Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Video Game Review #439: The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds
PlayStation 4




Nostalgia Factor:

I've known about The Outer Worlds for a long time now. I've always been interested in the premise. I've heard it described as New Vegas in space. It is one of those games that I've always told myself "I'll get around to playing someday."

Well, that mythical someday has finally arrived, and we can thank Mop Up Duty for that. Let's see how I feel about 2019's The Outer Worlds for the PS4.




Story:

Right away this game's story grabbed my attention. It's the future, and two massive colony ships have been dispatched to a system of planets that is hospitable to human life. Only one of these ships arrives at its destination. It isn't long before their settlement starts to buckle under capitalism, as all the corporations in charge care about is making money and pushing their brand into outer space. Unhappy people, unsafe working conditions, miserable living conditions, widespread hunger? They couldn't care less.

The second colony ship is discovered adrift in space by a you-might-say mad scientist. The scientist manages to bring one colonist out of cryosleep successfully: you. The ship has been adrift for so long that it is not safe to unfreeze the rest of the colonists. A special chemical is needed to ensure their survival - and wouldn't you know it - the last of these chemicals was used on you.

Not only are you the only colonist that was rescued, the chemical has given you super powers like the ability to slow down time. It becomes your mission to work with the scientist and track down enough of these chemicals to save the rest of the passengers on the colony ship.

This is the basic premise of the game. There is a LOT more to unpack here, but I'm going to let you dive into that yourself. Otherwise I'd be writing for three weeks straight.

When you arrive at the first settlement, you'll talk to everyone you meet, taking on quests. The main series of quests pushes the main story along, while the rest are simply for fun and for gaining money and experience points. Trust me, though, there is a ton of lore and world building here to sink your tetth into - if you like that kind of thing.




Gameplay:

While I was intrigued by the storyline and the setting of the Outer Worlds, its gameplay is a little disappointing. It's not that it is bad, it's just nothing, and I mean nothing that I haven't seen dozens and dozens of times before. You enter a new area. You talk to people. You pick up more side quests than you can handle, most of which are simple fetch quests where you have to retrieve something from a dangerous area, or "go wipe out this person" type missions. There is a bounty board. You can skip all this and follow the marker on the map to the main quest. You do more missions to advance the story. There are conversation choices you can make. Your decisions lead your character down a dark or light path. You level up. You buy new equipment. You pick up items. You become over encumbered and have to drop or sell some of your items. Your equipment takes damage and has to be repaired. Yada yada.

If you've played Ghost of Tsushima, Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Nier, Horizon, Assassins' Creed, The Witcher, Fallout, Fable, or any Elder Scrolls game, you are going to get major deja vu playing The Outer Worlds. Perhaps if I had played this game before playing any of the others, I would have liked this much more. Instead, I just kind of sighed and started going through the motions. Despite liking the story and despite liking the presentation of the game, I wasn't having fun with the game itself. In fact, I actually stopped playing before making it to the end.

That may come as a shock to some of you who have been reading from the beginning. I ALWAYS try to finish a game before I review it. Always. Of my 438 previous game reviews, I think like ten of them were games I didn't finish - and most of those were games that couldn't be beaten, like arcade games where you play for the highest score. It's very rare I'll just stop playing a game because I don't like it or am bored with it. And if I do stop playing a game, I normally don't review it. But I feel as if I've seen enough of what this game has to offer to give out a full review.

Before I move on, I do want to discuss the combat. I didn't like the combat. You can use long range or melee weapons. Long range weapons are futuristic devices like laser guns, pulse rifles, and that kind of thing. Melee weapons are things like swords, crowbars, or electric batons. I found the long range weapons to be useless in this game. I could unload five clips into an enemy at point blank range and only take off a teeny bit of their health. If I take out the crowbar, they're defeated in a matter of seconds. In what universe is a crow bar a more effective weapon that a high powered laser rifle?

Seriously, I kept finding all kinds of high powered cool looking guns, only to find out they were completely useless. And then I'd resort to smacking enemies with a wrench or crowbar. I think I just gave up on the long range weapons after a while, which is a shame. I really wanted to use them, and have them be effective. I would have had so much more fun!

That's one of the main reasons I decided to drop the game. I just wasn't having any fun. Everything is so, SO "been there done that" it is almost comical. Like I said earlier, this isn't necessarily a bad game. Just 100% completely average and forgettable. Which in a way, is almost worse.


I'm sure this cool looking weapon probably did a tiny sliver of damage to the enemy


Graphics:

I can't knock this game for its presentation. It looks really awesome. If only graphics were everything!

The level of detail that was put into the locations is pretty incredible. I love just walking around these alien planets and checking out the landscapes. Cities and building interiors are just as well-designed. So many areas of the game have that "lived in" look and feel that I love so much.

Characters look great. The action and the cutscenes are very cinematic. Again: if only graphics were everything...




Sound:

This is an amazing sounding game too. You really can't fault the production values. The musical score is fantastic - and the main title theme immediately went on my gaming music playlist. Voice acting is solid. Ambient sound effects really bring the game to life. Do I need to say it again?

IF ONLY THIS GAME WAS FUN!!




Overall:

If you can't tell that I didn't have fun with this game, then you haven't been paying attention. The framework for a great game is all there. Story, graphics, music, concept. I wouldn't have minded quite as much that the game is such a copycat of other, better games, if only it was more fun to play. If the combat was any good and if it wasn't such a chore to get from place to place, I likely would have stuck with the game.

All that said, I do understand why people would like this game. I've read some online reviews, and I am definitely in the minority when it comes to my opinion. I want to like this game. Heck, I wish I did! But it just doesn't do it for me. It doesn't do anything for me, really.

My final grade for this game will probably be one of the lower ones out there. And I'm totally okay with that. I could have gone even lower, but I didn't because of the graphics, the sound, and the overall production value. I feel as if to a lot of people this is a really great game, but not for me. So take that however you may.



THE GRADE:
D+


40th Birthday Mop Up Duty Celebration Tour:




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2019:
The Outer Worlds
(The review you are reading)


And up next we move onto 2020 with:
Panzer Dragoon: Remake!


For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click


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Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Video Game Review #438: Lego The Incredibles

Lego The Incredibles
PlayStation 4




Nostalgia Factor:

It's been a while since I've tackled a Lego game. Figured this game was as good as any to check out. I like the Incredibles movies, but I've only seen the first one two times, and the second one just one time - when it first came out in theaters. Suffice it to say, I don't remember them very well. I remember a baby that shoots lasers out of its eyes. I knew coming into this game that it better freaking let you play as a baby that shoots lasers from its eyes.

Last time I played a Lego game, I was somewhat burnt out on the Lego formula and gave the game a mediocre review score. Would Lego Incredibles meet the same fate? Mop Up Duty rolls forward into 2018.




Story:

I was a little confused when I first started playing this. The box says that the game covers the events of both movies, but the game began with events of the second movie. Because I remember the series so poorly, I had no idea what was going on. I thought I was remembering everything incorrectly. You can only imagine my confusion.

I don't know why they made the decision to do the story of the movies in reverse order (the sequel first, and the first movie second), but I have a suspicion it is because this game came out closer to the release of the second Incredibles movie, so the makers of the game probably figured people would want to play through the events of the new movie first.

In recent Lego tradition (and I use the word recent loosely), the game gives you an open world map you can explore when you don't feel like playing through the linear story mode. When roaming the map, you can take on quests and side missions to earn Lego blocks and unlock additional characters. Correct me if I am wrong, I don't believe it is necessary to do any of this extra stuff in order to finish the story missions.




Gameplay:

I think I say this every time I review a Lego game, but I'll say it again for clarity: if you've played any Lego-based video game out there, and I mean any of them, you'll be able to pick this one up and play it pretty easily. All of the basic controls and concepts are the same. X jumps. Square punches. Circle puts together blocks of Legos or uses a special attack if you hold it down. Triangle changes characters.

You run through stages, smashing things, collecting Lego pieces, fighting enemies, solving moderately challenging puzzles (don't laugh, but sometimes I get stuck), and unlocking bonus items. Generally people like to play through these games multiple times after you unlock all the characters, so you can get 100% of the items and secrets. I am not that hardcore. Once I finish the story mode, I'm out of there.

There are a few extra wrinkles in this game that separate it from other Lego games, but nothing too groundbreaking. There's a beam-shooting team up attack that is new, in addition to special moves and attacks that tie into your characters' super powers.

Oh, I suppose this as good a place to mention it as any: you do get to play as baby that shoots lasers out of its eyes. That is a win in my books.




Graphics:

The Incredibles is a movie series that lends itself very well to the visual style of Lego. The transition is seamless. The action on the screen captures the look and feel of a Pixar movie to perfection, but with a Lego twist. I can't say anything bad about this game's graphics. It really does look excellent.




Sound:

You can tell that a lot of effort was put into making both the game's video and audio presentation on par with that of the films. The music is fantastic. The voice acting is spot-on, although I'm not sure if all the original actors are back or not. The dad sure didn't sound like Craig T. Nelson (or as I always call him: Coach) to me! Frozone was questionable as well.




Overall:

Maybe it is just because I haven't played a Lego game in a very long time, but I didn't begin to feel that familiar Lego burnout as I played this game. Or maybe I'm not giving Lego Incredibles enough credit. Maybe it is simply a cut above the rest of the Lego games that have come out recently.

Whatever the reason, I had a pretty good time with this game. The Incredibles really lends itself to the Lego theme flawlessly. It's almost like this combination was meant to be. If you like Lego games, check this out. If you like The Incredibles, check this out. If you have kids, check this out. If none of these things apply to you, you aren't missing much if you decide to skip out on this. If you are a fan of these things, however, you are in for a treat.


THE GRADE: 
B


40th Birthday Mop Up Duty Celebration Tour:




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2018:
Lego The Incredibles
(The review you are reading)


And up nest we move onto 2019 with:
The Outer Worlds


For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click


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Video Game Review #437: The Evil Within 2

The Evil Within 2
PlayStation 4




Nostalgia Factor:

I just played through the original Evil Within last month, and I really liked it. I ended up giving it an A overall. After finishing the game, I read a few reviews for the sequel. To my surprise, a good number of people seemed to like the sequel more than the first game. That surprised me a bit. I loved the first game a lot. If the sequel was supposed to be even better, that meant I was in for a real treat.

Would I side with the critics, or would this game just end up being more of the same? My answer may surprise you. Read on for more details!




Story:

I feel as if the storytelling in this game is much better than in the first Evil Within. You again play as Sebastian Castellanos. After the events of the first game, Sebastian's daughter is believed to have died in a fire. This causes Sebastian and his wife to break up. The wife believes she is out there somewhere and that her death was a hoax. Sebastian thinks this is desperate thinking.

Several years later, Sebastian is called into action by Mobius, the group who created the STEM system (a network that links people's brains), which in a giant bombshell, Sebastian was revealed to have been within all along at the end of the first game. He finds out that his daughter is indeed still alive. She was taken by Mobius to be a Core in a new STEM system they were testing. The Core keeps everything together. In Star Trek terms, think the Borg Queen.

Something has gone horribly wrong, and Sebastian is sent into the STEM network to save his daughter and bring her back. Since the game makes it abundantly clear that we are going into a "Matrixy" world, all traditional rules of physics and reason go out the window. If you thought you saw some wild, crazy stuff in the first game, just wait.

I won't spoil too much, but I did enjoy this game's story more than I did the first game's. I didn't care for some of the shmaltzy stuff, like with Sebastian's wife at the end. Despite all the crap that Sebastian has gone through in these games, for some reason I don't think he's that relatable of a character. You root for him, sure. But is he particularly compelling? Not really.




Gameplay:

The Evil Within 2 takes everything that made the first game great and improves upon it. The combat is a lot easier to get a hang of. The enemies are a bit more forgiving. There's an increased focus on stealth that I found myself really enjoying. There's a crafting system that I was actually able to understand. Upgrading your character and your weapons is easier than ever. This game is very, very user friendly. I found the first game a little difficult to get the hang of. This one, I was able to jump right in.

The biggest change is the addition of open world environments. Gone are the linear corridors of the first Evil Within. In the third chapter of the game, a huge map opens up in front of you. You can explore an entire town in any direction you want to go. Explore houses, fight enemies, collect items, stockpile green gel, and most importantly just have an absolute blast checking out everything this town has to offer.

I completely fell in love with this game right then and there. Every once in a blue moon you play a game that you just completely connect with on every level, but gets little hype from the outside. The Evil Within 2 is that game for me. Once I started exploring that open world, I never looked back. This game had me in its claws.

The Evil Within 2 flawlessly combines elements from different games in this genre. It is like the perfect mix of Resident Evil, The Last of Us, and the first Evil Within. Everything about this title's gameplay struck a positive cord with me. It's just so incredibly creative and fun. I loved this game. Can you hear me? I LOVED IT.

Exploring is fun. Collecting items is fun. Stealth is fun. Combat is fun. I like how you feel as if you are always making progress, picking up enough scrap material to enhance your weapons or enough green gel to level up your character. There's always something to work towards in this game, whether it is simply exploring the map to completion just for funsies, or heading straight to your mission directive. However you want to approach this is up to you!

Bosses are epic and very Resident Evil-like. Boss encounters in the first game were questionable. This time, they were knocked right out of the park.

My main complaint is when you travel "the marrow" between areas, there are often long segments of running forward through a long, black corridor. Very boring, and very irritating that you have to hold the run button forward through several stamina bars. Oh, and stamina bars! These are never a good idea in video games. Why do you people keep insisting on putting them in your games? Why???

While I'm nitpicking, load times can be a bit excessive once again when your character dies.

All these things aside, this is still a great freaking game.




Graphics:

Games like this always make me think: why exactly is there a PlayStation 5? Why do we need to upgrade to the next line of consoles? The game looks terrific in every way, shape, and form. The characters are realistic and lifelike. The monsters are grotesque. The environments are fully detailed and just look really, really good. Effects like lighting and explosions are perfect. The game is cinematic as hell. I really can't complain about anything, and the fact that this game is already six years old is wild to me.

I already mentioned the bosses earlier in my review, but shout out once again to their brilliant design. Some of these bosses are very creative and grotesque. It's always a pleasure seeing how the game is going to outdo itself in its wild boss design, time after time.




Sound:

The sound is top notch as well. The game is filled with ambient sound effects that keep you on the edge of your seat. Things are quiet and eerie when they need to be, loud and in your face when the action gets going. Keep your ears open for the noises your enemies make. Audio cues play a huge part in this game. If you can hear an enemy somewhere around you, you know to be cautious moving forward.

The game has terrific music in addition to the great sound effects and voice acting. The classical piano music makes its welcome return to this game. It's always a treat to hear that creepy yet comforting little jingle. Another musical piece that jumped out at me is the music that plays when you are spotted by an enemy. It's very bass-heavy and intense. I just love it. It really gets your blood pumping and draws you even deeper into the action of the game.




Overall:

To answer the question I posed in my opener: no, I do not consider this game to be "more of the same." The Evil Within 2 does not fall into the same trap as a lot of sequels out there (Horizon Forbidden West, I'm looking at you). I always get bored playing "more of the same", even when the original game was really good.

But The Evil Within 2 outdoes its predecessor in every way. Story, graphics, gameplay, sound, fun factor, everything. I could not put this game down. I loved it. 

It's not too often I really get to gush about a game that resonates with me. I'm pretty easily entertained, but I'm never this enthralled with a game. I can't recommend it enough. It is wonderful. Games like this make me really happy I'm doing this Mop Up Duty thing. Without it, I likely still would not have played the first game - and by extension, this one. I now have a series that has wormed its way alongside Resident Evil as one of my favorite series out there. I really, really hope there's more coming.

If you're out there and you are on the fence about The Evil Within (like I was just a few months ago), get off that fence. This is a series you need to play.



THE GRADE:
A+


40th Birthday Mop Up Duty Celebration Tour:




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2015:


2016:


2017:
The Evil Within 2
(The review you are reading)


Up next we move onto 2018 and completely change tone as we play:
Lego The Incredibles


For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click


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Monday, May 1, 2023

Video Game Review #436: Landstalker

Landstalker
Sega Genesis


Nostalgia Factor:

Landstalker is a game I've always vaguely been aware of. I am familiar with seeing screenshots of the game in old video game magazines. It was never something that piqued my interest enough to check it out, though.

Well, in 2022 I decided out of the blue to give the game a shot. Expand my horizons a little bit. But I would not have a good time with this game. I started playing it in October of 2022. I just finished it now, at the beginning of May here in 2023. That's about seven months it took me to beat this game. Why did I struggle so much to power through this one? I can explain it, I swear!




Story:

You play as Nigel, an adventurer and treasure hunter. He rescues a nymph named Friday from a group of evil thugs chasing after her. Friday says that the thugs were after her because she knows the location of King Nole's treasure, the greatest secret treasure known to exist.

Nigel and Friday head to the island where the treasure is believed to be. They get themselves into all kinds of mischief and misadventures, but long story short, their paths become entangled with the Duke of Mercato. While the Duke's intentions seem honorable at first, you quickly discover that he is a bad, bad man. He double crosses Nigel to get his hands one of many secret stones that leads the way to the treasure of Nole.

The rest of the game becomes Nigel vs the Duke as they both try to get their hands on the treasure first.

The story of the game is kind of fun and light hearted. I like Friday and Nigel's relationship. There are a lot of funny moments to be found, here. I'd have to say the story is probably the best thing about Landstalker. If that is saying much.




Gameplay:

Alright, the meat and potatoes of the game. The gameplay takes center stage in Landstalker. If you don't like the controls or the combat in the early goings of the game, you are going to have to be patient. You are never, ever going to be able to beat this game if you can't master these controls.

For a very basic comparison, this is an action RPG like Zelda or Beyond Oasis. It takes place from an isometric perspective. The thing that stands out about Landstalker is the way your character moves, and how it affects the platforming action that unfolds as you make your way through the game. To put it simply: the controls are jank. I feel as if they turned away a lot of people from getting very far or putting too much time into this game.

Instead of just being able to use the controller to point your character where you want him to go, and then just move him there, you have to adjust his body's positioning. It's a little hard to explain in the written word. It's like you have to point him where you want him to go, and then use left and right to move him forward and backward, but only in the direction you pointed him. So a bit like tank controls. But in 3D. You have to use diagonal motions with the controller to traverse "up or down" across the game's 3D plane. Again, really hard to put into words. You just have to trust me: it's jank.

Not only is it tough to simply move your character in a basic direction, this makes platforming extremely difficult. Your character doesn't have a shadow. The perspective in this game can be a bit misleading. This makes it hard to line up jumps, especially with the janky controls. Landstalker is a game that requires A LOT of precision jumping. Like, seriously. Down to the pixel. This game, even with good controls, would have been very difficult anyway. With the poor controls, it is a downright frustrating experience.

That said, you do start to adapt to the controls after a while. I feel like by the time I was done with this game, I had gotten a really good grasp of my character and his abilities and limitations. It takes a while to get to this point, though. And the jumping remains a constant source of frustration.

Falling in this game often results in you landing in an area you've already been before. You then have to backtrack to the point where you fell and try again. If you get into a pattern where you fall over and over again (and you will, believe you me!) you are going to get very agitated. I did myself a favor and played this with save states, so I could simply try my missed jumps over again. Even then I was getting a little annoyed. I can't possibly imagine playing this on original Genesis hardware. I just can't. I would never make it through this game.

It's so hard! Combat is a pain in the neck. Nigel's sword has a short range of attack, and enemies like to try and swarm you from all sides. You rack up damage very, very quickly in this game. If you aren't careful, you are going to find yourself dying quite often - even very early in the game. And from basic grunt enemies. You basically have to be perfect as you make your way from town to town.

You can stock up on healing items as you go. You are going to need them! It's an action RPG, so you can improve your equipment and weapons with upgrades you find out in the field. This game seems to take some cues from the Shining Force games with how you can save your game with priests. A lot seems to be borrowed from Shining Force, really. Unfortunately, nothing that was able to make me like this game.

This game is such a chore to play through. The controls suck. The platforming sucks. It's hard. I'm taking a lot of damage and struggling with even the most basic enemies. I don't know where to go. This is one of those games that are terrible to pick up after a long hiatus. None of the NPCs tell you what you were doing or give you hints where you're supposed to go next. You just have to aimlessly wander around, blindly hoping you trigger an event that pushes the story forward. The game flows a little better towards the beginning. It isn't until you get to Mercator that I really started to get lost. There were several points where I had to put the game down for several weeks at a time (hence, why it took me seven months to beat the game). It is an absolute nightmare trying to find where you left off sometimes. I already wasn't liking the game. This realllly made me want to stop playing.

I had to force myself to power through this game. I was having such a miserable time. The dungeons in this game have some very difficult puzzles to solve, and I was getting stuck left and right, having to look to internet walkthroughs for help. Nothing with this game was resonating for me. Nothing. I couldn't force myself to like it, even as I fully committed myself to finally finishing it off and beating it. Now that I am done with this game, I never have to think of it again after I publish this review. I hated it.




Graphics:

The graphics are okay. I am right on the verge of being able to say it is a "colorful" game, but I can't bring myself to say it. Sometimes it gets close. But for the most part the world of the game just isn't that interesting. Monotonous looking landscapes filled with dull, uninspired forests and mountains. The villages and towns are a little bit better. The characters look nice, as do some of the details in the buildings and their designs. Occasionally you'll see an interesting looking background or an area involving water that has some cool special effects.

All in all, this game has the problem where a lot of areas look "samesies" with other areas in the game. Especially in between towns when you are out on the trails. And double especially in dungeons. It doesn't make for an interesting playthrough when it seems like you're looking at the same kind of environments over and over again.

Many of the text menus look identical to the menus you see in Shining Force. Not the first thing these games have in common, and it won't be the last.




Sound:

I'm finally going to give this game a little love. The music isn't bad. Some of the tunes are a little repetitive because you hear them so often, but at least they are pleasant to listen to. Kind of cheerful and upbeat. One sound effect you'll recognize immediately is the sound Nigel makes when he jumps. It is the Sonic jumping sound.

The sound of some of the menus and the sound of characters talking in the dialog box is ripped directly from Shining Force. It's interesting to me that this game has such obvious influences from Sonic and Shining Force in its audio presentation. It's like a collision of pure Sega goodness on the aural side of things. Too bad the game isn't any fun to play.




Overall:

OK, so you already know I don't like the game. I don't know what else I can say. I didn't have fun with this. I didn't like it. I don't recommend you play it. The only good thing about it is that I now do not have to play it anymore or think about it ever again. 

Goodbye, Landstalker.

Forever.


THE GRADE:
F


For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

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