The Video Game Recommendation Thread

[Badpaladin]

I have tried to play this game, but I'm bored out of my skull playing it. Is there a point where everything becomes sweet, or if I don't like it in the start then it's already lost?

The intensity absolutely picks up, and when the Gravity Gun is introduced it's significantly more interesting.

[Mechazod]

EarthBound (Mother 2)
SNES


While the entire Mother series is god tier quality, I was not sure which game I like better, Mother 3 or Mother 2. Both games on their own justify my existence in this world but when compared to one another they both have a little bit of something to them that the other lacks. For example I always thought the music in 3 was way better then 2 but at the same time the style of the music is drastically different so not really a fair comparison. Likewise I always though 2 had the better setting, but at the same time 3 had some really unique and memorable locations that stick out in my mind. I will say that Mother 3 did have the better battle system with the introduction of the musical beat combat, however. I will stick with EarthBound for now just because it is the most well known game of the series and has such a rabid cult following for it.

For a little overview of the plot and series: The entire Mother series is connected, but not to the point where you need to have played the previous games to understand the quirky story. For the most part Mother 2 is sort of both a sequel and a reboot to the first Mother game as the setting and plot are fairly the same as well as the first three main characters being based off the first three in the original. There is a connection between the two games as far as the story is concerned, but its never directly mentioned in the 2nd game. As far as Mother 3 is concerned when compared to 2 the settings are completely different with the only connection being a few key characters that are important to the plot, but not really needed to know about if starting at 3, though for the most part the only people that would ever even play 3 to begin with are fans of EarthBound.

I am assuming anyone who even knows a little bit about the game and series already knows the setting and general style of the game, but in case there are not I will describe it very vaguely. The setting of the first two games for the most part both take place in a mixture of 1950s-1990s suburban America rather then the usual fantasy/sci-fi settings of most RPGs. I guess you could sort of say that as far as the setting is concerned it was almost like an early version of the Persona games except taking place in the United States. The series is very well known for its quirky nature with very strange characters and enemies and plenty of pop culture and direct real world references. Enemies you will face during EarthBound include ants, walking mushrooms, skater punks, zombies, religious fanatics, UFOs, killer artwork, giant moles, taxi cabs, aliens, giant evil piles of vomit, satanic statues, cops, robots, dinosaurs, many inanimate objects and hippies. Mother 3 has a bit of a different setting, it takes place at the start of the game in a sort of 1800's western American frontier community where throughout the games story it slowly begins to change into a more modern and consumerist society, however 3 includes the same level of insanity and uniqueness as the first two games.

As far as game play is concerned in the Mother series its all fairly basic console RPG stuff. Battles take place in a first person perspective similar to the Dragon Warrior games and you have all the same basic actions as in those games as well. Rather then magic three of your characters posses psychic abilities with the fourth member making use of gadgets and explosives like rockets for their special attacks. While some of the psychic abilities are shared between the three characters there are also some abilities unique to each one as well as each character having their own non-psychic unique ability for them. The one thing that does make EarthBound a bit unique is that it uses a type or rolling damage system. When taking damage and healing rather then the effect being applied instantly instead the numbers will scroll up or down one digit at a time which in turn can have the speed of the scrolling adjusted from abilities and enemy effects. What this means is that if you were to receive a critical blow from a boss that would kill you it still means you have time before the numbers reach zero to quickly heal yourself or throw in some last minuet attacks, this in sense sort of gives a situational active time battle system to combat.

The story of the game is pretty interesting. If you are just looking at it at a whole its just about some kids going to fight an evil alien, but the way it all plays out is actually pretty deep. I wont spoil what that means but let me just say that I would recommend a kid playing EarthBound over watching a movie or reading a book about any coming of age story, Its much more then just going out and killing the bad guy. Over all this is a game that I would forcibly make people play because I personally feel it is one of the greatest games ever made, EarthBound deserves all the insane fans and over expensive cartridges that it has. Mother 3 has all of the same elements as 2 so if you enjoy EarthBound then 3 may be something to also look into. I really cant say anymore beyond the fact that if you do not play through EarthBound at least once in your life then you are a terrible person. Every museum in the world should have a complete copy of this game as their key exhibit. I also believe EarthBound is going to play some important roll in the second coming of Christ.

[Poppincaps]

OK, I just finished playing through the entire sly series, so I think it'd be fitting to do a review of the Sly collection.



So, I'd like to start off by saying that I haven't actually played the Sly Collection, but just the original 3, but from what I've heard they are exactly the same except they are in HD and they have a couple extras that weren't in the originals, so if anything that would make it better.

So, I'll start with Sly Cooper: The Thievius Racoonus. This is the first in the trilogy and as such is probably the most outdated of the 3. It's very fun, but the missions are basically all the same with the exception of the mini games and the boss battles. I'd say the boss battles make it worth playing, because they are so fun. The story is pretty meh, but there weren't many games back then outside of JRPGs that had great stories anyways. I'd say it's worth playing if you buy the collection, because it does tie into the other two. I'd give it a 8/10

Next up is Sly 2: Band of Thieves. This, in my opinion, is where the series really picks up. The missions start to really have variety and the boss battles are even more ramped up. Bentley in the first game was pretty annoying, but in Sly 2 he really earns his place in the Cooper gang. The environments are incredible too. You go from the jungles, to Canada, to Prague. I feel like this game has the best environments of any of the Sly games. The story is actually interesting this time as well. Definitely a great game that they truly improved from the first. I'll give it a 9/10

Finally, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. If there is one good thing about Sly Cooper it's that it is greatly improved upon each iteration. You have to recruit new members beyond the normal 3 to break into the cooper vault, and I have to say they did a great job with introducing the new characters. Each level is fantastic and each mission is unique. Not to mention the character development in this game is great as well. Each of the members are more mature and different from when they first started back in Sly 1. The story is great and without spoiling anything the final level is absolutely incredible. This is the Pinnacle of the series and deserves nothing less than a 9.5/10

Here's the trailer if you need more convincing