Nick’s Game Diary Week of Feb. 18, 2024
A weekly diary of the things I’m doing and digging.
Feb. 19, 2024
No episode this week! I just couldn’t muster up the energy yesterday to sit down, record, and then do all the post production stuff. We’ll be back in our booths on Wednesday though! The surprise breaks are nice from time to time. Doing a podcast for so long, I’ve learned that recording dates can sneak up on you and make the week feel short. Like you record an episode, blink, and then bam its a week later and you’re recording another episode. At our size, we can afford to take the time. I’m also just done wasting time over feeling bad about not recording an episode. People can go a week without hearing us. We don’t need to be this everpresent thing.
Two more Hard Drive articles hot off the presses this morning. Here and here
It’s my turn to spread democracy!
I can’t quit you.
Still working my way through Ultros and Inkulinati. On Ultros, I’m not too sure how to feel about it. The game looks amazing and it’s reminding me a lot of Hollow Knight, but I can’t help but get the feeling the beauty is only skin deep. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but the game at this point feels shallow.
Inkulinati on the other hand is still that goofy, hand-drawn, tactics game I previewed a year ago. Not far enough into it yet to see if the unit balance has improved. For sure taking a small break from reviews after this small cluster of games. I still want to make time for my Transistor and Nuclear Blaze write ups. I also want to dive into some Pyre and finish up my Super Giant Games backlog.
Feb. 20, 2024
Welp, I bought Helldivers 2. I’ve only played the tutorial and a single bug mission with my brothers, but I am hooked. I normally hate tutorials, but the game plays into its corniness so much, I can’t help but be pulled into it. Even the flag salute is giving me high levels of cornballness. The gunplay feels tight and chaotic at the same time. The game does that thing where there are two seperate aim reticles. One where you’re trying to aim, and one where your shots are actually going. So when using a LMG, the feedback kicks up the other reticle and you as the player have to try and line both reticles back up. Fights get messy, but gunplay feels satisfying. Cannot wait to play more of this.
Played more Ultros. I am four bosses in and I’m starting to get the hang of the main loop of the game. I do think the biomes don’t quite stand out from each other enough for me. I’m also still not fully getting the plant mechanics. The game has these areas where you can plant seeds. After some time passes, you can return to where you planted a seed to see it has sprouted into a plant that changes some aspect of the area. For example, one of the plants gives you access to hard to reach spaces. Where it’s not hitting for me is that it’s hard for me to tell seeds apart and what grows into what. I could open the game’s menu, but the sci-fi dense descriptions turn my brain (which is already a potatoe) into mashed potatoes.
Another Hard Drive article!
We have free guys at home.
Feb. 21, 2024
Nintendo Direct and Elden Ring DLC trailer all in one day. Oh boy, the internet is going to explode. Some highlights from the Direct.
Pepper Grinder - Love the look of this 2D platformer. It’s giving me Celeste meets Grapple Dog vibes.
Pentiment - My backlog now haunts me from the Nintendo Directs. A game I started but never went back to. I think 2024 is the time to go back and give this one a fair shake.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection - That name is a mouthful. Nuts that fans are finally getting the Battlefronts they originally wanted.
Classic Rare Games on Switch - I got really excited when I hear that Killer Instinct tune. Rare Replay was a fun collection from last decade, so I’m excited to see more of these games out and about.
The Elden Ring DLC looks fine. I still need to check out Elden Ring proper, but I am awful at Souls-Likes and don’t have the patience for them. Maybe one day though.
Josh and I successfully recorded next week’s episode. Hell yeah!
Feb. 22, 2024
I think I know why Ultros isn’t hitting the way I want it to. It’s the pacing. I get into it a bit in Monday’s episode, but the way things are split up in the game, building any kind of momentum is tough. For those hoping to avoid spoilers, scroll down past the next paragraph.
Spoilers!!!!!
Ultros is a timeloop game. I don’t think that fact alone is a spoiler (the Steam page mentions a Blackhole and being stuck in a loop). The spoiler is how the timeloop is applied. A loop ends after you’ve destroyed one of the eight cryopods spread around the ship you’ve awoken on. All forward momentum is narrative based and not so much based on new abilities you’ve unlocked. You do get a new ability with every destroyed cryopod, those just don’t feel central to your progress thanks to them immediately being unavaiable to you at the start of the new cycle. It just feels like a beautiful game wrapped in some weird design choices.
I’m sure the internet will have a healthy response to the Tifa and Aerith videos going around the web…
Barret’s swim attire is the best.
Feb. 23, 2024
Episode edited and ready to post for monday. Got a long weekend of catchin up on these review titles. Best get to it.
