EDGE #366 - Sifu

[Keyboard Koala]

 

Issue #366 preview:

 

Cover story: Sifu

 

Hype: Elden Ring, Little Devil Inside, Lost Ark, Dubium, Darkest Dungeon II, Island Of Winds, Silt

 

Play: CoD: Vanguard (6), Forza Horizon 5 (9), Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy (7), Riders Republic (7) Shin Megami Tensei V (7), Age of Empires IV (7), Happy Game (8), Conway, House Of Ashes(6), Exo One (8), Moonglow Bay (5),  Moncage (6).

 

Time Extend: Dark Souls III

 

 

[K]

It’s a pretty low scoring month - lots of fours and fives. 

[Girth Certificate]

Will buy it for the Dark Souls 3 feature.

 

I could see them kicking lumps out of Forza Horizon 5 given how little it improves on the last one.

 

 

[Keyboard Koala]

Christmas just isn't the same without a good (Nintendo) blockbuster.

[Wiper]

Fortunately this Christmas has seen joint games of the year in Shin Megami Tensei V and the remaster* of Binary Domain, so it's actually been one of the best ends of the year in recent memory.

 

 

*backwards-compatibility-enablement

[Keyboard Koala]

Never been a big fan of SMT after I tried the first two on my PSP, and I don't have an Xbox, so I'm stuck playing my pile of shame.

 

 

Also; did Sifu simply steal Sekiro's posture system?

[Wiper]

12 minutes ago, Keyboard Koala said:

Never been a big fan of SMT after I tried the first two on my PSP

 

The only mainline SMT games released in English have been III (Nocturne) onwards, so I'm guessing you actually played the SMT spin-offs that are Persona I and II, which did see PSP rereleases; that's a dramatically different series. You may well not enjoy the SMT games anyway, of course, but they're quite different titles, so I wouldn't write-off the one series based on having played the other!

 

(to be honest, as far as Personae I and II are concerned, I wouldn't even recommend using them to gauge the rest of the Persona series, given how different they are to what followed. A bit like judging the Bethesda Fallout games based on Fallouts 1 and 2, but for the bit where Fallouts 1 and 2 are actually the good ones)

[Paulando]

1 hour ago, Keyboard Koala said:

Christmas just isn't the same without a good (Nintendo) blockbuster.

It’s odd, but the fact I have like 5000 other games still to play softens the blow.

[Qazimod]

6 minutes ago, Wiper said:

to be honest, as far as Personae I and II are concerned, I wouldn't even recommend using them to gauge the rest of the Persona series, given how different they are to what followed

 

And of course, I played them so that others don't have to.  (Although I've tried to leave enough detail to help anyone get started!)

[Stanley]

2 hours ago, Keyboard Koala said:

Christmas just isn't the same without a good (Nintendo) blockbuster.

Yeah I choose one for Christmas Day every year, this year I’d probably have to stump for Mario Party, although as far as exclusives for the system go, SMTV looks really good. 

[Keyboard Koala]

1 hour ago, Wiper said:

 

The only mainline SMT games released in English have been III (Nocturne) onwards, so I'm guessing you actually played the SMT spin-offs that are Persona I and II, which did see PSP rereleases; that's a dramatically different series. You may well not enjoy the SMT games anyway, of course, but they're quite different titles, so I wouldn't write-off the one series based on having played the other!

 

 

[shirubagan]

I’m just going to be honest here. I don’t understand Lemnis Gate. It’s not my thing and I uninstalled it after an hour of really trying to like/understand/vaguely get the gist of the game. 

[Wiper]

24 minutes ago, Keyboard Koala said:

 

 

It's an extremely easy mistake to make, given the PSP Persona rereleases got Shin Megami Tensei inserted as a prefix: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona;

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2, and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable. Fortunately they got back out of the habit for Persona 4 onwards, but the confusion was already wrought.

[Waggo]

On 28/11/2021 at 14:34, Keyboard Koala said:

Issue #366 preview:

 

Cover story: Sifu

 

Hype: Elden Ring, Little Devil Inside, Lost Ark, Dubium, Darkest Dungeon II, Island Of Winds, Silt

 

Play: CoD Vanguard (6), Forza Horizon 5 (9), Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy (7), Riders Republic (7) Shin Megami Tensei V (7), Age of Empires IV (7), Happy Game (8), Conway, House Of Ashes(6), Exo One (8), Moonglow Bay (5),  Moncage (6).

 

Time Extend: Dark Souls III

 

 

Just read it and scores are not too bad (Added them onto Keyboard Koala’s post above). FH5 is great but I think I would have been happy with an Edge 8, so a 9 was a bit of a surprise.

[Qazimod]

A decent score for Exo One - I only played the “prologue” demo, and although it seemed a bit “walking sim” I did enjoy the feel of rolling around and gliding.  

[Waggo]

I downloaded it last night , as I was looking for quick downloads to get the monthly 5 mobile download reward points.

 

 I only spent 5 minutes playing it but it looked stunning.  Based on that review I will definitely give it another look.

[Benny]

Considering Forza Horizon 5 merely iterates over its predecessor and introduces a lot more time wasting and annoying surface guff I find that score very surprising.

[Girth Certificate]

Yeah that's an astonishing score. Maybe they've already been given access to Meccano Archipelago 

[Benny]

I could sort of understand it if it was being reviewed in isolation, but Edge never usually takes these things in a vacuum.

 

Having played both I could easily rate Forza Horizon 4 that highly - it set the template for pretty much everything in 5 - but the sequel is really not a sufficiently different or expanded an experience though I feel.

 

Still good though.

[Waggo]

The main thrust of the review is the variety that the Mexico landscape offers makes it essentially a Horizon best of, with only the urban racing letting the side down.
 

So basically you get to play all the best bits of 2,3 and 4 in one stunningly visual package.

 

Still think an 8 would have been a fair score, but I do love the game.

 

[Isaac]

Didn't realise we weren't making new threads any more, but in case anybody was interested in the scores:

 

Forza Horizon 5 [9]

Call Of Duty: Vanguard [6]

Guardians Of The Galaxy [7]

Riders Republic [7]

Shin Megami Tensei V [7]

Age Of Empires IV [7]

Happy Game [8]

Conway: Disappearance At Dahlia View [6]

House Of Ashes [6]

Exo One [8]

Moonglow Bay [5]

Moncage [6]

[Wiper]

Actually surprised at that SMT score. Not in a "this game is great, how dare it score below a 9" way*, but in that I'd have expected it to either score outrageously well, or outrageously poorly. A seven seems oddly ambivalent for a game so laser-focussed.

 

Edit: though I suppose there is something poetic about it scoring the same as another laser-focussed game that Edge didn't quite appreciate, only where that game got marked down because you couldn't "talk to the monsters", this one got marked down despite the fact that you can.

 

* though it's worth noting that this game is great, and how dare it score below a 9

[pledge]

10 minutes ago, Isaac said:

Didn't realise we weren't making new threads any more, but in case anybody was interested in the scores:

 

Forza Horizon 5 [9]

Call Of Duty: Vanguard [6]

Guardians Of The Galaxy [7]

Riders Republic [7]

Shin Megami Tensei V [7]

Age Of Empires IV [7]

Happy Game [8]

Conway: Disappearance At Dahlia View [6]

House Of Ashes [6]

Exo One [8]

Moonglow Bay [5]

Moncage [6]

Not making threads and also just adding them into quotes about previews 🙄

[layten]

Quote stolen from elsewhere.

Quote

Forza Horizon 5
"Whatever dystopian credit factory this landscape eventually becomes, right now Mexico is another dream showcase for Playground and its ability to find a sweet spot between the manual and the automatic: a world that accommodates you at (and on) every turn, while constantly egging you on to do something completely out of character. This one's for the fast and the curious. Whiplash or no, brace yourself." [9]

Should have got a 10.  

[Mr. Gerbik]

48 minutes ago, Wiper said:

Actually surprised at that SMT score. Not in a "this game is great, how dare it score below a 9" way*, but in that I'd have expected it to either score outrageously well, or outrageously poorly. A seven seems oddly ambivalent for a game so laser-focussed.

 

Edit: though I suppose there is something poetic about it scoring the same as another laser-focussed game that Edge didn't quite appreciate, only where that game got marked down because you couldn't "talk to the monsters", this one got marked down despite the fact that you can.

 

* though it's worth noting that this game is great, and how dare it score below a 9

Forza would happen gotten a 10 if you could talk to the cars

[Mike S]

1 hour ago, Benny said:

Considering Forza Horizon 5 merely iterates over its predecessor and introduces a lot more time wasting and annoying surface guff I find that score very surprising.

 

It seems popular enough so I may be an outlier but I have only managed to put 8 or 9 hours into it as it is  too similar to the previous games in everything from feel to the still irritating presentation so that score is a surprise. I absolutely loved FH3 and played it regularly from release until 4 replaced it. FH4 was far less engaging as the setting was a bit dull but I still got more than my money's worth, especially from the Lego DLC which was fantastic and also offered a bit more, much needed, structure. 

 

I am surprised at how quickly I lost interest - I've only found half the roads, not found/visited all the areas yet, have little interest in collecting all the same cars all over again, etc, etc but I have almost zero interest in playing it. The menus, structure, and icon overload are still as convoluted and chaotic as ever, if not more so, and improvements on that front are the one thing that perhaps might have reignited my interest. There is not even any real graphical overhaul to give me the shinies wow but that is perhaps a reflection on how good the series has been looking for the last three or four years.

 

Looking forward to reading the review though as I'd be keen to hear why the similarly iterative COD  is given the average score that it perhaps deserves for showing so little ambition whereas FH5 feels like a reskin but is rated so highly.

 

[MattyP]

2 hours ago, Benny said:

Considering Forza Horizon 5 merely iterates over its predecessor and introduces a lot more time wasting and annoying surface guff I find that score very surprising.

Not really - its a slow game season this one due to one thing or another.. no Nintendo or Sony big hitters so scarce pickings. Not to de-value FH5's score although in the same vein not really took much notice of Edge scores for years now as I've enjoyed many games that Edge didn't particularly rate. Guess there are many influencing factors to why a game gets a certain score. Why scores are pointless for me these days. Surprised Edge hasn't ditched them yet altogether and gone with a Eurogamer approach of just recommending things or even just have a review and let people draw their own conclusions. Guess to a degree its a gamer thing a score...  

[MattyP]

12 minutes ago, Mike S said:

 

It seems popular enough so I may be an outlier but I have only managed to put 8 or 9 hours into it as it is  too similar to the previous games in everything from feel to the still irritating presentation so that score is a surprise. I absolutely loved FH3 and played it regularly from release until 4 replaced it. FH4 was far less engaging as the setting was a bit dull but I still got more than my money's worth, especially from the Lego DLC which was fantastic and also offered a bit more, much needed, structure. 

 

I am surprised at how quickly I lost interest - I've only found half the roads, not found/visited all the areas yet, have zero interest in collecting all the same cars all over again, etc, etc but I have almost zero interest in playing it. The menus, structure, and icon overload are still as convoluted and chaotic as ever, if not more so, and improvements on that front are the one thing that perhaps might have reignited my interest. There is not even any real graphical overhaul to give me the shinies wow but that is perhaps a reflection on how good the series has been looking for the last three or four years.

 

Looking forward to reading the review though as I'd be keen to hear why the similarly iterative COD  is given the average score that it perhaps deserves for showing so little ambition whereas FH5 feels like a reskin but is rated so highly.

 

Agree. Its a grindy game. In end end it comes down to how much fun you are getting from something. Credits, Accolades, Wheelspins, Kudos, barn finds, driving down roads, collecting houses, leveling up I really find tedious these days. The formula here isn't unique to Forza Horizon its with a lot of AAA games these days. They try to consume as much time as possible from you to keep you hooked into the platform. One thing I really don't enjoy these days is all the unnecessary "padding" put into games.

 

 

This sort of sums things up a bit for me and the main reason I mainly play smaller games or indie games these days. AAA games as time goes on I have less interest in playing...

[Kevvy Metal]

It's almost like a review is the subjective opinion of some person which ultimately doesn't matter, unless you read the review and take something from it. 

Also experience of videogames and/or writing doesn't make you a bastion of truth. 

[Mike S]

14 minutes ago, MattyP said:

Agree. Its a grindy game. In end end it comes down to how much fun you are getting from something. Credits, Accolades, Wheelspins, Kudos, barn finds, driving down roads, collecting houses, leveling up. The formula here isn't unique to Forza Horizon its with a lot of AAA games these days. They try to consume as much time as possible from you to keep you hooked into the platform.

 

 

Yeah, it's all just gotten so dull and predictable that, this time round is seems my tolerance for the formula has evaporated, and it just left me completely cold and totally uninspired. I was hoping they might have found a way to move on from the AC on wheels but sadly not.

 

19 minutes ago, Kevvy Metal said:

It's almost like a review is the subjective opinion of some person which ultimately doesn't matter, unless you read the review and take something from it. 

Also experience of videogames and/or writing doesn't make you a bastion of truth. 

 

Who is saying otherwise?