In the immortal words of one John Goblikon, “thank goblin it’s Friday!” I’m currently buried under a never-ending supply of homework, but hopefully I’ll come up for air long enough to dig in to something over the weekend.
Lately I’ve been playing the new-ish 2D horror game Claire: Extended Cut on PS4 and Vita. I received it from the folks at Hailstorm Games and ran in to a few bugs on the PS4 version that I’m working through with their sound guy.
The Vita version, however, works great.
Claire’s rad pixel art and brilliant use of color and sound takes me back to the original Silent Hill, had it been a 2D game instead. It absolutely nails the creepy atmosphere, blending unsettling textures with the shrieking and moaning of menacing monsters.
The map system was a little irritating at first, navigating a 2D game using a top-down map, but I’ve finally gotten used to it. So far it’s shaping up to be a really incredible game, and hopefully it holds that momentum throughout the rest of my adventure.
Oh, and I’m also giving away three copies of Claire: Extended Cut on PS4 today through my Twitter account! Click this link here and follow the instructions for your chance to win!
I also just started playing through the new hand-drawn Norse mythology action game Jotun (pronounced ho-tun), which reminds me a bit of The Legend of Zelda meets Titan Souls. In Jotun you control the Norse warrior Thora, whose untimely death gives her a chance at proving her worth to the Gods in order to enter Valhalla.
The game is gorgeous, with some of the screen-sized boss battles and landscapes being downright breathtaking. Thora has both a light and heavy attack at her disposal, along with a basic (see; invaluable) dodge roll. You’ll accumulate new God Powers throughout the game, like magical healing spells and throwing hammers, so combat has yet to become stale despite it feeling a bit stiff at times.
My main game right now is I am Setsuna on PS4. This Chrono Trigger-inspired turn-based JRPG by Tokyo RPG Factory has been my go-to for the last few days, and I’m absolutely loving its somber tone and all-piano OST composition. Working in tandem with its dreary winter setting, the game constantly feels lonely and depressing… because it is.
As the mercenary Endir, it’s your job to escort Setsuna, a teenage girl chosen by her village as a sacrifice, to the Last Lands. It’s a bit like Final Fantasy X in a sense, where you spend the game inching closer and closer to a character’s demise, all to avoid some sort of monstrosity taking over the world.
I’ve only managed to squeeze in about 5 hours so far, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
On the World of Warcraft front, I’ve gotten my Gnome Mage up to level 107 and my Worgen Shadow Priest up to 105. It’s been slow going, since I mainly play with my girlfriend and we’re both full-time students. Legion has been excellent thus far, though!
What about you folks? What are you getting in to this weekend?
Cheap Boss Attack 
I will play Metroid Zero Mission. I decided to replay it a few days ago, it was sort of out of the blue. Maybe it is the building frustration over the fact Nintendo refuses to release a traditional Metroid game and the realization I need to get my fix somewhere.
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Metroid Zero Mission is a fantastic game, as was Metroid Fusion! The GBA really was Metroid heaven, with those and NES Classic re-release of the original Metroid.
With Federation Force essentially tanking, surprising absolutely no one, I seriously hope Nintendo doesn’t use that (along with the disappointing sales/reception of Other M) as ammunition to avoid putting funding and resources in to a traditional Metroid experience.
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I am also concerned about that. I keep saying to myself “Nintendo cannot be that stupid to consider the sales of FF as a thermometer for the current health of the Metroid franchise, right?”
But Nintendo can be surprisingly stupid from time to time, so that’s not a given.
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This is the same company that opted to stick with cartridges on the N64 when they were considerably more limiting and expensive to develop. Same company to avoid supporting DVDs with the GameCube. Same company that opted to forgo the use of HD display and DVD/Blu-Ray support on Wii. Same company that confused everyone on the planet with the Wii U’s marketing and still using an archaic form of friend, chat, and online party system. Soooo yeah, Nintendo can be pretty out of touch at times.
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The funny thing is I’ve been on vacation all week, and I haven’t booted up my PS2 once. I don’t even know if I can call myself a slacker hehe. I’m going to try to do better this weekend and/or next week. This weekend became busier. The more I hear about I Am Setsuna, the more I think I need to break out of my most retro gaming mode, because the magical words “turn based JRPG” are music to my ears. That’s definitely going into my backlog.
That Jotun game looks beautiful, and I can’t help thinking of “Thor” when I see the name Thora. And well Jotunheim, too, because I loved the Thor/Avengers movies and Loki :)
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There’s TONS of Norse mythology in Jotun… well, basically the entire game, haha.
I am Setsuna is really good so far, and like I said, feels a lot like Final Fantasy X meets Chrono Trigger. I know you love your retro turn-based JRPGs so I highly recommend it. Well worth the $40 pricetag.
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Definitely. That’s not that much at all! Ah I’ll have to check Jotun out. Norse mythology is probably my favorite pantheon. FFVII gets even more points from me for utilizing it!
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My only issue with Jotun is that I’m bad at challenging games, haha, so I’m getting rolled over by these boss fights!
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I’m not great at them either unless we’re talking puzzle ones! It’s one of the reasons I love turn based RPGs :p I am the queen of such strategy!
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Man, would I love to go back and experience Final Fantasy Tactics again for the first time. 35 year old me wouldn’t have the patience to max out the timer, unlock Cloud and Worker 8, grind out all the abilities and subclasses, and finish that extra floor tower dungeon that I forget the name of. There was something so damn satisfying about combining classes with sub-classes and creating unstoppable monsters; an archer with the knight sub-class that could break armor from across the map, or a calculator with the ninja sub-class to attack everyone rapidly… it’s unmatched. I also really loved the original Vandal Hearts on PSone, but aside from FFT and Tactics Ogre to an extent, I haven’t found an SRPG that’s managed to sink its claws in.
I know I’d like Disgaea, but all the grinding is daunting now. I just can’t talk myself in to spending that long with a game anymore.
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Ugh reminds me of how long I spent grinding for FFIV in the Giant of Babil. It is seriously tedious. I want to give FFT a try just so I can say I at least played it.
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It’s an incredible game, just be prepped to devote at least 100 hours.
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I’m okay with that! But I understand not having the time to do so either. Figure I’ve been playing FFIV since probably the beginning of this year, and it’s only considered a 40-50 hour game. I should really start marking down when I start them like I do my books.
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xD
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I’m giving Dark Souls III a break and focusing on some other games at the moment. I randomly decided that I wanted to play through Bioshock Infinite again so I redownloaded it and I plan on completing it this weekend.
I also plan on putting a bunch of hours into Path of Exile. It’s changed a bit since I’ve last played it and I really need to scratch that Diablo itch with a different game :].
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So far the only game that’s managed to scratch my Diablo itch is Torchlight 2, but I hear good things on Path of Exile.
Bioshock Infinite is incredible, or at least I thought so. I know it was pretty divisive.
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Bioshock Infinite is a masterpiece in my opinion. I remember reviewing it a few years ago.
If you like Torchlight you’ll love Path of Exile. It’s more like Diablo II then III and it’s large passive skill tree will impress you. You can build a character however you want in that game.
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I only played a little bit of Diablo 2, but I have at least 200 hours in to the PS4/XB1 version of 3. Still liked what I played of D2, just more a console heathen.
Also agree about BioShock Infinite. Incredible atmosphere, story, and the gunplay never felt better in the series. I never got why a certain sect of fans didn’t care for it. It was the first game I’d seen be so divisive, up until the ending of ME3 (which, for the record, I thought was fine).
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If you go by the Steam reviews/Metacritic fans love Infinite. It’s one of the highest rated games on Steam. The vocal minority are the ones that hate the game for some strange reason. Infinite is the best game in the series in my opinion.
95% of Mass Effect 3 is a masterpiece. The ending was weak, but it wasn’t bad at all in my opinion. I got about 300 hours in that game across the PC, 360, and PS3.
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I thought ME3 was phenomenal. The ending didn’t have the finality of the entire series IMO, but the ending was fine. I’d say Infinite is on par with the original, but definitely wins out in terms of gameplay. I prefer Rapture to Columbia though.
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Rapture was creepy, more atmospheric, and had some of the best stage design I’ve ever played in any game. Infinite has superior gameplay, and story in my opinion.
ME3 was phenomenal and got way too much hate from everyone. It’s a masterpiece and I can’t wait for the next one.
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WoW is on the menu as I try to figure out how to get to 100 without my computer committing seppuku on me.
The other game is a bit embarrassing but entirely hilarious. During PAX I became known as the White Mage Girl… Because I was the one in our break room doing the infamous ‘Four White Mages’ run of FFI.
Good news is, they’re all 11+. Bad news is, I’m over ten hours in and JUST got the marsh crown back.
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I did the four white mage run of FF on my GBA while working at a call center. Once you grind enough to get some good spells, it’s not toooooo bad, but still challenging.
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Yeah I’m still on tier 3 spells and just starting to figure out the ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ method where I sacrifice 1-2 mages and buff the crap out of the other two. Good news is I beat three Piscodemons! Which the guide said I couldn’t do and that only 2 were defeatable!
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