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Guacamelee 2! En Route To Platinum?

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games on September 1, 2018 by slateman

There are several new games which have piqued my interest. And with several more on the horizon, I fear the impending backlog to address. So, I bit the bullet and dove right into Guacamelee 2! After platinuming the first and then beating it again on the PS4, I set my sights on the the tough-as-nails platformer sequel. However, this time the difficulty was toned down a bit. Well, that’s only partially true. While I bested the final boss on the first attempt (wat?!), the post-game challenges are OMFG brutal. If I’m not mistaken, I have one more rigorous challenge ahead and that one has kicked my ass. I can do it though. I can do it! Oh right…and then I have to beat it all again on hard mode.

But just like the first game, I think that’s a manageable endeavor. The game is generous with its checkpoints and quick with its loading. Thus, most challenges are just a determined step away. And ‘one step at a time’ is the mantra for this game. Just give me another week or so. Perhaps I’ll get there. Until then, some screenshots on this remarkable sequel which, for most intents and purposes, lived up to its predecessor.

Edit:
On second thought…screw this platinum. The end-game chicken challenges are downright brutal and the one I’m stuck on doesn’t instill that, “Just one more time, I’ll get it, I know I can!” feeling. No, instead it’s an incessant barrage of, “Fuck this.” In summation, screw this platinum. I’m good.

Castlevania: Season 2 Poster!

Posted in Artwork, Best / Worst, Blog, Castlevania on August 31, 2018 by slateman

After season one started slow and ended well, it’s been a long wait for season two to arrive. I expect more of the same this year, but it should be exciting, especially given how the debut season finished off! Until October rolls around, the new poster should tide me over.

Unfortunately, it looks like the show will have to suffice. It doesn’t look like Konami is looking to return to the series in game form – in either 2D or 3D – any time soon. It’s a shame too, as Castlevania sits at #8 of my favorite game franchises ever!

Ys VIII Begun!

Posted in Blog, Games, Music, Ys on August 19, 2018 by slateman

My Ys journey started almost 30 years ago on the TurboCD and the legendary series continues with a title that truly stands up to those iconic classics. Just last year I completed II, Felghana and Origin but entry #8 (by far not the actual eighth game!) would have to wait. And while I’d prefer play on my big-screen TV and PS4, the Vita will have to do, much as it did for those three aforementioned titles.

And I’m excited as the first three hours have been compelling and fun, not unlike countless Ys titles in the past. Reading reviews never helps convey quite how systems work and how fun they can be. What I can share, however, is the kick-ass overworld theme for the first section. I instantly fell in love with it and the tune captures that rocking exploration feeling the series is synonymous with. It’s immediately become one of my favorite Ys tracks ever… Quite the statement given the franchise’s heritage. Ah well, enjoy the song… It’s spectacular.

I Beat A GTA!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games with tags on August 9, 2018 by slateman

Despite having played every major GTA installment dating back to the late 1990s, I have never actually completed any of them. Not a one! From the London updates to the original, through the PS2’s trilogy, even GTA4, I’ve played almost everything (Except 4’s DLC). In fact, I’ve already written about GTA3’s impact on gaming. But at no point did I ever follow-through and see the credits on any of them. That’s not a bad thing! They were all marvelous releases and Rockstar’s brand revolutionized gaming and became the biggest-selling form of media in history.

And I actually started GTA5 when it came out. However, I had to return it to GameFly for one reason or another. As the years progressed, I watched the sales figures creep up. 60, 70, 80, 90 million units. Holy shit.

With sales never floundering, the price tag rarely dipped. However, I finally nabbed the game at the low, low price of $20. And it is quite low, considering just how much game is crammed into this behemoth. With no other games capturing my attention at the time and a busy autumn ahead, I gave it a go. Reminiscing of the missions I’d done and branching into new territory, the entire lot was a hell of a lot of fun. It’s such a polished product with scores of random events, WTF moments, incredible writing and amazing production value. I cannot recommend it enough and even completing it leaves a great majority of the game still unseen, both online and off.

As has been my wont, here are some spoilericious snapshots from the journey. For the first time, I can claim accomplishment in clearing a GTA game. It’s about damn time!

4×4 Windmill Last-Layer Parity

Posted in Algorithms, Blog, Cubing on August 8, 2018 by slateman

Another quick algorithm update. I saw I had left my awesome MoYu AoSu 4×4 Windmill Cube on the shelf unsolved. That last-layer edge parity (either opposite or adjacent) can’t be fixed by the normal algorithm, as it messes up your centers. “Oh, what was the solution again?” I pondered…To the YouTube!

Ah, that’s simple! OK, so first, rotate the U layer either way and then drop down the white center. Move back the top layer so your parity is properly located for your algorithm and the white/yellow centers are front and back. Do the awesome LL parity algorithm and then just reset the white and yellow faces. Since those two don’t have any orientation, it’s OK if you flip them around.

Quite simple really…until I forget next time, of course!

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night – 200.6% Finally!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Castlevania, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments with tags on July 28, 2018 by slateman

20 Years Later – Finally 200.6%!

At 42 years old, my personal Castlevania history dates back three decades to the original on the NES. Like so many others, I’ve played just about everything. The classic trilogy, Bloodlines, IV, SOTN and its subsequent GBA/NDS titles, the PS2 3D ones, LoS, side stories, etc, etc, etc.

And at the top of that heap, to me, remains Symphony Of The Night. It’s just so [insert 20 superlatives we’ve all heard]. Anyhow, while I was a day-one adopter in early 1997, I never made it past 197% or so. This continued when I replayed it in the early ’00s, and again when I got the PS1 Classics version on the PS3. Oh, and when I replayed it **again** on the PSP with Dracula X Chronicles.

My itch for more Castlevania meant another replay of Rondo Of Blood, now on my Vita, and…why the hell not, let’s do it again! And now my goal was to *finally* get the elusive 200.6%. Methodically going through the game room-by-room, I made it to the end of the second castle, started doing my clean-up and realized…I missed Mudman. No! No!!! So bummed, I took a day or two off before heading back in and finishing it all off.

Little did I know that getting 200.6% was still achievable despite my oversight!!! And so finally, for a game I started playing just after my 21st birthday, is now (sorta) 100% complete at my tender age of 42!

New 3×3 Record! 29.03!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records, High Scores/Accomplishments on July 28, 2018 by slateman

This one is a few months old, but that’s OK. This isn’t unusual, but every so often I’ll grab my best 3×3 and see if I still have it. A sub-40 average is usually my goal, but my ninth solve on this day was just remarkable. I slammed together that first layer in like 8 seconds. The second layer was average, but I think I had two last-layer skips. It was one of those moments where you just know this is something special. As only my third sub-30, I was utterly thrilled. Anyhow, new record! Oh, and a quick check of my cubing records reveals that this new time came precisely one year after I got my last sub-30 record! I suppose I’ll have to make another go on the 18th of May, 2019!

More Tolkien? I Cannot Resist!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Books, Tolkien on July 10, 2018 by slateman

I can’t blame them. The man has been dead for 45 years and my collection somehow continues to grow. Giving me anything Silmarillion related will equate to a certain purchase. This time, we return to Gondolin to round out the trio of epic Tolkien tales, following Narn i Chîn Húrin and Beren and Lúthien’s tale. I know these stories by heart despite not touching the book in a decade. I can open up to any section and be right back into the world, the lore and Tolkien’s grand vision. I can’t wait to return to Turgon and to Maeglin’s betrayal. The author of my favorite book remarkably continues to publish, almost a half-century after his passing. Even his son, the editor of a majority of these books, creeps up on his 94th year. One day, perhaps, they’ll run out of content. But until then, I may be in search of a larger bookshelf. :D

What To Play: 2018-2019 Edition

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Resident Evil with tags , on June 15, 2018 by slateman

As E3 rolled out the new and exciting, it’s hard not to truly get pumped up by something. There are some enormous titles a’coming – and many of them are not so far off. Sony’s Resident Evil 2 reveal gave us our first glimpse of the game in action as well as a release date merely seven months later.

Today I’d like to go through some upcoming release dates alongside my excitement level. Three stars = must buy, pretty much. As always, this is more of a personal checklist, but now that it’s written up, there’s some good shit on here!!! Let’s go!

07 Aug – Dead Cells ***
07 Aug – Overcooked 2 ***
21 Aug – Guacamelee 2! ***
31 Aug – Divinity: Original Sin 2 *
14 Sep – Shadow Of The Tomb Raider *
26 Oct – Red Dead Redemption 2 ***
13 Nov – Spyro: Reignited Trilogy **
04 Dec – Just Cause 4 ***
31 Dec – Mega Man 11 **

2019
25 Jan – Resident Evil 2 ***
29 Jan – Kingdom Hearts III **
22 Mar – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ***
?? ??? – Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night***
?? ??? – The Last Of Us – Part 2*

Resident Evil 4 – Again!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Resident Evil on June 15, 2018 by slateman

By my count, this is the fifth time I’ve beaten Resident Evil 4. I’ll simply never forget my first time on the GameCube – and that chainsaw death. I followed this with the PS2 game, and later the Wii game which, by all acounts, was the easiest of them all. The remaster on the PS3 and now on the PS4.

But on this last playthrough, I wondered to myself, why precisely I was doing it again. I found it curious that on both of these Playstation versions, I paused. There was a significant delay between certain trophies. After saving Ashley and before defeating Bitores Mendez on this playthrough, I stepped away for seven months. As surprising as that might be, the lapse was 3-and-a-half years back on the PS3. Evidently that middle section is my least favorite.

So back to the question: Is this really one of the best games ever? Five playthroughs suggest yes, but that middle bit gave me pause. However, the flurry of trophies as the game ends on both the PS3 and the PS4 show that I just blasted through the finale. The level design is smart, the bosses are challenging but not overly dumb (as is the case with certain games) and it balanced the tiptoe beginning with an action-packed ending. Resident Evil 4 is not a top-10 game ever IMO. But it is a top-20 game and that’s not half-bad. I’ve definitely spent too much money on this game, but it’s OK when the final product is that fun, with satisfying head-shots, intense anxiety due to those effin’ Regenerators and tremendous sound design.

Perhaps after two Nintendo systems and three from Sony, I may have completed it for the last time. At least, until the remaster on the PS5!

Oh, and just checking out those trophies made me think, “I must’ve taken a picture from the last time I beat the game! I did – and the stats are significantly different! I’m certain pause time contributed to the lengthy duration of this latest run, but, I couldn’t have paused it for that long!

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