Diablo IV (PC) - Part 1

Developer:

Blizzard

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Release Date:

2023

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Systems:

Win, Xbone, Series X|S, PS4, PS5

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This week on Super Adventures, I'm taking a look at a game I said I would never buy due to its unnecessary always-online DRM: it's Blizzard's action RPG sequel Diablo IV!

So what made me change my mind in the end? Nothing, I didn't buy it, it was included with Xbox Game Pass so I thought I'd give it a try. Oh, I should mention that I played it way back in January, so this is going to be hilariously out of date. These regularly updated modern games are a bad match for my 'Eh, I'll finish the final draft later' work ethic. They're not a great fit for my 'Hey, here are some screenshots of retro games!' site ethic either, but I've found procrastination can actually solve that problem as long as I keep my articles on the back burner for a decade or so.

I had somehow managed to avoid learning anything about Diablo 4 before playing it, so if I seem entirely clueless, that's because I was. I'm still clueless actually. I'm assuming that there's something people don't like about it, some kind of controversy (because: Blizzard), but I haven't looked into what it is. Plus I did my best to ignore all the multiplayer stuff, all the microtransactions, and all the... whatever else it has. I don't even know what it has, I ignored it.

Though I did pay attention to the story, so there'll be SPOILERS for the first few hours of the game. Or at least what the game was like a few months ago.

Super Adventures in Rat-Infested RPG Cellars

Anyone who's played a few RPGs knows that one of the first things a level 1 newbie hero has to do is go sort out someone's rodent problem. There are rats in the cellar, rats in the basement, rats in the storeroom and rats in the larder, and clearing them out is a job for the least experienced of adventurers.

At least, that's the cliché, and it's as infamous as having to go see the village elder, or collect 10 wolf pelts. But how common is this trope in reality? When did games start treating it like a joke? Where did it even come from?

Today I'm going through RPGs I've played from the newest to the oldest on a quest to see how deep this rat cellar goes. It's not going to be an exhaustive list, I haven't played that many RPGs, but if rat quests are really as ubiquitous as advertised then by the end I'm going to be exhausted.

This will include SPOILERS for any games that do something interesting enough with their rat quest for it to be worth spoiling.

Palworld (PC) - Part 2

This week on Super Adventures, I'm writing a bit more about the Game Preview of Palworld.

In part 1 I managed to sort out my food, clothing and shelter so now I'm ready to head out into the world and discover what it is you actually do in this game. Aside from catching Pokémon I mean. I'm aware of that bit.

It didn't take long for Nintendo to became aware of the Pokémon as well, and I'm not surprised that they sent their lawyers after the game. I get the impression the actual Pokémon games haven't had to work too hard to sell copies lately because there's been nothing to challenge them. The last thing they need is serious competition from something ambitious that hits all the modern trends and gives Pikachu a Gatling gun.

Alright, like I said last time, I played the game back in January so this is a slightly ancient build and for all I know they've reworked game mechanics and redesigned the interface since then. I played it for about 9 hours in total and it apparently takes 39 hours to beat, but don't expect to see a whole lot of progress here.

Palworld (PC) - Part 1

Developer:

Pocketpair

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Release Date:

Preview 2024

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Systems:

Win, Xbone, Series X|S, PS5, macOS

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This week on Super Adventures, I'm playing quirky Pokémon-inspired survival sim Palworld!

Actually there's no point in me pretending that this is something I've been playing this week, as you can see the version number on the title screen and I'm sure it's had a few updates since then. I wrote the "first draft" of this article back in January and I'm putting quotes around that because what I really mean is 'I wrote notes underneath screenshots and then left my future self to sort it out later'. Because that always works out great!

In my defence, it says "Game Preview" down on the other side of the screenshot, so technically the game isn't even out yet. I'm giving you an early sneak preview of a game in development... that everyone has already seen. Last I checked it was something like the second-highest played game on Steam.

A lot of people were a bit wary of this when it was announced, with its trailer full of Pokémon and assault rifles, and I can understand why they'd suspect it was going to be a bit of a janky mess. But I've actually played a bit of Pocketpair's previous game, Craftopia, so I went into this knowing that it was going to be a janky mess. I really liked Craftopia though; it was full of so much stuff and so many ideas, and it was weirdly endearing how none of it quite worked right.

Oh, before I start I need to mention that the desktop icon just says 'Pal' and that's adorable. Though I assume the original Japanese version would be labelled 'NTSC'.

Double Dragon (Arcade)

It's Super Adventures' 14th anniversary today, which means I really should've made a new logo for you. I've been too busy though, too busy to do it properly at least. But I've come up with a new logo every previous year since the site began, including the year that I quit and didn't write anything, so enjoy that one up there while it lasts because I don't expect it'll last much longer.

Also, enjoy this article I wrote about an old arcade game where you walk down the street and punch people.

Developer:

Technōs Japan

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Release Date:

1987

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Systems:

Arcade, NES, Master System + everything else

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This week on Super Adventures, I'm checking out another classic game for the very first time. Well, alright, I've probably played a bit of one of the ports, and I got Battletoads & Double Dragon - The Ultimate Team with my second-hand NES. But I assure you, when it comes to classic coin-op brawler Double Dragon, I am getting all my facts from Wikipedia and not my brain.

The game was released for arcades in 1987 and started appearing on home systems a year later (or three years if you were a NES owner in Europe). At first the Wikipedia infobox had me thinking that it was only ported to the NES and Master System and I wouldn't have 10,000 other versions to investigate, but nope the site was hiding the rest of the list in an attempt to protect me from the truth.

It even got released on TV, with a 1993 cartoon that influenced a 1994 movie that was adapted into a 1995 video game. Oh, and the cartoon got a game too. And then developer Technōs went bankrupt in 1996, so I'm assuming they weren't huge hits.

Though to call the original game a huge hit would be an understatement. It was the highest grossing arcade machine in the US for three years running, until Final Fight and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took its spot by basically doing the same thing. And when the console and computer ports came out they went and topped charts as well. People really loved Double Dragon.

Alright, I admit this isn't really my genre but I'm giving it an hour to win me over. It's an arcade game, so you could probably make it to the end in that time, but it's from the '80s, so I probably won't.

Super Adventures: Game Awards 20X4

This week on Super Adventures, I'd like to take a moment to look back at 2024 and give some well-earned kudos to the AAA megahits and the indie instant classics that brought me the most joy over the last year.

But I can't! I think the only 2024 game I got around to was probably Core Keeper and that's been playable in Early Access for ages. So instead, I'm looking back at three other years ending in '4' to see if I can come up with some games that have been worthy of awards in the past. Here's how this is going to work:

• I'll be giving out 6 awards for each year, so that's 18 awards in total.
• I'll be using each game's earliest release date anywhere in the world.
• I won't be limiting myself to games I've written about for Super Adventures.
• If any worthy games are missing, that's because I'm leaving them for you to mention in the comments.

In fact, I'll even throw in a bonus award: Best Game I've Played From 2024. And the winner is... Core Keeper! Nice job Pugstorm, thanks for giving me hours of co-op fun in a cave.