Oh yeah the drowning is by far the worst part of Sonic games. I got stuck in Chemical Zone purple water poisoning hell so much. But I have finished the old school Sonic the Hedgehog games. Both the Master System and Genesis versions.

I enjoy Sonic games flying through the levels going fast..then smack into an enemy i don't see and lose all my rings and get upset :lol:

I think I love the idea of Sonic games more than the games themselves. I put many of hours behind #2 but a lot of times they felt like I was simply watching it happen rather than experiencing it. Yes all side-scrollers do that, but at the speed and the way you spin through tunnels and loops takes a lot of control away from you. Still a blast to get to EGGMAN and those battles were always funs.

Dr. Robotnik will always be the superior name.

Either way, finished up Hallow Knight: Void Heart Edition. Nightmare King Grim was BY FAR the toughest single challenge in the game, just such a bastard, I didn't struggle on anyone else nearly as much, even the final 2 bosses were a cake walk in comparison. Only thing I didn't finish was Godhome, got to the 4th pantheon, and just didn't have the patience anymore; hopefully Bloodstained be here tomorrow.

Great game, but will definitely benefit on a second playthrough, as too many times you go in a specific direction, get all the way there, clear a big chunk of the level, and not have what you need to proceed; somehow I seemed to always pick the wrong direction, as I got stuck plenty a time.

Sweet holy fucking hell. Bloodstained is everything I hoped it to be and more, with Symphony of the Night being maybe my favorite game ever, this is a love letter to it in every way, while not being a flat out copy (though there's a lot in there that is essentially lifted right out). One thing that's always disappointed me about these sort of games since SotN, is they never offer the sheer depth of items, but RotN does, oh boy does it. Judgment is coming out, so I only really have enough time to beat it plainly, but this is a game I can see myself spending time over a month grinding out and upgrading all the shards, weapons, armors, books, items, moves, powers, just so fucking much. Honestly, might be my game of the year at this point, just something I've been missing for so long, and comes back with a modern iteration that delivers on almost every level. I've got a few minor quibbles, like not being able to slash upward, or having to pause every time I need to heal, but honestly, so minor it doesn't matter compared to everything it does right.

Really have to commend them on enemy variety, a lot of games this days really only have a few base enemies with different variations, but, alongside a couple with variations, every new area has an assortment of new enemies, dozens and dozens of unique foes. Some more amusing than others. Really keeps each new area feeling fresh, rather than just a rehash of the area before.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw (Yukes; 2004)

I've been following 616 Entertainment on YouTube and he recently covered this in his wrestling game retrospective. This was the one SmackDown game from Know Your Role to SvR 2009 that I ended up skipping, and it's always bothered me. Every now and then, I go back to it to figure out why I didn't get it on launch.

Right off the bat, the roster sucked. The game was based on the WWE circa June 2004, possibly the leanest period of the brand extension. There was no way the roster was going to compete with HCTP, but still, the game omitted a ton of wrestlers from that time period. Compared to HCTP, the roster was short 13 wrestlers. I actually did some research into this, and of those 13 wrestlers, the WWE had 40 talents that could have filled those spots. The most egrigious omission was Lita who was in HCTP but somehow missed the cut for SvR. I wasn't enamoured with the roster at the time, but the game should have been a fun time capsule of that time period. Characters like Eugene, Mordecai, Kenzo Suzuki, Chavo Classic, Rob Conway, Sylvain Grenier, Doug Basham, Danny Basham, Gail Kim, Nidia, Tyson Tomko, Hurricane, Rosey etc. should have all been there. Mankind should have also been replaced with Cactus Jack/Mick Foley considering how integral he was to the build up to Wrestlemania XX.

Outside of being upset with the roster for a 15 year old game, the other disappointment was season mode. The game is notorious for having some of the worst voice acting in video game history, but I was caught off guard by how short it was. The game is based on the 2003 PPV schedule and if your brand doesn't have a PPV coming up that month, they'll skip it. Also instead of having four TVs before every PPV, it's not only 1.

So for my campaign, I picked Rob Van Dam from SmackDown which meant I played through eight months, or 32 matches. Among those matches included a bunch of special guest referee where the AI just trolled me and I had no choice after 20 minutes than to abort the match because there was no other option than to lose. The season was littered with lame matches like that. I had a couple of 3-1 matches where the only viable strategy was to knock out the referee and take them all out with a steel chair. I had an Armaggeddon Hell in a Cell where the AI followed me up top the cage, then fell off like something out of the Suicide Club. I lost because The Big Show put a basic hold on somebody and they tapped out on the otherside of the cage. Looking at the guide, I ended up going down the normal path where you're constantly feuding with Vince and in the end you get him 1-1 in a HiaC match at Wrestlemania.

The only silver lining to the game is that it's the only game in the series where you can play licensed music during the matches. This was in DoR as well and is incredibly nostalgic to me. While it's hardly Natural Born Killaz, I thought the music complimented the era really well and was a fine substitute for the relatively under-developed commentary.

Mostly finished Bloodstained (story, quests, map, enemies, shard types), just can't exaggerate how blown away I was buy it, in the end about my biggest gripe, is that certain optional bosses don't give their shard 100% of the time, and that was a hell of a lot of effort just to have to do it over and over again, one I had to beat around 20 times (and there's a whole stage you have to play each time leading into the fight) just to get one, if I was already going for a clean sweep...you need 9. Gonna go on to Doom real quick, since Eternal isn't far off, then on to Judgement. But I plan on Bloodstained being a time killer for me, just sometime if I got a couple hours, go in an grind until I eventually get every item and max every stat. Might even get to level 99, as this is feeling more generous than SotN, where after about 60 levels the grind to 99 feels arduous to the point of tedium; while I'm just reaching 70, so the same might apply, everything's feeling within hand with just a bit of effort. Also a positive, it has New Game+, so once finish grinding up the items, I can just keep replaying to eventually max out the character. If this was Castlevania, it'd be the best since Symphony, honestly, might be my favorite Metroidvania in general since Symphony, instant classic of the genre. Hope this IP can flourish. A++, there's a few flaws here and there, so I couldn't justify a 3rd "+."

Oh, one disappointment, I thought Curse of the Moon was supposed to be an 8-Bit prequel, as it was originally spoke about as such, but in reality it's completely unrelated, the two games entirely contradict each other...more like a "What if?" Still also an amazing throwback, but a bit of a downer than it doesn't actually connect.

Sonic Mania was a fun game, I really enjoyed that one. Sonic Forces, on the other hand, was pure garbage.

I just started on Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and I am fucking blown away. I must say, I was not expecting much from a remaster considering the poor quality of the ones the game company I used to work at put out. The game looks fucking phenomenal. Massive upgrades to every single asset. The UI and menus were hugely overhauled. Everything is beautiful. It plays as smooth as butter too. Zero frustrations. Zero control issues. It looks like a modern day game. Honestly, if I hadn't played the originals or known about them then I would never suspect it was a remaster. They re-recorded all the dialogue. They totally re-did all of the cutscenes.

The only downside, if it can be considered one, is because the graphics are so good and everything on the screen is so clear in terms of depth perception and the controls are perfectly responsive, it makes the game a bit easier, which is a bit disappointing since I like more of a challenge. Also, seeing Papu Papu's ass in sparkling HD isn't exactly a good thing either.

I heavily recommend to anyone who is a fan of the Crash games to pick this one up. I am sure not disappointed after my first hour. Collecting all the gems again is really satisfying my needed OCD collector's fix. There's also new bonus content that wasn't in the originals. Two bonus levels, one of which was a level originally planned for the first Crash Bandicoot that was never completed and got cut from the game. You can also play all the levels as Coco if you want!

Jun 23, 2019 6:36:48 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Mostly finished Bloodstained (story, quests, map, enemies, shard types), just can't exaggerate how blown away I was buy it, in the end about my biggest gripe, is that certain optional bosses don't give their shard 100% of the time, and that was a hell of a lot of effort just to have to do it over and over again, one I had to beat around 20 times (and there's a whole stage you have to play each time leading into the fight) just to get one, if I was already going for a clean sweep...you need 9. Gonna go on to Doom real quick, since Eternal isn't far off, then on to Judgement. But I plan on Bloodstained being a time killer for me, just sometime if I got a couple hours, go in an grind until I eventually get every item and max every stat. Might even get to level 99, as this is feeling more generous than SotN, where after about 60 levels the grind to 99 feels arduous to the point of tedium; while I'm just reaching 70, so the same might apply, everything's feeling within hand with just a bit of effort. Also a positive, it has New Game+, so once finish grinding up the items, I can just keep replaying to eventually max out the character. If this was Castlevania, it'd be the best since Symphony, honestly, might be my favorite Metroidvania in general since Symphony, instant classic of the genre. Hope this IP can flourish. A++, there's a few flaws here and there, so I couldn't justify a 3rd "+."

Oh, one disappointment, I thought Curse of the Moon was supposed to be an 8-Bit prequel, as it was originally spoke about as such, but in reality it's completely unrelated, the two games entirely contradict each other...more like a "What if?" Still also an amazing throwback, but a bit of a downer than it doesn't actually connect.

I am not too far in Bloodstained, just beat the

SPOILER: Click to show

speedster boss and got his bullet technique

but I agree with you, this is a GOTY candidate and I would take it over Sekiro which I can't believe I am saying. It's simple but it's such a relaxing metroivania title that captures so much of SOTN. The customization is CRAZY and having Miriam's gear actually change her appearance in cutscenes is awesome and a nice little touch. 

This game is excellent, there is an additional character afterwords to play and a 3rd one coming via DLC too. Besides the first boss who killed me a few times, the bosses I have one shotted albeit having to use some potions. Some of the voice acting is bad but I think high pledge backers got to voice some characters so I won't grill Iga for this, it is apart of the package. What I will say is this game has massive rundown and easily hits below 30 FPS especially when there are tons of enemies on screen. The game crashed on me and I lost about 15-20 minutes of content which is downright scary, I simply wish the game ran better.....playing this on standard PS4. That stops it from being a classic, the technical aspect just is lacking and it's frustrating in places like Twin Dragon tower where the stage has a (cool) mechanic from a graphical standpoint. 

Why I have yet to finish this game is because CTR: Crash Team Racing Nitro Refueled had taken over my weekend. Beat the game, did all the relic races(Got 1 gold, rest Sapphire....good enough for me, not hurting myself to do anymore than that), got all the CTR Coins and the additional stage crystal of each world. Tried a little online play, and one gem with four to go. Excellent remaster as always, really good. I remember the old CTR I rocked Crash until unlocking the god, Penta Penguin so I anxiously await getting that little guy. So much customization, the animations of all characters(COCO IS THE BEST!) are SO GOOD whether they are driving or their victory poses on the podium. Game runs super crisp, hardly any glitches that I have encountered. Just a really fine game. 

Only downside is even on normal mode, the AI is super cheap. Talking not just the typical rubber band mechanics but more so how they will completely combo you with rockets or bombs and basically work together to make sure you don't come in first. this game will frustrate you even on Normal mode but you will essentially grind through it because it's worth it. But that Pinstripe fight is CHEAP as it was in the original PS1 because you don't want to end up behind him since he has a borderline limitless amount of bombs he can shoot from behind in a narrow area that you can fall(It's a Hot Air Track). Been having so much fun with the game, not sure if I do the N Trophy time races or Oxide time trials, they were a complete pain in the ass in the original, I will see if I have the patience for it. Will need mah boy Penta P. if I am doing it. 

Only bosses that gave me any trouble were the bloody bitch for the sheer amount of damage she took (I wasn't properly stocked on health items at the time), and the Craftsman, because he did a stupid amount of damage in a space with no real maneuverability.

Jun 25, 2019 0:35:14 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Only bosses that gave me any trouble were the bloody bitch for the sheer amount of damage she took (I wasn't properly stocked on health items at the time), and the Craftsman, because he did a stupid amount of damage in a space with no real maneuverability.

Who is the Craftsman? Is that the Carpenter because if so yeah he can whallop you for a good amount and with his summons you can barely see where you are on the screen but I got him first try.

Beat Bloodstained last night and did over 97% of the map, my gripes still withstand(One of the final bosses is so bad with the slowdown) but if you can overlook the technical deficiencies of the game, this is without a doubt one of the best games I have played in 2019 and I would take it over Sekiro. 

My main issue is that I'm stubborn, I went in woefully underprepared, with on 1 large potion, 2 smalls, and nothing else...with the amount of damage he does, I just kept dropping right at the end when there was 2 demons. Also the frustration came from the fact he wouldn't drop a shard, so I had to beat him about 6 times, but never let myself go re-up on life, because I'm an ass. Also didn't find a ton of life ups yet, since I didn't worry about clearing the map until I had all the powers to do it at once, only what was necessary. Really nothing but myself to blame for that one.

Food > potions.

Food gives you permanent stat buffs along with temporary ones if it is the first time you eat said type of food, that combined with healing makes it a must for hard fights.

Unsurprisingly, I'm currently playing story mode in Super Mario Maker 2, I've only completed about 34% of it (i'd have to open up the game to make sure). I haven't downloaded anyone else's courses yet, much less make my own, though I'll most likely toy around with that, after I beat story mode. Overall, I'm having fun with the game, and can def see it taking over my life for a while yet (in-between all those July releases).

Started Oceanhorn. Looks like a generic Zelda clone, which is fine as I much prefer this type than BOTW.

Having tons of fun in Bloodstained. Guns are hilariously overpowered. Curious to see what the free DLC consists of.

The only person who really gave me trouble was the first fight with sworddude and the blood countess. I went rapier through the main playthrough for the rapid fire stab ability. Ripped most bosses apart.

Jun 29, 2019 15:52:45 GMT @nighty said:

Food > potions.

Food gives you permanent stat buffs along with temporary ones if it is the first time you eat said type of food, that combined with healing makes it a must for hard fights.

Yeah, I finally figured that out once the game was essentially entirely over, just didn't really tinker with all that stuff. At least I'll know it for higher difficulties.

Started in on Judgement, so far, easily the best game on the Dragon Engine, not all that far, but the combat finally has that old Yakuza snap back, really wish Kiwami 2 hadn't been the 2nd game on the engine, held back what could have been my favorite entry in the series (as Yakuza 2 was prior to Yakuza 0)...can't wait to dig in a bit deeper.

Took a break from Judgement for a quick run through of Death's Gambit, solid little 2D Souls-like. Other than a select few bosses, not really as hard as a Dark Souls (except the "heroic rematch" bosses, which I didn't fuck with because my least favorite boss in the game)...but doesn't even try to hide the inspiration. If I had one complaint about the game, it'd be the stamina bar, if they could have just let that single Souls mechanic slide, it'd have been a much more enjoyable game. Even having stamina isn't necessarily a problem, but their stamina bar is horribly underpowered. Even late game where I built it into the 40's, still felt like it emptied almost immediately, didn't really feel the progression as much as strength and life. Other than that, solid mechanics, well designed, entertaining enough story. B+

I downloaded the first Star Wars KOTOR onto my phone and hot damn - nostalgia. The fighting sucks, the dialogue can be crap at times but it still feels like im actually in a Star Wars universe (something titles after lacked), and the storyline is beyond amazing. It's fun to just be an asshole to everyone and build up those dark side points, too.

Still rocking the PS3. Found NCAA Basketball 10 after months of hunting for it. Downloaded a 2018 updated roster save file with Zion, Ja Morant, etc. so that's been really fun too. Currently working my way through the coaching ranks on dynasty mode. In my 4th year, now with UNLV and just joined the Pac-12 and pulled off a big conference debut upset against UCLA on their home court. 13-1 so far on the season. Signed my first 5-star recruit, a big ginger white forward I named "Chad Coffee". When he breaks ankles on a crossover, I like to call it a "Coffee Break"... RED MAMBA!!!

Jun 29, 2019 18:32:32 GMT Lony said:

Unsurprisingly, I'm currently playing story mode in Super Mario Maker 2, I've only completed about 34% of it (i'd have to open up the game to make sure). I haven't downloaded anyone else's courses yet, much less make my own, though I'll most likely toy around with that, after I beat story mode. Overall, I'm having fun with the game, and can def see it taking over my life for a while yet (in-between all those July releases).

The campaign of SMM2 is short but very sweet. Course making is not my fortay but heck if I didn't have fun with this game, this will be a game I remember very fondly if we do a GOTY countdown. Had loads of fun with the created content made, and it is going to have such an active community since the Switch is a better seller than Wii U. I have been brave enough to take my Switch out of the dock, maybe the next step is taking it out to public transportation that I am consumed by 10 hours a week and this game would be awesome for it. Have to get ready to be brave when Pokemon hits end of the year. 

June was a great month of gaming for me as expected. SMM2, Bloodstained and CTR have been phenomenal plays. 

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019; FromSoftware)

I just completed my forth playthrough. It's pretty amazing how short the game is once you know what you're doing. The current world record is 21 minutes which is pretty crazy considering it took me well over twenty hours on my initial playthrough. This time I decided to take on the Shura ending, which is where you basically turn heel and betray all your friends. I actually had more trouble with the first phase of the final fight here since I wasn't used to her patterns and didn't have the timing down. Once I got the deflects going, it was a pretty simple fight.

I'm trying to get the platnium which is actually pretty simple but incredibly tedious. I have to unlock all the skills, which requires a lot of grinding. I don't think it'd be bad podcast fodder, but after beating the game three times in consecutive days I need to decompress.

Detroit become human is the free game of the month on PS4 so just started playing it. I remember Woods/Creed did a play through on UUDD so after I do a few chapters I now watch some of his chapters to see what options he picked. It is kind of messed up I got someone perm killed before him with some of the choices he made.

Heavy Rain was the first game that got me to really question my decision making ability, by the end of my first playthrough...3 characters were dead, and the killer got away. My least proud moment was misjudging the floor height in a burning building, looked like I could clear it, but died on impact.

Jul 14, 2019 5:43:09 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Heavy Rain was the first game that got me to really question my decision making ability, by the end of my first playthrough...3 characters were dead, and the killer got away. My least proud moment was misjudging the floor height in a burning building, looked like I could clear it, but died on impact.

To be fair they didn't have to jump straight down. Had they stepped onto the ledge, hung from there then let go they probably should have lived.

Finished up Judgment, combat wise, and slight revision to the "best game on the Dragon engine" line. It's the best COMBAT on the Dragon Engine, but the trailing missions do get pretty tedious, and holy hell are the last chapters long. I finished chapter 10 last night, figure for maybe 5 hours at most to wrap the game from there. 12 hours it took for the last chapters, and a few of the things sort of felt like they were repeating pertinent information, could have cut it down at least a few hours and lost little of importance. But, I might not have noticed if I wasn't trying to complete it to move on to Dead Cells, so if you're prepared for that time sink, still a solid experience. If I was to rank the Yakuza-verse, I'd say

0, Kiwami, 2, 4, Kiwami 2, Judgment, 3, 5, 6, 1.

Playable characters:

Majima (0), Kiryu (0-6), Tak (Judgment), Tanimura (4), Akiyama (4, 5), Shinada (5), and Seijima (4, 5).

Though really Kiryu from the first two Yakuza's may rate higher, I sold them, so can no longer compare, but I swear his base combos were stronger originally. For some reason from 3 on, they changed some of his core moves. But can't say for certain exactly what it was anymore.

Disappointing that Tanimura's actor got the character dropped for drug charges, I really loved his style.

About at the half way point of 2018's The Messenger, a mixed of Ninja Gaiden and Metroidvania. Phenomenal game thus far, game has a decent amount of challenge but it doesn't feel cheap. You will die most from going for optional content in this game so it isn't like a cripplingly hard game. Then the free DLC that came out a few days ago awaits me, so glad I jumped on the sale(Got it for the Nintendo Switch, seems like a fitting game that plays like an NES game) and it has been a really good ride thus far.

Jul 15, 2019 9:07:22 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Finished up Judgment, combat wise, and slight revision to the "best game on the Dragon engine" line. It's the best COMBAT on the Dragon Engine, but the trailing missions do get pretty tedious, and holy hell are the last chapters long. I finished chapter 10 last night, figure for maybe 5 hours at most to wrap the game from there. 12 hours it took for the last chapters, and a few of the things sort of felt like they were repeating pertinent information, could have cut it down at least a few hours and lost little of importance. But, I might not have noticed if I wasn't trying to complete it to move on to Dead Cells, so if you're prepared for that time sink, still a solid experience. If I was to rank the Yakuza-verse, I'd say

0, Kiwami, 2, 4, Kiwami 2, Judgment, 3, 5, 6, 1.

Playable characters:

Majima (0), Kiryu (0-6), Tak (Judgment), Tanimura (4), Akiyama (4, 5), Shinada (5), and Seijima (4, 5).

Though really Kiryu from the first two Yakuza's may rate higher, I sold them, so can no longer compare, but I swear his base combos were stronger originally. For some reason from 3 on, they changed some of his core moves. But can't say for certain exactly what it was anymore.

Disappointing that Tanimura's actor got the character dropped for drug charges, I really loved his style.

Haven't played them all and this may be an unpopular opinion but for the most part I hate Kiryu fighting styles. Dragon of Dojima was alright in 0 but it takes so long to be useful in Kiwami.