Friday Night Peeps.....

[JudgeDredd]

SHIV?  Is that some of prison survival game?

For me, I'm looking at RoF, SoW and maybe some CC:Gateway to Caen, since I picked it up yesterday in the Humble Bundle (thanks Jomni O0).

Silent Hunter 4

[Airborne Rifles]

It's Jack Daniels and cigars for me, my brother-in-law and father-in-law when we're on the island. My father-in-law and his four siblings go in on a cottage in the island for a month every year and we head up every other year for some great relaxing. Wonderful place. Not much gaming, though.

[Nefaro]

SHIV?  Is that some of prison survival game?

"Now this is something the other tour guides won't tell you.  In this particular cell-block, Machine Gun Kelly had what we call in the prison system, a "bitch".  And one night in a jealous rage Kelly took a make-shift knife or "shiv", and cut out the bitch's eyes.  And as if this wasn't enough retribution for Kelly, the next day he and four other inmates took turns pissing into the bitch's ocular cavities."  (short pause) "This way to the cafeteria!"


;D




RIP Phil Hartman

[JudgeDredd]

Shawshank Redemption?

[JasonPratt]

SHIV?  Is that some of prison survival game?

...yes. Yes it is. Metaphorically.


Judge, if you got as far as the Poison Ivy fight (which is admittedly a bit difficult, so I'm assuming that's what you mean -- you'll meet her rather earlier in the campaign before going into Killer Croc's lair which to me is much more annoying and difficult), then you almost got to the end of the game. As far as I recall, beating her unlocks the two final fights with the Joker and his henches (or three, since there's a nifty preliminary fight in a hallway but you can completely skip it if you want).

If I also recall correctly, you will finally have access to the final Riddler trophies at that point, but you'll have to backtrack through a number of areas to get them -- you'll also have to pick up the hint sheets which he'll mock you about but it's the only way to beat him. However, I don't recommend it. The completion there is just Oracle cracking his transmission code all by herself (the trophy collection makes no difference at all) and sends the cops to arrest him. No reason to go the extra mile beating him in Origins either; you'll have to partly beat him to unlock the signal blockers, but that's easy enough to do along the way, and the only thing that happens if you get full completion is, literally, you find his first created Riddler trophy, the end. Beating the Riddler in City is much more satisfying and important -- so I do recommend trying that, but you won't be able to do so the first time until after you beat the game. (Because you won't unlock what you need until the endgame missions start. One of the advantages to playing a New Game + of AC is that you only have to beat the rescue missions as they unlock to beat the Riddler, so you can just play his 'story' as the night unfolds and be done before you go after the Joker the next-to-last-time which starts the endgame sequence. However, the way these games save, you can't play a NG+ more than once without beating the game on vanilla again, argh. Might be a way around that on the PC, saving the save file somewhere before the NG+ is started...)

Anyway.

If you were talking about the final Ivy fight, you'll already know there are basically two modes to it: (1) she's shooting fireballs (or pollen balls or whatever) at you in various patterns, and (2) she's whomping a random 2/3 of the ground a few times and if you're still in those thirds a few seconds later you'll be trapped taking damage until you break out. Plus during the whomping phase she sends entranced guards and thugs after you, but they're pretty easy to let her own whomping deal with them as they take damage from it, too.

The whomping you can just survive by making sure you run/dive over into the 1/3 that didn't get the preliminary whomp, and then if necessary beating down the few minions who make it there, too. No problems.

The pollen shots are where you can damage her and so win the battle. The key there is to run back and forth, left and right, as far away from her as possible at the bottom of the screen; be sure you're all the way to one side or the other when she starts to shoot, and as long as you're running the other way she'll miss every time regardless of what pattern she uses. Then when she pauses, quickfire a few batarangs, bap bap bap, you won't even have to aim -- technically you can left-trigger the aim and then right-trigger shoot, but it isn't necessary, and unless you've unlocked the three-batarang simultaneous shot it isn't worth taking the time to do it (and I'm not sure it's worth taking the little time to do even that, but definitely not if you've only unlocked the two aimed shots). You can flick the quickfire button a lot faster, and the game will aim you somewhere useful automatically.

You'll eventually damage her far enough that the center blossom (where she's riding) will collapse, and then you have to quickly run up and spray the plastic explosive on her shield and detonate it. The first time you do this you may have to do some punching afterward, I forget, but she'll recover and start the patterns again with a little more complexity -- but the same strategies will still work. The second time you do that, the fight's over.

Done right, you'll barely take any damage (not that that matters really except for score, which you probably won't need for experience to unlock things by then -- there isn't that much to unlock in Asylum, and this fight is very late in the game), and it'll be maybe five minutes. You should take even less damage on easy, naturally.

[JasonPratt]

By the way, did anyone watching that ABBA video mentally replace them with the Mothra fairies singing the Mothra song? Or was that just me?

[JudgeDredd]

Just you!

Thanks for the tips. I don't really worry too much about running around getting all the trophies etc, etc.

It was that mission that I gave up on. I knew I was close, because my daughter started a new game after I gave up and got all the way through and told me I was close!

[JasonPratt]

Yeah, the trophies (and photographs etc.) are really only good for boosting your xp for upgrading skilz and gear. If you're nearby and can grab them, great, until you don't care to unlock anything else -- some upgrades in Asylum I don't bother with.

Forgot to mention that if you go for beating the Riddler in City, you'll need to accomplish 100% on the challenges, which is practically impossible and often super-annoying; but if you've gotten the Catwoman missions then any of her trophies and challenges, which are often easier, can sub for any of Batman's. You only need a score of 400 either way. And her missions are pretty fun. (She's also the only way to get to Poison Ivy in that game, which in game terms will make no sense but Ivy isn't bothering anyone so Batman just ignores her I guess.)

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile this weekend, no doubt finishing Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon which is hilariously great. My only real complaint so far (aside from Michael Biehn not entirely sounding like his heart is in his work), is that the super-dark art style makes it often unclear what's going on out in the bush. Which as art isn't bad, I appreciate the aesthetic, but it gives me a headache. And whoever among the devs thought it was a good idea to take away FC3's automatic flashlight for navigating caves, and replace it with NOTHING NOT EVEN THE CYBORG EYE WHICH BY ALL RIGHTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IN THE DARK, should be marooned in one of those caves for a while. 

Even so. So very, very awesome.

[Kushan]

I can say whatever I want about playing other things but its more than likely I'll be playing Elite all weekend. I will be forcing myself to take a break from Elite tomorrow morning while I do my first Twitch.tv stream. Everything is set up, bu I still need to decide what Command scenario I am going to play for it.

EUIV and Distant Worlds AARs also need some attention, more than likely sometime Sunday afternoon.

[BanzaiCat]

Probably going to be working too much to bring you guys some new GrogCasts to play games, but I have plenty on my list, including...

Hornet Leader
Order of Battle: Pacific
Heroes of Might & Magic III
Star Trek Starfleet Command
Patton's Best (maybe)

Who knows what else.

[Tuna]

Probably going to be working too much to bring you guys some new GrogCasts to play games, but I have plenty on my list, including...

Hornet Leader
Order of Battle: Pacific
Heroes of Might & Magic III
Star Trek Starfleet Command
Patton's Best (maybe)

Who knows what else.

Don't forget the huge Civ V MP Grogfest!

[BanzaiCat]

When is that? I didn't think you guys were doing anything but talk! ;)

[Ubercat]

No gaming for me this weekend. Moving into a new place, then heading to Michigan with the family for vacation.

Where in MI? It's my home state.

Mackinac Island, spending some time there with the wife's family.

I love Mackinac island. The bike ride around the coast is always a lot of fun. Do they live there over the winter? I always wonder what people do for work in the off season.

[TacticalWargames]

Try and finish a counter set for an upcoming wargame, testing said game, WOFF and maybe some Combat Mission (Just gave Graviteam Tactics OS a decent play..but really waiting for Muis front), some more Witcher 3 and that will do I think.