#Tutorial Island ass environment

[bonefall]

Random assorted thoughts apropos of very little;

I found out that Milkweed actually COULD be ecologically valid, but not the way you think. It's another name for Pretty Spurge, so called because it has a milky-white sap.

So I won't need to totally change Milkweed's name when I come around to her

Going to be trying to use orvet to refer to slowworms, a French term that makes a really nice warrior prefix (thanks @graphi-horse-time)

On the subject of the Ivypool super edition, if the awful place with "strange creatures" that the patrol visits ends up being a zoo, I will not stand for zoo slander. I highly doubt that The Erinzzz have targeted critique on the lack of inspectors to uphold the animal welfare guidelines of the Zoo Licensing Act of 1981.

Maybe they'll surprise me.

If not, I'll either change the setting entirely, or portray the welfare of 99% of the animals as superb except for the magic, talking things the Clan cats are trying to bust out.

I could easily make it not a zoo and just an animal center if I have to, a place that keeps domesticated animals. Just have like, James and Jane Smithton accidentally capture two demigods because they caught them rooting around in the bins lmao

[fostersffff]

Some thoughts on the first hour of Final Fantasy X, from someone who has never touched it before:

Wowie I forgot Final Fantasy games traditionally have really fucking strong openings because of how blah 9 was. One of the best songs in the franchise (To Zanarkand) playing over some kinda in-media-res cutscene of everyone looking exhausted and the expressions on Yuna's face when she leans into Tidus and the read of "Listen to my story. This... may be our last chance." and it's all being rendered in-engine, good fucking stuff.

Crazy that Sora AND Tidus both have that goofy-ass run animation.

I have to wonder if the fact that the setting being (as many people have pointed out) based largely in Southeast Asian/Pacific Islander aesthetics/culture is because they wanted to flex THE POWER OF THE PS2 with a lot of watery environments and those cultures were a natural fit for watery environments, or if they chose that first and then went "wait, we can do a lot of cool shit with water!!!"

It's so goddamn refreshing how Tidus kinda just rolls with everything. He gets with the picture real fuckin' fast, considering how insane the circumstances are, and because this is a pre-irony poisoned world, he's not commenting on how fucking weird it all is.

I always assumed that Tidus was isekai'd directly to the village with Wakka, so the mini dungeon tutorial where Rikku shows up was a genuine huge surprise.

Jesus Christ, no wonder people always spoke about the Sphere Grid the way they do. What the fuck were they cooking with this???

I also always assumed that infamous scene where Tidus laughs really awkwardly just comes out of nowhere, but like... Wakka does that right away. He does the same boisterous AH-HA-HA-HA!!! laugh and Tidus goes "I know he was trying to cheer me up". How are people so bad at understanding media for teenagers.

The thing I genuinely miss the most, playing on a PS3 rather than my PC/Modern Console, is that I don't have a share button to take screenshots. I never would have thought the share button would become so integral to my experience with video games when it first became a thing with the PS4/Xbone, but it really is so nice being able to take screenshots and video while playing as a native function.

I probably won't be doing more posts like this but I just had a lot of thoughts going in mostly blind.

[unofficial-sean]

Insignificance

I remember last year, when battling a parking ticket's validity, I wrote a plea to TCC campus public safety; the department in charge of issuing parking tickets and other things requiring armed authority. In my email, I explained that the reason I missed the detail in the pamphlet handed out with the parking passes, which led to the ticket issuance, was due to a lack of significance in authoritative writing. Granted, I didn't put it like that, and you may be confused as to what I'm talking about, so allow me to elaborate.

As someone with autism, my sensory experience of the world differs from that of neurotypicals. Intense sensations can be paralyzing and overwhelming. But some sensations tend to blur together, too. If you've ever joined a Discord server or other social space with an established rule set, you might notice that those rules are typically identical. Official spaces tend to have the same social guidelines regardless of niche. To this extent, you could enter a community, see the rule set, and without reading, immediately know what is expected of you.

Don't be a bigot. Don't spam. Don't post porn. Don't be an asshole. Respect the moderation team. Et cetera. Because of the ubiquity of the social rule set, the words in that rule set become insignificant. They do not stand out and, at least for me, that information is filtered out. There are lots of stimuli competing for my attention, and a cookie cutter slate is not like to get my attention. Simple enough.

What was my crime? Well, I placed my parking permit on the lower-right side of my windshield instead of my lower-left side. For this crime, it was demanded that I pay $10. I did everything in my power to communicate that this was a non-issue, and only when I mentioned my autism did the head of campus public safety start shitting his pants and conceding. This was one of three factors that lead to my dropping out, but this post isn't about that story, this post is about significance.

The CPS head responded to my email explaining how the pamphlet was interpreted as common sense and insignificant saying that he was sorry that I found the rules to be insignificant, but that it did not excuse the violation. This displayed a lack of understanding of my use of the word. Reflecting on this situation, I was reminded of the puzzle game designed by Jonathan Blow: The Witness.

This game probably drove many players to frustration, including myself. There is no dialogue or tutorial. No instructions whatsoever. You are dropped into a world with puzzle panels and are expected to figure it out. Many of these puzzles, including optional ones that grant the player more insight into the game's ideas, are environmental. The solutions for otherwise non-nonsensical puzzles were hidden in the insignificance of the environment the player was in. Why should the player expect anything else? Most games don't use the environment to this degree.

For this reason, the game has been criticized. But this same reason is why I think The Witness is one of the most important puzzle games to have existed at the time of this writing.

Climb atop the highest mountain and gaze upon the winding river. The sight is breathtaking. But you may have already missed what the river is. The river is a puzzle. Like all puzzles in this game, you have to draw a line through a grid from a starting point, which is a dot, to an ending point. How you wind that line is dependent on symbols which have rules you need to figure out on your own. The river is not on a grid, though. If you're lucky, you may notice that the river looks like a line with a dot. If you're inquisitive, you might try clicking that dot. This "Oh, shit" moment opens up the entire island to you. The environment in insignificant no longer.

So, you backtrack. To the cherry orchard, perhaps. And you see that the cherry on the branches are the starting point and so you replicate it on the puzzle panels near them. This alteration in your mental assignment of significant details allows you to complete the game, more or less.

The term insignificant sounds quite negative. It sound dismissive, and perhaps it has been used that way for too long, but the true meaning of insignificant is just so: it does not stand out. It does not trigger your perception. It is a grain of sand among millions.

Can we truly punish people for overlooking insignificant details? Can we give students parking tickets because on fucking orientation day--when tens of pamphlets are handed out--they didn't notice that the parking permit had to be placed on the driver side and not the passenger side in the fine print; despite both being equally visible?

If important information needs to be significant, how can we make it so? A poster will not do. Nor a pamphlet, or an ad. Significance comes from personal communication. If the CPS employee handing out permits to new students had explicitly said "Put this on the driver side." And then repeated themself, I doubt this issue would occur.

How does this tie in to autism? I don't rightfully know. For all I'm aware, maybe the insignificance of ads, pamphlets, and posters is universal. Maybe it's just me. We live in a world where everything is starving for our attention. We simply cannot be expected to process it all as equally significant information. Or at least, I cannot. No one told me to look at the branches in the trees for the solution to the panel puzzles. No one told me that where the parking pass was located on the windshield mattered so much. It was all drowned out in the background noise.

So fuck you TCC campus public safety, you can still eat my entire god damn ass; it shouldn't take a disability for you to recognize your folly. Go retake an English class, you clearly need it.

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Mega Man Legends

Ah yes, a wonderful PS1 classic. Exactly what I needed. Exactly what I always need.

I played through three Star Wars games back to back: Dark Forces 2, Mysteries of the Sith, and Jedi Outcast. What I hoped to get out of these games was strongly Star Wars themed action adventures that were pickup-and-play. They were that, for the most part. But the levels were overly long, the difficulty uneven, and the complete experiences were mostly...exhausting. So when choosing my next game, I felt like I needed something more “reliable”. Mega Man Legends might be just what I was looking for...

I played the game as a teen in the 90s. It blew me away. Not sure I had played a Mega Man game, but I knew of them as 2D run-n-gunners. So to see a 3D Mega Man, with voice acting, cut scenes, and a full-fledged story was surprising. And it wasn’t like every game at this time were of this caliber. Resident Evil 2. Metal Gear Solid, and Ocarina of Time hadn’t been released yet. This game was blazing new trails!

Now...that’s not to say it’s a complete original. Tomb Raider had already shown the world how 3D platforming shooters could work. And much of MGL is RPG-inspired. Still, there was decent anime voice acting, and cut scenes. The graphics were doing the best they cool for 1997 on the PS1, and the art-direction is still a delight now in 2021. But what really always blew me away was how the buster-canon could be customized. You bought add-ons that boosted specific stats: power, range, fire-rate, and energy (clip-size). You could customize the canon with certain combinations to fit your play style or the situation. I’m really disappointed more games haven’t ripped this off completely (looking at you Borderlands!).

What I really love about this game is the freedom. That’s what makes all great games to me, a sense of freedom to enjoy the world presented. And I love getting to explore and find secrets. Anyway, I’ve enjoyed this game in the past and I’ve restarted it many times, but I’ve never beaten it. That changes now. I’m committed.

The controls (playing on Duckstation) kinda suck. You move forward, back, and left-right with the D-Pad. To turn (rotate) you have to use the shoulder buttons. It’s a precursor to the now-standard two-stick shooter controls of all FPS’s. But at this time, it was a complicated concert of actions to get around. Luckily, the environments aren’t too crazy: usually just straight hallways and large, open spaces. But some challenges are only challenges because of the controls. This is made more annoying by the fact that you can’t shoot while moving.

Well...you can. But only when moving forward or sideways. Not while backwards or turning. I think this is fixed in MML2--but not sure.

There’s a Lock-on button to help with the shooting, but it can occasionally focus on the wrong target. But even without the lock-on, there’s a pretty helpful auto-aim for targets mostly in front of Mega Man.

The difficulty pacing of the game is...well it’s bad. But that’s because as much as the game likes to hold your hand with tutorials and gameplay explanation, they don’t do a great job ensuring you’re properly equipped. I remember playing a few times and finding the first “bosses” to be brutally difficult. You basically go from exploring a short beginner’s dungeon to fighting three boss fights back to back. And these are not easy-going boss fights. These are “hope you’ve mastered these awkward ass controls” boss fights.

But the problem, it seems, is that I just wasn’t prepared. I double-checked a shop before going into the fights and found I was able to upgrade my health points by about 3 notches. I bought a health flask, and upgraded it as well. And then I was able to buy buster parts to make my canon  more formidable. This time, each boss fight was...not easy--but not frustrating. I didn’t fail any of the objectives, and found I could take a few risks without fear of losing. So now I’ve made it a point to constantly visit shops and grind some Zenny for upgrades.

This is where the RPG-ness comes in. While you don’t earn XP and level up--money (zenny) can be used to purchase health, armor, and weapon upgrades. You can also find weapon upgrades in the “dungeons”. Not all combat happens in dungeons. Much of the fighting has been above ground, in forests and towns.

The dungeons are pretty simple. They’re basically on grid-layouts with hallways leading to a variety of open rooms. It would be super easy to randomly generate these kinds of levels. And while I get some Zelda vibes from the treasure chests, the dungeons lack any sort of creative puzzle solving or unique tools and obstacles.

Given that the story of this game is that “diggers” (treasure seekers, tomb raiders--whatever you wanna call em) are exploring underground dungones/vaults for riches, the game could have easily been about finding islands with dungeons and exploring them. I mean, this game could totally function as a Sea of Thieves, and be infinitely playable. But I’m not sure games as such were really in the minds of designers at the time. So instead they created something more linear and story-driven. Which totally works.

Speaking of story--it’s silly. Mega Man is a “Digger” that goes around looking for refractor power sources. It seems this is a post-apocalypse world where oceans have risen to engulf much of the mainland (climate change warning??). To have power, the new cities that have formed must scavenger power from subterranean labyrinths filled with hostile robots. But while the Diggers appear to be generally well-meaning, there are pirates who seek power for power’s sake.

There’s a legendary abundance of energy called the Mother Lode. Um...Ok. It’s supposedly underneath this specific city that Mega Man and friends just so happen to crash land at. So Pirates have begun attacking the city to claim it. One of them is a girl named Tron Bonne. While she works with her pirate family and their army of super cute lego-looking robots, she develops a crush on Mega Man after he saves her from a tiny dog. It’s kind of an interesting development as you see signs of the pirates and Tron before the invasion truly begins. 

Beyond that, there’s not a ton of plot development. It’s really more character driven. Not super complicated characters, but people trying to live their lives while pirates bomb the library (why the library??).

I’m hitting the point in the game I reached when I first played as a teen. That first time was the furthest I’d ever gotten. So once I’m past that, it’ll be all new territory. I can’t wait!

While playing this, though, I can’t get Elder Scrolls out of my mind. I’ve really wanted to play through Morrowind or Oblivion. That thought has made me wish MML was open world like ES.

[metalgearkong]

Ghost of Tsushima - Review (PS4)

9/21/20

Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, released July 2020

Let’s not beat around the bush: Ghost of Tsushima may be my favorite game of this console generation, and one of my favorite games of all time. This is a massive samurai tale crammed with unforgettable moments, characters, and environments. After finishing this game, I felt like I had been through no less than the peak samurai experience in any entertainment medium. Never before have I stood up and given a standing ovation for a video game upon the credits rolling. While feeling complete and filled to the brim, there are small technical aspects that do have room for improvement in the potential sequel. Sucker Punch came out of nowhere and knocked the world on its ass with a fantastic stylized epic feudal Japanese journey, one I can never forget. 

Ghost of Tushima is open-world, easily comparable to The Witcher 3 or a modern Ubisoft title. What Ghost of Tsushima brings to the table is its incredibly realized medieval Japanese world, to the same extent Red Dead Redemption brought the mythic American Wild West to life. Authenticity can be found in every corner, and I set the game for Japanese voices and English subtitles to extend the immersion (something I can’t recommend enough). The Mongols have invaded Japan, and their first stop is Tsushima island. The samurai here are all that stops the massive army from reaching the mainland. The details themselves might not be perfectly accurate to 1274 Japan, but the world itself is consistent, which is what’s most important. 

The game begins with a huge battle, as we take control of our main character Jin Sakai (Daisuke Tsuji / Kazuya Tsuji) right away. An orphan raised to be a samurai by his uncle Lord Shimura (Eric Steinberg / Akio Otsuka), Jin holds guilt and shame for not being able to save his father in battle when he was young, and strives to be the best warrior possible. The explosive intro gives us a quick intro to the open combat, and leads in to a fairly typical tutorial, adding in brief lessons on stealth, and using evasive tactics & tools. I remember how panful the combat first felt, as each strike looked like something akin to a samurai film. The main villain and leader of the Mongols Khotun Khan (Patrick Gallagher / Tsutomu Isobe) establishes himself as a despicable person, and someone totally opposite to the samurai honor-bound code of combat. He wants to conquer Tushima by any means necessary, and Jin is the only one willing to adapt his fighting style to combat this new  dishonorable and overwhelming threat.

Jin Sakai is closer to a Geralt, rather than a blank slate avatar character of a Fallout or Elder Scrolls game; He has a specific personality, background, and motivation. Part of the overarching story is Jin learning to rely on tactics he would normally frown upon in order to stand a change against the Mongol forces. This is something his uncle highly detests and forbids Jin to do, leading to a secondary conflict in the story. This is useful for also explaining in the gameplay why the player can either face enemies out in the open, or scurry around and stabbing them in the neck. Of course, most players will do a bit of both, and whatever suits the situation of how you’re feeling in the moment. The best part is, it’s not an binary dilemma, as open combat and stealth can be used completely intermixed at any time.

Personally, one of my favorite parts about the game was unlocking and finding new apparel and color schemes for my outfits. This game (eventually) allows you to dress anywhere from humble peasant, to shinobi of the night, to fully armored samurai warrior. My only nit pick is I wish the game gave you more cosmetic options to buy or find earlier in the game, as I felt limited to just a few outfits and accessories at first. There’s nothing more awesome than manually sheathing your sword after slicing up a dozen grunts, all the while your cape and robes aggressively blowing in the wind. The game allows you to manually bow and play a flute as well, adding the immersion of every moment of the game. You travel the huge island via horseback, and can summon your horse at any instance with the push of the button. I also love how quickly you pick up items, by merely pushing R2. No needless animations or time spend slowing the momentum for the sake or grit or realism.

One of the most unique aspects of the game is using the wind as your guide. If you really wanted to, you’d never have to open your map to know how to get to your current quest. Simply swipe up on the touch pad, and the wind blows in the direction you need to go (the game doesn’t even feature an in-game minimap or radar). This kicks up leaves, twigs, sand, and other particles which add greatly to the visual appeal of the game, and help make you feel closer to the environment itself. Adding to this is how foxes and birds can lead you to hidden secrets, upgrades, or new gear. With so few HUD elements, focus on paying attention to the environment, and the gorgeous lighting and scenery, Ghost of Tsushima gave me to many moments where I felt spiritually uplifted in its world. Despite not having the budget of a super high end Naughty Dog or Rockstar game, Ghost of Tsushima remains one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played, and much of that leans on the art style and environmental effects alone.

Missions are equally entertaining whether they come from a main character or minor character you happen upon. Most quests may involve (but aren’t limited to) tracking, fighting, sneaking, climbing, riding, and spying. I especially enjoyed quests with specific limitations, such as having to remain undetected and not to kill any guards. Eventually, however, due to the game’s long length, some of the missions do start to show their repetitiveness, and I don’t think it would have been horrible if the overall run time was 10-15% shorter. I also enjoyed the fact that so much effort was put into side activities that feel serene and peaceful, akin to the Buhddist and Shinto side of being a samurai. Composing haikus and bathing in hot springs to increase your total health felt very much in the spirit of a Bushido lifestyle; always a calm in between the storms of violence. The fact that not all side content is action oriented was a very neat and authentic detail.

Samurai duels were some of my favorite parts of the game. Occasionally Jin would come across an opponent or rival with legitimate swordsmanship skills, and has to face them in an arena. These locations where the duels would take place never failed to be more epic than the next. Duels act like boss fights in the game, and incorporate similar combat to the regular open world combat--only Jin can’t use secondary items such as kunai, his bow, or smoke bombs. These moments were ripe for the photo mode, something I used throughout this game constantly, as its packed with incredible environmental design and lighting effects to make almost every moment and location feel like a living painting. Samurai duels were usually never very difficult, including the ending boss fights, but they always looked awesome and felt damned satisfying.

The game does suffer from some minor technical glitches, but these small drawbacks mean next to nothing compared to how impressively the rest of the game was designed and executed. Frequently I would approach an enemy group and want to initiate a stand off (the samurai version of a high noon cowboy duel) but the game either didn’t give me the option or the option blinked on screen for only a moment and I was unable to do it. Something similar would happen for stealth kills, as sometimes instead of doing the assassination animation when prompted, Jin just did a regular slash attack instead, blowing my cover. Situations like this didn’t happen often, but were consistent enough to notice. I give Sucker Punch a huge pass on these small technical details, as they never ruined my experience of the game, remaining small frustrations on occasion.

Ghost of Tsushima is a greatest hits of iconic feudal Japanese visuals, sounds, tropes, settings, and themes. Countless details build upon this heightened version of Japanese history, making this game an all in one interactive Kurosawa film. Everything from the sword duel boss fights, to the multiple fighting stances, to the stealth, to the nature surrounding you, everything has been executed with extreme skill and thoughtfulness. It can have its small moments showing a lack of polish either in the visuals or mechanics, but Sucker Punch more than accomplished what they set out to do. Ghost of Tsushima is the best PlayStation 4 exclusive, and by far one of my favorite games of all time. If you have any interest in the open world genre, and love the Japanese culture and art style, Ghost of Tsushima likely won’t let you down. An amazing adventure wreathed in katanas, honor, blood, wind, and cute foxes. 

9.5/10

[entergamingxp]

Breath of the Wild Player Kills a Guardian in One Incredible Trickshot

April 28, 2020 12:47 PM EST

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild player defeats a Guardian in less than 25 seconds with one incredible headshot.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild still to this day gets gamers hearts racing three years after its initial release. With its nonlinear and luscious environment, Breath of the Wild is set at the end of the Zelda timeline where players control Link who awakens from a hundred-year slumber to defeat Calamity Ganon before it can destroy the kingdom of Hyrule. Over the years, Zelda fans have created some stunning fan art of the popular series and some still love finding new ways to fend off its many enemies. Take Reddit’s Master_t0rch, for example, who defeated one of the many Guardians in one outstanding trickshot.

If you’re familiar with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild then you’ll know that the Guardians are these gigantic, eight-legged machines that prowl around the Hyrule landscape. Thankfully, you probably won’t just stumble upon them given their hefty size but when you eventually do kill one, a nice reward and powerful equipment are awaiting you. Defeating these beasts isn’t exactly a walk in the park and it’s very certain that you may have a few tries at killing it. Queue Master_t0rch who makes destroying a Guardian as easy as pie and thankfully they recorded it all or we may not have believed them. As seen in the footage below, it takes Master_t0rch less than 25 seconds to put the clunk of metal on its ass solely by using the Cryonis-pillar-lift, slowing down bullet time and equipping an ancient arrow. As the Guardian is flung up into the sky, they then use the arrow at a precise angle so when the Guardian is making its way back down again and aimed so just, a wonderful headshot is achieved, although it did take them 69 tries to get this perfected.

HOLY CRAP I DID IT. Guardian Snipe 2.0. Featuring: Ancient Arrow, Headshot. from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

In other The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild news, YouTube channel 64 Bits created a “Paper Zelda” RPG style trailer using the same graphical and animation style as the popular Paper Mario RPG titles.  Another amazingly talented artist combined scenes from the upcoming Breath of the Wild 2 with the art style from the recent Link’s Awakening remake while another virtuoso created A Link Between Worlds diorama using the outside shell of the classic retro Gameboy. If Japanese animation is something right down your street, check out a Studio Ghibli-style Breath of the Wild fan-made animated trailer, while a dedicated fan spent two years recreating Breath of the Wild weapons. We even saw an incredibly well done animated pixel art mockup of a dungeon scene from Zelda II. The winner for last year’s official Link’s Awakening fanworks contest was revealed, with some great submissions from plenty of talented artists. And if you want something incredible from outside this contest, there’s this fantastic 3D printed recreation of Koholint Island from the game. The artist even provides a tutorial at the end of their video in case anyone else wanted to make one for themselves.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild really is the gift that just keeps giving, whether it’s through some unique gameplay techniques or the hundreds of fan art pieces seen time after time, it looks like Breath of the Wild have some punch still left in it. If you’re wondering when the sequel to Breath of the Wild is releasing, unfortunately, we probably won’t know for quite some time yet. If you still aren’t too sure what I’ve been talking about throughout this article, you still have time to jump into The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening right now for Nintendo Switch and you can also check out our review of the game right here where it received a very healthy score of 10/10.

This post contains affiliate links where DualShockers gets a small commission on sales. Any and all support helps keep DualShockers as a standalone, independent platform for less-mainstream opinions and news coverage.

April 28, 2020 12:47 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/breath-of-the-wild-player-kills-a-guardian-in-one-incredible-trickshot/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breath-of-the-wild-player-kills-a-guardian-in-one-incredible-trickshot

[thomasroach]

Mortal Kombat 11 Review

The sands of time have come loose with the release of WB Games and NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 11. Featuring characters both old and new and paired with a heaping helping of the ol’ ultraviolence, should you come over here?

Mortal Kombat 11 Review

Those who have played a fighter, much less a Mortal Kombat game, will be right at home with the engine powering this title. Players are given two punches and two kicks, and mechanics like blocking, cancels, hops, and throws are all present and accounted for. Charge attacks and more complex movements are the norm, along with multi-hit “kombos” and EX-style amplified attacks that dish out additional damage. Every attack has weight to it, and though less experienced players will feel like the game is rigid, those who have studied under Kotal Kahn will be able to perform some impressive feats of brutality.

There are a few wrinkles to the game to spice things up though. Returning from Mortal Kombat X and the Injustice series is the ability to interact with the environment. With a press of a button at the right spot, players can utilize objects and bits of scenery for additional damage. This is largely inoffensive, though the potential to ban stages due to this in the professional circuit is most certainly there.

New to the game is the comeback “Fatal Blow” mechanic. With it, players can dish out a “Super” like combo when their health is down to a certain amount. They’re certainly flashy and deal out a fair amount of damage, but they are a bit too easy to pull off and can serve as a crutch in lieu of more adept play. It’s not a deal breaker, but its inclusion isn’t exactly flawless.

Those that jump into Mortal Kombat 11 may very well be intimidated at the amount of minutiae the game throws at the player. Those looking to brush up on fundamentals can check out the robust Tutorial Mode, Practice, and Fatality Training Modes available at the offset. The ability to jump in to a one-on-one fight or hold a Tournament is there, as is the ability to have the AI battle itself. Online functionality is present and accounted for, with both Versus and King of the Hill, along with a “Kompetitive Mode” and Ranked Sets for those looking for it. Matches are also relatively lag free for the most part.

True to series form, those traveling solo will have a lot to keep themselves occupied. Story Mode makes its return, though the execution here is a bit of a mixed bag. Focusing on the Keeper of Time Kronika and her quest for a New Era, players will come across a number of characters from the series’ rich history as they fight their way through a number of different predicaments. It’s certainly big budget, with graphics that utilize HDR and cutscenes that go on for minutes at a time. However, dialog is laughably bad, with gems like “you lose as fast as you run” and “an old man just kicked your ass” peppering the script. Battles tend to get repetitive as well, with a number of mirror matches dragging things out that tie into the story. It certainly has the fanservice down to a science, but those looking for something of substance amongst its shlock may be disappointed throughout its surprisingly robust runtime.

The series trademark Klassic Towers make their return in Mortal Kombat 11. In it, players choose from a number of different difficulty levels, which also corresponds to how many fights they will come across. There’s a decent amount to choose from, with battles ranging from five bouts to an endless amount. The use of “Konsumables” means that those who grind will ultimately come out ahead. Nevertheless, this is a welcome addition, and the Towers of Time variation features modifiers to keep things fresh.

Those that jump into the “Krypt” will be able to explore an island littered with artifacts. In it, players will be able to open chests-a-plenty by spending Koins (which can be earned for most activities), Soul Fragments (which can be earned by winning matches), and Hearts (which can be earned by doing Fatalities and Brutalities). Consider this akin to a free-roaming system with loot boxes, where players can unlock random Fatalities, augments, icons, taunts, skins, character art, and other goodies. Players can also transmute items with the Forge if they so choose, leading to even more possibilities. If you’ve got a gambling spirit it’s worth a go, but most will tire of hoarding currency before having enough to unlock everything.

Those who’d rather open up their wallets can stock up on Time Krystals. The game offers a pittance of them if you’re looking to earn them through play, but they can also conveniently be yours in packs starting at $4.99. Outside of Konsumables like Easy Fatalities and two DLC characters (one of which can be unlocked via the Story Mode), most of the items in the storefront can be safely ignored. It takes time to get this stuff through play, but most of the game is accessible without paying a cent.

Those that can turn a blind eye to Mortal Kombat 11’s grind will have a good time turning their opponent into meaty bits. The core fighting engine powering this title isn’t drastically different compared to previous entries, but there’s no point in fixing what isn’t broken.

This review of Mortal Kombat 11 was done on the PlayStation 4. A digital code was provided by the publisher.

Game Reviews

Posted 2 minutes ago by Casey Scheld in Casey Scheld Reviews, Game Reviews, PlayStation 4 Reviews

Mortal Kombat 11 Review

The sands of time have come loose with the release of WB Games and NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 11. Featuring characters both old and new and paired with a heaping helping of the ol’

Posted April 29, 2019 by Casey Scheld in Casey Scheld Reviews, Game Reviews, PC Reviews

Your Future Self Review

The future meets the present in Contortionist Games’ new title Your Future Self. Conversing with a future version of yourself makes for an interesting predicament, but does it have the gameplay to

Posted April 26, 2019 by Johnny Hurricane in Game Reviews, Johnny Hurricane Reviews, PC Reviews

Forager Review

Forager is a cute little crafting game recently released by Humble Bundle. Is their enough depth here to warrant a playthrough? Check out our review and find out

Posted April 23, 2019 by Johnny Hurricane in Game Reviews, Johnny Hurricane Reviews, Nintendo Switch Reviews

SteamWorld Quest Review

SteamWorld Quest is the series’ first attempt at the RPG genre. Does its setting suit the genre, or should the series stick with action-adventure games? Check out our review and find out

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