Multi Watcha playing?

[The Flame]

Just beat Shantae 5 tonight. Was pretty satisfied with it considering Half-Genie Hero was kinda meh and those were my expectations, but it was much better. The animated cutscenes were awesome and the addition of monster cards was pretty cool. Only real complaint was that the frog transformation was just the same as the digging one but underwater. The transformations were a little more restrictive on movement than in previous games, but I was glad they didn't just reuse the same ones again. Was kinda cool to see Ross O'Donovan as a voice in the credits. Didn't know he was in it.

Thinking I might try the Metroid Prime remake next. Never played the originals.

 

[Spiner202]

Thinking I might try the Metroid Prime remake next. Never played the originals.

I really liked the remake. Not sure if you've played other Metroid games outside the Prime series, but I was amazed at how they translated a 2D game into 3D. Probably the most accurate transition I can think of.

 

[Smacktard]

Playing:
Castlevania: SotN -- nevery played it before but got it as part of the Castlevania Requiem edition. I prefer Rondo and don't quite get the obsession with this game. Difficulty is all over the place, some bosses are complete jokes, and trash mobs are more annoying than engaging.

Zelda: TotK -- excellent game, much better than BotW even, which I also loved. Currently abusing dupe glitches to max out all equipment before the glitches are patched. While a fun game, it's a chore to 100%.

Advance Wars: Re-Boot Camp -- never played the original series, and I'm really enjoying this game. It's like Fire Emblem but without the tedious annoyances that I hate about Fire Emblem. Shame the online was self-sabotaged -- there's no open match making, just a return to friend codes. Will Nintendo ever learn?

Spoiler

No.

 

[Raposuh]

Played through the new Sea of thieves Tall Tale tonight, a crossover with Legend of Monkey Island. It's an incredibly good rendition of a point and click as a 3D adventure. Very funny as well, highly recommend.

 

[shortkut]

Played through the new Sea of thieves Tall Tale tonight, a crossover with Legend of Monkey Island. It's an incredibly good rendition of a point and click as a 3D adventure. Very funny as well, highly recommend.

I remember playing the first 2 monkey island games. Lots of fun

 

[Raposuh]

I remember playing the first 2 monkey island games. Lots of fun

It's chock full of callbacks and references to the first game, I imagine the next two tall tales that release will have more from LeChucks Revenge and Curse of Monkey Island

 

[The Flame]

I really liked the remake. Not sure if you've played other Metroid games outside the Prime series, but I was amazed at how they translated a 2D game into 3D. Probably the most accurate transition I can think of.

I've only played a decent chunk of Super Metroid and nothing else. But I really liked it and always wanted to go back or try more Metroid games. The Prime games get so much praise so I imagine it'll be a good one to go with.

 

[Smacktard]

I've only played a decent chunk of Super Metroid and nothing else. But I really liked it and always wanted to go back or try more Metroid games. The Prime games get so much praise so I imagine it'll be a good one to go with.

Metroid Prime is one of my favorite games of all time. Enjoy!

 

[Arca Jeth]

What games are you playing these days? What are you looking forward to?

I'm currently working through Pikmin 4 and am very excited about BG3.

[EDIT] I'm an idiot and didn't see there's a whole gaming section of the forums

Admin Edit: Thread merged with the existing one.

 

[Spiner202]

I just finished a play through of Metro 2033 Redux. I bought this game years ago and beat it, and am now revisiting it for the platinum.

I have honestly never liked this game, and my feelings didn't change this time around. I'm not sure if the sequel is the reason this series is so beloved, but I can't find much to like in the game. The plot of the game feels sorta pointless, even if the overarching message is fine (largely because that message is only clear in the final seconds of the game). The characters are pretty rough; they're all identical to one another, and yet you have a new sidekick every couple of levels. I'm not sure if it's the writing, or the voice acting, or both, but there's literally no difference between any of the characters in this game.

The setting, by necessity, is largely uninteresting. The best parts are when you're outside, but those parts are frustrating because there's always a monster waiting to pick you up and drop you somewhere. I don't find the combat to be engaging - granted, it's not terrible, but it's a simple shooter, and there are only a handful of types of guns.

Parts of the game are really unclear as to what to do. There's one part where you're supposed to burn a spider web to progress, but the mechanics of using the lighter (or even that you have one) are never explained; supposedly they were explained in the original game, but Redux took it out? There's another section with enemies that are near-unbeatable, even on the easiest difficulty, but it's not clear that you're supposed to run away from them, rather than fight (and the level looks so similar that you're basically just running in circles until you hit the right door). There are also a couple of parts where even when there are no enemies, the path forward is hard to find.

The morality system is way less clear than most other games (which is not to say that it forces you to make difficult decisions, but instead that it's not clear why or when you earn a morality point), and it's also totally dropped in the final two chapters of the game, except for the alternate ending you can get (but you'd have no idea how to unlock that ending if you didn't know what to do).

I think I dislike the game more because other people like it so much and I can't figure out why, then that it's actually a bad product. It did crash a couple of times, but otherwise is fairly stable and polished. It's just uninteresting.

 

[Andy]

Just finished the first Ni No Kuni game. Really enjoyed it. I’m always a little hesitant at first with RPGs because you have to invest so much time (although I’ve still played a ton of them) but this was great after the disappointment of Persona 3

 

[Smacktard]

Just finished the first Ni No Kuni game. Really enjoyed it. I’m always a little hesitant at first with RPGs because you have to invest so much time (although I’ve still played a ton of them) but this was great after the disappointment of Persona 3

I played Ni No Kuni 2 and loved it. Excited to play 1, but I find myself trying to finish as many "short games" as I can before starting to invest dozens upon dozens of hours in a jRPG

Ni No Kuni 2 is great though. Goldpaw theme and armosphere slaps

Btw why did you dislike P3? I've never played a Persona game but I've thought about getting into it

 

[Andy]

I played Ni No Kuni 2 and loved it. Excited to play 1, but I find myself trying to finish as many "short games" as I can before starting to invest dozens upon dozens of hours in a jRPG

Ni No Kuni 2 is great though. Goldpaw theme and armosphere slaps

Btw why did you dislike P3? I've never played a Persona game but I've thought about getting into it

I hadn’t either. I think I just expected it to be a more tradition RPG whereas it’s all just point and click. Wasn’t what I was looking for at all.

I do similar to you with short games btw. Inside was wonderful and isn’t very long, Adios was very fun and only a couple of hours and Hellblade was probably about 10 hours so those were my recent “between epics” games.

 

[Smacktard]

Inside was wonderful and isn’t very long

I have the Inside + Limbo collection sitting on my shelf just staring at me. Stuck between doing those next, Tearaway, or Shadow of Mordor. They're all pretty easy games and I need a chill game after smashing my head on Rain World again and again... and again... and again and again and again...

 

[Raine]

but this was great after the disappointment of Persona 3

Btw why did you dislike P3? I've never played a Persona game but I've thought about getting into it

Persona 3 is... troublesome. It's by far my favorite of the three life sim-styled games, but there's no definitive version of the game in existence and right now the only version available on current consoles is the recent (bad) port of the hugely down-scaled PSP version, Persona 3 Portable. Both vanilla P3 and P3 "FES" on PS2 had an actual character you would run around the screen with; P3P just gives you a cursor, and during talking sequences only displays static artwork instead of having rendered models moving and emoting and such. It really, really kills a lot of the atmosphere.

Conversely, P3P has a ton of quality of life improvements and an entire second character to play as (a female protagonist, or "FeMC") with her own Social Links and a couple of minor narrative hooks.

You can't really play any version of P3 after playing P4 or P5 and expect to fully enjoy it, either. P3 is intentionally slower-paced, and only really contains a singular dungeon in the form of Tartarus. So, yeah.

Oh and for good measure there's a full blown remake of P3 coming out now, and no it doesn't have all of the content either. It's basically vanilla/FES in P5's engine, without the post-game epilogue (FES's The Answer) or the second character (P3P's FeMC).

 

[Smacktard]

Sounds like a game I would absolutely hate. Thanks for the complete run-down. I'll avoid it. Probably started with P5 like virtually every other human in existence.

 

[Major Isoor]

I started playing Wolfenstein: The New Order recently, which has been decent enough. I seem to have passed the point where stealth is viable though, which is a shame - since sneakily killing nazis with a knife was pretty fun.

Other than that though, I've gone back to one of the best classics of all time: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. And man, it's so good! It all came back to me pretty quickly, after not playing for many years. Once I've finished this, I reckon I'll probably have to play Double Agent again.

 

[Smacktard]

I started playing Wolfenstein: The New Order recently, which has been decent enough. I seem to have passed the point where stealth is viable though, which is a shame - since sneakily killing nazis with a knife was pretty fun.

I hate games where stealth is an option and then completely becomes unviable end-game.

I went pure thief in Might and Magic and there's a part end-game that just completely filters you if you don't have some strength/magic abilities.

 

[Benzine]

Advance Wars: Re-Boot Camp -- never played the original series, and I'm really enjoying this game. It's like Fire Emblem but without the tedious annoyances that I hate about Fire Emblem. Shame the online was self-sabotaged -- there's no open match making, just a return to friend codes. Will Nintendo ever learn?

Spoiler

No.

You and I could play together. Although I'm probably not very good.

I'm pretty sure there are online communities for this game, where people played online.

 

[Smacktard]

I'm pretty sure there are online communities for this game, where people played online.

You would think, but the game's online is so cumbersome, and there's already a free 3rd party online Advance Wars project with better matchmaking, so people just play that instead.

 

[Major Isoor]

I hate games where stealth is an option and then completely becomes unviable end-game.

I went pure thief in Might and Magic and there's a part end-game that just completely filters you if you don't have some strength/magic abilities.

Yeah, 100%! Like, why even feature a type of gameplay, if you're only going to completely screw over people who focus on it later on? Very annoying..

 

[Spiner202]

I've been doing another play through of The Last of Us 2 and have a few thoughts that are new to me on this playthrough:

Maybe I've played this game too many times, but I think it's just too long. Although I like the overarching story, there are little parts that don't hold up as well after the initial play through - largely because they're just a walking simulator. I understand that they have a role in character development, but I don't think they do much to advance the themes or plot of the story. I'm thinking of sections like the sniping trip with Ellie & Tommy and the aquarium sections for Abby, but there are more. I would add that probably at least 1 day's worth of each of Abby and Ellie's sections could be cut without losing much. I feel like the only interesting setting in Ellie's Days is the open-world Seattle on Day 1 (with the map). I'm not that far along in Abby's days yet, but Day 1 could not be less interesting; I do remember liking the hospital and the sections in the sky though in the future days.

On the gameplay front, I noticed that they sort of gated a lot of the doors. You can't just approach a door and press triangle; you have to hold triangle while Ellie moves an item that is pushed up against the door. It's more realistic to the game's setting, but it's a bit frustrating because if you get into an unwinnable fight, you usually can't get the door open in time. I know that's the point, but part of the fun of grounded mode is to just narrowly escape sometimes.

A related point about grounded mode - I feel like they nerfed crouching around in favour of crawling. Because there's no crawling in TLOU1, you have to crouch everywhere. In TLOU2, you get spotted almost immediately, and enemies turn too quickly to crouch effectively. By contrast, you can crawl anywhere, and as long as you aren't directly in front of an enemy, they never seem to see you at all. It's pretty wild - you can be crouching and in an enemy's sightline, but then you prone and suddenly the white bars showing you've been spotted are gone. I've read a lot of comments about people wanting crawling/proning in TLOU1, but the more I play this game, the more I prefer the crouching of the first game, even if it wasn't as realistic.

This is the first time I've played this game where I didn't love it, but I'll be doing another run right after this one to finish off the final trophy.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Overwatch had a major update last week. New PvP mode and maps, a new powerful support hero (unlike the last one), and 4 PvE missions.

 

[Raine]

I'm back to doing chores in Final Fantasy XIV. Catching up on Endwalker content I've neglected, picking up post-4.1 Triple Triad Cards, and generally getting ready for the Xbox release achievement-wise. Considering picking up a PS5 if there's a decent Black Friday deal to double up and never worry about it again, but... we'll see. I think I've played fewer than half a dozen PS4 games, probably less than a dozen PS3 games and just a single Vita game (that was a double dip on a game I ended up fucking loathing!). So those were all objectively bad purchases.

This is the first time I've played this game where I didn't love it, but I'll be doing another run right after this one to finish off the final trophy.

I know it largely goes without saying, but Trophies/Achievements can be the worst things we ever do to ourselves. I'm not super keen on replaying most games to begin with precisely because downtime/now-unnecessary development will stick out like a sore thumb, but approaching a game multiple times with oft-restrictive requirements can sour even something you love.

Probably a large part of why I never quite got around to doing the PS3 version of NieR. The 6~7 days I played on a whim back in 2010 or so, with zero expectations, was perfection. It literally can't hold up. Same with something like FF8, I'd imagine.

 

[Boots]

Tarkov wiped so I'm back on that addiction.

 

[Op19]

Tarkov wiped so I'm back on that addiction.

Nice to see another Tarkov enjoyer. I don't play all the time but few games give the sorta experience this one does. Fun interacting with randos too.

For me I've been taking my FF14 alt thru the MSQ, currently on 5.4 leading into Endwalker as well as replaying Bozja on the alt as well. I wish there was an exploratory zone for current level but alas. After I'm all caught up I might actually do some raiding.

In addition also playing Baldur's Gate 3. I'm not obsessed with it like some folks but its certainly a fun game. Scratching the DND itch too.

Looking ahead next week is the new Destiny 2 season and the Showcase for Final Shape which i'm excited about and we also have Armored Core 6 on the horizon. And then Starfield.... SO MANY GAMES.

Games I still need to finish: Tears of the Kingdom and Trails into Reverie.

 

[Andy]

I started playing Wolfenstein: The New Order recently, which has been decent enough. I seem to have passed the point where stealth is viable though, which is a shame - since sneakily killing nazis with a knife was pretty fun.

Other than that though, I've gone back to one of the best classics of all time: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. And man, it's so good! It all came back to me pretty quickly, after not playing for many years. Once I've finished this, I reckon I'll probably have to play Double Agent again.

Played Wolfenstein for the first time a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Gameplay is a little dated but the story is excellent.

I’ve just started Hogwarts Legacy. I know, I know. Enjoying it so far - it’s relatively basic but I just love the world in general.

 

[TD]

Just finished the first Ni No Kuni game. Really enjoyed it.

The 2nd one is very different from the 1st, but if you ever get around to it I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I played Ni No Kuni 2 and loved it. Excited to play 1, but I find myself trying to finish as many "short games" as I can before starting to invest dozens upon dozens of hours in a jRPG

Ni No Kuni 1 was one of my favourite RPGs at the time it came out. Not sure if it's aged well. The pet mechanic is almost Pokemon-like. If you're a trophy hunter though, prepare for hell.

 

[TD]

In terms of what I'm currently playing - nothing. I will be starting Sea of Stars on release though.

 

[Andy]

The 2nd one is very different from the 1st, but if you ever get around to it I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Ni No Kuni 1 was one of my favourite RPGs at the time it came out. Not sure if it's aged well. The pet mechanic is almost Pokemon-like. If you're a trophy hunter though, prepare for hell.

I think it definitely holds up. It is similar to Pokemon - I’d agree with that. I didn’t pay enough attention to choosing the right familiars early on and was just using whatever I had. The game got a lot easier once I went looking for the good ones.

 

[Mark]

My girlfriend and I started “It Takes Two” at the suggestion of a friend. So far it’s a fun little platform game. Kinda like Little Big Planet, but with a slightly more mature tone.

 

[Smacktard]

My girlfriend and I started “It Takes Two” at the suggestion of a friend. So far it’s a fun little platform game. Kinda like Little Big Planet, but with a slightly more mature tone.

I played this game with my wife and we had such a blast! The platforming is fun and the gameplay stays varied throughout so you're always experiencing something new and fresh. The set design is incredible, and the difficulty is just right -- I never found it so easy that I was bored, and yet my wife (who sucks at games) never found it too difficult that she got frustrated. One of my favorite games! We both regularly think back so fondly on our time together playing it.

We had such a great time just interacting with the various optional fun stuff in each area. The winter village in particular is just so whimsical and beautiful and atmospheric.

If you love it, try A Way Out when you're finished. The story is a lot better and more mature, but the gameplay isn't as good as It Takes Two. Regardless, it's still a fun game to play as a couple.

 

[Mark]

I played this game with my wife and we had such a blast! The platforming is fun and the gameplay stays varied throughout so you're always experiencing something new and fresh. The set design is incredible, and the difficulty is just right -- I never found it so easy that I was bored, and yet my wife (who sucks at games) never found it too difficult that she got frustrated. One of my favorite games! We both regularly think back so fondly on our time together playing it.

We had such a great time just interacting with the various optional fun stuff in each area. The winter village in particular is just so whimsical and beautiful and atmospheric.

If you love it, try A Way Out when you're finished. The story is a lot better and more mature, but the gameplay isn't as good as It Takes Two. Regardless, it's still a fun game to play as a couple.

She’s definitely not a gamer by any means, it’s actually something that she got into just since we’ve been together. We used to play her NES when we were kids together, but that was probably the last experience she had with video games. Nowadays, she’s getting better, though. She went from playing simple stuff like MLB The Show to Madden, gradually worked up towards playing more interactive stuff like GTAV and RDR2, and has since been able to play games like LBP with me that require cooperative skills.

The fact that there aren’t too many 2P co-op games out there these days make me that much more appreciative of what games like LBP and It Takes Two have carved out for themselves… so with that said, I’m definitely going to be checking out A Way Out when we wrap this one up.

 

[Spiner202]

A couple weeks ago, I bought WWE 2K23, which is my first wrestling game since probably Smackdown vs. Raw? It's been a good complement to watching the WWE again because it's helping me learn who all of the wrestlers are that I'm not familiar with.

The biggest surprise to me is how deep this game is. There are several game modes, all of which are fairly unique. Each of them takes quite a bit of time to learn the mechanics too, although once you figure it out, it's not too convoluted.

Maybe the coolest mode is MyGM, where you get to compete against 1-3 CPUs or humans in running a brand. You book a card, create rivalries, sign legends, and do all sorts of other things. I found this to be a lot of fun, even though I didn't do any actual wrestling. It does feel a little formulaic the more you play it, but there's a lot of replayability because you can always sign new wrestlers or try different strategies. The only issue I had with those mode is that wrestlers just don't have enough stamina and get hurt all the time. It's actually pretty frustrating because if you have people wrestle every week, they'll certainly get injured soon enough. You basically have to carry a roster that is double the size of the weekly card, but doing that can be pricy, so it's tough to balance.

The other mode I liked a lot is MyFaction. This is the equivalent of Madden Ultimate Team, which is admittedly the biggest reason why people hate sports games these days, but this still feels different. For one thing, unlike MUT, I don't think it's designed to be PvP at all. There is a section where you can compete online against people, but it's such a small focus that I really think they intend for you to fight against the CPU. There are several different ways to fight - live events, towers, 4-person tag matches, etc. It is SUPER grindy though. One thing I prefer about MUT is that because you have to fill out an entire football team, you're constantly getting new cards. In this mode, cards and packs are fewer and further between, and there's no auction/secondary market, so there's really no way to get top tier cards other than to just grind it out. Still, if I were younger, this game mode would probably take months of my life because I find it so fun.

For trophy hunters, the mode also has one downside - you have to win 100 4v4 tag matches. This isn't inherently a problem, but tag matches in this game feel totally broken. You have to knock every opposing teammate off of the apron or else they'll break up any pinfall or submission attempt immediately. In 2v2, it's not so bad, but in 4v4, it's brutal. Most of the exploits to easily win these matches have been patched; supposedly the easiest way is to force a quick submission, but I think my cards are not good enough to pull that off. I've won about 15 of them, so it's not impossible, but this is going to be a huge grind.

Amazingly, there are several other modes that I didn't cover, and I'm still working through the base story mode, but I was pretty surprised that a game that comes out annually has this much content. It even has tons of classic WWE guys from the era when I used to watch 20 years ago. Overall, I'm really happy with this purchase (especially since I used points/wallet funds I already had, so it cost me nothing), but I'm not sure if I would actually need one of these games every year.

 

[Markumas]

Just finished Jedi survivor. Now I’m on final fantasy VII remake.

 

[Andy]

A couple weeks ago, I bought WWE 2K23, which is my first wrestling game since probably Smackdown vs. Raw? It's been a good complement to watching the WWE again because it's helping me learn who all of the wrestlers are that I'm not familiar with.

The biggest surprise to me is how deep this game is. There are several game modes, all of which are fairly unique. Each of them takes quite a bit of time to learn the mechanics too, although once you figure it out, it's not too convoluted.

Maybe the coolest mode is MyGM, where you get to compete against 1-3 CPUs or humans in running a brand. You book a card, create rivalries, sign legends, and do all sorts of other things. I found this to be a lot of fun, even though I didn't do any actual wrestling. It does feel a little formulaic the more you play it, but there's a lot of replayability because you can always sign new wrestlers or try different strategies. The only issue I had with those mode is that wrestlers just don't have enough stamina and get hurt all the time. It's actually pretty frustrating because if you have people wrestle every week, they'll certainly get injured soon enough. You basically have to carry a roster that is double the size of the weekly card, but doing that can be pricy, so it's tough to balance.

The other mode I liked a lot is MyFaction. This is the equivalent of Madden Ultimate Team, which is admittedly the biggest reason why people hate sports games these days, but this still feels different. For one thing, unlike MUT, I don't think it's designed to be PvP at all. There is a section where you can compete online against people, but it's such a small focus that I really think they intend for you to fight against the CPU. There are several different ways to fight - live events, towers, 4-person tag matches, etc. It is SUPER grindy though. One thing I prefer about MUT is that because you have to fill out an entire football team, you're constantly getting new cards. In this mode, cards and packs are fewer and further between, and there's no auction/secondary market, so there's really no way to get top tier cards other than to just grind it out. Still, if I were younger, this game mode would probably take months of my life because I find it so fun.

For trophy hunters, the mode also has one downside - you have to win 100 4v4 tag matches. This isn't inherently a problem, but tag matches in this game feel totally broken. You have to knock every opposing teammate off of the apron or else they'll break up any pinfall or submission attempt immediately. In 2v2, it's not so bad, but in 4v4, it's brutal. Most of the exploits to easily win these matches have been patched; supposedly the easiest way is to force a quick submission, but I think my cards are not good enough to pull that off. I've won about 15 of them, so it's not impossible, but this is going to be a huge grind.

Amazingly, there are several other modes that I didn't cover, and I'm still working through the base story mode, but I was pretty surprised that a game that comes out annually has this much content. It even has tons of classic WWE guys from the era when I used to watch 20 years ago. Overall, I'm really happy with this purchase (especially since I used points/wallet funds I already had, so it cost me nothing), but I'm not sure if I would actually need one of these games every year.

I stopped being able to play wrestling games when they moved away from the buttons towards the sticks.

 

[Spiner202]

Yesterday I fired up the Mega Man Legacy Collection. I bought this in 2018 and got bored after an hour, and never touched it again.

I had started with Mega Man 1, and apparently already beat half of the stages when I picked it up again yesterday. So far, I'm not loving it. Like any old game, it is unnecessarily difficult. It has a rewind feature, although not anything as abusable as the save states that you can in Nintendo Switch Online. I have a feeling getting all of the trophies in this collection will be incredibly painful for me, but I needed a game I could grind away at while watching football or wrestling and the other game I started up (see below) is not great for that.

A couple days before that, I started up Shadow of the Colossus again. I'd beat the game once on normal in 2020, and am now revisiting it for the plat. So far, I have just been doing the time attacks on normal. I weirdly think the game is more fun without having to track down all the colossi, but I have to admit that the time attacks are pretty annoying. Some of them are forgiving, while others are pretty tight. It bugs me that although you get new powers from beating these, you can't use them in subsequent time attacks. I know the ones on hard are going to be absolutely brutal. More to come on this game, because you have to beat it more than 5 times for the plat! Still, I expect the time attacks to be the worst part, because I love being overpowered in a game, and I don't think I'll mind running through it a few times with more abilities.

 

[Raine]

Yesterday I fired up the Mega Man Legacy Collection. I bought this in 2018 and got bored after an hour, and never touched it again.

I had started with Mega Man 1, and apparently already beat half of the stages when I picked it up again yesterday. So far, I'm not loving it. Like any old game, it is unnecessarily difficult. It has a rewind feature, although not anything as abusable as the save states that you can in Nintendo Switch Online. I have a feeling getting all of the trophies in this collection will be incredibly painful for me, but I needed a game I could grind away at while watching football or wrestling and the other game I started up (see below) is not great for that.

Yup, Mega Man is one of the original "Nintendo Hard" pioneers. It's all about trial and error, but they're generally fair. As you improve, all of the games become easier since they work with very similar structure and ideas. The stages are typically the hardest part; each of the bosses has an explicit weakness (which is the weapon type from another boss) and can be cheesed pretty hard. Which is good, because... reasons.

If you're not feeling it, consider doing Mega Man X Legacy Collection (#1, #2 is 5~8 and all of those are mediocre or horrible - coming from a lifelong fan) first. Those are easier and can help you bridge the learning gap a bit, though obviously the movement options in MMX relative (most) MM are vastly expanded - part of why they're easier.

 

[Spiner202]

Yup, Mega Man is one of the original "Nintendo Hard" pioneers. It's all about trial and error, but they're generally fair. As you improve, all of the games become easier since they work with very similar structure and ideas. The stages are typically the hardest part; each of the bosses has an explicit weakness (which is the weapon type from another boss) and can be cheesed pretty hard. Which is good, because... reasons.

If you're not feeling it, consider doing Mega Man X Legacy Collection (#1, #2 is 5~8 and all of those are mediocre or horrible - coming from a lifelong fan) first. Those are easier and can help you bridge the learning gap a bit, though obviously the movement options in MMX relative (most) MM are vastly expanded - part of why they're easier.

The part where I gave up the first time around was the electric stage. Now that I've made it to the second Wily stage (i.e. I've beaten all of the main stages), it's clear to me that this was by far the hardest stage.

The main bosses were very chewable with the right weapon, but the boss in the first Wily stage was brutal. I had to abuse the rewind feature to make sure I could jump over each piece of him as it moved from left to right, and vice versa. I have no idea how anyone beat that boss legit.

 

[Raine]

Mmhm, there's always one troublesome stage for people. And the Wily/Sigma Stages are brutal for sure. Was not uncommon to spend 2~3 hours just grinding out the final boss fight, not counting what you had to do leading back up to it. Each and every time.

The stuff in W/S zones typically do have weaknesses as well, they just aren't as telegraphed and overpowered, and they never (that I can remember) allow for stunlocking. If you get too stuck/frustrated, GameFAQs and/or YouTube should have ya covered.

 

[Smacktard]

Mega Man games can be challenging, but once you "get" them, they're not so bad. Using boss powers makes traversing regular stages a lot more manageable too. The Green Devil is the most annoying boss in every game -- it's just repetition and muscle memory, and each time it's different.

MM9 is the best game IMO.

 

[Spiner202]

A couple days before that, I started up Shadow of the Colossus again. I'd beat the game once on normal in 2020, and am now revisiting it for the plat. So far, I have just been doing the time attacks on normal. I weirdly think the game is more fun without having to track down all the colossi, but I have to admit that the time attacks are pretty annoying. Some of them are forgiving, while others are pretty tight. It bugs me that although you get new powers from beating these, you can't use them in subsequent time attacks. I know the ones on hard are going to be absolutely brutal. More to come on this game, because you have to beat it more than 5 times for the plat! Still, I expect the time attacks to be the worst part, because I love being overpowered in a game, and I don't think I'll mind running through it a few times with more abilities.

I only have a few trophies left (most of which involve a couple more playthroughs), but I've beaten all of the time attacks on both normal and hard, and just finished the speed run trophy on hard.

I've developed a complete love/hate relationship with this game. It reminds me of Majora's Mask. It has possibly the best atmosphere of any game ever, a very cool story, and a super compelling world. The idea of playing the game is extremely fun.

BUT - the game itself is not that fun to play. The controls are a little wonky; nothing unplayable, but the horse mechanics need to be tightened up, and even the protagonist has some awkward movements at times. Much like Majora's Mask, I feel like the more familiar you become with the game, the better it is, because the trek to each colossus is best done with a guide until you memorize them all. The AI of the colossi really goes off the rails at times. It makes the time attacks frustrating, but even the main game with no time limits is not that fun when you can't get the colossus to go where you need it to.

The game is a lot better with the more powerful sword that you get after beating the time attacks, and when your stamina is way higher in new game+. Also, some of the colossi are so cool. I do feel like there are a couple that are just reskins of previous colossi, but the really unique ones are amazing. My favourites are 5, 7, and 13.

This is definitely a game everyone should try once, but I think you have to overcome the frustration to appreciate it.

 

[Spiner202]

While I'm plugging away at Mega Man, I started up another play through of Bloodborne. I beat this game so quickly when it came out that I didn't even buy the DLC. I finally splurged on it since it was on sale, and figured that I'd just do another play through instead of picking up from where I left off in one of my other games.

Maybe I'm a lot more experienced with Souls games now (Bloodborne was my first), but I beat both Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne on my first try. I'm having a bit of a tough time getting to the Blood-Starved Beast, but only because I don't remember the exact path, so the dude with the machine gun has been mowing me down.

In any case, this game is still super fun many years later, and I'm curious what the DLC will look like.

 

[TD]

While I'm plugging away at Mega Man, I started up another play through of Bloodborne. I beat this game so quickly when it came out that I didn't even buy the DLC. I finally splurged on it since it was on sale, and figured that I'd just do another play through instead of picking up from where I left off in one of my other games.

Maybe I'm a lot more experienced with Souls games now (Bloodborne was my first), but I beat both Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne on my first try. I'm having a bit of a tough time getting to the Blood-Starved Beast, but only because I don't remember the exact path, so the dude with the machine gun has been mowing me down.

In any case, this game is still super fun many years later, and I'm curious what the DLC will look like.

The thing with the Soulsborne games and when people try to rank difficulty...

It's typically going to be the first one you play. The best way to judge difficulty is based on replays in my opinion.

Also I bought Old Hunters but literally never played it and I've been 1 trophy away from Plat since it came out.

 

[Smacktard]

Also I bought Old Hunters but literally never played it and I've been 1 trophy away from Plat since it came out.

Old Hunters was the only part of Bloodborne I enjoyed.

It's typically going to be the first one you play.

Yeah, Dark Souls 1 kicked my ass, but Dark Souls 2 was an insane leap in difficulty IMO. The bosses, apart from Pursuer, were easy as tits but the trash mobs were pretty menacing.

 

[TD]

Old Hunters was the only part of Bloodborne I enjoyed.

Interesting. Maybe I should give it a try. Just not a big Bloodborne fan overall.

Yeah, Dark Souls 1 kicked my ass, but Dark Souls 2 was an insane leap in difficulty IMO. The bosses, apart from Pursuer, were easy as tits but the trash mobs were pretty menacing.

OG pre-patch Dark Souls 2 was fucking nuts. So much so they had several nerf patches because people complained about it. I'm honestly disappointed they nerfed it into oblivion.

Regarding bosses - I feel like this about the Souls games and ER. I find the levels harder than the bosses. If I die it's always more in the level than the actual boss fight.

 

[Smacktard]

Interesting. Maybe I should give it a try. Just not a big Bloodborne fan overall.

Dude, same. It's my least-favorite Souls game. I really didn't like it, but the DLC was actually very enjoyable.

Regarding bosses - I feel like this about the Souls games and ER. I find the levels harder than the bosses. If I die it's always more in the level than the actual boss fight.

I didn't find this for any Souls games except DaS2, and first getting accustomed to DaS1, I guess. Bloodborne mobs were especially piss-easy, and DaS3 weren't too tricky either.

 

[Spiner202]

The thing with the Soulsborne games and when people try to rank difficulty...

It's typically going to be the first one you play. The best way to judge difficulty is based on replays in my opinion.

Also I bought Old Hunters but literally never played it and I've been 1 trophy away from Plat since it came out.

I'm guessing it's a Chalice Dungeon trophy? Those were a serious challenge when I played them.

Also, I'm still expecting this to be quite difficult. I remember the last time I played the game, the Blood-Starved Beast was the hardest boss for me to get past.

Regarding bosses - I feel like this about the Souls games and ER. I find the levels harder than the bosses. If I die it's always more in the level than the actual boss fight.

This is 100% true for Demon's Souls. Some of the bosses are quite difficult, but Demon's Souls is way harder to run from the spawn point to the boss, and it's typically much longer to get there too. Way fewer shortcuts as well.

 

[TD]

Dude, same. It's my least-favorite Souls game. I really didn't like it, but the DLC was actually very enjoyable.

It sounds like we have the same taste in these games. Do you think it's good enough to warrant going back and playing?

I don't know if I even have a save file though...

I didn't find this for any Souls games except DaS2, and first getting accustomed to DaS1, I guess. Bloodborne mobs were especially piss-easy, and DaS3 weren't too tricky either.

I also have the benefits of a few thousand hours at least in these games so that might skew my judgment. I did do a lot of online play, both invading and being summoned to help though.

On the flipside I don't really recall many super frustrating bosses in the games. I think ER had the hardest bosses.

For me..

Demons had Flamelurker which in 2009 was hell.
Dark1 had... hm, I guess Four Kings was the most challenging for me.
Dark2 had a few challenging ones in the DLC like Fume Knight.
Dark3 had Nameless King and Friede.
BB had... don't remember.

I'm guessing it's a Chalice Dungeon trophy? Those were a serious challenge when I played them.

Yeah it was the one for the chalice boss.
I found it challenging but for the wrong reason. I found chalice boring and tedious.

Amazing idea, poor execution.

This is 100% true for Demon's Souls. Some of the bosses are quite difficult, but Demon's Souls is way harder to run from the spawn point to the boss, and it's typically much longer to get there too. Way fewer shortcuts as well.

DeS is definitely the least forgiven to newcomers. And if you go into body form but don't understand Tendency? Oooh boy.

 

[Smacktard]

Demons had Flamelurker which in 2009 was hell.
Dark1 had... hm, I guess Four Kings was the most challenging for me.
Dark2 had a few challenging ones in the DLC like Fume Knight.
Dark3 had Nameless King and Friede.
BB had... don't remember.

Flamelurker and Maneater combo were dreadful, yeah, I forgot about those.
DaS1 Gargoyles were tough your first time through, but Ornstein and Smough were unforgettable... Especially if you tried to take down Smough first. Artorias was very tough, too.
DaS2 Pursuer was the only one I remember giving me a shitton of grief. Every other boss in the game I killed my first or second try, with the exception of Belfry gargoyles and that fucking ganksquad trio.
DaS3's worst one for me was Pontiff.

It sounds like we have the same taste in these games. Do you think it's good enough to warrant going back and playing?

I would say so. It has reused environments, but they have a nice twist, and the gameplay is really quite nice. Starting from a fresh save would be obnoxious though. If that were the case, I wouldn't bother.