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February 2020 Recap


On 03/07/2020 at 04:38 PM by daftman

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Games Beaten

-Blazing Chrome (Switch)

Blazing Chrome is like a long-lost Contra game just come to light. It looks like a gorgeous Genesis game (I love all the parallax scrolling) and the controls are tight (I have an occasional complaint with the melee but that might be my fault). The levels have great variety and the bosses are a treat. The game is a good length, too, for playing multiple times. Multiple difficulties, extra characters, co-op, boss rush...the game is a complete package. Konami needs to contract these folks.

-Dead Cells (Switch)

I'm surprised at just how much I love Dead Cells but it wouldn't have been a surprise if I'd paid more attention when the game first came out. The devs call it a roguevania and that feels right. The game has gorgeous, expressive 2D graphics (reminds me of Ghost Trick) that really establish the bleak world. The gameplay is quick and responsive (when you die, it's your fault) and full of depth that becomes more apparent as the difficulty increases. I don't know that I have the patience for the more tactical nature of the higher difficulties, but I sure have enjoyed it thus far.

-Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (3DS)

So. Much. Content! Over 200 songs, if I remember correctly. They cover FFI through FFXIV and all the spin offs in between. It's a dizzying collection. The two types of songs, traversal and battle, play out quite differently and keep the gameplay from becoming too rote. The occasional movie song further spices things up. Then there is all the stuff about leveling characters and going on quests. This game can be as easy or difficult as you want, as casual or hardcore. The music is just so good. My initial goal for "beating" it was to get an S rank on the Expert difficulty (which is the middle one) for all the songs, but it turns out when you reach a certain cumulative score, Chaos comes forth to fight you and then the credits roll. So...okay! But I'll keep playing at least till I finish all the songs.

Games Bought

According to my fastidious records...we didn't get any games in February! Surely that's an oversight on my part and I'm missing something. But I don't think so. Craziness.

Games Being Played

-Sonic Mania Plus (Switch)

It's the best Sonic game in years! And that drives home the point, I think, that 2D Sonic games are not for me. I don't think it's bad and it's not that I don't enjoy it at times, but...I don't know. I don't really look forward to playing it more. Press Garden Zone was pretty cool though. I'll still finish it.

-Cosmic Star Heroine (PS4)

It's become so much easier to play Swich games now that we have a Switch Lite but it's been tough finding time for poor Cosmic Star Heroine. I really like it too. I got framed for a murder recently and I'm trying to clear my name.

-Earth Defense Force 2025 (PS3)

Just four missions to go on Hardest with the Wing Diver! After that I think we are going to put EDF aside to play something else for a while.

-Destiny 2 (PS4)

We tried a raid last night but the group (three of us, three peeps we didn't know) turned out to be a bust. We did a decent amount of raiding in D1 (made it through all the raids at least once, some of them more) but very little so far in D2. We'll see if any other attempts pan out.


 

Comments

KnightDriver

03/07/2020 at 09:50 PM

I really enjoyed Dead Cells, and I'm not a great fan of metroidvanias, or roguelikes either. 

I think Sonic Mania is coming free to Game with Gold soon. I could be mixing it up with another Sonic game though. 

I finally removed 2025 from my hard drive after clearning Normal on Wing Diver and Air Raider. I was really getting worn down by those last three levels. I still have two Hard levels left for my Ranger. I got the Goliath Z rocket launcher, which helped me get closer. I even beat several levels in the first 20 on Insane but didn't get any more weapons. Man is this game stingy with weapon drops. I need a break. 

daftman

03/09/2020 at 10:48 AM

If I have a problem with Dead Cells, it's that the jump in difficulty from Normal to Hard is pretty drastic. If I had fewer games and/or more time, I'd probably relish the challenge but I found myself frustrated with the slower progress. Still, I really enjoyed playing it and I'd like to come back to it routinely and at least chip away at the permanent upgrades. Runs really don't take that long.

KnightDriver

03/09/2020 at 08:47 PM

It's a rare game now where I put up with difficulty. 

Cary Woodham

03/08/2020 at 08:58 AM

I reviewed Blazing Chrome.  It definitely felt like a long lost Contra game.  Too hard for me, though, I stink at these games.

I loved the Final Fantasy Theatrhythm games!  The first one even won my GOTY when it was released.  If I had a problem with the second one, it's that it almost has TOO many songs!  But is that really a bad thing?  Have you ever played or heard of the arcade version?  I've played it at an arcade near where I live.

daftman

03/09/2020 at 10:52 AM

I had not heard about an arcade version of Theatrhythm but I can see how that would work. Can you imagine if they decide to release an updated Switch version? I can see it now: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call Final Remix Plus EX! With 500 songs! Surprised

Cary Woodham

03/10/2020 at 02:51 PM

I'd be down with that if they included songs from other Square games like FF Mystic Quest, Secret of Mana, Brave Fencer Musashi, Super Mario RPG, etc.

daftman

03/10/2020 at 10:28 PM

I looked at the DLC songs once and they included other games like Chrono Trigger and others, but they wanted 99 cents a song. I'd rather buy a big pack for $5 or $10. 99 cents a song adds up real fast.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/08/2020 at 09:01 AM

Dead Cells looks beautiful, but really not my kind of game. When I was younger, maybe I would have been into that. 

daftman

03/09/2020 at 10:59 AM

Dead Cells controls so well and the runs are short enough that I don't mind the roguelike aspects. Permanent upgrades are a big part of that. I'm happy as long as I feel like I'm making some kind of progress. I'd say give it a try if you see it on a steep discount.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/08/2020 at 06:12 PM

All but the last two sound super interesting to me, but I only own Sonic Mania that I remember. 

daftman

03/09/2020 at 11:03 AM

Do you have a Switch? Can't remember. I'm guessing not. I remember how it took you to get a PS4 lol. There is such a staggering amount of cool stuff on the Switch.

Ranger1

03/10/2020 at 10:29 AM

A co-worker at the market I work at was telling me about Dead Cells. He really liked it.

daftman

03/10/2020 at 10:29 PM

He has good tastes then! Tongue Out I wish I had gotten it earlier.

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