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Codename N.I.N.T.E.N.D.O.
Inquisitor
Registered User regular
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So I'm just going to gush about Codename S.T.E.A.M. for a bit here, if you aren't interested, no worries, just skip on past.
One thing I really enjoy in my videogames is novelty, is new stuff, different stuff. And that's something that I think STEAM has in spades. Now different doesn't mean good, and not everyone is going to enjoy how STEAM diverges from turn based tactical norms, but, here are some ways I feel like STEAM is pretty unique and sets itself apart from the pack.
1. It's very claustrophobic. The maps are a lot of tight spaces, a lot of tiny nooks, passages, corners, and tunnels. While a map itself might be large, generally where you can see on a map is very constrained, especially from the vantage point of a single unit. The third person camera also hangs very tight to your unit, making it so you have to be very close to look around corners. All of this contributes to a feeling of being very boxed in. Most strategy games, in contrast, a very expansive and open. You have a god like view, you can see the whole map, everything is laid before you. STEAM is paranoia inducing, constricting. I think it works very well with the game thematically, as mankind is faced with a relentlessly aggressive, seemingly numberless alien hoard launching a surprise full scale invasion.
2. It's very vertical. A lot of strategy games take place on open fields, maybe with some hills, maybe with one or two levels of elevation. And usually all elevation does is maybe give you a penalty for attacking up hill or a bonus for down. Going vertical in STEAM, however, is a way to beat the claustrophobia of the maps. It's Bilbo climbing the trees in Mirkwood to get above it all, get out of the maze, and see the world clearly. Going vertical lets you see over walls, around corners, and reduce the paranoia, plan traps of your own for the aliens instead of walking into theirs. But going vertical is tricky, and not always possible on every map. I've had to use explosive weapons to clear debris to create a series of platforms that Tom Sawyer (fittingly Bilbo-like in his stature) can hop up. Or have Lion launch himself from platform to platform with his arcing leap. And height gives you more than just vision, many attacks in the games are arcs, grenade launches, or lion launching himself, for instance. You can easily double, or triple, the range of a weapon by being up high, not to mention it makes lobbing over cover much easier.
3. It's stealthy. The enemy AI, unlike many other strategy games, is also not god like in their knowledge of you. They don't, by default, know where you are. Each different alien species also has different levels of awareness, and different ways of reacting to thinking they know where you are. Some are blind, acting purely on sound, and lumber towards you relentlessly crushing all cover in your way. Or rather, not towards you, but towards the last sound they heard. There's a reason the game gives you a gun that does nothing other than launch a rattling old can. Others patrol, are vision based, others hide and wait to ambush. But the AI is intentionally very constrained. For example, I generally use Tom as my primary scout, an enemy saw him, and saw the direction he ran away in. So, on the enemies turn that unit patrolled towards Toms last known location, continued to go in that direction a reasonable distance, and then, not seeing Tom, used its remaining movement to look around. I had used Tom's hop ability to, once getting out of line of sight, hop over some boxes to hide. You simply can't play these kinds of games with the AI in most strategy games, the games aren't set up for it. You can turn the claustrophobia against the AI by using stealth.
4. It's very combo oriented. Sure, in most strategy games, you need to have your units work together in the sense that you want to bring more of your force against less of their force in order to win, but, STEAM is really all about using combos to defeat the enemy swiftly. So, using the example above where I lured the AI using Tom, on my own turn the combo I followed up with was: Lion leaping from a higher floor where I had positioned him earlier to hit and knock back an enemy into the a corner, then have Tom sneak around behind an alien to use his punch gun to punch him into the same corner, then to have Scarecrow drop a sonic pumpkin bomb between the two enemies, then switch back to Tom and have him use his grenade launcher to hit the two enemies and detonate Scarecrow's bomb to stun the enemies, and then switch back to Lion to shoot the enemies now stunned, exposed weakpoints to kill them. The ability to constantly switch back and forth between your units mid turn, only expending steam when you attack, allows for a level of synergy and combos that I feel not many other strategy games have.
So yeah, there's me gushing about STEAM. If any of what I talked about seemed cool to you definitely give the demo a look, I can't guarantee that you'll feel the same way about it but hey, couldn't hurt to try.
One thing I really enjoy in my videogames is novelty, is new stuff, different stuff. And that's something that I think STEAM has in spades. Now different doesn't mean good, and not everyone is going to enjoy how STEAM diverges from turn based tactical norms, but, here are some ways I feel like STEAM is pretty unique and sets itself apart from the pack.
1. It's very claustrophobic. The maps are a lot of tight spaces, a lot of tiny nooks, passages, corners, and tunnels. While a map itself might be large, generally where you can see on a map is very constrained, especially from the vantage point of a single unit. The third person camera also hangs very tight to your unit, making it so you have to be very close to look around corners. All of this contributes to a feeling of being very boxed in. Most strategy games, in contrast, a very expansive and open. You have a god like view, you can see the whole map, everything is laid before you. STEAM is paranoia inducing, constricting. I think it works very well with the game thematically, as mankind is faced with a relentlessly aggressive, seemingly numberless alien hoard launching a surprise full scale invasion.
2. It's very vertical. A lot of strategy games take place on open fields, maybe with some hills, maybe with one or two levels of elevation. And usually all elevation does is maybe give you a penalty for attacking up hill or a bonus for down. Going vertical in STEAM, however, is a way to beat the claustrophobia of the maps. It's Bilbo climbing the trees in Mirkwood to get above it all, get out of the maze, and see the world clearly. Going vertical lets you see over walls, around corners, and reduce the paranoia, plan traps of your own for the aliens instead of walking into theirs. But going vertical is tricky, and not always possible on every map. I've had to use explosive weapons to clear debris to create a series of platforms that Tom Sawyer (fittingly Bilbo-like in his stature) can hop up. Or have Lion launch himself from platform to platform with his arcing leap. And height gives you more than just vision, many attacks in the games are arcs, grenade launches, or lion launching himself, for instance. You can easily double, or triple, the range of a weapon by being up high, not to mention it makes lobbing over cover much easier.
3. It's stealthy. The enemy AI, unlike many other strategy games, is also not god like in their knowledge of you. They don't, by default, know where you are. Each different alien species also has different levels of awareness, and different ways of reacting to thinking they know where you are. Some are blind, acting purely on sound, and lumber towards you relentlessly crushing all cover in your way. Or rather, not towards you, but towards the last sound they heard. There's a reason the game gives you a gun that does nothing other than launch a rattling old can. Others patrol, are vision based, others hide and wait to ambush. But the AI is intentionally very constrained. For example, I generally use Tom as my primary scout, an enemy saw him, and saw the direction he ran away in. So, on the enemies turn that unit patrolled towards Toms last known location, continued to go in that direction a reasonable distance, and then, not seeing Tom, used its remaining movement to look around. I had used Tom's hop ability to, once getting out of line of sight, hop over some boxes to hide. You simply can't play these kinds of games with the AI in most strategy games, the games aren't set up for it. You can turn the claustrophobia against the AI by using stealth.
4. It's very combo oriented. Sure, in most strategy games, you need to have your units work together in the sense that you want to bring more of your force against less of their force in order to win, but, STEAM is really all about using combos to defeat the enemy swiftly. So, using the example above where I lured the AI using Tom, on my own turn the combo I followed up with was: Lion leaping from a higher floor where I had positioned him earlier to hit and knock back an enemy into the a corner, then have Tom sneak around behind an alien to use his punch gun to punch him into the same corner, then to have Scarecrow drop a sonic pumpkin bomb between the two enemies, then switch back to Tom and have him use his grenade launcher to hit the two enemies and detonate Scarecrow's bomb to stun the enemies, and then switch back to Lion to shoot the enemies now stunned, exposed weakpoints to kill them. The ability to constantly switch back and forth between your units mid turn, only expending steam when you attack, allows for a level of synergy and combos that I feel not many other strategy games have.
So yeah, there's me gushing about STEAM. If any of what I talked about seemed cool to you definitely give the demo a look, I can't guarantee that you'll feel the same way about it but hey, couldn't hurt to try.
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I wanted to like it, but couldn't.
Bonus curious kitten
Especially the DS remake, because it has a bonus case that will be relevant in later games.
Yes
Ace Attorney Trilogy on 3DS eShop
And I believe it's on sale for $23 right now on the eShop
The Ace Attorney trilogy is on the 3DS eShop right now for around 20 bucks? It's a great deal and the best way to get into the series
*pushes glasses up nose* Well if you hold the select button it accelerates the enemy turn so you only have to wait 55 seconds, geeze, some people.
First one.
Why I fear the ocean.
Nintendo sales run Thursday through Wednesday I believe
I have never played any Monster Hunters or Fire Emblems, those are just the two games that have most made me wish I had a 3DS
It's probably safe to assume but, given that S.T.E.A.M. is not doing well critically, and almost certainly is not doing great sales wise, it's doubtful that it is going to become a new franchise for them. Perhaps it will see them going back to old standards instead of experimenting further. But it would certainly be a bit out, at least after the next FE that they have shown.
Wasn't Days of Ruin not particularly well-liked among series fans?
I have physical copies of Dual Strike and Days of Ruin set aside for a rainy day, I wanted to get through the first two GBA games on Wii U first (I'm not sure Black Hole Rising is up on the eShop yet though)
I haven't played MH4 beyond the demo, but
Fire Emblem is the best game on the system and definitely worth getting if your'e at all interested
Both of those games have demos up on the e-shop, so once you buy the 3DS you can give both a shake to make a more informed decision.
Technically MH4U is one of the best bangs for your buck on the console because of the hundreds of hours you could put into it but that's only if you actually like the game.
I like that typo enough to leave it
Hhhhmruphhmmgh
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
they took the first bird out of monster hunter!
The eshop is listing all Phoenix Wright games as on sale until the 26th.
Steam
300+ hours on Awakening for me. It's not exactly light on content either.
Why I fear the ocean.
Steam Switch FC: 2799-7909-4852
it just mostly kept them in the mission info stuff, instead of like
in the part where post-apocalyptic war was happening
Also, Lin is a boss. Just saying.
Why I fear the ocean.
Lin/Lyn tag team for smash 5
EAT SHIT, DRACULA
Can't wait to get to AAI