Topic: Push Square Game Club Spooktacular: Resident Evil 4

So after multiple reloads, I finally got that second target alone and finished Paris.
Score 61,360.
Time 44:42.

I think that’s pretty poor but for a first time maybe not so bad. I’ll try some different approaches now

Second attempt ....63,316.
Basically about the same. But it was fun to run around dressed like Helmut Krueger.

@Th3solution nice one! My points have all been 0. I get the 25000 or whatever it is for killing the targets but then I get minus 5 bazillion for killing every one else lol. Also both of the levels I've done have taken about 2 hours

@ralphdibny To be fair, my first run took me at least 3 hours real-world time, possibly longer. If I killed a non-target NPC, I reloaded. If I was discovered or hunted, I reloaded. If I did anything that I didn’t like the consequences of, I reloaded. Sometimes I messed around dropping chandeliers, pulling fire alarms, tossing coins, etc. all just to see what happened, and then I’d reload. So I was able to ultimately finish the level without killing any non-targets, but for some reason I didn’t get the bonus for being undetected, despite never going into hunt mode or arrest. I guess they count being caught trespassing or getting a warning from security as a demerit for that bonus.

On the second run I tried to go as fast as I could, so after taking over as Krueger I killed the male target with a chandelier while he was at the bar (not sure how many innocents bit the dust too, but there were probably several) on my way to meeting the female target, who was super easy to get rid of with that opportunity, and then booked it out of there, so despite the whole thing taking only 20 min., the collateral damage cost me so many points that my score was the same.

I’ll probably try at least one more just to see if I can experience some of the other opportunities. It be nice if I could get some poison or an explosive this time around to make things interesting

@Th3solution ahh fair enough, I only ever reload if I get myself into an unrecoverable crock of doodoo. On my first go around anyway that is. The challenges are tempting to replay for but it seems like so much is going on, or at least could go on, that it feels very daunting. Once I've played through all the levels, I might go back and replay for some of the easier challenges but somehow I doubt I am going to get to the level where I am able to kill both targets undetected wearing a red tie. I also think any score higher than zero is going to be a no go for me whatsoever 😅

I'll be interested to see what you think of level 2. There's a very interesting costume in that level. Generally I do like that you can just wear any clothes. So even if there is a random and specific looking NPC, you can just knock them out and nick their gear.

@ralphdibny My third run was not as successful and my score went down into the 20,000 range. I did successfully use poison this time though, so that part was satisfying. I did two different opportunities, so at this point, I think I only have 2 more opportunities to do. So I might just do one more run and see if I can beat my score and get a trophy in the process. 😄

@Th3solution haha sweet! Good luck!

@ralphdibny Since I posted that last night, I went for the 4th run and was able to get the opportunity for assuming the role of the sheik (that was pretty hard and took several restarts because the opportunity times out quickly) and dropping the light rig while the target is on stage. However, I got the dreaded 0 end score, largely because dropping that rig kills a ton of innocents. But the silver trophy for getting all opportunities popped at least.

So with that, I’ve seen quite a lot of Paris (although still a fraction of all it has to offer) and I went ahead and took a peek at the Sapienza level. Wow, it’s very different! It looks fun though but the map seems even more confusing. I mostly just explored around of a few minutes and haven’t made substantial progress on it.

It’s Sunday which means it’s time to move onto Sapienza! It’s a very different level from Paris in its layout and should be an interesting change. Same as last time, we’ll see who gets the best time and score! I don’t think I’ll do as well on that front, I haven’t played Sapienza anywhere near as much 😅

@Th3solution ahh cool, I never even met the sheik in Paris. I'm trying to think, I did take the role of somebody. I took the role of that white hatted weirdo in the training level actually and also the engineer in the second training level but that is way less unique.

@Kidfried Lol, they died with honor for my virtual trinket. May their names be ever etched on the walls of the fallen heroes.

@ralphdibny Oh yeah, he only pops up briefly in his room amd then goes straight to the auction, then your opportunity is lost; it was really great being the sheik (I forget his name) because everyone greets you with deferential respect and you pretty much have open access to all the levels of the mansion without having to be frisked. It made running around much simpler. There was a couple places they didn’t allow him, like that dark AV center at the top, so I had to sneak around up there, but going up and down the stairs as often as I wanted was nice. Having sequential gatekeepers with different required identities was definitely the most difficult part of the map and I’m sure it will be a recurring theme through the game. So it’s nice to find one identity that meets several criteria. Being Helmut Krueger was also nice that way.

@Th3solution I know we’re onto Sapienza now but one more thing about Paris: There’s a guest smoking out past the party section who’s holding an IAGO invitation. If you knock him out and steal it then you can enter the auction after a simple frisk!

@RogerRoger I know what you mean about Sapienza. Never been a fan of the other objectives. The setting’s lovely though and I did find some interesting ways to destroy the virus, like dropping a stalactite on the lab

Hooray, just finished the Origins levels in Rayman Legends and got all 700 Lums! A month late, but I'm glad to finally have it wrapped up. I'll probably carry on doing the daily challenges to get the last awesomeness level.

@RogerRoger I found the lab tricky for a while, but once I figured out the best route (via the cliff near the ruins) getting access was much quicker. The trickier issue is destroying the virus itself, and getting there always feels like a bit of an afterthought. I love the plane exit though so getting to the cave is worth it for that. 😁 The wonder of the game is in discovering all these things, so I figure it's perfectly okay to score terribly on the first handful of attempts while learning the layout and best assassination methods. Sapienza's a brilliant location, but I think my favourite level in the first game is Hokkaido. It's small but very intricately crafted. I found every level pretty enjoyable, even the much maligned Colorado. Unfortunately I'll always associate Bangkok with falling ill and then ending up in hospital, so I'm not sure I want to play through that location again. I feel panicky just thinking about it.

@mookysam spoilers ahead for others if you haven't played sapienza, beware! have you had any luck when destroying the virus about doing it unnoticed? There is always a technician who spots me who I have to beat up in the tunnel before changing back into lab tech gear. Agree with you about the plane, even better than the helicopter in Paris

Just finished the game as I wanted to play through it fully before revisiting episodes, also I'm a bit worried I won't have time to play much in the coming weeks as my schedule has just got a bit busier.

I don't think there is any spoilers in what I'm about to say. The smoothest a mission has gone for me so far is in level 5, I managed to do lots of opportunities but I fudged it up at the end and basically had to resort to cover shooting witnesses with a shotgun. Same with the final level 😂, I end up mowing down most of the NPCs!

Edit: I just did the first Sarajevo 6 mission in Paris and totally got a score of 40 thousand and something and a single hitman logo 😎. I did the target with a screw driver through a closed door 😅. Lock on before the door closes and the throwable item goes right through it!

@R1spam Yep, I got Silent Assassin on each level. I don't remember exactly what I did in Sapienza. Yeah, the scientists/technicians are annoying and I had to beat a lot up on my first few attempts! The quickest and most painless way to destroy it is by uploading the computer virus to a laptop on a trailer roof inside the cave. Getting there's relatively easy by entering via the cliff and keeping to the left as it's much more difficult to enter unseen via the house. There's also a lone scientist near the laptop that is easy to knock out and then strip. If you don't have the USB stick for the laptop then you can enter the lab itself by skirting round the right edge of the cave and distracting the scientist that will see through your disguise. The scientists inside are actually pretty easy to distract by causing various bits of mischief but you only have a very small window to destroy the virus.

Haven’t had much time this week and not sure when I will, but I did off the first target in Sapienza pretty easily. poisoned the golf instructor boyfriend, took his identity and waited for the lady to come to her room for a romantic interlude and ...surprise!... here to assassinate you instead! The funny thing though was gratefully I stashed the body in the bathroom closet right away because pretty quickly one of her bodyguards just walked right in the room looking for her. What if we had actually been having legitimate romance “snuggle time”!?! No privacy for such things apparently! So rude 😛

But I haven’t had time to get the second target but I did get to take over the identity of his shrink, so it’s only a matter of time. Get him onto the therapist couch and it’ll be lights out.

Anyways, I’m enjoying doing the opportunities rather than trying to make my own way. For a newbie like me to the series it’s much more fun to have a little guidance. Thanks to all who have suggested it.

And PSA — Hitman 2 and 3 are on discount this month on the new sale. I’m almost ready to invest in more of the series based on the good impressions so far. We’ll see. Hitman 3 is still $45 which is a great price for a high quality new PS5 compatible game, but might be higher than what I want to pay right now since I’ve got tons of Hitman 1 to keep me busy. Hitman 2 is down to $12 though, which might be too good to pass up. The fact that it’s included in the sale means it’s most certainly not going to be a PS Plus game this month, so my dreams are dashed.

@Th3solution Just remember that you can play your Hitman 1 levels through Hitman 3!

@nessisonett I almost hate to ask (because my ignorant frequent questions about how PS5 upgrades work is surely growing old now) ... but I will anyway — If I play Hitman 1 (and 2?) levels within the PS5 version of Hitman 3, are there PS5 upgrades to the older content? I would guess not (other than the usual faster load times and such). It’s not a huge deal, but at the prospect of having a PS5, I’m curious to squeeze out as many truly next gen gaming experiences as possible, when they are available.