¡Gabz!

DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition

In the past few days, I have been playing DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch lite. And man, am I having a great time with it. My first DW game was Dynasty Warriors 3. I remember I was in college, young and very stupid. I walked by an EB Games, and saw they had on their PlayStation 2 demo unit Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. So, obviously, I had to buy a PS2 with MGS. Then I remember my buddy looking in the used games section and found Dynasty Warriors 3. Oh boy, after that, not only we played that game almost every single night. I have been playing every single DW game ever since.

For whatever reason, I don’t remember playing 8 but then again, almost every DW, it’s just a reiteration of the same game, same formula, over and over. So, in a way, if you have played one, you have played them all.

Before 8, my most recent like-game from the same “franchise” I played on the Switch, was WARRIORS OROCHI 4. This one is more like a crossover of, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors with other godly characters.

Playing 8, was like going back in time to those first DW games, where the story was the same, maybe adding a few characters here and there. But it was the same old school DW game I felt in love with back in 2001-2002. Even some in-battle dialog are the same.

Love the nostalgia, and I am having a blast revisiting this franchise in all its glory.

NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR’S EDGE ✅

With this, I have played all three games included in the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection on the Nintendo Switch.

Now, how was my overall experience with all three games? I can say that, I had a great time!

When I first blogged about starting this collection, I had mentioned that I watched one or two YouTube videos to see if it was worth my time getting this collection. What I was looking for specifically was if they had anything to say about the game’s difficulty. My past experience with these games is that they are pretty difficult. It turns out that the added a new Hero difficulty that, as I had mentioned before, makes the game much more approachable. At this point in my life I am not up for challenges, I just want to enjoy the game in my own way, and it makes me happy to see the toned down difficulties for players like me.

Having finished NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2, I was browsing the YouTubes there and came across this video, Before you buy. And boy was that a mistake.

Usually, when I look for a YouTube video on a specific game, usually is to find out specific things, usually gameplay, I don’t necessarily carafe for the YouTuber’s opinion much. And even if they have a bad opinion, I don’t affect me much — most of the time. However, every once in a while, it might.

Specifically with these games, I believe that the general consensus is that, the first Ninja Gaiden is a cult classic, the second one is good, and the third is the weakest one. Kind of like with the Blade movies. Or according to this video review mediocre at best. Furthermore, it seems like in this collection, we got the “lesser versions”. These games have been redone a few times for different reasons, and the reason they didn’t remaster the “Original” and apparently “the good versions” is because the lost the original code for them.

Whatever!

I hated myself after watching this video. Why? Because then I had some influenced misconceptions about the game. I started approaching the game in a critical way. I am not a critical person when it comes to games, movies, etc. I just enjoy stuff but yeah, every once in a while my opinions can be influenced — a little —, it happens. This is why I try my best to not read reviews, I try to judge for myself. Because of this, I tend to be a fan or enjoy games and movies most people would probably hate.

That being said, here’s what I think of these games.

NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA: A cult classic! It is a fantastic game, and you are into puzzles, this is the game for you.

NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA 2: It’s good, not many puzzles and less exploration, but still a lot of fun.

NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR’S EDGE: Slicing and dicing! Hack and slash, whichever way you might call it. Much more linear story, no puzzles whatsoever and lots of blood. My kind of game. I had a fucking blast with this game, I might even replay it, it’s an action adventure joy of a game.

The first one, won’t probably play it for another few years, played it, beat it, done. The second and third game, they might have much more replay-ability value — for me.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma as part of the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection on the Nintendo Switch.

If I remember correctly, NINJA GAIDEN was first released back in 2004 then ported with extra content and graphical improvements and thus NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA. I think I first tried to play this on the Xbox 360, I think under the name of Ninja Gaiden Black. Kind of confusing, but same game. If you are familiar with this series, you’ll know that these games are tough! I don’t think I made it any farther than maybe the first 2 chapters before rage-quitting.

Then, this Master collection was announced, with a Nintendo Switch version, so I knew I wanted this collection on the go. I was still afraid that the game would still be difficult, and I would — again — rage-quit it.

I was watching a couple of YouTube reviews videos to see how the games would hold up and if any changes in the difficulty were made. I cannot with a hundred percent certainty say that the difficulty has been toned down for sure, but it is something that got mentioned. Moreover, they added this new HERO difficulty mode. In this mode, as you’re nearly dead, Ryu would auto-block and dodge, and you can use Nimpo as much as you want. You do have quite some time to fight your way around before you’re dead, dead. This made boss battles doable and the entire game much more approachable. The challenge is still there, but it is a wee bit more forgiving in a way.

This is how I managed to beat the game, finally, for the first time. The game holds up pretty well, besides some control mechanics and camera annoyances it is a fun game. Bosses are ridiculous and over the top, some don’t even make sense but who cares, and dashing and slicing! Female characters are over visually over sexualized, no surprise there, but it can be off-putting.

The game was about 10 hours to beat, for me, it never felt like it was dragging too much. There were times I got stuck trying to figure out what to do as the game doesn’t hold your hand like other games do, I am spoiled by modern games, I guess. But I had a good time.

If you’ve never played the series, give this Master Collection a try, I think with the new difficulty setting it is, like I’ve said before, more approachable for newcomers.

If you have ever played any of the Devil May Cry games, this will be familiar to you.

Sight! Many times, I get excited about a new vidjia game. And sometimes said game, has a demo — great! Sometimes, I play said demo and don’t like what I am playing, but I am still excited about the game. I deleted, said demo and re-downloaded said demo, two more times. And two more times, I couldn’t get into it, but I was still excited for the game. The Game comes out, I had some monies in my Nintendo account, and purchased said game. Not only I bought said game, but I got the deluxe edition of it.

The game in question is MONSTER HUNTER RISE on the Nintendo Switch. After purchasing said game I told myself, “alright, let’s commit to it”. I played the tutorial part of it, and I kind of enjoyed what I played, but I was feeling like I was forcing myself in some way.

I have never played a Monster Hunter game before, well, let me rephrase that, I have never been able to get into them. I purchased and played Monster Hunter World on the PlayStation 4 and the same thing, couldn’t get into it.

What I am trying to get at is, well, I have dropped MH Rise, I don’t know why, but I can’t commit to it. Maybe this is not the time? Maybe I will come back to it later, and then I’ll finally get it and play it through? I don’t know, but I like very little when I get excited about a game and spend money on it, just to uninstall it and abandon it. It does not often happen but when it does, I get unhappy.

Some other games that have been abandoned like so are;

• Xenoblade Chronicles 2

• Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (this one I re-downloaded last night, though)

• Immortals Fenyx Rising (I will come back to this one for sure)

• Darksiders Genesis

I am sure there are more, but those are the ones I regret the most, not finishing.

Whether I might come back to MH RISE, maybe, who knows.

I think, I have found a use case for my Hey World, I have even added a New Page on my blog called Hey, to access them specific posts.

The idea will be specific posts about something I have liked on any given week or games. This is not entirely new since it’s something I’ve already been doing. I have a category for Something I Liked, which is up to volume 31 — damn! Also, one for A Game I Liked. So far, and for now, the idea is to publish these two topics on Hey World, obviously linked to my main blog.

This will definitely change my blogging workflow a little, but these two topics are not as frequent as my regular posts.

I don’t know, it seems like a cool experiment.

Stay tuned…

There is this thing that I get every time I am about to finish a video game that I am really into or a book. Once I realize that I am close to the end I start panicking a little. What am I going to read (or play) when this is over?

There is this sense of loss in a way, like when I am really into a book or a game, I don’t want to lose that “obsession”, like I always got to have one, one thing to play or read. Sometimes, I even start browsing for the next possible thing before I finish which what I am at the moment, just to make sure I have something lined up.

I have been playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla since December, on the Xbox. I was so obsessed with it that, it would be the only thing I’d play. Even after finishing it, after over 110 hours of gameplay, I started over. Until a week or so ago, I stopped, gradually. If they push an update with new stuff I might jump back into but no for long. And when I had started the second play through, I started browsing for games, specifically on the Switch. Because I needed something once I was done with AC.

Yesterday, I finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and the same thing, when I was aware that I only had a few hours left, I was browsing for the next book. Which I am yet to find the next book.

The bad thing about this is that I don’t know what I really want to read or play next. I just know I need something, and sometimes I end up getting something that is not as satisfying and never finish playing it or reading.

I am sure there’s a name or psychological explanation for this behavior.