43M's Gaming Journal: Now Playing: God of War Ragnarok!!!

[iknowcool]

1 minute ago, 43M said:

Did you happen to play the sequels?   Worth playing?

I've seen nothing but praise for them.  My friend likes them a lot.  

I played a little bit of Rise of the Tomb Raider.  I really don't remember why I stopped playing.  I kind of fell off of video games around 2015-2018ish when it dropped, so that's probably why.  But I'm sure they are really good, just kinda haven't gotten around to playing them.

I remember when the first one dropped, think it dropped around the same time as Bioshock Infinite.  Another very good game.

[43M]

4 hours ago, iknowcool said:

I've seen nothing but praise for them.  My friend likes them a lot.  

I played a little bit of Rise of the Tomb Raider.  I really don't remember why I stopped playing.  I kind of fell off of video games around 2015-2018ish when it dropped, so that's probably why.  But I'm sure they are really good, just kinda haven't gotten around to playing them.

I remember when the first one dropped, think it dropped around the same time as Bioshock Infinite.  Another very good game.

I just finished.   It was a really good game, and the reviews are pretty good for the sequels....although some reviews seem a LITTLE sour on the 3rd one.

Ill probably wait until I can find them on sale.   I rarely pay full price anymore.  I always wait until I can find a good deal, and they eventually come around for most games....so when I find the right deal, Ill probably grab them.

[43M]

Review

 

Well, that was fast.

I got through that game quicker than any in recent memory.  Not even 100% sure how long I played.   Probably in the 8 to 12 hour range. which was fine....especially given I only paid like $5 for it.

Anyway, I was never a fan of the original Tomb Raiders back on the PS1.   They were okay, but they felt really clunky and the controls just felt awkward to me.    They were iconic for their time though, and were the inspiration for numerous games that have come since, most notably one of my favorite franchises, Uncharted.     And whats funny is, while the original Tomb Raider influenced Uncharted, the reboot clearly takes alot of inspiration from Uncharted....and Im not complaining.

Let me just say....why is it so many videogames have better writing and even acting than Hollywood movies?   Lara Croft has never been better than she is in this game.   She is written so well, even if there were moments she felt a bit out of character for what they were going for.    The story was pretty generic, but it was perfectly fine for this game.    

I wont talk about gameplay much because there isnt much to say beyond it was FUN AS HELL, and again, very reminiscent of Uncharted.   The one thing I loved that Uncharted didnt have was the bow and arrow.   Between this and Horizon Zero Dawn, Ive become a huge fan of using a bow and arrow,...when done right, anyway.     

On a final positive note....the graphics on the PC version were AMAZING.       Graphics dont mean a ton to me, but it was beautiful too look at.   All the little details and the wear and tear on Lara was just terrific.

Not too many negatives.    The game often felt like Rambo more than Tomb Raider.   That isnt a major complaint because I know its an action game, but she went from being a rather timid adventurer to a seasoned killer rather quickly, and she was shouting things like "Die you b@stards!" and made it feel a little odd.    The cast outside of her wasnt really memorable like they are in Uncharted.    I liked the other characters, but I dont even remember them like I remembered Sully, Chloe and Elena in Uncharted.     Also, while I really enjoyed the gameplay and Lara, there just doesnt feel like any reason to revisit it again like Ive felt with numerous other games.   I completed all the tombs (I think), but the other stuff (like collecting treasure maps and other stuff) just doesnt interest me because there isnt much reason to do it IMO unless youre a completionist.

 

Bottom line:   Surprisingly great game that Ive had for awhile now, and Im glad I got around to playing it.   Almost everything you could want from a 3rd person action game, even though its somewhat forgettable in many ways.

Gameplay:  10
Story:  7
Graphics: 9.5
Value/Replayability:   5
Personal Enjoyment:  9

 

Final Score:    8.8

Edited February 28, 2022 by 43M

[43M]

No clue what Im playing next.    

I might look around for a bit and figure it out next week.

MGS Phantom Pain is a real possibility, but I might save that for a little bit.

Gonna look around and see if any games are on sale too...although I still have a backlog of games I own I havent played yet.

[RJ_11]

6 hours ago, 43M said:

Did you happen to play the sequels?   Worth playing?

Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider >>>>> Tomb Raider (2013).

But take that with a pinch of salt as I'm a massive Tomb Raider nerd and adore the originals, so the 2013 version of Lara was just pretty annoying for me. TR2013 was decent, but I much prefer the next two. Shadow is an absolutely gorgeous game too.

[43M]

45 minutes ago, RJ_11 said:

Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider >>>>> Tomb Raider (2013).

But take that with a pinch of salt as I'm a massive Tomb Raider nerd and adore the originals, so the 2013 version of Lara was just pretty annoying for me. TR2013 was decent, but I much prefer the next two. Shadow is an absolutely gorgeous game too.

Thanks for the heads up!

I put them on my watchlist on Is there any Deal.    When they go on sale, Ill grab them.

 

[43M]

Wasnt really sure what to play next, and there really arent many great deals right now.    I have several games I havent played (all the way through), but didnt really want to jump into any of them just yet.     There is one game Ive had for several years.   A pretty iconic game that I watched my friend beat back in the early 2000s, and Ive tried several times to play but only got through the first few sections.    However, I figured Id give it the best chance Ill probably ever give it, and if I dont get through it...thats probably it.

So, the game Im currently playing is....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by 43M

[43M]

There are alot of great older games.

Many of them age well and are fun to this day.  Even numerous NES games.

However, there are also many games that were once considered great that did NOT age well.

Knights of the Old Republic, IMO, is one of those games.

Dont get me wrong, I am enjoying it....but its definitely not a timeless classic. 

[naptownskinsfan]

On 11/20/2021 at 2:30 PM, 43M said:

There are alot of great older games.

Many of them age well and are fun to this day.  Even numerous NES games.

However, there are also many games that were once considered great that did NOT age well.

Knights of the Old Republic, IMO, is one of those games.

Dont get me wrong, I am enjoying it....but its definitely not a timeless classic. 

I haven’t played it in a while but I imagine that’s the case. It was tough even in 2006-07 when I finally played it. 
 

I really love The Old Republic though. 

[JBURGE]

I wish you waited until the remake that is coming out next year lol 

 

I tried playing it again earlier this year, I made it about 5 minutes. First and only playthrough was maybe 8 or 9 years ago, and I don't think I finished casue my laptop was so bad it struggled to run it. 

Then E3 came and the news of the remake/master so now I can just wait until then. 

Edited November 26, 2021 by JBURGE

[43M]

2 hours ago, JBURGE said:

I wish you waited until the remake that is coming out next year lol 

 

I tried playing it again earlier this year, I made it about 5 minutes. First and only playthrough was maybe 8 or 9 years ago, and I don't think I finished casue my laptop was so bad it struggled to run it. 

Then E3 came and the news of the remake/master so now I can just wait until then. 

I am concerned about the remake, for numerous reasons.   However, it will likely be quite a bit different from the original, so it wont prevent me from playing it if its a good game.

[rob_shadows]

8 hours ago, JBURGE said:

I wish you waited until the remake that is coming out next year lol 

 

I tried playing it again earlier this year, I made it about 5 minutes. First and only playthrough was maybe 8 or 9 years ago, and I don't think I finished casue my laptop was so bad it struggled to run it. 

Then E3 came and the news of the remake/master so now I can just wait until then. 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no release date has been announced for the remake yet and it's almost certainty not going to be next year.

[43M]

2 hours ago, rob_shadows said:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no release date has been announced for the remake yet and it's almost certainty not going to be next year.

Yeah.    I think 2023 is the earliest, and perhaps 2024.

[43M]

 Review

 

Talk about a blast from the past!

This is, thus far, the oldest game Ive revisited and played since Ive returned to gaming.   I never actually played through this in full until now.   I remember watching my buddy play through it back when I was in the military, and I always wanted to run through it myself.  I bought this on Steam about 8 years ago, and I tried numerous times to jump into it, but it always felt clunky and outdated and it was hard to get into, so I never got much further than the opening ship segment.    This time, though, I decided to push through and give it one final chance.

So...was it worth it?

Answer....Kinda.

I can definitely understand why people like it, especially for Star Wars fans in 2003.      It definitely felt like an early stage BioWare RPG system like the ones found in games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect....which is a good thing, but as I said, after playing through the other BioWare games that came later, this felt outdated.      The story was actually pretty damn good and kept me interested, and was probably the main reason I stuck it out.    I enjoyed most of the characters, even if some got annoying or werent fleshed out enough IMO.      The gameplay was okay for a 2003 RPG, but even for its time, I dont think it was overly special.  

Unfortunately, in 2021, so much of the game is a slog to get through due to the limitations of its time.

As Ive said before, there are alot of games that are great to go back and play, and despite old school graphics and gameplay elements, still aged pretty well and are fun to play to this day.   Knight of the Old Republic is game that has aged poorly in almost every way.

The gameplay, while I enjoyed it for what it was, wasnt exactly exciting, and the controls sometimes felt unresponsive and lacking.   Some of the stuff was by design, I guess, but there were times Id enter a command and it wouldnt register.     It took me some time to realize they wouldnt automatically move on and attack another enemy after defeating one.   Sometimes it did....but not always.

The progression system was lacking.    I usually didnt feel like a badarse Jedi.    I usually felt weak,   I turned the game on easy, mainly because there were times where the game felt impossible to me.    Maybe if I felt like really learning the ins and outs and taking my time, but I kinda just wanted to get through it, and being that I was a Jedi, I wanted to feel stronger rather than weaker.    Even as I progressed my character, in many cases, I didnt feel notably stronger, even once I actually became a Jedi. 

This really isnt a good game for beginners, even back in 2003.     The map system is pretty awful, and there was often no indication where to go next.   You just had to run around exploring everything.   I had to look up several things because I had no idea where to go.     They also dont tell you the best ways to really build your character.....which is mainly a problem because if you dont have a clue what youre doing early on, it can really handicap you later on (for instance....if you pick alot of gun based abilities early on, its really going to hurt you later in the game if you want to be a lightsaber wielding Jedi.    And you dont get enough points to really make your character super strong.   You have to either dump ALL of your points into the same things every time to make them really strong in one area, or just have a balanced, but weak character.

The voice acting and dialogue were not good....even for its time.   Some parts were fine.  Others were so bad.    While I liked Carth, I felt like the voice actor and dialogue really hurt his character.    It made him seem like a whiny runt, and they forced you to have these arguments with him early in the game which also made your main character seem....meh.  Even for 2003, it was pretty weak voice acting and the writing for the main characters dialogue was so cheesy.

On a final note....I absolutely HATED the forced love story at the end between the MC and Bastilla.    There was absolutely no connection there the entire game, and then all of a sudden, they profess their love for each other?   What the actual f^&K!?!?!?  Zero build up whatsoever....and the voice acting made it sound so robotic so there was ZERO emotion.

 

Bottom line:   Im sure in 2003 or 2004, this wouldve held up much better.    It was still somewhat decent and had a lot of good ideas and was rich in Star Wars lore, but everything about it just felt lacking in 2021, and honestly, even for 2003, I dont think this game is QUITE as amazing as some make it out to be.       I dont think this game would be remembered nearly as fondly if it didnt have a good Star Wars story attached to it.

Gameplay:  6
Story:  9
Graphics: 7 (for 2003)
Value/Replayability:   7 (there are reasons to play through multiple times, but I couldnt do it again)
Personal Enjoyment:  4

 

Final Score
For 2003:    7.5
For 2021:     5

[43M]

Next games up....