Hey all, you know the deal...
The other thread hit over 1,000 posts and we have server issues when that shit happens so here she be, a fancy new mega thread.
Anyway, just a quick rundown.
Post anything and everything gaming in here. Console games, handheld/mobile games or PC.
Playing something you love or maybe hate? Find a hidden gem on Steam? Let us know via a review. Try to make sure you give a good rundown on it. Graphics, sound, storyline, overall gameplay and replayability. Let's keep it at a 1-10 scale.
Thanks to all that left me awesome rep comments/posts and even pm's thanking me for the many reviews I wrote.
Just an FYI, developers do read our comments in here I guess. CD Projekt Red (of Witcher 3) was one that stopped by.
Anyway, thanks all for your input and as always, no griefing.
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Returnal Review
Play video games long enough, and you'll come across that rare title that does something groundbreaking, something that makes you say "this is the game I would make". Maybe this was you in 2013 after the credits rolled on the PS3's masterpiece "The Last of U", which weaved narrative brilliance with engaging stealth mechanics.
FTL: Faster than Light
As for me, FTL: Faster than Light was my first introduction into Roguelike's (or Lite). I was hooked on the idea that each run was different thanks to procedural generation. Though I continually got wrecked on easy mode, something told me to press on until I overcame the game's system of roadblocks, and what I found at the end was nirvana only felt by what I can describe as "accomplishment". It's that feeling you get when you build or make something you worked many hours on. Maybe it's completing your kid's treehouse, or perhaps you finally lost those 20 lbs. That's what beating a difficult roguelike feels like.
Staples of this genre include permadeath, tough as nails gameplay that forces you to improve to progress, and just a dash of gameplay mechanics magic that pulls you in for "just one more run". Most of these games also are low budget indie affairs that are constrained to look like a mid-90's playstation titles. We've already had timeless classics like FTL, Hades, Spelunky, and Enter the Gungeon. None of these featured graphics card melting visuals, pulse pounding sound design, or the kind of voice acting and direction that feels ripped from a summer blockbuster. Until Returnal that is.
AAA roguelikes are a unicorn. They haven't existed. Sure, some point to Deathloop, but that's just a horse with funnel on its head. No studio with deep pockets and publisher backing has taken a chance on designing a game where failure is part of its DNA, because most players want a power fatantsy in their video game, not an exercise in futility.
Selene Die On.
In Returnal, you assume the role of Selene, a United States Astronaut who crashlands on the mysterious planet of Atropos (also the name of the goddess of fate and destiny). Players are quickly introduced to the game's basic mechanics, and then they are quickly introduced to death. Only the upper crust of gaming pros are going to pick this game up, and start progressing right away. You'll be given an initial encounter that loudly yells "you aren't ready for this"!
Returnal at it's core a 3rd person action game. It isn't the plodding pace of titles such as Elden Ring or Resident Evil 4. This is a fast twitch affair with constant movement, well timed dashing, and white-knuckle reflexes. Those who bemoaned the incorporation of squeezing a left trigger to focus aim are going to love the shooting mechanics here. While that is still a feature, it's more than likely to get you killed. This game is about moving, avoiding, and laying down as many rounds as humanely possible (there is no ammo)!
I Love Lobber
When did games stop being creative with their weaponry? Who can forget firing up Unreal Tournamet, and getting eviscerated by a flak cannon? Returnal sets its sights on engaging weapons, each viable to complete a run. You won't find an online consensus on which gets the job done, because they are all interesting and useful in different situations.
Each run starts with the SD-M8, your trusty and reliable sidearm. Small clip, but respectable damage and fast reloading. Unless you are willing to squeeze the trigger for semi-fire, you'll want to replace it quickly. I didn't mention this, but the game features an engaging reload mechanic similar to Gears of War (after a chamber is empty, simply pull the trigger again when a meter lines up in the sweet spot for an instant reload, miss and you got a jam).
Besides a basic pistol, you'll find weird hybrid weapons that function like an assault rifle, a shotgun, and even Rocket launcher that homes in. Then it gets stranger, like a gun firing caustic stomach acid, and a weapon that creates an ad hoc electric fence. The weapons are weird and varied, but satisfying to use, especially when paired an upgrade (or mutatator if you speak roguelike) that makes each unique weapon even more wacky and powerful.
It's Beautifully Dangerous
Atropos is a hauntingly beautiful locale. For those with a PS5 or powerful PC graphics card, you are in for a popcorn-munching particle effect palooza. The environments are filled with brooding ancient architecture not foreign to the Alien movie franchise. Same goes for the creatures that inhabit those environments. You'll fight 10-story tentacled monstrosities, sentient killer machines, and even corrupted versions of your past self. Livening these bleak landscapes will be all manner of colorful projectiles that, while distractingly luminous, must be avoided.
Returnal makes great use of 3d sound and music. The somber background melodies mix well with the thumping and visceral machinery of your weaponry. Half the reason it is so satisfying to unload a clip into a lumbering beast is because you can feel the thump-thump-thump of your high caliber tachyomatic carbine tearing the flesh from the monstrosities. I don't own a PS5 dual-sense controller, but word on the street is Returnal is one of the system-standard bearers for integrating its features.
If You Are Hearing This, You're Stuck Here Too
Is Returnal a perfect game? No, it has flaws. Those of us in the roguelike business know there are two versions of Roguelike fans: pre-Hades and post-Hades. What Hades did very well, is introduce a system of permanence with its between runs system of interaction in the underworld. Even if you weren't improving as well as you should along the difficulty curve, the fact that you could permanently upgrade and become stronger gave all players a fighting chance.
Returnal has very little in this regard. There are some permanent upgrades, but they are more tools that allow players to access the previously inaccessible. Your health isn't going to permanently increase between runs, your weapon damage will stay the same, and you'll always start with the pistol. It's a truly "git gud" flavor of experience.
So why proselytize about this game? Because I'm tired of watching gamers box themselves in with reheated leftovers of Assasins's Creed 12 and Call of Duty 20. We are what we consume, and it's rare for gaming companies to take a chance on a new IP, especially with the $$$'s involved. Returnal is certainly not for everyone, and the $60 price tag is steep. But most players should comfortably get 25+ hours of content wringed from it, which also includes coop and an endless tower mode. "Break the cycle" gamers, and try something new, so we can get new.
9.5/10
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