Considered HARMful
kiwifarms.net
I played only Avadon: The Black Fortress and resolved to never play any Spiderweb game again.
Games you love but nobody else knows about. - Any games that you've played and like, but never heard any online discussion or met anyone who's played it?
- Thread starter Nom Carver
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Sister services, email, and search will continue to be negatively effected by the attacks. I made a thread to talk about it, if you're into networking.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Bummer you didn’t like it though. What made it bad?
Considered HARMful
kiwifarms.net
Frankly, I don't remember that much, mostly because that game was so "meh" for me that I forgot most of it. I recall that the interface was atrocious and being an indie studio is no excuse for making it so. Meaning: I don't care about mid-90s graphics, just make the UI usable without thousands of mouseclicks being necessary for e.g. inventory management.
The story was OKish, the world has potential, but the plot of the game itself was handled haphazardly. Choices didn't matter that much (for the record, I did all the achievements so I know about different endings), free choice being the illusion most of the time. In that regard I still consider Fallout 1 and 2 to be a gold standard in balance between freedom of action and plot to be followed. I don't rag on Avadon not being the size of Fallout in scope, but not being Fallout-like in mechanics re: freedom of movement and plot/sidequests.
FWIW, I read on rpgcodex that Avadon is one of the weakest of Spiderweb's games, so maybe my resolution to never again touch them was premature. Yet at the same time I don't feel compelled to try anything else from him/them. If you can be arsed to recommend some specific titles you consider to be "the best of", I'd appreciate it.
Thank you so much for the really good reply! All those points you mentioned are very well thought out. You have a point regarding the UI. It’s been ages since I played Avadon, and since I don’t remember much of the plot at all I will agree with you that it is forgettable.
The Geneforge series is, IMO, the top tier of Spiderweb’s games. All five games follow a single storyline (your character gets mind wiped and stuff at the end of previous games to excuse being level one in the sequels) so if you are a newbie to the series who wants to follow the story I would recommend the first game. There was a remake of Geneforge 1 released on Steam recently, actually! The remake has loads of new content and quality of life improvements so it may fix all the UI problems you had.
Now, I have yet to play the remake myself. So all of my experience comes from the classics. My personal favorite is Geneforge 2, but that is mostly for nostalgia reasons. All the Geneforge games have major story-changing decisions in them and really neat worldbuilding, though the changes don’t pass between games so for each sequel you kinda have to start from zero. Each game builds on the world and increases the scope of the dangers you face in it. In the first game, you are stranded on a forbidden island and trying to escape, and by the fifth one you are being asked to choose a faction that will decide the fate of civilization.
If you want the ‘best’ Geneforge experience I guess you could either give the remake of one a try (It’s $20) or wait a couple years for the remake of five.
All in all, you have a point regarding the technical issues. I think I’m just such a sucker for Geneforge’s particular type of world and story that I am willing to forgive the old games for their shortcomings. The pandemic has me low on cash so I have had to resort to making a schedule for my game-buying. The Geneforge remake will be mine in May. If there is interest I might give LPing it a try so everyone can enjoy the story and make me choose stupid decisions and stuff.
Considered HARMful
kiwifarms.net
I'd very much like to see an LP, don't know about a general interest in Spiderweb games though. We're kiwifarms, not rpgcodex after all and it looks like these games are kinda niche.
Dark Edea
kiwifarms.net
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
This is one of those now-dead WiiWare titles that you can't get anymore outside of emulation. It was a neat city builder with a mechanic that let you train up adventurers and form parties to send out on missions across the land to gather resources and complete quests.
Doing these missions would grant your adventurers experience and they would level up like a typical party in a Final Fantasy game. Their rewards and loot would allow you to upgrade the town, build new structures and buy new weapons and armor. The combat was hands off and happened off screen as your player-character never leaves the city.
Overall it is a really fun game. Emulating it probably isn't too hard and I would bet it plays great with modern hardware. It would chug along on the Wii especially as your town would expand.
This is a game I would love to see re-released as an enhanced edition or as an outright sequel. There was nothing quite like it.
This is one of those now-dead WiiWare titles that you can't get anymore outside of emulation. It was a neat city builder with a mechanic that let you train up adventurers and form parties to send out on missions across the land to gather resources and complete quests.
Doing these missions would grant your adventurers experience and they would level up like a typical party in a Final Fantasy game. Their rewards and loot would allow you to upgrade the town, build new structures and buy new weapons and armor. The combat was hands off and happened off screen as your player-character never leaves the city.
Overall it is a really fun game. Emulating it probably isn't too hard and I would bet it plays great with modern hardware. It would chug along on the Wii especially as your town would expand.
This is a game I would love to see re-released as an enhanced edition or as an outright sequel. There was nothing quite like it.
Remember Me
Freaky Flyers
My trash lol
Freaky Flyers
My trash lol
Viva Pinata. Most people think it's a game based on the kids show when in reality it isn't and is in fact Rares best game.
Steel Batallion. I've only known one other person that ever played it and the most I've ever seen it discussed online is a meme drawing about someone getting confused by how to use the controller. I really wish they would make a true sequel but nobody is crazy enough to charge like $150 for a game nowadays.
Steel Batallion. I've only known one other person that ever played it and the most I've ever seen it discussed online is a meme drawing about someone getting confused by how to use the controller. I really wish they would make a true sequel but nobody is crazy enough to charge like $150 for a game nowadays.
Shining Wit
kiwifarms.net
Its not really unknown but I imagine newer internet users have never really come across it. Iji is a free indie game from like 2008 that does the whole 'choices count' better than most 'professional' games
It's at its core a side scrolling shooter with RPG elements. An alien invasion killed 99% of humanity and in a research facility, Iji who was with her brother and sister, awakes a year later. She has been Adam Jensen'd and armed with an alien shotgun, she goes to kick these aliens out.
You can play using the wide variety of guns and kill them all, or sneak around and play pacificist. Where it bucks the trend is where being a complete pacifist requires a bit more work than just 'spare everyone'
The main appeal for me was the huge amount of secrets and sequence breaking that the game lets you do. For instance, a midgame boss is a teleporting assassin called Asha. The difficulty is hitting him, as he'll teleport away from your bullets, except for the basic shotgun, which he sees as too weak for him to bother dodging. So you would normally whittle his health down by trying to predict where he'll appear until he retreats. There is a second way round him, which requires you to have explored the earlier levels thoroughly, where you can get a lategame weapon that acts as a screen-wipe early. Because of how it hits, he cant dodge it. In shock, he accuses you of cheating and runs away.
It just really evokes a game where everything has been thought of
It's at its core a side scrolling shooter with RPG elements. An alien invasion killed 99% of humanity and in a research facility, Iji who was with her brother and sister, awakes a year later. She has been Adam Jensen'd and armed with an alien shotgun, she goes to kick these aliens out.
You can play using the wide variety of guns and kill them all, or sneak around and play pacificist. Where it bucks the trend is where being a complete pacifist requires a bit more work than just 'spare everyone'
The main appeal for me was the huge amount of secrets and sequence breaking that the game lets you do. For instance, a midgame boss is a teleporting assassin called Asha. The difficulty is hitting him, as he'll teleport away from your bullets, except for the basic shotgun, which he sees as too weak for him to bother dodging. So you would normally whittle his health down by trying to predict where he'll appear until he retreats. There is a second way round him, which requires you to have explored the earlier levels thoroughly, where you can get a lategame weapon that acts as a screen-wipe early. Because of how it hits, he cant dodge it. In shock, he accuses you of cheating and runs away.
It just really evokes a game where everything has been thought of
Anachronistic
kiwifarms.net
Anyone else remember the old Fairly Oddparents game called Shadow Showdown? Seems like everyone remembers Breakin' Da Rules but not this one.
Syikeblade
kiwifarms.net
Katana Zero is great, I hope they'll add more to the game soon.
Steam World Heist is great, I'm still on the first world but for a 2D turn based shooter I recommend it.
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Its getting free DLC soon.
Dark Edea
kiwifarms.net
Steam World Heist is really good. Very replayable too.
- Highlight
- #175
Does anyone here hold a candle for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe aka SCEE?
They’re the makers of games like MediEvil, MediEvil II, C12 Final Resistance, Primal and Ghosthunter.
Ghosthunter was their last “real” game, after that they did a work for hire 24 game before being rebranded Sony Cambridge and later Guerilla Cambridge where I think they were mostly just a support studio before releasing a PSVR only game no one noticed came out and no one played, I assume by that point most of the talent that made SCEE what it was had left.
MediEvil has a cult following but all their other games have never gotten their due, in fact Primal is incredibly ahead of it's time as it basically invented the Sony formula of giving the protagonist a smaller partner they can both talk to and use for certain tasks ala later games like The Last of Us and God of War 2018.
Would have been cool to see what the real SCEE could have cooked up for PS3 and PS4.
What's sad is they wanted to make a PS2 MediEvil 3 circa 2005 that would have been not only a proper send off to the series but a proper send off to them as a developer as a whole, I would have been thrilled to have played a MediEvil 3 back in 2005 although I don't like the planned story detail of Dan's Mummy girlfriend turning out to be evil.
They’re the makers of games like MediEvil, MediEvil II, C12 Final Resistance, Primal and Ghosthunter.
Ghosthunter was their last “real” game, after that they did a work for hire 24 game before being rebranded Sony Cambridge and later Guerilla Cambridge where I think they were mostly just a support studio before releasing a PSVR only game no one noticed came out and no one played, I assume by that point most of the talent that made SCEE what it was had left.
MediEvil has a cult following but all their other games have never gotten their due, in fact Primal is incredibly ahead of it's time as it basically invented the Sony formula of giving the protagonist a smaller partner they can both talk to and use for certain tasks ala later games like The Last of Us and God of War 2018.
Would have been cool to see what the real SCEE could have cooked up for PS3 and PS4.
What's sad is they wanted to make a PS2 MediEvil 3 circa 2005 that would have been not only a proper send off to the series but a proper send off to them as a developer as a whole, I would have been thrilled to have played a MediEvil 3 back in 2005 although I don't like the planned story detail of Dan's Mummy girlfriend turning out to be evil.
I've yet to play the 360 sequel but I've always been a fan of the PS2 original, T&A aside it's a legit fun wrestling game.
round robin
kiwifarms.net
- Highlight
- #176
This is one of my all-time favorite games and I rarely see anyone talk about it. It's a JRPG from Tri-Ace, the guys who did Star Ocean (it has a similar combat style as well), that took a page out of Suikoden and included hundreds of recruitable party members, all with unique personalities, schedules, etc. It has a charming art style that will probably never age and is one of few RPGs I can think of where it feels like the world is truly alive.
Bahamut Lagoon: A turn-based strategy game that combined turn-based JRPG combat with the tile-based grid like in Fire Emblem. You're powered by dragons which you can make stronger by feeding it items you no longer need.
Live-A-Live: It's a lot like a time-travel Octopath Traveler.
Live-A-Live: It's a lot like a time-travel Octopath Traveler.
Kier
kiwifarms.net
I came here to say Live A Live, but since my boy up there beat me to it I didn't. Just take this as a seccond endorsement that the game is awesome.
Since we're on SNES games though, Brandish is pretty cool. Game play is nothing special but it just has some strange atmosphere to it that I really like.
Xanadu Next I like for most of the same reasons as above but its aged a lot better and anyone who likes Zelda Dungeon kinda stuff should take a look at it.
We have a few Skies of Arcadia fans around the forum as well.
Since we're on SNES games though, Brandish is pretty cool. Game play is nothing special but it just has some strange atmosphere to it that I really like.
Xanadu Next I like for most of the same reasons as above but its aged a lot better and anyone who likes Zelda Dungeon kinda stuff should take a look at it.
We have a few Skies of Arcadia fans around the forum as well.
I have two games that immediately come to mind.
Singularity
Whilst I grew tired of FPS shooters, Singularity had fun time travelling mechanics, a cool atmosphere and could sometimes be hard as balls. Shame it's pretty short, but otherwise a great game.
Lollipop Chainsaw
A Suda 51 classic. I wish this got either remastered for current gen consoles or ported to PC as it's not backwards compatible with Xbox One, and the PS3 version isn't as great apparently.
Singularity
Whilst I grew tired of FPS shooters, Singularity had fun time travelling mechanics, a cool atmosphere and could sometimes be hard as balls. Shame it's pretty short, but otherwise a great game.
Lollipop Chainsaw
A Suda 51 classic. I wish this got either remastered for current gen consoles or ported to PC as it's not backwards compatible with Xbox One, and the PS3 version isn't as great apparently.
This game was all around avg for a PS2 game, but fun for Terminator Vidya. Takes place in future war against the machines as a third person shooter with fixed camera angles. Goes into a story of the final offensive against Skynet's stronghold in the Cheyenne mountains and humans betraying it's kind to be assimilate with Skynet, known in this timeline as Initiates (or I-950 hybrids) B- game at best, but still had fun playing it. Plus it had Fear Factory tracks in game.
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