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 On 05/21/2021 at 05:02 PM by Matt Snee See More From This User » |
I've mostly been playing the PS4 with a little Nvidia Geforce Now sprinkled in, but last night I wanted to give my Switch a little love. I got Cross Code (pictured above) as a late birthday present, and I hadn't opened it yet. I've been meaning to play a retro indie game since I got into my gaming renaissance, but couldn't pick one to play. But I've heard a lot of great things about Cross Code. It's a 2D action RPG in the Secret of Mana style, but there's also a twin-stick shooter type mechanic to make it more complex. The control is tight. Real tight. That's what I love about these retro games - much as we might wax nostalgic about the NES and SNES days, those D-Pads were clumsy, and precision was sometimes a matter of dumb luck - but the controls in these types of games have had decades to be refined, and damn, they are refined.
I'm not quite sure what's going on the story yet, but it involves an MMO that is embodied in reality - avatars have real physical, biological form, etc. Pretty interesting. Of course, the main character is a cute but strong amnesiac girl. 
After running through the tutorial, where I was impressed with the controls immediately, I found myself on a large sea ship, headed to an island where one of the MMO's biggest cities is located. Now, in case you're confused, Cross Code is NOT an MMO - it's ABOUT an MMO in some far future reality.
I like it.
I also put some time into Pillars of Eternity, a CRPG that was originally a Kickstarter phenomenon and PC game that's been ported to most consoles now. I've got a better grip on playing it with a controller now (sorry for the pun), and I actually was beginning to find it quite fluid and intuitive. I guess the first time I played, I was kind of disoriented because I was used to playing it with a mouse. But now I get it.
What are you all playing?
I played an hour or two of Pillars of Eternity recently. I'd like to go back to it sometime.
Borderlands 3 and soon a host of others. I'm kind of excited to try some Fallout 76. Maybe I've played it before though and just forgot. I think it was Fallout 4 though.
I've been telling myself I'm gonna really get into CRPG's like that since they became popular again. But I haven't completely done it yet. I do feel that I've finally got the hang of it though.
I keep seeing Baldur's Gate I & II and Planescape Torment on Xbox and want to get them. I haven't yet. I did play some Bard's Tale (the original one) however,
I reviewed Cross Code last year.
http://www.gamerdad.com/blog/2020/07/29/cross-code-ps4-switch-xbox-one-pc/
I'm still playing a lot of New Pokemon Snap, as well as other games I'm reviewing. Most notable ones include R-Type Final 2, Incredible Mandy, and I just downloaded Very Very Valet for review.
Ah, cool. I can see your point about there being too many controls, but that's kind of what intrigues me about it. I hope you are enjoying Pokemon Snap!
Cross Code is super responsive. But the good NES and SNES games also had super responsive and precise controls, maybe the most precise that have ever been. And it couldn't be any other way. We didn't have dashing or I-rolling or ledge grabbing then to give us a larger margin for error. You either moved and positioned yourself precisely, or you lost. So the old controllers had to be responsive, and they were. Try playing NES or SNES games on an Xbox or PS controller, and watch as you get hit by shit you never got hit by before (multiply this if you're playing on an emulator and LCD screen).
Of course I think control quality on average is better now, as things rarely hit the bottom dredges of 8-bit games.
It's cool that consoles are getting more PC style games now, and vice versa. Seen too many stupid flame wars based on misconcpetions of games the participants never played.
You know, I think the thing is, back then, I didn't know if a game was good or bad, or if it had precise controls or not, or if it was me. I was only a kid. And I think that perspective has colored my interpretation of that era.
Had no idea this had a physical release! This game looks really cool, it's so cool that we live in a time when indie games can be just as great as AAA games.
Right now I'm replaying Viewtiful Joe 2 (which is awesome) and also trying to finish New Pokemon Snap, which is really great (it's mostly one of thos relaxing type of games, great for chillin').
Yeah, it's pretty sweet. A lot of neat indie games have gotten physical releases on Switch. I usually buy digital games, but this was just too cool.
I've thought about picking up Cross Code. Maybe I will. Argh! Too many Switch games! I've been giving my Switch plenty of love. I just finished Shantae: Half-Genie Hero today. I'm on the cusp of finishing Sakura Wars on the PS4 but then I'll go back and get all the character endings and then...maybe...I'll stick around for the Platinum. We'll see.
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