Fable delayed to Feb 2027
Gaming The RedCafe General/Random Gaming Chat Thread
- Thread starter Olly Gunnar Solskjær
- Start date
Fable delayed to Feb 2027
Recently I've been diving into the backlog to play some shorter games. Random thoughts here:
Final Fantasy, the pixel remaster of the very first game. Not a series known for its brevity in modern times, but I was able to blast through this one in about 15 hours. Was fun to go back and see where it all started. This isn't the 8 bit original of course, looking and playing more like a 16 bit game, but from what I read it seems pretty faithful. I enjoyed the simplicity of it for a change. Also interesting to see how magic had limited uses instead of MP. A bit grindy despite its short runtime but still a fun time.
Jusant, the 2023 climbing game by Dontnod. I loved this one, such a relaxing game with mildly challenging climbing mechanics. There is just enough depth and mystery to the vertical world they've built to keep me intrigued throughout its fairly brief runtime. A beautiful game that doesn't outstay its welcome, exactly how I like it.
Next up, late last year's Skate Story. This received near universal acclaim for its trippy visuals, soundtrack and gameplay. I've always loved skateboarding games and skateboarding in general so this should've been an easy win for me, but I ending up coming away surprisingly disappointed. The visuals sure are trippy, as is the batshit crazy story and I definitely enjoyed most of the soundtrack, but the gameplay didn't do it for me. I like the concept - setting your feet before popping the trick, much like Thrasher Skate and Destroy back in the day, but I just never felt in control enough, like I was fighting the controls the entire game. It made the boss fights where you have to build up big combos on a time limit feel annoying, and unfortunately the whole thing quickly unraveled from there. Most people seem to adore it, which made me feel like I was missing something, but I tried. Shame.
And finally, Jotun, the debut title by Thunder Lotus, whose later games Sundered and especially Spiritfarer I really enjoyed. This game doesn't have too much about it. It's a simple isometric action adventure game with a limited amount of stages to explore, each with their own specific traversal challenge to overcome, and a big boss battle at the end of each environment. Combat is relatively rudimentary but, despite that, most of the boss battles are fun enough. The stages themselves are a bit boring and the slow movement didn't help. Nothing special, decent enough I guess but they improved a lot after this game.
I've also started playing CrossCode, although it's a bit early to give my thoughts on it. I always enjoy SNES style pixel-art and the combat is fast and fluid. Seems fun so far.
Final Fantasy, the pixel remaster of the very first game. Not a series known for its brevity in modern times, but I was able to blast through this one in about 15 hours. Was fun to go back and see where it all started. This isn't the 8 bit original of course, looking and playing more like a 16 bit game, but from what I read it seems pretty faithful. I enjoyed the simplicity of it for a change. Also interesting to see how magic had limited uses instead of MP. A bit grindy despite its short runtime but still a fun time.
Jusant, the 2023 climbing game by Dontnod. I loved this one, such a relaxing game with mildly challenging climbing mechanics. There is just enough depth and mystery to the vertical world they've built to keep me intrigued throughout its fairly brief runtime. A beautiful game that doesn't outstay its welcome, exactly how I like it.
Next up, late last year's Skate Story. This received near universal acclaim for its trippy visuals, soundtrack and gameplay. I've always loved skateboarding games and skateboarding in general so this should've been an easy win for me, but I ending up coming away surprisingly disappointed. The visuals sure are trippy, as is the batshit crazy story and I definitely enjoyed most of the soundtrack, but the gameplay didn't do it for me. I like the concept - setting your feet before popping the trick, much like Thrasher Skate and Destroy back in the day, but I just never felt in control enough, like I was fighting the controls the entire game. It made the boss fights where you have to build up big combos on a time limit feel annoying, and unfortunately the whole thing quickly unraveled from there. Most people seem to adore it, which made me feel like I was missing something, but I tried. Shame.
And finally, Jotun, the debut title by Thunder Lotus, whose later games Sundered and especially Spiritfarer I really enjoyed. This game doesn't have too much about it. It's a simple isometric action adventure game with a limited amount of stages to explore, each with their own specific traversal challenge to overcome, and a big boss battle at the end of each environment. Combat is relatively rudimentary but, despite that, most of the boss battles are fun enough. The stages themselves are a bit boring and the slow movement didn't help. Nothing special, decent enough I guess but they improved a lot after this game.
I've also started playing CrossCode, although it's a bit early to give my thoughts on it. I always enjoy SNES style pixel-art and the combat is fast and fluid. Seems fun so far.
I got pretty far into Crosscode and then my save file got corrupted after a crash. Lost the whole thing. Worst thing is the way the devs made the game, everything was stored on one .json file - once that file got corrupted, no way back at all. Mental.
Good game, very hard at times and the puzzles in the dungeons are ridiculous, just like 30 minutes of non stop more and more elaborate shit, it was too much, but overall it’s good. I do remember the story getting really crazy later on too.
One of those I enjoyed but once the save file thing happened I was like “nah I’ll never be arsed to go back to this again”.
Damn that sucks. I don't think I've lost significant progress since the PS2 memory card days. One fateful incident with a 50+ hour FF10 save taught me the importance of rolling save files back then.
Anyway, I was surprised to find out Radical Fish Games haven't released anything since CrossCode in 2018, with their next game Alabaster Dawn only just out in early access. The pixel-art on that one looks even better. Maybe I'll get round to that game in, uh, 10 years or so.
I quite liked Jotun. Thought the bosses were neat and there was something kind of satisfying about combat despite its simplicity. The levels between weren't great, i'd say it got away with it by being a fairly short and not outstaying its welcome.
Yeah I completed it in 5 hours and that felt long enough, it doesn't really have enough substance to support a longer runtime. I'd estimate about 3 of those hours were spent slowly moving through the levels, which dragged it down. The art is nice though, something I've come to expect from their games.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to their upcoming game, just a shame they spent so much time on the co-op multiplayer 33 Immortals in between. Zero interest in that one.
For those that like efootball or used to love PES (me!), there seems to be a very good efootball version on switch 2. Only £15, as well.
Just played a game. Seems legit.
Just played a game. Seems legit.
What's online scene like? Me and two of my mates bought the latest EA Sports game on Switch and throughout the whole year we have NEVER found a game online. Makes no sense. How can a game that's so popular have zero players playing online
It's the universe telling you to stop playing that shite.What's online scene like? Me and two of my mates bought the latest EA Sports game on Switch and throughout the whole year we have NEVER found a game online. Makes no sense. How can a game that's so popular have zero players playing online
It does have very basic online features. However, I can’t tell you if you can find a game easy because I have not tried it!What's online scene like? Me and two of my mates bought the latest EA Sports game on Switch and throughout the whole year we have NEVER found a game online. Makes no sense. How can a game that's so popular have zero players playing online
Wrong thread?
September, October and February are looking packed.
Barbie @esmufc07 is the only game apart from GTA that is announced for November. Nintendo will have a show in the next week. Will be interesting to see if they play by their own rules or just follow along with the others and avoid GTA.
Barbie @esmufc07 is the only game apart from GTA that is announced for November. Nintendo will have a show in the next week. Will be interesting to see if they play by their own rules or just follow along with the others and avoid GTA.
Meh I couldn’t really care about GTA. Top down GTA was the best.
Burned
Haha what a lil bitch.
My mind changes what can I say.
To be fair I did love Vic City back in the day and 3. Never really been able to get into any of the others.
I love Hitman but a remaster does not excite me. I would have lost my shit if it was an actual remake instead of an upscale.
Need Hitman 4 now IOI are done with the Bond game.
Original Doom composer Bobby Prince has passed away.
R.I.P
R.I.P
Rip and Tear
Ubisoft Co-Founder Claude Guillemot Dies in Plane Crash in France.
Haven’t posted my self indulgent reviews for awhile so will post in batches given there are quite a few.
Spider-Man 2
As with the first one, I loved this. Insomniac just make super fun, blockbuster video games. I thought the story was really good - some of the character setup such as the school sections were some of Insomniac’s most high quality narrative work to date. Performances especially from Peter’s actor were great. And similar to the first, mechanically, this remains just a really great video game loop whether it’s traversal or combat. The only thing I’d add is a few darker narrative conclusions which they could have taken for greater impact. Otherwise, had a great time.
8.8/10
Alan Wake 2
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first Alan Wake. It was definitely a good video game but I also felt that it was slightly overrated at the time. It had some interesting concepts but was also quite janky, cliché unpolished in many ways. Alan Wake 2 is one of the best survival horror games ever made, for me, and one of the standout experiences of this generation. I liked (didn’t love) Control but this is sort of what Remedy’s unique vision has been leading up to. The game is gorgeous, the whole twin peaks-sequel vibes are excellent, the writing is very strong, gameplay is tight and I loved every minute of it.
I’m also a music person so when a great game is coupled with great music as one of its connective tissues, it’s got me. The chapter close tracks (Lost at sea etc), that one incredible sequence I wont ruin for others - I was playing these for weeks after I finished the game - it was just such a memorable experience.
9.2/10
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
I had heard high praise for this but I didn’t expect it be this good. If you like games involving puzzles or just the adventure / mystery genre in general, do yourself a favour and go into this cold. For me, this is among the greatest indie games ever made. It’s an astonishingly good work of art. The title track, the minimalist art design, the short snippity high impact storytelling - rarely does a game come across just oozing so much style. And the gameplay itself, which is puzzles and problem solving, is top tier too. Not too easy so as to become redundant and not too obtuse to become unnecessarily frustrating, I felt it hit a real sweet spot.
Brilliant game.
9.2/10
Final Fantasy 16
I didn’t grow up with FF. While I recall enjoying the first third of FF10 as a kid, I skipped the series in general and turn based combat / JRPGs / 100 hour campaigns with middling writing wasn’t my thing. Having said that, while I didn’t fall in love with it, FF7 with its hybrid combat was one I did enjoy. So with FF16 going in a darker character action direction with real time combat, this seemingly was the entry for me.
And while I certainly enjoyed the narrative and level of spectacle early on, eventually the game just wore me out. As good as it often looks, there’s also times when you feel it’s from a bygone era in how poorly in runs and how shallow it’s world is in terms of things to do. It does the usual Jrpg thing of pretneding chores are an integrals and enjoyable part of the gaming experience whereas it’s not. After a big battle, I was suddenly pushed into absurdly menial tasks which I just couldn’t be bothered to push through. And then there’s the moment to moment combat which is fine for 10-15 hours but eventually becomes a game about spamming abilities as soon as they recharge. I don’t mind games with lots of cutscenes or visual spectacle unlike some here who don’t care for it, but if the writing is just fine and you need to spend 50 hours between that and okay combat, then that’s a bummer. So despite it having quite a few interest elements, I had to put this one down.
7.5/10
Spider-Man 2
As with the first one, I loved this. Insomniac just make super fun, blockbuster video games. I thought the story was really good - some of the character setup such as the school sections were some of Insomniac’s most high quality narrative work to date. Performances especially from Peter’s actor were great. And similar to the first, mechanically, this remains just a really great video game loop whether it’s traversal or combat. The only thing I’d add is a few darker narrative conclusions which they could have taken for greater impact. Otherwise, had a great time.
8.8/10
Alan Wake 2
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first Alan Wake. It was definitely a good video game but I also felt that it was slightly overrated at the time. It had some interesting concepts but was also quite janky, cliché unpolished in many ways. Alan Wake 2 is one of the best survival horror games ever made, for me, and one of the standout experiences of this generation. I liked (didn’t love) Control but this is sort of what Remedy’s unique vision has been leading up to. The game is gorgeous, the whole twin peaks-sequel vibes are excellent, the writing is very strong, gameplay is tight and I loved every minute of it.
I’m also a music person so when a great game is coupled with great music as one of its connective tissues, it’s got me. The chapter close tracks (Lost at sea etc), that one incredible sequence I wont ruin for others - I was playing these for weeks after I finished the game - it was just such a memorable experience.
9.2/10
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
I had heard high praise for this but I didn’t expect it be this good. If you like games involving puzzles or just the adventure / mystery genre in general, do yourself a favour and go into this cold. For me, this is among the greatest indie games ever made. It’s an astonishingly good work of art. The title track, the minimalist art design, the short snippity high impact storytelling - rarely does a game come across just oozing so much style. And the gameplay itself, which is puzzles and problem solving, is top tier too. Not too easy so as to become redundant and not too obtuse to become unnecessarily frustrating, I felt it hit a real sweet spot.
Brilliant game.
9.2/10
Final Fantasy 16
I didn’t grow up with FF. While I recall enjoying the first third of FF10 as a kid, I skipped the series in general and turn based combat / JRPGs / 100 hour campaigns with middling writing wasn’t my thing. Having said that, while I didn’t fall in love with it, FF7 with its hybrid combat was one I did enjoy. So with FF16 going in a darker character action direction with real time combat, this seemingly was the entry for me.
And while I certainly enjoyed the narrative and level of spectacle early on, eventually the game just wore me out. As good as it often looks, there’s also times when you feel it’s from a bygone era in how poorly in runs and how shallow it’s world is in terms of things to do. It does the usual Jrpg thing of pretneding chores are an integrals and enjoyable part of the gaming experience whereas it’s not. After a big battle, I was suddenly pushed into absurdly menial tasks which I just couldn’t be bothered to push through. And then there’s the moment to moment combat which is fine for 10-15 hours but eventually becomes a game about spamming abilities as soon as they recharge. I don’t mind games with lots of cutscenes or visual spectacle unlike some here who don’t care for it, but if the writing is just fine and you need to spend 50 hours between that and okay combat, then that’s a bummer. So despite it having quite a few interest elements, I had to put this one down.
7.5/10
Love Alan Wake 2, cracking game.
Your score for FF16 is very generous, personally I thought it was absolutely shite, an insult to the history of the series. A button-masher action game with no depth.
I also thought SpiderMan 2 was pretty average by Insomniac standards, feels like they should've shaken things up more. The combat was way too floaty.
I liked Alan wake a lot too.
I was going to give it a 7 but bumped it out of a little appreciation for its spectacle. But yeah, such a disappointment, and I don’t even have an attachment to the older games. It’s not even like a good action game. I can take repetition if the core things you are repeating are actually satisfying. And I can enjoy cutscene heavy games if they’re exciting and the gameplay in between is engaging (like MGS which I adored growing up). This is neither here nor there. The moment to moment gameplay starts fine and then just ends up as middling. And the narrative and cutscenes are not strong enough especially given the filler content in between. You beat a Godlike creature and then have to get some random lady out together a room. So weird.
Felt worse due to having paid for it.
Nice work. You've convinced me to pick up Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, which I've heard a fair bit about but had no idea what kind of game it was. (£10 on Switch at current).
Try and avoid the Internet as much as you can. Enjoy!
For all our sakes.
Good life advice that. Thanks.
Got that on my list of about 130 games I want to play at some point.
Ah man I just played And Roger. Beautiful game. Made me quite emotional.
If you like creative immersive indies I’d put it high on that list. But it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.
Anyone playing Meccha Chameleon?
I just won a round blending in as a horse cock
I just won a round blending in as a horse cock
Thank Goodness You’re Here is a very funny game
Just started playing Kingdom Come 1. I played the sequel first which I loved but didnt expect much for of this because of the reviews and the outdated graphics, but it holds up. Im about 20 hours in so far and Its really good. Just about 5 pound on steam as well.
Anyone playing Meccha Chameleon?
I just won a round blending in as a horse cock
Classic horse cock.
This is fecking genius though! Randomly popped up on my feed.