What are you currently playing?

[happyninja42]

The best part of the DLC is them starting it off with your horse being this awesome hero horse all of a sudden, which was so stupid and anime I kinda loved it.

Yes, I firmly believe this is because they wanted to reassure players they weren't going to have to experience another incident like in the main game. "Nope! This horse is a badass! Worry not! " There was one bit in his quest line, that made me think for a split second that they were going to let the horse have a Standoff combat sequence with some Mongols, given the way they set it up. I commented to my wife about this, and we both agreed we 100% wanted to see that, regardless of how ridiculous it would be.

One thing that keeps coming back with this game is this sort of but not really supernatural element. You can tell the developers tried very hard to implement cool, over-the-top Ninja Scroll type stuff without breaking the historical setting and narrative. Which makes me think that maybe they should've just opted for a supernatural samurai game and ditched the historical "realism".

That's basically where the Legends multiplayer comes in. Since it's all a visualization of these No tales by that one npc, they can be way more out there.

 

[bluegate]

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Amazingly fun game.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yes, I firmly believe this is because they wanted to reassure players they weren't going to have to experience another incident like in the main game. "Nope! This horse is a badass! Worry not! " There was one bit in his quest line, that made me think for a split second that they were going to let the horse have a Standoff combat sequence with some Mongols, given the way they set it up. I commented to my wife about this, and we both agreed we 100% wanted to see that, regardless of how ridiculous it would be.

I would've been up for more scenarios where Jin would follow in the tracks of his horse - while Jin himself was busy on another big mission - and found out that the horse had been having his own adventures, with people coming to him for help about stolen food or missing loved ones or whatever.

That short bit that we got gave me major Yakuza vibes, and I welcomed it greatly.

 

[BrawlMan]

Thugs with guns suck, it's very frustrating trying to take out a group of them because the others will keep knocking you down and there's nothing you can do about it.

They are the most annoying indeed.

Despite removing the entry fees the game still feels padded the heck out because most of the playtime is mashing A against the same handful of enemies shouting the same handful of taunts ad nauseam. Sometimes they'll all shout the same taunt at once overlapping eachother. Who are all

Senseless padding and nothing more, but a shallow attempt to add the dollar value at the time. This game was $50 new on the Wii at the time.

Who are all these people anyway, and why are there hundreds of thugs always ready to stand in the way of one of the most dangerous "assassins" (not that Travis ever kills anybody other than other assassins) in the world wielding nothing but a metal pipe?

They all work for Jasper Batt Jr./UAA. There's your answer.

But the main focus of the game is the colorful boss fights which are... not very good. You wait until they attack and dodge roll then counter attack or you get knocked on your face and have to mash A for a while. It's pretty much the same every time. Sometimes the enemy gets invulnerability for a while and you get screwed for trying to hit them while they aren't ready to be hit.

As much as I like 2, the boss fights aren't as interesting compared to 1, and kinda fall flat compared to 3. The invulnerability problem existed in the first game, but was less of an issue. 3 gets rid of that problem by the way.

The story just ran off me. It probably didn't help that I didn't remember any characters from the first game, so when someone would come back looking for revenge or whatever, I just didn't remember them at all. But besides that I just don't understand the motives of anybody really. Ok Travis is looking for revenge, I understand that, but what was anybody else doing. Why do they even have these ranked Assassin battles? Who benefits? What did Sylvia want? Why was she talking on the phone to Travis? (I mean he was my first guess, but I still don't understand why) the whole game? The framing narrative made no sense here. Why does Travis call himself "The No More Hero" at several points? What does that even mean? Characters came in, exposited their life story and died without really affecting anything. I feel like the game could be summed up adequately by the phrase "stuff happened."

You're pretty much required to know what happened in the first game. It is a direct follow up. Remember those Pizza Butt Side Missions? There were 3 of them. You killed Jasper's father and two brothers. That is why he wants revenge. The designers were pulling a "But for me, it was Tuesday on the player. The first boss, Skelter Helter wants revenge, because Travis killed the older brother, Helter Skelter in the first game's trailer. The cycle of revenge is a big theme for the series as a near whole, but especially 2.

As far as Sylvia goes, she went broke after the killing Jasper. He owned the UAA. Once he died, her major source of income went with him. Sylvia was a known con-artists, so no one would work with her. Thus, she could only fine work at a dingy strip/sex club. Sylvia always wanted Travis, she was just afraid to admit it. She also wanted power to an extent, but the way she went about it was wrong. Her "survival the fittest" spiel being it, and Travis more or less telling her to fuck off.

The reason these assassin fights exists is because Jasper a revenge obsessed, power hungry dick-wad. These fights are televised to the masses on a semi-private network and Travis himself made the rankings popular. Even though in the first game, the rankings were a scam. People want to challenge Travis because they revere him so much, want to meet the legend themselves, or are death seekers after being the rankings for so long. The reason why he's called "The No More Hero" is because he got out and chose to leave the rankings. Hence why he starts at the bottom again. I prefer calling him the "Crown-less King".

NMH2 was when Suda stepped out of the director's chair and it shows. Despite it flaws, I still love it for the story and turns it took. If you ever decide to play another game in the series. Play Travis Strikes Again (or watch a playthrough on YouTube) first, then NMH3. Otherwise you will be even more lost when you get to 3. A lot of major plot points happen in TSA and is a love letter and thesis to all the things Suda experienced over the past decade in the gaming industry. You also might need some minor knowledge on Suda's older games, The Silver Case series. In TSA's case, I hope you have played a lot of Grasshopper/Suda's output to understand who the other characters from other games are, or understand the references.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Seeing all these discussions on No More Heroes, maybe I'll finally go back and play through Killer 7 once I'm done with Neo TWEWY. Getting pretty close to the end of the story, which would be a good cutoff point if I wasn't planning on doing post-game content as well.

 

[Chupathingy]

Finished my replay of Samurai Warriors 2: Empires. My feelings for this one are very hit and miss when compared to DW5: Empires.

For gameplay SW2:E added some very nice features, like being able to give specific orders to your officers, the formation system adds a nice constant variance to battles, and the auxiliary troop types felt much more useful than in the DW games. Unfortunately the ending for 2:E is just a timeline of what happened during your campaign, rather than the funny video montages from 4 and 5:E. The other huge shame is that this was released before the Xtreme Legends expansion, meaning all the new characters, weapons, maps, and moves aren't available.

The biggest problem I have with SW2:E is the edit system. Unlike the previous DW games, 2:E doesn't really let you customise your character, you just pick from set character designs and change the colour, voice, stats and weapon. To make matters worse, some of the weapons aren't even available, and some are sex exclusive. This makes one of the biggest draws of these games (for me at least) quite weak and the game suffers overall for it.

A solid entry into the spinoff series, and a good continuation gameplay-wise. It's just a shame about the crappy edit mode.

 

[meiam]

Seeing all these discussions on No More Heroes, maybe I'll finally go back and play through Killer 7 once I'm done with Neo TWEWY. Getting pretty close to the end of the story, which would be a good cutoff point if I wasn't planning on doing post-game content as well.

I'm very lukewarm on no more heroes, mostly because of its strange obsession with wasting player time, but killer 7 is a lot more fun imo. The gameplay is interesting and varied since you can switch between the various character and the game is an appropriate length.

 

[Drathnoxis]

As far as Sylvia goes, she went broke after the killing Jasper. He owned the UAA. Once he died, her major source of income went with him. Sylvia was a known con-artists, so no one would work with her. Thus, she could only fine work at a dingy strip/sex club. Sylvia always wanted Travis, she was just afraid to admit it. She also wanted power to an extent, but the way she went about it was wrong. Her "survival the fittest" spiel being it, and Travis more or less telling her to fuck off.

Was any of that actually in the game?

The reason these assassin fights exists is because Jasper a revenge obsessed, power hungry dick-wad. These fights are televised to the masses on a semi-private network and Travis himself made the rankings popular. Even though in the first game, the rankings were a scam. People want to challenge Travis because they revere him so much, want to meet the legend themselves, or a death seekers after being the rankings for so long. The reason why he's called "The No More Hero" is because he got out and chose to leave the rankings. Hence why he starts at the bottom again. I prefer calling him the "Crown-less King".

I did pick up that it was supposed to be this televised sport, but the thing is it doesn't make any sense. Where are all the cameras and crowds during the fights? If you are going to be selling this as a commercialized bloodsport why are they not selling front row seats? The fights are usually in isolated locations, sometimes in confined spaces, sometimes at night, and not a single other person is to be seen until the fight is over. I just don't buy that these are televised.

It's the same problem I had with the arena in Fable 2 and why the arena fights were a lot more fun in Fable 1, you actually get to see the crowd.

NMH2 was when Suda stepped out of the director's chair and it shows. Despite it flaws, I still love it for the story and turns it took. If you ever decide to play another game in the series. Play Travis Strikes Again (or watch a playthrough on YouTube) first, then NMH3. Otherwise you will be even more lost when you get to 3. A lot of major plot points happen in TSA and is a love letter and thesis to all the things Suda experienced over the past decade in the gaming industry. You also might need some minor knowledge on Suda's older games, The Silver Case series. And in TSA's case you have hopefully played a lot of Grasshopper/Suda's output to understand who the other characters from other games are, or understand the references.

Well SGF is doing a playthrough of NMH3 and skipped TSA so it looks like I'm destined to be confused. Well, maybe he'll fill the rest of us in as he plays. I don't feel the need to personally ever play a NMH game again, though.

Edit: I just remembered something else I wanted to say about No More Heroes. Travis doesn't wipe his butt or wash his hands after using the toilet. Gross.

 

[Dalisclock]

Started on God of War 2018. I've only got a few hours into it but I'm enjoying it so far. There overall seems to be a bit more nuance to Kratos and the character development, notably his strained, distant relationship with his son Atreus. I do appreciate the fact Kratos has finally learned to restrain himself, especially highlighted in the scene where the stranger(Unsure which Norse god he's supposed to be. Balder?) where Kratos spends at least a good minute calmly telling him to leave without a fight and even taking a couple of hits without retaliating before he goes ape on him, whereas old Kratos would have wiped out half the mediterranean after the first slap.

The world is beautiful so far though I suspect I'm gonna have to come back here(there's a sealed cave early on Kratos can't open YET) and I'm wondering if I'm gonna have to fight my way through everything on the way back or if there's a fast travel option at some point. Maybe everything just seems like a long journey because I'm seeing it for the first time but it does feel like it's hard to keep track of where I am.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

 

[bluegate]

Started on God of War 2018. I've only got a few hours into it but I'm enjoying it so far. There overall seems to be a bit more nuance to Kratos and the character development, notably his strained, distant relationship with his son Atreus. I do appreciate the fact Kratos has finally learned to restrain himself, especially highlighted in the scene where the stranger(Unsure which Norse god he's supposed to be. Balder?) where Kratos spends at least a good minute calmly telling him to leave without a fight and even taking a couple of hits without retaliating before he goes ape on him, whereas old Kratos would have wiped out half the mediterranean after the first slap.

The world is beautiful so far though I suspect I'm gonna have to come back here(there's a sealed cave early on Kratos can't open YET) and I'm wondering if I'm gonna have to fight my way through everything on the way back or if there's a fast travel option at some point. Maybe everything just seems like a long journey because I'm seeing it for the first time but it does feel like it's hard to keep track of where I am.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

Have fun with the game!

You'll familiarize yourself with the world, skills and Atreus before long, I'm sure

 

[happyninja42]

Started on God of War 2018. I've only got a few hours into it but I'm enjoying it so far. There overall seems to be a bit more nuance to Kratos and the character development, notably his strained, distant relationship with his son Atreus. I do appreciate the fact Kratos has finally learned to restrain himself, especially highlighted in the scene where the stranger(Unsure which Norse god he's supposed to be. Balder?) where Kratos spends at least a good minute calmly telling him to leave without a fight and even taking a couple of hits without retaliating before he goes ape on him, whereas old Kratos would have wiped out half the mediterranean after the first slap.

Yeah they went to a lot of trouble to show how much of a struggle it is for Kratos to not just resort to old ways. The tension between him and his son is at the core of the game's narrative, so get used to it. It's the driving dramatic tension throughout. I personally thought it was fantastic, their banter and chemistry, both good and bad.

The world is beautiful so far though I suspect I'm gonna have to come back here(there's a sealed cave early on Kratos can't open YET) and I'm wondering if I'm gonna have to fight my way through everything on the way back or if there's a fast travel option at some point. Maybe everything just seems like a long journey because I'm seeing it for the first time but it does feel like it's hard to keep track of where I am.

Yes you will get some fast traveling options of a sort to help speed things along a bit. You do still have to hoof it through a lot of the map, because they want you to have time to suck up the casual banter between Kratos and Atreus, as that's central to the game. But yeah, you can zip around a bit after a certain point in the game.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

I honestly never bothered with using weak spot combat with Atreus. I just let him rapid fire on enemies. IMO, early on in the game, he's useful for flying enemies (that usually are like baloons, easily popped but hard for Kratos to reach), and also as distraction for groups. You can have him pop some enemy you are coming up on the maybe stagger it as you approach, interrupting an attack, or if you do a lot of shield combat (like me), he's great at helping you build up more stagger meter to do a grapple kill. He gets WAY more powerful as the game goes along, don't worry. The whole narrative is "he's not ready", and the idea is to actually train him, so yeah, he's not great at first. But Atreus comes into his own over the course of the game, worry not.

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

Yeah, it can be a bit daunting, but it mostly boils down to various realms when it comes to farming. Depending on the build type you are going for, as far as stats, there will eventually be VERY clear choices for armor that help along those stat lines, so you will go to certain areas to farm for those crafting components.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

You get used to it, but the fact that you have to get used to it shows that this menu screen was poorly designed. I think most people who first start out with this game are a bit flabberghasted by the menu initially. I know I was.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

Atreus is very useful once you realize where his strength lies, but I'll let you figure that out on your own.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I honestly never bothered with using weak spot combat with Atreus. I just let him rapid fire on enemies. IMO, early on in the game, he's useful for flying enemies (that usually are like baloons, easily popped but hard for Kratos to reach), and also as distraction for groups. You can have him pop some enemy you are coming up on the maybe stagger it as you approach, interrupting an attack, or if you do a lot of shield combat (like me), he's great at helping you build up more stagger meter to do a grapple kill. He gets WAY more powerful as the game goes along, don't worry. The whole narrative is "he's not ready", and the idea is to actually train him, so yeah, he's not great at first. But Atreus comes into his own over the course of the game, worry not.

His ability to juggle an enemy while I ready my Executioner's Cleave is a particular favourite of mine.

 

[BrawlMan]

Was any of that actually in the game?

Yes. Sylvia losing her job and working at the strip club was more or less the implication of the aftermath of Jasper's death. As far as that "survival of the fittest" speech goes:

It's time stamped.
​

I did pick up that it was supposed to be this televised sport, but the thing is it doesn't make any sense. Where are all the cameras and crowds during the fights? If you are going to be selling this as a commercialized bloodsport why are they not selling front row seats? The fights are usually in isolated locations, sometimes in confined spaces, sometimes at night, and not a single other person is to be seen until the fight is over. I just don't buy that these are televised.

I admit that Mad World does this part better than NMH. The only conclusion I could come up with at the time, was that they're airings are in private spots/clubs or inner circles of those that can view. Or if they have the funds to order through a private network. Gotta remain incognito and all. That is one thing the UAA had over the Death Watch organizers. The latter made too many mistakes, because of they greed and heavy collateral damage.

Well SGF is doing a playthrough of NMH3 and skipped TSA so it looks like I'm destined to be confused. Well, maybe he'll fill the rest of us in as he plays. I don't feel the need to personally ever play a NMH game again, though.

Really? When? I am subscribed to SGF, and I have not heard anything yet. He might have said it in one of his recent playthroughs, but I have not seen his most recent playthroughs. Lack of interests in the games he's playing recently.

If you don't feel the need to play NMH ever again, I understand. There are plenty of games I am never touching again.

 

[BrawlMan]

Started on God of War 2018. I've only got a few hours into it but I'm enjoying it so far. There overall seems to be a bit more nuance to Kratos and the character development, notably his strained, distant relationship with his son Atreus. I do appreciate the fact Kratos has finally learned to restrain himself, especially highlighted in the scene where the stranger(Unsure which Norse god he's supposed to be. Balder?) where Kratos spends at least a good minute calmly telling him to leave without a fight and even taking a couple of hits without retaliating before he goes ape on him, whereas old Kratos would have wiped out half the mediterranean after the first slap.

The world is beautiful so far though I suspect I'm gonna have to come back here(there's a sealed cave early on Kratos can't open YET) and I'm wondering if I'm gonna have to fight my way through everything on the way back or if there's a fast travel option at some point. Maybe everything just seems like a long journey because I'm seeing it for the first time but it does feel like it's hard to keep track of where I am.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

You'll get used to everything. I do advise you to do as many side quest as you can. You will get the materials and items you need to upgrade Kratos and Atreus.

 

[CastletonSnob]

I'm juggling Mega Man X2 and Mega Man 4 on the SNES and NES, respectively.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Started on God of War 2018. I've only got a few hours into it but I'm enjoying it so far. There overall seems to be a bit more nuance to Kratos and the character development, notably his strained, distant relationship with his son Atreus. I do appreciate the fact Kratos has finally learned to restrain himself, especially highlighted in the scene where the stranger(Unsure which Norse god he's supposed to be. Balder?) where Kratos spends at least a good minute calmly telling him to leave without a fight and even taking a couple of hits without retaliating before he goes ape on him, whereas old Kratos would have wiped out half the mediterranean after the first slap.

The world is beautiful so far though I suspect I'm gonna have to come back here(there's a sealed cave early on Kratos can't open YET) and I'm wondering if I'm gonna have to fight my way through everything on the way back or if there's a fast travel option at some point. Maybe everything just seems like a long journey because I'm seeing it for the first time but it does feel like it's hard to keep track of where I am.

I think I've got a grip on the new combat system. Atreus's arrow ability doesn't seem terribly useful because unless he's hitting a weak point mostly they don't seem to do much and that means you need to ensure you're targeting a weak spot. The Leviathan axe throw seems like a better bet as long as you aren't in close combat with an enemy.

Oh, and man, that big group of upgrade/equipment/skills menus is....it's a lot just starting out the game. And a lot of it seems to require resources I haven't even seen yet s presumably I won't be able to do much with it until later.

They are subtle hints at future developments, but you really don’t have to be concerned with anything too much because unlike older GoW games, this one is designed around flexibility to explore as you please in between story beats. Getting familiar with the combat system and upgrading are likely the biggest learning curve, so it’ll be pretty cake afterwards.

Also, you’ll run into one of gaming’s coolest sidekicks later on that will help flesh things out with the lore and such to alleviate any FROM-induced paranoia that you’re always missing something.

 

[happyninja42]

His ability to juggle an enemy while I ready my Executioner's Cleave is a particular favourite of mine.

I usually used his attack that did maximum stagger, and would charge in while Atreus would lay down suppressive fire on the same target. By the time I got to them with a shoulder slam and punch, their stagger bar was full, and I'd go into a kill animation and just bypass their health bar. While I was doing the animation for the kill, Atreus was recharging his arrows, so by the time I came out of the kill cutscene, he'd usually be ready to do it again. Rinse, repeat It was super fun.

 

[BrawlMan]

Well SGF is doing a playthrough of NMH3 and skipped TSA so it looks like I'm destined to be confused. Well, maybe he'll fill the rest of us in as he plays. I don't feel the need to personally ever play a NMH game again, though.

Never mind. He just posted now.

​

 

[Drathnoxis]

Really? When? I am subscribed to SGF, and I have not heard anything yet. He might have said it in one of his recent playthroughs, but I have not seen his most recent playthroughs. Lack of interests in the games he's playing recently.

If you don't feel the need to play NMH ever again, I understand. There are plenty of games I am never touching again.

He's up to part 4 on Twitch. I usually watch his videos on Twitch now, since you can see them faster and I like reading the chat's reactions. I hate the Twitch video player with a passion, though. I don't think NMH3 is really a good game for SGF to stream, though. He's not the best at action games and tends to get quiet when focusing.