win.

I've come close a few times, I tend to do well getting in to at least the top 20 and I've had my fair share of 2nd place finishes but when I got a couple of back to back KO's in the final 30 and gained loads of badges from them I felt like this was finally gonna be it. By the time I was down to the final 3 I was genuinely shaking to the point I misplaced a few before I got the win, I've never felt so tense, excited and nervous at the same time whilst playing a video game.

It's absolute madness that this has come from a free bonus game that nobody was expecting in the first place, we all spoke about how great this was back when it released but after finally getting that win I feel like I'm always gonna fondly remember this.

1/99

I go from a 40hr+ near-masterpiece to a game that will take less time to finish than me to write this about it. If you can't see in the corner the BAFTA logo, then just going to fill you in that Fractured Minds won a younger developer award from BAFTA in 2017.

It's just come to Xbox One, I think on PS4 about 12months ago, I'd guess PC in 2017, not sure about Switch. I really only got it as it was £1.67 and I had some credit on my Xbox account.

I play these sort of games anyway as you will know from me posting about Where the Bees Make Honey, but still nice to support and see a commercial game like this on a digital gaming store.

If hadn't guessed what the game is like to play well it's 10-20 mins walking sim with some light puzzle elements that deals with anxiety and Emily used the development of the game to express how she feels & a way to convey that.

Finished the post-game quest last night in what ended up being a good Pokemon game. The core gameplay loop remains great and some of the new and returning monster are cool, just it's really lacking the polish you see from other Switch games.

It feels like an HD 3DS games, I still had a great 28rs with the game but it feels like Pokemon needs that Monster Hunter World moment.

My team:

Finished Pokemon Sword and it's post-game quest last night. I'll just quote masofdas here: 

"it ended up being a good Pokemon game. The core gameplay loop remains great and some of the new and returning monster are cool, just it's really lacking the polish you see from other Switch games.

It feels like an HD 3DS games, I still had a great 26rs with the game but it feels like Pokemon needs that International Superstar Soccer Pro on the original PlayStation moment".

Aye. I liked Pokemon Sword and enjoyed my time with it, but I didn't think it was brilliant. Further to the points about the lack of polish, I think it's the lack of ambition that disappoints the most. There's a real lack of new and meaningful features that are in any way meaningful or consequential for the franchise. Of the two new features that are comment-worthy, I think Dynamaxing and the Wild Area are all right, but more could have been done with both. More could have been done with the whole game, to be honest. Still, it's good, solid entertainment. 7/10.

I think I'm going to have very similar things to say to you two, to be honest. Watch this space...

Between Pokemon Sword and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, I’ve played and completed Arcade Archives IN THE HUNT. These Arcade Archives seem to come out on Switch at a rate of forty billion an hour, but I paid attention to this one as I’d heard that it’s basically Metal Slug, but underwater. That’s very true: it’s a bit of a spiritual predecessor to that, as In The Hunt was made by the team that would go on to make Metal Slug three years later. 

You can definitely see how In The Hunt influenced Metal Slug, especially in the way it’s structured and the way it controls. You can see how it’s got the same sort of imagination too. It’s a graphical beast, and runs impressively considering it’s age and considering how much is happening all the time. Again, that’s just like Metal Slug. However, it gets very unfair really quickly, and it floods you with enemies and projectiles from about a minute into the game. It’s often unreasonably difficult, putting you in impossible situations where all you can do is die. Still, with free credits that you get with all these Arcade Archives, you can batter on through the full playthrough. That takes away the challenge, but at least you get to see it all.

TL;DR - Steel Diver was wank. 6/10.

I like trains

Finished this off the other night after I decided to start playing after Andy told me I wouldn't like it as I don't Fallout 3 (not played the rest because of that game) which is fair but I do like KOTOR, Mass Effect, Oblivion, Dragon Age etc

Just I didn't like Fallout 3 as it's grey as David Gray listening to Macy Grey wearing that grey England away kit drinking earl grey on a grey day and the vats system is crap.

Now Outer Worlds is bright and colourful with some decent shooting or melee combat (maybe how Balla would play when it comes to Switch) in what feels to me a lot like Firefly the game. That's why I liked it as I love that show and Parvati is Kaylee etc, the planet's towns are like what you would see from the old west.

Outer Worlds is just a dam good game, I do have some complaints as part from your crew and the professor no one really stands out as a character. The few missions are nice and all, just some other Western RPG's I mention gives way more options on how you interact with people and how they interact with each other and even though there's an end along with a bad guy sort off, something is just missing.

I can see why it's up for GOTY as it's fun to play, fun writing overall just a fun game which isn't that long for the genre which Obsidian I believe said was on purpose so people will actually finish the game.

Just it's missing that something for me to put alongside a Death Stranding as a GOTY.

Cadence of Hyrule

I got it on sale on the eShop, and absolutely LOVED it. I raked through almost every nook and cranny of Hyrule to find items (although I ended up missing one empty bottle...), which meant that I was pretty OP for the final boss, but I liked it that way because I have the original Crypt of the Necrodancer and while it's fun, I found it erred on frustratingly hard too often for me to bother finishing it. Cadence of Hyrule isn't especially difficult but it is FUN and I was left wanting more. And the soundtrack is bangin'. Top-notch!

3/3 heroes

masofdas wrote:

I like trains

REVIEW OF THE YEAR 10/10

(One coming soon from me, watch this space. It's not CoH but I'm glad Rum enjoyed it. I should have enjoyed it. )

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was the last game I finished. We’re six games into the series now, but it’s not really changed that much since the first one in 2007. That’s not too bad a thing, as this is a series that is usually entertaining enough. But it never excels. To nobody’s surprise, this one entertains, but it never excels either. 

At least it’s got a bit of personality and imagination though. You’ll have all seen the Tokyo ‘64 gimmick, where you complete in retro events on a 2D plane with the old NES and Mega Drive sprites. These are good, but I’d have liked more of them (there’s ten, I think?). You can try a couple out on the demo on the eShop - and I’d encourage you to do so.

The minigames, visuals, the online multiplayer...all fine. The controls too, you’ve got a decent variety, although they lack consistency between the events. The Dream Events, as usual, are the best bit. There’s only three of them though, which is a lot less than before. The soundtrack slightly disappoints - there’s not enough of the retro remixes that really stood out in the 2012 and 2014 games. But it’s okay.

The Story Mode is the lowlight though. Wooft. Its badly drawn out as you wade through ages of uninteresting character dialogue between hopping it round Olympic venues to complete in the minigames. I didn’t really enjoy the Story Mode at any point. However, some of the story-exclusive minigames - I won’t ruin them - were decent distractions from the monotony of everything else. Lacking complexity and lacking anything of a hook, the Story Mode wasn’t a fun use of my time.

It’s a real Ronseal of a game: “it does exactly what it says on the tin”. Aye: it’s Mario & Sonic, and they’re at the Olympics Games, at Tokyo, in (almost) 2020. 6/10.

How was the footy? I'd love a nice fun little arcadey mario football game to play now and then, and a new Strikers seems like a distant dream . . .