I never got around to playing the DS Castlevania games since I never owned a DS, and the emulators aren't the best experience because of its awkward portrait mode and touch controls. Recently though, I picked up the Castlevania Dominus Collection on my Switch and wanted to gush about it a little.

Order of Ecclesia is fantastic. Almost 20 years later, it aged incredibly well even compared to modern Metroidvanias. You could say the same for any RPG Castlevania game, but still. It's a great take on the Castlevania formula but manages to be unique enough to feel fresh.

For one, this doesn't take place in one big map. It's split up into multiple smaller areas connected with a world map, which is pretty different compared to entirely taking place in one castle. Areas can still be massive and have a lot to explore though, and there's a lot of side-quests you can finish to help the villagers across many areas.

Also, Shanoa's playstyle is heavily magic-based. At the start you can conjure up weapons to attack normally, but over the course of the game you'll be exclusively using spells and exploiting elemental weaknesses on enemies. Similar to Dawn of Sorrow and the newer Bloodstained, you gain new spells from enemies you kill which is a great mechanic.

Side note, I'm in love with Shanoa's design in this game. It's a shame it had to be a DS game because it doesn't quite show in the pixel art, but she's probably the coolest MC in any Castlevania game. Very different to your typical "Die Monster!" protagonist.

Order of Ecclesia is also notably really tough. I was having a much harder time compared to Symphony of the Night or Dawn of Sorrow. Checkpoints are few and far between, and bosses can be such a pain in the ass with really high HP and enough damage to kill you in 3 hits. The game is also very stingy on money so you can't just keep buying potions to use in hard fights, I was constantly broke and had to manage my resources well.

Overall, fantastic game. Highly recommended if you're into Metroidvanias or never got around to playing it. It's an S tier Castlevania game.

I also want to give a shoutout to Konami. I hate their business practices and pachinko machines, but I have to give credit where due, this is the best retro collection of games I've ever bought. It has everything. Built-in achievements, a music player for each track in every game, hundreds of high quality concept arts, scanned user manuals for each language, high quality versions of covers and promotional material... You can even switch each game's region between US and EU for its subtle differences.

Like, you can even choose tracks you like in the main menu and place them in a playlist, then shuffle it. They put so much effort into this and it really shows. It's a game preservation miracle. Serious props to the creators.

Give me your favourite OSTs, individual tracks, whatever.

Ran across this in a discussion about Nintendo's Virtual Game Cards and Key Cards.

For myself it's

Physical > Perpetual Digital (GOG) > Key Cards (Switch 2) > DRM Digital (Steam/PS3/Xbox 360) > Account DRM Digital (PS4/Switch/Xbox One) > System Locked Digital (3DS/Wii U) > GamePass > Streaming Games (Amazon Luna/Stadia)

For some context.

While Key Cards are digital they are not tied to hardware which means so long as the servers are still running the game can be downloaded and played... presuming no additional authentication is required.

DRM Digital is bellow that since services like Epic Games, and Steam still require re-authentication from time to time. Though Steam is getting better thanks to the Steam Deck.

GamePass is low because it is the same as Game Rental. You don't own the game. Good to try never to own.

On that note, physical games with download codes inside don't even get a place on my list. Got tricked into buying Patapon 2 this way and I always read the games fine print ever since.

With all secret shells, hearts containers and 0 deaths. Was a fun experience but a challenge I will not do again.

Was intending on playing links awakening again. But I happened to do so since I just got a switch lite and was trying out some games on it. Then I got sucked back in.

Such a classic game

I have finally gotten around to play my proposed challenge where magic completely replaces weapons.

Here's a breakdown of the limitations I set for this run:

• I can't use weapons or drink estus flask. I decided to ban the latter only after 2 hours of the run.
• I can't level up any stats except Attunement, Intelligence, and Faith. I can't wear items that increase my HP.
• I can't wear equipment that increases my poise.

This way I plan to beat all the bosses in the game, hopefully even in the DLC (but that one will be tough...). I also want to replicate another challenge I did years ago - to complete the catacombs using Force as my only offensive spell.

So far I've completed the easiest part of the game - the bells. I don't expect much trouble before the Great Soul hunt though.

Some thoughts on what I already experienced:
Magic is more than enough to go through the early stages of the game, I basically never had to think about my spell uses, and I tend to kill every enemy on my way. No need for Dusk's ring either, fortunately. With that said, I HATE how much soul arrows miss! It's enough for an enemy to move a little and that damn "homing" projectile flies pass them. I rely on Combustion much more than I expected to lol.

The game is quite long for how limited the gameplay is. Combat had an interesting rhythm gimmick but it should have been a 5-6 hour, tight experience, not 10-12. It really outstayed its welcome for me given that the game is just combat arenas and cutscenes.

Apart from that combat could be broken by spamming companion abilities once you unlocked them all, it didn't feel like there was any reason to use different combos than 2 or 3 that worked fine.

I end up with the feeling that the hype around the game comes mainly from the unfair closure of a studio that did something that wasn't just following trends.

People hold the game up as an example of what's wrong with the cash grabbing nature of big publishers in the industry, but I just don't think it's a good game at all.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43848035

I think I blushed irl... Poor undead could'nt get to the end of that dialogue.

23 games + 1 DLC^[I nearly bought Blades of Time Limited edition, then I saw that I already had the base game in my library. It's one of the things that pisses me off with GOG, it won't say you own the game if you have the base/deluxe/platinum/definitive/whatever edition but are looking at a different version, and will gladly let you buy it again] for R$180 (~32 USD)

I know some of those aren't exactly bangers, or might just barely be considered good, but I ~~won't even play them all anyway^[I really need to get my shit together and start playing instead of just buying]~~ enjoy looking at subpar games from time to time

cross-posted from: https://piefed.blahaj.zone/post/133669

Years ago I've completed Dark Souls 2 using only magic (sorcery + pyromancy) - so no weapons at all. It went surprisingly smooth although I ended up not going to DLCs. > > I'm thinking on doing this for the first installment but I have some doubts: >

• First, is it even possible to beat Four Kings with spells? On my first playthrough I tried to beat them with magic and it went really poorly. I'd prefer not to repeat this experience... >
• Second, are locations like Duke's Archive and Oolacile even doable with spells? With the sheer amount of enemies with high magic resistance, they sound like hell, especially given that we don't have any magic restoration options from DS2.

I can only afford the time to play one of them, which one should I play?

Many YouTubers seem to prefer BotW. But most reviews say TotK improves nearly everything.

I prefer easier combat and less complexity. Is there one that would be more enjoyable for me?

I always loved retro-style games, long before I learned that they're considered retro. I'm not sure what makes them so fun but they completely dominate my gaming nowadays.

Naturally, I became curious about the games that had inspired my favorite titles. I tried many of them, and eventually came to a conclusion: most of the time, retro games are nothing but a historical curiosity.

Ultima 4 has fairly unique concept but falls flat with its roleplaying feeling forced, its bland gameplay and its setting with no originality whatsoever.
Compare this to Moonring. Gameplay rivals many modern roguelikes (the classic definition, so Brogue, not Isaac), great setting that sucks you in immediately, and so so many mysteries.

Ambermoon pretends to be an open world RPG but is actually a linear RPG-lite with combat feeling more like a puzzle (and a wrong solution punishes you by 15 mins of you and your opponents missing each other every turn).

That's not to say that retro games aren't important - the modern indies are standing on the shoulders of giants. Yet I can't say that retro games worth the trouble of getting into them, compared to the polished modern indie titles.

Edit: it looks like the banner is incorrect. On the front page of steam it’s the right dates and says summer, but when I click on it to see all the sales it says spring with the dates for the spring sale. It’ll probably get fixed soon.

I bought Zelda TotK right after release for Switch 1, just to be presented with a bright, blurry game with loading screens that I, personally, couldn't live with. I retired it after about an hour, uninstalled it from my console and sold the game on eBay.

Years later, the Switch 2 released and I was hyped. Bought it on release day and had the urge to give TotK another go. This was the start of something beautiful.

This game is an absolute blast. I wasn't as hooked since Elden Ring. The map design, the sheer possibilities, the love for detail, the way the game guides you in the right direction: it's absolutely fantastic.

This game is a master piece, and on the Switch 2, the game feels the way it should have felt on the day it released.

I can not recommend this enough.

So a while back, I wanted to play Conkere bad furday. After doing some math I worked out that it was cheaper to get an Xbox One and Rare Replay, than the original game.

But now that I have Conkers, and a new box. I thought to myself. Hey isn’t this backwards compatible with 360. Which it was. But this lead me to another thought. Why deal with Ubisoft BS on PCs and their Client. Where older games force you to sign in to play them. When I could just have them on one box.

Which eventually lead me to acquiring this small collection. Total price is $155.88 CAD (before tax) and I know I overpaid for some of the later games. But it’s all on one system with no Uplay BS in my face.

Ac1 - $3

AC2 - $4

ACB - $8

ACRe - $8

AC3 - $12

ACB - $7

ACRo - $15

ACU - $10 ($7 more than i think should costs)

ACS - $13

ACC - $18 (shocked with this one)

ACOr - $20 (could’ve got it for $10 but got it on impulse)

ACOd - $20

ACV - $30 (again $10 over used)

About a year ago, I heard someone mention that Outer Wilds had a VR mod. I do have a VR setup and am an experienced VR player, so I really could experience this game for the first time in VR.

Is that reasonable or should I play it the first time with flat graphics?

(Index btw)