The Batlord

I'm waiting for a price drop or a really good sale on Wonderlands but I've seen people on Reddit calling it the best Borderlands game and magic being an amazing replacement for grenades. The art design of the series is tailor made for campy fantasy anyway.

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Key

That actually sounds rather intriguing and I would be curious how it all works together so it may be sooner rather than later that I give it some time. I absolutely love Borderlands as a series so I'll definitely look forward to playing Wonderlands as well. But same for me, the current price isn't too steep but I'd rather wait for a reduced cost.

The Batlord

Yeah I simply have too many games to play to justify paying full price for anything unless I'm actively trying to support the devs cause I'm simping, like the new Saints Row or Mechwarrior 5.

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Key

Ooh saints row is on my list as well. The absolute craziness of Saints Row 3 and Saints row 4 brought me so much joy that I think it's time to jump into that world again. Mechwarrior 5 is also on my list but not quite ready to play it. And similarly I as well have many games going on though I regularly switch between maybe 1 or 2 if I'm really into something. And honestly I've been digging a lot of the games I've played recently. So things are good on that regard.

And...well, I suppose us talking about it convinced me enough to go ahead and buy Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and only played a little bit this evening but so far it's good. I plan to talk more in depth but I just want more time with it. So far the whole theme works well together so I'm curious as to how this game unfolds as I progress.

The Batlord

Tbh you can chill on Saints Row. It's fine. It's like a 7/10 game but a 6/10 Saints Row game. I still like it and it's fun but you can wait for a price drop. Mechwarrior 5 though I'm totally obsessed with. The mechanics are weird to get used to if you never played a Mechwarrior game and the gameplay is repetitive but if that gameplay hooks you like it did me there's nothing else like it. I give my highest recommendation but I do not guarantee enjoyment because I think the mech game genre is inherently niche.

One left field rec I will give you is Operencia. First person grid based dungeon crawler with amazing atmosphere.

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Key

Thanks for the rec, I'll definitely have to check that out. Also roger that on Saints Row. That's unfortunate but it happens.

Key

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - First Impressions
Developed by: Gearbox Software

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is one of those games I've had on my radar for quite a while since its release, and up until recently, hadn't jumped in to experience it for myself. All I really had to go on was a few screenshots, video clips, and some of the reviews that go along with it. And...well, if you go in solely based on the reviews, you won't be setting yourself up for a good time. Best to go in fresh and play the game when you feel the timing is right. And so that's what I did. And...well, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands as far as I can tell follows a lot of the trends that we've come to know and love from the Borderlands games yet still manages to add a few twists and turns that make it its own. I mean, from the very start of the game you're introduced to yourself and your team that are all sitting around a table getting ready to jump into a fantasy ridden session of dungeons & dragons. And yes, you will be controlling your character that is going through this very dungeons & dragons adventure, but with that wonderful Borderlands / Gearbox style that we've come to know and love for so long. We're talking RPG elements, tabletop board game elements, random encounters, different enemy types and of course, guns!

I decided to run a class for my first playthrough that focuses on dexterity and arrow / crossbow based weapons, but even with the few hours that I've put in the game, you can still move away from your preferred weapon set and try out whatever weapons you choose to go with. And some come with some special effects much like you should already be used to with Borderlands in general. Ice based attacks, fire, etc etc. The big difference that I noticed right off the bat is the magic taking place of grenades and lemme tell ya, the magic spells are ****ing awesome. I'm still using one of the starter spells and when I shoot it out, it travels to 3 or more enemies at a time setting a freeze status effect on them. That combined with some clever melee attack maneuvers makes for some really chaotic and rewarding enemy encounters. And while the combat at first may seem like it doesn't work all too well, just give it a little bit of time to sink in since although it does share similarities with Borderlands, the combat system is still all its own and unique to Tiny Tina's Wonderlands which should be seen as more of a positive instead of a negative.

Now, I'll talk very briefly about this as I don't want it to take up most of the dialogue I'm going for here but, evidently, this game is different. Not in the way that takes away from the fun and fantasy of it all, but if you're expecting a full on new revamped Borderlands, put that expectation aside and go into this with an open mind. I think what happens is we get ourselves to expect certain things and then we are unable to accept new ideas. Gearbox is going for its own unique taste with this game and I think it should be rewarded and not flooded with negative reviews. However everybody is different and everyones opinion is valued however I think this game got a lot more flack than it deserves. At least in my opinion. Now back to the fun talk:

All the characters that I've met so far are either unique or fun to talk to, and while you go through the game whether it's in a mission or in the overworld map, you'll hear conversation exchanges between the other people sitting at the table which immerses you even more into believing that you are controlling a character in a dungeons and dragons game, which to me is really neat and something I hope Gearbox evolves on more. Sometimes you'll just pass by the conversation going on and sometimes it is really funny to listen to. But all in all, the most fun I've had with the game of course is the combat sections, most importantly the way the guns work etc, which is also fantastic.

I'm not always the greatest with first person shooters but I've always had a love for Borderlands because of how much fun they make the shooter aspect. And instead of it feeling like a Call of Duty close, Borderlands and the games following after it all felt fresh and new and just simply fun to play. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands still has all of that, for me anyway, while like I said, maintaining the ability to add new things into the old style that work in its favor instead of against it. I didn't really know how I would like the tabletop overworld type map but I've gotten used to it and actually find it quite interesting to traverse. So far each missions while feeling the same combat wise all have different vibes to level design and different rewards to get for completing them making it even more fun to just jump in and take on waves of enemies. As much as I was anticipating running through a vast world in the same way as Borderlands, I honestly do like the way this game does it since it absolutely fits well with the whole dungeons and dragons theme they are going with. I'm all for it.

I've also always thought one of the stronger points of Borderlands and now Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is the comedy and the way the developers are not afraid to make fun of pretty much everything in their games either from what enemies say while in combat to simply the names of NPC's you'll run into. It's all campy fantasy and my god it works so well in a dungeons and dragons adventure. I'm obviously planning to finish this game at some point as I'm really enjoying the time I'm putting into it right now. However I don't know if I will end up 100%'d it as there seems to be a lot of collectibles. But we'll see.

Key

2021 Games I Played / Didn't Play
...and what I think about them

It's sometimes hard to remember to play all the games you want to play in a given year, which tends to leave those games for years later. And although 2021 had a lot of banger releases, I still don't think I got around to all the ones I was looking to play. And...although I did play a lot of games in 2021, some of the 2021 releases were not as good of an experience, and I'm here to talk about that:

Halo Infinite
This one is a doozy because it sort of falls on both sides of the spectrum for me. On one hand, I want to reinstall it and finish off the main game and see what the game has to offer after that. On the other hand, the reason I installed it in the first place is because it occurred to me that it really isn't that great of a campaign to go through. It's also safe to say that there were a lot of things that make Halo Infinite great and worth playing, but unfortunately what sets it back, for me, is where you use these new ideas. The mechanics all work great and the moments where you shooting enemies etc are some of the most refined I've ever seen in a Halo game. However, the world itself is so dull that it often times feels like you're just slogging away trying to get from one waypoint to the next. No sense of wonder or mystery as the world doesn't necessarily work in that fashion. Instead of the game feeling massive and vast and endless, it ends up feeling very closed off and with little to no room for creative maneuverability. Don't get me wrong, being able to use a hookshot of sorts to create some massively quick jump maneuvers is really great, but it needs more to keep it fresh and fun. It is a solid mechanic that gets old kind of quickly. One day I may jump in again but I don't see that happening any time soon. And yes, I made this my game of the year for 2021 because it so genuinely felt like it was. Up until it didn't.

Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, I would even go as far to say that this game is fantastic in a lot of ways. But, unfortunately it sort of met the same fate as a lot of other games do, where I put in a couple solid hours of gameplay, then sort of loose the steam that keeps the game pumping. However, I would say that in this case, I could very easily reinstall this game and have a blast getting through the rest of it, but honestly I just have a lot of other games I want to play right now that it sort of got permanently put on the backburner. I'll finish it at some point. It is a great game and an amazing sequel to an already great game. Definitely check out both Psychonauts 1 and Psychonauts 2 if you haven't. They are both phenomenal works of art.

Outriders
I think i've done a post about Outriders in this journal before so I'll keep this brief. Game is great. Always worth going back to just for the sheer fun you have playing it. I enjoyed my time with it immensely and would love to jump back in when I have more time and not as many games to play.

Back 4 Blood
When I heard we would be getting a Left 4 Dead reboot of sorts, I was stoked. However, unfortunately given how things go sometimes, I have yet to actually play it for myself. I don't think I've really even seen that much gameplay about it, probably for the reason that I just still don't want to spoil it. I don't really know where the game is currently as far as player base, but I will check it out at some point. I love Left 4 Dead and have always enjoyed my time playing them, so this one would surely be as good. I hope, anyway.

Resident Evil Village
As much as I would like to say that I have a lot of experience with Resident Evil games, I don't. Though, when I saw that this game was coming out, I really did want to play it and almost did several times. I enjoy survival horror games and I love them even more when they are seen as really good, because it tells me that there's a lot that this game is going to throw at you. Plus, what I've seen of it in gameplay looks amazing just to play, so I just really want to see what it's like to play it.

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
I have many fond memories of absolutely loving the Ratchet & Clank series and I am excited for the day that I check this one out as well. I've always seen Ratchet & Clank to be of similar quality or better in some ways to the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Spryo. The gameplay in Ratchet & Clank games is always fun and satisfying to mess around with, and that mixed with the great graphics that this one seems to have, it must be a crazy fun experience to dive into. Hopefully if the PS5 stops being so god damn expensive, I'll jump into this one. But I don't think that will be anytime soon. Only time will tell I suppose. Looking forward to playing this one, whenever that may be.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl
I will always always always love playing Pokemon games, but unfortunately these remakes are of the same games that I actually did not enjoy that much. Diamond and Pearl for me, were the first DS Pokemon games I actually played, until I decided to jump into Black / White / Black 2 / White 2 and had a much much better time. All I really remember about playing Pokemon Diamond is getting stuck somewhere and not really having the motivation to figure out what I was supposed to do next. I think it was just the flow of how everything worked that just didn't work for me. I do want to play these remakes though and hopefully it will change my mind on them. But Diamond and Pearl are certainly not my favorites when it comes to Pokemon. Unfortunately.

Metroid Dread
I would very much love to say that I have both played this one for many hours and have played many other Metroid games for similar amounts of time, but alas, I have not. Metroid has always been on my radar but I never actually dove on and played any of them myself. I know and have known that they are great games and worth putting time into. But, just never got around to it. Most importantly, Metroid Dread did really well amongst the fans of the series and the general consensus seems to be that the game is good if not great if not very good. Which is nice, especially for those that have been waiting for this for a long time. I really like what I've seen of the game from footage etc. But again, most importantly it seems to be that the fanbase of the game series got what they were hoping for. And I'm happy they got to experience it.

New Pokemon Snap
I never really played a lot of the original Pokemon Snap though I know it is incredible beloved. I also know that much like Metroid Dread, people have been wanting a sort of reboot of the original Pokemon Snap for quite some time. When the news of a new Pokemon Snap got out, people were ecstatic. And I was excited for them because I know that people have been waiting for a reboot of this for a long time. And once again, the general consensus is that New Pokemon Snap is quite good. It met people's expectations and perhaps exceeded them as well. I have not played it for myself, but I know that it did get a pretty good standing as far as what people thought about it. I imagine there aren't many ways to ruin a game like Pokemon Snap, but I'm glad they didn't find a way to do that.

The Batlord

Never played Metroid?! Bro go play Super Metroid immediately.

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Key

Oh dude I know. It's a series that I have been wanting to get into for a long time. I've heard nothing but great things about Super Metroid as well. The games are right up my alley too.