Review The Last Game You Beat

[Kenny]

I agree with that. One one hand I understand what Cage is saying, but more often than not he's got it all wrong. You can't just write a script with different branches and tell them "okay, GO!" It's gatta be more than that.

Going through a developmental process now, i'm starting to understand the importance of knowing what people are capable of, what they want to do, what they're willing to push, and what we're able to use. Thus, write in. In the future, I'd love to be able to collaborate with more experienced and creative heads like the guys in Telltale to make a game in the vein of Walking Dead. Or more ambitiously, Mass Effect.

It's frustrating to read my idols like Spielberg jump on but treat the medium as nothing more than a child's plaything with games like Boom Blox. Though it's not good to hear some big shot Hollywood writers come in and treat the dev team like tools to craft their specific vision rather than work in collaboration.

[Riku Rose]

If you've never played To The Moon Kenny I suggest you give it a look.

[Perfect_Chaos]

The Walking Dead.

I played the PS3 retail version of this game. It's TERRIBLY LAGGY, there's constant chugging and freezing happening all the time. The experience was really THAT good for me to forget all about it before posting the review, but I have to mention it now. Does the DLC have these issues? If not, i'm getting that until they sort out the bugs with a patch or another retail version.

I played the PS3 retail version as well. for me the frame rate was only bad for the first maybe two minutes i would play it then it would smooth out

[Kenny]

^^I want your copy then. GIVE IT TO ME!!

Anyways, I finished Lollipop Chainsaw.

This game is just weird. And I don't mean Suda weird, as far as a Suda game goes this is totally normal for him. I mean, I was just playing it to "get it over with" at first cause it was just...not working. Some of the jokes were funny, some weren't. Some of the mini-games were a blast, some made playing them an AWFUL experience. Sometimes it was too hard, sometimes it was a breeze. And that Sparkling Zombie screen everytime I get three or more heads copped off in a single swipe? THE MOST ANNOYING PAUSE I EVER HAD THE DISPLEASURE OF ENDURING, WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?! It even disoriented me during the Baseball Mini-game, making it even more aggravating to play. It's like they didn't balance it out properly. The only things that were consistent were the boss fights, which were pretty cool for the most part.

But by the end (and I mean right before the mini-final boss), with some new moves added to the roster, I was finally getting the hang of it. And after I finished the game, I started playing it again. I neglected to buy the upgrades like Strength, so I got some of those and plowed through. Now it's better than the first playthrough. The thing that I now notice, which I think is brilliant now, is that I use the same two highly effective combo chains to take out a hoard. Then in between, I tuck in the other attacks. Making proper use of the full roster of moves given to me. I still think she should move faster, but with the upgrades it's a better game. But at the same time, it's bullshit I have to wait to get upgrades to get better. That I agree with Segeta on.

But hey, somehow it had me playing it again. It takes alot for me to replay a rental I just finished. The story...ehh...I dunno. It lacks the NMH charm. It was quirky, but more in an annoying kind of way. I'd like to blame James Gunn who penned the story, since the other Suda games didn't have any issues telling a compelling tale. But I dunno. I don't really give much of a shit about some spoiled little cheerleader trying to take down the evil Goths (yes make the geeks the enemy, brilliant way to get in touch with your core audience). The disembodied boyfriend head had some good laughs but the jokes fell flat half the time. I never felt invested in these characters, as opposed to NMH which is the sole reason why I love and replayed it several times despite the fact it has EXTREMELY repetitive combat.

That said, I hope they bring the Juliet Starling character back in a NMH game. Love to see her with Travis Touchdown. Preferably with him slicing her in two. But I guess they kind of did that in the original game with that Baseball Bat swinging psycho girl.

Think Lollipop Chainsaw is too much like No More Heroes? TBH, this game would've benefited TREMENDOUSLY if it was more like No More Heroes. With a likable cast of characters that aren't too bubbly, a story that feels more involving, and more interaction quirks. I loved dressing Travis and messing around in his room. What can I do in Julie's room? Just look at the random shit I collected and see a percentage of how much I need to collect to get 100% competion? SNORE.

I guess the concept art and the voice messages are something but give me toying with Travis' cat and playing that videogame in his den anyday. At least there are costumes I can change Julie into. Closest thing to a plus there is.

So yeah, I dunno what to make of it still. All I can really say is that after this, i'm not really looking forward to playing Shadows of the Damned. I'll play it anyway, but if it's a mixed bad such as this i'll be really disappointed. I don't care if Suda is ripping himself off, as long as it's enjoyable then whatever. This was maybe half-enjoyable.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Shadows of the damned is very similar as an experience so it might be hard for you to get into.

I'm actually really happy to hear your thoughts especially on James Gunn. Its a great review.

[Henry Spencer]

Eh, I think Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw are basically "Suda 51 presents" games rather than Suda games, since by all accounts he did as much on them as Quentin Tarantino does with such films he promotes "Quentin Tarantino presents". It's really just to get a recognisable name on the box to sell. Same with Kojima, same with Hironobu Sakaguchi, same with *ahem* Gearbox.

[OL]

Nah, Suda actually has an active hand in them. It's totally evident when you play something like SotD; his fourth-wall-breaking style is immediately apparent. It feels very much in the same vein as NMH. He doesn't take full control of them, but it's certainly more than just a name on a box.

[Bluecast]

Suda got lazy. Why I just don't have much interest in Killer is Dead.
I don't need another NMH style game.

[OL]

I wouldn't call it laziness, since he's apparently really active and busy all the time. I mean he's come out with, what... 19 projects in the past ten years?
That's a pretty hefty workload. Incredibly hefty.
It's not a matter of "laziness," so much as an... acquiescence to being less inventive. Lollipop and Shadows just don't have the careful, creative appeal that his work used to have. His style is still there in a dumbed-down kind of way, it just doesn't hold any of the impact or expressiveness that we all know he's capable of.
Call him a sellout or something like that and I can understand what you mean, but "lazy?"
Nah. He's a damn hard worker.

[Bluecast]

Last few games just seem half assed and trying to do the exact same thing. I rather 1 game every 5 years that was great than 20 games that are serious need for polish. It was ok when he was unknown as you think ok he is an up and comer guy. Now he keeps getting funding has his studio bought and a higher profile yet still feels like games developed as a indie with no funding or polish.

[OL]

I'd prefer fewer games, but with higher quality as well. I'm just saying the guy can't be accused of laziness; he's always, always working.

[Henry Spencer]

Nah, Suda actually has an active hand in them. It's totally evident when you play something like SotD; his fourth-wall-breaking style is immediately apparent. It feels very much in the same vein as NMH. He doesn't take full control of them, but it's certainly more than just a name on a box.

Well, he was the writer on SotD, the director was Massimo Guarini. Suda hasn't actually directed or game designed a game since No More Heroes. He is still a writer though.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Production is very different in the east and the west.

In the US a producer might tell people what to do. If a bug is being problematic they'd ferry the message from QA to Programming or set up an email chain, or work on keeping the budget low, or try to keep things on track with deadlines (You know mostly bureaucracy.) Now all producers in the western AAA space are useless but they never really get hands on with the game.

In a Japanese company a producer might be unhappy with something and go ahead and change it themselves. Suda tends to be hands on in that way, and so does Kawano and Inafune. (Although its kind of funny, when I asked Suda if he liked Mindless Self Indulgence he asked "Are they big here" and I realized it was actually someone from WB games that was an MSI fan. so yea sometimes the content reflects stuff he doesn't know much about)

[Kenny]

Shadows of the Damned*

Yeah, this one was pretty weird too. But it's alot closer to Suda's style than LC.

PROS: Once all the weapons are gathered, it was pretty cool to use them. The boss battles were very creative and enjoyable too. The puzzles were too easy to the point where I was questioning why they bothered to put them in there, but nothing that really took me out of the game.

CONS: The most annoying things were the chase scenes, the aiming (it makes you be so goddamn precise near the end, it was making my head hurt), and two instances where the game got stuck and I had to reset. The story was pretty ho-hum, but it had it moments of brilliance. The storybook sequences were pretty unnecessary and kind of boring as were some of the posters.

OVERALL: Rental. Glad I played it but I might not be playing it again in the near future.

*I'm saving my review of each DMC game when I finish the third one.

[Riku Rose]