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THUMPER is pretty much a perfect game

Despera

Banned
Brilliant game, art style, soundtrack, gameplay, all amazing.

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strange I don't remember the game looking this good in motio... oh hai sunhi!
 
Any more than asserting you haven't played Shadow of Mordor if you don't own an expensive PS4 instead of the PS3 you have that also plays the game? Reminder that the nemesis system is entirely disabled on previous gen versions.
That's a pretty terrible comparison and also I wouldn't say that you haven't played Shadow of Mordor if you played the PS3 version
 

nynt9

Member
Game looks great, but my old eyes just can't keep up with hardly any of it. Like, it's almost impossible for me to discern between lights that indicate my input is needed versus those that are just "pretties." Getting old sucks. :(

Playing the game visually is kinda tough, you should rely more on the audio than the video. The game will always play you the sound of the movement you need to do right before you do it. Pay attention to that, and use visuals as an additional guide. Also play with headphones if possible (this is one area where VR has the advantage of total immersion)
 
Playing the game visually is kinda tough, you should rely more on the audio than the video. The game will always play you the sound of the movement you need to do right before you do it. Pay attention to that, and use visuals as an additional guide. Also play with headphones if possible (this is one area where VR has the advantage of total immersion)

Huh, I had no idea! That's pretty cool. Guess I'll dust off ye olde cans.
 

Draconian

Member
I really want to get this, but unfortunately I'm pretty terrible at just about any rhythm game that I've played so I'm hesitant to pull the trigger.
 

jariw

Member
For someone who has played both VR and Switch, how does the VR vs. HD Rumble experience differ in this game?
 
I bought this, thanks guys. Didn't know what this was about even when I played the demo on the ps4 a few months ago at a best buy.

I figured I need to use this SD card space somehow, lol.
 

Neiteio

Member
I really want to get this, but unfortunately I'm pretty terrible at just about any rhythm game that I've played so I'm hesitant to pull the trigger.
It really doesn't feel like a conventional rhythm game. More like F-Zero, but tapping A when you drive over boost pads, and holding A when you corner. It feels more like an action game with rhythmic elements, if that makes sense.

I normally struggle with rhythm games because once I screw up, a million more screw-ups immediately follow. But with Thumper, I'm usually able to shrug it off and just focus on hitting the next mark. It's just fun.
 

CrisKre

Member
It really doesn't feel like a conventional rhythm game. More like F-Zero, but tapping A when you drive over boost pads, and holding A when you corner. It feels more like an action game with rhythmic elements, if that makes sense.

I normally struggle with rhythm games because once I screw up, a million more screw-ups immediately follow. But with Thumper, I'm usually able to shrug it off and just focus on hitting the next mark. It's just fun.
I would add this has some action elements as well with the bosses, and it feels pretty visceral.
 

Neiteio

Member
I would add this has some action elements as well with the bosses, and it feels pretty visceral.
Yep, and with the bosses, the patterns keep repeating, so if you miss your marks, you can simply try again when they repeat, provided you survive.
 

Tahnit

Banned
thumper with nvidia 3d vision is fucking incredible. you have that spatial sense like vr but without a headset. It just goes deep into the distance. Highly recommend it if you have the hardware.
 
I agree with everything in the OP, but I still don't fully enjoy the game. This is more of a personal reason, but Thumper's grading system makes the experience a lot more detrimental for me. It's not about whether or not I can get the desired grade, but more that I naturally get obsessed with getting the good grade and won't stop until I get it (I like to feel good about how I did, and that won't stop anytime soon). Each checkpoint is individually graded (and your grade is partially independent of your score), which puts a lot of pressure on me to do well. To make things worse, with Thumper, I can't just quit a level and come back to it from where I left off, because the game demands that its levels are completed in a single run (meaning having to "restart at checkpoint" a crap ton and being unable to put it down/come back to it tomorrow). Combined with my desire to do well, as well as the frequency/strictness of the grading system, I find it much harder to enjoy all the other aspects of the game (which are all amazing). It's the same problem I had with Stealth Inc. 2, where all the great aspects of the game are bogged down by the existence/design of the grading system because I can't really move on without feeling good about my performance in the level I was just in.

With only so much time to play games, I don't have a lot of interest in a game that essentially demands perfection and uninterrupted chunks of my limited time for me to feel satisfied. I don't have this issue with a game like Bayonetta or DMC since the game and grading system is designed around the player getting better instead of being perfect, as well as allowing the player to say "I'll just put it down for now and come back to it tomorrow". Thumper doesn't really allow for this in any way by design, since for me it basically demands perfection from the get go, which is really unfortunate because I really do like it otherwise.
 

Neiteio

Member
I agree with everything in the OP, but I still don't fully enjoy the game. This is more of a personal reason, but Thumper's grading system makes the experience a lot more detrimental for me. It's not about whether or not I can get the desired grade, but more that I naturally get obsessed with getting the good grade and won't stop until I get it (I like to feel good about how I did, and that won't stop anytime soon). Each checkpoint is individually graded (and your grade is partially independent of your score), which puts a lot of pressure on me to do well. To make things worse, with Thumper, I can't just quit a level and come back to it from where I left off, because the game demands that its levels are completed in a single run (meaning having to "restart at checkpoint" a crap ton and being unable to put it down/come back to it tomorrow). Combined with my desire to do well, as well as the frequency/strictness of the grading system, I find it much harder to enjoy all the other aspects of the game (which are all amazing). It's the same problem I had with Stealth Inc. 2, where all the great aspects of the game are bogged down by the existence/design of the grading system because I can't really move on without feeling good about my performance in the level I was just in.

With only so much time to play games, I don't have a lot of interest in a game that essentially demands perfection and uninterrupted chunks of my limited time for me to feel satisfied. I don't have this issue with a game like Bayonetta or DMC since the game and grading system is designed around the player getting better instead of being perfect, as well as allowing the player to say "I'll just put it down for now and come back to it tomorrow". Thumper doesn't really allow for this in any way by design, since for me it basically demands perfection from the get go, which is really unfortunate because I really do like it otherwise.
The "restart from checkpoint" option includes the option to restart from the current checkpoint, or the previous one. So if you complete a section and move onto the next checkpoint, you're not locked out from the previous one — you can still go back to it and try again for the S rank.

Also, you can stop playing a world at any time, and go play another world in the meantime, and the previous world will still remember your progress, so that you can go back and pick up where you left off. For example, I started replaying World 1 for a better score, then left off at the boss and started a new world. Halfway through the new world, I went back to World 1 and picked up at the boss where I left off. And then I went back to the new world and resumed there, as well.
 

jariw

Member
I agree with everything in the OP, but I still don't fully enjoy the game. This is more of a personal reason, but Thumper's grading system makes the experience a lot more detrimental for me. It's not about whether or not I can get the desired grade, but more that I naturally get obsessed with getting the good grade and won't stop until I get it (I like to feel good about how I did, and that won't stop anytime soon). Each checkpoint is individually graded (and your grade is partially independent of your score), which puts a lot of pressure on me to do well. To make things worse, with Thumper, I can't just quit a level and come back to it from where I left off, because the game demands that its levels are completed in a single run (meaning having to "restart at checkpoint" a crap ton and being unable to put it down/come back to it tomorrow). Combined with my desire to do well, as well as the frequency/strictness of the grading system, I find it much harder to enjoy all the other aspects of the game (which are all amazing). It's the same problem I had with Stealth Inc. 2, where all the great aspects of the game are bogged down by the existence/design of the grading system because I can't really move on without feeling good about my performance in the level I was just in.

With only so much time to play games, I don't have a lot of interest in a game that essentially demands perfection and uninterrupted chunks of my limited time for me to feel satisfied. I don't have this issue with a game like Bayonetta or DMC since the game and grading system is designed around the player getting better instead of being perfect, as well as allowing the player to say "I'll just put it down for now and come back to it tomorrow". Thumper doesn't really allow for this in any way by design, since for me it basically demands perfection from the get go, which is really unfortunate because I really do like it otherwise.

Don't blame the games for arbitrary goals that you set yourself. Those grades aren't requirements for the progression or anything AFAIK.
 

Neiteio

Member
Don't blame the games for arbitrary goals that you set yourself. Those grades aren't requirements for the progression or anything AFAIK.
He's not really blaming the game. He acknowledges it's a good game, but just explains why it's hard for him to enjoy with his personal habits.

lord_of_flood, maybe you'd enjoy it more thinking of it as a rollercoaster simulation rather than a game?
 

pagrab

Member
It is good. It is bold and original. But in my opinion it is waaay to repetitive to be a "perfect rhythm game".
 

Neiteio

Member
It is good. It is bold and original. But in my opinion it is waaay to repetitive to be a "perfect rhythm game".
I could potentially see this. A lot of back-and-forth panel-and-then-walls sections.

But man. I never get tired of those. Feels like I'm being launched into space.
 

zenspider

Member
Great write-up. One of my favorites - double dipped on PSVR and Switch.

Does anybody who has both versions feel input lag? I'm having more trouble with my timing than I did in PSVR, but I can' tell if it's the perspective or plain ol' lag.

Would love options to calibrate for different setups on Switch, but yeah, add this to the "have you ever played a PERFECT game?" thread and get into semantic arguments. I got your back on Thumper for sure.
 
Walls. These pop up at corners and have red flashing lights. Some are long, some are short. You hold in the direction you wish to turn while holding A during the turn. You can start holding A and turning early, before you reach the wall, but it appears that for the most points, you need to do it right upon reaching the wall. If you hit a wall, you'll take damage.

My brain can't handle these and it stops me from enjoying the game to the fullest. My instinct always tell me to aim towards the walls instead of away from them and I almost always mess up when I'm not actively thinking STEER AWAY.

>:
 

GDGF

Soothsayer
Just spent the last four hours playing this. It's kind of amazing how well everything comes together.
 
God damn it I just bought two games and now I really want this one as well... So the Switch version is worth it when compared to the PC? (I don't have a VR System for my PC or my Ps4).
 

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
I love this game.

It's rare I play something that feels like it comes from the future. Thumper gives me this impression.
 

Neiteio

Member
God damn it I just bought two games and now I really want this one as well... So the Switch version is worth it when compared to the PC? (I don't have a VR System for my PC or my Ps4).
Yep, Switch version is excellent. Get it and enjoy the portability and HD Rumble!
 

Neiteio

Member
How is it if you're truly awful at rhythm games?
I said this before, but I don't see it as as a rhythm game so much as a rhythmic game. That might seem like a trifling distinction, but the idea is it's more like an action game with quick high-impact decisions — slamming panels, grinding walls, etc. Many sections repeat themselves until you get them right, so if you can scrape by and survive until you understand the patterns, you can tackle them without having to start over. As long as you don't obsess over S-ranking everything (which could be absurdly difficult), you'll get your money's worth — the game's flow and feedback is second to none. It's like having your own personal rollercoaster in your living room and/or the palm of your hand.
 
I said this before, but I don't see it as as a rhythm game so much as a rhythmic game. That might seem like a trifling distinction, but the idea is it's more like an action game with quick high-impact decisions — slamming panels, grinding walls, etc. Many sections repeat themselves until you get them right, so if you can scrape by and survive until you understand the patterns, you can tackle them without having to start over. As long as you don't obsess over S-ranking everything (which could be absurdly difficult), you'll get your money's worth — the game's flow and feedback is second to none.

That's great to know, I've been fascinated by trailers and the impressions I've seen but have never got on with rhythm games. Will definitely take the plunge next payday.
 

Joeku

Member
I adore everything about this game. I get hand cramps from how hard I grip my controller when playing it. Nothing else does that to me; I've never been one for accidentally clicking sticks from a heavy hand.

One little niggle: there was an acidy, DMT-esque type of terror in the earliest trailers that got lost in favour of a little bit more of an industrial lean. Not that the latter is bad, but I'm into existential masochism in my entertainment. I love shit that makes me feel like the universe is a strange nightmare that's out to get me. For as intense as Thumper is, it's not quite that.

Still, glorious game.
 

EVO

Member
Loving this influx of new players, but where were you guys last year? The OT was full of praise. If anyone is on the fence still just buy it. Videos don't do it justice.
 
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