@RogerRoger Nintendo doesn't care about that tradition, but Nintendo fans certainly seem to. It's probably a big reason so many limited print services for indie games have popped up as of late.
Personally speaking, while I sort of understand the appeal of having a collection on your shelf, I tend to go digital as it allows me to keep almost my entire collection in one format. I'll ultimately always opt for whatever is cheaper, though.
Fallen Order's map sounds very helpful, which is great. The 3D hologram map sounds similar to the in-game map Retro utilized in the Metroid Prime games years and years ago.
And yeah, I've actually seen all of the films and have a pretty decent idea of what's going on in the SW universe, but I'm still super casual when it comes to the nitty gritty of it. Good to hear it's accessible to everyone. And in-game encylopedias are always a blast when done well! I'll probably spend an inordinate amount of time just reading stuff in it, if my experience with other games is any indication.
One flower's smile is very chill and relaxing compared to most of the music I've been hearing whilst gaming lately which is certainly refreshing and there's a sombre tone to Blade of Words that I quite like as well.
I see it's also on PS4 too so... Who knows I may play it down the line.
When a double-bladed lightsaber comes spinning towards your face faster than a DualShock4's split-second wireless latency, you're tempted to call it "unfair", trust me!
I trust you completely @RogerRoger as I said my time with Demon's souls was the very much the same, yelling out obscenities and saying the game was not only unfair but cheating and dumb in my frustration lol 😅
And I look forward to our water cooler moment of swapping war stories (Which was hilarious by the way)
Completion: About 60hrs (I think) with roughly 80% trophy completion (my best yet for a Yakuza game!)
Sometimes you do need to take a break from all the double crossing and exposition
Story: YK2 (as it shall be known from here on in) picks up not long after YK1 (I'm sticking to it) and the plot is just as good as the previous game. Unsurprisingly, it's a tale of double crossing, slow reveals, and occasional moments of melodrama. The game does well to bring back plenty of characters from the first game but also introduces lots of new characters, none more so than the main protagonist Ryuji Goda.
The main story bounds along nicely and flits between Kamurocho and Sotenbori, with the option to freely move between the two as you like. Occasional deviations take you into different areas, particularly the Tojo clan headquarters, but for the main part you'll be covering your old stomping grounds from Y0 and YK1.
The story gets a little silly towards the end as it seems every other character is a member of the Korean mafia that are the behind-the-scenes baddies here but on the whole the story is solid. The addition of the Majima storyline to fill in the gaps for him is a nice little addition that adds a couple of hours on but it is a bit light on content.
Sadly, no using the tiger drop on an actual tiger
Combat: The combat here is much more streamlined with only the one combat style, rather than the three to four from previous games. This surprised me slightly and the combat feels quite repetitive early on as you only have the one style and few moves to go along with it. However, the combat upgrades work much better when not spread across the different styles, and there are a hole heap of heat actions (special moves) to keep combat fresh. In particular, there are useful additions to help in crowd control situations which are very welcome. Majima also has reduced combat styles which is disappointing and given the lack of upgrades to his style, it feels a bit boring compared to the bonkers styles he has in previous outings.
The same problems persist from previously, however, particularly that the camera seems to sometimes manage to find the worst possible angle for fighting and that the method of locking on to enemies is a bit rubbish. The health regen moves for bosses from the previous game have gone thankfully though, and the main boss fights have unique heat moves to finish them which was a nice addition.
Cabaret club is back!
Side content: A big part of the Yakuza series is the [s]nonsense[/s] extracurricular activities there are to partake in.
The sub stories here felt a little lacklustre as they mostly felt like quite short affairs which were frequently mob fights. There were some exceptions to this but the in depth sub stories of Y0 and YK1 felt missing.
The cabaret club mini game makes a triumphant return with its own storyline. While little is different from Y0, it felt a bit more of a chore this time around but of course I still completed it and raked in the cash while doing so.
The new Majima construction was a bit of a chore though. You oversee your merry construction workers (with their catchy Majima construction theme tune) and move them around to defend your construction lot. Strategy comes into play with the make up of your squad, upgrading characters in battle, and unleashing special moves at the right time. It is fun to start with but quickly becomes repetitive.
Speaking of repetitive, there are additional bouncer missions which plonk you into a small section of the map and have an almost Streets of Rage style mission as you clear these areas of enemies (in slightly different ways) before finishing with a boss. These are good fun to start but each level has three difficulty rankings, although I never noticed too much difference between them, and there are 25 levels altogether I think. So yes, 75 levels altogether. Sod that.
The coliseum is also back with a fun array of battle types but the overall difficulty here felt lower than previous games. This was fine by me as I actually got to complete it for once.
Yakuza is going to Yakuza
Overall: YK2 doesn't reinvent the Kiryu shaped wheel but tinkers with it enough to feel different from previous outings and makes it look better than ever. The story will drag you in but the extra content will keep you there.
@Thrillho Thanks. Now I can't unsee her face-palming.
I'm starting to get a real backlog of these Yakuza games. I'm going to need to buckle down soon and start plugging through them. I might skip Yakuza 0, which I've already played 25% of or so, and just focus on the Kiwami games, though.
@RogerRoger I'm still not 100% on-board with an all-digital future for gaming (more like 90%, but there's still that little bit of annoyance when I realize I have a way bigger library than what I'm seeing on my shelf), but I've pretty much completely abandoned physical media when it comes to TV shows and movies. I watch all my movies and anime on streaming services now and, honestly, even as someone with 200+ DVDs and Blu-Rays, I'm not sad about the shift. Physical media is a pain.
Only thing I won't budge on is books. I'm 100% physical with books and comics (aside from the ComiXology collection I built up 5+ years ago before deciding it wasn't for me). E-books just aren't the same.
Nice going @Thrillho! I know there's a bunch of Yakuza love on this forum already and ugh... I'm seriously considering getting at least zero rather then waiting for the new entry after all I've heard recently... It sounds like something I'll love
Oh and a little tip too @Thrillho I figured out... if you change the word "small" at the very end of a twitter jpg link to "large"... you get a bit of a clearer/higher resolution picture
Small link
Large link
S'not a huge difference... But it's a bit clearer and not so fuzzy
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I think the game is worth playing if you can get it on sale. There's not a lot to it, but it's a mostly charming couple of hours, and, yeah, the art design is just phenomenal and adorable.
Currently Playing: Fields of Mistria (PC); Cookie Clicker (PC); Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC); Overboard! (PC)
@RogerRoger The changes to the combat felt a bit regressive to start with but I think I preferred it in the end as you could neglect some of the combat styles on the previous game whereas here only having the one style means you got much more familiar with all the different moves available to you.
@Ralizah I picked up Zero about 6 months ago and then YK1 and YK2 when they appeared in sales so they've been waiting for me to play. I did the same with Y6 before they'd even announced the 3-6 collection, and then I picked that one up with the Summer Sale discount code. It's taking up a fair chunk of my PS4 library! And I would say to stick with Y0 as it's the most fun game so far but it must be great to play the game after the Kiwami games to get more of the in jokes and understand the rise of Majima a bit more.
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Y0 is a Playstation Hit (or whatever they're called) and frequently on sale too. For £15 it is a steal and excellent value for money seeing as it took me 90hrs to finish! YK1 is a shorter affair but you can tell it was originally made a while ago as it's lacking in a content a little. It has also been remade so that it has flashbacks to Y0 as well now. And I didn't know whether the bigger images were a bit too big but I will take your point on board.
And I didn't know whether the bigger images were a bit too big but I will take your point on board.
... well I feel like a bit of a clod now... I didn't consider it was intentional... Or consider doing it myself for my reviews i get those pics as big and pretty as I can 😂
And yeah £15 is a steal... I'll be sure to get it sooner rather then later!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
.
.
.
"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
So, onto the next review with bigger images! (but less of them..)
Observation
First off, a little context. I played this in one sitting in one of my pre-night shift gaming all nighters. I previously did this with Hellblade and thought I'd have another go at completing a shortish story focused game in one sitting. This is quite cool to be able to do but may be responsible for some of the feelings I had towards the game, particularly as I'd been awake for almost 24hrs as I completed the game.
And shoutout to @johncalmc whose review I read again after completing the game (and who has much better pictures than me).
Completion: Finished the whole thing in about 7-8hrs. About 50% trophy completion as they are mostly story based but almost all are secret trophies and I didn't do the random tasks for some.
Security Cam: The Game
Story: This is definitely the strength of the game and I can't talk about story without really talking gameplay as well.
The USP of the game is that instead of playing as a human character, you play as SAM (Systems, Administration, and Maintenance) the AI for the ship you're on. So instead of having a physical body to control, you control the security camera network for the ship which allows you to jump from room to room and scan/interact with items in the rooms. Later on in the game, you get given control of a spherical robot that allows you to move around the ship as well.
The game kicks off with Dr Emma Fisher rebooting you and trying to make sense of what the heck is going on as the rest of the crew are no longer contactable and the ship's systems have gone kaput. Oh, and you're now orbiting Saturn rather than Earth and apparently that was something you did for reasons you don't remember. Good work SAM.
From here, you get into increasing problems and things go rather loopy. But in a rather interesting way that can't really be discussed without spoiling things too much.
The gameplay is mostly jumping from room to room to solve problems of varying levels. Some of which are fairly straightforward, some of which take a bit more thinking (more on this later).
Stuff what I liked: So, the story is cool. The game also looks great for the most part. The security cam effect is done really well with image stuttering and all sorts rather than just giving you a plain screen. The lighting is really atmospheric too and the views when you leave the ship for the few moments spent outside are really special.
The relationship between Emma and SAM also build really well to the point where you do feel like you care what is happening to you in a way that made me think of the bond you make with Trico in The Last Guardian but with a character not so prone to the mental farts that Trico suffered from.
Not a great day at the office for Dr. Fisher
Everything else: Oh boy, this could take a while.
Seeing as the game is essentially one puzzle after another, you spend a lot of your time doing the same few tasks over and over. While I get that unlocking doors is a bit of a routine thing for an AI system to be doing, having to use the same method to do this throughout the game gets a bit repetitive. Probably 80% of the puzzles revolve around the same couple of game mechanics.
But at least it's clear what you're supposed to be doing. There are plenty of times when you have no idea what it is you're actually supposed to do or how to actually do it and there's no way to get any help other thank asking Emma to repeat what it is she wants you to do. A high end AI system would probably realise the communication module is in their own subsystems but how are you supposed to know this when you've never used it before?
Certain tasks are also a pain in the derriere and I specifically noted one that requires you to find co-ordinates on a map that looks like a monochromatic Jackson Pollock painting being particularly frustrating and John also mentions the exact same moment in his review.
And this is all assuming you even got to the location of the puzzle in the first place. Movement in the game is really clumsy when you're controlling the sphere and I spent most of my time bouncing off the walls of corridors (not helped by the mood lighting). If there was a security bot floating past, they'd probably have breathalysed me.
Don't expect the terrible waypoints to help direct you around, if you even have a map to work of at all. One late part of the game had me flying/bumping backwards and forwards for ages trying to find where to go before turning to YouTube for the answer. All of this isn't helped by the fact that in zero gravity you can't even rely on up being up to help you get your bearings for where you're going.
More security cam gameplay pics! I should have remembered to get a bit more variety really..
Overall: The story and idea behind the game here are really different and I'm glad I did give the game a go but the annoyances just became too much for me in the end. Had I taken a break from the game, then the urge to jettison SAM into deep space (bouncing off the airlock as he goes) may have faded. Towards the end though I just turned to a guide to get me over the finish line as my poor sleep deprived AI module/brain had had enough.
The payoff for the story was just about worth it. Most reviews don't seem to be so down on the game as I was though but it's been a while since I've got so exasperated with a game.
@Thrillho Interesting. I hadn't heard about this at all. But I could easily see it being something I'd be tempted to get when it goes on sale. Space (accurate depictions, at least) and A.I. are both things I actively enjoy in my science fiction. Thanks for the write-up!
Currently Playing: Fields of Mistria (PC); Cookie Clicker (PC); Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC); Overboard! (PC)
@Thrillho Nice review - I have this on my list of games to try as I love this kind of genre. I think 7-8 hours, for me, is more of a two or three sittings sized game so I wonder if that would change my opinion.
If you want a shorter narrative space game then I highly recommend Tacoma. I really enjoyed playing that through.
Now I may be an idiot, but there's one thing I am not sir, and that sir, is an idiot
I’ve been busy and I haven’t much to add to the discussion but I wanted to give props to @Ralizah and @Thrillho for their wonderfully organized thoughts. Good work guys. Keep ‘em coming. These reviews are some of my favorite things to read on Push Square.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Pretty good review @Thrillho (Feel free to add more & smaller pictures if you wish though! Don't change your style on my account! 😅)
It's something I probably wouldn't even give a second look at glancing through the ps store... Like the others have said it sounds pretty intriguing though even if the wind was knocked out your sails a bit by the end of it!
Previously known as Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy
.
.
.
"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life. Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of"
Remasters often find themselves in a tricky position. Any goodwill from the memory of their original release is usually eroded by the superiority of similar games which have hit the market in their absence, leaving them looking outdated and outdone. Burnout Paradise, however, revs back on to the scene and finds it pretty much as it left it - while the PS4 is full to the brim with great games, the arcade racer genre has been strangely neglected in recent years. Even so, can a PS3 game (and an early one at that) really be expected to compete in this day and age, sporting little more than a new paint job and a fresh set of trims?
Burnout veterans who missed this instalment first time around may or may not be aware of the big change which this entry brought to the franchise - the open world. The setting is Paradise City (hope you like Guns 'n' Roses, you'll be hearing them a lot) and this will be your playground in which to cause motorised mayhem for the next fifteen hours, or thereabouts. As you cruise around in one of three vehicle types - stunt (all-rounder), speed (fast but flimsy) or aggression (bulky but slow) - you can trigger an event by pulling up at a junction, and these can be tackled in any order, thus effectively plotting your own route through the campaign. Progress is straightforward: unlike in real life, getting points on your licence is a good thing, with one point awarded for each successfully completed event. Enough points and you move up a rank. Simple.
There's a decent variety of event types on offer to help you earn these points. To begin with, there's regular 'Race' mode, although instead of being tied to a set course you are given a start and a finish point, with the route entirely up to you. 'Road Rage' mode is classic Burnout, which means racing takes second place to smashing seven bells out of your fellow motorists as you attempt to wreck other drivers by any means possible as you commit numerous violations of the Highway Code. 'Stunt Run' is exactly what it sounds like - pick a route with lots of ramps and jumps and throw your car about for maximum points, with the multiplier rising the longer you go without crashing. 'Marked Man' sees you drive from A to B while being harried and harassed by hired goons in sinister nondescript black cars, intent on taking you down; get to the finish in one piece and the win is yours. 'Burning Route' is effectively a time trial, while the much-loved crash mode returns, going under the moniker of 'Showtime', with the ability to trigger it anywhere you like.
While the variety of events is to be applauded, the open world can occasionally make them tough to navigate. The game does a poor job of explaining things, it has to be said - for example, this reviewer only discovered the option to retry events nine hours in, tucked away in the menus (admittedly this may say more about me than about the game itself). It's not until you've learned the layout a bit and tried a few races that you get a firm grasp on things, and you can expect plenty of pausing to check the map every ten seconds while you work out the best way to win a race, after realising the junction you need has just flashed past. You are guided through your early hours with the game by DJ Atomika, the resident Paradise City disc jockey on the frankly irresponsibly-titled Crash FM, who dishes out advice between tunes with varying degrees of usefulness as you zoom around town. Despite the occasional handy tip, his 40-something-masquerading-as-one-of-the-kids schtick may see you leaving your car in one of the city's multi-storey car parks, in the vague hope that some in-game chavs decide to make off with the radio. The soundtrack mostly comprises American rock, with the odd surprise (Adam Ant, really?) and will soon get old, but hey - that's what Spotify's for, right?
What doesn't get old, however, is the art of successfully carrying out a takedown. For those entirely new to the series, this involves ramming your opponent into the nearest wall/fence/bus and watching, in glorious slow motion, as they rapidly become a heap of crumpled metal, their windscreen disintegrating along with their no-claims bonus. The feeling never gets old and is a thrill which is unmatched on the PS4, with arguably the collisions of Codemasters' Onrush being the only thing to come close. When Burnout Paradise clicks, it really clicks, and is capable of hitting the highs which Burnout 3: Takedown reached all those years ago.
A range of collectibles offer some longevity. There are billboards and fences to crash through, although the overwhelming number of these destructibles can make them difficult to keep track of. The stunt jumps are better, with Paradise City's town planners showing an alarming lack of safety awareness by leaving some seriously big ramps blocked off by nothing more than a few cones, allowing you to embrace your inner Steve McQueen. Such leaps of faith are almost as fun to get wrong as they are to successfully pull off, given the automotive carnage which ensues upon a badly-timed landing. Better still, these jumps can be worked into the aforementioned 'Stunt Runs', meaning there are some ridiculous points totals to be had for those with no regard for their own safety, and they reach new levels of ridiculous on Big Surf Island, the original game's DLC pack which is included here, adding some value.
The online portion of the game is solid, without offering much of a reason to stick around for long. Various challenges can be triggered by the lobby's host, such as driving into oncoming traffic for a certain distance or smashing some billboards, while actual full-on races and road rages can get entertainingly chaotic.
To return to that initial question, then; Criterion's open world smash-em-up can indeed compete with the best the PS4 has to offer, although whether this is down to the game itself or the relative lack of competition is a question which hangs awkwardly in the air throughout your time with it. Such concerns fail to matter when the game is at its best, and there are hours upon hours of fun to be had here, but if Burnout Paradise does indeed take the title of 'best PS4 arcade racer', then it does so by default.
Score 8/10
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
@Ralizah@RogerRoger@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy The premise of the game is neat enough and I like to give games a go that have something original about them. There were a few pieces written about the game, including on this site, which led me to put it on my PSN wishlist. I was waiting for a price drop but it filled the criteria to be able to blitz it in one (long!) sitting so I took a punt.
And @Rudy_Manchego I don't make a habit of 8hr sessions normally! I just find I can concentrate more on a game I know I can finish when playing for one stretch like that, rather than playing 8hrs of Yakuza and feeling like I've not achieved anything substantial.
@Th3solution thanks for your kind words and you'll be pleased to hear I've got one more review to write to get up to speed with my recent completions!
@Gremio108 Ha, I enjoyed that read. Racing game do seem like a bit of a neglected genre for this generation; I don't think I actually own a single one. I'm not a huge fan of high tech simulation racers and Need For Speed Underground remains one of my favourite racers as it was just fun, and this game sounds like it fits that criteria (also, what a shame that newer NFS games sound like total pap).
... I think the only racing games I've played in my life are Circuit Breakers, Micro Machines V3, Crash Team Racing (Original and remake) and Gran Turismo 5.
Should probably try another if only to add it to my belt... Probably my least played genre for no good reason really 😅
I don't enjoy racing games other than Mario Kart, really. I've tried other kart racers, but the physics and items and tracks and whatnot never really feel right to me.
Realistic racing games are, imo, the most boring type of game outside of sports or flight simulators.
With that said, I do enjoy the Driver series. But those aren't racing games.
Forums
Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread
Posts 101 to 120 of 2,428
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic