Was picking up Sonic Mania Plus and noticed this was on sale.
I heard It's a really good game and I don't think I have seen it this cheap before so picked up a copy myself too.
Amazon has it at $68 and doesn't appear to be on the Big W website.
I asked the staff and they said it was nation wide.
there were 8 copies at my Top Ryde store.
Sale ends on the 6th of Jan so get in quick !
link for the photo.
https://i.ibb.co/dMm3NNS/123.jpg
https://www.bigw.com.au/entertainment/video-games-consoles/n…
Astral Chain is in my top 5 Switch exclusives. I also enjoyed it more than the Bayonetta games and they were my favourite Wii U games.
Also on sale at Big W is Saints Row IV for $20 and, if you're incredibly lucky, Diablo 3 for $10, but it seems to be a Unicorn
I don't see any of these games on their website
You can find Saints Row via Google (not directly on their site) and you won't find Diablo at all (even in the in-store system) because it's a clearance item.
I can confirm these prices however because I purchased them
Thanks
@GuyG: https://www.bigw.com.au/product/saints-row-iv-re-elected/p/8…
Link to Saints Row IV
Not sure if the website stock levels are accurate at all. Was in stock at most Gold Coast stores yesterday
score of 87 on meta critic which is quite high so dont doubt its in your top 5
Lowest it's been on Amazon and the eShop is about $53 according to Deku Deals so this is most likely a historic low
Pretty sure it went to $40 in a lightning deal, but yeah this is still lowest
Great game.
Great price for a fantastic game.
My wife loves this games! I was watching her play and it looked fantastic on switch! Considering how underpowered it is!
Lol I just bought it second hand for $50.
Great price, pick it up asap guys
Is sonic mania on sale?
$10 off
Also on Amazon - although it's been $33 before so I'd wait
https://www.amazon.com.au/Sonic-Mania-Plus-Nintendo-Switch/d…
I know but i dont trust amazon delivery sometimes as the collectors box is quite delicate so I prefer to pick it up to ensure it isnt damaged.
$18.86 on the eShop, and $7.55 for the DLC
Is this by PlatinumGames? I loved NieR: Automata's combat, not to mention both Bayonetta games on the Switch play really well for an underpowered console
Yes
Got to remember Bayonetta was designed around the 360. Bayonetta 2 was designed around the Wii U. Switch is more powerful than both.
The game director was lead game designer for Nier. Very likely you'll enjoy this one as well.
If I hated NieR: Automata but loved Bayonetta will this game hold my interest?
Haven't played Nier, but lived Bayonetta. Liked Astral Chain more
You hated Automata? I mean, I can see why it wouldn't be some people's cup of tea, but hated? I don't get it
Probably, Astral Chain is more linear than Automata, sounds like you'll enjoy the combat but the investigative missions might be annoying for you. It's simple stuff for the most part, gather clues talking to NPCs, then answering questions to solve the investiagtions but I thought they broke up the pace a bit weirdly.
First time through it's all pretty engaging, but I found them a bit frustrating on replaying harder difficulties trying for better ranks.
Once you complete the game a huge list of combat missions becomes available and I spent a lot of time playing those honing my combat skills.
I got this close to release and found it didn't really click for me until mid way though Chapter 4. Once I hit that point I blasted though the rest of the game in a couple of days,
sold out at top ryde. damn it's one i've been wanting for a while
wow that was quick.
It's a clearance title so don't think many other stores have it
Every store on the Gold Coast had a copy yesterday. Not that that helps you much.
I missed Iwata Asks.
Big W QV in Vic sold out, only store within 50km that has stock is the Sunbury store.
Nice. This helps to eliminate the rest lol
When i called the Sunbury store they said they do not stock the game there…
Can confirm no stock at Sunshine nor QV
Hmmm. Might need to go pick this up now then. Don't have a switch yet. Waiting for the Switch Pro or at least the prices of the Switch to decrease some more :)
Yeah get it now as 2nd hand copies won’t be much cheaper .
No stock in Belmont, WA unf. Good find OP
Thanks just saved me a trip to check tomorrow
sold out top ryde and macquarie centre
I also forgot to mention EB Games are also clearing out some of their pre owned games as well today (pre owned summer sale)
Picked up Starlink for $19 (marked down from $28) , WonderBoy $29 (marked from $48), Yoku's Island Express $19 (marked down from $38) , bomberman R for $39 etc.
Does anyone price match video games?
JB and EB but ymmv.
My local EB is so anal that the retailer needs to be within the same shopping complex and must have it in stock at that exact store.
You'll have much better luck at JB
EB Matched a game for me at the St Marys store once with Big W in Penrith before so it is possible.
However I find JB Hifi to be easier to price match
I was gonna go to buy it, but thanks to recent outbreak, I'll just wait for the amazon deal again lol.
Awesome game - grab it if u can!
A good price. I wouldn't pay more. It's another one of those overrated games that got inflated scores. The main issue is how clunky and sterile the game is. Great concept, but poor execution.
Disagree
Fair enough, but providing people a reason is more helpful to them. I gave mine, and could expand if necessary.
I bought the game super excited about it due to the glowing critic and user reviews. I played it during release for a chunk of time, and never again. I regret the purchase, but regret my constant trust of reviews more. My new rule is to deduct at least 2 from the review score, for a more accurate score.
I already stated my opinion earlier in the comments, but as to why:
The game took the action segments of Bayonetta and stylised them in such a way that made upgrades to your beasts feel useful and personal whilst also providing clear levels of variety that weren't heavily reliant on combo memorisation like Bayonetta. Strategies like wrapping up opposing chimera to neutralize them for a few moments, being able to perfectly time dodges or slingshot rampaging opponents felt great.
Outside of this it provided what the Bayonetta games do not in terms of breathing space between combat. Exploration and puzzle solving in the Astral Realm felt good and genuinely rewarding with hidden secrets off the linear path. I'd beaten LA Noire not long before Astral Chain, so the city detective quests felt (in a good way) like LA-Noire-lite. Investigation that didn't take up the entirety of the game's design direction and, again, provided more variety without losing focus.
Small details like interactive physics (being able to "kick" soccer balls you found around the map, using motion controls for balancing unreasonable amounts of ice cream) that then turned into achievable and suitably challenging fetch quests was super creative.
The art style really did wonders for the game as well as working to the Switch's hardware strengths. The Soundtrack added terrific amounts of depth and adrenaline to boss fights (speaking of which, were terrifically varied throughout the campaign).
Above all that, the game never sold you on the false premise of being a "hero" story. Sure, you play as a cop whose intentions seem justifiable in context, but the amounts of gray that clearly embody the use of chimera as tools for justice, corporate corruption and the long-enduring philosophical concepts of sacrifice and good vs evil provide so many layers that games like Bayonetta almost reached, but didn't expand upon - mostly due to its setting in comparison to a futuristic "Cyberpunk" themed Tokyo.
@Ninternet: I see.
I agree about the graphics and music, though I disagree about the rest.
The game felt wooden outside of the combat. A Zelda game has more character and feels alive.
Certain levels were barren and empty. The levels that should have been the most interesting were practically flat, 3D stages with ramps.
The cop environment felt like I was playing a children's game and had tedious things like scrubbing your unit.
The investigation was generally uninteresting and poorly designed. I agree it was a nice break, but it felt tacked on. I don't think it needed more depth—it just needed to feel less wooden and more natural, and have more interesting objectives.
Whereas a game like God of War 3, made for the PS2, felt far better and had a more polished combat system.
The characterisation felt weak compared to a game like Devil May Cry 3, released years ago, that had much more interesting characters who I actually cared about.
Being able to kick a ball around being a good point is very strange to me. I don't think any modern game should lack basic things like that. The technology we have these days is amazing.
A creative fetch quest is something like what you find in Monkey Island (made decades ago).
The combat also could have been far more accessible. There was stuff that took focus away from strategy and put it on whether you could execute it. So it's less about using creative, interesting strategies and more about whether you can execute something, which I find boring as hell.
For a AAA title, I was expecting more. These days I think re reward games to much for being not bad, rather than for being good. I'd like to see fewer games of higher quality. So more Breath of the Wild's and Undertale's.
@This is the-way: All of your critiques are incredibly subjective and compared to other games you like rather than appreciating what Astral Chain does on its own two feet.
The combat also could have been far more accessible. There was stuff that took focus away from strategy and put it on whether you could execute it. So it's less about using creative, interesting strategies and more about whether you can execute something, which I find boring as hell
I think this is your weirdest criticism, because what you're describing is good game design.
The game never forces you to execute specific moves, but rewards you for variation and learning the mechanics well. You can complete the game getting D ranks in every piece of combat if you want to play the game in that way. Nothing stops you from doing that. But you're also more likely to get a high rank for variety, increasing your awareness in terms of timing and utilising different methods of attack that the developers implemented such as interacting with the environment itself.
Comparing every aspect I cited to another game just seems like you wanted to play those other games rather than try something different.
I don't believe any other video game has such a broken co-op mode.
Have you played Super Mario Odyssey?
Yes and in co-op.
Astral Chain logic, one player moves and the other player controls the camera. WUT? Also, the menu when you press on minus doesn't open in this mode.
But, the single-player mode is a blast!!
I just picked up what looked like the last copy at Charlestown square, NSW.
Thanks OP
Just picked up the last copy in Macarthur Chambers in Brisbane - stoked! Thanks OP.
If anyone finds a spare copy, feel to grab it and i'll pay for cost and postage :)
Grabbed the last copy in North Albury this morning, thank you!
Couldn't find a copy, ah well. Good deal to those who do.
My local EB says they'll match if it was on the website. Too bad it's no longer listed. Also said no to invoice matching or to photos of the clearance tag.
Still seems to be going today 24th/01 if you can find one of course my copy local BigW (Mudgee) had 3 copies remaining.
![[Switch] Astral Chain $39 (was $69) @ Big W (in Store)](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/07/595707.jpg?h=5d770196)
Might have to check it out tomorrow.