Critical Acclaim +: Open Mic

[HandsomeDead]

I think I was out of the loop when THPS3 came out and missed it. But 2 and 4 I was all over. the first THUG was okay but it was definitely when the series started to wain.

I only played 3 at a friends once or twice, I can't really say how it stacks up against the others.

[Sly Reflex]

I never actually owned THPS3, although I used to play it all the time around at a mates. I'm sure there were stats in it H? I seem to remember it that way anyway.

I liked the sense of humour in it. In the airport level there were pedestrians that would shout Yipee Kaiyai and other similar stuff. I way prefer the mission structure as well, I Had THPS4 and I hated how you had to going to specific places within levels to trigger missions. It's a real shame they overdid the THPS formula, it'd probably have had legs if they hadn't wrung it out year in year out.

[Hendo]

It had stats but in the 2nd game you collected money to upgrade them. This one they took it back to the original style where you earned stat points by doing well instead.

[dante76]

I really can't remember this one. They all start bluring into one, and then they got silly. I probably liked it but the soundtracks always annoyed me.

[Sly Reflex]

Next in the list is...

Shadow of the Colossus.

[Hendo]

Chug chug chug chug chug........oh, forget it.

I'm sure the HD version runs fine though.

[Bob]

Another example of people jizzing all over a game and ignoring the glaring gameplay and technical faults because it is pretty and super deep and arty and shit. Don't misunderstand, I think it is a great first time experience. Wandering around the world gives such a sense of isolation although I never felt the same oppressive atmosphere I got with Ico. After knowing what happens and doing it all once though I have no desire to do it again, well, I kind of do but then I load it up and look a it and quickly change my mind. It is all just so dull and the camera is a dick and it takes forever to get anywhere, I know what is going to happen. It is all just so empty.

So really it is a case of how do you judge something like this? If you loved it when you first experienced it but never want to experience it again is it good or bad? For me, it is still a quality experience and one I am glad I have. There wasn't so much going on in the game that you could forget anything so not only do I not want to play it, I don't really have any cause to either.

So yeah, I would say it is worthy of the praise it gets because it gives you something unique and more importantly, something that works better in video games that any other medium. Achieving that same feeling of isolation in a movie or book just isn't possible, in my opinion of course. It is frustrating the games that get a free pass in terms of gameplay though. Some of my favourite games this generation, games like Nier, Deadly Premonition and Spec Ops have put story before gameplay and they have all suffered critically for it. However things like this can't get praised enough, to the point that people are unwilling to even see the flaws when it comes to reviews. Again, don't misunderstand, I think Shadow of the Colossus should have received high scores because it is giving you something unique and as an overall package it is highly enjoyable. Just seems like critics need permission to like games for their stories and Shadow of the Colossus gave it. Just rambling, never mind me.

[spatular]

yeah i really liked sotc, there's nothing else like it, like having no enemies in the world except the colossuses, and the colossuses are all different and pretty interesting and fun to fight against. but also agree that it does have problems - like the frame rate, and i kept getting lost which was annoying too, although maybe that was my fault.

[Sly Reflex]

Chug chug chug chug chug........oh, forget it.

I'm sure the HD version runs fine though.

Pretty much my feeling about it. The ridiculous slowdown really hampered what enjoyment I could have got out of the game before I packed it in. Because of that reason I think it's overrated, because it ran like an absolute dog.

I'd really like to give HD a try, I think I'd enjoy it if it didn't have the slowdown issues.

[DANGERMAN]

I remember being on an old forum when SOTC first came out and there being people denying there were any graphical problems with the game, straight up denying the framerate ever dropped.

That said the weekend I played through the game was incredible, I hadn't really liked Ico (still don't) so I wasn't as hyped as some, then I couldn't work out how to beat the first colossus because I didn't want to get near it. Not a great start but it picked up, I kept wanting to show my family how amazing a game it was, but the only time they'd ever wander in to my room was during the empty bits.

There's few games that have captured isolation better than SOTC, especially as the landscape is actually quite varied, which I think is part of the reason you form a bond with Aggro. It barely tells a story but that works really well, it keeps it uncluttered and pure. It also gets the adrenaline pumping, the moments where you make a mistake or have to trigger a colossus in to action, then sprint away to safety.

I played through it again in HD a year or so back, it took about 6 or 7 colossus for it to really click again, I think because that sense of amazement isn't there 2nd time, but I loved it all over again by the end

[Craymen Edge]

I played it back in 2008, and I genuinely don't remember having problems with frame rates etc. at the time. I read a lot of people talking about it after I completed the game, so I don't know what was going on there.

I loved the game; the mystery of what you're doing and why, the bleak empty, but ancient looking environment. This game is so atmospheric.

And the Colossi are (mostly) amazing. The first time you face one is jaw dropping. Easily one of the most memorable games I've played.

[Sly Reflex]

Next out of the bag...

Resident Evil Remake.

[Bob]

I liked it about as much as I liked the original game, not much. It is decent and all that but I played the second game first and it has always been my favourite because of that. The constant struggle for ammo in the first game has always put me off, as has the higher difficulty level. I don't mind hard games but I find a combination of horror and difficulty all a bit too stressful to enjoy.

[Sly Reflex]

Best game in the series and the reason i bought a GameCube.... this is how all remakes should be made, i just wish i could get a HD version.

That's it? I expected more from you. Why exactly is it so great? I know you like the game and would like to see the series go back to being like this, but why?

My thoughts on this game are so-so. It has all the classic moments but even when it was released it was a bit of a dinosaur. I hate how you can effectively paint yourself into a corner regarding ammo. Thinking about it that is terrible game design.

[Sly Reflex]

Todays game is Pokemon Gold and Silver.

[radiofloyd]

I gave Silver just one play through as opposed to the multiple play throughs I gave Red, but that's probably only natural. I loved it anyway. Definitely want to play the DS remakes.

My main memory of G/S is the big reveal that you can play through the Kanto region after finishing Hoenn.

[Bob]

It was the first and I believe only Gameboy game I have ever finished. I bought a gameboy colour especially for it, or rather my Mum did. It was green and cute and the strongest console I have ever owned. It was once launched across the kitchen, hit the wall and didn't even have a scratch on it. And no, it wasn't in a hissy. I was spinning it round on the table messing about and it went out of control.

As for the game, I loved it. It was everything I had heard Pokemon was and a bit more. My mind was blown when after all that struggle I realised I was only half way through and had the whole second region to play through. I think I spent most of that summer walking round bumping into things because I couldn't put the game down. I played the remake of the original game on the GBA but I have never really been able to get into another Pokemon like I did with Silver. Even the DS remake didn't do much for me.

[Craymen Edge]

I tried to play I one Pokemon game (on GBA I think). it just wasn't for me. I found it incredibly boring.

[Sly Reflex]

I spent an obscene amount of time playing Silver. I had a group of friends who at the time played nothing but, and because it was in the days before every single fucker had the internet and could bring up a list of secrets and discoveries, every time we'd get together we'd share our own catches and discoveries. I didn't get get that from further games in the Pokemon series, they seemed to go right off the boil and add needlessly unnecessary way to play them, especially on DS.

It's the best Pokemon game I've ever played. Everything sat and gelled well and there wasn't an over abundance of monsters just because they needed to up the roster. This game basically had it all, while the home console were pushing polygon, Nintendo and Gamefreak were showing that you don't need all that fancy shit to make a well rounded and engrossing game. I'll be surprised if the series ever reaches this height ever again.

[Sly Reflex]

Wipeout 2097 is the next game.