What are you currently playing?

[Old_Hunter_77]

I couldn't get in to the game's combat and stopped playing after 1/3 of the way in. Why they chose semi-Dark Souls combat and level design (some of which goes back to PS2 era with the puzzle solving included) is beyond me. They should have just followed the design template of The Force Unleashed. Try it you want, but proceed with caution.

I never played The Force Unleashed but I agree that Fallen Order being a Souls-like was weird. I actually rather like FromSoftware as you can tell from my Sekiro posts but I like those games for being so... themselves. They are their own strong identity. I generally avoid Souls-like games because I don't like need the "like" when I have the real thing.
In Fallen Order, the Souls-like part that was the most weird to me is enemy re-spawning. So... you just kill the same storm troopers over and over? Stormtroopers are just regular people, it's not like FromSoftware games where people dying over and over and actually part of the in-game story.
And yeah some of the platforming is weird and bad.

But.... I still liked the game. It's a Star War! That isn't multiplayer bullshit. The lightsaber combat is tight, and that's all I wanted. If it wasn't a Star War, I'd say the game is a-ight. It being a Star War with hella cool lightsabers upgrades its rating to "good" in my book.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

So I started and am well underway with Crystal Nexus. And yeah, it's like I figured- it's very well done but offers nothing new to the A/JRPG game. But since that's not a genre I frequent, it's available on GamePass and I don't have the heart or patience to get into one of the long-running series like Tales, Final Fantasy, Shin Megami or Persona, this is good.

Its action is like a mix of FF7-Remake and Control where you and your pals run around and you fling objects at enemies, and it's all very confusing for my old man brain to handle all the objects and lights and colors (I actually resorted to dropping the game difficulty to Easy for my last major fight because I just couldn't handle all of the visual input).
One clever mechanic is that it rewards you for doing cool shit. Like the enemies have a health bar and also the equivalent of a posture bar (that's how my Sekiro-addled brain thinks of it). You break their posture more effectively by using your psychic power to fling stuff at it then immediately follow-up with melee, or vice versa. So string together combos between your abilities short-cuts a victory. Breaking their "posture" gives you a button prompt to execute a seizure-enducing comic-book-y finisher.

The plot is typically obtuse and convoluted, everybody looks like a sexy Hello Kitty child, blah blah, all the typical weeb shit.
You start the game by choosing between two characters which gives you slightly different angles of the same story campaign, obviously designed for a replay. If the game holds up this level of "it's pretty good, not great" gameplay I will likely do a replay with the other character. But that's mostly because I've basically run out of games I really want to play.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I started playing Rayman Legends again, after not touching the game in a long while. I am playing the PS4 version I got for free through PS+. I beat the game on 360, but not on this version. I forgot how many worlds I unlocked so early. It's still best to do the stages in order so you can collect the Teensies and unlock more stages and characters. That said, the character you do unlock are glorified palette and costume swaps of characters you already have. Just add a hat, change a color, be given a different costume, or all of the above.

After coming off Kaze, I still find Rayman Legends better. It does multiple checkpoints, but is still challenging without being overbearing. I have not forgotten how much fun Legends can be. The level variety is off the charts, the music is on point, and the music running levels are super challenging, yet fun when you have everything memorized. I know some people say this is the best 2D Sonic game ever made. I somewhat disagree, but I do like Rayman Legends more than Sonic Mania.

This the last great Ubisoft game. Fuck you assholes for screwing the developers over by delaying the game and have it compete with GTAV. That turned out so well! The good news is this game you can find on nearly any platform now. The game is dirt cheap too.

I had to look that one up. I doubt either one really affected sales of the other that much though, as each fanbase probably has minimal overlap.

 

[BrawlMan]

I had to look that one up. I doubt either one really affected sales of the other that much though, as each fanbase probably has minimal overlap.

Ubisoft considered the game a failure in sales apparently. Their words, not mine. The whole irony of the situation is that the Wii U version sold the most. Had they stuck to their guns, the would have gotten better success. They got cold feet on a game that was already completed and it did not need any extra bug testing for that delay. They straight up lied about that.

 

[Dalisclock]

Ubisoft considered the game a failure in sales apparently. Their words, not mine. The whole irony of the situation is that the Wii U version sold the most. Had they stuck to their guns, the would have gotten better success. They got cold feet on a game that was already completed and it did not need any extra bug testing for that delay. They straight up lied about that.

Sounds like Ubisoft

 

[Casual Shinji]

Jedi Fallen Order is on a hefty discount and yet I find myself dragging my feet. I haven't played a video game properly in almost half a year. Anyone wanna vouch for the game? The combat looks a little clunky, although after Witcher 3 and God of War I probably wouldn't mind.

It's one of those games that feels not quite there yet. It's not bad, but it really needs a sequel to add some finesse to the mechanics.

It actualy has one of the more interesting Star Wars villains I've seen, and I wish we could've played as her.

 

[Chimpzy]

Today in Unsighted, I learned the walljump. I've actually had the ability to do so since like the second upgrade you get in the game. It's a Super Metroid style walljump where you have to jump towards a wall, then point your character in the opposite direction, then jump. It never occurred to me to try this, and the game doesn't tell you how until much, much later. Not mad tho, I actually like that your move set has hidden depth.

 

[Dalisclock]

After a long fucking time of saying I was gonna do it, I finally pulled the trigger on Legend of Zelda: Majora's mask(the 3DS remake). I've done two loops so far and it's interesting but damn it is weird getting using to this ticking clock time loop format. That and the fact that's really obvious they borrowed a lot of assets from Ocarina of Time(which I played through ONCE, several years ago). I know that they were basically given a year to make a zelda game and thus they reused as much as they could from the previous game but damn if it doesn't feel obvious at times.

Still, that first loop where you're running to figure out WTF is going on, where everything is, WTF you're supposed to be doing and stuck as a little Deku scrub is something. At least they lock you in the town so you can't wander off and get hopelessly lost with that ticking clock hanging over your head. On the 2nd loop is me getting used to the schedule system and the notebook and I think I'm finally starting to figure this out, especially now I know some of the things you get, like the maps, the masks and the bomb bag carry over between loops(and apparently the bank keeps all your money between loops because....you know what, sure, lets roll with it).

It's an interesting game all right though I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get the dungeons done in 3 days once I even figure out how to get to them, but that's a problem for future dalisclock.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

It's an interesting game all right though I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get the dungeons done in 3 days once I even figure out how to get to them, but that's a problem for future dalisclock.

Majora's Mask is one of my favorite Zelda games, though Twilight Princess is still my actual favorite. Soft-spoiler hint: By the end of the first dungeon, you'll figure out pretty quickly how you can beat all the dungeons in such a short time.

OT: I just finished Genealogy of the Holy War, with a total B rank (the maximum is A). I don't regret playing it, but I don't think I'm going to play it again either, unless a remake like Echoes comes out. No idea what I'm going to play now. Quite possibly, nothing for a while.

 

[harrycallum172]

I have LG 27GN950-B. The fastest, most responsive 4K gaming monitor & I'm playing pubg mobile mostly. Battlegrounds battle royale game is now free to play on PC and consoles. South Korean video game developer Krafton on Tuesday announced that it's battle royale game PUBG: Battlegrounds is now free-to-play (F2P) on PC and consoles.

 

[gorfias]

Saw this posted in another forum and am trying Genshin Impact on Epic. It's a free game. Took about 90 min. to install. The mechanics are wonky and are going to take some getting used to on an Xbox controller. Maybe more intuitive if I stay with Keyboard? Very bright, compares with Zelda BOTW. Cutesy, but fun enough so far. And free is my favorite price.

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EDIT: Honest Trailer

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Blech, I'm quitting Scarlet Nexus.
The weeb shit nature of the game got too much for me. I was playing and just realized how goddamn bored I was with these characters and story.
The pacing of this game and the few Japanese games I've played drives me nuts. It's endless waves of same-y enemies followed by interminable dialogue that's like "I didn't know you like rice, I also like rice!" or whatever. Ugh.
I like cut scenes and cinematic games, but something about these- maybe it's a cultural blindness or whatever on my part- just puts me right off.

The difficulty spikes started to piss me off. I'm playing on Normal, doing ok- you know, dying occassionally but adjusting to get past it and progress. Then the other playable character appears and reks my shit beyond belief. Ok I get past it... then this happens again! So now not only is the difficulty spike bullshit but the story is just repeating itself and dragging on. And, oh, yeah, the story- good luck trying to keep up with all the preposterous twists and turns when the pacing bores you to death.

So... I've had enough. I think I made it about half-way through the campaign.

Now I really don't know what to play at all, I pretty much tried anything I want to. *check calendar* over a month 'till Elden Ring?! I guess I'll, I dunno, read a book or whatever.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

After a long fucking time of saying I was gonna do it, I finally pulled the trigger on Legend of Zelda: Majora's mask(the 3DS remake). I've done two loops so far and it's interesting but damn it is weird getting using to this ticking clock time loop format. That and the fact that's really obvious they borrowed a lot of assets from Ocarina of Time(which I played through ONCE, several years ago). I know that they were basically given a year to make a zelda game and thus they reused as much as they could from the previous game but damn if it doesn't feel obvious at times.

Still, that first loop where you're running to figure out WTF is going on, where everything is, WTF you're supposed to be doing and stuck as a little Deku scrub is something. At least they lock you in the town so you can't wander off and get hopelessly lost with that ticking clock hanging over your head. On the 2nd loop is me getting used to the schedule system and the notebook and I think I'm finally starting to figure this out, especially now I know some of the things you get, like the maps, the masks and the bomb bag carry over between loops(and apparently the bank keeps all your money between loops because....you know what, sure, lets roll with it).

It's an interesting game all right though I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna get the dungeons done in 3 days once I even figure out how to get to them, but that's a problem for future dalisclock.

I don’t recall much of this one other than yeah, it’s weird. I played it around the time the PS2 launched and kinda/sorta rushed my play-through on top of the actual mechanic that also kinda/sorta demands it. Also something about meeting a postman or getting a letter at a certain time. And that angry looking moon. The whole experience felt a bit stressful and while I generally enjoyed it once I understood the whole time loop thing, I was glad to be done with it.

Blech, I'm quitting Scarlet Nexus.
The weeb shit nature of the game got too much for me. I was playing and just realized how goddamn bored I was with these characters and story.
The pacing of this game and the few Japanese games I've played drives me nuts. It's endless waves of same-y enemies followed by interminable dialogue that's like "I didn't know you like rice, I also like rice!" or whatever. Ugh.
I like cut scenes and cinematic games, but something about these- maybe it's a cultural blindness or whatever on my part- just puts me right off.

The difficulty spikes started to piss me off. I'm playing on Normal, doing ok- you know, dying occassionally but adjusting to get past it and progress. Then the other playable character appears and reks my shit beyond belief. Ok I get past it... then this happens again! So now not only is the difficulty spike bullshit but the story is just repeating itself and dragging on. And, oh, yeah, the story- good luck trying to keep up with all the preposterous twists and turns when the pacing bores you to death.

So... I've had enough. I think I made it about half-way through the campaign.

Now I really don't know what to play at all, I pretty much tried anything I want to. *check calendar* over a month 'till Elden Ring?! I guess I'll, I dunno, read a book or whatever.

Probably smart. Give your mind and psyche a chance to reset before the next round of masochism.

 

[meiam]

Saw this posted in another forum and am trying Genshin Impact on Epic. It's a free game. Took about 90 min. to install. The mechanics are wonky and are going to take some getting used to on an Xbox controller. Maybe more intuitive if I stay with Keyboard? Very bright, compares with Zelda BOTW. Cutesy, but fun enough so far. And free is my favorite price.

I'm play on PC but with a controller and it works just fine appart from sometime using the quick menu with the analogue stick sometime doesn't trigger the right section of the circle.

A few basic tips related to the F2O nature of the game (spoiler in case you rather discover everything yourself): Primogem is the premium currency and its main use is to roll on wish/banner. I think the best thing to do is to not spend it for awhile (outside of the introduction banner) until you have a better idea of how you want to play the game and what character you're interested in. As you play the story/explore the game will shower you in it but it'll quickly dry up once your done with the content. Every few weeks there's 1 or 2 character banner where there's a character you can only get during that exclusive banner (they come back every 6 months or so) and also 3 standard character have a much higher chance of dropping. Currently the exclusive character is very niche in her utility. I'd wait until next banner since both character are really useful and some of the character with boosted chance are very good.

Second sorta premium currency is the one you can see on the map at the top, it'll be something like XX/160. This slowly recharge every day and is used to obtain materials that are otherwise limited. You don't have to worry too much about it for now but if you think you'll play for long its a good idea to use it all everyday (you'll start with only being able to use it on the ley line (looks like yellow or blue cloud on the map) and some world boss. Either is fine (although boss might be more useful to you now). Overtime you'll unlock mini arena that require it to obtain the reward at the end, it's a good idea not to bother with arena that reward artifact until much later.

 

[Dalisclock]

Majora's Mask is one of my favorite Zelda games, though Twilight Princess is still my actual favorite. Soft-spoiler hint: By the end of the first dungeon, you'll figure out pretty quickly how you can beat all the dungeons in such a short time.

OT: I just finished Genealogy of the Holy War, with a total B rank (the maximum is A). I don't regret playing it, but I don't think I'm going to play it again either, unless a remake like Echoes comes out. No idea what I'm going to play now. Quite possibly, nothing for a while.

Got another loop done and I've acquired the inverted song of time(slows down time flow), the song of double time(allows you to skip to a specific time in the future) and the song of soaring(Fast travel to the owl statues unlocked). I also got the bunny hood, which allows me to run faster, so I'm starting to see how the time loop becomes much more manageable when you combine these. Also, I realized the lottery always draws the same numbers so basically between the bank, the lottery and some high value chests around town, you can basically abuse the shit out of the whole system to stockpile money for.....whatever I need money for(which I guess is paying off that weird fuck tingle for his maps).

 

[BrawlMan]

Doom 64 (PS4 Physical) - The game that was Doom 3 in 1997 before Doom 3. Then actually officially becoming "Doom 3", because it takes place after Doom I & II, and before Doom 4 & Doom Eternal. While Doom 3 (2004) lives off in its own pocket dimension. This game is already better than most shooters that come out today, and aged better than most early polygonal from the 90s and early 2000s. No annoying NPCs chatting with you, no regenerating health, sprawling maze levels, and plenty of atmosphere. The music fits perfectly with grimmer and darker setting. The lightning is on point matches the more horror adjacent aesthetic. All that, and it's just between you and muderville of all things demons!

Funny how Doom 64 has some ideas that were new for the franchise at the time that Doom 3 would take. Environments that changed after getting keys or pushing switches. Some scripted moments that happen within certain levels. It's minor, but much appreciated details. The slower pace (Doom 3 is still the slower of the two) and bigger emphasis on horror. Enemies spawn out of nowhere or behind you when you grab items. The color does have more of a muted color palette, but it's still more colorful than almost any shooter from the 7th generation. The redesigns for the enemies and weapons are still awesome and has the best chainsaw ever. Double bladed, baby!

I appreciate the life of quality improvements. The password system is kept, if you want to use it, but you can now save and load any time you want. You're gonna need it; levels will get long the further you go. I am not sure if I am going to get the Unmaker. I'll try, but I just wanna mainly play these levels. Worst to worst, I can use the password that gives you all weapons and/or takes you to the final level or secret levels. There is also an option to turn on auto-run so you can get through the "platforming" sections easier. Very useful.

I got my copy at a Best Buy last week. The game is on sale digitally for $2.49, and that is practically a steal. Grab this game, if you're love old-school shooters.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Children of Morta - the full game, but playstation version cause learnt lesson from Hades that higher resolution make big TV playing less blurry.

What lovely pixel art and animation, possibly the most impressive since Hyper Light Drifter methinks, not to be said lightly of course. An almost weaponised level of comforting narration too, as if Stephen Fry and Gandolf were cuddling in front of the cozy lit fireplace as they read a storybook to you to help you snuggle and sleep under the king-size blankets on a snowy winter's night. The leveling and upgrade systems have a few quirks shared between family members which drastically helps when unlocking a new member who you want to level up faster too.

Another greatly appreciated, but perhaps somewhat ballsy design, is putting the shittest of zones first - the dreaded boring rocky brown spider dungeons...seriously I hate videogame dungeons, they were the worst part of Skyrim, and is why games like Diablo 2 look utterly dreadful to plod through. But once you get past that pile of visual turd cake it's all delights from there on! My philosophy is always to get the worst out of the way first so the rest can be savoured in pleasantly paced memory, which is seemingly a philosophy shared by these devs.

Did get mildly concerned when the little girl was unlocked who kicked so much ass so soon i was already starting to feel sorry for the soon-to-be abandoned other characters in favour of this (somewhat literal) whirlwind of chaotic annihilation. But the game goes "ahh, just as predicted, you simple lump of uninhibited neurons...not to worry, have some character debilitating corruption for constantly throwing the same innocent character into the meat grinder over and over again, you selfish fucking psychopath!"

Only criticism can come up with is, like, this family, way too functional for my experience. Too wholesome. Maybe they're overdue a bit of dastardly corruption. And the noticable lack of any other people is causing a few "k, how much incest is really going on here?" anxieties to crop up. Overall pretty cool though. Cool stuff. Apart from the last paragraph, but shh.

-



Death's Door.
Hm, nice piano/orchestra musics, stage with synchronised platforms to punchy soundtrack is always a win, character who is a corpse being controlled by a hugging squid backpack trying to talk like human quite badly, and a cute crow with an umbrella as a weapon is too cute - but the weapon is shit! Why would you do this to me, videogame?? 0/10! Sorry, got a bit emotional there. It's alright, yeah.

 

[Chimpzy]

Today in Unsighted, I learned that those big black eyeball monsters that the game implies can only be beat by the infinity +1 sword, and that's why you need to get the 5 macguffins? Yeah no, you don't actually need it. You can kill them with any weapon. It's just hard because you need several perfect parries in a row to get an opportunity for a critical hit, then rince and repeat until it bites the dust, while it only needs one or two hits to down you.

Such a good game.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Death's Door.
Hm, nice piano/orchestra musics, stage with synchronised platforms to punchy soundtrack is always a win, character who is a corpse being controlled by a hugging squid backpack trying to talk like human quite badly, and a cute crow with an umbrella as a weapon is too cute - but the weapon is shit! Why would you do this to me, videogame?? 0/10! Sorry, got a bit emotional there. It's alright, yeah.

Why are you using the umbrella, lol? It's a joke weapon- the default weapon is a decent sword.
There is an achievement for using it the whole game, though.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Why are you using the umbrella, lol? It's a joke weapon- the default weapon is a decent sword.
There is an achievement for using it the whole game, though.

I was using it cause it looked so cute! But yeah eventually had to swap back to the daggers, it will be a long time till this bitterness fades.