What are you currently playing?

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
So I'm not constantly trying to save a human trainwreck who Death is clearly trying to claim over and over in this one?
Nope, none of that. It's a bit more small scale so far; no constant death at every turn or whales washing up on shore. Though due to the character's powers in this game it's also a lot lighter on the puzzles.
 

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
Legacy
Mar 10, 2016
26,690
11,192
118
Detroit, Michigan
Country
United States of America
Gender
Male
Puyo Puyo Tetris - Fun game. I've been playing the story mode, but this game is jammed back with so much content. It's pretty clear all the other modes you're suppose to play with friends or the AI, but there is a lot of single player content too. Not to mention some extra separate modes.

I did some co-op sessions on Mr X's Nightmare, and I still have not gotten past level 34 and beaten my old record. They need to do another patch on that.

I played some more No More Heroes III again doing the extra challenge missions. Even at max health, enemies can still wreck you if get careless or really unlucky. The game does have a bunch of collectibles, if you all care about is completing the campaign and nothing else, than I can see how the average gamer would think there is not much else to do other than the side missions and jobs. Though jobs are way more fun than they should be. Even the more mundane ones.

A quick session of DmC was done earlier today since I had not touched the game in a while.
 

wings012

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 7, 2011
853
305
68
Country
Malaysia
Long Dark was on discount so I gave it a go. Trekked across the wasteland for a week eating random processed food and drinking melted snow. Got repeatedly pounced by bloody wolves.

Eventually found a gun in a cave, thinking hell yeah I have it made! Immediately get mauled by a bear when I left the cave. The weather was utter shit and I attempted to limp back to a shelter to tend to myself. Got pounced by wolves, and due to the poor visibility I couldn't see them well enough to shoot them with said gun. I fought off the first wolf but my health was so low that I didn't survive the second.

After a romp in free survival, I tried out the story mode. Which is honestly a walking simulator with added resource management. There was a sidequest to stock up enough food for an old lady to survive after you're gone, and I was kinda out of ideas since I cleaned most of the houses out. You don't have any weapons or hunting options besides chucking rocks at rabbits which really sucks to do. But while I was out foraging, I kinda came across some deer. And a wolf. I managed to chase the deer into the wolf, which then killed the deer for me. Then I chucked rocks at the wolf which scared it off and bam, free deer. Having a whole fresh deer enabled me to pass that sidequest with some leftovers for myself.

It was interesting but I'm also feeling kinda bored of it already.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dalisclock

TheMysteriousGX

Elite Member
Legacy
Sep 16, 2014
8,300
6,798
118
Country
United States
Playing quite a bit of Curious Expedition 2, a heavily random grid based exploration game with a "colonialism with the edges filed off" vibe. It's worth the money, but I don't know how much longer I'm going to play. Campaign's pretty short and it leans on randomness to generate most of its emergent gameplay. It *is* random enough that I've had 4 very different run thus far

Stellaris is getting its first big Custodian update on Tuesday, custodian being a thing where they bug fix, patch, and provide content for the base game and already available DLC. They're making Space Necromany cooler, adding in abandoned ancient clone empires ansolar powered plant people, and adding more and selectable traditions, the big empire spanning gameplay modifiers. Used to be you had a set number of those, eventually picked all of them, and there was basically no variety, so hopefully this makes game progression less rote
 

Gordon_4

The Big Engine
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
6,045
5,345
118
Australia
I play WoW most of the time but just occasionally I get the itch to shooty shooty bang bang. This time I remembered I’d bought Titanfall 2 last Origin sale for like $9 and fired that up for an hour or so.

Good game. Plays well, movement is smooth and responsive as a person with good gunplay and well mapped controls. Playing in BT feels appropriately weighty and strong and all the weapons have an appropriate thunderous soundtrack.
 

laggyteabag

Scrolling through forums, instead of playing games
Legacy
Oct 25, 2009
3,301
982
118
UK
Gender
He/Him
I recently dipped my toes back into Heroes of the Storm, and this game still breaks my heart.

I played this game pretty much exclusively for about 2 years, before going full cold-turkey on it.

Since then, the game has basically gone onto life support. It gets a new balance update every couple of months, and a new hero and some new skins will be added about once per year, but nothing close to as it was during the game's heyday. A far cry from the height of the game's popularity.

We were getting heroes once a month, new maps, new weekly modes, official e-sports tournaments, even anime trailers for skins:


Yet, I catch myself and think "Well, this game was released in 2015, and it is still getting at least some new content. Some of my favourite games, before and since, would have killed for this kind of support", but, it doesn't make this any less sad, to me.

I suppose games these days are all supported for seemingly forever - so it is just sad to see one of my favourite ones lack the support that I wish it had.

I still believe that Heroes of the Storm had the potential to be the best MOBA out there, but Blizzard murdered it.
 
Last edited:

meiam

Elite Member
Dec 9, 2010
3,330
1,645
118
I recently dipped my toes back into Heroes of the Storm, and this game still breaks my heart.

I played this game pretty much exclusively for about 2 years, before going full cold-turkey on it.

Since then, the game has basically gone onto life support. It gets a new balance update every couple of months, and a new hero and some new skins will be added about once per year, but nothing close to as it was during the game's heyday. A far cry from the height of the game's popularity.

We were getting heroes once a month, new maps, new weekly modes, official e-sports tournaments, even anime trailers for skins:


Yet, I catch myself and think "Well, this game was released in 2015, and it is still getting at least some new content. Some of my favourite games, before and since, would have killed for this kind of support", but, it doesn't make this any less sad, to me.

I suppose games these days are all supported for seemingly forever - so it is just sad to see one of my favourite ones lack the support that I wish it had.

I still believe that Heroes of the Storm had the potential to be the best MOBA out there, but Blizzard murdered it.
It release too late to become the best MOBA. By that point MOBA were already waning in popularity and most people had found the one they were interested in.

But yeah super fun, no need to memorize 200 items so it was easy to pick and play, didn't have to spend the first 15 minutes figthing minion with minimal engagement with the other team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hawki

09philj

Elite Member
Legacy
Mar 31, 2015
2,154
947
118
DOOM II with the Brutal DOOM mod. Brutal DOOM makes DOOM better but it doesn't fix DOOM II's levels being a lot more cheap and irritating than DOOM's. Still, the reworked super shotgun and the new full auto shotgun are a blast to use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

Drathnoxis

Became a mass murderer for your sake
Legacy
Sep 23, 2010
5,433
1,892
118
Just off-screen
Country
Canada
Gender
Male
Playing quite a bit of Curious Expedition 2, a heavily random grid based exploration game with a "colonialism with the edges filed off" vibe. It's worth the money, but I don't know how much longer I'm going to play. Campaign's pretty short and it leans on randomness to generate most of its emergent gameplay. It *is* random enough that I've had 4 very different run thus far
I enjoyed the first game quite a bit, I never knew a sequel came out. I'll have to try it out.

Stellaris is getting its first big Custodian update on Tuesday, custodian being a thing where they bug fix, patch, and provide content for the base game and already available DLC. They're making Space Necromany cooler, adding in abandoned ancient clone empires ansolar powered plant people, and adding more and selectable traditions, the big empire spanning gameplay modifiers. Used to be you had a set number of those, eventually picked all of them, and there was basically no variety, so hopefully this makes game progression less rote
Maybe one day the game will be balanced and fun to play instead of tedious.
 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
Started a pyromancer build in Dark Souls 3 for PC. It’s nice playing at 60fps with max graphics and a DualSense controller, but still a bit of an adjustment. Iudex still took a few tries but ultimately went down easily to fireballs in his second stage. Previously thought about building around the Moonlight GS but will probably start with Astora SS again but with Raw infusion, maybe switch to a Lothric Knight sword later and ultimately ending up with Demon’s Scar.

Was also going to try the Call of the Abyss mod but might wait til I have an RTX card as it’s still in alpha and notably unoptimized anyways.
 

Gordon_4

The Big Engine
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
6,045
5,345
118
Australia
So I'm not constantly trying to save a human trainwreck who Death is clearly trying to claim over and over in this one?

That does appeal to me somewhat, and I actually kinda liked LiS.
While I agree that Chloe is, well rough around the edges and a small time crook, I feel that she's certainly capable of being a better human being.

After all, once they figure out that Chloe's death will stop the storm from ravaging Arcadia Bay, she asks Max to let her die. Doing so erases the previous days, so any development towards a better relationship with her mother and step-dad, and Max and being a better person generally is lost. She knows she'll die cold, alone and afraid from a gutshot in a school bathroom with nothing resolved. No one bar Max will ever know she did this.

"No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his brother. Not for millions, not for glory, not for fame--for one person, in the dark, where no one will ever know or see."

I mean she's still an obnoxious, self-righteous ***** who grates on the nerves. But when the time came where her selfishness and loathing should have hit critical mass, she argued the selfless option. And that counts for something.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
I finished Life is Strange: True Colors and it was... aight. I can't say it left much of an impression on me. For as cringey as the first game was it had much higher stakes and a mystery that kept you a lot more engaged. True Colors feels a lot smaller, but then not being a numbered entry it might've been intentional.

That still doesn't excuse the rather flat plot this game has. It starts off as a somewhat chill 'new start in a new town' kinda tale about coming to terms with past trauma and rebuilding a family, but then it suddenly veers off into a murder mystery for the rest of the game, only revisting the whole family trauma aspect at the very end and then trying to connect it to the murder mystery in a very clumsy way.

The saving grace is the main character Alex Chen who is very likeable and charming. Nearly everyone else is pretty forgettable. There's also one sequence in Chapter 3 that was super fun and I wish I could play an entire slice-of-life game in that fashion. It also nicely foreshadows a reveal, and I can appreciate that.

Also, I played this game on the PS5, and not only is it locked to 30fps it's the most choppy 30fps I've played since the PS3. Don't know what the hell was going on there.
 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
Got the Conservationist trophy in MGSV, which had far more relaxed requirements than the animal stuff from RDR2. I think I spent as much time on a single stranger mission as the entirety of this. Now on to finishing S ranks, which thankfully should go quick since the best strategy is also the quickest. Then all that’s left will be completing all mission tasks, which thankfully allow use of all the gear I’ve developed. Sounds like a good way to cap off this trophy run.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
I've been playing F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch and I'm fucking loving it. It feels like an old school PS1 game, a mix of Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Wild 9. This is what New 'n Tasty should've been, visually anyway. Because it's the setting and the aesthetic that sells this game for me. The gameplay is good fun too, but the setting is *cheff's kiss*.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

stroopwafel

Elite Member
Jul 16, 2013
3,031
357
88
Tales of Arise. One of the most fun jrpg's I played in a long time. It has all the charm of a classic from the 16/32-bit era but with the actual production values of a modern game with an art style that does justice to the genre. Tales finally got the budget it deserved.
 

gorfias

Unrealistic but happy
Legacy
May 13, 2009
7,083
1,849
118
Country
USA
PS+ came out with the base game of Battlefield V and I just now got a chance to play it.

It appears to be online multiplayer only. Took about 10-15 min. before I got to shoot anything. In this sort of game, I can't just save and resume later so when the missus needed me 5 min. into the game, I had to leave. The game appears to have a default length of at least 45 min. I must have ticked off a number of team mates.

 

Drathnoxis

Became a mass murderer for your sake
Legacy
Sep 23, 2010
5,433
1,892
118
Just off-screen
Country
Canada
Gender
Male
I'm 50% of the way through What the Golf? It's a simple puzzle game about golf for people who hate golf, made by people who know nothing about golf. The game is silly and changes it's mechanics and style frequently enough that it's always fresh. One minute you'll be hitting golf balls around planets and satellites with their own gravity, the next you'll be playing a golf based parody of Super Mario Bros. or Superhot.
 

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
Legacy
Escapist +
Feb 9, 2008
11,228
7,007
118
A Barrel In the Marketplace
Country
Eagleland
Gender
Male
I'm 50% of the way through What the Golf? It's a simple puzzle game about golf for people who hate golf, made by people who know nothing about golf.
Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

PS+ came out with the base game of Battlefield V and I just now got a chance to play it.

It appears to be online multiplayer only.
Battlefield has Multiplayer?

That can't be accurate. /s
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

Dirty Hipsters

This is how we praise the sun!
Legacy
Feb 7, 2011
7,885
2,235
118
Country
'Merica
Gender
3 children in a trench coat
I recently dipped my toes back into Heroes of the Storm, and this game still breaks my heart.

I played this game pretty much exclusively for about 2 years, before going full cold-turkey on it.

Since then, the game has basically gone onto life support. It gets a new balance update every couple of months, and a new hero and some new skins will be added about once per year, but nothing close to as it was during the game's heyday. A far cry from the height of the game's popularity.

We were getting heroes once a month, new maps, new weekly modes, official e-sports tournaments, even anime trailers for skins:


Yet, I catch myself and think "Well, this game was released in 2015, and it is still getting at least some new content. Some of my favourite games, before and since, would have killed for this kind of support", but, it doesn't make this any less sad, to me.

I suppose games these days are all supported for seemingly forever - so it is just sad to see one of my favourite ones lack the support that I wish it had.

I still believe that Heroes of the Storm had the potential to be the best MOBA out there, but Blizzard murdered it.
The problem with HOTS is that is was basically baby's first MOBA. It was supposed to be a much simpler MOBA for people to get into who didn't want the complexity of DOTA and League.

The problem with that was that it was too simple to appeal to hardcore MOBA players, but not different enough from League and DOTA for people who had already tried those games and didn't like them.

I tried playing HOTS, and while I did like it better than League of Legends or DOTA because it was easier to get into for a new player, I just don't like MOBAs enough to actually keep playing it, and I think a lot of people were the same way. If you do like MOBAs you're already playing League or DOTA, and if you don't like MOBAs there's nothing in HOTS to change your mind.