General Games Discussion

THPS5 kinda sucks...but I kinda like it .Hoping for the older games to come to ps4,lost my ps2.

Also just finished Tomb Raider pretty good but shit got old towards the end.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

ES wrote:+1 Jona

A lot of open world devs litter it with useless side-quests, they just focus on filling it up with a lot of shit and let the gameplay be the feature that carry the game.

Again though how many this gen who have gone open world do that? Applying logic to what Ubisoft does and saying everyone is like that is unfair IMO.

Mad max

Open world games I played this gen is Arkham Knight, Witcher 3 and Unity. Unity is exactly what Joanthan described but the other two had great open worlds. I can see where Jon is coming from tbh but there are quality open worlds too. It's more balanced than you think.

Made by Just Cause devs though, so should know what you are getting coming into it.

I don't get the hate towards open world games if i'm honest, there's some fantastic ones out there ( some of the best games ever made tbh) and some shit ones also. but that applies to linear games as well, there's some really shite ones to go with the likes of Uncharted and The Last of Us.

It works both ways.

Got into the Rainbow 6 free weekend. Might try it out.

I just Finished The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

This marks the end of my SNES reviews, which I started nearly 4 years ago. I am going to write the review soon, and I probably going to start reviewing Sega Genesis games later.

The SNES review marathon was a blast. Not all the games I played were good, but there were some great games that I haven't played before.

Later, I am also going to review the SNES itself as a system.

dat feeling when I need to motivate myself to play Until Dawn

when will I learn ffs

#1

Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Year: 1992.
Genre: Action Adventure.
Publisher: Nintendo.
Developer: Nintendo.



First things first, I am changing my rating system to better rate different genres according to their own rules. It will still be from 50 quality points, but every title will start from 25 and earn/lose points according to criteria important to the titles and genres themselves.

I am actually very late fan of The Legend of Zelda series. My first game in the franchise was Twilight Princess, and I only played it in 2009. Since then, I became a fan of the series, and started playing some of the games I missed. Key among those games is A Link to the Past, a game heralded as a masterpiece not only by fans of the series, but fans of the SNES in general.

Needless to say, that set up very high expectations for the game, expectations that could never be met.

Still, a great game manages to showcase its greatness no matter how closely you inspect it, and in that regard, ALttP certainly manages to do so.

"The seal should have remained for all time..."

Except, it didn't, which is why we have a game here. Immediately, from the start of the game, you are given control over Link in a rainy and stormy night. As Link, you hear a voice bidding you to go save Zelda in the nearby castle. Perhaps a bit unique, you save the princess in the opening hour of the game.

Afterwards, you learn that the Wizard, Agahnim kidnapped 6 maidens, who have a role in keeping an ancient seal from breaking. However, Link isn't able to do anything until he gets the Master sword, which means he needs to get 3 pendants to be able to hold. Then, he must save the 6 maidens, as well as Zelda who gets kidnapped again (sorry for the "spoiler").

Basically, the story is only a matter of linking getting stuff, to be able to get more stuff. In that regard, it is simply an excuse to go conquer some dungeons. Little, if any, characters have anything interesting to say, and the entire plot is simple.

Interestingly, you see strong evidence of the weird characterization Nintendo is going to heavily use in the future LoZ titles. While non of the NPCs are as unique and interesting as later titles, the future direction of the series is hinted at as far as the ending credits.

Basic Story: -2
Uninteresting Characters: -3

"Only the Hero who has won the three pendants can wield the Master Sword"

I wonder why we need a story excuse to play the game, when we can simply play it for its own merits as a game. Merits that are completely deserved for ALttP. Simply, this game is a natural expedited evolution of the first Legend of Zelda, with everything great in the game magnified in degrees.

Given control of Link, you are simply invited to traverse the world of Hyrule, spelunking into dungeons as you see fit, and going from place to place in any order you want. While there are certain obstacle to your progress, most are natural obstacles (enemies being stronger than you) rather than invisible walls or progression checkpoints.

Every-time you progress, you feel like you gained a tool that helps you in traversing the world. Whether it is the hookshot that allow you to zip through gaps, or the Zora flippers that allow you to swim.

True, not all dungeon can be accessed at the same time, but you can often finish dungeons in different order. More importantly, it is the sense of freedom cultivated through the world's design that keeps you always moving.

Yet, you also continue to move because there is always something to reward with. When you go out of your way to explore the town, or discover hidden caves, you are often rewarded with Heart Peaces. In dungeons, you are always given new item to play around with. These items expand the game world, and increase your options.

Once you gain the ability to jump between the Dark and Light world, suddenly the game feel like it doubled in size, and yet, moving from place to place still is fast and fulfilling.

Great Exploration: +5
Vast Overworld: +3
A Lot of Secrets: +2

"May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce"

Outside of the overworld, or I should say inside of it, are the many dungeons that you will need to finish to beat the game. Initially, I was left disappointed by the first three dungeons. They were short and easy, and the bosses were lacking in both gameplay and design.

However, that turned out to be only the opening sequence of the game, a practice to the much more involved dungeons in the dark world. In those dungeons, all the gameplay elements of the game click.

Each dungeon has its own unique feeling to it, each demanding smart use of your tools to solve puzzles and advance, or to combat your enemies. Using its top-down perspective, the game sometimes throws enemies at you from every direction, demanding some close action control and a thrilling dance of dodging and attacking. When it works, and that is often, you feel just at the edge of success as you narrowly avoid laser beams and fire-blasts.

Highlighting the blend of puzzle and action are the bosses, which the later ones demand a mixture of both. To its credit, the game manages to convey most of the information needed with minimal tutorials. This leaves the player to experiment against the dungeon, but also forces him to experiment against the bosses in what is a more tense situation.

Excellent Dungeons: +5
A Lot of Tools: +2
Great Bosses: +3

"Do you have something to say to me, silly rabbit?!"

Even though it is in the early SNES phase, ALttP still manages to be one of the console's best looking titles, and a lot of it is due to the excellent art direction and animations. Since Link interacts with most of the world, it didn't only need to look good, but also had to animate with him as well.

Simply, shrubs can be cut by his sword, trees shake when he bumps into them, and many element of the game interact with the player's many tools. This was enhanced by the game's bright and colorful artsyle that clearly diffrentiated between each element, as well as made clear the divisons of the world itself. For instance, the Light and Dark world are both excellently designs, with one using warmer colors against the cooler colors of the other.

Similarly, the many sprites involved are all designed to give them unique looks, while animated for the action oriented gameplay. Compared to other games that use the same perspective, ALttP is nearly in a league of its own.

However, there is an unfortunate lack of variety in core areas. Mainly in the dungeon textures, which can be ignored, but mostly in the game's music.

Of course, the soundtrack is great, and almost all the tracks are memorable. Yet, there are very few of them, which leads to a serious repetition of the same exact, excellent tracks. The LoZ theme might be one of the gaming history's best tunes, but it shouldn't play for 30% of the game's time.

It speaks to the quality of the soundtrack though, that I don't feel as bad about its small number of tracks as I usually would. In quality, it is one of the SNES's best, but it seriously loses in quantity.

Graphical Style: +4
Animation: +3
Great Music: +3
Limited Tracks: -3

In Conclusion:

After finishing the game, I don't think ALttP is the best game in the series, nor do I think it is the best game on the SNES. Yet, it certainly is in contention in both categories.

Despite the limitations of the time, this is a game about exploration that manages to grab your attention from start to finish through the sheer quality of its gameplay, and through a consistent feed of new gadgets and rewards.

It is through mastering pacing, that ALttP manages to be a game that would invite players to play it time and time again, and every time they do, they are going to have a brief link to their happier past.

Final: 47/50

"Tips"
1- Its dangerous to go alone, keep your bottles stocked with Fairies.
2- Hey Link, if you are lost try asking a fortune teller.
3- There is a 99% chance that you are going to hit Y to check the map.
4- Use ranged attacks often.

"Next Game"

Done.

After 4 years, I finally finished this review series, which I had no idea would take this long. As I often did, I disagree about LoZ placing first in IGN's list (although it is a clear top 10), but I had fun with it.

Coming next is going to be a review of the SNES itself, and a my Top 10 games for the system. Later, I am going to review the top 100 Sega Genesis games (currently going to review 41 games actually).

Stay Tuned

Just seen the trailer for Jack the Ripper dlc for AC: Syndicate and it looks sick. Shame it's dlc and part of the season pass which I despise.

LS that's amazing work. You should post it on gaming forums aswell (Nintendo subforum?)

Can't you get it individually? I mean it's full price atm but eventually the price is gonna go down.

I mean i'm not interested in anything else the season pass has so meh, i'll probably get the game itself at some point though as AC games are usually fun to play through for a week or so.

Can you play the dlc without having the game? Is that what you mean?

Nah i mean buy the DLC by itself without getting the season pass.

Usually games allow you to buy the content of the season pass individually.

Ah yeah you can

Don't know the length of the dlc or price though lol

Haven't bought dlc since UC2 lmao

The only dlc I can remember I bought is for cod4, waw & UC2

It's probably a disgusting price atm but eventually like all things it will drop in price so i'll play it at some point.

Not interested in the rest of the season pass in the slightest.

Amazing work LS. You should try to post your full list to a nintendo or gaming subreddit.

I am already blogging in a gaming website (Destructoid.com) and I became a community Moderators in less than a year.

You can read all my blogs there, but I post all my reviews here first.

Good stuff LS, must be a weird but satisfying feeling finishing such a long project.

Can't wait to see about 9 Mario games in your top 10 list, not that i'm suggesting anything wink wink

> feels motivated to start until dawn
> puts disc in
> 11GB download update required
> RIP motivation while installing

will try again in 6 months

Wtf 11GB update

I didn't have that big of a patch when i got it, granted it was 2 weeks after it got released

Maybe DLC?

not sure, didn't take that long to DL anyway, will start it once I get xmas out of the way I think.

That reminds me I still haven't played far cry 4 for more than 20 minutes banter

Inb4 Firenze actually hasn't bought Until Dawn. and is trying to impress GL smh.

Nah he's not kidding, he's just hooked on some jobber PES mode