Rat's Gaming Blog: August 2016

These are the games I've been playing this month.

Metroid II Return of Samus (Game Boy)
After I was disappointed by the turnout of the fanmade remake (turned out it was a full on reboot, not even close to remake, literally everything was changed and tons of stuff was added that was never in the original) I wanted to play the proper Metroid II instead, so I did.
It still sucks that Nintendo after less than 24 hours filed a DMCA report against the reboot and had it taken down as it wasn't a bad game, it was actually the second best 2D Metroid I've ever played after the brilliant original Metroid II. It fades in comparison to the original Metroid II, of course, and it doesn't hold a candle to Other M either, not even close, but it's still the third best Metroid game overall and second best 2D Metroid game in existence, so it still sucks Nintendo can't even let their own fans do what Nintendon't.

Top Gear Rally (Game Boy Advance)

F22 Interceptor (Mega Drive)

FlatOut 2 (PlayStation 2)

Raceway Drag & Stock Racing (PlayStation 2)
I've completed the drag races, they were easy, but the rest of the game is so hard I canät unlock any new stuff, so it's become a catch 22, I don't wanna keep playing unless there's new stuff to play with but I can't access the new stuff unless I play a lot and get much better at what little game is offering this early on. It's a low budget game but I feel I overpaid for what little I can get out of it without putting additional hard work into it, as if the hard work to get the money to buy the game wasn't enough, and what really sucks is that the stuff you have to unlock are fundamental features of the game like other game modes it brags about on the back of the box! That stuff needs to be instantly accessible or you're not allowed to use it as a selling point! Imagine if A Sonic game with Sonic on the front bragged about how this is the greatest Sonic game ever and you then have to play through it in hard mode with a generic military personnel guy character who is the only one unlocked to play as by default before you can even use Sonic!! FUCK THAT SHIT, MAN! THAT SHIT AIN'T RIGHT!

R:Racing (PlayStation 2)

Road Rage 3 (PlayStation 2)

Test Drive Unlimited 2 (Xbox 360)
Finally got hold of the sequel to Test Drive Unlimited, which instantly became one of my favorite games of the generation many years back when I got it as a birthday gift from my best friend. So far Test Drive Unlimited 2 has been okay, I like the upgraded and added stuff but I miss the things they've changed or removed.
It has a much more realistic physics engine making it a more simulation focused racing game than the first game, the visuals are upgraded as far as realistism goes and honestly look fantastic, but it all runs at a lower framerate in general and makes controlling your vehicle at high speeds much harder than it should be, they have cars that were missing in the first game like the Bugatti Veyron and they have proper offroad races now with Range Rovers and other offroad vehicles, but they've completely removed all motorcycles from the game, something I loved dearly in the first, if it wasn't for a free DLC pack containing a whopping three bikes there'd be literally none at all in this game, which is a shame, they've added licenses you need to pass in order to race and finally they've added a lot more cut scenes with characters interacting with lots of talking.
How all these things will affect the game for you depends on if you like them or not, personally I think some things like the visuals and driving physics being different are okay but I could've taken what the first game had only more fine tuned over changing them completely into this more realistic style, and the enforced licenses you need to pass, I don't remember there being any in the first game but they really slowed down this game for me, they could've been left out entirely, I also honestly don't care for the cutscenes much at all.
Beyond the island of Hawaii they've also added another island, Ibiza, to drive on this time, so there's more places to go overall than the first game had.
The rest of TDU2 is almost exactly the same as in TDU with similar races and other type of side missions, exploring and finding stuff and all that good stuff that made the first so much fun. Overall I'd say they complement each other well but I don't think the second game replaces the first as the only one to get, the first still has enough stuff that it stands strong alongside the sequel and I'd say get hold of either one of them to see if you like the overall formula first, then if you do, get the other one and enjoy what that one brings to the overall experience, they are both great games.
I do wish they would've only improved upon the first game rather than change and ruin some things while improving only some stuff though. What I mean is, I would've liked it a lot more if the sequel was more than just another great game. It should've been better than the first, not just equally good overall but for slightly different reasons.
The police work very different in this than it did in the first, I haven't had enough time to really look into it yet but they've added some unique modes this time around that have to do with the police, I haven't made up my mind about what I think about this yet though.
The system to earn money through jumps, powersliding and near misses I feel is okay but it should've been more forgiving with what counts as a collision as driving over tiny bushes or small rocks that you don't even notice and can barely make out on screen will mercilessly end your combos no matter what, I think it should've just been bigger things that can end it like hitting street lights, trees or other cars. I was trying to get the achievement for reaching the highest combo level 10 and it took over an hour to reach it once because literally the tiniest thing would end the combo, it became nothing but frustration and when I finally did it I got no satisfaction out of it at all, I only felt like I had wasted my time, time I could've spent having fun instead.

Nascar 08 (Xbox 360)
I've always wanted a game like Nascar but because the sport doesn't exist outside of USA it's only logical there haven't been that many game release here either, so I was happy when I now finally got hold of this game, and it was a modern one too so it should be extra good! Right? Eh, not really, it's not so much a Nascar game than it is a simulation of the sport, kind of like the Tour de France games aren't great bike racing games but very focused on the Tour de France sport specifically making them really boring to anyone who'd just love to race with bikes.
So yeah, this is not a game for racing fans but a game for Nascar enthusiasts specifically. It does offer some stuff for racing game fans as well but it's very clear where the focus is. The controls are the biggest problem as they are very lifelike for the sport and have done nothing to bridge the gap between how they work in real life and how you as the person playing gets up use them to play the game. It's literally unplayable with the normal settings and require you to manually make your own cars and stay away from the career modes and such to just be able to play the game at all.
I was able to get some enjoyment out of it but it really works against it if all you want is to drive around and have a good time.
I haven't played it a whole lot because of this so I can't say much more than that. It looks nice and has some really nice special effects like dynamic smoke and such, you can get some fun out of it, I just haven't had time to do so yet.

Metroid Prime (GameCube)
Trying to get through this garbage. Got the power bomb and running (read: slowly walking like a broken tank because the controls are ASS!!) around all over the fucking planet looking for stuff I can blow up to reveal new locations, oh what fun it is to run (again read as before) around aimlessly basically pixel hunting for hours until you randomly find the place the game wanted you to go. All this could've been avoided had it had the necessary linearity until the game was presented enough that free roaming would've been earned and welcome, too bad Nintendo (and to a lesser degree their lapdogs at Retro Studios) wouldn't know good game design even if they literally had it themselves just a decade or two prior to when this atrocity was released.

Tomb Raider (PlayStation)
Replaying again. In the Colosseum. It's amazing how much better this game holds up than most other early 3D games, equally sad is how awful the newer games with the Tomb Raider name in the title, as unfitting as it is considering there's nothing Tomb Raider about them, are in comparison to a game that is now 20 years old. Crystal Dynamics sure love to prove their endless incompetence. Not saying the new games with the unfitting Tomb Raider in their titles aren't okay games, some are even good in their own ways, but they're about as good Tomb Raiders as the Uncharted series and the Prince of Persia games a few years back. Giving monstrously different games a title with a legacy to live up to like the one Tomb Raider should never be done and I'm not afraid to call out the bullshit as it keeps coming. Thankfully they can never ruin the original games, they lack the time travel powers needed, and I for one am endlessly happy over this fact.

Rat's Gaming Blog

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Now Playing - Augusti 2016

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Gaming Purchases - Augusti 2016