Last Game You Finished And Your Four-ghts

Thanks for posting that Jimbob. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends has been a game I've been on the fence about since it came out. "Nice enough" and modernised Bubble Bobble is probably worth my money and time. 

~



I don’t need to introduce Balan Wonderworld. As you’ll know, this is one of the most maligned and most negatively-discussed games in recent memory. It seems destined to go down in infamy as a majorly high-profile critical and commercial calamity. 

Being a 3D platformer from the folk who made Sonic The Hedgehog and NiGHTS Into Dreams, I felt like it was worth a go regardless of the arse-kicking that some outlets gave it. Yet whether or not I was actually going to like it depended wholly on how open-minded I am, and how prepared I was to embrace a game that was so obviously messy, clumsy and altogether imperfect. Personally, I feel like I can be quite forgiving of just about any flawed game, especially when I’m presented with something that’s so unlike anything else I’ve experienced. So I had that frame of mind with Balan Wonderworld when I first bought it, honestly expecting to like it much more than the gaming media does. But if you’ve skipped ahead to look at the score, you’ll have already seen that, no, I didn’t forgive this game this time.  

Let’s consider some of Balan Wonderworld’s more positive aspects first. The game’s undeniable strength comes from it’s admirably surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. While at times I thought it veered dangerously between being a breath of fresh air and a load of artsy bollocks, to it’s credit it mostly pulls it off with conviction. It’s an amazingly odd game, using it’s colourful imagination to inspire lots of well-animated cutscenes and clever boss designs, as well as it’s pleasurable soundtrack that uses unusual compositions. At times they really nail it, even stimulating some tiny pangs of genius that sincerely reminded me of NiGHTS Into Dreams. Artistically, there’s definitely some good things about Balan Wonderworld. You just wish it was put into a much better game.

To be blunt, Balan Wonderworld is one of the worst 3D platformers I’ve ever played. It’s much worse than any of the Dreamcast-era stuff that I’ve seen others compare it to. 

Getting this off my chest: the controls are fucking rubbish; the Switch performance is a complete embarrassment that gave me honest-to-God nausea in handheld mode; too many of the costumes are feebly ineffective and a waste of time and effort; the core level design is ferociously boring; and the inclusion of the collectable Balan Statues to advance the story and unlock new levels just mercilessly prolongs the misery. I mean, Jesus Christ Almighty. All of Balan Wonderworld’s problems stack on top of each other until it all collapses. 

While Balan Wonderworld can almost be commended for trying something totally different, it’s simply not an okay game. In fact, it's absolutely bollocks, and I can honestly see how it's made Yuji Naka consider retirement. Even out of morbid curiosity for it’s sub-£15 price point, I can’t recommend it to any of the regulars who might read this. Yet true to it’s very strange form, it’ll almost certainly burn itself into my memory as one of the most unforgettable games I’ll ever play. 3/10.

This is totally what I expected from this game yet it's getting to the point now where I'm genuinely a little bit curious now just for the memes... Maybe if it drops to a fiver.

I feel like I've seen a fair few people, out of love for Yuji Naka or disdain for gaming press or whatever other reason, going, 'It can't be that bad, can it? ...oh,' with Balan. Kind of an anti-Celeste. Honest-to-God nausea though? I knew it had seizure fights, but what made it nauseating to play? That's pretty damn bad.

Jimbob wrote:

Re: West of Loathing: I think it's great still, and already have nostalgia seeing that screenshot in your review, with Doc Alice there

I did of course pick Doc Alice. Always bring a healer.

Rum wrote:

I don't remember Ghostwood specifically but I remember overall it thought the game did have a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. So that was enough for me and you have a terrible sense of humour.

So the forum reminds me at least once a year...

I'm guessing the wavy chap means that Mas still owns and presumably loves Balan.

Also, I forgot to say earlier: I was reading back through the thread and it's a grand old read. Lots of entertaining posts and useful recommendations. I've wishlisted Gato Roboto and Mr. Driller DrillLand from my retrospective, although I'll try the latter's demo. before I buy I think.

Don't own but certainly really liked it.

A lot of terrible taste in this thread today . . .

Ohh now a pattern is happening as Necromunda has reviewed poorly, mainly due to technical issues, yet I quite enjoyed just running around blasting enemies. It reminds me of late PS2-gen going into 360-gen when we had loads of FPS games and I would play them all, and if you did play Blacksite or Frontlines or whatever like that then you'll have a rough idea about Necromunda.

I would like to see some more B tier FPS games like this with a bit more polish as at the moment we only really get COD or a Battle Royal game or the odd big budget one every so often.

That sticky beans image really made my tummy feel ill. Are they edible or mouldy?

Balladeer wrote:

That sticky beans image really made my tummy feel ill. Are they edible or mouldy?

They're edible but to anyone from outside Japan who didn't grow up eating it, Natto is fucking rank. It genuinely tastes like earwax, or the Switch cartridge flavour.

Buskalilly wrote:

It genuinely tastes like earwax

So many questions...

Wikipedia says it's an 'acquired taste'.

I recently acquired a PS5 and it prompted me to go fucking mad and beat a ton of games in the last couple of months. So, here's a rapid fire review round-up, although if you want a deeper take on any of these from me I'm happy to expand on my thoughts!

Spider-Man: Miles Morales - More Spidey, innit? Looked bloody gorgeous on PS5 and swinging about in 60fps was silky smooth. Miles's new powers kept it from feeling like just a Spider-Man expansion and whilst it's definitely shorter than Peter's adventure, it's still a grand time. 8.5/10

Astro's Playroom - Loved this, genuinely. Whilst it's not as ingenious as some of Nintendo's greatest platformers, this is still a cracking wee platformer and it's all the sweeter considering it's a pack-in with the PS5. I enjoyed the charming references and there's a genuine love for the nearly 30 year history that the Playstation has amassed in this. 8.5/10

Bugsnax - Definitely one of the weirdest games I've played, that's for sure. I still quite liked it - it was more of a puzzle game in many places as you tried to figure out how to catch each of the eponymous Bugsnax in the game. Catching some of the Snax felt a wee bit clunky though, but it was still a decent time. 7/10

Control - Incredibly atmospheric and sucked me right into the world. The combat actually let this down a wee bit and devolved into using the force push ability in 99% of combat encounters. I can forgive it for how fun it is floating about and exploring the supernatural building the game is set in. 6.5/10

Ghost of Tsushima - A bit too Assassin's Creed in its world design and mission structure for my liking, but the combat was great and it was just fun being a samurai. I was also surprised by how much emotional oomph the story had. 8.5/10

God of War - The PS2 original is definitely showing its age by now - combat isn't as smooth as other character action games and there's some really frustrating level design and puzzles present here. Still, it's good fun killing Greek mythological beasts as a very angry man, but its sequels definitely do that much better. 5/10

God of War 2 - A bit more polished than the original but not by enough for my tastes. There's still some annoying puzzles and the combat isn't as good as the third game in the series, so having played that since has definitely coloured my opinion of this. 5.5/10

God of War 3 - Yeah, this is much more like it. The spectacle is ramped up to a series high, and the combat feels suitably tighter. Peak Angry Man killing action. 8/10

God of War (2018) - Such a brilliant game. The slower pace really suits the more emotional story and considering the peak of the series's writing to this point was "Angry Man wants to kill the gods", it's crazy how well they did with the story in this game. Add in a world that's rewarding to explore and a combat system that feels suitably brutal to match the older Kratos and you've got a classic. 10/10

Operation Tango - Rattled through this with Andy and quite enjoyed it! It's similar to that bomb disarming game in that you've got to solve puzzles by communicating with your partner. It's great fun both frantically trying to communicate a solution and revelling in the chaos as it is firing on all cylinders and working like a well oiled machine. I do think the hacker has a less interesting time of things than the agent role, but it's still a grand time if you can find a friend to play it with. 8/10

Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart - Proper showcase game for the PS5, this. A treat for the eyes and some great use of haptic feedback with the controller. Ratchet's a very cosy game series for me - you more or less know what you're going to get with the gameplay, but that's no bad thing. Just a fun ol' time. 8.5/10

6.5 for Control you've been talking to Andy to much.

Surprised about the PS2 God of War games as I played a bit of 2 recently and thought it held up really well and got what I was missing.

Some of the enemies felt too much like bullet sponges and the combat really wasn't engaging, hence my score there. Loved the world building though.

I think I'd have scored the PS2 GoWs higher had I not played GoW3 and the 2018 GoW right after - I found myself frustrated with them more than feeling that sense of blood-pumping action you want from a character action game.

You might be wondering what is Sumire, well it's currently the 12th highest rated game of the year (11th really) on Opencritic and at the moment only on PC & Switch. I bought in a sale after was talked about in the Games Asylum discord, which they've reviewed Sumire and really liked as well.

That got my attention as GA reviews are often good and then having a look at the game on the eShop, looked and sounded my sort of thing. As Sumire has this lovely pastel art and I do like bits of the soundtrack, then you guess it's very narrative driven with some simple fetch quests mixed in.

There's nothing wrong with Sumire, just feel I've played this sort of game before and this does nothing new that it's just there.

It’s been a very long time since I played an arcade racer that’s as pure as Inertial Drift. Focusing on your car, your car’s drifting mechanics and the track alone, it takes inspiration from genre greats such as Ridge Racer Type 4 and OutRun 2. However, it modernises that perfected formula in a really clever way, and that’s with twin-stick drift controls. Everything else is standard for an arcade racer, but in this one the use your controller’s right stick to twist round corners and angle your drift. It’s definitely strange at first, but honestly having tried it for myself and after seeing how successfully they’re (sometimes) implemented, I’m surprised that no game developer thought of these mechanics before now. The other aspects of Inertial Drift compliment this quite nicely, as it has a really appealing vaporware visual style that gives off a great ‘90s mood, and it’s got loads of options for racing too. Even on Switch and with 30fps there’s a good sense of speed here as well.

That said, the game’s greatest strength ends up being it’s main weakness as well. It’s true that just about all of Inertial Drift’s uniqueness comes from it’s drifting mechanics, but I think they’re very hard to master in this game. Especially for most of the cars that you unlock later in the game, they simply don’t handle in a way that’s responsive to however you initiate and angle your drifts. It’s like they’re locked in position and can’t move at times, I can’t figure it out. I don’t think the tracks are designed as well as they could have been either. As with any arcade racer you’d care to name, all I wanted to do was go full-pelt and throw my car around massive corners – yet in Inertial Drift, most of the tracks are quite narrow and really don’t give you the space or wiggle room to do these massive and ridiculous drifts. As a result, I often smacked into walls or spun out, which was annoying. Really, for as much as I like Inertial Drift, I wish it was developed by a team that had a bigger budget and more experience in making these types of games.

Inertial Drift isn’t a typical racer, and that’s not just because of its unconventional controls. This might be the thing that would put folk off the most: there’s very little racing involved here, it’s mostly just time attacks with one other ghost racer on the track. Personally, I’m all right with that. However, I’ve got the strong feeling that with slightly more accessible controls, wider tracks and some opponents during your races, his would have been an excellent Ridge Racer 8. As it stands, I instead look at it as a solid foundation for a better Inertial Drift 2.

Still, it’s a really stylish game that’s an absolute must-play for fans of arcade racers. It’s an unusually cheap Switch game too, found everywhere for under a tenner physically. That’s a really good deal, and means that I can just as easily recommend it anybody who wants to play something that feels distinct, refreshing and cool. 8/10.

I picked up Inertial Drift a few weeks back for the PS4 and I'm yet to play but it's one I'm quite excited to start, I've had quite a thing for racers recently after playing Horizon Chase Turbo and Wreckfest which were lots of fun yet this seems to be better than both from what I've heard.

masofdas wrote:

6.5 for Control you've been talking to Andy to much.

Surprised about the PS2 God of War games as I played a bit of 2 recently and thought it held up really well and got what I was missing.

I played the PS2 God of War about 5 years ago and don't even think it held up well then, the only thing that's propelled that series forward until the reboot is violence.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

As with any arcade racer you’d care to name, all I wanted to do was go full-pelt and throw my car around massive corners – yet in Inertial Drift, most of the tracks are quite narrow and really don’t give you the space or wiggle room to do these massive and ridiculous drifts. As a result, I often smacked into walls or spun out, which was annoying. Really, for as much as I like Inertial Drift, I wish it was developed by a team that had a bigger budget and more experience in making these types of games.

Inertial Drift isn’t a typical racer, and that’s not just because of its unconventional controls. This might be the thing that would put folk off the most: there’s very little racing involved here, it’s mostly just time attacks with one other ghost racer on the track.

I've had my eye on this game for a while but these are the reasons are why I've yet to take the plunge. It looks class and I love me an arcade racer, but I've never really played Initial D which I imagine this game was trying to emulate. Nonetheless, I'm convinced by your recommendation as it's often on sale; I should just give it a go.

Boyle and Peralta?  Stuff that: McQueen and Dooley have the most beautiful male friendship in fiction.  This is six more cases of point-and-click goodness, just as funny as the first game (see previous page) and with maybe a bit more heart.  There are three more coming as free DLC too.  The main criticism I have of this game is that you need to play Darkside Detective 1 for the best experience, but that's hardly a criticism since it only just missed out on an 8/10 from me.  There's also the odd bit of point-and-click moon logic, but nowhere near as much as some other titles.  So far this is my second-favourite game of 2021, behind another adventure game funnily enough.

The title of that game could quite easily work as porno.

One of the main characters is very muscular, a bit dim, and dressed in a uniform.  Hmm...

Sounds like a Porno-and-click game to me.

Part Time UFO is a very light-hearted and affable little physics-based puzzler that has you controlling a UFO and performing all sorts of oddjobs to find out about working habits around Earth. Your UFO acts as a flying claw machine, and you fulfil your jobs by picking up and carrying objects and stacking them. These jobs take on several fun guises, like catching and loading fish onto the back of a fisherman’s boat, rebuilding toppled-over sculptures in a museum and – just like in all the best jobs - balancing hamsters on top of a unicycling elephant at the circus. Various factors like swing, momentum and grip come into play, and each stage has their own set of eligibility criteria for successfully earning the Gold Medals that you need to progress. On top of this, there’s challenges, new unlockable modes, a costume shop and co-op included for further replayability.

Having been developed by Kirby studio HAL Laboratory, Part Time UFO has the same colourfulness and cuteness as something like Star Allies, though it’s reminded me a lot more of a cross between Nintendo Badge Arcade and LocoRoco. It’s an extremely high-quality, uncomplicated and joyous game however you look at it, although it’s perhaps just a little bit lacking in variety. In its defence though, Part Time UFO an £8 downloadable game from the eShop – and it’s currently down to £5-odd in the current summer sale. For that pocket change, you honestly can’t go wrong. Part Time UFO is a rare example of a game that I’d recommend to everybody who regularly posts here, you’d all like it a lot. 8/10.

PTUFO is one that Scullion absolutely adored and, given its pedigree, one I've always had a passing interest in - but it's always just been edged out by something else onto my wishlist, especially because I'm not much of one for replayability in games. (Also I've never met a physics-based game I got on with really.) Some day it'll make it there, though. Some day.