This week we're dreaming big, we're opening up our scrapbooks and demanding that Hollywood and the games industry fulfil our every budget-defying whim! Kisses. ;)
23 Apr 2018
REVIEW - Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom - I Just Can't Wait To Be King
Name: Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Japan, Level-5
Platforms: PlayStation 4(reviewed), PC
Release: 23/03/18
Here's a sequel to a game I loved I didn't think I would get. I played the original Ni No Kuni when it came out on PS3 purely because the marketing said: "Studio Ghibli" and "RPG" in the same sentence. (I'm a mark, what can I say?) The game I got was a hybrid of Final Fantasy world exploration with a Pokemon battle system, complete with monsters you caught and evolved. (If none of that strikes you as something that would interest you, fear not) Up until I got Ni No Kuni 2 myself, I read literally nothing about it. I went in expecting exactly what the previous game had laid out, with some added extras to keep people happy.
What I got was a combat system that had been completely revamped, instead opting for a more hands-on, free-flowing experience. As a party of three, you encounter groups of enemies. You then take control of one of the characters while the others are controlled by the computer. You can swap between them at any time and using each of the characters learned skills is as easy as holding R2 and pressing one of the face buttons. In my experience, most standard fights take between 10-30 seconds, and enemies are visible on the world map so if you want to avoid combat, you can just give them a wide berth. Avoiding fights isn't really the end of the world in terms of levelling up either. (As fights only take a matter of seconds, I've found that I avoid far fewer fights than I would in any other RPG I've played of late)
The story moves at a fair click if you keep with the main missions but there is plenty of side stuff to do that can earn you lots of both money and experience. (You'll know you're in trouble if where you're trying to go is covered with enemies with their names highlighted in red, steer clear) Getting a Game Over isn't that big a deal either, as the autosave feature is pretty liberal for a regular games standards, never mind an RPG. With that in mind, taking the occasional risk with a high-level boss creature isn't too daunting and can even be highly rewarding if you can pull off a victory.
In addition to the new combat system, there are also army battles that you can take part in. (I know, we've gone from "I choose you" to "Behold the glorious ranks of the Imperium" but it's cool, bear with me) Unlike regular combat, there are set places where you can take part in these battles, and more appear as you play through the game. Here, you move with a unit of up to four captains. Each captain has a squad of whatever type of unit they specialise in. (For instance, I've consistently used swords, spears, bows and rifles for most of my engagements) The three main close range units (sword, spears and hammers) operate in a rock/paper/scissors fashion, meaning it pays to check what kind of troops your enemy will have before going into the fight. (I've gotten the Game Over message most often because of these army battles purely because I haven't been paying attention to enemy level/troop type)
The level system for these fights is separate from the regular levels. So even if you are out there hacking down dragons in the time it takes to reheat soup, you'll have to work your way from battlefield novice to battle-scarred veteran separately. Not too much of a hassle and only a handful of these skirmishes are mandatory if you're not that into them.
Now for the smallest of small gripes before I get into what I considered the "crowning jewel" of this game. Throughout the game, you're given your main plot, "Help the Young King Build A New Kingdom After Tragedy", which is fantastic and keeps you going through the game with a purpose. Great! So what the hell is your problem, Gavin? Well, there is a sub-plot which directly ties into the title of the game, Revenant Kingdom. You'll be teased for hours on what this alludes to and are even given a glimpse here and there of the main antagonist, Doloran, who is trying to operate said kingdom. After 85 hours of gameplay, a lot of which went into the activity I'll talk about next, the only real exploration of this arc was in the last 2 hours of the game. You're given a massive exposition dump and a sudden backstory for Doloran that, if it had been dispersed throughout the game slightly more frequently, I feel it would have had a much larger impact on the player (in this case, me) when the final confrontation occurs. Like I've said, it's the smallest of issues, and I only feel I have the issue because I like the game as a whole so much. Just to clarify, I really like the story, just not the way it's told.
On to my absolute favourite part of the game. You get your own kingdom to build! (I may or may not have yelled a little when I found out this was in the game) About 10 hours into the game, which for a standard RPG is the intro sequence and the tutorial, you get given your own spit of land to build a brand new kingdom on. Here you can build a blacksmith and an armoury to research and create better weapons and armour. You can research ways to gain more experience in from fights and also skirmishes. You build resource farming facilities to gain basic materials to make weapons and healing items. I know. That sounds like a lot of work and the resource thing happens in real-time but it's actually really easy to use. (I would leave the game running in the background while I went to the shops of made my dinner as I knew when I went back the game would have something for me) For anyone who has played a real-time strategy game and built a base, this is that but without someone coming over and smashing it with a dreadnaught or something.
As the game progresses, you recruit more subjects to your kingdom which in turn allows you to expand and build more buildings. I can't express enough how satisfying I found this whole aspect of the game. (There may have been a maniacal laugh or two, not that I'm some evil overlord or something... ahem) Going out into the world and finding people to join you provides hours of sidequests, which admittedly leads to King Evan being used as everyone's personal Amazon/Deliveroo courier. Not a major hassle when all that really boils down to is "Go explore this beautiful game".
Would I recommend this game to you? If you're after a game that is not only a delight to look at but also has so many individual elements that make it one of the best RPGs I've played in years, then yes, this is a game for you. On the other hand, it's a real time real-time investment and it's also an RPG, if you have neither the time or a love for the genre, it's not going to do anything for you.
Available for around £40-£50, depending on how savvy a shopper you are. (I went totally insane and bought the £140 "King's Edition" because I'm a fucking lunatic, very happy with it though)
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment Japan, Level-5
Platforms: PlayStation 4(reviewed), PC
Release: 23/03/18
The story moves at a fair click if you keep with the main missions but there is plenty of side stuff to do that can earn you lots of both money and experience. (You'll know you're in trouble if where you're trying to go is covered with enemies with their names highlighted in red, steer clear) Getting a Game Over isn't that big a deal either, as the autosave feature is pretty liberal for a regular games standards, never mind an RPG. With that in mind, taking the occasional risk with a high-level boss creature isn't too daunting and can even be highly rewarding if you can pull off a victory.
The level system for these fights is separate from the regular levels. So even if you are out there hacking down dragons in the time it takes to reheat soup, you'll have to work your way from battlefield novice to battle-scarred veteran separately. Not too much of a hassle and only a handful of these skirmishes are mandatory if you're not that into them.
As the game progresses, you recruit more subjects to your kingdom which in turn allows you to expand and build more buildings. I can't express enough how satisfying I found this whole aspect of the game. (There may have been a maniacal laugh or two, not that I'm some evil overlord or something... ahem) Going out into the world and finding people to join you provides hours of sidequests, which admittedly leads to King Evan being used as everyone's personal Amazon/Deliveroo courier. Not a major hassle when all that really boils down to is "Go explore this beautiful game".
20 Apr 2018
PODCAST - Universe, I'm The Chorus
That pun was painful and I make no apologies. Once again, we decide that we would rather live anywhere but our own universe and discuss some alternatives. Kisses. ;)
11 Apr 2018
PODCAST - My Universe for an Inside Toilet
Oh yeah! Who's up for some universe hopping as Al, Dave and I talk about some of the best universes we can think of. Kisses. ;)
2 Apr 2018
LIST - Do You Want To Play A Little Game?
Mini-games! Who doesn't love finding a distraction to occupy their time with while playing a game they're already playing to fill their time with? Not me! Here are a few games within games that have managed to take up a fair chunk of my final "game completion" time.
The Rules: You are provided with a 3x3 square grid, within each empty space you and your opponent place a card. Each player has five cards each and a coin flip decides who goes first. When looking at the cards, you'll notice each of them have four numbers in the top left corners. These numbers indicate the "strength" of the corresponding sides, ranging from 1 (the lowest) to A (the highest). As an example, if I was going first, I would generally place my first card in a corner with high outward facing sides. This way, my opponent would have to place their card elsewhere, maybe showing a weak side I can exploit with my following card. The basic aim of the game is to "obtain" as many of your opponent's cards as possible before all the board spaces are used up.
That is the basic gist of the game. There are separate, regional rules depending who you're challenging and whereabouts in the world you are. This can affect anything from how many cards are won at the end of a game, whether or not you can see each other's cards during a match and even if you can pick your own hand before starting. ("Random" can be dangerous if you're given one of your rare cards with a bunch of duds because if you lose, your opponent will take the rare one without a second thought)
Losing isn't the end of the world, as any cards you lose can be won back. (Provided the computer wants to play with the card it just won from you) This is actually how you can obtain some of the rarer, more powerful cards in the game. (Adding a side-quest or two to a minigame in an already massive game with enough to do as it is)
Apparently, there's a physical copy of the game that only came out in Japan in 1999. Am I sad I'll never own it? Yes. Yes, I am.
The Rules: You attach bait (with the exception of Fable), you cast your line, you wait, you wait, you wa... *vibration* SHITE, REEL THAT SUCKER IN! Depending on the game, this can be as simple as pressing the button at the right time to a drawn out (and surprisingly tense) situation in which you inch your catch towards you. This is probably most prominent in Final Fantasy XV's fishing, where I've caught some genuine monsters after some serious struggles.
While in Fable, fishing is used to grab a few extra items, it can become quite a fun distraction in Zelda: Ocarina of Time and FFXV. (They even went as far to make a separate VR game for the FFXV fishing, though that's still not enough to get me hooked on VR... that pun was not intentional but I'm keeping it in because it's the pun I deserve)
The Rules: Flying between the different worlds in Kingdom Hearts isn't a simple case of "Pick Destination" and hit "Go". You have to put some hard graft into getting from A to B. So it acts like an on-rails shooter, though more along the lines of a 3D R-Types. At the start of the game, you'll be equipped with a simple booster for acceleration and one cannon to defend yourself. As you fight your way from planet to planet, you acquire pieces for your ship and can upgrade it to make it faster and more devastating. (Trust me when I say "devastating" isn't too strong a word) At the end of each journey, you are ranked on how well you did. A combination of how fast you got through the level, how many enemies you destroyed and if you managed to take down any special targets. (This is more of a feature in Kingdom Hearts 2) You can then be rewarded with special ship parts or even blueprints to build powerful ships.
I've mentioned it before, but when you get tired of saving the entire Disney universe by swinging a giant key around your head, it's really a lot of fun and blast some spaceships for a bit. By the end of the game, your ship has the potential to be ridiculous in its firepower capabilities, reducing everything in front of you to some pretty lights and a lot of space dust. It's everything I hoped No Man's Sky's space combat would be. I dreamed too big in that regard...
The Rules: Despite the setting generally being an "illegal" street race, it's frowned upon to open fire on the other competitors. I mean, there's only one way to test that theory and you can bet your golden spinning rims that I do. Getting a mission failed for blowing away a fellow racer is a little discouraging as it then means I have to rely on my knowledge of the map and my vague understanding of how a "handbrake turn" works. Most races come in the form of a checkpoint, circuit/A to B type track. Over the years, the checkpoints in these various games have become a bit more generous in what constitutes "passing" it, as we should all be familiar with the frustration of missing one by literal millimetres. The struggle is real.
In most cases, the prize will be some sweet cash money. Maybe a fancier Mid-Life Crisis Mobile. It's not really why I enjoy them though. As the crime simulators have become more sophisticated, so to have the driving controls. So now when I win a race it actually feels like I've played the game properly. As opposed to having manipulated the games dodgy physics to somehow hop my off-brand Lamborghini over a convenient wall. (Not that I've ever done that...)
The Rules: It's a slot machine, you put money in, you might get a prize out. I shouldn't have had to write this and shame on you for reading it. (That feeling you feel just now? It sustains me)
Yeah. A game of chance. No skill involved. Much like life. (Obviously, I don't actually feel that way, it just sounded pithy)
The Rules: Basically broken down into individual, themed contests, each battle has a gimmick that keeps the gameplay interesting and challenging. Maybe you can only use one weapon or the weapon randomly changes as you fight. Maybe you have to fight a butt load (technical term) of enemies only to be faced off against a massive boss battle at the end. Maybe the game won't tell you there's going to be 99 rounds in this particular battle and you only stuck the game on for a quick 10 minutes before you had to go out for dinner. You know, challenges. Whatever the case, I've rarely come across a match that I haven't had a lot of fun blowing away a ton of enemies with the insane arsenal you're given in this particular game series.
Arenas in the Ratchet & Clank games are super rewarding and fun. They even made a whole game out of the concept, Ratchet: Gladiator. Though that more or less proved the rule of "having too much of a good thing". (It's still a good game, just lacks most of what makes the other games better)
The Rules: At its core, Gwent is an army building game. You build a deck that can crush any army that an opponent can throw at you. You can pick from the Scoia'tael (elves), Northern Realms (humans), Nilfgaard (other humans) or Monsters (eh, literally just monsters) Each of these factions come with their own unique play styles, bonuses and artworks. (I played pretty exclusively as Northern Realms) Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, no. Like I said, it took me a while to get into Gwent and while that was partly to do with having a whole load of nothing to play with to start off with, there are also various rules that can be exploited and general behaviour that can be manipulated to ensure a swift and crushing victory. (Can I remember them off the top of my head? No, it's been at least two years since I played a game of it) But know that they're there, and if I can pick them up and have fun with it, then you can as well.
Then, once your comfortable with everyone's play style, Projekt CD Red release some amazing DLC with some excellent gameplay and story. The price? Oh, just all victory forever against anyone who uses the Skellige faction. No biggie...
Well, I hope you enjoyed that little jaunt through the little games that make the bigger games better games. Haven't done a list in a while as I thought I was going to be able to cover most things with the podcast (Geek Theory Podcast, tell your friends) but apparently there are topics I've to keep to myself. So that's fine... see if I care. *cries for slightly longer than is appropriate for a grown adult to cry about his feeling being hurt* Ahem... Kisses. ;)
- Triple Triad - Final Fantasy VIII
The Rules: You are provided with a 3x3 square grid, within each empty space you and your opponent place a card. Each player has five cards each and a coin flip decides who goes first. When looking at the cards, you'll notice each of them have four numbers in the top left corners. These numbers indicate the "strength" of the corresponding sides, ranging from 1 (the lowest) to A (the highest). As an example, if I was going first, I would generally place my first card in a corner with high outward facing sides. This way, my opponent would have to place their card elsewhere, maybe showing a weak side I can exploit with my following card. The basic aim of the game is to "obtain" as many of your opponent's cards as possible before all the board spaces are used up.
That is the basic gist of the game. There are separate, regional rules depending who you're challenging and whereabouts in the world you are. This can affect anything from how many cards are won at the end of a game, whether or not you can see each other's cards during a match and even if you can pick your own hand before starting. ("Random" can be dangerous if you're given one of your rare cards with a bunch of duds because if you lose, your opponent will take the rare one without a second thought)
Losing isn't the end of the world, as any cards you lose can be won back. (Provided the computer wants to play with the card it just won from you) This is actually how you can obtain some of the rarer, more powerful cards in the game. (Adding a side-quest or two to a minigame in an already massive game with enough to do as it is)
Apparently, there's a physical copy of the game that only came out in Japan in 1999. Am I sad I'll never own it? Yes. Yes, I am.
- Fishing - Various (Zelda, Fable, FFXV)
The Rules: You attach bait (with the exception of Fable), you cast your line, you wait, you wait, you wa... *vibration* SHITE, REEL THAT SUCKER IN! Depending on the game, this can be as simple as pressing the button at the right time to a drawn out (and surprisingly tense) situation in which you inch your catch towards you. This is probably most prominent in Final Fantasy XV's fishing, where I've caught some genuine monsters after some serious struggles.
While in Fable, fishing is used to grab a few extra items, it can become quite a fun distraction in Zelda: Ocarina of Time and FFXV. (They even went as far to make a separate VR game for the FFXV fishing, though that's still not enough to get me hooked on VR... that pun was not intentional but I'm keeping it in because it's the pun I deserve)
- Gummy Ship - Kingdom Hearts
The Rules: Flying between the different worlds in Kingdom Hearts isn't a simple case of "Pick Destination" and hit "Go". You have to put some hard graft into getting from A to B. So it acts like an on-rails shooter, though more along the lines of a 3D R-Types. At the start of the game, you'll be equipped with a simple booster for acceleration and one cannon to defend yourself. As you fight your way from planet to planet, you acquire pieces for your ship and can upgrade it to make it faster and more devastating. (Trust me when I say "devastating" isn't too strong a word) At the end of each journey, you are ranked on how well you did. A combination of how fast you got through the level, how many enemies you destroyed and if you managed to take down any special targets. (This is more of a feature in Kingdom Hearts 2) You can then be rewarded with special ship parts or even blueprints to build powerful ships.
I've mentioned it before, but when you get tired of saving the entire Disney universe by swinging a giant key around your head, it's really a lot of fun and blast some spaceships for a bit. By the end of the game, your ship has the potential to be ridiculous in its firepower capabilities, reducing everything in front of you to some pretty lights and a lot of space dust. It's everything I hoped No Man's Sky's space combat would be. I dreamed too big in that regard...
- Races - Various (GTA, Sleeping Dogs)
The Rules: Despite the setting generally being an "illegal" street race, it's frowned upon to open fire on the other competitors. I mean, there's only one way to test that theory and you can bet your golden spinning rims that I do. Getting a mission failed for blowing away a fellow racer is a little discouraging as it then means I have to rely on my knowledge of the map and my vague understanding of how a "handbrake turn" works. Most races come in the form of a checkpoint, circuit/A to B type track. Over the years, the checkpoints in these various games have become a bit more generous in what constitutes "passing" it, as we should all be familiar with the frustration of missing one by literal millimetres. The struggle is real.
In most cases, the prize will be some sweet cash money. Maybe a fancier Mid-Life Crisis Mobile. It's not really why I enjoy them though. As the crime simulators have become more sophisticated, so to have the driving controls. So now when I win a race it actually feels like I've played the game properly. As opposed to having manipulated the games dodgy physics to somehow hop my off-brand Lamborghini over a convenient wall. (Not that I've ever done that...)
- Slot Machines - Borderlands 2
The Rules: It's a slot machine, you put money in, you might get a prize out. I shouldn't have had to write this and shame on you for reading it. (That feeling you feel just now? It sustains me)
Yeah. A game of chance. No skill involved. Much like life. (Obviously, I don't actually feel that way, it just sounded pithy)
- Arenas - Ratchet & Clank
The Rules: Basically broken down into individual, themed contests, each battle has a gimmick that keeps the gameplay interesting and challenging. Maybe you can only use one weapon or the weapon randomly changes as you fight. Maybe you have to fight a butt load (technical term) of enemies only to be faced off against a massive boss battle at the end. Maybe the game won't tell you there's going to be 99 rounds in this particular battle and you only stuck the game on for a quick 10 minutes before you had to go out for dinner. You know, challenges. Whatever the case, I've rarely come across a match that I haven't had a lot of fun blowing away a ton of enemies with the insane arsenal you're given in this particular game series.
Arenas in the Ratchet & Clank games are super rewarding and fun. They even made a whole game out of the concept, Ratchet: Gladiator. Though that more or less proved the rule of "having too much of a good thing". (It's still a good game, just lacks most of what makes the other games better)
- Gwent - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Rules: At its core, Gwent is an army building game. You build a deck that can crush any army that an opponent can throw at you. You can pick from the Scoia'tael (elves), Northern Realms (humans), Nilfgaard (other humans) or Monsters (eh, literally just monsters) Each of these factions come with their own unique play styles, bonuses and artworks. (I played pretty exclusively as Northern Realms) Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, no. Like I said, it took me a while to get into Gwent and while that was partly to do with having a whole load of nothing to play with to start off with, there are also various rules that can be exploited and general behaviour that can be manipulated to ensure a swift and crushing victory. (Can I remember them off the top of my head? No, it's been at least two years since I played a game of it) But know that they're there, and if I can pick them up and have fun with it, then you can as well.
Then, once your comfortable with everyone's play style, Projekt CD Red release some amazing DLC with some excellent gameplay and story. The price? Oh, just all victory forever against anyone who uses the Skellige faction. No biggie...
Well, I hope you enjoyed that little jaunt through the little games that make the bigger games better games. Haven't done a list in a while as I thought I was going to be able to cover most things with the podcast (Geek Theory Podcast, tell your friends) but apparently there are topics I've to keep to myself. So that's fine... see if I care. *cries for slightly longer than is appropriate for a grown adult to cry about his feeling being hurt* Ahem... Kisses. ;)
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