Post — Page 124

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS): COMPLETED!

Posted on 14/06/2014 Written by deKay

Before you complain that I can’t have completed it, because it’s Animal Crossing, hear me out. Sure, you can get 100% of the items in your catalogue. Or maybe get a Perfect Town rating for so many days. Or win all the trophies. There’s no real way to complete Animal Crossing as such, but you can complete certain goals.

I set myself a goal, and today, I hit my target.

What goal? To play Animal Crossing: New Leaf every single day for an entire year. And that’s exactly what I’ve done. 366 consecutive days. I’ve experienced every season, every event, every holiday, festival and scheduled special happening. 366 days. 500 game hours. Good grief.

Previous games in the series had either been played less frequently, or for fewer months in total (specifically the Wii version, where my Wii died after three months solid play and I lost my saved game), so this is the most, and most frequent, I’ve played an Animal Crossing game.

And it was fantastic. Never once a chore, no matter how repetitive. Always a joy, no matter the weather or villager mood. So much to do yet so little done. I’ve just realised, in fact, that I’ve not even been to the island since Christmas. I’d totally forgotten it even existed!

I’m not done yet. I’ll still play it, checking in every now and again, but I’m done with daily play. In a way I’m sad, but I’m also relieved because I can play some other games now instead.

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (Wii U): COMPLETED!

Posted on 11/06/2014 Written by deKay

With Lego done and dusted I was all set to start on Batman: Arkham Origins but for some reason I decided to play this instead. I’ve been eyeing up the icon on the Wii U home screen for a while, thinking about finishing the other game in the Chronicles of Mystara package (I completed what turned out to be the second one a while back). So I did.

It’s not as polished as Shadow of Mystara, but then it is several years older. The graphics aren’t as good, the game is shorter with fewer branching paths, and I don’t think there are as many characters to choose from (I picked “Fighter” this time).

The main gameplay difference is how much more simple it is to select secondary weapons (like bows and magic) compared to the other game. This is probably down to having fewer options, but it means it’s a lot less fiddly. Having said that, they’re all pretty useless – aside from the oil “grenades” which you need to finish off trolls. Apparently they don’t actually die unless you burn them.

Oh, and here’s a little hint for you: when you get asked if you want to take the long, easy route round a mountain, or the short route through the mountain BUT THERE’S A MASSIVE DRAGON WHO KILLS YOU IN ONE HIT, take the long route. Because I said “Pff, dragons schmagons”, and was asked if I was sure. “I can slay a feeble dragon!”. I was asked again if I was sure. “Yes! Let me at him!”. I was asked if I realised it was certain suicide. This went on for a while, but finally, I was allowed to fight the dragon.

Some 20 credits later, one dead dragon.

The end of game boss was a complete walkover in comparison. In fact, the whole of the rest of the game, including the Shadow Elf (who was pretty difficult, both times you fight him). Be warned.

The Lego Movie Videogame (Wii U)

Posted on 08/06/2014 Written by deKay

Just a quick post here, really, to say I’ve now 100%ed it. In total it took about 16 hours, so is definitely the shortest Lego game ever. Ever.

As it turns out, free play mode is even more full of bugs than normal Story mode. The main reason seems to be because of sequence breaking – all too often you can break the scripted sequence of the game (skipping areas or puzzles because you now have character abilities that allow you to), but most of the time this prevents the game from progressing as something later won’t trigger. The game should either prevent sequence breaking, or accept it and deal with it in the game logic.

Sure, the same issues are in many Lego games, but nowhere near as frequent or serious as here! It all feels like the game was rushed and not playtested enough, which is a shame. Still, I did really enjoy it.

Except for one section. On the way to Flatbush Gulch you freefall through a portal. After a corner in the sort of tunnel you’re in, there’s a gold instruction page to grab. Which is impossible. Until you’ve tried it a million times, quitting to the hub (loading…) then reentering the level (loading…) each time. Over and over. And over. AND OVER. Gah.

Anyway, 100%, done, next!

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U): COMPLETED!

Posted on 05/06/2014 Written by deKay

Before I start, no. I don’t have all the stars and all the kart pieces and won every cup on every CC. But I have 100%ed 50cc and am missing just one star on 100cc. Like previous Mario Kart games, I’m counting seeing the credits. And I’ve seen the credits.

Why haven’t I done 150cc? Because I haven’t yet. I keep meaning to, but the online – even against randoms – is just too easy to slip into and then two hours have gone by and you’ve forgotten to play offline. Again.

It’s really that good.

The Lego Movie Videogame (Wii U): COMPLETED!

Posted on 30/05/2014 Written by deKay

I do love a good Lego game. I’m actually quite keen on the bad ones too, although there aren’t really any. None I’ve played, anyway, and I don’t count any Lego game that isn’t the now-standard collect everything smash everything OCDfest style Lego game.

However, despite all of them (even the Harry Potter ones) being generally fantastic, most are full of bugs. Very few have failed to not lock up my console at least once, and most have scripting errors where triggered events don’t trigger. This game, however, is the very worst when it comes to bugs. So. Many. Bugs. It’s like that bit in Wreck-It Ralph where all the eggs hatch.

Bugs, not limited to the following:

Console lockups (Wii U needs unplugging)
Controls simply not working
Player 1 suddenly controlling player 2 (and player 2′s controller doing nothing)
Wii U gamepad suddenly not showing that player’s screen
Scripted sequences not happening
Sound disappearing completely from cut scenes
Level music “running out”, leaving just sound effects
Being able to collect 4 of 3 instruction sheets
Being unable to progress past the level end score roundup thing
Getting stuck in scenery
The 10th gold brick in the bonus level (on top of the desk) not appearing
Being unable to grapple on Batman/Wonder Woman grapple points
Indestructible Micro Managers (which you have to defeat to progress)
Getting trapped in Brickburg hub was Lord Business with his big legs on
On screen prompts telling me to press Z or C when using a Controller Pro. Got that a lot. And B, when they mean Y
The dancing minigame not accepting any input from either controller
Being stuck as Angry Unikitty forever, meaning I can’t progress as she’s too big to enter a door
Once the game deciding I wanted to play split screen on the TV half way through a level instead of a screen each like for the whole of the rest of the game

BUGS. And that’s not my only complaint. This game is really short. I think the previous most shortestest Lego game I’ve 100%ed was Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (which also happens to be the previous most buggiestest too), which I think took about 9 hours to finish, and about 30 to 100%. Lego Movie took 8 hours to finish, and 12 hours to reach where I am now at about 82%. The rest is just gold instruction manual and hidden pants mop up – I’ve done all the red bricks and characters already!

But none of this really matters because the game is great. The characters and cutscenes (mostly ripped right from the film) are great. It’s all great. But not Everything is Awesome, sadly.

Perhaps the release date was tight as it needed to tie in with the film. Perhaps it’s a bit simplified because it’s aimed a little more at kids than previous titles. Maybe it’s just the Wii U version hampered by all the bugs (although I suspect not). Whatever it is holding it back is a shame, but even the worst Lego game is still a great Lego game.