Starmen.Net

UnfoundedRevenge:

Symphony of the Night is my favourite video game! One of them, anyways. Castlevania in general is pretty much my favourite franchise. I think Symphony is one of the greatest, most well crafted, fun, and visually appealing games that have ever been made.

…but the inverted castle is stupid. Haha. It’s such a lame excuse for extending the gameplay. I mean, it’s still fun to me, it’s still Symphony of the Night, but it’s a bit janky at best and it’s even a little obvious at some points that this idea was a last minute inclusion to stretch the game out.

I’ve already beat the game, and i can totally say that is true. The inverted castle is just that, the same castle put in the game in order to give it more length. But i also can agree that is an excellent game, with no kind of waste in any of its parts. A pretty fun ride that i was able to finish, and i only had to use guides for stuff three times! I feel like a pro, haha!!!

I’m actually considering to play other Castlevania entries, like Rondo of Blood and Super Castlevania 4, and then play the nes trilogy. I still remember struggling with the stairs.

I didn’t know you had to press Up to use them…

Ristar on Super mode has been HELL.
You only get 1 star and 0 lives so you basically get one shot and so far I’ve gotten to Planet Sonata (with the help of save states)

Slay The Spire has consumed my free time recently

The12thKind:

Gamma Emerald:

Slay The Spire has consumed my free time recently

How is Slay the Spire? Is it really as good as people say it is?

Yes, it’s a very well-designed and balanced game. And it feels challenging enough without being impossible. Interesting combination of roguelike and deck-building.

The12thKind:

Gamma Emerald:

Slay The Spire has consumed my free time recently

How is Slay the Spire? Is it really as good as people say it is?

I would say so, it definitely hooked me

I recently played through Metal Gear Solid until the fight against Metal Gear. My opiniion is that this game is severly overrated. I might do a more in depth review on some platform that isn’t a forum, but my basic opinion is that the story is cheesy and the game controls like a stubborn dog that you have to grab at the waist and force to walk.
I kept playing the game because the drama of an unregulated nuclear weapon being controlled by terrorists was just interesting enough to keep me engaged (literally teetering on me being bored with the game), but every character having daddy issues, with one of them going off during the final boss cemented the story as Netflix-Quality in my mind.
I might try MGS2 in the future, but if that game disappoints me as well I won’t be picking the series back up.

Overrated is when everyone gives something praise that you feel is undeserved. Maybe that is the wrong term, because it’s clear that this game pushed the boundaries of storytelling and cinematics in videogames – in fact I respect the game for it. I still stand by that the story is cheesy.
When I say “daddy issues” I’m referring to any drama about blood relations. I HATE when stories revolve around blood relations. In real life, you bond with those who raise you, regardless of if you share the same blood. The only character in Metal Gear Solid who obeys this basic philosophy is Naomi, and her issues are solved before the game even begins.
I was teetering on calling this games story passable, but then during the fight against Metal Gear, during the fight against the machine that will kill all life on the planet, Gray Fox starts monologing. This killed it for me.
A good story has all of its elements introduced about 80% of the way through. This is done to bring climax to the final parts and to let everything either resolve itself, or establish itself as unresolved so it can be either speculated on or explored in a future entry. The reason anime’s made by Netflix feel so awkward is because they introduce new unnecessary elements during the final episode. When Gray Fox started talking, I audibly screamed “METAL GEAR’S RIGHT THERE!”
Liquid Snake’s motives would be valid if he weren’t clearly more jacked than Solid.
If you still think the game isn’t cheesy, just look at psycho mantis. Case and point.
The high points of the story were when it related to real life. Improper nuclear waste disposal, government coverups, weapon regulation bypassment were all really cool elements that made the game more engaging. You can tell that someone on the story team has an affinity for American and world politics. It’s too bad that those moments are undermined in favor of the fictional characters.

Onto the controls, you do get accustomed to them as the game goes on, but they still aren’t great. The game had to be compatible with non-analog PS1 controllers but it clearly wasn’t designed around them. Analog aiming is a must in this game, which makes me wonder why they didn’t require an analog controller and do twin-stick aiming like Enter the Gungeon. It’s not a shooter, it’s a stealth action game, but when I do have to use my guns I have to actively think about how to fineness the controls to get them to do what I want – especially in boss fights. A stealth action game should have controls that you don’t have to think about.
On the topic of boss fights, they’re probably one of the highlights of the game but they kinda drag. I admire how they require skillful gameplay, strategy, and pattern recognition but a lot of them really could’ve used a second phase to keep it from getting stale.

A stealth action game should also be immersive so the tension feels real. Metal Gear Solid’s visuals may be the most advanced on the PS1, but again, psycho mantis.

I enjoyed MGS most when I had to think about how to progress. Calling Otacon to locate the PSG1 was satisfying, but moments like that aren’t too awful common in this game. I am very much interested in MGS2 as I’ve heard that game is prophetic in its storytelling. However, I don’t think I’ll be replaying MGS1 anytime soon.

Pretty close to actually beating Pikmin 1 thanks to the Switch port (I tried beating it on emulator and got stuvk on the final boss)

UnfoundedRevenge:

To fill the GBA-shaped hole in my heart

Right? I have played so many games that came out on the GBA, even though I never owned one. A ton of my favourite games were originally made for the GBA – Mother 3, Pokemon Emerald, Superstar Saga, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem: the Sacred Stones, the Minish Cap. I think it was one of the best eras for Nintendo. Makes me want to find and play more GBA games for sure.

I also beat Mother 3 again at the end of last year, making it the 4th (or maybe 5th?) time I’ve beaten it. Still fun to play, and I still get emotional at all the best moments.

i have been making my way through the megaman battle network legacy collection on the switch (having never previously played more than the first 2 in the series), and am currently on mmbn4

at first, i found the tournament format to be a novel approach to a videogame story presentation, but after my third playthrough to attempt to see every story beat, i can see why people consider this the worst in the series

it’s still mmbn, so at base level it’s inherently fun, but moving the story forward just becomes a chore after a while

I’ve played that with my siblings! It’s really fun, even if I do just spend my time at Skull Cavern and kill monsters lol

There’s a few things you can unlock to get back home faster.

I do wonder how you’re meant to be doing things in the desert when it costs 500 to go there each day though (just unlocked that)

the Thing I do with stardew valley is level fishing and the mines. it’s probably personal preference but I feel they’re faster than growing crops. desert can be safely ignored unless you’re really hankering for a dungeon crawl experience, and you can just get cactus fruit from the store there. the only thing I think you need is the fish there.

OilFreak:

I tried to get into Stardew Valley and I thought the game had so much greatness! BUT I couldn’t enjoy thr game bevlcause of one big thing: The ingame days are too short. You have to scramble to get everything you want to get done in a day and you have to run back to your house. It’s not fun.

skill issue, you’ve got to learn to budget time or dedicate days. it’s not that fast. taking it slow is honestly the move

I’m playing lots; Street Fighter 6, Destiny 2, Dragon Quest Monsters, and Stardew