I appreciate your perspective of focusing on having fun while pointing out cool game design. There's so many games I can't make time for. And so many others that look so great but just aren't my thing. Given how long your compilation here is, I'm sure it took a ton of effort and I appreciate it. Also I never finished Superbrothers because I wasn't having fun playing it. The vibes though? That kept me coming back. For a while.
Another excellent upload, great title selection, very much looking forward to more in the future! Bought Mini Ninjas during the last sale based on this, also was delighted to see two of my favorites pop up: Sludge Life - such a unique world, oozing with style and wit and comedy and commentary - and of course Superbrothers, whose Jim Guthrie Soundtrack is my favorite album possibly ever; so emotional and beautiful. I think the writing is very purposeful in how it separates and mixes meta-commentary, "memey" humour and genuine, honest motions but the real magic and insanity lies within the real-world riddle/ARG covering board games, soundtrack vinyls, in-game hints, the website, a David Cronenberg easter egg and so much more :D
Great video as usual! The worlds of Sludge Life and Hyper Light Drifter are so rich and immersive that they had me craving playing them again even after seeing the credits. Looking forward to eventually playing Sludge Life 2 and the rest of Heart Machine's catalogue. "Dyspraxic Fisherprice John Wick" is such an invocative sentence aha.
This is a good format to see, all things considered. You get lil bite-sized insights on games that you're just starting to gain perspective on, without going too deep to the point of fatigue. Even though the video is a long one, it didn't feel that way. The videos I've personally enjoyed the most from you follow this format: a small bunch of games that still get attentive breakdowns, whether they support a grander thesis (like the "difficult games" one you recently published) or just talking about what you played recently. While I wouldn't say to stick exclusively to this style of video, I will say that it plays a lot to your strengths as a writer and editor. It's great to see. Awesome work.
thanks! Yeah this format seems to be doing well for me. The big challenge for the backlog thing has been trying to come up with something interesting to say about games i'm less enthusiastic about, but that's all part of the thrill of making these things, I guess
I REALLY think highly of Hyper Light Drifter, its a game that makes your imagination fill up the gaps on what is missing. For example: As I played the game and I mastered the combat, I found out that u can actually have infinite dashes if u time them right, and u could decapitate an enemy if u attacked in the middle of the dash. But that was not important, u see the world of HLD is so open to interpretation, that I imagined the rise of a new IP that could rival Star Wars...not that it could give much of a fight nowadays, a group of archaeologists who used photon swords to explore ruins with unique fighting styles, as u noticed the photon swords could bend as u swing it, u could deflect or cut projectiles, the story could be so rich, as the game showed different cultures and the demons that haunt the world could reflect the core problems of each culture. OOOH and the music, its like a multilayered cake that u need to uncover the meaning (taste) of each layer. Its like its trying to whisper u the long-forgotten tragic tales of this land, or maybe is trying to warn u that u will eventually become a long-forgotten tale, like ash spread to the wind. The Devs are developing the IP, not in a direction that I would like, I would like them to focus more on giving meaning to the "Drifters Order", and familiarly expanding the world, as the next entry in the Universe of HLD (Solar Ash) had totally different aesthetic and worldbuilding from the original game, that NEON-PIXEL like vibe, that they would glow with vivid colours. Delver? How? I have never heard of it...looks so...with the lack of a better word "CUTE"...found another one, "COZZIE". I will be waiting for the Rogue-likes video... 27:13 , how do u manage to have such an obscure and yet fun backlog? I bet there are collectibles in the game, it reminds me of PS2 games SO MUCH!
Else heart.break() seems like the sort of game you stumble through, confused, and missing a ton on your first playthrough, but the more you play, the more you take notes on who is where, you can finally piece together what's Really Going On in the whole thing. The shenmue comparison feels VERY apt in that regard! Lots of good thoughts on good games here, very much going to go back to earlier episodes in the series. (Also mildly tempted to take on my own backlog with a notebook in hand, these micro reviews are inspiring)
I love the first Hitman, I still remember the first mission, the first game open hub area which at the time felt like a giant. you get scared to be found so you take your time, but also don't want to fail, it was exhilaratingly tense. Hitman is one of the first games I saw in my very first game magazine, and it was so damn cool, i didn't liked to read so i just saw like 3-4 screenshots and made a story in my head. Still hqve that game magazine after 24 years. It's so good to be old.
Else Heart.Break() is one of my favorite games. I have a background in coding so that part immediately popped out to me. It is actually a functional coding language in the game. Limited but functional. Its nice to see other people get to experience it even though its pretty old.
Your reaction to Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP is interesting. I loved the writing and rank it among my all time favorite games. It's not for everyone I guess.
For me SUPERHOT only really made sense in VR on a mechanical level. For example there were so many times in the base game I'd get frustrated at a death from a bullet that should have gone past my head but killed me because the player is a big capsule. In VR you can just tilt your head, it's so natural. That plus being able to aim freely makes the whole thing click for me. Also it's more difficult to be perfectly still in VR, so you have slightly less control on the flow of time and have to make quick decisions.
ive been playing rise for 150 hours now, sinking an hour or 2 a day and more on weekends. its been quite fun mastering all the weapons and the monsters
I was in a frenzy beating games after the last video you posted but now I'm taking it easy playing Tekken 8 and various Picross, while steam sale impulse buys and a recently hacked three dee ess pile up a whole new mountain of stuff I just can't make time for so it's safe to say I've learned nothing.
I'm Playing The Sting right now. It's a German PC game from July 2001. also I managed to run another old ass game from Germany called Money Mad on PC, it's a monopoly type game, with dumb characters, it's charming. I've Played Diablo 2 Res with mods of course, I want to have fun. I've Played Postal 2 that was still as fun as when I was an edgy kid. I've Played Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Complete - but I only played The Restoration of Erathia. I've played Crow Country and didn't like it, because it's in a circus. Bought Felvidek and still need to play it. Gloomwood as well. and Dungeon Rats. I got my hands on After Dark Games and it was a sweet time. played some Elden Ring, and got stuck with an issue of: "where do i go ?" The gold city is closed, can't go to moon land, can't really go anywhere else, vacuumed the whole areas. and lastly I've played Jack The Ripper (2004), a very atmospheric puzzle quest detective adventure game.
Are you the Boss Keys guy? If so, glad I found this alt channel. If not, you guys sound identical Edit: went back to listen. You’re not! But glad I found you!
@@DrRESHES funnily enough this is kind of the subject of my next video, although not about XCOM itself. I'm a big Enemy Within fan, but I feel that the sequel mistakes business for depth somewhat. There's a balance that has to be made, that 'easy to pick up difficult to master' thing that makes depth a matter of alchemy rather than just loads and loads of systems (see also: Slay the Spire/Balatro)
@@Buliaros18-Static-Canvas Yes, Balance between the gameplay and systems that can mesh and react to each other to make a granular and organic soup. I am also one of those people that believe in that, something that we lost many years ago. I have a game for you to research for this topic. Jagged Alliance 2 (1999), a game that was made in a family business indie company that also made Wizardry, which means they did what ever they wanted not to appeal to any investors or producers, The Director was the Producer and Designer and the original creator of the game, even delayed the game to meet fans expectations. what came out was a game that is still talked today and being "improved" because they gave the source code accessible to anyone. JA2 was a game i played for fun, but later I realized that this game was ocean deep, even with my deep knowledge and resurgent interest in 2010s, I still haven't experienced everything, and I know this will help you on this topic, because it's an important game. (if you need side literature on Jagged Alliance 2, there's only 1 book, by Boss Fight Books - book No.5, this is not a sponsor, I'm dead serious). Good luck on your next video. I'll keep a close eye on it.
@@Buliaros18-Static-Canvas Also If you going to get it, I heard that the GOG version is much more optimized than the Steam version. I can't be sure because I still play the 1.02 ver. the first ver. that came in 1999, and it still run perfectly on Win 10. but the later and last 1.12 is also great.
Here's a vertical slice of a mundane thing: the Door. Usually in TBT the door's function is to obstruct the vision and can be accessed easily primarily and mostly by the player. In Jagged Alliance the Door can be opened if it's unlocked, easy. But if it's locked you have 10 options, 8 given in a small box of options when one of your Merc is interacting with it. - you can still try use the handle, maybe it's left there so you can draw noise, and your Merc will have a bark line to say, fitting to his/her personality. - You can check for traps, a Merc with a Mechanic skill will detect that instantly and leave a unique bark. - You can try disarm it, depends on your Merc Mechanic skill and Dexterity (maybe even Explosions skill). * a Merc with low Mechanic skill won't notice it's trapped and if he try to interact with the Door, he will be injured, and injury is a whole other topic. - You Kick the door, if you have good Strength, if not a unique bark will happen that he can't Do It, but you can keep going for laughs, and maybe it'll budge, It makes a lot of sound. * on the topic of Sounds, usually the game is RTS mode when the sector is liberated, but also the games goes Real Time, when you don't see an enemy, and they don't see you and this is cat and mouse game of who will catch the other, and interrupt their turn based on their Experience, and if you have AP (Injury system also one of the aspects of dictates the number of AP). - You can use a detonator, if you don't have it but have a TNT, you can RMC (Right Mouse Click) on it and take it out of the TNT, but low Explosion skill can damage the detonator, and it will be a dud. - You can Lockpick, easy, if you have the Lockpick tool kit, which most high Mechanic Mercs have. *high security Doors can be opened if the Merc have the Electronics Perk, *Perks usually come with the Mercs because the game is "Fun Simulator" and takes it's characters seriously which means you can read each Merc's CV before hiring them, but it's not that important because, Next is - - You can find a Key and use it. most of the time it's in an area where there are important facilities. - you can use a crowbar to pry open the lock, based on Strength of the Merc. and there are 2 other ways that aren't told to you nor hinted and you have no idea about but they make sense. - You choose a Merc from a line of portraits down on your screen when you're in the Tactical view (there's a map view, a laptop view for Internet stuff, and Tactical View), each portrait have visible two slots, the upper one is what tool they will be using, and the lower is secondary, you don't need to put there anything when lockpicking, it detects it by itself, but what ever is in the slot can be used directly, just pick the Merc and press RMC and you can use that thing, like a Medkit or TNT, but if you have a gun, you can aim at anything at anytime, even if you don't see an enemy but you heard something like South-West from you and shoot there, Every Bullet isn't laser based Algorithm, every bullet has a hit box, so you can spray and pray and maybe you'll hit someone. like a civilian. but what you don't know is that you can Aim at the Door in Real Time and shoot at it, and you shoot some more, until it says the lock is damaged, you shoot some more until the same message repeats 3 times, and automatically say The lock is destroyed. - or just put some explosion near the door or a wall and blow it away. the problem is that it makes noise and it can become very tense if the sector isn't liberated and you making too much noise so the enemy has a chance to plan their ambush. On hard difficulty they are cunning, they don't become spunges, because everyone is working on the same system, the only thing that matters is what armor and what type of bullets all the parties have. but you also can use noise to your advantage to draw them with noise to your ambush. and this is what it takes to explain One Mechanic, and holding my composure Not to sidetrack to other mechanics.
Oh forgot to mention that Interruption is also affected by the moral of individual Merc, So It's Experience and High Moral, and maybe even Agility and Dexterity, but I never checked the game wiki for that, because I value each experience with this game, by always being blind to the mechanics, and hidden mechanics that makes this game so fun to replay. Oh and some guns can have suppressors attached to them, Among other things. This amount of granularity is in only this game, but it also have so much balance between the gameplay and RPG stuff that makes this the best game ever made, and if Jagged Alliance 2 was a bit more popular and if JA1 wouldn't been released 9 months after XCOM the OG, the history of the genre could've been very different.
As a long-time Monster Hunter fan, your thoughts around the game's depth are one of the most eloquent and succinct descriptions I've encountered.
I appreciate your perspective of focusing on having fun while pointing out cool game design. There's so many games I can't make time for. And so many others that look so great but just aren't my thing. Given how long your compilation here is, I'm sure it took a ton of effort and I appreciate it.
Also I never finished Superbrothers because I wasn't having fun playing it. The vibes though? That kept me coming back. For a while.
Another excellent upload, great title selection, very much looking forward to more in the future! Bought Mini Ninjas during the last sale based on this, also was delighted to see two of my favorites pop up: Sludge Life - such a unique world, oozing with style and wit and comedy and commentary - and of course Superbrothers, whose Jim Guthrie Soundtrack is my favorite album possibly ever; so emotional and beautiful. I think the writing is very purposeful in how it separates and mixes meta-commentary, "memey" humour and genuine, honest motions but the real magic and insanity lies within the real-world riddle/ARG covering board games, soundtrack vinyls, in-game hints, the website, a David Cronenberg easter egg and so much more :D
Great video as usual!
The worlds of Sludge Life and Hyper Light Drifter are so rich and immersive that they had me craving playing them again even after seeing the credits. Looking forward to eventually playing Sludge Life 2 and the rest of Heart Machine's catalogue.
"Dyspraxic Fisherprice John Wick" is such an invocative sentence aha.
This is a good format to see, all things considered. You get lil bite-sized insights on games that you're just starting to gain perspective on, without going too deep to the point of fatigue. Even though the video is a long one, it didn't feel that way. The videos I've personally enjoyed the most from you follow this format: a small bunch of games that still get attentive breakdowns, whether they support a grander thesis (like the "difficult games" one you recently published) or just talking about what you played recently. While I wouldn't say to stick exclusively to this style of video, I will say that it plays a lot to your strengths as a writer and editor. It's great to see. Awesome work.
thanks! Yeah this format seems to be doing well for me. The big challenge for the backlog thing has been trying to come up with something interesting to say about games i'm less enthusiastic about, but that's all part of the thrill of making these things, I guess
I REALLY think highly of Hyper Light Drifter, its a game that makes your imagination fill up the gaps on what is missing.
For example: As I played the game and I mastered the combat, I found out that u can actually have infinite dashes if u time them right, and u could decapitate an enemy if u attacked in the middle of the dash. But that was not important, u see the world of HLD is so open to interpretation, that I imagined the rise of a new IP that could rival Star Wars...not that it could give much of a fight nowadays, a group of archaeologists who used photon swords to explore ruins with unique fighting styles, as u noticed the photon swords could bend as u swing it, u could deflect or cut projectiles, the story could be so rich, as the game showed different cultures and the demons that haunt the world could reflect the core problems of each culture.
OOOH and the music, its like a multilayered cake that u need to uncover the meaning (taste) of each layer. Its like its trying to whisper u the long-forgotten tragic tales of this land, or maybe is trying to warn u that u will eventually become a long-forgotten tale, like ash spread to the wind.
The Devs are developing the IP, not in a direction that I would like, I would like them to focus more on giving meaning to the "Drifters Order", and familiarly expanding the world, as the next entry in the Universe of HLD (Solar Ash) had totally different aesthetic and worldbuilding from the original game, that NEON-PIXEL like vibe, that they would glow with vivid colours.
Delver? How? I have never heard of it...looks so...with the lack of a better word "CUTE"...found another one, "COZZIE".
I will be waiting for the Rogue-likes video...
27:13 , how do u manage to have such an obscure and yet fun backlog? I bet there are collectibles in the game, it reminds me of PS2 games SO MUCH!
Else heart.break() seems like the sort of game you stumble through, confused, and missing a ton on your first playthrough, but the more you play, the more you take notes on who is where, you can finally piece together what's Really Going On in the whole thing. The shenmue comparison feels VERY apt in that regard! Lots of good thoughts on good games here, very much going to go back to earlier episodes in the series. (Also mildly tempted to take on my own backlog with a notebook in hand, these micro reviews are inspiring)
Some really cool games featured here I haven't heard of! I will definitely be visiting Kowloon's Curse Lost Report when I have time! Great video!
I love the first Hitman, I still remember the first mission, the first game open hub area which at the time felt like a giant.
you get scared to be found so you take your time, but also don't want to fail, it was exhilaratingly tense.
Hitman is one of the first games I saw in my very first game magazine, and it was so damn cool, i didn't liked to read so i just saw like 3-4 screenshots and made a story in my head.
Still hqve that game magazine after 24 years. It's so good to be old.
I've been playing BattleTech recently, and really enjoying it:) just figured I'd chime in.
Else Heart.Break() is one of my favorite games. I have a background in coding so that part immediately popped out to me. It is actually a functional coding language in the game. Limited but functional. Its nice to see other people get to experience it even though its pretty old.
Your reaction to Superbrothers Sword & Sworcery EP is interesting. I loved the writing and rank it among my all time favorite games. It's not for everyone I guess.
The boi is back with the good stuuuuuffffff…
OOH JUNE'S GOT SOME BANGERS
For me SUPERHOT only really made sense in VR on a mechanical level. For example there were so many times in the base game I'd get frustrated at a death from a bullet that should have gone past my head but killed me because the player is a big capsule. In VR you can just tilt your head, it's so natural. That plus being able to aim freely makes the whole thing click for me. Also it's more difficult to be perfectly still in VR, so you have slightly less control on the flow of time and have to make quick decisions.
@@Fachewachewa that sounds sick, I need to get into VR
ive been playing rise for 150 hours now, sinking an hour or 2 a day and more on weekends. its been quite fun mastering all the weapons and the monsters
I was in a frenzy beating games after the last video you posted but now I'm taking it easy playing Tekken 8 and various Picross, while steam sale impulse buys and a recently hacked three dee ess pile up a whole new mountain of stuff I just can't make time for so it's safe to say I've learned nothing.
Delver reminds me of a game I played years ago called Eldritch that I’d recommend if you’d like something similar
@@segadriven I see the connection! I need to check eldrich out some time it sounds interesting
I'm Playing The Sting right now.
It's a German PC game from July 2001.
also I managed to run another old ass game from Germany called Money Mad on PC, it's a monopoly type game, with dumb characters, it's charming.
I've Played Diablo 2 Res with mods of course, I want to have fun.
I've Played Postal 2 that was still as fun as when I was an edgy kid.
I've Played Heroes of Might & Magic 3 Complete - but I only played The Restoration of Erathia.
I've played Crow Country and didn't like it, because it's in a circus.
Bought Felvidek and still need to play it.
Gloomwood as well.
and Dungeon Rats.
I got my hands on After Dark Games and it was a sweet time.
played some Elden Ring, and got stuck with an issue of: "where do i go ?" The gold city is closed, can't go to moon land, can't really go anywhere else, vacuumed the whole areas.
and lastly I've played Jack The Ripper (2004), a very atmospheric puzzle quest detective adventure game.
Are you the Boss Keys guy? If so, glad I found this alt channel. If not, you guys sound identical
Edit: went back to listen. You’re not! But glad I found you!
@@Crispyyy7 haha I get the comparison, thank you that's very flattering
How much do you dabble in turn based Tactical games ?
Is Xcom a game you think should be deeper or not ?
@@DrRESHES funnily enough this is kind of the subject of my next video, although not about XCOM itself. I'm a big Enemy Within fan, but I feel that the sequel mistakes business for depth somewhat. There's a balance that has to be made, that 'easy to pick up difficult to master' thing that makes depth a matter of alchemy rather than just loads and loads of systems (see also: Slay the Spire/Balatro)
@@Buliaros18-Static-Canvas Yes, Balance between the gameplay and systems that can mesh and react to each other to make a granular and organic soup.
I am also one of those people that believe in that, something that we lost many years ago.
I have a game for you to research for this topic.
Jagged Alliance 2 (1999), a game that was made in a family business indie company that also made Wizardry, which means they did what ever they wanted not to appeal to any investors or producers, The Director was the Producer and Designer and the original creator of the game, even delayed the game to meet fans expectations.
what came out was a game that is still talked today and being "improved" because they gave the source code accessible to anyone.
JA2 was a game i played for fun, but later I realized that this game was ocean deep, even with my deep knowledge and resurgent interest in 2010s, I still haven't experienced everything, and I know this will help you on this topic, because it's an important game.
(if you need side literature on Jagged Alliance 2, there's only 1 book, by Boss Fight Books - book No.5, this is not a sponsor, I'm dead serious).
Good luck on your next video.
I'll keep a close eye on it.
@@Buliaros18-Static-Canvas Also If you going to get it, I heard that the GOG version is much more optimized than the Steam version.
I can't be sure because I still play the 1.02 ver. the first ver. that came in 1999, and it still run perfectly on Win 10. but the later and last 1.12 is also great.
Here's a vertical slice of a mundane thing: the Door.
Usually in TBT the door's function is to obstruct the vision and can be accessed easily primarily and mostly by the player.
In Jagged Alliance the Door can be opened if it's unlocked, easy.
But if it's locked you have 10 options, 8 given in a small box of options when one of your Merc is interacting with it.
- you can still try use the handle, maybe it's left there so you can draw noise, and your Merc will have a bark line to say, fitting to his/her personality.
- You can check for traps, a Merc with a Mechanic skill will detect that instantly and leave a unique bark.
- You can try disarm it, depends on your Merc Mechanic skill and Dexterity (maybe even Explosions skill).
* a Merc with low Mechanic skill won't notice it's trapped and if he try to interact with the Door, he will be injured, and injury is a whole other topic.
- You Kick the door, if you have good Strength, if not a unique bark will happen that he can't Do It, but you can keep going for laughs, and maybe it'll budge, It makes a lot of sound.
* on the topic of Sounds, usually the game is RTS mode when the sector is liberated, but also the games goes Real Time, when you don't see an enemy, and they don't see you and this is cat and mouse game of who will catch the other, and interrupt their turn based on their Experience, and if you have AP (Injury system also one of the aspects of dictates the number of AP).
- You can use a detonator, if you don't have it but have a TNT, you can RMC (Right Mouse Click) on it and take it out of the TNT, but low Explosion skill can damage the detonator, and it will be a dud.
- You can Lockpick, easy, if you have the Lockpick tool kit, which most high Mechanic Mercs have.
*high security Doors can be opened if the Merc have the Electronics Perk, *Perks usually come with the Mercs because the game is "Fun Simulator" and takes it's characters seriously which means you can read each Merc's CV before hiring them, but it's not that important because, Next is -
- You can find a Key and use it. most of the time it's in an area where there are important facilities.
- you can use a crowbar to pry open the lock, based on Strength of the Merc.
and there are 2 other ways that aren't told to you nor hinted and you have no idea about but they make sense.
- You choose a Merc from a line of portraits down on your screen when you're in the Tactical view (there's a map view, a laptop view for Internet stuff, and Tactical View), each portrait have visible two slots, the upper one is what tool they will be using, and the lower is secondary, you don't need to put there anything when lockpicking, it detects it by itself, but what ever is in the slot can be used directly, just pick the Merc and press RMC and you can use that thing, like a Medkit or TNT, but if you have a gun, you can aim at anything at anytime, even if you don't see an enemy but you heard something like South-West from you and shoot there, Every Bullet isn't laser based Algorithm, every bullet has a hit box, so you can spray and pray and maybe you'll hit someone. like a civilian.
but what you don't know is that you can Aim at the Door in Real Time and shoot at it, and you shoot some more, until it says the lock is damaged, you shoot some more until the same message repeats 3 times, and automatically say The lock is destroyed.
- or just put some explosion near the door or a wall and blow it away.
the problem is that it makes noise and it can become very tense if the sector isn't liberated and you making too much noise so the enemy has a chance to plan their ambush.
On hard difficulty they are cunning, they don't become spunges, because everyone is working on the same system, the only thing that matters is what armor and what type of bullets all the parties have.
but you also can use noise to your advantage to draw them with noise to your ambush.
and this is what it takes to explain One Mechanic, and holding my composure Not to sidetrack to other mechanics.
Oh forgot to mention that Interruption is also affected by the moral of individual Merc, So It's Experience and High Moral, and maybe even Agility and Dexterity, but I never checked the game wiki for that, because I value each experience with this game, by always being blind to the mechanics, and hidden mechanics that makes this game so fun to replay.
Oh and some guns can have suppressors attached to them, Among other things.
This amount of granularity is in only this game, but it also have so much balance between the gameplay and RPG stuff that makes this the best game ever made, and if Jagged Alliance 2 was a bit more popular and if JA1 wouldn't been released 9 months after XCOM the OG, the history of the genre could've been very different.