I have combined all 10 parts of my playthrough of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi into one story. This ended up being the story that gets the "normal" ending. there are many other endings available.
I have increased the volume of all parts considerably as the volume for this game was surprisingly low. You may have to turn down your volume a little
Part 10 was the final part. because this game takes place during an historical event, the ending was always going to be a little sad. it was just going to be how sad would it end up being. first we had to deal with our Dad and his plans for Edo and with that done we chased after the Shinsengumi, but ultimately we only ended up finding out the end of their story.
This part had it all, friends becoming enemies, enemies becoming friends, war, betrayal, death, and it still had a surprise at the end. it was a lot of fun!
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
It looked like Part 8 would start a little slower but it wasn't long before we're accused of assassinating someone controversial, but important. our retaliation was quick, decisive, but we ourselves fell into someone else's trap and it was costly, causing someone close to join the Furies. once again we're saved from being kidnapped, too!
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
Part 7 was just as busy as Parts 5 and 6. it starts with the repercussions from Part 6 and the Shinsengumi suffering from it. next a surprise guest comes to visit and just tells everyone the secret we've been suspecting. they do offer to keep us safe but we disagree, and that might've been a mistake as once again our life ends up being in danger!
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
Part 6 was just as rough for our character as Part 5 had been. Things aren't going as well for the Shinsengumi either with a character getting sicker, trouble amongst the ranks, and things happening in Japan. it feels like the story is heading towards some big event and i'm excited to see what happens and how it happens.
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
Part 4 ended with revelations and surprises so i wasn't expecting Part 5 to be just as exciting and yet it also had it's moments. there was a moment that was significant for the Shinsengumi, but it didn't go well for us. then we had someone appear who we were looking for way back in Part 1. and Part 5 then finished with more trouble for us. all in all, the story is still interesting but i do have a number of questions yet to be answered.
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
Part 4 was really interesting. it started with the end of the attack that dominated part 3, then there was a time skip, and it finished with the group expanding, news about our father, and a surprising act that nearly cost us our life.
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
We left Part 2, https://youtu.be/hQJtjsH3jeo, on a bit of a cliffhanger. we knew something was about to happen and in this Part it did. But there was more as a second big event started in this video.
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
The thing that stood out the most from Part 1 were the characters that the game kept introducing. it felt like not a lot happened in my first hour with the game. in this part, time wise in the game's story, more time has passed and it felt like we got to have some character growth for ourselves and we got a better look at how the game world works. We also got to make a couple more choices for ourselves and how they were handled in the game was how i imagined the choices i made playing out.
The new game in the Stories on Tuesday series is the PS3 PSN version of Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi. I've not played an Otome style game before and whilst this style of game may not be marketed or aimed at me, i'm still curious to try it out and see what the story is.
This is a game i have started before, but i don't remember doing more than maybe the prologue and chapter 1. It's been so long ago i don't really remember the story, tho after playing this part some of the backgrounds and character designs did look familiar.
In this part i finished the prologue and did the first month of Chapter 1. there were a lot of introductions to, what seem to be, the main characters of the story. There wasn't a lot of back story revealed, but the interactions between the characters did reveal a little of the relationships/standings/friendships between them. so far, we've only had to make one choice in our story, but i'm expecting to make a lot more in the future.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS3 version of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus on PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.
In Part 1, https://youtu.be/6y9KGJK1P84, our time with the game was cut short by PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service terminating our session. but there was enough time to start to compare it to the PS2 version of the game that's recently come out via emulation on PS4 and PS5. visually, the main differences between them are that the PS3 version is widescreen with more muted colours whilst the PS2 is 4:3 and more vibrant. i found the controls more responsive on PS3 and more modernised.
But in this video, Part 2, i finally got to see what would happen without the emulated version's rewind feature. i lost all my lives. i was genuinely concerned about what would happen. but thankfully i needed not worry. the game isn't too concerned that i lost my lives and was happy to give me 5 more and restart me back at the boss fight. With lives being nothing to worry about, it makes the advantages of the PS3 version really stand out.
Both versions have quick saving, and while the PlayStation 2's ability to save anywhere is a bonus, it's not that big of a bonus as the game has frequent checkpoints. The only big difference between the emulated PS2 version and this PS3 version is that you can download and play the emulated version on PS4 and PlayStation 5. the PS3 version is stuck on PS3 and on this cloud gaming service.
Which ever one you play, it's a fun time and i do recommend you give either version a go. it's one of those games which can be played by many ages and skill levels, but there's something for those wanting to complete the game too.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS3 version of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus on PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.
The previous game i checked out for Cloud Monday was the recently released PS2 version of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus on PS4, it's also out on PS5. That version of the game is running in an emulator. So the positives after Part 1, https://youtu.be/tphGJ4lCw88, and Part 2, https://youtu.be/gg_RuiDKR5c, were that you're able to save anywhere which is great when you only have 20 seconds before the service kicks you off, and that you're able to rewind gameplay and retry. But i wondered if the PlayStation 3 HD Rerelease would be better.
So as well as the usual goals of seeing how the game plays as it's streamed to me, i was checking out a personal question of is this PS3 version than the emulated PS2 version.
The first thing i noticed was that it was a 16:9 screen, tho the resolution wasn't 1080p, it was maybe 900p. then i noticed the camera controls were much more modern. and then i was able to get into the police building, something which took too long in Part 1 as i took time to adjust to the jump in the game. So immediately i felt more comfortable with the game.
But then came the first instance where i would've liked to have had the rewind controls. i was hit by a missile and the respawn point was right at the start of the level. Thankfully this section is very short, but it was a tad frustrating.
Overall, i found this version much easier to play. with no rewind, i also found myself going a little slower too. but i know this section having played it previously so it will be interesting if i'm able to get to the boss fight or even a new area in part 2.
This part ended earlier than i wanted as i was kicked off the service. thankfully, not only is it easy to save in this game but it's also fast so i was able to save before the 20 second count down. when i checked my internet stats at the speed test it was clear to see why i was kicked off, these speeds were very abnormal for me and other games i've played.
Today's video is the long awaited playthrough of Papo & Yo on PlayStation 3 from start to finish. I played this game back in 2023 and completed it across 5 parts, which you can watch below. One reason i didn't combine all the parts back then was because this playthrough wasn't seamless. there are many times where i look around, make mistakes, and then understand what i need to do. At the time, i didn't think that would be satisfying to watch. I'm more content with how this playthrough went nowadays than back then but when i combined these parts i did cut 2 or 3 longer diversions where i was making a lot of mistakes and unfortunately those cuts are easy to spot. But please do enjoy watching the game and the story it's trying to tell. The music is fantastic, too, so maybe sit back and enjoy the soundtrack as i play. Or you can check out the credits at the end of the video.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS3 version of Black Knight Sword via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.
From Part 1, https://youtu.be/xdaueEIkV_M, we learned that this is actually the whole game and not just a DEMO like the store page says. we also learned the the Normal difficulty level is surprisingly hard, and the biggest thing we learned is that the game has a weird save system.
The fact that the game only saves at checkpoints continues to be it's biggest issue. I played Part 2 on easy and found it a much more normal pleasant playing experience. The amount of enemies and how much is needed to kill them feels right, like either this was the default normal difficulty and they decided to make the game harder or they did an amazing job rebalancing the game for an easier difficulty. I was able to progress through the levels quicker and it almost made up for the checkpoint only saves. But when i did die, it wasn't as much fun having to redo what i've already done as it was going forward and making progress. so whilst it is better, it's still not ideal.
The biggest surprise i stumbled upon is that there is a story, of sorts. it's just that you have to leave the game on the home screen for a little bit for the game to show it. So that's why i included it at the start of this video as i imagine many people, like me, might've not known about it nor even seen it.
But the story and better gameplay can't make up for how this game saves. It looks good and has some interesting ideas. but Black Knight Sword's save system is a fundamental issue so bad that it mostly negates all it's good points, as a game being streamed from the Cloud. This makes it hard to recommend, especially for those interested in the challenge that hard mode brings. Black Knight Sword isn't easy to play legitimately outside of the Cloud so that is a positive reason to give it a go. it's short length does work in it's favor. But the first time you're disconnected from the service and find you have to play through several minutes of enemies, platforms, and traps is probably when you should put it down and move on.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS3 version of Black Knight Sword via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4.
I have know Black Knight Sword was on the Cloud Streaming Service and even when it was #PSNow. But it's always been listed as a DEMO, and if this is true for you too please mention it in the comments, so i've never tried it. I didn't know anything about it either, other than that i've always liked the artwork in the icon. So this video, and part 2, is me being curious if it really is a DEMO or if it's the full game.
I can say that yes, it is the full game. in this part i earn a couple of trophies, something you can't earn in a DEMO. so the listing is wrong, out of date at best, and probably a hang over from the PS3 PS Now days.
it's hard to say what Black Knight Sword is as there's no story to guide us. it bleakly starts and hints that maybe we're dead, but doesn't answer were our suit of armor comes from nor what's happening in the world around us. It all looks good but at times i want the screen to zoon in a bit more. The screen is surrounded by theatre style curtains and the game comes across as some sort of performance. But again, there's no context for any of it, the game just wants us to play.
Black Knight Sword is quite fun to play. i started on normal but i think i would change that to Easy and would recommend people to start there. on normal, whilst the combat is fun and easy, the enemies do seem to be sponges and seem to take more hits than you would think to be defeated. A nice aspect of the game is how wide the levels are. it feels like there is often more than one way to get across a level, and with collectables to find it does feel like it's designed to be played through a couple of times.
As a game being streamed to me, i had no issues with the controls. i felt no lag and they felt very responsive. there were no graphical issues either. like many PS3 games, streaming Black Knight Sword was a pleasant experience. But, and it's a big asterisk, there are no manual saves nor are there specific save points. It's all tied into the games checkpoint system and there doesn't seem to be any visual cues as to where or when it happens. So in the event of the service giving us a 20 second warning before disconnection, there's nothing we can do but hope that the last save wasn't too far from where we currently were.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 2 of playing the PS3 version of Brink via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4. I have previously uploaded the PlayStation 3 XMB game Previews for the Beta to Brink, version 1.00 https://youtube.com/shorts/uWjRVuGWWZ0 and version 1.01 https://youtu.be/AQGrYqGH7Bg, but it was so long ago i don't really remember much about the game.
In Part 1, https://youtu.be/M9xZ-ufWVl0, it became clear that the game isn't designed around being played in the cloud. whilst it has some ideas that feel modern, there are a few aspects of the game stuck in PlayStation 3 past. But actually playing in in the cloud was fine. i didn't notice any lag, nor were there any video issues. across both days, it was a great experience playing Brink in the Cloud.
Whilst it's not designed for it and it will be frustrating if you're kicked off the service whilst playing it, i would still say it's worth trying out. There's an aspect of preservation about being able to play Brink on PS3, an experience worth having whilst the game is still on the service. It has it's quirks, but i'd also argue there's some good worth playing too.
If you enjoy it, then you can get it for free on Steam and join in the the community on there. But outside of that, it's difficult to recommend.
This week's Cloud Monday video is part 1 of playing the PS3 version of Brink via the PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming Service to my Japanese launch model PlayStation 4. I have previously uploaded the PlayStation 3 XMB game Previews for the Beta to Brink, version 1.00 https://youtube.com/shorts/uWjRVuGWWZ0 and version 1.01 https://youtu.be/AQGrYqGH7Bg, but it was so long ago i don't really remember much about the game. i know that it didn't do as great as they expected and i remember there being some complaints at the time, but i don't remember what specifically the main issues with the game were.
It starts well with an interesting intro video detailing the story of the game. it tries to provide both the point of view of both sides as when it finishes it asks you to pick a side to play as. Whilst the following character customisation section was easy to navigate, i wasn't a fan of the character design. i didn't like how at this point, it asks you to customise and at first glance it looks like there are lot's of options, but in reality a lot are locked behind progress. i would've preferred the lock stuff to be separated.
Brink has an interesting approach to the tutorial in that it's a video, longer than i expected. it's very detailed and seems to go over everything. There's bonus XP for watching it. i was just surprised that there was no where to go and practice it. the video is a lot to take in and i honestly forgot a few things as i played.
The online servers for Brink are offline, but it does have a single player mode. i was really interested to see how this would work not just in this game but also as something that's being played in the cloud. some of the best designed games are those with lots of auto saves and manual saves. It soon became apparent that the single player part of the game is built inside the multiplayer. It was never made clear if your progress was being tracked with an auto save, so if Sony does disconnect you from the service you could hop back into where you were, or not. personally, i think that there is no auto save/check pointing and if you're disconnected you'll have to start again from the beginning.
As the single player mission are timed, the compromise is that you won't loose too much progress other than the mission you're currently playing. But the fact it's being played inside a multiplayer shell also means how it works is kinda interesting. What took me a little time to realise is that i can respawn. i kept on expecting my team mates to heal me but when i understood the respawn mechanic other aspects started to make sense. i had noticed that the enemy was relentless but so where my team mates. but i also noticed that players on both sides were getting killed. now i understood that both sides have a respawn mechanic. A bonus to dying is that you're able to respawn and change your job to suit what's happening. I only tried out the medic, but by the end of the video it was clear that the medics job in this mode isn't that beneficial as the Ai players die so quickly.
I wouldn't say the Ai players are that smart either. it wasn't too frustrating playing with them, but it certainly was unpredictable. Ultimately, it's great that we're able to still play this game. it looks good, the cinematics were great, but i still don't like the character art styles. aspects of the game feel very modern, so it's possible the game was ahead of it's time, but there are certainly aspects of it's design that feel very much of the PS3 generation. Having the ability to play it on PlayStation Plus in the cloud is a bonus, but it's clear that the game isn't designed well enough for it. Part 2 of playing Brink is will probably be more about experiencing this past game.
I'm currently playing the PlayStation 3 version of Aaru's Awakening, from developers Lumenox, as part of Backlog Conquering. the first part, https://youtu.be/MbJ6A1BeL7U, revealed the game as being a platformer that has puzzle elements and enemies to deal with. But we didn't get much of a story and i felt a disconnect from the beautiful world we're playing in and the creature we're playing as. I hoped that in Part 2 something would be introduced that helped deal with that disconnect.
The story is mostly introduced at the end of each section. so for most of this video i'm trying to solve the platforming puzzles or working out how to deal with enemies. At times it does become a little frustrating as i feel like i'm doing the same thing but i'm not getting the same response in game. it could have something to do with the stick drift i'm having with my DualSense 3 controller or it could be that the game lacks a little bit of polish.
But what truly became clear as i tried to make my way through this section is that there are times when you have to die in order to learn how to progress. I say in the video that i'm not a big fan of this method of story telling and by the end of this video i've certainly become resigned to such gameplay mechanics. Like in part 1, this is also true with the final boss fight at the end of the section. at every phase of the fight, you die when something new happens or the action takes place in a different location. thankfully, the game does seem to be designed around such a mechanic as it very quickly takes you back to the last check point. even more gratefully, each phase of the boss fight is a checkpoint, so even tho i died a lot it did feel like i was chipping away at it.
What made this part feel good was the story. it doesn't fully address the issues i have, but it did make me realise that having those feelings was the point as it's revealed my character is starting to have them. it reveals that it's a not so subtle way of saying you shouldn't blindly follow orders. This was enough to feel satisfied at the end of this part and for me to want to play more so there will be a part 3.
