u/Turnbuckler

There are 2 PS2 versions: Launch (1.03) and Greatest Hits (3.0). 1.03 has the following issues that I’m aware of:

- Tedious score requirement for a dancing minigame early on
- Overly difficult fuel constriction for the remote-controlled airplane mission midway through
- A Pay-N-Spray in Los Venturas that doesn’t appear on the map, and has a section of floor you can fall through. This location was fixed rather than removed for 3.0.

I’ve also read conjecture that the bloom lighting is stronger in 3.0, and that cars move along the highways more smoothly. But this hasn’t been corroborated anywhere that I can see.

It would seem that the obvious version to play is 3.0, except for one thing: it doesn’t have Retro Achievements. So if you care about having little flag posts of your gameplay, that can be a huge loss.

Which version do you play? Are the issues that I listed dealbreakers, or are the Retro Achievements just that enticing for you?

When CJ gets dumped out in the boonies, he might hear a very appropriate song on K-Rose: “One Step Forward and Two Steps Back.” One step forward because he’s just made a very close ally that he knows he can trust, two steps back because well, he’s been betrayed and kicked out of his home. I’m not suggesting that this was intentional, but it’s just kind of neat.

And now I’m kind of wondering, are there other points in the story where radio songs might be pertinent? There have to be some! Let’s get creative with our thinking. Again, not suggesting that these are intentional- although I’m open to the suggestion that they are.

Beat the game last night, and while I'm glad I stuck it through, I can't decide whether it was worth it. I mean 54 hours? There are aspects that I loved such as:

- The main characters. I loved Mario and Luigi- they were so fun to watch throughout the story. I really enjoyed watching Connie's journey unfold, too.

- The battle plug system

- The themes of connection and rejecting the isolation of a dopamine chamber- very relevant in our world

- The art style, although some of those cutscenes reveal some really bad textures.

- The audio-visual feedback. Doing things just feels satisfying in this game.

But then there are things that I either didn't care for or outright hated:

- The attempts at humor. Not terribly common, and that's a good thing because most of them fall flat.

- The side quests. They're all just fetch quests! And if you run into a little scrub on an island you reconnected 15 hours ago, you still have to go through the tedium of the fight and earn that 8 xp.

- Every step of the way has to have some sort of environmental puzzle, some sort of runaround busywork. You can never just go through a dungeon and make your way to the boss. Always some weird circumstance, and it always goes on just a bit too long.

- Episodic islands. A few would've been fine. But no, most of the islands have these irrelevant, uninteresting, unfunny mini-plots that you have to trudge through while the main story just sits in the background.

When Brothership shines, it really shines. But I'd say it has at least 20 hours of padding. I think what it comes down to is that Mario and Luigi are two of my comfort characters, and the game just feels good to play. Even if a puzzle is dragging out the pacing, the way the game controls and responds just feels right. Well, unless it's an M-L panel segment. Why wouldn't Luigi know to wait up?

I don't think I've ever spent so much time with a game that I both loved and hated. Well okay, Godzilla PS4 might qualify, but I don't know if I've quite put in 54 hours. I just have this weird, middling feeling. I could read a 4/10 review and an 8/10 and agree mostly with both of them. There are few games I’ve played that made me feel this way.

Pure trial and error bullshit. The most grueling nonsense I’ve ever been put through in one of these games. At the end of the most padded-out game I’ve ever played. I’m only still in it because if I quit now, I’d feel like I completely wasted my time instead of just kind of wasting it.

What a shame that Brothership is the way that it is. There is a fantastic game in here, but it’s 30 hours longer than it needs to be, and shit like this is exactly why.

“I can use the Power Winch, to trigger a controlled explosion.”

What are some other lines that are stuck in your head due to peculiarity, repetition, or other memorability? Have a few more from me:

“I’ve got so much money even BATman won’t be able to stop me!”

“I set a trap, and you sprang it GLORiously!”

“Augmented Reality Training, online.”