How Was Your Weekend? Mine was KILLER (4/13/2015)

I didn't have much time for games outside of Majora's Mask or Dark Souls 2 this week, but I did spend a few hours with...

Killer is Dead (PC)

Let's get gigolo mode out of the way: I don't like it - not so much for what it represents (though it did make me feel a little uncomfortable), but for how unnecessary it is in this style of game. Suda51 says himself it was a mode originally meant for Shadows of the Damned, which still doesn't make sense but at least that game had the suave, hispanic main protagonist who probably was good at picking up girls even though the point of that game was to save your girlfriend... However, I could contradict myself by saying a lot of what Suda51's games bring to the table don't make sense, so take that as you will.

Now for the fun stuff! I've tried to keep up with Suda's games ever since I first picked up Killer7, which really tickled my fancy as a teenager with the off the wall violence, insane narrative, and cel-shaded style that was all the rage during the PS2/GC/Xbox era. Killer is Dead really reminds me of Killer7, (despite Suda's attempts to distance the two), though I can't quite explain why. Its basically a blend of No More Heroes' "kill a bunch of named people because you're an assassin or something" + Killer7's more surreal, dark and complex cast of characters.

I've learned to love the approach of "this is just how things are" in some Japanese games - I don't need to know why everyone is so infatuated with the Moon in KiD, or why the enemies you spend most of your time fighting, the Wires, even exist. It doesn't matter. I love reveling in the madness, questioning everything, and constantly being surprised. Mondo Zappa is an amazing name for a protagonist.

Gameplay wise, KiD is a very throwaway hack'n'slash. I don't think it feels particularly great, there isn't a lot of variety, and I avoid using Mondo's gun arm as much as possible. But luckily, none of the episodes last very long and I've yet to get frustrated. If I can keep cruising my way through just to watch the cutscenes, I'm ok with that, because that's really all I'm here for - to see just where this thing goes. I haven't been let down in this respect, because the weirdness of the story has kept me engaged and there have been some excellent shots during some of Mondo's battles with his targets.

I only have a few missions left, so I'll have a final verdict next week. I grabbed this on a steam sale, and I've already got what I wanted. It isn't fun to play, but its insane and enjoyable to watch. Sometimes I wish things like this were just a well produced anime series.

Heroes of the Storm

I played some Dota 2, and I spent a lot of time with Heroes of Newerth for some reason. Moba's are interesting to me, but what turns me off is when my team starts telling me what to do, (unless I'm playing with close friends). I'm just not competitive enough to care too much. 'Tis just a game. Heroes of the Storm has been pretty easy to jump in and out of, with little conflict, and that's great. We'll see how much I actually play, but I've been liking not having to worry about building items or anything.

2v1 Podcast - Episode 21

So how was your weekend?

i don´t know how to feel about it, but i did two playtroughs, and there where certain moments that i can´t help but think, what i´m doing. The least said about the gigolo stuff the better.

And my favourite track in the soundtrack, the one in the garden in the chapter seven is not in the OST, but hey is a suda game i should have know what i was getting into

Well, I didn't have to work Saturday so there's that. And then I ruminated on how I hate my job and I need to quit. And I played some South Park: Stick of Truth. Overall, I give it a weighted B.

I pre-ordered Killer 7, and then a couple weeks later after I beat it, sold the game to someone else. Unlike Shadows of the Damned, I didn't really feel a need to play it again. The gigolo missions were as creepy as I'd heard, the hack n slash action was merely okay, and the main character had all the personality and depth of a thin piece of cardboard. Also, the vampire lady missions definitely were Day 1 DLC, completed but sliced out of the final product to encourage you to buy a new copy of the game instead of getting a filthy, unclean used game.

At least the soundtrack was kinda cool, though the remixed version of Dvorak's From The New World (4th Movement) you could barely hear in game during the final boss and for some reason didn't come on the OST disc.

I've now beat it, which happened very soon after I posted this. I found myself getting irritated and I needed to beat it before I lost all interest. Overall, I thought it was another interesting Suda game and I'm glad I played it - but I'm also glad I barely spent any money on it. I won't go back to it. I also don't even remember the vampire lady...? I did 3 gigolo missions and then never did them again. Maybe she was one of them?

@tomobedlam@dochaus Interesting you both liked the soundtrack. It didn't impact me that much. There were a few times where I thought "I like this song" but it didn't compel me to seek out the soundtrack. Its definitely not a style of music I'd say I listen to in general anyway, though.

I liked that track mostly, is a very relaxing song, but to my surprise it wasn´t included in the album, searching in the interwebs i was able to find it and made a loop out of it, the rest of it has its moments

I have pretty mixed feelings about the game, the gameplay is pretty simple, the art direction is cool, the story is typical japanese nonsense, but i liked certain parts of the game, it looks good on PC, i didn´t liked one bit that they tied some weapons unlocks for the arm in the gigolo missions, wich i found profoundly stupid, they went for the worst manga stereotypes possible, everytime the girl that lives with Mondo appeared i died a little inside, and the optional costumes for the girls were horrible too. There´s a lot of things wrong with the game in terms of representation, and even tough i did two playtroughs.

I have the sense that somewhere deep down there´s something that could have been incredible about this game had they go in a different direction with the stupid shit they put in there

@nickhead: I remember the main mission was called "The Man Who Stole Blood," and it had cutscenes, a linked gigolo mission, and even a side-mission set in the same level that were all available once you entered the DLC code. Can't remember the woman's name off-hand, but she asks you to kill another vampire-guy. Point is, it felt like a mission that was in the game already, but someone upstairs decided it would be walled off instead to make more people buy new copies.

Also: found a copy of the remixed track here:

@dochaus: oh right yes now I know what you're talking about. That mission was included with the Steam version. And yes unfortunately I think it was just stripped out of the game. I remember reading that, within the narrative, it takes place between episodes 6 & 7 or something? It wasn't even that great of a mission.