What are you currently playing?

[BrawlMan]

Played the 60 minute Resident Evil Village demo just now. For fifteen minutes. Annoying. How they can even call this Resident Evil anymore, I don't know. It so badly tries to be something else. The fight with the talkative swarm lady in shitty first-person view with gun locked to protagonist's eyes (which is so distracting and silly after not playing play first-person shooters more than briefly for as long as I have) tonally and mechanically felt nothing like RE1 to 5. (Don't remember 6 well and didn't finish 7.) The scripted animations were lame too. Nice tech demo, though.

Village is just RE4 again but in first person. It's ironi, because there are two different first person updates of RE4 and RE4R respectively. The VR.

There's much problems I have with Village, It's still better than RE6, RE7, and the Revelation side games. The problem with villages that RE4 and RE4R especially exists. Making it hard to go back and play. If you ever do a full play too I. Suggest you just by the game use or get it on a deep sale. No I recommend you just get the gold edition at twenty dollars new if you can find it's still that way you don't have to pay for third person mode. If you do, pay for that on the sale as well. It's s what I did. I bought the game used and then they happen to have a sale for the DLC and extra content.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Pretty much covered every area in ER Sherdtree, and only looked up how to get to the hidden areas accessed through Count Ymir’s questline. I will go back to the end boss at a later time, after settling on a fresh build. Still have a lot of new stuff to try out.

 

[Ezekiel]

Village is just RE4 again but in first person. It's ironi, because there are two different first person updates of RE4 and RE4R respectively. The VR.

There's much problems I have with Village, It's still better than RE6, RE7, and the Revelation side games. The problem with villages that RE4 and RE4R especially exists. Making it hard to go back and play. If you ever do a full play too I. Suggest you just by the game use or get it on a deep sale. No I recommend you just get the gold edition at twenty dollars new if you can find it's still that way you don't have to pay for third person mode. If you do, pay for that on the sale as well. It's s what I did. I bought the game used and then they happen to have a sale for the DLC and extra content.

It's not RE4.

Not buying it for third person mode because, according to the description I read in the game, it has to switch to first person for cinematic moments anyway. A game where third person is secondary, an afterthought, won't have it that well implemented anyway.

 

[BrawlMan]

It's not RE4.

No shit, but it does take a lot from RE4 anyway. At the end of the day, it's still copying that game just with a different flavor of monsters.

Not buying it for third person mode because, according to the description I read in the game, it has to switch to first person for cinematic moments anyway.

I can live with that fine personally, because I prefer the 3rd person view. I don't find it jarring nor that much of an issue. I already knew about that part so it didn't frustrate me at all and I expected it. Capcom even mentioned it when promoting the golden edition. It's understandable why you don't want to buy it, nor do I blame others for not making this purchase. I'm never going back to Village anyway , so I took whatever advantage I could and had my fun.

 

[Worgen]

Touhou Luna Nights is from Team Ladybug of Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, another super fast-paced almost-shmup that cribs to some degree from SotN. This is still one of those doujin fangames that adapts a Japanese IP I'm not familiar with into a throwaway chapter that is either All a Dream or All a Simulation so it doesn't really matter but if you're a fan you get to point and recognize characters I guess. The notable thing here is a timestop mechanic that lets you weave around the bullet hell and comically pile on attacks (flurries of knife throws) on enemies. Suprisingly the timestop develops beyond a mere gimmick as different enemies and platforms react differently to it. Like "Deedlit", you're also very much in charge of balancing a passive-aggresive healing mechanic: "graze" enemies while time flows normally to regain HP, graze them while time is stopped to regain MP. Attacking normally consumes MP, and stopping time consumes a timer.

I quite like Team Ladybugs games, the only one I haven't gotten into as much was Deedlit since it was really Record of the Lodoss war fan based, like throwing in all the characters from the manga or anime without explanation. I don't recall that being as much of an issue with Luna Nights, but it also might just not have as big of a cast.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I quite like Team Ladybugs games, the only one I haven't gotten into as much was Deedlit since it was really Record of the Lodoss war fan based, like throwing in all the characters from the manga or anime without explanation. I don't recall that being as much of an issue with Luna Nights, but it also might just not have as big of a cast.

As someone who isn't familiar with either property, it really doesn't matter at all. Both stories are about the protagonists walking into NPCs and going "Bobert! What are you doing here?" and then Bobert says something like "I'm the weapon merchant" or "I man the save points" and that's it. It's all supposed to be recognizable but "off". For Deedlit it's all a dream, for the Touhou maid it's all a simulation. It's the lowest form of narrative impact possible for what are essentially fangames anyway. I guess the broadly comedic tone of Touhou makes it more inviting for randos like me.

 

[Agema]

Command Ops 2

Harcore WW2 wargame, right down to the "counters on a board". This game is quite old. So old that the latest update to the AI has spent so long in gestation that many indy devs could have released two whole games by now. I've booted it up again... just because.

This is what they call "pausable continuous time", which means sort of real-time, except you're generally expected to pause a lot whilst you think, issue orders, etc. It's very complex, with detail down to individual troops and weapons, logistics, orders delay, command structures, etc. An interesting feature is that you generally tell a higher-level command to do something, and then the AI orchestrates the action of units under the command, so expect (like a real general) that some of your orders might not turn out exactly as you'd have done it. The basic unit size is a company (~100-200 men, or 6-20 tanks), and depending on scenario size you normally command anywhere up to about 1 corps (~400 units). The enemy AI is not always the best - it's too active at night (night actions were relatively rare), and it is a little too focused on objective points in a way that can make for unrealistic actions, but it's usually tough enough to make for a decent struggle.

Elite: Dangerous

Also an old game recently fired up again. After a screwed up expansion and a while in the doldrums whilst the devs did other things, the devs have recommitted to the game and are releasing new ships, content, and upgrading some of the gameplay, evidently to the pleasure of the players. Got myself a lovely new explorer ship with an amazing new FTL drive. It's probably still the best general space sim out there overall, bearing in mind that Star Citizen (LOL!) is still nowhere near release, although some of its rivals (No Man's Sky, X4) might be better at some specific features.

 

[Worgen]

As someone who isn't familiar with either property, it really doesn't matter at all. Both stories are about the protagonists walking into NPCs and going "Bobert! What are you doing here?" and then Bobert says something like "I'm the weapon merchant" or "I man the save points" and that's it. It's all supposed to be recognizable but "off". For Deedlit it's all a dream, for the Touhou maid it's all a simulation. It's the lowest form of narrative impact possible for what are essentially fangames anyway. I guess the broadly comedic tone of Touhou makes it more inviting for randos like me.

The comedic tone certainly helps with not knowing the characters. For Deedlit it felt more fanservicy. Like "OH HEY so and so is here, coool." Which makes it impenetrable to those without a much deeper understanding then I of the property.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The comedic tone certainly helps with not knowing the characters. For Deedlit it felt more fanservicy. Like "OH HEY so and so is here, coool." Which makes it impenetrable to those without a much deeper understanding then I of the property.

Sure, I don't think I would've cared more but maybe it would've made me appreciate the game a bit more. I don't think it'd make the plot any more interesting since again it's all just Deedlit walking into a room, asking someone she recognizes what the hell is going on and being told hahaha wouldn't you like to know before they fight her or sell her something.

It's like playing any tie-in SNES game for a cartoon in the 90s. You don't need to watch Animaniacs to understand that the "story" is plotless you beat the game by going right, but Brain piloting a headless mecha is a neat reference instead of a random boss fight.

 

[Worgen]

Sure, I don't think I would've cared more but maybe it would've made me appreciate the game a bit more. I don't think it'd make the plot any more interesting since again it's all just Deedlit walking into a room, asking someone she recognizes what the hell is going on and being told hahaha wouldn't you like to know before they fight her or sell her something.

It's like playing any tie-in SNES game for a cartoon in the 90s. You don't need to watch Animaniacs to understand that the "story" is plotless you beat the game by going right, but Brain piloting a headless mecha is a neat reference instead of a random boss fight.

Hence the fanservice. It was enough of a "what?" to make me stop playing before I beat it. I've liked all their other games but Deedlit just made me feel like I was missing something important and that let me get distracted by something shiny.

You don't need context but it can certainly help. Then again, NES, GENESIS, SNES era platformers tended to just be way more random with enemies and such then modern games. Generally a metroidvania will have enemies that fit the theme, platformers will just have almost totally random things that will hurt you... and bats, they almost all had bats.

 

[Ezekiel]

Played the RE2 remake just now. Have 70 hours and last beat it in February of 2022.

I can't play the standard difficulty because it has auto-saves. I refuse to have my progress automatically saved. The zombies on hard are more annoying than I remembered. So many shots to the head, and you can't cripple them with one shot (or three shots) to the leg, and it takes too long to place a shot as the dot has to steady (which also throws you off as the cam zooms in). All this, the cost of moving and shooting with a second analog stick or mouse. The new camera wasn't such a problem in RE4 because the environments were more expansive and there were more enemies, but you can't crowd the spaces too much in a police station really made for the original PlayStation.

Why is it so dark? Just turn on the light. I haven't played the RE4 remake, but am now thinking back to the reveal that much of what took place in daylight in the village is now at night.

I chose the new music. Bland, but the incomplete old music will be even more out of place now that I've played the original.

Feels more soulless now. I'll delete it again. Was just curious.

 

[BrawlMan]

Played the RE2 remake just now. Have 70 hours and last beat it in February of 2022.

277 hours. Last I played was in the summer of 2024. 266 hours on PS4 and 11 hours on PS5.

Feels more soulless now

No, most of that is just you sucking at the game.

So many shots to the head, and you can't cripple them with one shot (or three shots) to the leg,

On Hard, you're expected to know what to do at this point. Either cripple/stun the zombie (best option) or go for the kill if you have the ammo or more power weapon to spare. It's all skill based and memorization. There is dynamic difficulty at play, so it's usually best not kill the zombie or monster unless it's absolutely necessary or in the way of something very important.

t takes too long to place a shot as the dot has to steady (which also throws you off as the cam zooms in).

Not really. That's a you issue and a skill issue. Also, the more you upgrade certain weapons or more powerful weapons, the less time it takes to zoom in or your zoom will be in less than a nanosecond. Upgrading Leon's magnum to full capacity gets him a laser pointer. One of the Claire's alternate pistols she can get early enough (police station garage), comes with a laser pointer at the start. If I can do these with little to no trouble, then it proves you just have to get good again. The darkness I'll give you a freebie, though I usually just put my brightness at 80% and leave it there. Everyone's TV and monitors are different, so you do whatever works best.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Played the RE2 remake just now. Have 70 hours and last beat it in February of 2022.

I can't play the standard difficulty because it has auto-saves. I refuse to have my progress automatically saved. The zombies on hard are more annoying than I remembered. So many shots to the head, and you can't cripple them with one shot (or three shots) to the leg, and it takes too long to place a shot as the dot has to steady (which also throws you off as the cam zooms in). All this, the cost of moving and shooting with a second analog stick or mouse. The new camera wasn't such a problem in RE4 because the environments were more expansive and there were more enemies, but you can't crowd the spaces too much in a police station really made for the original PlayStation.

Why is it so dark? Just turn on the light. I haven't played the RE4 remake, but am now thinking back to the reveal that much of what took place in daylight in the village is now at night.

I chose the new music. Bland, but the incomplete old music will be even more out of place now that I've played the original.

Feels more soulless now. I'll delete it again. Was just curious.

Happy International Men's Day Zeke!

 

[gorfias]

13 years later, beat Portal 2. With the help of walk throughs.

 

[Worgen]

Beat Halfife 2. Been awhile since I played through it, really does hold up well. Story is awkward, like it feels like they really want Alyx to love Gordon, with all the little animations and such and even by the end its still kinda weird how much of a folk hero Gordon is. It feels like NPCs are more into him then the marines in Halo. Doesn't help that the friendly AI is really good, but has enough weirdness to make for some very awkward moments. Usually involving tight corridors and eye contact.

 

[BrawlMan]

Contra (Famicom) English Translation - The japanese version of this game is so much better on presentation. The extra disk space enhances the presentations and gives you more background animations. Us in the west got a raw deal on that. What's even better is that I'm playing a hack English translation version. So I get all the cool cinematics and understand them now. I only died once, but managed to snag about ten lives total.

I did play some Super C afterward.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Picked up Watchdogs 2 again after my brief 30 minute stint with it about a month or so ago, and I'm completely lost. It's one thing to come back to a game after a significant span of time and have to relearn the controls, but this Ubisoft shit... fuck's sake, every button brings up a submenu or item wheel each with their own 4-5 smaller icons; I have no idea what does what. And then I proceed to my first non-tutorial objective hoping I could intuit the game if I just moved along, and they throw like 3-4 MORE mechanics at me, each with their own menus and submenus! It's overwhelming in a VERY bad way.

It's one thing to have a game that offers a lot over time, but another to have a game that just dumps everything on you basically all at once. This makes me want to just play Watchdogs 1 again; I don't recall ever feeling like I was juggling cats executing the game's basic premise. I really enjoyed my time with it and was hoping for more of the same with this sequel, but so far, it just feels like Ubisoft: The Game, "now with 40% more ICOOOOOONZZZZ!"

 

[Bartholen]

I went back and played a tiny bit of Borderlands 3, and uninstalled it like an hour later. I came to realize why I have a hard time recalling bits from this game, and Wonderlands as well: it's the very definition of overstimulation. The game is at max level, turned up to 11 every. single. moment. Sound effects are firing off everywhere, the screen is positively covered in various shiny effects, the ear-piercing dialogue basically never shuts the fuck up, and the pace is relentlessly fast. It just turns into audiovisual vomit and white noise. I have over a 100 hours in this game, and can hardly recall any of what I actually did, in what order or why. And I'd be surprised if this wasn't a vital component in how the game failed to capture an audience like BL2 did (alongside many other good ones). I'd almost say it's a shame that the only legacy this game has is everyone shitting on the story and characters, because gameplay wise it's easily the most fun and refined in the series. But Gearbox honestly have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[Xprimentyl]

13 years later, beat Portal 2. With the help of walk throughs.

Well, what did you think?? And before you answer, know that I love that game, and I do not take criticism of it... lightly.

 

[Bedinsis]

I finished my Crusader Kings II campaign. At the end of the day I got over 720 000 points (though since I reloaded several times it doesn't really say much about my alleged skill since I didn't much roll with the punches).

Final map in the spoiler.

Spoiler: Image

I did six Great Holy Wars: for Jerusalem, Africa, Lombardy, Poland, Nenetsia and Rajputana. The last hundred years was at constant warfare, with a whole military high command of generals with the Siege Leader bonus.

The most notable event was when my character gave birth to twins who got some event text that made them both Slow. It was at that point I realized my character was a Drunkard. Presumably she had been drinking while pregnant. Neat that the game keeps track of such interconnection of traits.

The next run I make I will have as a rule that if I am considered the ruler of the strongest realm on the map I must educate my heir with a different religion.