It might well be a me-problem. I had the same issue with Sleeping Dogs that I just finished last week. So I might just have a fundamental problem with the type of gameplay design these kinds of games go for and the fundamental ludonarrative dissonance you have to be able to look past to enjoy them. I just have a hard time squaring off war crime levels of mass murder as “getting into a little too much trouble”. Killing a lawman or two as things get out of hand in Valentine? That’s getting into a bit too much trouble. But Arthur Morgan literally kills hundreds upon hundreds of people and that just breaks my immersion.
I’ll get through the RDR2 story one day. I played it for two stints last year but I just space out and lose immersion every time the main story forces you to kill one hundred lawmen in the middle of a town. For a game that put so much effort into making the open world vibrant, alive and dynamic you face very little consequences for committing what can only be classified as genocide in the main story.
Did you get XIII classic or the remake? I played classic just recently as a fun retro game that I missed back in the day. It’s got so much style, even though some levels felt a little clunky. It’s a shame no other game went for the same art style, they really nailed that look of “play in the panels of a comic book”.
Does the definitive edition still have the music of the original? I know it’s technically anachronistic, but those Django Reinhardt tunes were so iconic.
Otherwise I agree, though I only played Mafia 1. I remember it came out the same year as GTA 3, and it was very much the sort of mature and serious option. I personally always preferred it.
I have my issues with the game, but it was still a solid 7.5/10 for me in the end. Just the kind of brain-off entertainment I needed after playing two lengthy CRPGs, and a very good deal at 80% off like it was recently.
The base game felt fine, it’s got a fairly brisk pace and it’s not too long. I think as long as you don’t try going for 100%-ing the game you should be finishing the main story just about when you’re starting to get tired of the game.
I will also say, for a 13-year-old game it looks really great. Granted I played it with DLDSR 1.78x and RTX HDR, but it’s hard to believe this was made for the PS3.
I decided to push through and finish the Sleeping Dogs DLCs - not really out of a desire for more but rather so I could feel I’ve truly completed it and could uninstall it and move on in peace. This probably coloured my opinion on them a bit as the main story had already almost outstayed its welcome at around 35h.
Nightmare in North Point is an obviously Halloween themed DLC, so maybe I’d have liked it better if I played it in season. There are one or two funny moments, but overall the new mechanics get old quickly and the gameplay is too repetitive to be interesting. It’s also an obviously non-canon experience with all the supernatural events, which makes it even harder to get invested in. Highly mediocre, honestly don’t waste your time on this.
Year of the Snake is also holiday-themed, this time around the Chinese New Year. Taking place after the main story, Wei Shen has been temporarily demoted to a beat cop as punishment for the carnage he caused during the events of the main story. I do like this acknowledgement, though seeing him tried for domestic terrorism would probably have been more appropriate. The first half of the DLC is alright, but unfortunately the latter part focuses on the biggest weakness of the game: gunfights. In particular, there is an absurdly long boat chase where you have to shoot down probably 50 pursuing boats, most of which spawn in plain sight. Maybe it would feel better on mouse and keyboard, but on controller the gunplay was painfully atrocious. The plot wasn’t satisfying either, so I would recommend just starting it to see the cutscene of Wei as a beat cop and leaving it there.
The Zodiac Tournament is actually integrated into the main story, but I didn’t play it until now. I’m glad I saved it for last, because this was finally a good DLC. Clearly inspired by Bruce Lee type movies, it’s a very simple plot about martial arts tournament on an island. Even with its very predictable twists this was an enjoyable (but short) ride, no doubt partially because it focuses on the good part of Sleeping Dogs combat: melee. Since it is integrated into the main story you also have access to all your character upgrades - unlike the other DLCs - which also made it more enjoyable. This one gets a thumbs up.
Up next, for a change of pace, will probably be Skald: Against the Black Priory. Picked it up on sale recently and looks really neat.
Great writeup. In retrospect it’s absolutely insane how many series-defining features were introduced in Gen 2. That kind of generational leap is mindboggling.
I love your username btw, brings me back to the schoolyard, to Kangaskhans with Fly and rumours of finding Mew under the truck in Vermilion.
I will back up HeartGold/SoulSilver as well. Just a perfect modernized adaption of a classic generation, lots (and I mean lots) of content, lots of catchable Pokémon, lots of legendaries, two regions… I think they really hit it out of the park with it. I also personally enjoyed using the Pokewalker to get access to exotic Pokémon.
It’s not completely free of issues (the level curve isn’t the best and - being based on an older game - it’s much less story oriented than later titles). However, I still hold it as one of the best games they ever put out, and a great entry point.
Since you have a 3DS and love Pokémon I would suggest HeartGold/SoulSilver, I will always hold those games in high regard (even though it’s maybe partly nostalgia as Gen 2 was the peak of the Pokémon craze during my childhood). But I still think Gen 2 was great and still not yet filled with complete trash designs (figuratively and literally).
Though if you plan on procuring it the seafaring fashion you’d miss out on the Pokewalker!
Yeah I’m buying any game I can on GOG these days. Between being DRM-free and being pre-patched (sometimes with community patches) it’s definitely the best platform, particularly if you like to buy older games/retro games occasionally.
Funny, for me it’s the other way around. I probably played a couple hundred hours of Oblivion back in the day: modding, exploring and restarting. Never once finished the main quest. I’m thinking Skyblivion might be my chance to finally do it.
Been playing Sleeping Dogs for the first time after picking it up for cheap on a GOG sale. I never played it back in the day and never heard much about it, but man, even 13 years later this is a good looking game. I guess I’m giving it a leg up by using DLDSR and RTX HDR, but still. It looks very impressive for its age. I can’t believe this was a PS3 game! The streets are crowded and the city looks great. Though I will say, playing something like this hammers home even more what a marvellous piece of architecture and level design Night City is in Cyberpunk 2077. Hong Kong looks nice and all in Sleeping Dogs, but it doesn’t have near the same character, the same variety and the same distinct but different districts as NC does.
The game has been very enjoyable, though. To a certain extent you might call it slop. And yes, it might not be Disco Elysium or Bioshock or Alan Wake 2, but not every game needs to be. You can’t eat salad every day. Sometimes you need a pizza. And this is a pretty fucking good pizza. It’s got all the trappings of a GTA clone you might expect, with a chinese flavour that adds some kung-fu to the mix and a boilerplate undercover cop story to make the tension tick along and let it at least pretend it’s somewhat different. The pacing has been very snappy so far as well. Almost no downtime, as far as I can tell. After playing some lengthy CRPGs lately that really tested my patience it’s been the perfect antidote - ideal brain-off gameplay, whether racing cars or beating up thugs (or singing karaoke).
I’m only about halfway so far, but from what I’ve seen so far I thoroughly recommend it if you like these kinds of games, especially if you can pick it up at a big discount - it was 80% off recently and at that price it’s a no-brainer.
I can’t believe I blanked on them in my own reply, but to piggyback off your Restoration Project nomination: the Talking Heads Addon and Talking Heads Actually Talk Mod for Fallout 2 Restoration Project (updated) are both absolutely insane, and breath some new life into the game while seamlessly slotting in next to the existing art and voice acting.