Toughest Tasks in Gaming History - Volume Eight

These five new gaming tasks are quite the tough cookies! I'm talking as tough as trying to get a pre-order in for the PlayStation 5, or to be even more topical, as tough as it was to wait for the U.S. presidential election to be called! These five gaming tasks demand patience, persistence, and a high degree of skill to complete, so if you wish to take these on (or already have), then you are a brave, brave soul! This time around on this eighth edition of Toughest Tasks in Gaming History, we have another helping of variety--from platformers like Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and Hollow Knight, to extreme sports games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2. So, strap in and get ready for a steep challenge!

Check out the previous seven volumes of Toughest Tasks in Gaming History with the following links:

Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
Volume Six

Volume Seven

Earning All Platinum Relics - Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS4, XB1)

Crash Bandicoot and his games have been no stranger to Toughest Tasks in Gaming History. If you thought earning Gold Relics in the Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy's three games was no walk in the park (and to be honest, you really shouldn't be walking to clear time trials), then you ain't seen nothing yet with the latest game in the series, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time.

Crash Bandicoot 4 takes an already somewhat difficult platforming series and turns up the dial to 11 to create one incredibly hard game, even just to beat normally. It's already tough to clear the absurdly lengthy levels in Crash Bandicoot 4 without dying already, but try doing it while racing against the clock with insanely (or is that "N. Sanely?) tough times to beat in order to earn Platinum Relics. Yes, you read that right. No longer is it okay to just earn a Gold Relic for an achievement like past Crash Bandicoot games--you have to earn a Platinum Relic on each and every hair-pulling, hard-as-nails level in It's About Time. Again, Crash Bandicoot 4 is already no cakewalk (again, you really shouldn't be walking to clear time trials), so having to clear levels in one life, without dying, and rush, rush, rush to the end will separate the casual Crash fans with the Crash fanatics (dare I say, masochists?). 

Getting All "Get Theres" - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

We move from one Activision-published game to another with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, yet another excellent return to form for a game series that was in hibernation for a while. Getting certain gaps in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 can be a challenge all to itself, but with the game's "Get There" challenges, the intensity of difficulty ramps up considerably.

"Get There" challenges require the player to perform consecutive gaps successively without bailing or running out their combo. While the Easy and Normal difficulty "Get There" challenges are simple enough, the Hard level "Get Theres" offer definitely daunting tasks. Many require minute-long combos to reach each and every gap necessary in a level to achieve them. Unlike the Easy and Normal "Get Theres", you can't just cheese your way through them with cheats like perfect manual or perfect grind abilities. These consecutive gap "Get There" challenges demand finely-honed precision, great execution, and above all else, immense patience to achieve. Just don't attempt to break your controller over your knee as if it were your skater's board due to the challenge and possible resulting rage.

Earning All Medals - Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (NSW)

With a new Hyrule Warriors on the horizon this month with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity soon releasing on the Nintendo Switch, it seems like a great time to bring up a challenging task within the original Hyrule Warriors. (Well, at least the re-release with all of the DLC included as part of the Nintendo Switch port.)

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is absolutely packed to the brim with content, offering so much to do and so much to play that it can be overwhelming. And believe me, perhaps "overwhelming" is an understatement. That's why the goal of getting all of the medals, or achievements, within the game is such a taxing task and no easy accomplishment.

Many of the medals are simple enough to earn, such as clearing Legend Mode, running a certain distance across all maps, and defeating a specific amount of enemies, but then you get to Adventure Mode. This mode includes over eight unique maps, each with their own multitude of stages that not only need to be beaten, but also cleared with an "A" rank for certain medals. In order to achieve an "A" rank, one must usually clear a stage within a certain time limit, defeat a number foes, and not take much damage to boot. 

Further, there's the immensely time-consuming task of playing around with the "My Fairy" feature of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, which has you feeding found faeries food in order for them to level up and learn new Fairy Skills. In order to get the medal for this part of the game, you have to learn every Fairy Skill, which requires an exorbitant amount of time and food. So, not only is earning every medal within Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition a tough task due to the difficulty of getting "A" ranks in Adventure Mode, but it's also an extraordinarily time-consuming one, too. I'm talking hundreds of hours "time-consuming".

Clearing Steel Soul Mode at 100% - Hollow Knight (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Our final two tough gaming tasks follow the same principle--they're just from different games but of the same genre. They're both 2D platformers of the Metroidvania persuasion, and they're also both beautiful lookers, too. 

The first is Hollow Knight, a game that this month is "free" for PlayStation Plus subscribers, interestingly and conveniently enough. Hollow Knight is already a challenging game with a wide open world that encourages exploration and doesn't rely on many roadblocks to keep players from uncovering its mysterious world. Beating the game is a tough task all to itself, in some regards, but doing so in Steel Soul Mode is even tougher! Pushing even further, clearing Steel Soul Mode with 100% completion is the toughest task one could ask for within Hollow Knight.

Steel Soul Mode is essentially Hollow Knight's permadeath mode. Our buggy hero only gets one life to live in the game, and once he perishes in battle or through an environment hazard, poof! The player's save file is over and they must start the game fresh all over again. Simply surviving the harsh underground labyrinths of Hollow Knight is a challenge all to itself, but surviving while achieving 100% completion--finding every collectible there is to find and battling every boss with one life--makes it so only the bold (or very, very foolish) need apply. You'll need to have boss and enemy patterns down pat, know the world and its secrets well, and hightail it and retreat when necessary. Good luck.

Becoming "Immortal" - Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (XB1, NSW. PC)

Similar to Hollow Knight's Steel Soul Mode, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition's "Immortal" achievement, requires players to go through and beat the game with one life. Again, if the little spirit Ori perishes for any reason, it's game over for good.

While Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is hardly the hardest Metroidvania out there, what makes this particular challenge so... well, challenging is that there are multiple spots and segments within the game where death can come quickly and immediately in some cases. I'm mostly referring to the chase sequences in the game, where Ori must hightail it through danger-ridden, paths of death, which demand split-second reaction times and precise execution or else an "Immortal" run will swiftly become cut short. I already had issue with the chase sequences in my normal run of the game, due to their trial and error gameplay, but attempting these knowing I only have one chance at them? Nooooooooo thanks!

Classics I Can Return To - Part Nine

It's been almost a year (two days shy, in fact) since I last presented a look at modern video game classics that I can come back to time and time again. These games are indeed classics in every form of the word. Just like last E3, this E3 we're delving deep again into six modern-day classics from the industry's recent years to see which ones players like myself will see themselves returning to perpetually in the coming weeks, months, years and even decades.

For past parts of Classics I Can Return To, check out the previous eight articles listed here for your convenience:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Super Mario Odyssey (NSW)

Mario came back in a big way with his newest 3D platforming adventure last year, and it was SuperPhillip Central's runner-up for best game of 2017. Super Mario Odyssey was a world-trekking adventure that brought Mario from prehistoric waterfalls and an isle of eateries to sun-parched deserts and glistening beach sands. Mario's arsenal of moves was never as large and encompassing as it was in Odyssey, and it gave players so many ways to conquer platforming challenges. The addition of Cappy to capture particular enemies and objects showed a brilliant stroke of creativity, and it really brought something novel in the process. Super Mario Odyssey has as much replay value as you want--you can either collect the bare minimum Power Moons to beat the game, you can collect all 999 of them, or you can shoot for a goal in between. It's all up to you, and I can't help but want to gather all 999 Power Moons all over again, as Super Mario Odyssey is a magnificent, masterful platforming adventure that is tailored to all ages and skill levels.

Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

Quite possibly my favorite brand-new protagonist in gaming in 2017 was Aloy from Guerrilla Games's Horizon: Zero Dawn for the PlayStation 4. Strong, independent, smart and highly capable in combat, Aloy was a joy to play as. Stealthily sneaking through tall grass, carefully approaching the robotic enemies of the game, and then swooping in for the kill was always a pleasure, but I oftentimes found myself wanting to engage with enemies directly, as the combat in Horizon: Zero Dawn was immensely satisfying. While the open world aspects of the game had me more often than not just looking at a map for icons instead of exploring and learning the world, this small, niggling issue I had with Horizon doesn't deter me from wanting to step back into the lovingly crafted world Guerrilla Games made. With the Frozen Wilds expansion, there is even more of an excuse to return to Horizon: Zero Dawn, and beyond that, I see myself coming back to the game quite often.

Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4, XB1, PC)

With the recent rumor and even more recent announcement of Dragon Ball FighterZ arriving on the Nintendo Switch with limited (if any) compromises in either docked or undocked form, you can bet your seven Dragon Balls that I'm going to jump back into this Arc System Works-developed fighting game. When I played it originally on the PlayStation 4, I saw a fighter that perfectly resembled the high octane action and speed of the anime, complete with a fighting system that was accessible for all, yet challenging enough that only the very best (or the very patient) could master it. The roster of combatants already available in the game pre-DLC was phenomenal, with each character feeling different enough from one another, while the actual DLC introduced even more roster additions that were most welcome. I greatly look forward to returning to the arena of Dragon Ball FighterZ, obliterating an opponent with a Kamehameha, and launching them directly into a mountain. Ah, hell. Who am I kidding? I'm going to be on the receiving end of that just like in the PS4 version! I'm looking forward to it anyway!

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (PS4, XB1, NSW)

Although Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy is still exclusive to the PlayStation 4 as of now, in two weeks it won't be with the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One releases. Three games for a bargain price, Crash Bandicoot's glorious return with some revamped and remade games from his very first trilogy of adventures was a most exciting one and gives hope for the bandicoot's return with a brand-new game. New content still comes to the game, as announced at E3 this week, with a never-before-seen level called Future Tense. Nevertheless, even without the inclusion of new levels (the count now stands at two), Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy is an insane value. Sure, the first game doesn't really hold up with its brutal, occasionally unfair difficulty, but overall, the complete package is more than worth its weight in Wumpa Fruits.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (NSW)

To tell you how much I love Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda version of Dynasty Warriors, I've now purchased the game three times: Once with the original Wii U game, once with the expanded content of the Nintendo 3DS game (though possessing vastly downgraded visuals, as one could easily figure), and now, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch. This version of the game comes packed with all of the characters (DLC included, which I never purchased on either the Wii U or 3DS versions), Adventure mode maps, weapons, costumes, features and modes of the past versions of Hyrule Warriors, alongside some graphical upgrades and quality of life improvements. I've put in over 60 hours into the Nintendo Switch version, and I'm nowhere near completing everything that this truly definitive edition of Hyrule Warriors has to offer. Whether it's investing a couple of hours to knocking out several missions at once, or turning on my Switch for a quick mission to complete, any play style is perfect with the Switch.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (Multi)

You have to admire the team at Yacht Club Games, as they continue to support their darling indie game, Shovel Knight, with loads of new content. Already we've seen two new campaigns for two of Plague Knight and Specter Knight, introducing fresh gameplay mechanics and levels in the mix, and a third is shortly on its way starring King Knight. The original Shovel Knight game by itself was a tremendous success, a superb 2D platformer hearkening back to the NES days, and a highly entertaining romp with plenty of content to it. The DLC campaigns make it so there's always a reason to return to Shovel Knight, but even without them, the game is a retro-inspired wonder that is as addictive as the classics it's modeled after and inspired by.

Review Round-Up - May 2018

The Kongs returned for a familiar Kong-frontation with the Snowmads on the Nintendo Switch with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, SuperPhillip Central's featured Game of the Month.

The last full month of spring here in North America saw six reviews posted on SuperPhillip Central. It was a month of familiarity and definitive editions for reviews, starting with Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, which went out on a limb (or lack thereof) and scored a great A- grade. From the bright and colorful world of Rayman, we went a touch darker (okay, a LOT darker) with tinyBuild's Garage, which didn't exactly delight with its D+ score. Then, we took a trip back in time with a retro franchise seeing a brand-new installment as Lode Runner Legacy wowed with a B.

Following closely along was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, another Wii U game turned Nintendo Switch port, getting the banana slamma' and earning an A for its adventure and SPC's Game of the Month title. The Titans then attacked its way to a C+ with the multiplatform hack and slash fun of Attack on Titan 2. Last but not least, another Koei Tecmo venture in Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition got its definitive score, an A-.

As a parting gesture, don't forget to check out the SPC Review Archive for every review ever posted on SuperPhillip Central in its nearly ten years online!

Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition (NSW) - A-
Garage (NSW) - D+
Lode Runner Legacy (NSW, PC) - B
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (NSW) - A
Attack on Titan 2 (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC) - C+
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (NSW) - A-

Two definitely definitive Definitive Editions were bookends to the
month of May here at SuperPhillip Central: Hyrule Warriors and Rayman Legends.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (NSW) Review

Here is the final review of the month of May. The third time is definitely the charm with Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition. SuperPhillip Central storms the battlefield with its in-depth review of this Nintendo Switch Dynasty Warriors-themed delight.

The many splendored spoils of war

I greatly enjoyed my time with Hyrule Warriors when it originally released on the Wii U. The game already came packed with content, characters, and scenarios to play through and engorge oneself on. Then, Koei Tecmo continued to provide content for the game in the form of new characters, weapons, costumes, and Adventure Mode maps via DLC. If that wasn't enough, the Nintendo 3DS release, Hyrule Warriors Legends, brought even more new content in the form of brand-new scenarios such as Linkle's Tale, Cia's Tale, and a multiple mission scenario based off The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

The only problem with the Hyrule Warriors Legends was that the Nintendo 3DS, even in New Nintendo 3DS form, just wasn't capable enough of a platform to showcase a game with myriad enemies to slay and destroy. Between the less than stellar frame-rate and the lack of as many enemies on screen as its big brother Wii U version, Hyrule Warriors Legends wasn't the most satisfactory way of playing Hyrule Warriors on the go.

Enter the Nintendo Switch and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition. The subtitle isn't just there to make the name sound pretty. It really is the definitive edition of Hyrule Warriors, sporting all of the content, characters, costumes, Adventure Mode maps, scenarios, weapons, and features of both the Wii U original Hyrule Warriors and the Nintendo 3DS' Legends, including the latter's My Fairy. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is a beast when it comes to content, and it keeps its satisfying gameplay that made the game so beloved by both The Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors fans.

Link's fashion sense for this battle is decidedly retro and old school.

Hyrule Warriors is all about eliminating as many foes as possible with all-stars from The Legend of Zelda series, in addition to several all-new characters specifically created for the game. K.O. counts racing up to the thousands is easily achievable by just how many enemies are on display at one time on the battlefield. While fighting foes, the goal is to capture keeps by eliminating enemies within them and then defeating the keep's boss in order for your side of battle to control it. Of course, the enemy's forces also plan to accomplish the same goal and make sure your mission is a failure. This is performed by the enemy defeating you or one of your captains in battle, having your allied base taken over by the opposition, and letting a specific target perish mid-fight.

Newcomer from Hyrule Warriors Legends, Linkle, sprays the battlefield
with the arrows from her twin crossbows.

While it's true that sometimes battles can be won by pure button-mashing, there is an elegance to combat to take note of. Combat is as simple as combining weak attacks with strong attacks to create different combos. The more times you press the weak attack button before you perform a strong attack determines which combo you use. The combos used, however, need to be smartly used on later difficulties. Many can leave your warrior open to attack or caught in a compromising position in battle. Avoiding attacks from enemies is also key, so careful evasion and watching for enemies when they wind up attacks so you can counter them after the fact for maximum damage is something to factor in fights as well.

Impa is about to give Darunia one serious surprise attack from above.

Legend Mode follows a new tale in The Legend of Zelda franchise, combining multiple characters from the series' mythos into one story. This is where Linkle's Tale, Cia's Tale, and the Wind Waker scenarios from Hyrule Warriors Legends take place. Nevertheless, the most interesting and content-rich destination in Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is Adventure Mode. Adventure Mode places you on Zelda series inspired 8-bit maps where completing missions successfully with high grades opens up adjacent squares on the grid. The goal is to reach the square on the map where the dark ruler of the map is situated, and taking them out in battle to clear the map.

Of course, there is a lot more to discover than just clearing grid spaces to make your way to the dark ruler. As stated, Adventure Mode maps contain the most content in Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, and that's because by completing missions with "A" ranks as well as finding character-specific treasure chests, you unlock new weapons, costumes, characters, health-increases via Pieces of Heart and Heart Containers, and more as rewards. It's absolutely addicting to continually unlock new content through normal play, and with eight Adventure Mode maps to fully explore, you won't be starving for battles to engage in.

Pressing the "A" button when the special gauge is full launches
a cool crowd control move such as this one from Lana.

Adventure Mode improves upon Legend Mode as the former is not just a collection of keep-capturing and enemy-annihilating. Adventure Mode's missions run the gamut from quizzes where you take out the correct foe based on the question posed, to battles against three giant bosses like the fire-breathing, bomb-hating King Dodongo; the aerial dragon from Twilight Princess Agorok, or the most hellish giant boss of them all, the Imprisoned of Skyward Sword fame. It can be mighty challenging to earn "A" ranks for rewards on these missions, but now that the Switch version has more manageable and gracious requirements for "A" ranks (especially in the damage taken department), these are much less of chores.

Shot through the heart and Zelda's to blame. Moblin gives his forces a bad name.

Speaking of chores, one of the biggest problems with the original Adventure Mode in both Hyrule Warriors and its Legends incarnation was that grinding for item cards was such a chore. Item cards allow you to discover secrets along the Adventure Mode maps, which in turn allow you to earn the reward for that particular grid square. The Nintendo Switch version remedies this with an insanely helpful ability to press the Plus button on the right JoyCon to bring up a shop where you can purchase any item card you've already collected in the past on that given Adventure Mode map. It's such a welcomed feature that I wondered why the heck it wasn't included in the original game to begin with!

Furthermore, another impressive improvement to Adventure Mode as well as numerous levels in Legend Mode and Free Play is the ability to switch between characters on the fly, something introduced in Legends on the Nintendo 3DS, but available in this definitive version as well. It's a twofold benefit: 1) For Adventure Mode map spaces with two rewards for two different characters, you can switch between characters to acquire their awards in battle, and 2) It allows you to cover more ground without all the frantic backtracking to save bases. Additionally, you can command captains to different areas in missions, making it so you don't have to babysit everyone or every base on the battlefield all the time. While one character takes on the enemy's offensive on the allied base, you can capture some keeps.

For days when Link's legs are just too tired, he takes his Spinner out for a spin.
The creativity with weapons and moves in Hyrule Warriors is phenomenal.

This is even better realized through cooperative play with two players locally on one Switch. This makes most missions much more manageable with the addition of splitting up tasks between players. In certain Adventure Mode missions, one player can choose a weaker character that relies on a much stronger, higher-leveled character in order to do the brunt of the work, all the while earning the rewards for the mission. Co-Op mode understandably contains less enemies on screen at one time for either player instead of a mass horde of enemy forces to bulldoze through like when playing solo, but that's to be expected. What isn't, however, is that strangely, Co-Op mode has to get activated with a click of the left stick before the beginning of every mission, which is a bit vexing, especially as sometimes I would forget to allow my older brother into the session by starting the mission before he had a chance to join in. Thus, I'd have to back out to the mission menu again and let him in. Why it couldn't just be turned on once and kept on for every mission so players wouldn't have to continually add a second player is anyone's guess.

Call upon a "My Fairy" fairy in battle to clear the surrounding area
of enemies, racking up a big K.O. count in the process.

Here comes the verdict, and the question many of you have probably been asking: If you've already played either or both versions of Hyrule Warriors, is it worth picking up the Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch? Well, yes and no. I annoyingly have to say, "It depends." If you're like me and have played both versions, but never downloaded the DLC, then heck yes, it is! There is still so much new content to be had here. If you already have invested hundreds of hours into unlock characters, costumes, weapons, and more in past Hyrule Warriors versions, then you can probably feel safe in passing on the Switch game.

While small in stature, Toon Look makes a big impression on the battlefield.

However, it's important to note that regardless of whether or not you jump into Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, you can feel safe in buying it at full price. The Wii U version, plus all of the DLC, would run a given person way more than the asking price of the Switch game. Add in two exclusive Breath of the Wild costumes for Link and Zelda respectively and all the quality of life improvements of the game, and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition scores high marks and a high K.O. count while it's at it.

[SPC Says: A-]