The accursed entity has been challenged and conquered... Ok, dramatics aside, this is the first mastery I've gotten for a game I had never played prior, but due to it's connection to a franchise I adore, and my desire to get the full franchise set eventually, thus begins hopefully one of many classics I can enjoy. Well... At least enjoy more than this...

- - - - -

XII | Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier

PlayStation 2 | Platformer
High Impact Games (2009)

It's no secret that this game is lambasted in circles that still engage with the Jak franchise, mainly speedrunners and their twitch chats, and I have, as someone who enjoys watching speed content for those games, engaged in similar shenanigans, speaking as if this game were the antichrist, the worst sin gaming had ever birthed.

Of course, the truth of the matter is the fact the game is just, mundane and mediocre. From the far less refined movement, to the completely stunted platforming challenges, eco powers that should be cool and fun instead just reducing the game to a slog of "Use power in obvious context", and combat reduced to a slow, tedious slog with enemies that seem gluttons for pain, only made exponentially worse on subsequent playthroughs in hero mode. Eco upgrades on paper sound cool, until the fact their actual applicability is mediocre at best.

The ship flying gameplay that defines the games open traversal areas and honestly, the second half of the games runtime with combat sections fares a touch better. As a traversal method, the tight reactive zooming of Jak 2's haven or to a lesser extent the gallavants throughout the wasteland in 3 are far more enjoyable than the boring point to point traversal, and the aerial combat being at least somewhat engaging, if not ultimately a mess of aerial maenuours and struggling to shoot whatever needed shooting.

But, despite the average and honestly, boring gameplay loop, it's the lack of flourishes, and the polish the first three games exuded that kill this game and my enjoyment of it. The narritive is a trite mess that had me genuinely skipping cutscenes by halfway through playthrough one. The movement, one of the original trilogies crowning achievements, feels stiff and sluggish. The expressiveness of the world and character animations, gone. While one could argue that these are losses from being a portable game, it doesn't change the fact it makes for a worse gameplay experience.

But that's the rub, this review is all comparisons, to games far more polished, because that's what this is. This is the final legacy of those games. And in truth, were the three returning characters, the concept of eco and the precursors replaced with different original concepts, this game would be middle of the road fine. But it stands as a Jak game. And as a Jak game?

It sure ain't the anitchrist, but it's got horns, a pitchfork and a boiling pit of lava as it eggs you on about a nostalgia it'll never service.

Achievement Set

TeddyWestside
70 Cheevo's // 640 Points

Where my thoughts on the game itself are pretty middle of road, my thoughts on the set are far more explosively mixed. On one hand, with a game that seems alergic to tracking some of it's side activities, it's nice to have them properly looked after. On the other...

Three. Full. Playthroughs.

This is partially my fault, I went into the first run through of the game more casually that I probably should, missing a decent number of the games precursor orbs hidden behind backtracking, but EVEN then, having an achievement that requires players to do at least 2.5 playthroughs for mastery is painful. Even IF it is the total needed to buy all secrets, with the hero mode ones being untenable for mastery progression it feels like an aggregious waste of time and energy.

Otherwise, progression tracking is the name of the game, with the remainder mainly keeping atop your completion of side tasks. It's, passable. But the lack of anything substantial to sink your teeth into, no hitless boss challenges, no time attack on the timed missions, not even an actual all orbs in one run achievement which at least would have given some sense of value to the eggs, just progress and grinding.

Awards

Best Achievement - Massacre ^((Kill 5 enemies at once)) |
It seems simple, it is simple, it's a fun little puzzle that challenges you to set up enemies. Yes, this genuinely was my fave.

Worst Achievement - Orb Obsessive ^((515 Precursor Orbs)) |
Three. Full. Playthroughs.

The Grand Challenge - Orb Obsessive ^((515 Precursor Orbs)) |
Three*. Full. Playthroughs.
^(*2.5 if you're actually properly completing the game on run one.)

Game Score - Mediocre ^((3)) |
I was done enough with this game the first time around. And having done it thrice, I will never look at it again. Just barely worth it for the novelty if anything.

Set Score - Detrimental ^((3)) |
THREE. FULL. PL- Ok but in all seriousness, tacks on even more playtime to a game that honestly, at best deserves your first playthrough, and if merciful, a hero mode run.

- - - - -

It's dead, and now I never have to interact with this game again. But it feels freeing to finally understand the mediocrity behind the hyperbole now at least. Maybe next time I'll just chuck up a longplay while grinding pokemon shiny sets...

Well, back to the grindstone with the franchise that brought me into the world of video games! While some of my previous Masteries were of the original trilogy of the Jak franchise, that really only leave me with spinoffs (all one of them) and non Naughty Dog affairs, so best I tackle the one I'm familiar with first!

I'm also gonna try and trim down my ramblings a little, just a little.

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Daxter

PlayStation Portable | Platformer
Ready at Dawn (2006)

When you hear the term "Portable prequel" it doesn't exactly elicit high hopes for something of quality, yet despite that Daxter certainly catches you off guard, being a certainly more bite sized adventure than the PS2 counterparts, but still an experience that's mostly enjoyable. It certainly is nowhere in terms of condemnation, such as the Ratchet and Clank portable outings, yet at the same time even with the expectation shift in mind, I can't 100% put my full support into the title.

The one thing the Jak games, even the rushed one had, was an underlying polish and glean that's rare to find in other titles. The titular hero feels snappy and a joy to move, camera's are smooth and rarely an obstacle, and the presentation is handled with care and grace that belies the more cinematic direction the studio took in the following generations.

But Daxter, lacks that extra spit and shine that really makes the games prior pop. Some can be attributed to it's portable nature, but in other regards, it feels like poor design choices. Snapshot checkpoints that demand re-engaging with every foe for their collectable (and in a couple of scenarios, broke spawns requiring backtracking and playing a level again), narrative choices that feel pointless in a narrative that's already spinning their wheels, where the promised tale of resucing the real hero boils down to a part time job, and the final two levels having impact.

However, despite my chilly reception of the Jank, the fact remains that this game still has the heart of the franchise, even if it can't always get it right, which is far more that can be said of other portable adventures from established brands, even in this franchise... (One day Lost Frontier)

Achievement Set

TeddyWestside
83 Cheevo's // 989 Points

Frankly, this is probably the first pure tracking set I've played through. While even sets that mainly tracked collectables had small extras like hitless bosses or minimum deaths, the set here is simple and standard as they come. Only real bonus you get here is a tracker for the bug minigame cages throughout the adventure. Otherwise, this set will give you little in terms of additional engagement with the game, but it's not going to hinder it either.

Minus the bug with the bug minigame. Dunno what happened there? Though this set also has the odd quirk of requiring the PSN version of the game and only that, despite a notable contingent requesting the physical version hash be added. Just, keep that in mind if you wish to attempt!

Awards

Best Achievement - Don't Touch It Daxter! ^((Find the hidden Jak mask in the Prison level))
Honestly this goes to all the mask hiding achievements, a fun lil bonus challenge, made not too difficult since the achievements direct you to the level. Still a fun extra thing to keep an eye out for.

Worst Achievement - Bug Brawler ^((Win a match of "Bug Combat"))
This wins purely on the fact it's bugged and won't always pop. Also honestly? It's a victory lap for completing the game, because never touching this "Fancy Rock Paper Scissors" mode again.

Most Difficult Achievement - You Shall Not Pass! ^((Gold Trophy in Dream 6))
This demands Half Circles. On a D-Pad (My apologies to those who had to play this on the actual hardware). Also it is notably more lengthy than the other dream sequences. Not actually that hard luckily.

Game Rating - Decent (5)
It's still a decent time, but beyond returning to this for the Jak Franchise mastery eventually, or nostalgia, I'd not choose to come back. The OG trilogy is still right there!

Set Rating - Mediocre (4)
It covers the basics and like one gameplay extra. Detracted by the version mismatching stuff, and some light bugs in unlocks, but there's nothing wrong much once it gets going.

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It's just Jak X left now... right? Right?!

A double trouble post here this time, another set of PS2 nostalgia trips, one for the right reasons, and one for the wrong reasons. Interestingly though, as set #2 and #3 from the same dev, I find myself enjoying unravelling the design philosophies of different set creators, but nevertheless, reviews! Since it's a double feature I'll try to be less verbose. Try.

Mastery #9 - Crash Tag Team Racing

PS2 | Racing / Platforming
Radical Entertainment - 2005

It's no secret that Crash Team Racing, the original bookend to the crash series from it's original creators, is a well regarded racing game to this day, enough to incite a seperate remake of the game, ending up far expanded compared to it's original iteration. But where that game is still highly regarded, in most cases Tag Team Racing is long forgotten, and honestly, for good reason. Because the saddest part is, without the games core gimmick, I genuinely think this could have been a decent game.

Instead, Crash Tag Team Racing bogs itself down in this focus of comabt racing, the core gimmick being merging into cars, and having one person take control of a gunner turret to shoot down other racers, or targets along the track to gain boost. The underlying issue is, the mechanic takes away so much difficulty that for most general races, you can merge, shoot and win without any driving. Tracks are saddled with the need to be a mix of shooting gallery and race course, leading to the "theme park" aestetic that doesn't really jive with the series or even the game sometimes. In basically every scenario, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage if you don't merge too, less boost, worse items, and at the mercy of those who do, it robs the actual racing of the skill expression that makes these kinds of games fun to come back to.

Combine this with a single player mode that tries to bind everything together with some light platforming elements (which when the controls aren't being a pill, do have their moments of fun), as well as a variety of minigames (two, more shooting or a bowling alley), and adding even more side modes to each track, such as a driving AND shooting hit targets objective, it feels like the direction was for variety and zaniness, when if the core driving, tracks and balance had been better addressed, I feel; like this cvould have been a great game.

Mind you, for what it is, it's fine. It mostly handles and runs ok, and even in the clashed chaos, there is still plenty of mastery to achieve, I just wish, it could have been more.

Achievement Set

Created by Excessiveiser
81 Cheevo's // 751 Points

As to be expected of a racing game, most of the achievements in this set are focused around what I'd call "mastery" achievements. While the game inherently has a gold trophy record in nearly every game type, the achievements here will ask you to go that little bit further. Therefor, arguably the quality of the achievements comes down to how much these achievements push you, be they not really being a challenge to succeed, or being horridly difficult.

Fortunately, I'd say in most cases, the difficulty here is tuned well enough to both be challenging but possible. You'll likely not get the times/scores you need on your first run, but with practice, and mastery of the game, you should be able to get most of these. However, there are a few of the "Run and Gun" achievements, the on rails target shooting mode that can be inherently very frustrating, hell one of these achievements straight up give an exception, where all other versions of this achievement is all targets hit, one level straight up just doesn't render the last one.

Which brings up an interesting point. Some of these achievments are hard, frustratingly difficult, but I never really blame the set itself, and I think that actually reflects the fairness of the achievements. If the game asks me to get 80/84 targets, I don't see it as an unreasonable ask to get 84/84 for an achievement, even if the game itself makes it frustratingly difficult.

Even the minigame achievements aren't too bad, minus the second bowling minigame, though again, strategies exist to make this managable. Ulitmately, a set I'd say I enjoyed, mostly, and it's thorns are more the game than it.

Awards

Most Loved Achievement - Clutch's Pole Position - Craters on Uranus (1:31.50 on Track 15)
A perfect final time trial to prove your mastery of the games driving, the time is tight enough to make mistakes lethal, but also not require every last mote of timesave.

Most Hated Achievement - An All-Expense Paid Trip (All Multiplayer Purchases made)
Spamming 90+ battle arena matches to unlock a bunch of cars and skins I'll never use in a mode that I'll never touch is kinda meh. But hey, if the nominal "grind shit" achievement is my least fave, you've done something right.

Most Difficult Achievement - Um... Coco Did It! (100% (-1) on all Run and Gun in world 3)
A mix of a really frustrating weapon type for a shooting gallery, mixed with the tight camera turns required make this a challenging slog. Doable, but just be thankful for the mercy on track 3

Game Rating - Decent (5)
Certainly not something I'll likely come back to, but for what it is, it suffices. Would still suggest Jak X for more combat racing or CTR/Nitro Kart for better cart racing, but hey.

Set Rating - Good (8)
Provides a good extention of challenge in most areas and covers the game well. Even provides a good challenge of actually playing the game as a cart racer too, which is appreciated.

Mastery #10 - Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

PS2 | Platforming / Mistake
Check Six Games, Equinox Digital Entertainment & Backbone Entertainment - 2002

If the fact I put "Mistake" in the genre listing doesn't indicate my immediate feelings on this game, I don't know what will. Fun fact, this was my first spyro game long ago, and without the context of the original trilogy even young me clocked this game was, of mediocre quality. Coming back to this after having played the reignited trilogy, my disdain for this game is even greater. Tight compact levels that are fun to explore and pick apart repalce with sprawling nothingburger levels, fun side modes overdone and driven into the ground, and a snappy dragon replaced with a sluggish facimile lead to a gameplay experience that's less engaging and more enduring.

That's not to say that there's no fun to be had at all, even a crappy recreation of spyro still carries some of that DNA that made the original trilogy so fun to gallavant through back on the PS1, but the saddest part, the fact that Spyro feels so sluggish and bumpy to control, makes even these nuggets feel like a reprive from the poor quality rather than a triumpant moment of fun. The side games scattered throughout the levels don't fare much better, sluggish controls, unengaging objectives, and outside of the small smattering of platforming ones (which are servicable) it's just, meh

That's not to say of the quality of the actual content provided, with a number of bugs and poor design making some parts of this game that COULD be fun feel awful (I AM LOOKING AT YOU HONEY SLIDE) it leads to a game that feels disrpectful. To the players time, to the series legacy, and honestly, what nuggets of fun are in the title are eclipsed by the sheer frustration that the overall package offers. Honestly, unless you want a nostalgia trip, it isn't worth coming to this game, even for the cheevo set.

Achievement Set

Created by Excessiveiser
40 Cheevo's // 370 Points

For a game that's so fundamentally crappy, this set was frankly fine. Some of the tighter side game achievements were frustrating, but it mostly acted as a tracker set, popping achievements on level completion and progression. I don't have much to say really, so there is one achievement I want to extrapolate on I suppose, that being Unbee-lievably Fast, an achievement that tasks you with completing one of the three slide levels in the game in about a minute and a half.

There's just one issue. Out of all the content in the game, it was the buggiest here, extremely odd collision that almost felt like magnetism, jumps in some parts not register and pull you back to the ground, and an ending that is so broken and hard to parse that the timer for the achievement/leaderboard, despite every other slide in the game being when interacting with the NPC, this one is just when you stop sliding. It has certainly illuminated that when the game is broken, frustrations pile on not to the game, but the achievement creator.

Luckily in this case, the developer made the requirement not too stringent, so it doesn't reflect too poorly on the set, but as someone who is trying to approach these sets objectively, it's a good lesson to learn to seperate my frustration with the game from the requirements of the cheevo. Still, despite the rambling, yeah, servicable set.

Awards

Most Loved Achievement - Global Warming (1:34.00 on Slide 3)
Slides were my fave side mode. One was too short, one was buggy beyond all compare, one was just right. Guess which one this one was. Combined with having a very fun shortcut to pull off, twas my fave.

Most Hated Achievement - Are You Dragon Enough? (Tank Segment 2 Damageless)
This one is personal. This section is just frustrating, laggy which only makes each attempt take longer, and with projectiles the size of a bee stinger, LITERALLY, it makes for a generally unfun side mode, only made worse with the lack of room for mistake.

Most Difficult Achievement - Far Eastern Flight (Speedway 1 race in 1:43.50)
Oddly tight timing for this one, have to have quite strong lines and clean movement. Camera jank also makes it frustrating since you can miss rings. Certainly odd considering the other two speedways are far more managable.

Game Rating - Really bad (1)
Genuniely only got through this on nostalgia, and hanging out with friends in VC dunking on the game. A mess of experience that is just not work your time

Set Rating - Mostly Good (7)
Provides decent challenges to complete and keeps track of the game's progress well enough. Gets a bonus point for having some fun challenges (honestly final boss was made fun with the restrictions) and at least one good novelty achievement in there.

---

I think I need some high quality gaming injected into my veins now, until next time...

Another day, another game from my childhood that was more mediocre than I remember it mastered. Figured it was time for a genre switch up and to try something different! Also, while certainly not as massive a milestone as others, hey, halfway to five digits!

The Sims 2: Castaway

PS2 | Survival/Adventure
EA Redwood Shores - 2007

Another one of the 2000's attempts to make The Sims beyond just a life simulator, Castaway ditches to omnipresent angle, and instead tasks you with controlling Sims directly to explore, gather and thrive on a deserted island, all while trying to find a way to leave the archipelago, or discover the islands secrets.

While the description sounds fanciful at first, the reality is far more mundane. While a marriage of survival gameplay crossed with the franchises focus on customisation and management of needs sounds like it would naturally click and make for a fun experience, the resulting game instead brings out the worst in both aspects.

For fans of survival games, this toothless facimile of the genre they enjoy will satisfy barely if at all. There is no danger to you beyond that of not keeping your sims properly satisfied, and with half of said needs being single interactions, the base building aspects of the game feeling shallow and uninteresting, and a lack of meaningful challenge beyond knowing where to find what you need, it falls short.

For fans of the Sims series, while it fares better to some extent, it still doesn't fare well. This is first and foremost a Sims game first, however the shift to playing as your sim here doesn't really facilitate anything interesting. A lack of options for customisation, a woeful housing system that can only really consistently cover the bare basics and relations/connects that only really serve a basic gameplay function, while I am certainly not personally invested in the series, I can only imagine those that are would find little fun.

Add in the fact that the game can take quite a while to process tasks, even when emulated, and the length being stretched out by the nature of some of the tasks alone, there really isn't much reason to come back to this game, unless you're on that ever present grind for some cheevo's...

Achievement Set

Created by Brandovsky, kiwibasket & KingS1zzle
73 Cheevo's // 243 Points

While in general, I'd prefer to have much more to talk about in regards to achievement sets, since they're what we're all here for, there really isn't much to say here. The set is effectively a translation of the game's goals system into achievement form, meaning any complaint I have with the achievements here are more with the game than they are with the devs. They're all mostly simple tasks that aren't going to bust anyone's balls, and effectively act as a second bonus checklist for the games objectives.

That in of itself I'd argue is a complaint as well, it's a very passive set that doesn't give you the challenge to play differently, or even flag when you are able to perform actions beyond the scope of the game's missions. Two easy examples are triggering an easter egg with Aliens, or rebuilding an optional bridge to make transit less taxing, but then again I'm not entirely sure of the particulars of tracking PS2 games yet, so it may be limitation for all I know.

But I'd argue this is the first real, middle of the road set I've completed, knows what it's about, offers a tracker, the end. Servicable, which honestly is more than the game deserves.

Awards

Most Loved Achievement - Cheat Gnomed! (Activate Cheat Mode / Cheevo disable warning)
Honestly this is mainly here because I enjoy the flavour of flagging cheating disables the set by literally making an achievement to activate it. When flavour gets the fave slot though, oof.

Most Hated Achievement - Rocking the Shell (Create a Shell Vest)
An end game objective that took me at least an hour if not more. And why? Because I had to reload an end game area at least a good several dozen times, all to spawn in five rare shells.

Most Difficult Achievement - Rocking the Shell (Create a Shell Vest)
Tedium for the sake of tedium. These objectives are not hard, so the one that chews up the most time wins this "prestigious" title. One day I'll have a most difficult not be a most hated.

Game Rating - Mediocre (3)
Genuinely a slog from start to finish, where while mostly playable, you'll come out with little in the department of fun. Bearable with a good YouTube documentary playing in the background, but certainly wouldn't come to the game for fun. Thank the lord the game has an in built accelerator function at least.

Set Rating - Fine (5)
It exists. Doesn't really detract from the game, doesn't enhance in, just translates in game tasks into achievement form with some minor extra's for having a max size crew. It aight.

Closing Thoughts

Another game I'll likely never return to, where a younger self found the freedom and what at the time felt like expansive areas a fun change of pace, coming back with a more critical eye reveals that this game is more or less a busywork simulator. Personally, unless you have some personal nostalgia with the game, would highly suggest not going for the set. But certainly not a painful experience at least, just, boring.

I have picked up the tendency to do a little thoughts on the achievement sets posts, but I came across this subreddit, and as I become more and more enamoured with both the project in general and the community, I figured I'd do Reddit posts too. Will anyone read them? Probably no! But I like deep diving on my thoughts, and better to scream into the void than just, never say anything I suppose.

Madagascar

PS2 | Platformer
Toys for Bob - 2005

Quick thoughts on the Game

Made near the end of the movie lisenced 3rd party studio craze, depsite assuming like many others that this would be a cheap and quick cashgrab, it ironically still holds up decently well against the deluge of titles that came out around the time. The four main playable characters each fill their niche well, offering decent variations on gameplay, while not being overly gimmicky like a lot of 3D platformers tend to try. It's still got it's staples, forced stealth sections, short shooting sections, a bunch of minigames, but it usually either services the platforming, or isn't too intrusive. Probably because it's not particularly difficult, but it's an enjoyable experience throughout. Nothing amazing, but nothing grand either. Though, you can certainly see the DNA of a team capable of making great platformers in there (Remember this is the same studio that went on to make Crash 4: It's about Time! so uh, yeah that worked out).

If you're in the market for a breezy platformer, it's worth an afternoon! If you're looking for a fun achievement set, well...

The Set

While this is my first reddit post, before this, I've only mainly done sets that interpret in game objectives into achievements with your common "no hit bosses" and some minor bonus challenges. While they were servicable, and had some good nuggets, they weren't exactly anything amazing, but it was a good time!

This is the first set that genuinely felt like a proper challenge, and fun to actively complete. Every single level has at bare minimum one challenge, if not multiple, demanding a level of mastery that hasn't really been present in prior sets. They make you think on how to actually go about completing them, or push you to actually make you play at your best. To me, this is why I have come to love the RetroAchievements project, because what was, honestly, a pretty simple and easy platformer gets to demand me to be better and challenge myself, giving the game new life.

The best part is while there' your standard challenge achievements of no hit or speed, there's creative ones that utilize the game's design really well, an example being the "Coming of Age" level challenging you to complete a minimum hover challenge, or complete one of the two character swap levels "Back to the Beach" completely avoiding the use of one of said characters. Challenges that make you have to actually think and experiment with what the game gives you, it's fun!

But there's a reason for the warning above, that being that by that while the achivements that occur within the levels themselves are fun and engaging, for those looking for another mastery, the minigame achievements exist. Most are fine, high scores, with a few bonus arcade games in the first few levels having achievements that require a degree of strategy that can be frustrating, but doable. There's also the dedicated "Level Minigames" Minigolf and shuffleboard, both again, a bit difficult, but nothing enraging.

Then there's "Lemur Rave". Simple rythym minigame, five songs, a perfect chain achievement and a minimal misses on hard achievement. Most of these are doable. The first two songs are easy even on hard, third doesn't pose that much challenge, fourth is not a cakewalk, but managable. Hell, was even able to full chain it! But the last song, is genuinely awful.

386 inputs across 2 minutes, with multiple chains where you'll have to multi-hit into switching to a different symbol immediately after. And still, five misses only. To rythym game players, I'm sure this sounds paltry, but to someone who came here for a platformer, I think this single achievement highlights a point of design for sets I'm sure I'll experience and dislike each time. This is not easy. This is hard, and fair enough to make an achievement for it. But when an achievement, the hardest achievement in your set is for a side mode in an entirely different genre, I see it as a failing. When 1/3rd of your playtime is consumed on that, well...

Still, besides that, it's genuinely a phenominal set! Which honestly makes it more frustrating, but alas.

Awards

Best Achievement - Last Will and Testament: Truancy
^(Collect all beacon parts in 'Back to the Beach' without playing as Melman.)

Worst Achievement - Music for Swingin' Lemurs
^(Complete 'Peppermint' in Lemur Rave without getting five misses. [1-Player, Hard].)

Most Challenging Achievement - Music for Swingin' Lemurs
^(Complete 'Peppermint' in Lemur Rave without getting five misses. [1-Player, Hard].)

Game Score - 6/10
^(Good, it's fun, enjoyable throughout, and ultimately, while not for a while, certainly wouldn't mind coming back sometime!)

Set Score - 7/10
^(Mostly Good. Has hickups, but beyond those minor issues, it's a good set. Without the issues would like be bumped up a point, but alas.)

Anyway, enough prattling! Sorry if this is long, just like rambling, and not got anyone to really ramble to about this!