Games

Sure sounds like it's time to stick a fork in this game already.

Goodbye Bioware, been nice knowing you as a good studio once upon a time.

Among all the starting classes in Lunacid vampires are by far the most unique option. Here's a quick list of unique mechanics from my fresh melee vampire playthrough.

Helpful quirks:

• Attacking most enemies in melee starts very slow health regen that's interrupted by taking any damage. The same effect is also caused by having "water" status in the Sanguine Sea or when interacting with blood fountains in the Castle Le Fanu.
• Blood Wine restores both health and mana. The item is fairly rare though, I only got 3 during the entire game.
• Most doors in the Castle Le Fanu will be open without vampiric symbols.

Problematic quirks:

• Recovery from bleeding and blood magic is really, REALLY slow. It basically makes blood magic very annoying to use.
• Having "water" status in other locations deal constant damage, making the rat area in the sewers really dangerous.
• Holy water deals a lot of damage when used. It still removes statuses though!

Honestly, I didn't really like how vampires are played - they felt like a challenge class actually. Their advantages are questionable while their disadvantages are disastrous. Also, their heal on melee attacks doesn't stack with the blade of Ophelia which is a shame because I was relying on it for the second half of the game.

Today's game is Ghostbuster's the Video Game (and is in fact not a sponsorship from Doritos). I've had this game on disk after getting it a yard sale (which as a side note is such a fun way of finding games. If you collect retro games I'd highly recommend looking for them. It makes me a bit sad that physical games have been dying). It also got it along with a Japanese copy of Okami, Mortal Kombat, and the God of War collection all for around $10. Since I got my PS3, and I'm still waiting on my PC parts before playing anymore PC games. I'm just waiting on my Motherboard. My CPU arrived today. it's used (but was promised to work), and a few pins were bent it seems, not too badly though. I'm going to try it, and if it doesn't work seek a refund. fingers crossed it works though. I'm really excited to put this thing together. I'd really like to christen this PC with Alan Wake II as that was the target game. It would only seem appropriate.

Moving back to the game, I took this screenshot in the lobby of the first level. The Dorito advertisement caught me by surprise, but it's also kind of fun. I find a sort of joy in the era of video games with odd product placement. Alan Wake had it with its Energizer and Verizion ads and it was fun to see (for me personally, it also made the world feel a bit more realistic too. That's not to say it's a bad thing the practice was stopped or anything though.) Looking it up, this design looks to be accurate the design used in there time the game is supposed to take place in (1991 I think?). It's a really cool detail.

The game looks really good in some spots. It has full on reflections in some places, such as the hotel. It looked surprisingly good, though I don't know if it was my PS3 just needing the thermal Paste/Pads replaced (it runs at around 70º in game, which sounds healthy, especially for it's age) or the game was just that intensive, but my PS3 kept randomly starting to ramp the fans up to max and it sounded like a jet engine.

I also had this humorous bug in a room where I broke a table but the glasses were floating. I like to imagine it's the work of a ghost.

This game also, surprisingly, had water for me to rate. Rating water in video games is something I love doing. The game has a section where a torrent of water comes rushing at you. I give this spectral water a solid 7.5/10. I would be willing to drink it.

After it floods though, I probably wouldn't be willing to drink it. Still, it looks pretty and is still a 7.5/10 for me:

While exploring the station, I also found the Painting from the second film. I say "found" but really it's in plain sight. I just walked past it like 12 times while exploring:

Furthermore, it felt like the station was really fleshed out. It had a lot of pieces of artwork and things that made it really just feel like it was lived in, like these drawings of slime:

or this thank you board-note-thingy(?) from a class:

There was also this back alley you can see from a window that gave me heavy Max Payne flashbacks. it looks like an area that would be in the game:

Overall it's a really interesting game. I don't know much about it, I have heard it's kind of short though. I also heard there's a multiplayer mode, though idk if the servers are still up on PS3. There's the remaster, but last I heard they scrapped multiplayer which was disappointing, but the single player is really fun, especially if you were raised on Ghostbusters religiously like I was growing up lol.

Don't worry, I'm alive! I took the holidays off and traveled to visit family, then had a hard time getting back into posting about the games I've been playing, so I apologize for my nearly 2 months of silence. I actually have a bunch of games lined up that I want to write about, so hopefully you'll see more posts in the coming weeks.

Despite setting this game to 4K resolution, it apparently only stretched to 1080p, so these screenshots are smaller than my usual ones. I'm sure 90% of you won't even notice a difference, but I'm sorry for the 10% who like my 4K screenshots.

A Way Out is a brilliant 2-player co-op game about two inmates escaping from prison and seeking revenge against a common enemy. To be honest, I originally thought the whole premise of the game was just to work with a partner to devise an escape route from prison. But there's an actual story with some deep lore and intrigue, and escaping from prison is only the first chapter of the game.

This game is ONLY 2-player, so you'll need a partner to play. It's been sitting in my Steam library for a few years now, until I finally convinced a buddy of mine to play with me. The first thing you do is pick which character you want to play as. It just so happens that Vincent's personality mirrors mine perfectly, and Leo's personality mirrors my friend exactly, so this was an easy pick for both of us.

The game opens in 1972, with Vincent arriving to prison while Leo looks on from within the fence.

The first thing you'll notice is that you get a split-screen view, even if playing online with someone. This allows each player to explore their area independently, while also being able to see what the other is up to. Which is very convenient when you need to work in tandem from different locations. You also end up occupying cells right next to each other, which is advantageous for working together to escape.

Almost immediately, Leo is cornered by some thugs in the yard who were paid by a guy named Harvey to kill him. While trying to see what's going on, Vincent finds himself thrown into the action and he ends up helping Leo fight off the thugs until the guards come to break it up.

Later in the cafeteria, the leader of the thugs makes another attempt at Leo's life, this time landing Leo and Vincent in the infirmary. While there, Leo tries to convince Vincent to cover for him while he sneaks around the offices. Vincent wants no part of it, but begrudgingly helps to avoid getting them both thrown in the hole.

Leo manages to steal a chisel and toss it onto a ledge outside the window, then crawls back into his hospital bed before being noticed.

Later in the yard, Vincent approaches Leo, asking him what his plan for escape is. He asks what Leo plans to do to Harvey, which sets off Leo.

Turns out, Vincent also has a bone to pick with Harvey, and he's willing to escape with Leo if it means they can help each other track Harvey down.

The first step is to retrieve the chisel from the window ledge. Leo gets himself and Vincent on roof repair duty, then distracts the guards while Vincent climbs to the window ledge.

Chisel in hand, the two go back to their cells, where they take turns chipping away at their cell walls. Turns out, there's a hole in the wall behind the toilet, covered with metal bars. Some quick chipping at the concrete around the bars (while one person keeps an eye out for the patrolling guards) and you're both free from your cells!

You come across a drop that's way too far to jump, and too dark to see. With no way forward, you return to your cells to prepare the next step in your escape plan.

Soon, you're both volunteering for laundry duty, where you cause a commotion so you can sneak into a back room and throw some sheets through the vents. Now you can make a rope to climb down!

You also grab a couple flashlights. Now you're ready to continue! That night, you sneak out again and climb down the deep shaft into the sewers.

On the other end of the tunnels, you find your only way out... a tall narrow shaft upwards.

Vincent convinces Leo to climb it together with him by interlocking their arms and walking up the shaft. This can be tricky if your game partner isn't very coordinated. I highly recommend doing a countdown for each step or you're likely to fall.

The two get to the top... only to find a metal grate over the hole. No way to get through this without a wrench. So... you go back to your cells once more.

The next day, you volunteer to help in the workshop so you can sneak a wrench out. Again, you need to work together to sneak a tool out without being caught.

Later that day Leo gets a visit from his wife. He lets her know he's about to escape with Vincent, reassuring her that Vincent is legit and they're both going after Harvey together. It's only a little longer until they can be together again, along with his young boy who doesn't yet know his daddy is in prison.

Vincent is also waiting for a visit, but no one shows. Asking to make a phone call, he calls his very angry and very pregnant wife, who is pissed he's still planning to go after Harvey when he's about to become a father. Now we're getting some emotional stakes for each character!

That night, the two plan their final escape attempt from prison. It just so happens to be storming out, which provides some noise cover in certain areas.

The two are almost free when they're spotted! Sirens blare through the night and the prison goes on full alert! Vincent and Leo run off into the woods, where a mad foot chase (and car and boat chase!) ensues. And so ends the first chapter of this game...

This was truly an incredible game! Escaping from prison was fun, but also the slowest part of the game. The story gets more intense as you go on, and the stakes for both characters get higher and higher as they bond while plotting revenge against this Harvey guy.

The game has two endings and it's up to you and your partner to decide how it ends. I wish I could gush about the ending because it's just fantastic storytelling, and the gameplay is so intense and emotional. I was in tears by the end! It's definitely one of those games I wish I could wipe from my memory so I could play it fresh again.

You can play this online with strangers, but I highly recommend playing with a friend, as the personal connection makes the game much more interesting. Only one of you needs to own the game; the other person can install the trial version, then play through the entire game with the person who owns the full game. You will only earn achievements if you own the full game though, so if that's your thing, you should buy it.

Another great game by Hazelight Studios is It Takes Two, which I will probably be reviewing soonish. It's also a 2-player co-op only game, about a divorcing couple who are forced to work together in a fantastical version of their home when they find themselves transformed into tiny dolls!

Their studio is also about to drop a new game in March called Split Fiction, which is, again, a 2-player co-op only game. Sounds like it's about two writers who get trapped in their own fantasy/sci-fi stories and have to work together to escape with their memories intact. I'll need to check that out when it drops!

Nature is healing

Back in 2023, the Video Game History Foundation announced it was curating a digital library, which would allow users to access its vast collection of magazines, art books and more from the comfort of their homes. And while it didn't pop a date on when it would be available to the public at that time, it now has.

Writing on social media, the Video Game History Foundation revealed its digital library will be launching next week, on 30th January.

Found the article:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nvidia-ceo-ai-games

I backed up my copy of Little Big Planet Karting and played that along with 2 today. Ive been so in love with my PS3 that my Steam Deck hasn’t been turned on the past few days. I’ve been playing through 2 and booted up an online map I played through. There was this one, which was like an Alice in Wonderland thing. It was trippy. I had to grab this caterpillar to move around the map.

Looking at this screenshot I didn’t realize how good LittleBigPlanet’s reflections were.

I also did this map where I was on a train that was getting blown up and I had to last as long as possible without getting blown up or bucked off. I played it a few times just because there was a section where the train would just jump in the air and send Sackboy flying.

I also did this fun Bowling recreation. I don’t know how the guy did it but he got a full version of the Wii Sports Bowling theme in there. It was really cool to hear (and fun to play as well). I took this section of Sackboy looking pissed off while getting ready for some hardcore bowling action.

Finally, I have been using Sackboy to make fun reaction images too. Currently this one is my PFP on LittleBigRefresh and Discord.

Being able to relive this nostalgia is nice, it does make me wish Sony would make a PC port or at least give LittleBigPlanet itself another shot though.

Something about those awkward hand gestures really gets me going.

Most notably Cyberpunk is now the first game to have DLSS 4 and the new multi-frame generation.

Oh my god, I was just thinking about replaying Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. What a great surprise!

I continued to break my CFW PS3 Slim in today with LittleBigPlanet 2 (and a little bit of Uncharted). I bought it completely on a whim but I love this thing. For only $90 it’s a powerhouse. I connected to my Jellyfin server with it and used it to stream a movie today, and I installed LittleBigRefresh to reconnect to some online servers and even popped into a public game with someone. It’s so much fun being able to play online again after the servers shut down. My only complaint is that all the Applications it came with fill up my home screen, I’d much rather if it had its own bar on XMB.

I have a friend I setup on RPCS3 with LBP2, I need to see if I can somehow set it up where we both can play together. I don’t know if it’s possible though due to LittleBigRefresh not having its own friend system from what I can tell.

I went through the entire first world, and started on the second one. I only just figured out there was a fancy photo mode though at the very end after I was shutting it off for the day (that’s what the main picture is of).

I had forgotten how good the game looked. It’s really simple but it’s a really good looking PS3 game.

I didn’t get many screenshots of LBP2 due to not realizing there was a photo tool until way later. But I did grab some of Uncharted 1 in all its 480p glory, so I’m going to share those with it. I have to say, it looks really good in some places for an early PS3 game.

Namely the Waterful in the above picture. The Water in this game is really pretty. Idk if it’s because I first played it on PS4 or if I just remember wrong but I really like the water. It’s one of my favorite next to OOT and Mario Galaxy’s.

I also got this picture of the sunset(?) as I was leaving the U-Boat. It was a surprisingly good picture, especially considering how oily everyone’s faces look in the game.

Right now I have the PS3 backing up my copy of LittleBigPlanet Karting. I might play a bit of that tomorrow and maybe try my Japanese version of Okami, or maybe my Genesis Collection copy too. I wish I knew where my copy of assassin’s creed Black Flag and Rogue went. I have them on Steam but I’d love to have my PS3 copies backed up due to the sentimental value behind them (and also for preservation).