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 (Banner art by Renon Vesir. Click image for bloodstained version.) For every evil, there is a greater good. For every innocent, there is a protector. For ever legend, there is a hero. - The Book of Dundao 2:27 To cut right to the chase, The Mark of Kri is an action/adventure PS2 game from 2002 that makes a name for itself in this vague and crowded genre by combining the charm and art style of an animated feature film with the extreme violence of the grittiest dark fantasy tales. It utilizes a unique feature called the Focus Beam (which you may recall from the ridiculous, offensive commercial for the game) to give players control over a wide variety of combat situations, particularly grand melees in which they are greatly outnumbered. Varied gameplay, hand-drawn art, and surprising gore will be delivered in spades by this all-too-forgotten gem, so gather 'round as we unearth a legend! Our story begins...  Ruins of Tiru: Part 1 - Part 2  Tapuroku: Part 1 - Part 2  Heiadoko: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3  Vaitaku: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4  Meifiti: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4  Rahtutusai: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - The End  Bonus: Elite AxemanshipConcept Art:       
Fiendly fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Apr 28, 2016 |
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Sep 20, 2015 05:07
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 07:42 |
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(Banner art by Renon Vesir. Click image for bloodstained version.) Rise of the Kasai is at once very similar and very different from its predecessor, The Mark of Kri. It comes from new development studio Bottlerocket Entertainment, which was founded by members of Kri's development studio Sony San Diego, but hardly anyone outside of the voice cast plays the same role from the original. The story is presented in cel-shaded fully animated cutscenes that are impressive and beautiful in a way that is completely unlike the original's hand-drawn art. Most importantly, where The Mark of Kri is one of my best remembered gaming experiences for over a decade, Rise of the Kasai has been of great interest to me yet has remained a complete mystery for nearly as long. Because the controls in this game are largely unchanged from the original, I've decided to lean in to my lack of knowledge and make this a blind Let's Play. After completing each level, I'll go back to collect everything I missed and share the highlights in the videos. Levels  Part 1 - Part 2 Part 1 - Part 2 Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Anti-Bonus: Boss fight outtakes Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 Part 1 - Part 2 Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 Part 1 - Part 2 Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 Part 1 Part 1 Part 1Concept Art Galleries          
Fiendly fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Apr 28, 2016 |
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Sep 20, 2015 05:07
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Oh sweet. I only played the demo, but I've always thought this game had the best melee system until Arkham Asylum.
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Sep 20, 2015 05:19
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How have I never heard of this game? It seems pretty interesting. I can't place the narrator, but I'm really drat certain I've heard him somewhere before.
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Sep 20, 2015 05:28
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paragon1 posted:How have I never heard of this game? It seems pretty interesting. Keone Young. He's been in a whole mess of stuff, but the role that's probably most semi-relevant to this one that he's know for was Jeong Jeong on Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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Sep 20, 2015 05:39
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nine-gear crow posted:Keone Young. He's been in a whole mess of stuff, but the role that's probably most semi-relevant to this one that he's know for was Jeong Jeong on Avatar: The Last Airbender. I remember the episode that Jeong Jeong appeared in and Keone's performance is drat impressive. As a sample, here is one of first things Jeong Jeong says to Aang when the latter asks to learn firebending from him: Jeong Jeong posted:Are you deaf? How can I teach you if you refuse to listen? Before learning firebending you must learn water and earth. Water is cool and soothing, earth is steady and stable, but fire, fire is alive! It breathes, it grows. Without the bender, a rock will not throw itself! But fire will spread and destroy everything in its path if one does not have the will to control it! That is its destiny! You are not ready! You are too weak! Keep in mind that he is saying this to the Avatar, a legendary figure in the series' universe. This statement was actually enough to make Roku, Aang's previous incarnation, appear before Jeong Jeong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGNqXhLDvpc Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Sep 20, 2015 |
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Sep 20, 2015 06:01
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I rented this and, aside from the art style, my biggest memory is that the game gets difficult later. I ended up just cheating so I could see the ending before I had to return it to Blockbusters. The combat system's also pretty unique but falls into the early-ps2-so-we-don't-have-a-standard-yet-for-what-buttons-do category. It worked for the time, but I don't know if you could replicate the effect nowadays. I guess the Arkham games come close, something with a "soft" lock-on.
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Sep 20, 2015 16:27
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Update - Ruins of Tiru: Part 2
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Sep 23, 2015 03:27
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I was half expecting him to get in trouble for running off and wiping out the Bandits, but it appears that his Master was totally chill with that choice, and even provided a list of things to do to make it more interesting.
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Sep 23, 2015 05:08
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Man you are a machine playing these violent games! You just so happen to be playing all the ones i played when i was younger as well  While this game isn't exactly as directly graphically violent as most of the other games that you've done, this game has a sheer brutality to it that most other games don't/didn't have at the time, maybe it's also the juxtaposition between the cartoony art style with the violence that makes this one so memorable? Also Mr. Highway posted:I rented this and, aside from the art style, my biggest memory is that the game gets difficult later. I ended up just cheating so I could see the ending before I had to return it to Blockbusters. The combat system's also pretty unique but falls into the early-ps2-so-we-don't-have-a-standard-yet-for-what-buttons-do category. It worked for the time, but I don't know if you could replicate the effect nowadays. I guess the Arkham games come close, something with a "soft" lock-on. This the game get super tough mostly because of just how many dudes you get into a fight with at once+the amount of health they get+the combat isn't exactly the smoothest thing, part of it is on purpose because Rau isn't exactly the fast type,but the other is because the game is 13 years old now and hasn't exactly aged well. Still love it though 
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Sep 23, 2015 06:23
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Update: Tapuroku: Part 1 A new battleground requires some high-stakes hide-and-seek to save the day.
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Sep 25, 2015 02:23
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And this video shows just how well-balanced the game is; Rau, despite being a 7-foot tall Polynesian Conan-esque hero, is surprisingly sneaky for someone of his size and build, and his stealth kills are probably some of the most brutal I've seen in years. I also have to give props to the sound design team; when you hear those bones crunch and pop, you really get the feeling that the sound team put a huge amount of effort into the variety of horrible noises Rau makes someone's spine create. I have fond memories of playing this game years back, though I never beat the sequel. Can't wait to see how you go through the rest of the game, Fiendly.
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Sep 25, 2015 03:32
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Never played the sequel, but I used to own Mark Of Kri, or as I liked to call it 'Disney Presents Polynesian Conan' due to the art style. One thing I found though, the combo attacks are only usable so long as you are locked onto less than three opponents.
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Sep 25, 2015 05:03
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Update - Tapuroku: Part 2
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Sep 27, 2015 03:29
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It is a bit odd that the multi stealth kill isnt actually a multi stealth kill. You would expect Rau to grab both guys and smash their heads together or something, especially since hes built like a brick shithouse, but he just does two separate kills with very long animations.
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Sep 27, 2015 05:18
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I like games that have aspects based on real life cultures. I think I'll check this LP out.
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Sep 27, 2015 05:38
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Which real-world culture is Mark of Kri based on? I'd like to learn more about it.
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Sep 27, 2015 16:35
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Quiet Python posted:Which real-world culture is Mark of Kri based on? I'd like to learn more about it. I think Polynesian Islanders? Maybe a bit of Maori in there,too?
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Sep 27, 2015 17:12
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VolticSurge posted:I think Polynesian Islanders? Maybe a bit of Maori in there,too? There's a massive chunk of Polynesian and Maori-inspired art in these games, yes. Rau, for example, is pretty heavily tattooed on his right arm and chin, the elderly priest that Rau helped in the most-recent mission had tattoos all over his belly, and even Tati, Rau's little sister, has a few. A lot of the bandits that Rau's been fighting look like they stepped fresh off of a fishing sampan or similar boat and took up sword and spear to try to make a profit by raiding, too. If you haven't checked out the concept art unlocks that Fiendly's been so kind to coallate, you should; there's a lot of details there that you can miss while playing the game itself due to its age, and the concept art really does help show the process the designers went to in order to try to make everyone and everything look unique or interesting.
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Sep 27, 2015 17:59
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Sel Nar posted:And this video shows just how well-balanced the game is; Rau, despite being a 7-foot tall Polynesian Conan-esque hero, is surprisingly sneaky for someone of his size and build, and his stealth kills are probably some of the most brutal I've seen in years. It often gets overlooked in favor of his sword skills, but Conan was actually very accomplished at stealth himself, and had a successful sideline in thievery.
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Sep 27, 2015 18:28
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I unabashedly love both of these games and have hundred of hours on them trying trying variety of ways to beat them. If I still had my PS2 I would probably still be playing them. I actually like the combat style even more than the Arkham style because it feels so much more visceral. FYI Rise of the Kasai is marginally better than the first game (because the first game is goddamn amazing) but a lot harder.
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Sep 27, 2015 18:53
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And hell, elephants barely make a sound when walking thanks to their padded feet so being large and being stealthy are not mutually exclusive.
Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Sep 27, 2015 |
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Sep 27, 2015 19:02
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Deadmeat5150 posted:I unabashedly love both of these games and have hundred of hours on them trying trying variety of ways to beat them. If I still had my PS2 I would probably still be playing them. I actually like the combat style even more than the Arkham style because it feels so much more visceral. If you have a PS3, you can get both games from the Playstation Classics section.
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Sep 27, 2015 19:59
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Sel Nar posted:If you have a PS3, you can get both games from the Playstation Classics section. I'm almost positive only The Mark of Kri is available for download on PSN, but I don't have a PS3 so I have no way to confirm. Hopefully I'm wrong! Sel Nar posted:If you haven't checked out the concept art unlocks that Fiendly's been so kind to coallate, you should; there's a lot of details there that you can miss while playing the game itself due to its age, and the concept art really does help show the process the designers went to in order to try to make everyone and everything look unique or interesting. The in-game concept art (of which there is much more to come) is only the tip of the iceberg. The game's creative lead, Jeff Merghart, has released a sketchbook called Kri-ation full of production art from all throughout the five years Kri and Kasai were being worked on. I've only found this sample page with a brief but interesting introduction to the contents of the book, but I'm hoping I can get a hold of a copy. Obviously I won't be able to dump all the guy's hard work out here, but it will give me some more talking points and I can share with the thread how I got it so others might be able to do the same (in the hypothetical instance that I actually do get one).
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Sep 28, 2015 01:17
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The beginning of Rau's next adventure, Part 5 - Heiadoko, will be viewable in approximately fifteen minutes. EDIT: Just making this update official. Heiadoko: Part 1 Fiendly fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Sep 29, 2015 |
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Sep 28, 2015 18:22
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Fiendly posted:I'm almost positive only The Mark of Kri is available for download on PSN, but I don't have a PS3 so I have no way to confirm. Hopefully I'm wrong! Yup, but it's only available on the US PSN store, Europe is, as usual, SOL.
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Sep 28, 2015 20:15
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I have no Playstation any more. I guess it's time to cry.
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Sep 29, 2015 23:59
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Goddamn I love me some Tactical Espionage Barbarian
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Sep 30, 2015 00:19
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Fearless_Decoy posted:Goddamn I love me some Tactical Espionage Barbarian And it only gets better.
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Sep 30, 2015 00:54
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I absolutely loved these games back in the day, watching these videos is going to be a nostalgia trip. Still have the discs and my old PS2 as well, might even have to play along.
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Sep 30, 2015 01:24
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Update - Heiadoko: Part 2 Our war path through the forest requires another pit stop on our way to the questionably noble goal.
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Oct 2, 2015 04:36
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Kaboom Dragoon posted:Yup, but it's only available on the US PSN store, Europe is, as usual, SOL. This and Rise of the Kasai are two games that I've always wanted to play, but never could (thanks Sony). At least it's getting the LP treatment by Fiendly. 
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Oct 2, 2015 12:54
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Update - Heiadoko: Part 3
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Oct 4, 2015 03:21
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There was a lot of this game I'd forgotten, but that last battle in Heiadoko is pretty memorable.
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Oct 4, 2015 15:25
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Update: Vaitaku: Part 1 (Viewable within 10 minutes of this post) Snowfall and fairytales open Rau's next journey.
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Oct 5, 2015 18:21
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This level, in my opinion, is one of the best levels made for this genre; it has that proper balance of expansive and claustrophobic, really letting you use all of Rau's abilities and skills to the best of your talent, Kuzo's vital for keeping you informed, and the atmosphere is extremely solid; the Fortress of Vaitaku feels like it's on the cusp of turning into a crumbling ruin, surrounded by desolation and cold. Also, something I only just noticed, because I'm a complete doofus, but the impalement wall kills actually have blood staining the victim's shirts. It's a small thing, but it's a nice bit of attention to detail.
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Oct 6, 2015 00:19
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Update - Vaitaku: Part 2 (Viewable in roughly 15 minutes)
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Oct 6, 2015 18:23
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I actually bought both this game and its sequel very recently at a used game store. I talked to the guy who worked there, and like me, he actually knew next to nothing about them aside from "well, it exists, I guess." I have to say that I do enjoy the games, though I did find myself getting very frustrated at this part of the game, with narrow hallways and wooden objects placed in the exact right (or wrong) places where it's very easy for your sword to get stuck in them. Looking forward to the end, since I honestly couldn't beat the last level for whatever reason. Honestly, I kinda forgot.
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Oct 6, 2015 23:48
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Update - Vaitaku: Part 3
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Oct 9, 2015 03:01
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The music in this stage sounds ominous.
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Oct 9, 2015 03:47
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