It’s time for V’s depression arc. After botching the gig of her life, nearly dying and losing her apartment due to unpaid rent during her recovery she’s back to minor jobs and turning tricks just to survive. Things are looking bleak but that’s the Night City way, isn’t it?
I enjoy this role-play heavy playthrough more than I though I would. There’s a lot more downtime and conflict avoidance, making me feel more like part of the world than a normal playthrough. I also get to familiarise myself with the city better thanks to the lack of car and disabled fast-travel forcing me to walk more.
I still need to force myself to not slip back to my usual way of playing (unlimited hacking works) but I’m getting used to it. I’m sure it’ll lead to some painful encounters while I’m still figuring out what to focus on but it should be worth it - if only for variety’s sake.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Last time I mentioned the secret videos being kinda meh - well, the one on level 9 (Keyes) was pretty interesting. I missed 2 videos so there might’ve been something else but that’s where I’m at with them for now.
As for the game itself… I appreciate it from a historical perspective but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to it any time soon (unlike Reach). As game progressed, both level design and many of the encounters turned from “it’s neat” to “there’s more?! just let me progress, please”, turning a fun return to a classic into an exhausting experience.
I feel like this is one of the few games were age really affects my enjoyment of the whole thing, which is funny because I didn’t have similar issues with ONI (and that one is even rougher as a product).
I don’t regret it but I’m glad it’s done.
Halo 2: Anniversary
This game feels very different right off the bat. Even disregarding the Anniversary version improvements, the bombastic opening and light-hearted dialogue make the whole thing feel more like an action movie than an unnerving wannabe horror experience of the first game. I’m not saying that the original didn’t have cheese or that this game won’t have more serious moments but going through the start suggests a very different experience. Also, that Miranda Keys voice acting… it’s not great. Everyone in the game sounds fine except for her, no idea what happened there.
I really like Halo’s take on future earth, especially with the updated Anniversary art style - it looks great! One nitpick here is that the moment you look outside the designated arena (even places you can easily walk to) things start getting real empty pretty much right away. It’s not a huge issue and doesn’t really take away from the atmosphere but it did catch my attention.
Just like with the first game, I think they did really good job with the remaster. Refreshed art style, updated music and sound effects, new cutscenes - it all combines into a great package that feels awesome even today. I was a bit sceptical in terms of what to expect from these updated versions so I’m glad I was wrong.
Secret videos are another improvement - they are way more interesting than the ones in the first game. Maybe it’s because I don’t really care about the Forerunners storyline or perhaps because these ones are more directly relevant to the games I played. Either way I liked them more than Guilty Spark’s monologues.
One technical issue that’s bothering me (also happened in ODST) is that game mostly works fine but sometimes it registers my mouse input as if I clicked on the second monitor, losing focus until I click back on the game. Doesn’t happen often but it can be a huge pain in the middle of combat. I could understand if this happened all the time due to window mode setting but nope, it’s completely random.
Halo 3: ODST
Last week I said I won’t be pausing my Halo 2 playthrough to play ODST… well, I ended up doing just that.
I liked it quite a bit and found the hub based progression + multiple perspectives to be an interesting departure from the usual formula. I was expecting to feel a bit more vulnerable as a “normal dude” but considering how quickly you can die on Heroic in other games the difference is pretty much non-existent. What is noticeable is the gun feel - none of the weapons sound or feel as good as those in other games. I do like the pistol at least, not because it’s an exception or anything but it’s a perfect tool to thinning out the enemies from a sniping distance. It’s pretty crazy.
Despite great presentation, both voice acting and some of the cut scenes make the game feel just as light-hearted as the beginning of Halo 2 - it doesn’t prevent me from liking the characters and their interactions but it’s not really a grunt experience I was expecting it to be. I don’t have a problem with Holywood Halo but I do prefer the atmosphere and tone of Reach and the few books I read. There are still some beautiful, melancholic moments however they feel like a bonus rather than a main goal.
Unlike the anniversary versions of CE and 2, this game has secret audio logs instead of videos which I like quite a lot. They’re actually my favourite of the secret logs so far. They have great voice acting, simple but engaging story and good pacing (no weirdly placed sudden cut offs like in Halo 2 videos for example). I missed about half of them so I’ll have to go back and fix that - something I didn’t really feel compelled to do with Halo 1 & 2.
One thing I’ve noticed while playing the Master Chief Collection is that each game I play sounds quieter than the last. Reach > CE > 2 > ODST - every change of game required me to pump up the volume to get thing were I want them to be. Not a huge issue but certainly a weird one.
Also, and this might sound like a hot take, so far Halo 1, 2 and ODST all had certain segments that felt way too long for what they had to offer. As fun as these games are, these segments did little to help keep me engaged and slowly strengthen the feeling of exhaustion whenever they happen. I’m still planning to go through the rest of the MCC but I hope they’ll won’t become too common going forward.
I dunno - is this because I’m playing on Heroic? Does it extend combat encounters or cause any similar changes to the levels? Am I “reaping the fruit of my hubris” or are the games just like that?
This probably sounds more negative than I’m feeling about it so don’t take this criticism too seriously. It’s annoying, sure, but not in an experience ruining way so far.
Cyberpunk 2077
It’s time for V’s depression arc. After botching the gig of her life, nearly dying and losing her apartment due to unpaid rent during her recovery she’s back to minor jobs and turning tricks just to survive. Things are looking bleak but that’s the Night City way, isn’t it?
I enjoy this role-play heavy playthrough more than I though I would. There’s a lot more downtime and conflict avoidance, making me feel more like part of the world than a normal playthrough. I also get to familiarise myself with the city better thanks to the lack of car and disabled fast-travel forcing me to walk more.
I still need to force myself to not slip back to my usual way of playing (unlimited hacking works) but I’m getting used to it. I’m sure it’ll lead to some painful encounters while I’m still figuring out what to focus on but it should be worth it - if only for variety’s sake.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Last time I mentioned the secret videos being kinda meh - well, the one on level 9 (Keyes) was pretty interesting. I missed 2 videos so there might’ve been something else but that’s where I’m at with them for now.
As for the game itself… I appreciate it from a historical perspective but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to it any time soon (unlike Reach). As game progressed, both level design and many of the encounters turned from “it’s neat” to “there’s more?! just let me progress, please”, turning a fun return to a classic into an exhausting experience.
I feel like this is one of the few games were age really affects my enjoyment of the whole thing, which is funny because I didn’t have similar issues with ONI (and that one is even rougher as a product).
I don’t regret it but I’m glad it’s done.
Halo 2: Anniversary
This game feels very different right off the bat. Even disregarding the Anniversary version improvements, the bombastic opening and light-hearted dialogue make the whole thing feel more like an action movie than an unnerving wannabe horror experience of the first game. I’m not saying that the original didn’t have cheese or that this game won’t have more serious moments but going through the start suggests a very different experience. Also, that Miranda Keys voice acting… it’s not great. Everyone in the game sounds fine except for her, no idea what happened there.
I really like Halo’s take on future earth, especially with the updated Anniversary art style - it looks great! One nitpick here is that the moment you look outside the designated arena (even places you can easily walk to) things start getting real empty pretty much right away. It’s not a huge issue and doesn’t really take away from the atmosphere but it did catch my attention.
Just like with the first game, I think they did really good job with the remaster. Refreshed art style, updated music and sound effects, new cutscenes - it all combines into a great package that feels awesome even today. I was a bit sceptical in terms of what to expect from these updated versions so I’m glad I was wrong.
Secret videos are another improvement - they are way more interesting than the ones in the first game. Maybe it’s because I don’t really care about the Forerunners storyline or perhaps because these ones are more directly relevant to the games I played. Either way I liked them more than Guilty Spark’s monologues.
One technical issue that’s bothering me (also happened in ODST) is that game mostly works fine but sometimes it registers my mouse input as if I clicked on the second monitor, losing focus until I click back on the game. Doesn’t happen often but it can be a huge pain in the middle of combat. I could understand if this happened all the time due to window mode setting but nope, it’s completely random.
Halo 3: ODST
Last week I said I won’t be pausing my Halo 2 playthrough to play ODST… well, I ended up doing just that.
I liked it quite a bit and found the hub based progression + multiple perspectives to be an interesting departure from the usual formula. I was expecting to feel a bit more vulnerable as a “normal dude” but considering how quickly you can die on Heroic in other games the difference is pretty much non-existent. What is noticeable is the gun feel - none of the weapons sound or feel as good as those in other games. I do like the pistol at least, not because it’s an exception or anything but it’s a perfect tool to thinning out the enemies from a sniping distance. It’s pretty crazy.
Despite great presentation, both voice acting and some of the cut scenes make the game feel just as light-hearted as the beginning of Halo 2 - it doesn’t prevent me from liking the characters and their interactions but it’s not really a grunt experience I was expecting it to be. I don’t have a problem with Holywood Halo but I do prefer the atmosphere and tone of Reach and the few books I read. There are still some beautiful, melancholic moments however they feel like a bonus rather than a main goal.
Unlike the anniversary versions of CE and 2, this game has secret audio logs instead of videos which I like quite a lot. They’re actually my favourite of the secret logs so far. They have great voice acting, simple but engaging story and good pacing (no weirdly placed sudden cut offs like in Halo 2 videos for example). I missed about half of them so I’ll have to go back and fix that - something I didn’t really feel compelled to do with Halo 1 & 2.
One thing I’ve noticed while playing the Master Chief Collection is that each game I play sounds quieter than the last. Reach > CE > 2 > ODST - every change of game required me to pump up the volume to get thing were I want them to be. Not a huge issue but certainly a weird one.
Also, and this might sound like a hot take, so far Halo 1, 2 and ODST all had certain segments that felt way too long for what they had to offer. As fun as these games are, these segments did little to help keep me engaged and slowly strengthen the feeling of exhaustion whenever they happen. I’m still planning to go through the rest of the MCC but I hope they’ll won’t become too common going forward.
I dunno - is this because I’m playing on Heroic? Does it extend combat encounters or cause any similar changes to the levels? Am I “reaping the fruit of my hubris” or are the games just like that?
This probably sounds more negative than I’m feeling about it so don’t take this criticism too seriously. It’s annoying, sure, but not in an experience ruining way so far.