Doom (1993) (Switch)

 

Warmer Than Hell!

Was gonna play some Diddy Kong Racing for the DS, but the cartridge I got isn't working. Probably just dirty, but I need some cleaning solvent first, so instead of a cute racing game with cartoon animals I played through the original Doom (1993) for the first time instead (well, I might have played it on some computer as a kid back in the 90's, but I can't recall it). Bought it on Switch together with the sequel and Doom 64. It was rather fun. Mind you, I played it on the easiest setting. Basically you are a marine stationed on Mars that have to clean up a demon invasion after a failed experiment by some military force. You travel through different maps looking for weapons, ammunitions and healing items. Takes pretty much 10 to 30 minutes. Of course, you can do it around a couple of minutes if you know what you do and where to go. After battling a Hell Baron you get ambushed by a horde of demons awakening on another moon around mars that disappeared a couple of years ago. Battling through more hoards of infernal kind makes you confront the Cyberdemon. I was rather lucky in that fight since, he was caught in a room where I could pummel him with the Plasma Gun before he was able to get out and then continue with the rocket launcher. 

Do you get back to earth now? No, time to fight the demons in hell itself, ending with the confrontation of the Spider Mastermind. Got the BFG so was able to fight him off and finally return to earth. And then supposed to play through the 4th episode. I think we are reaching the point where my abilities don't match the task at hand. I got to the second chapter and after that is stuck. Read up on it and apparently a very hard episode overall so I won't probably be able to overcome it without training and I don't really feel like it. Still, all you get is an end screen with the doom marine vowing vengeance on the demons for invading earth and killing his pet bunny.

Still, it was fun and enjoyable. The music is classic and the graphics are rather good. Somehow the smooth movement of the hand and weapons as you run is almost hypnotising. As much as its seen as an FPS, it's also a bit of puzzle and platforming. What is a bit irritating is how they put floor hazards in several rooms, give you a suit to walk over it, but this one map wants you to explore a maze and if you (like say, a newbie) takes all suits and still not find the key you are supposed to find. Still, overall find it rather fun. Also noticed there's a documentary on the game on the Swedish Public Channel so might check that out, although it seemed to focus on the ultra violence aspect of the game. Which, granted, are a lot, but you fight the legions of hell, isn't that something good? (As I write this I'm watching the 4th season of Seven Deadly Sins that pretty much put some grey morality of good and evil so maybe not).

Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch)

 

Fold Them!

Latest entry in the Paper Mario-series and first time on Switch. I got every game in series besides Paper Jam, the crossover with the Mario & Luigi-game series. Story is that as the Mushroom kingdom prepares an Origami festival all toads and Bowser's Minions are folded into figures, trapped in walls etc. by King Olly, the titular Origami King. Together with Olivia, Olly's sister Mario sets out on an adventure to unfold all trapped paper characters and find the 5 streamers that puts out a protective "shield" around Princess Peach's castle that was taken to the top of a volcano. 

The story is fun and even dramatic at places. I mean, how often do I feel sorry for a bob-bomb that explodes, sacrificing itself just so that he at least made an impact? Kamek is always a joy to listen to about his troubles in fighting Mario on Bowser's orders. It's really well written and the graphics looks fantastic and it is all followed by a fantastic soundtrack. Now, the gameplay... and for the most part it works fine. The gimmick of this game is that you are supposed to solve puzzles in aligning enemies in formations to either take out with the hammer or jump on them. With the main enemies it can be fun and addictive with the puzzle solving. But then we have the bosses. Instead of standing in the middle you stand on the side and creates a path with arrows to gather treasure, activate switches to unleash attack, either standard attacks or summons. And I hate it. The stress of the timed puzzles with the fact I clearly ain't that bright when it comes to seeing patterns here. Mostly because the bastards cheats and upset the game board so i can't figure out how to move. Worst were the Vellumental bosses and guess what? The final boss is using all of them, but you gotta hurry, since he also heals if you ain't quick enough. Thanks, makes me really appreciating the Ice Vellumental since it apparently could be much more frustrating.

So bosses really frustrating. But boss characters where fun. The disco dancing Hole Punch that taken over the Tomb of the Shroom where the DJ plays some funky tunes, the Rubber Band boss that enacts several plays in Shogun Theater and a mobster Tape roll. Really fun. There is a section when you travel the sea and I wonder if they just did a simplified Wind Waker and as you fly one of Bowser's airships you bomb paper airplanes out of the sky as they dive bomb against you. I liked collecting trophies and treasures, finding all the toad and hidden blocks (thanks to the developers giving you all the tools you needed). So, as most Paper Mario games, there are moments that you just have to experience, but sadly the boss fights  ain't one of them. Maybe a second playthrough in the future when I don't get blindsided by each boss gimmick. Or maybe just finish off the last 4 trophies to get 100 % and never play the game again. Sill got a large back catalog of  games, but the summer vacation is on its last leg so we shall see if if I can get one game in before that (I know it's December when this goes up, but that makes it just more fun).

One thing that bothers me in the story is Olly's motivation. He hates toads because his creator scribbled on him so he wants to eradicate all toads. Now, we ain't discussing that he went the whole game without reading it and took it for nonsense, but the story proves him right. The toads are bastards. Early thing we encounter is that toads cut down the great tree of the woods... and are sentient. Later on we rescue the toad responsible and he intends to cut down the tree again so he can build a veranda. The toads in the Spa area is slave drivers and what do we make of the house of ninjas which is in itself a death trap? Maybe they actually deserve whats coming to them?

Astral Chain (Switch)

Demon Cop

Finally, a game that isn't a remake. And made by Platinum so high octane action is on the menu. It's about twins that joined the police force Neuron like their adoptive father. Neuron is a special division that targets attacks from Chimeras, demons from the astral plane that spreads corruption and started attacking humanity when a meteor hit the earth. The chimeras travels through these red gates and occasionally kidnaps people so you gotta save the people on the Ark. The Ark is a constructed island in the pacific that was created to gather people to save them from the corruption.  The Ark is run by the UNION that set up Neuron with the new technology of the Legions that was constructed by their commander Yoseph Calvert. With it the officers of Neuron have caught chimeras and turned them into fighting abilities by the astral chain. Theirs five legions, sword, arrow, arm, beast and axe. 

During one mission into the astral plane all legions are corrupted, but you take your back. As you escape the astral plane your father stays behind and presumably dies. Meanwhile a missing scientist, Jena Anderson appears after 20 years and with her hightened gate activity. You also meet the hacker Hal that works for Neuron that helps you uncover some information. Basically the government is evil and keeping the people in fear  (and it hints that they are behind the pandemic that hit the earth earlier). While confronting Jena your sibling is skewered and taken to the Ark Research Institute (ARI). And as you look for information from the hacker group Hermit in the forbidden zone you are attacked by a chimera controlled by Jena. Your sibling arrives in a new suit and with a new legion. Due to trespassing you get put in jail, but an emergency causes you to be released to save the people. The ruckus ends with Jena attacking Yoseph head on, but during the battle the player dies, and is awakened by merging with the legion, going on a rampage. When you almost kills your sibling, Jena steps in and is killed. And then Yoseph orders the Raven unit that taken over from Neuron and is led by your sibling to kill you, and pretty much reenacts the garage scene in Robocop after Robocop learns about directive 4. You are saved by Hal that went into hiding together with Olive, the communicator expert. You try to rescue Brenda, the Neuron medic that hides in the sewers, but are confronted by your sibling, but before anything happens the Raven unit arrives, and it turns out that they are all clones of your sibling. They kill your sibling to activate the legion merging. You learn to activate your own again and escapes. You regroup and head to ARI to confront Yoseph at the top of the tower. At the top the plot is revealed... I think. Seems that Yoseph tried to merge with the legions in order to make Noah (get it... Noah's ark?). He kills all the clones and your sibling. After a battle you beat him, your sibling stops him and then the legion kills him.

The game plot lost me at the end. Maybe if I can beat the post-game mission it would be clearer since there is three files with password protection, but I got beat up at the ARI and quit pretty much. Also, one clone of your sibling survived the destruction so status quo uphold. Now, the game was fun. Though, the action is standard for Platinum and it works. The more fun part was the detective side of the game. Go around the site, getting clues to deduce what happened or use as way to get information. Spy with your legions or help people in their everyday lives. Sadly, that is the smallest part of the game. You can save cats, take pictures of people, places and enemies. Find all toilets in game to get paper to a toilet fairy... this game is weird at times. Get costumes and dress up. Learning from my mistake with Wonderful 101 I played it on Casual and it took me some 25 hours. I encountered two bugs as well. First was where you find the ghost picture mission. I went away and intended to get back later, but I couldn't go back in the tunnel. Something stopped my character from getting in. Another was leaving Hal's secret hideout and I fell out of bounds. First I thought it was part of the story as I fell and restarted since Hal is a hacker, but when nothing happened I load my save and went out without problem.  Lucky nothing was lost there.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Switch)

He was a Magic Man!

Played Ni No Kuni once again and that was 6 years ago. Same story, nothing added. Although I know I've complained that the end-game didn't have an ending for Oliver and his mother, but the game technically ended with the fall of Shadar and there it is. His mother saying good-bye and replaying it I can see that it was the perfect ending point. And the reason why it is like that is probably due to it first being a DS game that got ported and enhanced for the PS3 where they pretty much added all the White Witch stuff. So the title of the game didn't originally exist... or so I gather. 

This gonna be more critical than when I played it the first time. The reason being, I found the game more frustrating now. First off, it tends to crash at certain intervals, and worst, often when I try to save the game. Then, the kid voice acting is not good. Oliver's voice really grates on me, and he can't act. And none of the actors can say the name Cassiopeia correct. It's a damn constellation tied to the Perseus myth. Don't you have a classical education? And thirdly, the gameplay. I despise the familiar combat. Why force the player to choose three familiars, that you randomly can catch, that you gotta equip with different weapons and armours (if they even can have weapons or armours) and all those variables is somehow gonna help you in battle? When it usually enough to mash A and attack with the first familiar. And add the time limit forces you to switch them out, but at the end game you pretty much just need Oliver (and it's frankly much better with the choices of spells you can use). And don't get me started on the attacks that constantly cancels out my attacks or giving items to my companions. And some of those attacks are from said companions. That's just frustrating!

Small nitpicks is, why do I have spells that have no use? Like shrink or transform? Did they got a use in the DS version? The sequel released a year or two back? And some only have one use that one time and is never mentioned again, and the main mechanic of take and give heart isn't that well used in the later part of the game. And technically, what difference is love from kindness or enthusiasm from ambition? They are described pretty much the same in the game or is it a translation and/or cultural problem? Also, I really would like a physical version of the wizard companion since it would make the game easier (and was the intended play on the DS since they couldn't get it on the cartridge). Take the wooden encampments that you gotta look up in the book and then try to find on the world map. And you can't access it while traveling on the dragon so you gotta land to look it up. And it clearly gives an advantage in finding the secret treasures on the world map before you get the locate treasure spell. 

So with all that, is it still worth playing? It's still a good story and the animations and designs from Studio Ghibli pops out. Although the creature design is not always that interesting, I would blame the eyes since most of them have big dopey eyes. The spider enemies look so goofy. And I get it that it's a game targeting kids and you gotta catch the enemies and such, but still. First time playing, go ahead, second time around... maybe six years in between is rather good. 

Speaking of story... isn't the intro going a bit fast? Oliver just awakens Mr. Drippy and he pretty much bullies this poor sad kid into taking on the other worlds dangerous wizard who ruled the land for a 1 000 years. And pretty much berates him across the whole game? If I'm gonna be dark, it looks like this is just Oliver trying to cope with the fact he feels responsible for his mother's death so he goes into this other world which mirrors the real world, but clearly is just in his mind. And his neighbours do squat when he dress up in this cape and runs around waiving a branch and pretending to heal people. Where is the social services? And is he really 13 years old (per the PS3 manual)? He acts and sound like 8!

The Wonderful 101 Remastered (Switch)

Go Go Team, Demolish Those Fiends!

Another remaster, another game I played before. As a write up for the last hurrah of the Wii U I even called it the best game on the Wii U. And now we got it remastered for different consoles and I of course bought it... again... for the switch. It's technically the third time I got it. First I got it as a free bonus download when getting Mario Kart 8 for the Wii  U since they tried to get more people buying the Wii U. And then I bought the physical version just because I liked it so much. And now again. And this time I went for physical from the beginning. Of course needed to wait a couple of weeks extra, but I got games to play in the meantime. 

So after not playing it for what? 5-6 years? Does it still holds up? I made one mistake playing it this time around, encouraged by the smoothness of Tokyo Mirage Session on Hard Mode I went in in Normal Mode for this and you know what, at times the game was a bit unplayable with the frustration at being pummeled by enemies again and again. The game is a bit too happy to send 2 or more well armoured enemies that each need 100 % focus to tackle and avoid damage, but since they get off screen when you focus on one, they will hit you with a critical attack messing up your flow. Although it is probably due to the game not giving you the right tools until you gathered more W-100's and bought the right skills and all that, since there was parts of the end game where I could stun-lock them with the time bomb and then wallop them into submission. And at those times the game felt really satisfying. So it's probably a "get good" mentality you need.

Even though you get times where the games is just a pain (the Vorkken fights comes to mind), the game still manages to make you feel awesome at the ends of certain chapters making it all worth it. The music pumps you up and pulling off the right unite morph is really gratifying. The humour, the dialog, I love it all. Now, what does the remaster do differently from the Wii U? Well, to fix the problem with only one screen you can press (-) and get the gamepad screen on the big screen. A bit like how you could move the different screens around on the Wii U. And that's seems to be it. Graphical upgrade, but I hardly see the difference. So there is nothing, no ability to watch the characters intro sequences beyond Wonder-Red and Blue (which is the only thing I would like to see since they are amusing, but I might not want to play through the game on a new save every time... but at least youtube caught up with the clips compared to back in 2014). Overall, I still love it, might prefer to play it lower difficulty, but the game is amazing.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (Switch)

Go Go Power Rangers!

Been a summer of remakes and remasters (as of writing, when this goes up we are in November) so the time came for this one I haven't played since 2016. I decided to play it on hard this time since why not? And after roughly 50 hours I wonder, am I actually good at this game? I finished it in less than 70 hours that I played the original game on Normal, where I also used the DLC to level grind since I couldn't bother with playing as intended at that time. The achievement trophies are also a lot more filled out. I presume maybe the level grinding made it possible to avoid all battles, but instead this time I got more performa and got more skills that enabled stronger characters, but lower levels? It could also be due to me much faster just read the text and skip the spoken words, which I can't understand and fasten the session attacks. Or the improved quality of life upgrades maybe did something for me, if I noticed it at all. The big one was that they actually made a movie menu where I can watch the music movies instead of replaying the game. Still, the game is really lacking a quest log to keep track on requests and such, side stories they have in Topic, but requests you gotta remember what to do or whom to talk too. It would have been easier if the maps showed all request locations on such, but it only works if you are in that area.

The biggest change is that, since you don't have the Wii U gamepad they moved all the Topic and maps and such to the start button. It's also better since I recall I often had stop the game to look at the gamepad in order to go through Topic every 5 seconds. More costumes added and they also added an "arena" where you can go through in order to get more costumes and session attacks from non-main characters plus some extra story bits about Itsuki, Kiria and Tsubasa. Mostly the same story bits as the main game if you ask me.

Overall, the story is the same as I wrote the last time and still holds up for what it is. The social commentary is still relevant and all that. Still the censored version, but I don't mind that. What I noticed though this time around is... whatever happened to the CEO of Daiba that were hinted as a probably main antagonist that just disappears just after he is introduced? Where that some cut content to get it finished the first time or was it as intended? Also, is it really that smart to make Itsuki the President of Fortuna Entertainment (... Fortuna Entertainment, FE... Fire Emblem... never got that the first time) when pretty much every female employe of that company wants him? I can see potential #Metoo-moments here... and it might be the employees that harass the employer.

Lastly, the main character Itsuki, I resonate more with him now than I did back in 2016. Mostly because I now acknowledge that I have some things in common with him (not the thing about every female coworker jumping after me, let's not be unrealistic here). More that, just like him, I just follow what happens, I haven't had some real ambition in life to where I wanted to go and just followed the tide and just like him I feel I've ended up at a good place. That feels rather nice.

Ys Book I and II (PC Engine Core Grafx mini)

So played this game again as the news of Ys IX coming to the west so getting a bit of a reminder of the series. It's also been 6 years so thought it was a good amount of time in between. I recall liking it and reading about it confirms that I did. Although, replaying it showed some strange things. How did I finish it last time? It's hard at times and I easily got lost in the different mazes strewn around the game. The ending area I don't wanna talk about. Would have been nice with a map other than from the internet. It has been remade a couple of times, even for the DS, but sadly ain't that easy to get a hold off. 

Still great music and graphics. Sound effects were interesting since the getting item sounds a bit like the same sound from Metroid. Also, the audio mixing is not the best, but this time I actually cranked up the sound for the final battle so I at least heard what he said. Speaking of the final battle... who the hell thought that putting the necessary level to beat the final boss was the maximun 62? I was level 60 and got trounced every time, but level grinding for a couple of hours made it a cake walk. That's one of the most frustrating parts about the games. Sure, you can use certain items and strategies for some, but mostly there is a hidden level cap that is recommended to have to get past it. People talked about the end of Book 1, but that was never a problem.

And another thing... it's noticeable that there is 2 games stuck together since the mechanics change after entering the next one. Rings went to the inventory instead of the equipment which is a shame since you gotta equip the Goddess ring in the end, making you unable you to use any healing item at the final battle (hadn't I used the golden drop during the battle of Dalles it might not have been that much of a problem). And I hate the fact you can't change items or equipment during boss battles. 

Now, it sounds like I'm bashing the game, and I do. but there is still moments in the game that makes it a joy to play. I like the story. The gameplay is fun and the exploration is great, still sad about several point of no returns.