THE LORE YOU KNOW - Metroid

I've mentioned a few times over the last year of my love for "Metroidvania" type games. I've reviewed a few as well, holding them to the standard I've come to expect from both Metroid and Castlevania. (Unfair? Maybe. But if you're going to work with a winning formula, don't half-ass it) So today I thought I'd go into half of what makes that formula so great. Class is in session!

Original Concept: With the success of the side-scrolling platforming of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 and the free-form adventuring of The Legend of Zelda in early 1986, Nintendo wanted to combine the two winning elements to create a new franchise. Nintendo Research and Development 1 (R&D1) were given this task, the same team that was behind the making of Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris. This team included Gunpei Yokio, who was also credited with designing the original Game Boy. Satoru Okada, who created and published the original Game Boy and Makoto Kano, who wrote the original story and is also known for his work with Kid Icarus and Famicom Wars.

Unlike previous titles, however, Metroid was to be given a darker narrative. The music and sound effects, worked on by Hirokazu Tanaka, were to be used to create a tense atmosphere while fighting and exploring your way through an alien world. The word "Metroid" is a portmanteau of "metro" and "android", which alluded to the dark, underground environments you explored as the seemingly robot protagonist.
The combat, compared to jumping on turtles or hitting moblins with a sword, was also intensified with the use of missiles, bombs and lasers to take down all manner of weird and twisted aliens that would try and hinder your progress.

Debut: Metroid was released in Japan on August 6th, 1986, for the Famicom. (Over a year later on August 15th, 1987 in N.America and January 15th, 1988 in Europe for the NES) As this was the same year as The Legend of Zelda was released, it had to be distinctive in both design and tone as to differentiate from the already popular series. This was achieved by setting the player in space, fighting aliens and exploring the alien world of Zebes. (So quite a distance from the rolling fields and dense forests of Hyrule)

Set in a 2D, side-scrolling world, you take control of Samus Aran. Mysterious bounty hunter and fighter of Space Pirates. Raised by an alien race, now believed to be wiped out, known as the Chozo. You're on Zebes to find out what the Space Pirates are up to and why they've been capturing Metroids. (Aye, those things from the title of the game) This is the perfect set up for the entire series. At some stage or another, you'll be fighting Metroids or Space Pirates (or "other" but we'll get to them). Here you're introduced to a few series mainstays such as the Morph Ball, a mode Samus' suit can enter that results in the player becoming a ball, able to roll through small gaps and eventually lay bombs to further exploration. There's also the Screw Attack that allows you to reach further areas and damage enemies in the process. (Basically, Samus' Power Suit is the tits. If I was into massive shoulder pads, I'd have one)
There are also various characters and organisations introduced that stand the test of time here. The Federation, for which Samus finds employment, is attacked and are the people that send Samus to investigate Zebes in the first place. Then there are the attackers, the Space Pirates. Native to Zebes, these guys aren't the sort you'll find sailing around space drinking space grog and singing space shanties. (In space, no one can hear you sing space shanties) They're ruthless and unyielding in their quest to plunder and conquer the galaxy. Their leader is the fearsome Mother Brain. (If you've never seen her, her name does her justice) The mastermind behind the Space Pirates operations from Zebes, it's she that orders the capture of the life-force draining Metroids to develop super weapons. (The brains of the outfit, you could say. But I won't. Because that's tacky) Last, but definitely by no means least, is Ridley. Space Dragon and Commander of the Space Pirates. This guy proves to be more difficult to kill than a concept. Responsible for the death of Samus' parents, he is defacto Arch-Nemesis for the series. (Plus, Space Dragon. You wouldn't scrap that idea after one game)

A lot of the design for the game was inspired by H. R. Giger's work and also Ridley Scott's 1979 "Alien". The character of Ridley is even named after the director. The game became popular with speedrunners as the ending you received depended on how fast you finished it. Like with Zelda, if you entered certain passwords, you unlocked various rewards. NARPAS SWORD gives you unlimited health and ammo, all the abilities and a powered up ice-beam. JUSTIN BAILEY allowed you to play the game in Samus' Zero Suit, the fetching blue onesy worn under the Power Suit. The last code was also a good way to discover Samus was, in fact, a woman. Something that wasn't revealed unless you finished the game fast enough.

Sequels and Innovations: November 1991. Metroid II: Return of Samus was released in North America for the original Game Boy. It was then released in January and May the following year in Japan and Europe respectively. This was the series first instalment on a handheld device and would prove to be an extremely popular addition. This time, you are solely fighting the titular Metroids. Each area you come across has a set amount of them that you must defeat in order to advance.

Certain additions are made to Samus' arsenal, such as the Spazer Laser Beam and Plasma Beam. One that splits into three and the other that allows you to fire through multiple enemies at once. There are also upgrades to the Morph Ball, like being able to jump and climb on walls and ceilings. As the game was in black and white on the Game Boy, the decision was made to make Samus' Power Suit and Varia Suit actually be shaped differently. (Originally, they could just change the colour in Metroid)
In 2017, Return of Samus was given the remake treatment with Metroid: Samus Returns. While the story stayed relatively unchanged, the graphics and controls were given a massive overhaul. Samus could now fire in any direction, she had access to new abilities that required a new Energy Bar to use. There were even additions from games that had been released after Return of Samus such as the Grapple Beam and Super Missiles. (Because who doesn't want Super Missiles?)
Widely regarded as a successful remake of a classic game, Samus Returns gives anyone who missed the opportunity to play Return of Samus on a handheld console the first time around. (Now with added extras)

March 1994. Super Metroid is released in Japan for the SNES. The game plays very similarly to in the original in that you're back on Zebes after Ridley kidnaps a baby Metroid that had been in your care. The Space Pirates have rebuilt and expanded there base there and even Mother Brain is back, dishing out the orders like it's 1986. Fear not, however, as Samus has access to more upgrades to get her through these tough situations. The Grapple Beam allows for swinging over massive gaps and for quickly traversing across rooms.

There's a Speed Booster for ramming into enemies and smashing through barriers. Then there are new jump boots that allow you jump higher and upgrade to let you jump infinitely. (Instantly disqualifying you from basketball, so I'm told) This is also the first 2D Metroid title that lets Samus fire in all directions while moving.
The HUD itself gets a new look as well. Health is displayed as a bar with units as opposed to a bare number. All your ammo is displayed at the top of the screen and most importantly, an automap is displayed in the top corner, showing where you've been and where you can potentially go. Save rooms are also introduced, where the player must get to in order to record their progress. These become a staple for the series and are a very popular feature in other Metroidvania games.

November 2002. (Over 8 years since Super Metroid) Metroid Fusion gets a worldwide release for the Game Boy Advance. (Though in Japan it's released in February the following year) However, November also saw the release of Metroid Prime worldwide for the Nintendo GameCube. (These were my first experience with the Metroid series)

Firstly, Fusion. The gameplay works a little differently with this instalment. It's more story driven for a start, as you are guided to "Navigation Rooms" in order to further the plot. While this doesn't eliminate the exploration aspect the series had been known for, it was noticeably more limiting initially. New enemies were introduced in the form of the X Parasite. The X has infected both the organic and mechanical on the space station you've found yourself on, including a clone of our old pal, Ridley. (I don't know why they were cloning him either, this is a Federation base) Even Samus is infected and this sets up the game's health and ammo replenishment system. By defeating enemies, they drop parasites that Samus can absorb, healing her and refilling her rockets. (It's sci-fi, shut up)
New abilities are also acquired this way by defeating bosses and absorbing their core. (A similar, though far more advanced, system is used in a set of Castlevania games. Much fun, highly recommend)
Now for Metroid Prime. It is the first foray away from the 2D sidescrolling the series had been known for and it was played from a first-person perspective. Prime is also the first game to explain why Samus mysteriously loses all her previously gained power-ups at the start of every game. (In this case, she get's hit with a massive explosion. Caused by Meta Ridley. Oh, you better believe he made it for the first 3D outing!)

True to form, you're given a massive world to explore. This time you're equipped with a scan visor that can be used to not only unlock devices and solve puzzles, but reveal lore about the Metroid universe that up until this point hs only been alluded to in game manuals and manga. (Yeah, there's a Metroid manga)
There are other unlockable visors that are used to see hidden enemies and objects. Combat is also helped with a new "lock-on" system. With the move to 3D, the combat could have suffered from the platform jumping and massive environments so the decision for lock-on was a very wise move. When going into the Morph Ball, the camera jumps to a third-person perspective, to make navigating these sections possible. Unlike previous games, where your beam upgrades stack and become more powerful, Prime gives you 4 that you can switch between. Each one useful for exploiting an enemies weakness.
Metroid Prime was given to Retro Studios, an American first-party developer and division of Nintendo. This was the first time that a Metroid game had, in any way, been developed outside of Japan. There was a link feature between Fusion and Prime that unlocked items in each with the use of the Game Boy Advance link cable. (A fun gimmick I tried in Prime to get the Fusion Suit)

February 2004. Metroid: Zero Mission is released for the Game Boy Avance. Essentially a remake of the original Metroid but with all the advancements the series had to offer thus far, such as the improved HUD and graphical capabilities. Though it did add new areas and mini-bosses as to keep the gameplay interesting for those who had played the original.
In November of the same year, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was also released for GameCube. Much like the first Prime, Echoes is a massive, open-world, first-person shooter with an emphasis on puzzle solving and platforming.

The world, the planet Aether, is presented in two versions, a Light and a Dark. Both present different problems, such as Dark Aether's atmosphere actually damaging Samus over time until a specific suit upgrade is unlocked. This can make for a frustrating experience, and at times the combat in Echoes could feel a little cheap, but overall the puzzle solving element of the game was what pulled it through.
This was the first game to introduce Dark Samus as a villain, a creature borne from the previous Prime's final boss. While Dark Samus has no dialogue (except for some screaming) it was an excellent addition to Samus' rogue gallery.
Echoes also feature a multiplayer mode for some reason. It had deathmatch and a point collecting mode. (It wasn't great)

March 2006. Metroid Prime Hunters is released for the Nintendo DS. Once again 3D, first-person perspective. This time the lock-on system has been removed and replaced with the touch screen being used to aim. (I didn't play this one. It didn't sound too inspiring)
Like Echoes, it has a multiplayer mode, now with "chat" capabilities. (Still don't care)

August 2007. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is released as for Nintendo Wii. With the move onto the Wii comes the use of motion controls. (It's actually alright, Corruption was my favourite entry in the series) It ran with all the same beats as the previous Prime entries, though this time it gave you multiple worlds to explore, rather that one or two. Even more lore was crammed in and it brought back Space Pirates that had been missing from Echoes.
A new "Hyper Mode" was introduced, that powered up Samus' attacks at the cost of her health. Too much use of this mode would result in a non-standard Game Over, as Samus is consumed by the energy she's using to boost her power.
A new visor is also introduced that allows Samus to remotely control her ship. This can be to do anything from transporting a heavy cargo to delivering a devastating missile barrage. (You don't get Link unleashing missile barrages, just sayin')
In 2009, all three Prime games were bundled together in the Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii. (So hopefully we'll see it appear on the Switch at some point)

August 2010. Metroid: Other M is released for the Wii. While being set in a 3D environment, it plays much differently from the Prime series. For a start, there is melee combat, with dodge capabilities. While aiming in first-person, you can't move. This means you have to continually switch between modes to get anything done. (Again, I didn't play this specific title. For all intents and purposes though, it looked really shite) Enemies no longer dropped power-ups for health and ammo, instead, Samus has to reach save points or using a "Concentration" technique. (This is Ninja Theory, and as much as I like their games, I don't like the sound of this one bit)
In addition to that, Samus starts the game with most of her upgrades available, but "agrees" that she shouldn't use them unless given permission by commanding officer. (I cry. My tears are very real right now)
After finishing the game, there's a Theatre Mode, where the player can watch all the in-game cutscenes as a film. Because why not...

August (again) 2016. Metroid Prime: Federation Force is released for the Nintendo 3DS. For the first time in 30 years, you don't actually play as Samus Aran. Instead, you are placed in the boots of one of four Federation Marines. Unlike previous attempts at multiplayer, this is a cooperative affair. As a team of up to four, you're sent to different planets to take part in missions. Before missions, you can set up your loadout for a much more strategic approach to the game that has been seen previously. (As opposed to just having what you would need and working with it)
A mode within the game, Blast Ball, offers players a chance to essentially play football in mech suits. (That would be the only way you could get me to play/watch a football match)


Metroid is a first-party franchise I feel doesn't get the love it deserves from Nintendo. I'm super excited for Metroid Prime 4. With that, Zelda and Mario I have obtained the Triforce of "Justification to Buy a Nintendo Console" for the first time in 16 years. Yay!

PODCAST - Baddie Dearest (Honourable Mentions)

REVIEW - Iconoclasts - Samus: The Early Years

Name: Iconoclasts
Developers: Joakim Sandberg, Konjak
Publisher: Bifrost Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC
Release: 23.01.18

Wish you were here! Yeah, that means you, Frank!

Yeah, it's another 2-D side-scrolling platform/puzzle game. What can I say? I have a type. From the initial artwork and trailer I watched, Iconoclasts promises the sort of adventure you would expect from a Metroidvania style game. What it delivers is... different.

Well, that should just about fill you in

From the title screen and the initial opening cutscene, which itself is a fast-paced montage of potential allies and villains reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon intro, it looks to almost be an RPG of sorts. You are introduced to the protagonist, Robin. Like all good heroes, she's mute and conveys most of her feelings with rather amusing facial expressions and movements. She's an illegal Mechanic. Mechanics are important, as they are the only people sanctioned by the religious organization, One Concern, to work with the sacred substance known as Ivory. Ivory is a liquid that is used for everything from supplying electricity to a house to fueling a rocket to the moon. (Or moons, in this worlds case)
Circling back to the "illegal" aspect of Robin's job, basically, she helps the nearby village on the down low, without the say so from the church. While this is welcome, and in some cases very necessary for their survival, it comes at a severe cost if transgressions are discovered. One Concern inflicts "Penance" upon any who disobey their laws, a process that involves the "criminals" being detained within their homes before a mysterious rumbling starts and something erupts from the earth beneath. Needless to say, One Concern kinda sucks.

I don't know why I couldn't just whack these guys

On your adventure, you'll meet all the characters you've been teased with from the title screen. First, you have Elro, Robin's brother and only living blood relative. He affectionately refers to her as "Sunflower" and is fiercely protective. He disapproves of Robin's pastime as he is more than aware of what One Concern is capable of, having once worked for them.
Your next ally is Mina, a rebel pirate who is from a group of people who have managed to produce Ivory from a completely natural source. (Of course, this is illegal. Because why have alternatives that could save the planet) She's hot-tempered and isn't afraid to fight odds that are stacked well against her to get her point across. Equipped with a stolen shotgun, she occasionally teams up with you to fight bosses and solve puzzles.
Your third, but by no means least, ally is Royal. He's the product of a human who has been infused with Ivory, a process that is very risky and occurs in death nine times out of ten. A little arrogant, and extremely ignorant of the ways of the world, Royal uses his Ivory powers to help Robin whenever he can without question. Despite being the next in line as leader of One Concern, he joins Robin on her adventure as he sees that the organization has gotten too big and faceless in the process of trying to appease its "God".
Though together they would make a formidable team, they spend more time fighting amongst themselves than they do One Concern. (I feel sorry for Robin in this instance as she keeps getting stuck in the middle of these arguments)

I've been called worse I suppose

Platforming and puzzle solving are the main focuses of the game. While there is combat, for the most part, you'll probably find yourself using the weapons at your disposal to open doors and unlock new paths to explore. The puzzles themselves can be challenging, later on requiring you to combine a few of the upgrades you've acquired to reach before unattainable chests or routes. Where I feel the game falls down a little is that it relies too heavily on "secret areas". Your standard "invisible walls that once you walk through become visible areas" deal. Unlike Metroid, I feel that you don't get enough opportunity to fully exploit the tools you've been given. Instead, you're left looking at the screen for (sometimes too subtle) hints that there's a hidden treasure nearby.

You're kidding, right? (She is, I laughed. Once)

Treasures in Iconoclasts are mostly items that are used to build Tweaks. Tweaks are exactly what they sound like, you equip them at save points to give you a various assortment of improvements to your wellbeing. This can be in the form of being able to breathe underwater for longer or being able to take a free hit without taking any actual damage. A maximum of three can be equipped at any one time and in any combination. (So you can stack three "Take a Hit" Tweaks to give yourself a little extra insurance) One paper, they're pretty decent though I found I would only really use a couple for the whole game without any real inclination to play about with them. A shame considering, like with the upgrades you receive, there could have been a bigger emphasis on having to hold your breath for longer or an area where to get through, a few free hits were necessary.

Wait, why did I even write a paragraph on them?

I know I've said that combat isn't a focus, but that doesn't mean that this game is a walk in the park. There are enemies on pretty much every screen. So what am I talking about, there's lots of combat. Well, most enemies, barring the bosses, tend to go down within one or two hits of your wrench or a quick blast from your stun gun. About 50% of the boss fights in the game are a case of trial and error as you try and figure out what is actually happening on screen. I thought back to classic Sonic the Hedgehog and Castlevania games, trying to think if there were instances where things would get too hectic to deal with. (Of course, there was) However, Iconoclasts' bosses feel like a battle of attrition. You go in, expecting to take damage and end up hoping you can do more damage before your health runs out. This might just be my experience, but I did feel that the fighting could have been slightly better composed than a "Shoot until it stops" approach that I encountered. Unlike similar games I've played, I never felt satisfied after a big fight, just relieved that I'd survived.

Shitshitshitshit...

As I alluded to at the start, Iconoclasts can deal with some pretty dark stuff. An all-powerful religious organization ruling the world, punishing those who would disobey with death or the threat of death. As the game is in the style of a classic 16-32 Bit game, I felt a few of the scenes were lost a bit in translation. Example, I beat a boss and suddenly a sort of tree burst from him. I laughed. It looked kind of comical. Then the following scene brought me right back down with the partner of the said boss almost beating the offending character to death. The only reason I was really taken aback was up until that point, the writing for the game (for which there can be massive blocks of) seemed quite aloof and light-hearted. From that point on though, there seemed to be a consistent nose-dive in mood whenever characters would interact with each other. Making some conversations, even between allies, a bit too heavy for the narrative they were in.

Hello Darkness, my old friend...

Would I recommend this game to you? I was originally hooked by the trailer's happy-go-lucky nature and the promise of Metroid-like gameplay. What I got was an adventure that had difficulty not taking itself too seriously and gameplay that was shallower than it could have been. If it comes down a little from its main price or even becomes one of the PS+ games down the line, then yes. But for now, there are probably a few other titles that could use your attention.

Again, I laughed before it got way serious damn fast

Iconoclasts is (currently) available for download from PSN for £15.99 or Steam for £17.49.

PODCAST - Episode 3: Number 2, There Can Only Be One

Confused? So am I. Enjoy, ya buch a jabronis!
 

PLAY ME IRL - Bloodborne: The Card Game - Seven Pthumerian Queens

Over the New Year, I discovered something. Friendship is overrated when there are Blood Echoes on the line. Victory is more important than loyalty. Eh, I mean, when you're playing Bloodborne: The Card Game that is. (Please still be my friend)

The Aim of the game is for 3-5 players to get to the end of a Chalice Dungeon whilst accumulating the most Blood Echoes. (Points!) You earn points by hurting and killing monsters and boss creatures. There are various ways to earn bonus pieces by playing smart (if not a little dirty). While it can work out in your favour to play cooperatively, this is a competition, so getting the edge and striking the final blow on an enemy can be what makes or breaks your points total. Speaking of "breaking" your points total, much like in the video game of Bloodborne, you can die. (And you might do it a lot) If you are slain by a monster or another player, you lose all the points you haven't banked. This can be frustrating, especially if you've tried a gambit that hasn't paid off. There is a way to "bank" your Blood Echoes, though this comes with the penalty of not being able to attack for a turn, potentially losing out on a big payday.

Now can I recommend that if you're going to invite people round to play this game, you read the rules properly first? "Properly" doesn't consist of drinking a whiskey and having Arrested Development on in the background, while slowly falling asleep. (You know, as a hypothetical) My first game involved dishing out the required doodads to each player, then I sat there for a few beats, everyone staring expectantly. "Oh, right, yeah. How do we start?" *whips out the rule book* (This is bad game hosting, DO NOT REPLICATE) If you're as lucky as I am, your friends will be a lot smarter than you so hand the very simple rule book to them and let them fix any mistakes you've just made. (Thanks, guys)

To start, you choose one of five Final Boss cards. This will set up the Big Bad for the end of the adventure and will also give the Dungeon a unique rule. We played with Mergo's Wet Nurse, who gave each player back 1 health at the start of each round. (A rule that we only remembered at about halfway through the game, whoops) The other four Final Boss cards were less forgiving. One of which, Rom, The Vacuous Spider, would inflict perma-death on a player who died twice. (So yeah, slight degrees of difficulty) Next, you shuffle and pick seven monster cards and three Boss cards, give them a further shuffle and place them face down next to the Final Boss. These make up each of the floors that you and your fellow hunters have to fight through. Each player gets given five Hunter Starter cards (basically your core weapons and your Blood Echo banking card), a health dial to keep track of how badly you're doing and a Hunter Board each for keeping track of all the Blood Echoes and Trophy Tokens you accumulate. Finally, you shuffle and display the Upgrade cards. One for each available player, the rest get placed face down. These are a mix of powerful weapons, healing items, and tools that can be used to help you and potentially hinder the other players. Once done, reveal the first Monster and your set to go. (Yay, oh God, no)

Each round consists of 4-8 steps, depending on what cards are played. The aim of each round is to kill the Monster that you come up against. At the end of the round, if the monster hasn't been killed it escapes, robbing the players of additional Blood Echoes and Trophy Tokens. (Trophy Tokens are awarded to whichever Hunter lands the killing blow, these are traded in at the end of the game for bonus Blood Echoes) Bosses and Final Bosses don't run, however, so you just keep fighting until it dies.

1. Choose and Play Action Cards: First off, players must choose an action to take. This can range from attacking, Transforming their weapon, using an item or going to the Hunter's Dream to bank Blood Echoes. Most of everyone's first moves will be to attack. At the bottom of each weapon card is a number, this is the damage it will inflict. You are encouraged to talk to the other players about what you're planning on doing, you don't need to hide your hand from them. (Of course, you can lie. Strategic lying is a thing) 
2. Transform Weapons: You can use a Transform card (which is one of your Starter Cards) which essentially lets you stall for one step to see what other players actually play. The only downside to that this locks you into attacking, you can't bank points after stalling.
3. Resolve Instant Effects: If a Hunter has used an item or weapon with an "instant effect" (such as a healing potion), this is the point it works. Given what the next step is, a healing item can make or break your Blood Echo stockpile.
4. Monster Attacks: The Monster will always attack first. At the bottom of each Monster card is a coloured lantern symbol, indicating which of the damage dice to roll for its attack. (Either green, yellow or red) The green has two sides with 0, three with 1 and the highest damage is 2. Not bad odds though two of the 1 sides have a + indicating that the dice needs rolled again until it lands on a side that doesn't. (E.g. 1+1+0=2) The other two dice are less forgiving, each only has one 0 side each and having 3 and 4 as a standard level of damage. (Fun times agogo) Needless to say, this step can be devastating if you get some unlucky rolls as each attack hits all players. (Players in The Hunter's Dream take half damage, rounded down) If you are killed at this step, you can't attack the Monster.
5. Hunters Attack: Finally, you get to dish out what this beast was just laying down. (Assuming you survived the onslaught) The order of attack is clockwise, starting with whoever's turn it currently is. You can't miss attacking, whatever card you've played, you'll do the stated damage. (Unless another card has stated otherwise) The damage you do to the Monster is then rewarded to you as Blood Echoes, the player who lands the final hit will not only receive the Blood Echoes but also a Trophy Token. (Go you, ya big monster killing stud!)
6. Monster Escapes: Sometimes you're well-laid plans and attacks won't be enough to finish a Monster off. In this case, it will escape, taking with it all unclaimed Blood Echoes and the potential Trophy Tokens. Sad times. Even sadder times if it has an "If this Escapes" condition. This can range from doing damage to all Hunters to stealing unbanked Blood Echoes. (This game is not your friend)
7. The Hunter's Dream: Remember this place. Time for that to come into effect. If you used your action to come here, then there are a whole load of benefits. Firstly, you bank all your accumulated Blood Echoes. This means dying, other players items and Monsters can't touch them, they're yours for keeps. You get to reclaim all your used action cards. As this is the only way to get your weapons back it's recommended you do this every now and then if you want to earn any future Blood Echoes and not just stand there like a chump. You get to grab yourself a tasty new Upgrade from one of the ones on display. (You replenish the display ones only once every player has picked one up) Maybe most importantly of all, after banking your points, you reset your health back to full. Any player who entered the Dream by dying only get an Upgrade and the health replenishment. (Still, not a bad deal for essentially attacking a Monster with your face) The only real downside is you don't attack the Monster while here so you can't earn any Blood Echoes for this round. (Sad trombone)
8.  End of the Round: With the Monster dead (or having "done a runner") and everyone back from The Hunter's Dream it's time to collect yourselves before the madness ensues. Firstly, discard any of the action cards you used and display them is such a way that the other players can see them. (Again, for the purposes of being a sneaky bastard and formulating a "scheme") The player to your left becomes the next chump-in-charge for the next round, and they get to reveal the next Monster card. (Joy!)

That may look longwinded and confusing, but these rules were picked up relatively quickly at around 1 a.m. with most of us fueled by alcohol and Pringles. (The "Fuel of Champions", I'm told) These steps are repeated until all Monsters and Bosses are defeated and you're left with the Final Boss.

The encounter with work like the previous ones except for the obvious, you're going to have to deal a lot more damage to this guy before it bites the big one. The other big difference is every Hunter who even just deals damage to the Final Boss in the final round of attacks will be rewarded with Trophy Tokens, just to add extra incentive for one last push to victory. (Or one final stab in the back, depending on how much of a dick you want to be. There can only be one winner after all) Once defeated, all the players first count how many Blood Echoes they've banked, then how many they receive from Trophies, then lastly how many they have unbanked. If there is a tie, whichever play had banked the most, wins. Congratulations, you're the head honcho Hunter, everyone else is a stupid munter. (And presumably very pissed off at the sneaky shit you just pulled to win the game)

Having been the first time I've played it, with a bunch of other first-timers, there wasn't as much calculated douchebaggery as there could have been. (I think I was the only one to be guilty of that anyway. And it failed spectacularly. Karma exists) It was a fun experience, and with the right people, it can be a laugh. Basically what I'm saying is if I invite you round for some board games, you won't end the night hating me more than you already do.
(Sorry for the bad picks, my iPod wasn't making it easy to recover the photos I took)

PODCAST - Who is Your Baddie and What Does He Do?

GOTY 2017 - Persona 5 is Always Darkest Before the Horizon Zero Dawn

It's that magical time of year again. The time I think "Shit, what came out last year? What year is it anyway? It seems like ten thousand years ago since I played..." Of all the games I've managed to get through last year, two come to mind instantly as the contenders for my Game of the Year pick. One placing me in the shoes of one of gamings best protagonists to date as I fight and tame robot dinosaurs, Horizon Zero Dawn. The other, the latest in a JRPG series that until last year I hadn't even touched despite its 20-year history, Persona 5.

Let's start off with Horizon Zero Dawn. I wrote about it earlier in the year and pretty much became Guerilla Games PR department in the process. I Love this game. (Yes, with a capital "L") Given that whenever I pick up an open-world adventure game nowadays, I have a nagging feeling I'm about to get myself into about 6 hours of story and 40 hours of scouring a needlessly massive map in search of pointless tat. (I'm not naming names, Ubisoft, but I'm totally naming names) HZD has a massive map, it has collectables. What it does differently is it makes those collectables interesting and ties them into the world you are finding them in with flavour text. (And what delicious flavours they are)

My, what big razor grindy thingies you have

The combat is intense and challenging, with a few issues concerning the larger enemies hitboxes. I haven't played a game that has had me at the edge of my seat and tensed in almost every encounter since (and don't hate me for using it for reference) Dark Souls. The combination of using stealth and tactics, stalking and laying traps to ambush your prey. Then when you were rumbled, using brute force and the rope launcher like you were trying to knit a very cosy jumper over a very angry robot created such an enjoyable experience for me. While there were more than your fair share of enemies to fight, I never got bored just going for a runabout, taking down whatever got in my way. (Though you do tend to think twice when two Thunderjaws start taking a run at you) The way you're able to make one of the beasts your own was also an excellent feature of the game. Watching your robo-pet launch itself at an enemy was always an entertaining sight, especially if said robo-pet was five times larger than the target. (Or smaller, if you wanted to re-enact David and Goliath with robots)

Aloy, how I love thee, let me count the ways. She's the One. I may have said in the previous write-up for the game but I was blown away by how well written the game was, especially the character of Aloy. Briefly: having been raised outside of her tribe or any other major settlement she goes to become someone who doesn't take any stock in superstition or religion. She's a realist in a room full of dreamers. My favourite example of this is when she meets one of the people who worship the sun as God, the Carja. While the priest goes on about the Sun and His many blessings, Aloy stops him and asks why he assumes the Sun is a He. "I've never seen anything dangling from it." As this happens pretty early on in the game I knew I was in for some pretty brilliant observations from an outsider looking in. There was no character that didn't have there own unique personality, making interactions a far cry from the likes of Eldar Scrolls. (Even the most recent Mass Effect had problems keeping the player engaged enough in a conversation)

This is Nil, he likes to kill

Horizon Zero Dawn was the best 60-odd hours I spent running about a massive open-world last year. There are so few flaws and the fact that it's an original I.P. gives me hope that this can happen again. The Frozen Wilds, HDZ's expansion, adds another 10 hours to this game. It gives you a massive new area with lots of side quests and other missions to keep you exploring the beautiful environments. Have you ever wondered if you could win a fight with a bear? How about a robot bear? Did I mention it can freeze you with an ice beam? Because it can. So there's that new fun to contend with. From start to finish, The Frozen Wilds has reminded me exactly how much I loved this game. (Now that I've actually gotten round to playing it)

The "Complete" edition is now available and provides you with The Frozen Wilds and everything else you could possibly need for your adventures in dino-bot husbandry.

Next up is Persona 5. Until July of last year, I hadn't touched a Persona game. (I picked up Persona 4 Golden on the PlayStation Vita for pennies) Playing through that blew me away. I never thought I would enjoy life as a Japanese high schooler, nor did I think that a ragtag group of teenagers would make a competent murder-solving agency.

Persona 5 places you in the shoes of a high school student, (insert your name here), and you've just been falsely accused of assaulting a shady yet powerful individual. This earns you a transfer to a new school for a year of "rehabilitation". There, you're introduced to a whole parade of interesting characters. First up is Ryuji Sakamoto, a troubled teen whose reputation around the school is that of a troublemaker. Various teachers and other students comment that you shouldn't socialise with him if you are wanting to do well in school. (To Hell with those guys though) Next, you are introduced to Ann Takamaki. Despite her good looks, she feels isolated. This isolation leads her to an abusive and toxic relationship that eventually you, as the protagonist, find yourself intervening in. Together, with a talking cat called Morgana (Don't question it) you create the Phantom Thieves. A group dedicated to eradicating evil and corruption from society by stealing the hearts of those who would prey on the innocent. (It's less bloody than you would imagine, though not by much) All in all, the rag-tag group you put together to right societies wrongs include some of the best-written character arcs I've seen in an RPG. Describing them here would a) do them an injustice and b) spoil them for you discovering themselves. I'm at a stage where I feet I don't have enough time to interact with everyone and help them, which is no fault but my own and makes me want to dive straight back to the start of what is already at least an 80-hour experience.

Here are the freaks and geeks you'll be buddying up with

The game is a mix of a couple of genres. Part visual novel/part classic RPG. You'll spend a lot of time exploring areas of Tokyo, hanging out and bonding with your friends. Each of the characters you can create a "bond" with presents you with interesting back stories and personal dilemmas that you can delve into on a day-to-day basis. I know what you're thinking, I play video games to avoid people's backstories and personal dilemmas. You're right. So do I for the most part, but on the other hand, you find you won't be rewarded for prying into your friend and families personal problems like you will in Persona 5. This requires you to get involved in a bit of time management. Spending time with people takes time, studying takes time, improving your social stats takes time. You have to spend it all wisely as you never know what might be around the corner. (And you're only given an in-game year to get everything done)

The RPG aspects come in the form of Palaces. These are constructs created within peoples hearts when they have strong desires. As Phantom Thieves, you have to infiltrate these Palaces, secure a route to the Treasure Room and steal whatever lies within. Sounds simple enough, sure. Palaces are set up like your typical RPG dungeon, with enemies, locked doors and treasure chests. All of them are themed to whatever that specific person's desires are. The first Palace you infiltrate, the owner sees it as a castle in which he is the King and everyone else is his obedient subjects. Fighting your way through, with turn-based combat, you eventually meet with various sub-bosses and a final boss. Upon stealing the Treasure, the subject of the infiltration has a "change of heart" in the real world. Much like the "bonds" you create with your friends, these changes of heart can also be some of the best examples of writing I've seen from a JRPG in years. (Though Persona 4 also displayed some excellent scenarios)

Such anime, many waifu

Stylistically, Persona 5 is stunning. From the way the characters are drawn to the transition screen between combat and exploring, it is so sleek and sexy that it genuinely seems a crime that Atlus, the games developers, still have a "No Recording/Screenshots" policy on the game. (Hence no proper screenshots) 

The "Ultimate" edition is available now with a whole manner of different costumes for your characters to where. However, they don't really do much to add to the game unless you're really invested in the series as a whole so I would highly recommend the standard version. It's been on sale a couple of times and is very much worth the money if you're looking for an RPG with a lot of depth and challenge.

This is a tough choice. I've sunk a lot of hours into both of these games and of all the games I played last year they were easily my favourites. (Otherwise, what was the point in everything I just wrote, right?) While I've loved all of the time I've put into living as a Japanese teenager and all the emotion-alternating that that entails, true love wins the day. Horizon Zero Dawn introduced me to a world filled with collectables I didn't find tedious picking up, robot animals I could tame and the digital woman of my dreams. All presented in a post-apocalyptic environment that isn't the usual browns, greys and darker browns of your standard end-of-the-world scenario. If we can get another game of its ilk this early in the year again, that would be lovely. Just saying. (Also, these are both PS4 exclusive. I'm sorry, but more accurately, I'm not)

Winner

Horizon Zero Dawn