Topic: Push Square Game Club Spooktacular: Resident Evil 4

I’ve just finished the first 4 levels. I don’t know if I just rushed considering I did find rather a few secrets but I thought it would take longer! I guess I should go and finish Hollow Knight now but if other people catch up, we could always get the game done in 3 weeks instead of 4.

@nessisonett Yeah, exploration is what makes the levels take so long. Eternal has a fast travel mechanism which only unlocks right at the end of the level to allow you to go back and pick things up which works well.

I look forward to your final thoughts on Hollow Knight. Fingers crossed for a good ending!

I'm still trundling on with hollow knight and stopped my me andromeda playthrough to concentrate on hollow knight. Will probably have to give doom a miss just for time constraints but will try join in for re2.

That’s me got all grubs and soul fragments in Hollow Knight. I’ll dip into Godseeker and beat Nightmare Grimm and then probably head for the final boss.

@nessisonett Of all the DLC, Godmaster is probably the least necessary. If you’re a huge fan of the combat and an absolute pro, then go for the pantheons.

I did one or two of them but couldn’t do the others. Fair play to those who can as I thought I was pretty good at the game having beaten Nightmare King Grimm and all the coliseum levels.

There is an additional ending if you complete them all but I was more than happy to watch that one on YouTube.

Wow, the Revenant got nerfed big time. Those things were a total pain in DOOM 3, but they're one of the easier enemies in this game.

I've gotta say, I think DOOM 2016 is the one to find a good balance of narrative and gameplay pacing. I've had to stop a few times to watch holograms or listen to Samuel Hayden, but NOTHING like DOOM 3's constant interruptions. Like Metroid Prime, most of the lore and backstory and whatnot is relegated to optional text files in the menu. But I still always have a sense of what I'm supposed to be doing, whereas older DOOM games just feel like random levels scattered about as opposed to a journey or story or something.

I also like how EVERY weapon in this game is satisfying to use.

Also: the Summoner feels like a boss the first time you fight it. And it's always the first demon I target if I'm surrounded by them. It's pretty much the Arch-Vile on steroids.

The Baron of Hell feels like a bit of an HP sponge at times, but it's functionally very similar to the Hell Knight, so I managed to deal with it pretty efficiently .

The game feels great with double jump boots now. All these flying jumps and mid-air shootouts are a lot of fun.

I actually like the Berserk power-up now, where it makes every attack into an automatic glory kill. And more brutal ones than usual: Doom Slayer actually ripped a Revenant in half!

The level design is interesting, too. Very layered, with shortcuts, tons of verticality, etc. I got knocked off a platform one point and was sent flying back half a level, but I discovered a shortcut that allowed me to quickly regain my lost progress.

My one big gripe so far is the lack of quicksaving. I HATE checkpoint systems in games.

@Ralizah The checkpoints are very strange. You keep collectibles but go back to a seemingly random area with no idea what’s been saved and what’s not.

@nessisonett It sucks, because the levels in this game are really long if you explore and go for all the collectibles. Easily the longest in the series to date. I don't understand why I can't just save somewhere and be done with it. Not everyone has hours to play games without the occasional interruption.

Tried Nightmare King Grimm a few times and Hollow Knight and it’s one of those ‘f**k off this isn’t even fun’ kinda bosses. Can’t really be arsed with it so might just go finish the game.

@nessisonett I think it’s one of those ones that is tough but fair. Admittedly, it took me a LOT of goes and I only just managed it!

Knowing when not to attack is crucial and using the “scream” ability when he uses the flaming poles is massively helpful.

I still get palpitations watching this back (spoilers I guess for those still playing)

@Thrillho Honestly, I just really hate bosses that can be over in a second if you make one mistake. The first Grimm was hard but I felt like I could do it. This just doesn’t feel like I could do it.

@nessisonett Yeah, I’ve said before on here that beating him was up there with beating any of the Souls bosses for me!

I wouldn’t bother with the Pantheons then to be homes as they are even more infuriating.

At least the final boss will seem a breeze for you now!

Well I beat Hollow Knight. I beat the final boss first time somewhat accidentally as I think there was a second form that I totally missed out on. Time to go back and try it again!

97% in 42 hours, 41 minutes. I might have to mop up that 3%.

And I just beat it again by accident. There really isn’t enough time to activate that second form.

@nessisonett If you mean to fight Radiant, I seem to remember the window being pretty generous.

(PS the game goes up to 112% completion... https://hollowknight.fandom.com/wiki/Completion_(Hollow_Knight) )

@Thrillho Ah. 112% is somewhat more than I thought. It’s a little annoying to leave it at 98% so I think it’s just the charms left to get in the base game and I totally missed Brooding Mawlek somehow. Plus the flower quest thing.

DOOM is the only game I’ve played that makes my Pro’s fan take off like a jet plane. It’s only when I die or it loads in the level for the first time. Just bizarre. I think I’ll play to the end of the Argent Tower then put it down for the week, to allow you lot to catch up!

@nessisonett And your Pro to land safely.

Just beat the game for the first time today. All the reviews were right. It is awesome. Extremely satisfying gorefest!

I finally was able to get enough time to at least start DOOM today. I have mixed feelings —

First of all, there are only a few types of games that I play only sparingly, and first person shooters are one of them. And horror games are another.

So it’s quite a shock to my customary gaming habits to even be playing this game. But it has come so highly recommended, nearly universally so, that I’m glad to have a chance to try it out. And I’m always trying to broaden my horizons and round out my gaming experiences with things that might be on the edge of my comfort zone from time to time. I really enjoyed REmake a couple months ago, for example, and I never thought I would have; So much so that I really look forward to playing RE2 in a few weeks.

So with optimistic blind hope I waltzed into the shoes of Doomguy and have had a bit of a wake up call after coming from several weeks of strict third person open world tactical action gameplay with Ghost of Tsushima. DOOM’s snappy movement, first person perspective, and shooting control scheme took some getting used to. My last FPS I played was Battlefront 2, and this feels a little different. I’m such a peasant at FPS skills that I had no qualms with playing on the easiest difficulty setting (“I’m too young to die” I believe it’s aptly called). Even on easy, I struggle at times. My aim is rubbish and I constantly get flanked by enemies because I can’t effing see behind me! Its maddening!

But I think I’m adjusting and I’ll be alright. As for the horror, so far it’s not too scary, but it is gruesome and bloody in over abundance. And I thought Ghost of Tsushima was gory. Beheadings, burned and charred prisoners, and impaled corpses have got nothing on exploding skulls and visceral splatter of bodily fluid and entrails with every kill. But the gratuitous violence still has a way of coming across almost comical, so it’s not too disturbing so far. This is my first ever Doom game, so it’s like seeing this all for the first time takes a little adjustment.

There is a really nice smoothness to the game’s control, and it looks pretty nice. Although it appears to function fairly well, the load times seem a little long for what it is.

These are very early impressions that I figured I’d record for amusement; I’ll certainly update as I progress.