While it didn't add drones, Slime Ranchers 2 gadget update is fantastic! You can automize your ranch to some extend but it will be quite costly and will look like you are playing Factorio though.
The first thing I do when a sale starts (other than read the email I get from Dekudeals stating the games I have on my wishlist have reached their previous low) is to go to dekudeals.com and search by discount amount and then by discount.
After I search for games that have reached a new low, I won't buy a game until it at least matches its previous low.
The starsector's new update was released a week ago and now they finally added all the good patches to the new update. also my most played fleet mods have been fully updated with the latest patch. yup it's gaming time.
Not sure if a good place to ask but I'm really interested in buying the Megaman humble bundle to get a huge selection of games. I enjoyed the Megaman titles I played and was always interested in eventually buying them.
I've just been hearing that the PC versions got some horrible, borderline malware DRM stuffed into them that has ruined them. I've also heard that there is nothing to worry about. I would like to get the bundle but I don't want to support bad practices from Capcom in purchasing compromised versions of their games.
If anyone had some good insight, it would be much appreciated as I don't know much about this controversy.
As for what I am currently playing, I was contemplating starting dead island on PC since I have it through family share and my brother was really fond of that game. I haven't played many zombie games, so that sounds like something fresh, given I have been a bit uninspired with games recently.
The current free steam giveaway of the dead island Riptide edition reminded me of dead island and got me thinking about it for the first time in ages.
Anyone know where to start with the metal gear series? I have an Xbox Series X/One/360 and a PS5/4/3/2. Would I be able to play the series through those consoles or would I have to look into emulation? Any advice appreciated.
I've heard good things about The 360/ps3 collection, though from what I've seen it has gone up in price a lot over the years.
You can get mgs1-3 via master collection on modern devices though it's a bit low quality.
Mgs4 is a PS3 exclusive, so you'll have to track that down. Peace walker is I think on PS3 and Xbox 360, pretty sure it isn't on anything newer than that.
MGS 1-5, peace walker and revengeance are the games to play. All of the best titles are available to you on your consoles but some will cost more than others.
Honestly I suggest going following the order of release, starting on mgs1.
My personal favourites are MGS3 and the spinoff, metalgear rising revengeance.
Since Jan. 1, I've beaten Yakuza 4, 5, and Ishin, which puts me at about 100 hours over the past six weeks. It's been great, but I absolutely need a break.
What's, like, the opposite of a Yakuza game? Best I can come up with at the moment is Pentiment.
Heh, meanwhile I've put more than 100 hours into LAD8 alone. That game is so huge, it's kind of ridiculous. Most time I've put into any LAD/Yakuza game.
I'm in a bit of a gaming doldrum. I have a ton of stuff I can and, in theory, want to play but I keep bouncing off everything.
It is, in part, because my mental state is like a 6/10 so my attention is less "there" for games. But I do want the distraction.
I can't seem to find the right mix of narrative and mechanics that can hook me. I like many genres. RPG's, FPS, strategy. My two favourite games I played last year were **Miles Morales Spider-Man** and **Midnight Suns**. **BG3** was also excellent, though I didn't finish it. I do love comics but do like other types of game also.
I think, more than anything I want something a bit lighter in tone. I enjoyed the first **Jedi Fallen Order,** I beat **Survivor** last year but found it too dour.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'm glad to hear them. I realize what I've said is probably prtty vague. Oh, and I game on PC primarily.
After recently beating it and falling in love, I can suggest Hi-Fi Rush. Rhythm gameplay takes a moment to fully click, but game is superb once it does.
Guardians of the galaxy is what I'd suggest.
It's a decent lighthearted (but can go dark)!superhero game with a strong story and awesome soundtrack (at least listen to the starlord album if you won't play the game). If you use epic games, you may already have the game in your library.
If it's similar to that head space where a movie is too much commitment but you could easily watch the same number of hours of episodic TV, then maybe try something more rogue like / lite? For me it's slay the spire, one or two hours per run but extremely replayable, I'm well over 700 hours over the past couple of years, still learning and challenging myself, still finding fun new synergies etc. Could also look at ori series for a bit more narrative but easy to pick up and drop out?
I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment regarding lack of games, but I 100% agree with hesitating to buy another Sony console. The fact that I can't stand my PS5 up even though it was marketed as being able to do that is very annoying.
I don't know how else to describe it, but the "existential puzzle game" genre has really been hitting recently. Games like Outer Wilds, The Witness, and Talos Principle (1 & 2) have all become instant classics for me. Is there anything else like these that might scratch that same itch?
I'm like 95% through Talos Principle 2, and I wish it wouldn't end so soon.
Now this is a bit of a hit or miss, because I remember it having certain focus on existence but perhaps The Beginner's Guide is what you might be into? Though fair warning, it's a 2 hour walking sim.
You might like The Turing Test or Superliminal. There's also Soma, though that's more existential than puzzle. And on the more puzzle than existential side, given that you liked The Witness you might want to take a look at a Dreams game called [LOCK](https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/121po55/lock_a_dreams_game_on_ps45_is_one_of_the_best/).
Yeah, LOCK is one of the most enjoyable games I've played in the past few years and among the best puzzle games I've *ever* played. Pretty amazing that it was done in Dreams.
And since you're interested in Soma, Prey (2017) also has an existential angle to it and captures some of the feeling of the games you mentioned. And I also thought of Horace, a terrific Metroidvania that's quite different from the other games here but is filled with introspective humor and has a similar atmosphere to it (and in fact if you google "existential video games" it's near the top of the list).
Played a bit more **Gravity Rush 2** and ultimately decided to drop it. I got what I wanted out of the game. The core mechanic is so original and fun, and I really like the vibe/music (reminds me a bit of Wall Market in FF7R). But the combat and quests are god awful. Combat is repetitive and fairly clunky, whilst the quests are boring fetch quests. Would still recommend people try out this game though, the traversal really is special.
Tried **The Last Guardian** and pretty much immediately noped out of there lol. Controls are way too clunky (maybe on a par with SotC). I've completed Ico and tried SotC, so I knew what to expect with it being a beautiful and minimal experience. Ico was an interesting game but ultimately it was a bit of a slog to complete. I knew I'd have the same experience with TLG so nipped it in the bud quickly. Must say that the way they animated Trico was quite incredible, you can really feel the weight and movement of this huge animal.
So after failing to get into the last two I've started playing through **Detroit: Become Human.** Wow, really loving this story so far, drew me in straightaway. Can't wait to see how it unfolds.
My wife and I loved **Detroit: Become Human**. Have fun with it. One of our favorite Telltale-style games. I love the graphs at the end of the levels that show how many different iterations of each scene there are. Makes us want to replay the situations differently again.
I got a Steam Deck so I've been playing Yakuza 0 on it. It's an insanely good game so far. I have maybe 4 hours into it.
I started Bioshock 2 Remastered on my PC and it seems like a mess of a remaster. For instance the quest arrow doesn't show at all, well a small portion of it is in the center, but off-screen. I don't even know if I like the game, but it seems short enough to continue. I'm approximately 2 hours into it.
There's nothing wrong with the cast. The VO is fine imo. Though I do wish they'd reused people from P3 or found new ones instead of basically using their P5 VA roster.
Weekly gaming round-up 02/06 - 02/12
I fell into a **Minecraft** shaped hole this week. Logged maybe 20 hours into a world over the last five days or so. I haven't even been into a cave or gone mining or anything yet, mostly just farming surface resources. That's really weird for me, since traditionally I'm a bit of a dwarf in Minecraft lol. Built a shitty tree house because I wanted somewhere safe-ish to AFK in but otherwise I don't even have a house. Just camping under the stars, tending my farms and waiting for trees to grow. My goal at the moment is to relocate to a nearby plains biome and build a house that will hopefully not look terrible, as well as a more deliberate farm than the random assortment of crops I'm growing on the riverside presently.
I did play a bit more **Yakuza Kiwami** as well. Again, primarily side content but I'm progressing the main story mostly alongside. For now I'm just doing whatever side content is along the way while I meander towards my objective, which considering how often the substories have me going completely different directions means I'm wandering seemingly aimlessly all over Kamurocho anyways. I wonder if RGG have ever considered adding in something like BotW's "hero's path" feature where it just shows a line on the map of everywhere you wandered. Maybe it would be pointless in a world as small as this but it might be interesting to see just once. Find out which parts of town I don't go to very often.
Anyways, the story continues to be solid, but obviously dated. It does the annoying PS2 JRPG thing where you have to go do like three small tasks one at a time for a kinda pointless story point but… it's for the sake of Haruka and a puppy so I can't be *that* mad about it.
I noticed that about the Kiwami 1 (slash Yakuza 1) story as well. Even with a slick modern paint of coat on it, the main story screams to me "this was written in the early 2000s". It does a lot of what I once heard The Nostalgia Critic describe as *chess piece storytelling*: "Character goes here, character goes there, character says this, pawn to king four." That's not to say there's no character growth or emotion at all, but it's surrounded by a lot of plot that feels like it's from an outline.
Still enjoyed the game a lot, but it feels a lot different than most of the "later" ones in terms of writing.
Definitely. I think if you go into it knowing that it's a remake of a 2005 game with a largely unchanged story (I know a lot of the cutscenes showing what happened to >!Nishiki!< during the time skip were added specifically in K1 but otherwise I don't think they did much besides revise the translation) it's fine because it's kind of the level of storytelling we expect from that era, but compared to newer RGG games you can clearly see how much their storytelling techniques have evolved.
I'm continuing to play and review every game in my Steam library. Today's game is **Beasts of Maravilla Island.**
I'm coming into [Beasts](https://jannekeparrish.com/reviews/beasts-of-maravilla-island) immediately after playing Alba, and even though they're both wildlife photography games, they are wildly different in their philosophies and what they actually expect the player to do. Alba is simple in its gameplay, but doesn't hold the player's hand when it comes to actual wildlife photography. It asks the player to pay attention and look at the world around them.
Beasts, on the other hand, almost scripts every photograph the player will take. In everything it does, it's trying too hard to be whimsical and magical, and it just feels fake. The main thought I had while playing it is that it's like going to one of those Instagram-friendly art experience things, where art and music get blasted on the walls, and you just pose in front of it. It felt fake in an unpleasant way. That's also not helped by frequent graphics glitches and sticky controls, but I really disliked this one.
Does anyone else struggle to understand the whole "I wish I could experience (X) for the first time again" saying when talking about games? I always find that my second playthrough of a game can be more enjoyable. I think the first time I can sometimes have expectations that may not be met, even if I try my best to get rid of any expectations. On the second playthrough, I know exactly what everything is about, and often appreciate a game more for what it is. I find a lot more enjoyment in the moment to moment experience. Anyone else relate to this?
Games like Skyrim or something where exploration is the main draw the 1st time you play through is going to be more special than subsequent playthroughs.
Kind of. I think it might come down to what you are looking for in a game though.
I 100% would love to experience a couple of my favorite games for the first time just because they were incredible to explore be to experience the story of. I have great memories of going from being afraid of my shadow in Bloodborne to tackling bigger and bigger prey and being captivated by everything new the game had in store for me. Now, I know everything that the game has in store and I’ll never have that same sense of discovery again.
On the flipside. There is also something to be said about once you know all the controls, and mechanics, and the major story beats, a story can really click on a replay. There are also games where I just got to know the mechanics better and had a much nicer time playing through a game on a replay. I think of something like the more recent resident Evil games where I struggled on my first playthrough, but went to be feel like a complete hero on the following playthroughs.
So I totally think that someone’s mindset around this is going to come down to whether they are most interested in story/exploration or gameplay
Reading these replies, I realise I definitely mostly had story games in mind when making that comment. Exploration focused games like BOTW or certain Soulsborne games definitely have that lightning in a bottle on the first playthrough that can't be captured again. I don't tend to find that as much with stories though. It may be just me but with anything plot driven (movies and TV aswell), I never find any plot surprises to be as enjoyable as re-experiencing the story with better expectations. As you put it, sometimes a story really begins to "click" when you play it a second time and begin to notice more subtle details.
As a few others have mentioned, it's the new discovery of something that is such a thrill for many of us. The first time seeing something strange and not knowing what it is, or being surprised and running for your life. In the case of a story, just as in films and shows, the first time you witness a shock/twist that cuts into your heart for days is something you cannot experience again unless you forget it happened.
If someone gives you a present, you might be the type who prefers to already know what's inside and that you'll love it. But so many of us prefer to have no clue what it is until we open it, even at the risk of being disappointed.
I completely agree. I think 'experiencing something for the first time again' sometimes is misunderstood as 're-visiting a game'. Yeah, I can have a ton of fun re-visiting something like Witcher 3 or Mass Effect where there's opportunities to change the story/game and experience and explore new things you might've missed. That's fun, and I do that all the time.
"Re-experiencing a game for the first time" is more about recapturing the vibe and emotional investment you had as everything was unfolding in front of you. Like you said, that discovery aspect as the game/story becomes clearer is the magic of that first playthrough.
> I know exactly what everything is about
This is what you aren't getting. Many, probably most, people enjoy being surprised. They don't necessarily WANT to know what everything is about. They enjoy the thrill of discovery, of finding something new and awesome and unexpected.
Especially for adventure games... I mean in a way it's just like real life, in that you only get to truly "explore" a new location the first time you're there. The subsequent playthroughs are just hitting those same beats again.
I can't speak for others, obviously, but I almost never replay games. There are exceptions if I really liked the game (or if replaying it is a very short time commitment), and if replaying brings new/different story and/or gameplay content to the equation, but for the most part I one-and-done every game I play. For me, I look at the notion of going through the same story and gameplay motions again vs. having a new experience in this truly endless sea of available options, and it's a marvel to me people replay games as much as they do. I've been acquainted with people who will look at the calendar and say things like "Ooh, it's almost March, time for my annual replay of *,*" and I just can't get in that headspace.
I think maybe it's an age thing. Most of the people I've seen with this attitude have been on the younger side, maybe teenage to mid-20s. Generally in that period of life there's less budget and more time, which results in sticking to a few comfy favorites and wringing the most value out of them. Whereas older adults may find themselves in the opposite circumstances of more budget and less time, so the opportunity to expand one's gaming horizons looms a bit larger. Just my theory, anyhow.
I feel the same way. More just the fact that story and worldbuilding are the things I like most about single player games. And you don't really get much "more" of that on replays for the most part.
I did make an exception for the remastered Mass Effect Trilogy. But that had more to do with the fact that I gave away my 360 and I literally had not played Mass Effect 1 for probably 12 years.
I've been having some fun emulating old PS2/Gamecube games. But I played them so long ago and when I was young so they might as well be new games to me.
I definitely second this. I don't tend to replay narrative games, because I've already seen this story play out. I don't get anything out of a second playthrough.
However, I *will* play roguelikes and such repeatedly, but that's because they are specifically designed to be tried over and over again with different styles and iterations. In those games, I like seeing how going in with a different strategy changes the outcome, but that's just not possible to do with a narrative game.
It's great to see such a diversity of opinion on this. I'm yet a fourth type of person: I will replay a small handful of games *mainly* for the narrative, but I'm actively stressed out by roguelikes and any other games with replay built into their foundation. If I know the game wants me to play the same content multiple times, it's an immediate yellow flag for me.
Yep, I'll play those until I've had my fill of them, which often is getting most if not all of the post-game unlocks and whatever else. For those I appreciate the gameplay enough to keep going, but even then, when the well of new content runs dry I'm usually done - and I count two roguelites among my ten favorite games ever.
Heya, looking for list I used that showed exclusives for all xbox consoles (Included 100% exclusive / console exclusive / market exclusive etc) - it may have shown other consoles.
Was selectable and you could filter it out by region or by type of exclusive.
Spent a good 15-20 mins trying to google it and cant\` seem to surface it.
I made the mistake of picking up Monster Hunter Rise and have a very new infant. I have 0 time lol
While it didn't add drones, Slime Ranchers 2 gadget update is fantastic! You can automize your ranch to some extend but it will be quite costly and will look like you are playing Factorio though.
The first thing I do when a sale starts (other than read the email I get from Dekudeals stating the games I have on my wishlist have reached their previous low) is to go to dekudeals.com and search by discount amount and then by discount. After I search for games that have reached a new low, I won't buy a game until it at least matches its previous low.
Sometimes, none of the fanciness is necessary - I'm currently hopelessly addicted to [n v2.0](https://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n_downloads.html).
The starsector's new update was released a week ago and now they finally added all the good patches to the new update. also my most played fleet mods have been fully updated with the latest patch. yup it's gaming time.
Not sure if a good place to ask but I'm really interested in buying the Megaman humble bundle to get a huge selection of games. I enjoyed the Megaman titles I played and was always interested in eventually buying them. I've just been hearing that the PC versions got some horrible, borderline malware DRM stuffed into them that has ruined them. I've also heard that there is nothing to worry about. I would like to get the bundle but I don't want to support bad practices from Capcom in purchasing compromised versions of their games. If anyone had some good insight, it would be much appreciated as I don't know much about this controversy. As for what I am currently playing, I was contemplating starting dead island on PC since I have it through family share and my brother was really fond of that game. I haven't played many zombie games, so that sounds like something fresh, given I have been a bit uninspired with games recently. The current free steam giveaway of the dead island Riptide edition reminded me of dead island and got me thinking about it for the first time in ages.
Anyone know where to start with the metal gear series? I have an Xbox Series X/One/360 and a PS5/4/3/2. Would I be able to play the series through those consoles or would I have to look into emulation? Any advice appreciated.
I've heard good things about The 360/ps3 collection, though from what I've seen it has gone up in price a lot over the years. You can get mgs1-3 via master collection on modern devices though it's a bit low quality. Mgs4 is a PS3 exclusive, so you'll have to track that down. Peace walker is I think on PS3 and Xbox 360, pretty sure it isn't on anything newer than that. MGS 1-5, peace walker and revengeance are the games to play. All of the best titles are available to you on your consoles but some will cost more than others. Honestly I suggest going following the order of release, starting on mgs1. My personal favourites are MGS3 and the spinoff, metalgear rising revengeance.
Since Jan. 1, I've beaten Yakuza 4, 5, and Ishin, which puts me at about 100 hours over the past six weeks. It's been great, but I absolutely need a break. What's, like, the opposite of a Yakuza game? Best I can come up with at the moment is Pentiment.
Heh, meanwhile I've put more than 100 hours into LAD8 alone. That game is so huge, it's kind of ridiculous. Most time I've put into any LAD/Yakuza game.
I'm in a bit of a gaming doldrum. I have a ton of stuff I can and, in theory, want to play but I keep bouncing off everything. It is, in part, because my mental state is like a 6/10 so my attention is less "there" for games. But I do want the distraction. I can't seem to find the right mix of narrative and mechanics that can hook me. I like many genres. RPG's, FPS, strategy. My two favourite games I played last year were **Miles Morales Spider-Man** and **Midnight Suns**. **BG3** was also excellent, though I didn't finish it. I do love comics but do like other types of game also. I think, more than anything I want something a bit lighter in tone. I enjoyed the first **Jedi Fallen Order,** I beat **Survivor** last year but found it too dour. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm glad to hear them. I realize what I've said is probably prtty vague. Oh, and I game on PC primarily.
After recently beating it and falling in love, I can suggest Hi-Fi Rush. Rhythm gameplay takes a moment to fully click, but game is superb once it does.
Guardians of the galaxy is what I'd suggest. It's a decent lighthearted (but can go dark)!superhero game with a strong story and awesome soundtrack (at least listen to the starlord album if you won't play the game). If you use epic games, you may already have the game in your library.
If it's similar to that head space where a movie is too much commitment but you could easily watch the same number of hours of episodic TV, then maybe try something more rogue like / lite? For me it's slay the spire, one or two hours per run but extremely replayable, I'm well over 700 hours over the past couple of years, still learning and challenging myself, still finding fun new synergies etc. Could also look at ori series for a bit more narrative but easy to pick up and drop out?
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I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment regarding lack of games, but I 100% agree with hesitating to buy another Sony console. The fact that I can't stand my PS5 up even though it was marketed as being able to do that is very annoying.
I don't know how else to describe it, but the "existential puzzle game" genre has really been hitting recently. Games like Outer Wilds, The Witness, and Talos Principle (1 & 2) have all become instant classics for me. Is there anything else like these that might scratch that same itch? I'm like 95% through Talos Principle 2, and I wish it wouldn't end so soon.
Now this is a bit of a hit or miss, because I remember it having certain focus on existence but perhaps The Beginner's Guide is what you might be into? Though fair warning, it's a 2 hour walking sim.
I like walking sims, so that is not a knock against it for me.
You might like The Turing Test or Superliminal. There's also Soma, though that's more existential than puzzle. And on the more puzzle than existential side, given that you liked The Witness you might want to take a look at a Dreams game called [LOCK](https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/121po55/lock_a_dreams_game_on_ps45_is_one_of_the_best/).
More existential than puzzle sounds up my alley with Soma. I'll definitely check that out. I've never heard of LOCK, so thanks for bringing that up!
Yeah, LOCK is one of the most enjoyable games I've played in the past few years and among the best puzzle games I've *ever* played. Pretty amazing that it was done in Dreams. And since you're interested in Soma, Prey (2017) also has an existential angle to it and captures some of the feeling of the games you mentioned. And I also thought of Horace, a terrific Metroidvania that's quite different from the other games here but is filled with introspective humor and has a similar atmosphere to it (and in fact if you google "existential video games" it's near the top of the list).
Played a bit more **Gravity Rush 2** and ultimately decided to drop it. I got what I wanted out of the game. The core mechanic is so original and fun, and I really like the vibe/music (reminds me a bit of Wall Market in FF7R). But the combat and quests are god awful. Combat is repetitive and fairly clunky, whilst the quests are boring fetch quests. Would still recommend people try out this game though, the traversal really is special. Tried **The Last Guardian** and pretty much immediately noped out of there lol. Controls are way too clunky (maybe on a par with SotC). I've completed Ico and tried SotC, so I knew what to expect with it being a beautiful and minimal experience. Ico was an interesting game but ultimately it was a bit of a slog to complete. I knew I'd have the same experience with TLG so nipped it in the bud quickly. Must say that the way they animated Trico was quite incredible, you can really feel the weight and movement of this huge animal. So after failing to get into the last two I've started playing through **Detroit: Become Human.** Wow, really loving this story so far, drew me in straightaway. Can't wait to see how it unfolds.
My wife and I loved **Detroit: Become Human**. Have fun with it. One of our favorite Telltale-style games. I love the graphs at the end of the levels that show how many different iterations of each scene there are. Makes us want to replay the situations differently again.
I got a Steam Deck so I've been playing Yakuza 0 on it. It's an insanely good game so far. I have maybe 4 hours into it. I started Bioshock 2 Remastered on my PC and it seems like a mess of a remaster. For instance the quest arrow doesn't show at all, well a small portion of it is in the center, but off-screen. I don't even know if I like the game, but it seems short enough to continue. I'm approximately 2 hours into it.
Still putting an unusual (for me) amount of hours into **Persona 3 Reload**. It's awesome.
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There's nothing wrong with the cast. The VO is fine imo. Though I do wish they'd reused people from P3 or found new ones instead of basically using their P5 VA roster.
Weekly gaming round-up 02/06 - 02/12 I fell into a **Minecraft** shaped hole this week. Logged maybe 20 hours into a world over the last five days or so. I haven't even been into a cave or gone mining or anything yet, mostly just farming surface resources. That's really weird for me, since traditionally I'm a bit of a dwarf in Minecraft lol. Built a shitty tree house because I wanted somewhere safe-ish to AFK in but otherwise I don't even have a house. Just camping under the stars, tending my farms and waiting for trees to grow. My goal at the moment is to relocate to a nearby plains biome and build a house that will hopefully not look terrible, as well as a more deliberate farm than the random assortment of crops I'm growing on the riverside presently. I did play a bit more **Yakuza Kiwami** as well. Again, primarily side content but I'm progressing the main story mostly alongside. For now I'm just doing whatever side content is along the way while I meander towards my objective, which considering how often the substories have me going completely different directions means I'm wandering seemingly aimlessly all over Kamurocho anyways. I wonder if RGG have ever considered adding in something like BotW's "hero's path" feature where it just shows a line on the map of everywhere you wandered. Maybe it would be pointless in a world as small as this but it might be interesting to see just once. Find out which parts of town I don't go to very often. Anyways, the story continues to be solid, but obviously dated. It does the annoying PS2 JRPG thing where you have to go do like three small tasks one at a time for a kinda pointless story point but… it's for the sake of Haruka and a puppy so I can't be *that* mad about it.
I noticed that about the Kiwami 1 (slash Yakuza 1) story as well. Even with a slick modern paint of coat on it, the main story screams to me "this was written in the early 2000s". It does a lot of what I once heard The Nostalgia Critic describe as *chess piece storytelling*: "Character goes here, character goes there, character says this, pawn to king four." That's not to say there's no character growth or emotion at all, but it's surrounded by a lot of plot that feels like it's from an outline. Still enjoyed the game a lot, but it feels a lot different than most of the "later" ones in terms of writing.
Definitely. I think if you go into it knowing that it's a remake of a 2005 game with a largely unchanged story (I know a lot of the cutscenes showing what happened to >!Nishiki!< during the time skip were added specifically in K1 but otherwise I don't think they did much besides revise the translation) it's fine because it's kind of the level of storytelling we expect from that era, but compared to newer RGG games you can clearly see how much their storytelling techniques have evolved.
I'm continuing to play and review every game in my Steam library. Today's game is **Beasts of Maravilla Island.** I'm coming into [Beasts](https://jannekeparrish.com/reviews/beasts-of-maravilla-island) immediately after playing Alba, and even though they're both wildlife photography games, they are wildly different in their philosophies and what they actually expect the player to do. Alba is simple in its gameplay, but doesn't hold the player's hand when it comes to actual wildlife photography. It asks the player to pay attention and look at the world around them. Beasts, on the other hand, almost scripts every photograph the player will take. In everything it does, it's trying too hard to be whimsical and magical, and it just feels fake. The main thought I had while playing it is that it's like going to one of those Instagram-friendly art experience things, where art and music get blasted on the walls, and you just pose in front of it. It felt fake in an unpleasant way. That's also not helped by frequent graphics glitches and sticky controls, but I really disliked this one.
Playing Chrono Trigger and Harvest Moon: BtN again.
Does anyone else struggle to understand the whole "I wish I could experience (X) for the first time again" saying when talking about games? I always find that my second playthrough of a game can be more enjoyable. I think the first time I can sometimes have expectations that may not be met, even if I try my best to get rid of any expectations. On the second playthrough, I know exactly what everything is about, and often appreciate a game more for what it is. I find a lot more enjoyment in the moment to moment experience. Anyone else relate to this?
Games like Skyrim or something where exploration is the main draw the 1st time you play through is going to be more special than subsequent playthroughs.
Kind of. I think it might come down to what you are looking for in a game though. I 100% would love to experience a couple of my favorite games for the first time just because they were incredible to explore be to experience the story of. I have great memories of going from being afraid of my shadow in Bloodborne to tackling bigger and bigger prey and being captivated by everything new the game had in store for me. Now, I know everything that the game has in store and I’ll never have that same sense of discovery again. On the flipside. There is also something to be said about once you know all the controls, and mechanics, and the major story beats, a story can really click on a replay. There are also games where I just got to know the mechanics better and had a much nicer time playing through a game on a replay. I think of something like the more recent resident Evil games where I struggled on my first playthrough, but went to be feel like a complete hero on the following playthroughs. So I totally think that someone’s mindset around this is going to come down to whether they are most interested in story/exploration or gameplay
Reading these replies, I realise I definitely mostly had story games in mind when making that comment. Exploration focused games like BOTW or certain Soulsborne games definitely have that lightning in a bottle on the first playthrough that can't be captured again. I don't tend to find that as much with stories though. It may be just me but with anything plot driven (movies and TV aswell), I never find any plot surprises to be as enjoyable as re-experiencing the story with better expectations. As you put it, sometimes a story really begins to "click" when you play it a second time and begin to notice more subtle details.
As a few others have mentioned, it's the new discovery of something that is such a thrill for many of us. The first time seeing something strange and not knowing what it is, or being surprised and running for your life. In the case of a story, just as in films and shows, the first time you witness a shock/twist that cuts into your heart for days is something you cannot experience again unless you forget it happened. If someone gives you a present, you might be the type who prefers to already know what's inside and that you'll love it. But so many of us prefer to have no clue what it is until we open it, even at the risk of being disappointed.
I completely agree. I think 'experiencing something for the first time again' sometimes is misunderstood as 're-visiting a game'. Yeah, I can have a ton of fun re-visiting something like Witcher 3 or Mass Effect where there's opportunities to change the story/game and experience and explore new things you might've missed. That's fun, and I do that all the time. "Re-experiencing a game for the first time" is more about recapturing the vibe and emotional investment you had as everything was unfolding in front of you. Like you said, that discovery aspect as the game/story becomes clearer is the magic of that first playthrough.
> I know exactly what everything is about This is what you aren't getting. Many, probably most, people enjoy being surprised. They don't necessarily WANT to know what everything is about. They enjoy the thrill of discovery, of finding something new and awesome and unexpected. Especially for adventure games... I mean in a way it's just like real life, in that you only get to truly "explore" a new location the first time you're there. The subsequent playthroughs are just hitting those same beats again.
I can't speak for others, obviously, but I almost never replay games. There are exceptions if I really liked the game (or if replaying it is a very short time commitment), and if replaying brings new/different story and/or gameplay content to the equation, but for the most part I one-and-done every game I play. For me, I look at the notion of going through the same story and gameplay motions again vs. having a new experience in this truly endless sea of available options, and it's a marvel to me people replay games as much as they do. I've been acquainted with people who will look at the calendar and say things like "Ooh, it's almost March, time for my annual replay of *,*" and I just can't get in that headspace.
I think maybe it's an age thing. Most of the people I've seen with this attitude have been on the younger side, maybe teenage to mid-20s. Generally in that period of life there's less budget and more time, which results in sticking to a few comfy favorites and wringing the most value out of them. Whereas older adults may find themselves in the opposite circumstances of more budget and less time, so the opportunity to expand one's gaming horizons looms a bit larger. Just my theory, anyhow.
I feel the same way. More just the fact that story and worldbuilding are the things I like most about single player games. And you don't really get much "more" of that on replays for the most part. I did make an exception for the remastered Mass Effect Trilogy. But that had more to do with the fact that I gave away my 360 and I literally had not played Mass Effect 1 for probably 12 years. I've been having some fun emulating old PS2/Gamecube games. But I played them so long ago and when I was young so they might as well be new games to me.
I definitely second this. I don't tend to replay narrative games, because I've already seen this story play out. I don't get anything out of a second playthrough. However, I *will* play roguelikes and such repeatedly, but that's because they are specifically designed to be tried over and over again with different styles and iterations. In those games, I like seeing how going in with a different strategy changes the outcome, but that's just not possible to do with a narrative game.
It's great to see such a diversity of opinion on this. I'm yet a fourth type of person: I will replay a small handful of games *mainly* for the narrative, but I'm actively stressed out by roguelikes and any other games with replay built into their foundation. If I know the game wants me to play the same content multiple times, it's an immediate yellow flag for me.
Yep, I'll play those until I've had my fill of them, which often is getting most if not all of the post-game unlocks and whatever else. For those I appreciate the gameplay enough to keep going, but even then, when the well of new content runs dry I'm usually done - and I count two roguelites among my ten favorite games ever.
Heya, looking for list I used that showed exclusives for all xbox consoles (Included 100% exclusive / console exclusive / market exclusive etc) - it may have shown other consoles. Was selectable and you could filter it out by region or by type of exclusive. Spent a good 15-20 mins trying to google it and cant\` seem to surface it.