Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

[SleepingSilence]

Blasphemous 2 answers a lot of the niggling complaints that the first one received.

Pros: Your character moves faster, you're given a fast travel method much faster, having three weapons instead of one improves the combat variety a bit (Ignoring that the mace is so much better than the other two weapons), you're given a more concrete direction on where to go, (via immediate waypoint markers to your first few bosses), you don't die instantly in pitfalls & spikes anymore, and magic is usefully overpowered. (Among other things that I'm sure I'll find worthy of praise.)

Cons: This is starting to feel like the Dark Souls 2 of Blasphemous. (In that, the design of Darks Souls 1 is unforgiving. Being challenging in unexpected and cruel ways. Versus DS2's design philosophy of "this was made by assholes".) And so far, these bosses are fucking obnoxious. The tutorial one pushes you to pick one of the faster starting weapons (to match its own speed) only to give you the much more useful mace later on. The next two each have a 2nd phase that have an unavoidable attack that will kill you, that made me resort to 'Unga bunga'ing' my way through them/abusing the magic fire attack. (So the less strategy/thought I used, the better off I was.)

Both having their own obnoxious gimmick on top of them. (One giving you a side companion that offers help. Whose only there to trip up players of the 1st one, who knows the side companion dies if you allow them to help. And this one apparently *needs* to help & is completely useless in the actual fight.) The next one CAN instantly kill you and push you off her tiny boss arena. Genuinely, fuck this boss.

Now I'm on my way to the three-phase/duo boss, after finding every other available route closed off. Only to get halfway through the level and receive a fucking tutorial tip on how to open certain doors with the sword that I fucking started the game with (that were spread throughout all the other previous areas.) So this fucking game is forcing me to back travel (once again) through all the areas I've basically finished.

Eh: I'm sure the cartoon/anime cutscenes ate up a decent chunk of their budget. But I don't know if some of them fit tonally to the game I'm playing. (Don't think they're an improvement over the pixel art of the 1st one.) Also, I don't think the music is as good as the first one either.

So, it's been a mixed reaction thus far. (But if it's both *supposedly* easier and shorter than the first one. I'll likely still finish it.)

Edit: The duo boss did indeed suck too. The third phase is just a clusterfuck. Had a glitch where the boss health bar remained on my screen until I restarted the game. Saw something on Steam say the same in February and the Devs responded with a "we're definitely fixing this issue" lul. Yeah, sure you are. And I randomly started to drop frames in the next level which was completely empty. So yeah. Nowhere near on par with the first one, which didn't have these problems.

[Fabricant451]

I think it is very funny (and super fuckin cringe) that a game like Stellar Blade is making the worst coomers on the internet start acting like video games need to have sexy women otherwise they're trash. Way to poison the well with your wanna be Nier game, guys. That'll help people rally to your weird crusade. No notes.

[SleepingSilence]

Blasphemous 2 was disappointing and feels unfinished. (The levels and bosses only get worse as it goes on.) To keep it brief.

Anyway, here's some impressions on other things that I've tried recently...

Killzone Shadow Fall: Titanfall 2 this is not. But it certainly wanted to be a tech demo for the console. (Tries to show off its graphics a lot in its introductory levels.) But it feels pretty dated gameplay-wise. With retarded AI & stealth mechanics that I swear were not functioning properly. (But I haven’t played a lot of modern FPS’s. So I’m probably not the guy to get your shooter reviews from.)

Immortals Of Aveum: Invisible walls, unskippable cutscenes, the worst dialogue imaginable, and an incredibly boring intro level, made me give up on this one pretty quickly. (Honestly, Forspoken had a more original foundation.)

Inscryption: Just watch someone else play this game. (Believe me. You’re not missing out.) The actual "meat" of this game is a purposely unfair card game that isn't particularly fun to play. And you can't "get any better at it". So the horror vibes and puzzle elements are the only thing that kept me playing & it wasn’t plentiful enough to keep me engaged. (Maybe play, if you’re a streamer with a higher tedium tolerance.)

Mortal Shell: I've never given up on a Souls-like this quickly. What an awful tutorial/start to a game. Might be the worst combat feel of any souls game that I've played thus far. Lords of the Fallen (The original) included.

Ashen: The atmosphere was pleasant. Your companion AI is retarded and suicidal. The hitboxes of ranged attacks are broken. And I was already bored of fighting the same three enemies over and over again.

Superhot: A really good idea that isn’t helped by being a meta game. (The pretentious story/last level is fucking obnoxious.)

Skul, The Hero Slayer: An actual fun game? Hallelujah. I won't say it has better combat than Dead Cells (which is still probably the best 'Roguelite' in terms of a fair challenge.) Since everything in Skul is a DPS check & if you don't have a fast-attacking character, guess what? Every boss is fast, has borderline undodgeable attacks, and self-heal, so you're going to lose. Making certain playstyles/skulls feel laughably useless. But it does have an enjoyable build variety. So I’ll keep at it.

Stellar Blade (Demo): It’s decent. I’ll see how the game does with reviews though. (As if I pre-order anything.) The game feels very scripted, and it can get you killed. (For example: You cross a bridge to learn how to plunge attack and it automatically shifts your camera and pulls your character toward the edge.) But it’s certainly easier to get into than Nier Automata… (And it’s a reminder that I need to try more game demos.)

[Dark Cloud]

I think it is very funny (and super fuckin cringe) that a game like Stellar Blade is making the worst coomers on the internet start acting like video games need to have sexy women otherwise they're trash. Way to poison the well with your wanna be Nier game, guys. That'll help people rally to your weird crusade. No notes.

@Fabricant451

You know what's funny people are having a hard time playing the game because they walked into it expecting it to be exactly like Nier.

[Fabricant451]

<Snipped quote by Fabricant451>

You know what's funny people are having a hard time playing the game because they walked into it expecting it to be exactly like Nier.

@Dark Cloud

That is also funny. The game might be fine but I look forward to it being basically a 'forgotten gem' in six months time.

[Twisterror]

"Gem" is rather kind of you. I think them more spiffy than that - scuff.

[BrokenPromise]

Stellar Blade doesn't need to be memorable, it needs to make a profit.

Shift Up might be new to the triple A game scene, but they already have a mobile game (Nikke, Goddess of Victory) that's pretty much just a machine that prints money for them. They've built up a good reputation by being open to player feedback and giving them what they want. I'm not a huge fan of companies going on the open market, but (i'm told, but cant verify) the CEO holds almost half the company's shares and his wife is holding a bit of it too, so there shouldn't be a drastic change in the company's vision for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to the culture war, Stellar Blade is going to be a guaranteed success so long as it doesn't release as a half baked mess. Too many people are talking about it, and all that talk generates interest. There's even a demo out, and apparently it's good. I'm not sure where the Neir comments are coming from, nor have I heard this take anywhere but here. Yoko Taro said they were enthusiastic about the game, but that's because he's never been one to hide the fact that he likes sexy woman in games.

I don't really have a pony in this race. I don't have a play station, nor would I be in a rush to buy a brand new game given that 99.9% of them aren't truly finished until at least five years after release. Even if Stellar Blade bucked that trend and eventually got ported to steam, I can't say I'd rush out and buy it. It's not something I would normally play. But I'm fine with it existing in the video game ecosystem in what is sure to be a springboard for bigger and better projects from Shift Up.

Regardless of how Stellar Blade performs, I feel like it's not going to have a huge impact on the culture war. At this point, it feels like something that's going to go on forever so long as people continue perpetuating it. Both sides are dumb. Just stop talking about it.

Also anyone who doesn't like Inscryption probably doesn't like card games in general and should stop spreading their wrong opinions on the internet post hate.

[SleepingSilence]

Anyone who doesn't like Inscryption probably doesn't like card games in general and should stop spreading their wrong opinions on the internet posthaste.

@BrokenPromise

Inscryption is a neat concept, and was probably a much better experience when it was a shorter ITCH.io demo. But the act one gameplay loop is unbalanced and repetitive. (And the statement that you can't get any better at the game is a fact actually.) Your run is dependent on RNG alone. (At least in the first act. Since you're not aloud to build your own deck.) And games like 'Slay The Spire' are incredibly RNG as well, but you have far more variety of build potential there.

If anything, the Rogue-lite genre tends to be something that I don't care for. Because I don't typically find it's attempts to inflate gameplay length appealing.

---

Jedi Fallen Order was surprisingly entertaining for a time. Buggy ass platforming and all. But it had plenty of problems that only got worse as the gameplay went on. (And it waited far too long to give you the more interesting moves that you had available.) But after the Ninth Sister fight, the narrative aspect completely collapsed in on itself. And I kind of loathed how lazy the gameplay/story got.

[BrokenPromise]

@SleepingSilence Kinda weird that you chose to correct a typo while quoting me, but I'll take it over openly mocking me about it.

Getting back to Inscryption though, card games are inherently RNG based. You're always going to have the chance to get the very worst cards for a given situation despite having an almost air tight deck. The first few runs in Act 1 is more like a tutorial anyway. There's a lot of stuff like scripted deaths and simple barriers that prevent you from completing "the game" until you do the other, "non-game" related stuff. They drop the rouge-lite elements as soon as you go into act 2, and they don't even come back for act 3.

Also, I think I was un-alived about 6 times during my first play through of act 1, and it only happened 3 times on my second play through. While this was slightly because of RNG, I do think I understood the game better, allowing me to more reliably clear it. Ergo, you can get better.

But Inscryption is a game with a story, and the game is very much in service to the story through the entire experience. If you want to look at inscryption on its own merits as a game, then you need to play kacee's mod. Which is not a mod, but a free DLC that lets you play a more challenging, but also less scripted version of Inscryption. More cards, different starting hands to choose, different events, challenges to make the game even harder, etc. But it's still a card game and everything it entails. You can increase your odds of winning by learning about all the broken builds you can make and gradually building combos or stronger cards. Most of your duels are won through carefully selected synergies rather than the actual moment to moment card play.

But if you're the type of person that gets urked over scripted losses, or doesn't like the idea that they might have a bad run and lose regardless of how good they are (read: any true card game) then you're going to have a bad time with Inscryption no matter what.

[SleepingSilence]

@BrokenPromise I've done that in the past with others and even with my own statements. It's my way of saying "I knew what you meant."

Anywho. Yeah. If anything, the internet seems to criticize the other acts of the game instead. Saying the first part/act is so much better than the latter parts. But I disagree with how knowledge of the game helps you, when it quite literally has planned losses/unfair scenarios as part of its narrative. So you literally cannot win the game/round when you're unlucky. Versus a "magical perfection" that you could "technically win" in other Rogue-lite games. (With an emphasis on action combat.)

(I played the PS5 version w/o mods. For added context.) I only think that you don't miss a lot by simply watching it being played, over playing it yourself. (Also, I don't think most people enjoy the "you're supposed to lose boss fight" in any game genre. As well implemented it is in the narrative or not.)

But I'll also admit that my critique of Inscryption is surface level. (As I didn't make it past Act 1.) And I don't really have many games that I can easily compare it to. (And say, "this did it better" "this was done worse in" etc.) But I *do* usually like Meta games (with a heavy puzzle emphasis.) So maybe I just wanted the game to be something other than it was...

(Like Superhot, it would've been so much better as a full-fledged game of its concept, or a meta game with plenty of puzzles mixed in with its shooting sections. Instead of the awful "OmG tHis GaMe Is rEAl" sh*t that made up its story. That also has several "supposed to lose" sections. But I digress.)

What are you currently playing (or were until you stopped)?

[BrokenPromise]

@SleepingSilence Unless your game "glitched out" and a wall of grizzly cards appeared, you didn't encounter a scripted loss. Even so, complaining about scripted losses is a carry over from RPGS where you'd jump into a long, tedious battle and waste resources trying to beat a boss that you absolutely can't. You aren't making progress, and you're dragging out a fight when you could be experiencing the rest of the story. The thing with Inscryption is, you progress against non-game objectives carries over between deaths, and you need to be really good or "lucky" to encounter the grisly wall anyway. I'm quite confident you didn't encounter it.

The game also has an overwhelmingly positive rating on steam, with about a thousand people not recommending it to one hundred thousand that do. So if we're going to listen to the court of popular opinion (not something I typically do) then the game is absolutely worth playing.

But you don't like the game for one reason or another, and I'm fine with that. Card games aren't for everyone and they do require you to ignore certain video game conventions, like the idea that you cal always win with a good strategy. Come to think of it, rouge-lite/like games have a lot of the same quirks as traditional card games, like constantly starting from scratch and luck being a huge factor in your game.

What are you currently playing (or were until you stopped)?

@SleepingSilence

I'm not sure if you're talking about Inscryption, card games, or games in general here, so I'll answer for all three.

I've 100% inscryption, along with all of the Kacee's mod stuff. I can't remember the last other card game I've played because it's been years. Though the standouts were Hearthstone and anime Hearthstone (Shadowverse). Sadly, F2P mechanics do be F2P mechanics, and you need to play those games a lot if you don't want to spend money to be competitive. I don't play them anymore. SYNTHETIK has been the game I boot when I want a gaming fix.

[SleepingSilence]

I waited to respond, because I usually only post when I play new games. But all I’ve played recently is helping others through Remnant 2. So I’ll just respond now.

I'm not sure if you're talking about Inscryption, card games, or games in general here, so I'll answer for all three.

SYNTHETIK has been the game I boot when I want a gaming fix.

I was asking you what you’ve been playing recently. (As our opinions and experiences in this game obviously differ.) Haven’t heard of that one. But the youtuber sphere seems to like that game (and its sequel) a lot too.

---

Card games aren't for everyone.

It really, really has nothing to do with my liking of the genre. Inscryption is more specifically a "deck builder" game anyway. And not every card game is a deck builder. (And very few deck builders are anything like Inscryption.)

---

You didn't encounter a scripted loss. Unless your game "glitched out" and a wall of grizzly cards appeared.

Even so, complaining about scripted losses is a carry over from RPG's where you'd jump into a long, tedious battle and waste resources trying to beat a boss that you absolutely can't. You aren't making progress, and you're dragging out a fight when you could be experiencing the rest of the story.

Yes, a bad concept is a bad concept in every genre. I agree. (So whether or not I got to the point where that scripted loss happened. I would’ve and it wouldn’t feel fun. And I’ve seen several different let’s plays of this game. It’s not RNG. If you play Inscryption. You will get guaranteed failed runs.)

Most times when you play a game, you want to make progress. So when you play and actively lose progress instead. It can feel like a tedious experience.

The thing with Inscryption is, your progress against non-game objectives carries over between deaths.

Unless you’re mistaken, or I suffered a glitch. I did not get to keep my rewards for solving the puzzles between runs. I lost those cards when I lost my run. So that is *not* my experience playing Inscryption.

---

The game also has an overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam. So if we're going to listen to the court of popular opinion (not something I typically do) then the game is absolutely worth playing.

If you find a game that isn't well-reviewed on Steam. You'll seldom find anything that doesn't have notoriously bad PC performance, or isn't obvious shovelware. (It's like arguing that an app game is good, because it has a lot of five-star reviews.)

My statement about “the internet’s criticism” is on reddit or other gaming forums that go into pedantic detail about things they like (or don't) about certain games. But even before I played the game, I've seen the general consensus about Inscyption. (That's why I tried it in the first place.) Yes, most people like Inscryption. And then, most of those people claim the first act is the best part.

So because I wasn’t really enjoying it. (And my reward for solving the game’s puzzles were cards that I lost forever due to unfair odds.) I chose not to stick around.

[BrokenPromise]

@SleepingSilence my condolences for your time spent in Remnant 2.

Haven’t heard of that one. But the youtuber sphere seems to like that game (and its sequel) a lot too.

I haven't tried the sequel. 2d games that go 3d tend to lose a lot of their speed, or rather, there's more information to take in visually and they can't be played as fast. But I can only beat the original when I play it on co-op, which is weird because friendly fire is always on and everyone says it's objectively the hardest way to play it. So uh, yea, might check it out when I can beat the original on my own.

It really, really has nothing to do with my liking of the genre. Inscryption is more specifically a "deck builder" game anyway. And not every card game is a deck builder. (And very few deck builders are anything like Inscryption.)

What are some deck builders that you've played?

Yes, a bad concept is a bad concept in every genre. I agree. (So whether or not I got to the point where that scripted loss happened. I would’ve and it wouldn’t feel fun. And I’ve seen several different let’s plays of this game. It’s not RNG. If you play Inscryption. You will get guaranteed failed runs.)

Most times when you play a game, you want to make progress. So when you play and actively lose progress instead. It can feel like a tedious experience.

Welcome to roguelite/like games, enjoy your stay.

And I can't stress how unimportant your first few runs are. what you do off the card table is a lot more important, until it's not of course.

Unless you’re mistaken, or I suffered a glitch. I did not get to keep my rewards for solving the puzzles between runs. I lost those cards when I lost my run. So that is *not* my experience playing Inscryption.

The cards you unlock in the puzzle box are largely irrelevant for progression, and are more added to the current game and can be found again in later runs. The talking cards and items for getting the talking cards that you get will always be in your hand on a fresh run and are the only thing that's essential for progression. By puzzles, I meant all of them, like the coo-coo clock. I forget exactly which ones are required for the talking cards, but none of that stuff resets between runs for the most part.

reddit

My third eye has opened.

So because I wasn’t really enjoying it. (And my reward for solving the game’s puzzles were cards that I lost forever due to unfair odds.) I chose not to stick around.

You didn't lose them forever. You can get them again in another run. You'd know that if you played more than a handful of runs. But it doesn't sound like you enjoyed it, so you probably shouldn't. I'd find a nice metroidvania to snuggle up to, or something in the vein of "Dust: An Elysian Tail."

[Dark Cloud]

@SleepingSilence well what a glowing review, besides the fact that we in fact both played it. Mr. Skip all the dialogue

[SleepingSilence]

@BrokenPromise Heh. Well it's better and borderline way too easy with friends. Just wished I would've played with friends from the beginning. (Instead of completing it solo first.) Though I really should finish Elden Ring for the DLC.

What are some deck builders that you've played?

I've certainly played more card games than roguelike deck builders. But, Deep Sky Derelicts, Slay The Spire and Hand Of Fate (all have deck building elements.) And I very briefly tried Roguebook recently. Do not recommend.

Welcome to roguelite/like games, enjoy your stay.

You're not wrong. The problem is, I usually don't enjoy how Roguelike's keep you trapped in the same gameplay loop through RNG and incredibly slow progression. (If Dead Cells wasn't a roguelike. It probably could've turned into one of my favorite games.)

My third eye has opened.

Well finding nerds and cute animal pictures is about all Reddit is good for. So take advantage of what you have.

The cards you unlock in the puzzle box are largely irrelevant for progression, and more are added to the current game and can be found again in later runs. The talking cards (and items for getting the talking cards) will always be in your hand on a fresh run and are the only thing that's essential for progression. You'd know that if you played more than a handful of runs. But it doesn't sound like you enjoyed it, so you probably shouldn't. I'd find a nice Metriodvania to snuggle up to, or something in the vein of "Dust: An Elysian Tail."

I've played that one already.

Dust An Elysian Tail: It was a decent experience. Despite having an easily exploitable combat system, and a story that wasn’t particularly engaging. This felt nice to complete after it kept crashing on my PS4. (Though the f*cker still hard crashed on me after a near end game cutscene, and nearly soft-locked me when it respawned me inside of the floor.)

Though Metriodvanias are certainly more in line with my tastes. I'm sure backtracking can annoy some. But at least there's always something being accomplished. (At least in good ones.)

But I understand that the game is purposefully wasting your time in the early game. (Since you *can't* solve everything in the cabin right away, the game doesn't let you.) So worrying about losing and winning a run isn't really the point. More so than "experiencing the narrative". I just don't find that concept terribly appealing. (But maybe the mods you played it with, make the actual deckbuilding part more substantive.)

I think Inscryption has plenty of elements that help it stand out. (That ARG puzzle sh*t that it included, certainly helped market it through FOMO.) But you can experience it's art style and music (its general aesthetics that make it unique) in a Let's Play. Least in my two cents.

How many deck builders (or meta games) have you played / how would Inscryption rank amongst them?

[Lith]

There is but one good game in this world.



It has the strongest and most in depth of lores.

[BrokenPromise]

I've certainly played more card games than roguelike deck builders. But, Deep Sky Derelicts, Slay The Spire and Hand Of Fate (all have deck building elements.) And I very briefly tried Roguebook recently. Do not recommend.

@SleepingSilence

Shit, I haven't played any of those.

(But maybe the mods you played it with, make the actual deckbuilding part more substantive.)

It does, but if you don't like rougelites, you aren't going to like it. Especially on the harder difficulties. I like that you aren't always going to get an epic run, and the caveat to that is that sometimes you're not going to win when you have every challenge in the game activated at the same time.

Also, to reiterate, it's not a true mod. It's an expansion game mode that can't be played until you beat the base game.

I think Inscryption has plenty of elements that help it stand out. (That ARG puzzle sh*t that it included, certainly helped market it through FOMO.) But you can experience it's art style and music (its general aesthetics that make it unique) in a Let's Play. Least in my two cents.

I still don't get the appeal of ARGs, or watching other people play videogames. I did that as a teen and 5 minutes in I had to ask for the controller or go do something else.

How many deck builders (or meta games) have you played / how would Inscryption rank amongst them?

Aside from the card games windows ships with, virtually every digital card game I've played has been some type of deck builder. I struggle to name a lot of them because the bulk of what I played was on kongregate just when people were starting to figure out that micro-transactions were a really easy way to make money on a low effort project. Most of these games were just dumbed down versions of "magic the gathering" or "insert other popular card game here." The best ones were fun, the worst ones were whaling farms that required cash to make any real progress. Hearthstones was better than all of them, but it lacked single player options. Shadowverse was awesome, but it did what Hearthstone decided to do and has seasonal cards to keep people playing. I'm sure I've played others, but it's been too long and I can't think of them. Unless a game is absolutely amazing, I tend to forget about it after I played it a year or so ago. My steam library scares me.

But now that I have my steam library up, looks like I also played Card City Nights. I've also played a lot of triple triad in FF14 & 8, if mini games count.

This might surprise you to hear, but "meta games" don't do a whole lot for me. Yes, undertale was a fine game, but that's despite the meta stuff rather than because of it. Most of the time it comes off as an attempt to be silly, or to make a story feel more important than it really is. "Hey guys, this game you're playing is a game!" "Wow, really? I had no idea! Here I thought I was really murdering/getting murdered, but it's all a game! I should have known!" Inscryption dodges this bullet by being just a few layers deep and never truly goes full meta, even if you think it does early/mid game.

Inscryption is a difficult game to compare to other games because of the way it carries itself. It's not a true meta game, advancing through the main story requires you to step back away from the card game, it just does a lot of things very differently. How many card games even bother to have stuff like stories in them beyond some lore for window dressing? It's also not the sort of game you can really play pvp like so many others. It's very much you against a dungeon master that plays by different rules than you do. If I had to judge it based on games like it, I'd have to give it a solid 1/1.

[BrokenPromise]

@Lith Now I want to see how many hours you've logged fishing.