GNamer Major Writes Site

Celeste goes under the critic's knife.

One for my 'to-read' pile, that - possibly after I've got a bit further in, though. Don't want any spoilers, no matter how vague!

Drunka's piece on Gyroids is superlative. The sort of thing only he could have written - the perspective of a man in Japan, with yer man's normal great writing.

I wrote a thing about reliving the past and going back to old games. I think it might be alright. Give it a read.

Great article which leans into the games that broke you thread and for myself all that is why I put off SotC again for so many years.

Forgot to mention, but I put this up last week, only 477 days late!

Anyway, parts 12 and 13 are typed up already and scheduled to go live.

In and around Drunka's excellent re-examination of Ace Attorney, I've found some words on SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition for t'Switch.

Cheers for that ZeroJones - I'd been weighing up getting SteamWorld Heist for a while 👍

I've still not played any Steamworld games, but Heist seems like it'd be the one. Your review had me tempted, but I really don't need any more games right now . . . I wonder if I can get it with the gold points I have sitting on my account?

I also read your Celeste review while I was at it, which for some reason I'd not checked out yet. Good, informative stuff.

Heist is perhaps a bit more immediate than either of the Digs. The way you control your characters barely changes throughout the game, with new mechanics coming from the enemies and environments instead. It’s good stuff.

And glad you liked the Celeste review! I gone did some maths and stuff.

Detective Pikachu comes up short.

Damning, that. While I like the ideas, I don't fancy being patronised by the game.

To talk up a couple of Ginny pieces that have come into existence relatively recently: Muss' Sexy Brutale review, which really makes me wish I'd not played the stuttering Switch version; and Drunka slogging through the worst Ace Attorney game.  He's too kind, far too kind.  Especially to fecking Klavier.

Yeah, seconding the surprise at the kindness levied at AJ's weaker cases! Turnabout Corner surprised me especially, considering barely any of the characters in that case are likeable or engaging.

Balladeer wrote:

 He's too kind, far too kind.  Especially to fecking Klavier.

You bloody what? Klavier's great!

Balladeer wrote:

To talk up a couple of Ginny pieces that have come into existence relatively recently: Muss' Sexy Brutale review, which really makes me wish I'd not played the stuttering Switch version

That's a real shame about the Switch version. I played through the PS4 version with my girlfriend, which I didn't mention in the review, but I do think added a little something because bouncing ideas off each other and making observations about the set and narrative was nice. I'll probably do a solo playthrough again at some point to polish off the trophies I missed, which isn't something I'd ever do unless I thought quite highly of a game.

It's behind the Rime lot, who have already developed a track record for lousy Switch conversions. I should also say that I wasn't too fond of the Big Reveal, but I imagine that varies very much from person to person.

Drunkalilly wrote:

You bloody what? Klavier's great!

He's the worst prosecutor in the main series. I don't like him, because he's too smug for that and the 'Herr Forehead' thing gets old quickly; but, more crucially, I don't hate him. I don't want to put the boot into him as much as Edgeworth, or Godot, or even Franziska. There's no satisfaction in overcoming him. He isn't hateworthy, he's just annoying. I know I'm very far from alone in feeling that way (although I also know that he has some very passionate fans as well).

Zero has put a thing up about VC and how SEGA is great http://www.gintendo.co.uk/articles/2018/5/9/why-the-demise-of-the-virtual-console-is-a-good-thing

and Drunka has put a review up on Immortal Redneck which out today http://www.gintendo.co.uk/reviews/2018/5/8/immortal-redneck

Ah - yeah - Zero's hit the nail on the head with the Virtual Console article; that's what I was thinking, just not nearly as eloquently. There have been loads of old games re-released on the 360/PS3/XBone/PS4, and there's no official "Retro Console X" on these. Yeah.



Good work Zero

wait

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Balladeer wrote:

He's the worst prosecutor in the main series.  I don't like him, because he's too smug for that and the 'Herr Forehead' thing gets old quickly; but, more crucially, I don't hate him.  I don't want to put the boot into him as much as Edgeworth, or Godot, or even Franziska.  There's no satisfaction in overcoming him.  He isn't hateworthy, he's just annoying.  I know I'm very far from alone in feeling that way (although I also know that he has some very passionate fans as well).

Hmm... I suppose the thing is, I've not felt much antagonism towards any of the Prosecutors. With Godot, he hated Phoenix but Phoenix in the end saves Godot's soul. With Edgeworth, it became more of a friendship and partnership; the sort of relationship Gavin leans into. I see it more like the witness/ murderer in each case is the enemy and you're working with the prosecutor to reach the truth. You know, the entire moral of the first two games?

The Von Karmas, particularly the elder, are different.

I'm not saying Klav's my favourite or anything; the hatred and sheer cool of Godot is unbeatable to me and Edgeworth is a better expression of the same idea Klavier represents, but I feel more interested and attached to him than Franziska, say. I feel like this game is about the big mystery behind Phoenix and Troupe Gramarye, and all the tragic betrayals that have befallen Gavin, rather than being about the rivalry between him and Apollo. Which works for me because we've seen that story play out already.

Maybe it's a perception thing then. I definitely feel the need to overcome all of them. With all of the other lawyers, they're smug, they dislike me, and they need to be brought down to size. It's definitely a lot more subtly done with Edgeypoo and Godot than Franzy, but it's there in all the cases.

I think maybe I'd feel this was more of a collaborative affair, or maybe I'd feel sorry for his betrayals, if I liked Gavin. Fair play to you if you do: I find him smug without being sufficiently loathable.


On another topic entirely, IR seems like it's going to drum up a cult following of sorts - Scully liked it too. It's not for me because of the roguelike element, but it sounds like a good game. Which is, y'know. Good.

Balladeer wrote:

I think maybe I'd feel this was more of a collaborative affair, or maybe I'd feel sorry for his betrayals, if I liked Gavin.  Fair play to you if you do: I find him smug without being sufficiently loathable.

Smug but impossible to loathe - that's me

Anyhoo, that's the fourth case done. I've gone into my thoughts on Klavier a little more.

My mind never considered that might be why you liked him more than me. Not a single time. Cough.

I appreciated that mention of Klavier when I read it. Perhaps it's due to the writing being not as good as the original trilogy, but he never seemed based about enough for me to feel sorry for him - despite thinking back on it, now, and appreciating what you say about 3/4 of the cases.

Kristoph, though, is a class act.

Some truths for y'all.

Given it a read, I don't disagree with it all but like I said elsewhere I think E3 is moving away from a trade show to a public fan event with more and more allowed to go in the same way EGX is a fan event (you could also say this isn't as the companies are trying to get you to play there games and then buy them) and I think they have to because EA do their own thing now, MS do now it seems and have Inside Xbox once a month, Nintendo has the directs and Sony last year did 4 conferences.

Because of all that it's not Christmas for gaming but I do like seeing that new games but it doesn't have to be at E3, look at Rockstar they just do what they want when they want.

On the high-profile games starring mainly straight white males, I know I'm mainly looking forward to games with female leads (TLoUII, Gear 5, Tomb Raider) or the option and why I'm getting Battlefield V because of it but most are still straight and white though.

I am someone the likes numbers though, in various ways, I just find it fascinating (in the same sort way you would study form) like with the stats on Game Pass that people using it are playing more games and for longer (ones 40% more and ones 20% more, just can't remember which is which) and you just have to see how many games I've beaten and how many have been on Xbox to see that or hearing an Indie title has done super well on Switch, which always good to hear for a smaller indie studio.

Drunkalilly wrote:

...you need to ask yourself whether you really like playing games at all.

Hm, okay.

...
...
...

...I'm not sure. I'll let my brain work on that one while I go play some games.