I ask because I'm apparently less than halfway through my first playthrough (now at Operation 005-B, on Normal), and I'm continually bowled over by how this game continues to relentlessly one-up itself with hyper-climatic boss fights, set-pieces and one-off gimmicks that incorporate all kinds of different viewpoints, vehicles, etc. And they're all well-designed and FUN. It feels like a journey of RE4 proportions, with the same rollicking pace, to boot, but supercharged with the unapologetic zeal that comes with the character action genre.
This already feels like TWICE the content and 10 times the variety of Metal Gear Rising, and again, I'm less than halfway through. The sheer amount of stuff to tinker with is obscene -- morphs to unlock and purchase, skills and custom blocks to equip, power-ups to collect and create, action figures to acquire, enemy files and hero files to find, bottlecaps (achievements) to earn, new heroes to recruit, the ability to level up individual heroes, etc. There is an exhaustive amount of optional lore to read through, including a bestiary, and apparently when you beat the game, a 3D model viewer for the absurd number of characters unlocks, as well as higher difficulties.
Not to mention, there's like a zillion secrets in every level, including some devilishly well-hidden areas barely hinted at off-screen (
). There's invisible stuff to uncover by circling it with the Wonder Liner, there are windows and portholes and other gaps that produce treasure if you send your men up the walls to reach them. Tons of stuff is fully destructible, showering you with treasure. There's just so much to DO and so much to UNCOVER.
And then there's the core combat. Mechanically and conceptually, the game is constantly introducing new things. In terms of tactics, there are so many ways you can approach the wide variety of enemies: Mobbing them to stun and stagger, launching them into the air, juggling them with multiple morphs, chaining combos with Dodge Offset, slowing time, bouncing attacks with Unite Guts, dodging and dropping mines with Unite Spring (and then recruiting the enemies!) -- the list goes on and on. Add to this the way you can modify the power of your attacks by pumping more heroes into them, and it's dizzying, all the ways you can approach each situation!
Now I'm not an expert on the action game genre, so I'm asking those who have played Ninja Gaiden Black and other titles I haven't gotten around to yet: Is TW101 the most voluminous and varied action game ever? Because I'm seriously blown away.
This already feels like TWICE the content and 10 times the variety of Metal Gear Rising, and again, I'm less than halfway through. The sheer amount of stuff to tinker with is obscene -- morphs to unlock and purchase, skills and custom blocks to equip, power-ups to collect and create, action figures to acquire, enemy files and hero files to find, bottlecaps (achievements) to earn, new heroes to recruit, the ability to level up individual heroes, etc. There is an exhaustive amount of optional lore to read through, including a bestiary, and apparently when you beat the game, a 3D model viewer for the absurd number of characters unlocks, as well as higher difficulties.
Not to mention, there's like a zillion secrets in every level, including some devilishly well-hidden areas barely hinted at off-screen (
the red line on the ground in Operation 004 leading down to the pipe...
And then there's the core combat. Mechanically and conceptually, the game is constantly introducing new things. In terms of tactics, there are so many ways you can approach the wide variety of enemies: Mobbing them to stun and stagger, launching them into the air, juggling them with multiple morphs, chaining combos with Dodge Offset, slowing time, bouncing attacks with Unite Guts, dodging and dropping mines with Unite Spring (and then recruiting the enemies!) -- the list goes on and on. Add to this the way you can modify the power of your attacks by pumping more heroes into them, and it's dizzying, all the ways you can approach each situation!
Now I'm not an expert on the action game genre, so I'm asking those who have played Ninja Gaiden Black and other titles I haven't gotten around to yet: Is TW101 the most voluminous and varied action game ever? Because I'm seriously blown away.
