What are you currently playing?

[FakeSympathy]

I am now 4.5 hrs into SH2 Remake. Just got past the Blue Creek Apartment. I actually can't believe I am glad to be back outside, finally being done with that creepy apartment.

And wow, I am thoroughly impressed. It's a horror game that makes me feel uncomfortable. I haven't gotten this feeling since Alien Isolation. Holy shit they nailed the atmosphere. It indeed feels like a town whose people just vanished. Or did this town never had anyone to begin with?

Barely any jump scares, and the outdoor areas are fairly bright, but the game is so atmospheric I always feel something is going to go terribly wrong in any moments. The sound effects really helps.

The combat does feel awkward, especially when I'm switching between the wooden plank and pistol, but I think it makes sense. Unlike Resident Evil games, James isn't a soldier or a combatant who had training with various weapons; He is your typical average man looking for his wife. I don't think he ever used a weapon or learned any combat moves. Not having weapon upgrades also makes this game truly feels like a survivor-horror, where the ammunition is limited and melee attacks can be a a hassle to pull off.

 

[BrawlMan]

The combat does feel awkward, especially when I'm switching between the wooden plank and pistol, but I think it makes sense. Unlike Resident Evil games, James isn't a soldier or a combatant who had training with various weapons; He is your typical average man looking for his wife. I don't think he ever used a weapon or learned any combat moves. Not having weapon upgrades also makes this game truly feels like a survivor-horror, where the ammunition is limited and melee attacks can be a a hassle to pull off.

It's awkward at first, but you'll get used to it. James surprisingly has lots of invincibility frames with his dodges.

 

[Ezekiel]

Found some more magnum ammo right before finishing the cistern, which makes me more disappointed about the Magnum pistols that I never found.

Yeah, looks like I'll be able to add this to my list of finished games before the year ends, if I really plug away at it my next weekend.

 

[Worgen]

Beat Starcom: Unknown Space. So yeah, its really good. I think Starcontrol 2 is better, but Starcom plays better since it came out after the dos era. Anyway Starcom is a top down space exploration/combat game where you explore an unknown universe and gradually improve your ship, find and solve mysteries and meet alien species and either trade or fight with them. The exploration is great, planets will have interesting blurbs when you send down a craft and your crew will also comment on new discoveries and events which is fun. Combat is also great, its satisfying to blow pieces of enemies ships off and eventually cause a catastrophic meltdown resulting in a huge explosion. The difficulty on normal is kinda easy, but it will pit you up against pretty bad odds at times, usually you can still win those fights, or just run away, your call.

Really I would say the weakest aspect of the game and why I like Starcontrol 2 better is the aliens. The aliens in Starcom are good, but have no where near as much personality as I would like. You can usually ask them a few questions and then unless you have a quest line involving them, trade and thats kinda it. I wish there was much more fluff text from them, what we have in game is functional but lacking to me. Like there is enough there to work, but not enough to feel fleshed out.

Either way, highly recommend if you think you want a game more focused on exploration. Took me about 30 hours to beat.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Arma Reforged, basically console edition for first time, but on new engine? I remember hearing the old version was buggy as hell, so surely an engine change after all these years would be done to yield a superior performance, right? Having not played the original, am unable to confirm that, but can say for sure this game is struggling in its current form, a vast weight of omnipresent resistance against every move I make as if depression were the cement holding this game together. Casually sprinting or turning or turning while sprinting causes screen rips like cronenbergian flesh desperately tearing away from dead exoskeleton of previous physical state. Patches and skin graphs needed.

Have to credit the extensive options, especially being able to rebind the millions of moves to double taps, hold and taps, hold and double taps of seemingly any controller input. Was legit disappointed with dying light 2 afterwards cos of this silly detail - "but Arma let me assign these to a hold n double tap input....why can't you??"

 

[Chimpzy]

Found some more magnum ammo right before finishing the cistern, which makes me more disappointed about the Magnum pistols that I never found.

Yeah, looks like I'll be able to add this to my list of finished games before the year ends, if I really plug away at it my next weekend.

You have another 5 chances to find the Magnums. And 3 for the Uzis.

 

[Kyrian007]

Christmas sale pickup, Dave the Diver. Only 4 in-game days into it but this is really nice. Basically a spearfishing sidescroller by day and restaurant simulator by night. Surprisingly deep, but lets you pick things up at any pace you want. And a lovely undertone of Lovecraftian aquatic horror. A little like a 2d Subnatica, but instead of survival the goal is to make the best Sushi restaurant.

 

[meiam]

Beat Starcom: Unknown Space. So yeah, its really good. I think Starcontrol 2 is better, but Starcom plays better since it came out after the dos era. Anyway Starcom is a top down space exploration/combat game where you explore an unknown universe and gradually improve your ship, find and solve mysteries and meet alien species and either trade or fight with them. The exploration is great, planets will have interesting blurbs when you send down a craft and your crew will also comment on new discoveries and events which is fun. Combat is also great, its satisfying to blow pieces of enemies ships off and eventually cause a catastrophic meltdown resulting in a huge explosion. The difficulty on normal is kinda easy, but it will pit you up against pretty bad odds at times, usually you can still win those fights, or just run away, your call.

Really I would say the weakest aspect of the game and why I like Starcontrol 2 better is the aliens. The aliens in Starcom are good, but have no where near as much personality as I would like. You can usually ask them a few questions and then unless you have a quest line involving them, trade and thats kinda it. I wish there was much more fluff text from them, what we have in game is functional but lacking to me. Like there is enough there to work, but not enough to feel fleshed out.

Either way, highly recommend if you think you want a game more focused on exploration. Took me about 30 hours to beat.

I own nexus but never played it, any reason to pick unknown space over it?

 

[Worgen]

I own nexus but never played it, any reason to pick unknown space over it?

I haven't played Nexus, but from looking into it. The story in Nexus is better, but the gameplay improvements in Unknown Space make it feel much better to play. The two games are totally separate in terms of story so you don't have to play one before the other or anything like that. Its likely that Ill end up grabbing Nexus before the sale is over since I really really liked Unknown Space.

 

[Worgen]

Played some of the new games I got on the steam sale. These are all kinda first impressions.

Started with Lunistice, its a 3d platformer, its... fine. The graphics are colorful and nice, the platforming is... not hard but its the kind that is annoying since judging your jumps is kinda weird from the view you are locked into. Its also got this really weird narrative that seems really out of place with the colorful graphics.

Next is Extraneum, its a fps done in what I consider the style of Wolfenstein since its pretty much just on a flat plain with no real elevation. Its pretty good, graphics are kinda overly cutesy but the gameplay is decent and there are lots of secrets which are easy to miss but you can go back to earlier levels and find them. I kinda like it.

Azure Striker Gunvolt. I've kinda been meaning to get this forever, its very anime, but pretty neat. Kinda setup like the old megaman games where you choose the boss you are going for. Gameplay is side scrolling action, you mark enemies with your gun then use your lighting power to take them out. You can feel that it comes from the nintendo DS or 3ds. The font is too big and the screen is a bit too zoomed in like it was originally made for a much smaller screen, but its fine. Curious where it goes, especially since there are like 7 more games in this series.

Final one of the new ones I got that I played is Atlyss. My initial impression was kinda ehh. The character creator is nice but the colors are mostly garish, but that was mostly the case with the bird guy I made, the other species colors seemed to work better. Character design is lightly horny and thick, but no h content here. Gameplay is 3rd person dungeon crawling and initially I was put off by how sensitive the camera was and how things felt, but after playing for a bit... I think its kinda grabbed me. Its still early access so I won't be playing a ton of it, but I think I really want to play more and see whats up with it.

 

[BrawlMan]

I finally played some Astro Bot yesterday. Great platformer.