With nothing worth playing on the horizon, I've been revisiting old favourites. A lot of them have been character action and hack 'n slash - a nice change from the endless stream of Soulslikes.
I've made it through OG God of War, Godhand and am onto Ninja Gaiden. Anyone have any recommendations for follow-ups?
I love Dynasty Warriors
Got any recommendations on where I should jump into the series?
I’d start with the first one personally but that came out on PS1. But it’s a lot of fun
First one it is then. Thankfully emulation is pretty solid for PS1-3.
Enjoy. I may download it on my laptop
They've got stable "pretty solid" PS3 emulation going now? Any suggestions as to an emulator?
RPCS3. Mileage may vary based on the game and your hardware, but in my experience it's been surprisingly painless. Made it through 3 titles without crashes, which is more than a can say for current year.
Check out their compatibility chart, and possibly recent videos on YT for particular titles. Many games with "ingame" playability play perfectly if you have a beefy enough CPU.
If you have Switch, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition (NOT Age of Calamity) is my favorite Warriors/Musou game.
Depends on how far you want to go back.
If you want to stick to the PS2 era, I can suggest a few.
The Onimusha series, specifically 3. But the whole series is pretty good.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Shinobi
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Chaos Legion
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Bujingai
Nightshade
Nano Breaker
Devil Kings
Edit: Almost forgot the lesser known Gauntlet games. Like Gauntlet Seven Sorrows and Gauntlet Dark Legacy. Dark Legacy is not quite just hack and slash, but still fun.
Fantastic game and one of very few that actually has a good story that doesn't get in the way of the game.
Great list! I'm not partial to any generation, just looking for something preferably fast-paced, challenging and mechanically complex.
I've played through a couple of those. Onimusha was good - will have to check out the sequels. Genji looks promising as well. And Nightshade is, by all appearances, Bayonetta before Bayonetta?
Technically yes. Nightshade was like a Bayonetta prototype years before Bayonetta was a thing.
I have a much larger list of fun hack and slash titles, but I got some stuff to do. I'll come back to this in a few hours and dump some more fun titles.
Okay, there's a few high quality hack and slash games on the PS1 that are worth mentioning. Of course I'm a bit biased. Hack and Slash (and by extension Beat 'Em Ups) were my favorite genre, so here goes.
Dragon Valor
Brave Fencer Musashi
Alundra 2: A New Legend Begins
Vampire Hunter D
Akuji The Heartless
MediEvil
Soul of the Samurai
Rising Zan The Samurai Gunman
Nightmare Creatures
Xena Warrior Princess
The internet says that Xena is a decent hack and slash, but I remember renting this, and I found the camera to be what I fought most times. Not a bad licensed game, though.
Take a look at some gameplay footage and see if there's something in there you might like.
Oh, and before I forget, it's a PC game, not a PS1 game, I would also recommend Blade of Darkness
It's a rewarding hack and slash game that can also be pretty brutal in difficulty sometimes. It's sort of a cross between single player Rune and Demon Souls, with more of an affinity toward Rune. Each character (of 3) can wield different weapons better than the other. The Dwarf is better with axes, the fighter is best with a sword and board and the amazon is best with spears. They can all use those weapons, just that they're better at, and have special attacks with the aforementioned ones.
A lot of nostalgia on that list. I've always had a soft spot for cheesy sword and sorcery, so Xena was a guilty pleasure. MediEval, Vampire Hunter D and Nightmare Creatures where all memorable as well. The others I'm not familiar with - will work my way through them as time permits.
I actually replayed Blade of Darkness when it landed on Steam - it's aged remarkably well. Unfortunate what became of Rune 2 though. On a similar note, did you ever try Enclave?
I never got the chance to play that. It's on the back log, but I have no idea when I'll get to it. I remember hearing good things about it, and that it's rating was lower than it's fans expected.
I'll definitely bump it up the list, though.
Gauntlet Dark Legacy is probably my favorite game ever and one of the best multiplayer games period in terms of pure fun.
Seven Sorrows is fucking awful though, don't do that one.
As a hack and slash it's okay to mid tier, but as a gauntlet game it's not so great. I figured I'd add it in, on account of the hack and slash suggestion.
Fair, but I think Gauntlet Dark Legacy (or even Legends) is enough to last anyone for their Gauntlet type hack and slash.
Ever tried Code of the Samurai for the PS2?
Can't say I have, but it looks promising. The only video I could find of it was from the first chapter; I assume pacing and difficulty picks up moving forward?
Maybe I'm misremembering things, but I remember that it's a lot more difficult than this video. Maybe it was difficulty settings...
https://iv.ggtyler.dev/watch?v=vo0CrIr1CvE
Nah, I've played enough early PS action games to believe it. I'll definitely give that one a try.
By the way, thanks for posting this topic. I rediscovered a game that I thought was a childhood fever dream thanks to you.
Havent played yet but the "Ruiner" game looks interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7uRppq-4ps
That wasn't really what I was looking for, but now I'm thinking it is.
Since Koei Tecmo games are dominating this thread (Ninja Gaiden, Dynasty Warriors and its variants), I'll add their Nioh franchise to the pile. Yes, it's technically a Soulslike, but it has the most in-depth combat system I have ever played in any game. The combat is incredibly fun and satisfying once you get the hang of it and some levels.
Yeah man, I thought Nioh 2 was great. Then I unlocked S-rank agility and discovered it had an entire animation cancelling system, at which point it starts playing a bit like high-stakes character action. Easily one of the most compelling combat systems I've had the pleasure of mastering.
Bayonetta 1 is really good. Also not a hack and slash but a shooter but I suggest trying out Vanquish. Metal Gear Rising is also great.
Afraid I've already exhausted Platinum's catalogue, but thanks for the recommendation.
PC version of Oni. Has some good mods, too.
Also, check out Midnight Fight Express. I recommend this every time someone asks for a decent action-oriented, beat-'em-up/shooter.
Another one is a game about a former assassin who becomes a monk but has to kill his former employer who comes to hunt him down. I can't remember the name of the game, it's an isometric hack-and-slash shooter. The developers are Eastern European, so of course it's a competently made game. They're working on another similar game that looks really awesome, but I also can't remember the name of it.
That does remind me that Achilles: Legends Untold is a good ARPG, and The Ascent is an awesome cyberpunk ARPG that perfectly exemplifies what Cyberpunk 2077 should have been if it weren't woke.
It sounds like you're talking about Redeemer. I remember it being alright, solid but kind of bland.
Yeah Redeemer is it, thanks. The co-op makes it a decent playthrough even though it is fairly generic.
Kiborg, also made by the same people, looks like it really takes everything Redeemer did but amplifies it significantly, so here's hoping they manage to tighten up the experience where Reedemer felt a little shallow.
DMC series, Batman trilogy and Infamous.
I really like Infamous but you need either a PS3 or an emulator to play. I recommend playing it on a PS3 if you have it, you can also buy them cheap.
DMC I've done to death. Batman never really worked for me, not sure why.
I've been meaning to try Infamous. What's the moment to moment gameplay like? I'm usually not great at repetitive gameplay loops.
Infamous is fun, it did not feel repetitive to me.
I only played Arkham Asylum, but I hated detective mode, took me out of what was fun.
How do you feel about Musou? Fate/Samurai Remnant was a pretty decent character-driven game that used the Omega Force combat style, bonus if you're a fan of the TypeMoon franchise.
Depends on the combat - first prize is something relatively fast paced, but decisive and with room for strategy. Ninja Gaiden 2 being the epitome of that to me.
The stance switching looks interesting. Does it have a decent amount of depth?
For being mostly controlling a single main character (compared to stuff like Dynasty Warriors with bloated casts), I'd say so. Each stance has its own combos and effects:
Earth Stance: Defense and Counterattacks
Water Stance: Swift, wide sweeping attacks
Wind Stance: Ranged magical attacks, advantageous against demons
Fire Stance: Full-on strength, increases in power the less HP you have
Void Stance: Inhumanly-fast Iaito, its pace can only be maintained as long as you have high HP
And then there's all sorts of gemcraft magic and the Servants you have fighting alongside you, allowing you to (for a short time), play as a different character. Like all Musou games, it'll mostly be simple fodder enemies; it's the leaders, greater demons, and opposing Servants you have to play skillfully against.
Sounds good, I'll give it a try thanks.
Blood Omen / Soul Reaver series. You could watch most of the main scenes if you didn't like it's basic gameplay.
There was a really cool 1 v Army game called Drakenguard for the ps2 that I remember fondly. It was made with solid 2000's JP sensibility. The main mechanic was achieving combos on the field, getting huge bonuses and benefits that you can work into the rest of the combo to keep it going. It was mindless fun. I don't remember the story, it was only an excuse to get your guy on the field with a dragon so you can begin murderization.
I think it was either a predecessor to or knock off of the Dynasty Warriors games (like Hyrule Warriors) but I always loved drakenguard and never warmed up to warriors games, which I feel are all shapeshifter IP cashgrab bullshit titles. But maybe I am just underestimating the number of mainline dynasty games that arent skinsuits. Slapping one game's aesthetic onto a generic engine pisses me right off.
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These are actually good posts
This turned into a great reference for anyone looking for action games - thanks to all who posted. Here are a couple more I've played that didn't get mentioned for anyone interested, as well as a brief summary of those listed in the OP:
Ninja Gaiden - Regarded as having some of the best, albeit hardest combat, ever. Fast, varied movesets and high player mobility against aggressive enemies in fairly large numbers - with enough care and balance to make it work. The Sigma release on PC is perfectly playable.
Ninja Gaiden 2 - Same as the first, but dialled up to 11 - for better and worse. Less polished/balanced but about as exhilarating as an action game can be. The Sigma release is terrible. Either play it on Xbox 360, or install the NGS2 Black Mod on PC to mostly undo the damage.
Godhand - Shinji Mikami blowing off steam after making RE4. Made without much of a budget and close to zero creative/financial expectations, it's a 3D beat 'em up with tank controls. Somehow turned out to be one of the best in the genre from a purely gameplay point of view.
God of War (original series) - Kratos, before therapy. Combat is much faster than the reboot, with plenty of exploration and puzzle solving along the way as you set out to curb stomp the Greek pantheon.
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Dante's Inferno - Very loosely inspired by the epic poem. It's an edgier God of War in which Dante deus vults his way through hell.
Killer is Dead - Heavily stylized, combo orientated slasher from Grasshopper
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - 3D reboot of Castlevania. Gameplay is in line with God of War, with some boss fights taking inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus. Some nice art direction.
Otogi: Myth of Demons - Early FromSoftware fever dream with combat somewhere between Onimusha and DMC
Enclave - Fun ARPG/Hack and Slash game from Starbreeze. Bit on the janky side, but not without charm.
Kingdoms of Amalur - Light-hearted, colourful semi-linear ARPG with solid hack n slash gameplay. Designed by Ken Rolston, lead designer on Morrowind and Oblivion.
Splatterhouse (2010) - Beat 'em Up / Hack n Slash reimagining of the arcade classic.
Blades of Time - Stripperiffic hack and slash with some nice environments, fluid combat, an interesting rewind mechanic and abysmal voice acting.
Lollipop Chainsaw - Stripperiffic hack and slash from Suda51 and James Gunn. Pom-poms are your primary attack. A chainsaw is your secondary. Funny, with surprisingly good combat. Getting remastered this year.
Bloodrayne 2 - Stripperiffic vampire hack and slash. Combat is surprisingly nuanced, especially on higher difficulties.
Soul Sacrifice - Not a hack n slash, but an interesting magic oriented action RPG that went largely unnoticed as a result of being a Vita exclusive. Emulatable on PC.