What are you currently playing?

[laggyteabag]

Been a while!

Gone through some pretty shitty life changes, and all of the associated feelings.

My heart hasn't really been in it for singleplayer games recently. I've been leaning a lot on my friends, and so playing a lot of multiplayer games.

Helldivers, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm. Games really are better with friends.

Though i've just dipped my toes back into a singleplayer game for the first time since I finished Dispatch.

I've decided to revisit Divinity Original Sin 2, which I was last played during March 2020, where everything was going to shit. I distinctly remember working from home, with nothing to do, because no one was working at the time because of all ot the restrictions. So I just alt+tabbed from my work, and played this for the best part of 100 hours.

Some pretty bittersweet memories here, from easier times.

Hope everyone is doing well. Its tough out there.

 

[Worgen]

I'm getting near the end of Lies of P. Pretty sure there are only a few bosses left. Ugh, this is one of those weird games I have a love/hate relationship with. The environments are nice, characters are interesting, story is pretty good too, exploring the world feels good, but the bosses... ugh, the bosses. They are almost all pains in the ass. By pains in the ass I mean you have to learn the timing and move set for almost all of them, its not like Dark Souls where most bosses can be killed after an attempt or two, there are like 3 or 4 bosses I would say were just easy, everything else was a slog of memorization and annoyance. Really doesn't help that most bosses also have a fairly long boss run back to them, which can fuck right off. In Darksouls I looked forward to seeing what new bosses there would be, in Lies I'm dreading the amount of effort it takes. Its also not like in Darksouls where you can drastically alter your equipment, give a shield a try or something. Its more what kinda damage you want to do and if you want a quick or longer reach weapon, and which arm weapon.

 

[Worgen]

Been a while!

Gone through some pretty shitty life changes, and all of the associated feelings.

My heart hasn't really been in it for singleplayer games recently. I've been leaning a lot on my friends, and so playing a lot of multiplayer games.

Helldivers, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm. Games really are better with friends.

Though i've just dipped my toes back into a singleplayer game for the first time since I finished Dispatch.

I've decided to revisit Divinity Original Sin 2, which I was last played during March 2020, where everything was going to shit. I distinctly remember working from home, with nothing to do, because no one was working at the time because of all ot the restrictions. So I just alt+tabbed from my work, and played this for the best part of 100 hours.

Some pretty bittersweet memories here, from easier times.

Hope everyone is doing well. Its tough out there.

Welcome back, we are hanging on.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Did anybody ever care about score in platformers? Like, most platformer games from the 8 and 16 bit era had a score, but I just never cared. Like not even in Mario.

 

[thebobmaster]

Did anybody ever care about score in platformers? Like, most platformer games from the 8 and 16 bit era had a score, but I just never cared. Like not even in Mario.

Only when a certain score threshold gave me an extra life/continue.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Did anybody ever care about score in platformers? Like, most platformer games from the 8 and 16 bit era had a score, but I just never cared. Like not even in Mario.

It's a holdover from arcades, where score was how you proved you were better than everyone else at the game, encouraging you (or the person you beat) to jam in another quarter and take another shot at beating the leaderboard. Scores in games like Super Mario Bros are there because people expected them to be there, and even after becoming entirely vestigial, they were seen as being tradition for their series.

Though on the subject of score being pointless, ever played a beat-em-up by Konami? "1 enemy defeated = 1 point" is pretty much the entire scoring system in X-Men, The Simpsons and Ninja Turtles. The only way to get a high score is to just beat the entire game completely normally.

 

[Drathnoxis]

It's a holdover from arcades, where score was how you proved you were better than everyone else at the game, encouraging you (or the person you beat) to jam in another quarter and take another shot at beating the leaderboard. Scores in games like Super Mario Bros are there because people expected them to be there, and even after becoming entirely vestigial, they were seen as being tradition for their series.

I know, but I'm curious if anybody here actually cared about them. Edit: I think the best thing about the score in Mario was that score ticking sound at the end of the level in SMB3. Just makes the level feel complete.

Though on the subject of score being pointless, ever played a beat-em-up by Konami? "1 enemy defeated = 1 point" is pretty much the entire scoring system in X-Men, The Simpsons and Ninja Turtles. The only way to get a high score is to just beat the entire game completely normally.

I have a couple of the Ninja Turtles games for the NES and SNES, honestly I don't even remember there being a score. That's an extremely silly scoring system, though.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I have a couple of the Ninja Turtles games for the NES and SNES, honestly I don't even remember there being a score. That's an extremely silly scoring system, though.

Meant the arcade version, but TMNT2 (which is a port of the first arcade game) uses it. Turtles in Time gives you more points for defeating enemies using throws, but that's still not really encouraging 'skilled play' as much as 'we really want to show off our 3D effect'. And the really funny part? The boss that you can only damage using screen throws was ripped off... from Battletoads.

 

[meiam]

Did anybody ever care about score in platformers? Like, most platformer games from the 8 and 16 bit era had a score, but I just never cared. Like not even in Mario.

I could see it being a rudimentary form of PvP. Like your brother got X score in this level, so you have to do more than that.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Decided it's been long enough since the last time that I started another playthrough of Earthbound. So far I've recruited Paula and gotten through Lilliput Steps, so it's not much longer before I pick up Jeff.

Earthbound really feels unique to me; there's a lot of games inspired by it, but none of them completely recreate the Earthbound experience one-to-one, not even its own sequel Mother 3. That's why I keep coming back to it every year or so. Think this one's the ninth or tenth time, not counting the runs I started but never actually finished.

 

[BrawlMan]

Did anybody ever care about score in platformers

Depending on the game or style of platformer, sometimes yes. Mainly games like Casltevania of the non-Metroid style.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Depending on the game or style of platformer, sometimes yes. Mainly games like Casltevania of the non-Metroid style.

Really, did you write down your high scores in the manual?

 

[Drathnoxis]

I could see it being a rudimentary form of PvP. Like your brother got X score in this level, so you have to do more than that.

I didn't have any siblings close to me in age or friends that I played video games with, but I could kind of see that. Score in most platformers was such a bad representation of skill, though, mostly it was a measure of your willingness to waste all your time combing every nook and cranny of a level for point items or grinding respawning enemies.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Decided it's been long enough since the last time that I started another playthrough of Earthbound. So far I've recruited Paula and gotten through Lilliput Steps, so it's not much longer before I pick up Jeff.

Earthbound really feels unique to me; there's a lot of games inspired by it, but none of them completely recreate the Earthbound experience one-to-one, not even its own sequel Mother 3. That's why I keep coming back to it every year or so. Think this one's the ninth or tenth time, not counting the runs I started but never actually finished.

Do you ever do challenge runs since you've played it so many times?

 

[BrawlMan]

Really, did you write down your high scores in the manual?

No. I usually either screenshot it or write it on a digital notepad on my phone.

 

[Drathnoxis]

No. I usually either screenshot it or write it on a digital notepad on my phone.

Oh, this is a thing you are currently doing. How about back when these games were newer? Did you care at all back then?

 

[BrawlMan]

Oh, this is a thing you are currently doing. How about back when these games were newer? Did you care at all back then?

My first Castlevania game didn't happen until Circle of the Moon on GBA. The older games I mainly played on emulation. Some scores i've saved and some I didn't, but I lost a memory for those a long time ago. I do do prefer savings scores for mainly brawler games though. There was the original Castlevania on GBA, but I sold that.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Do you ever do challenge runs since you've played it so many times?

I haven't ever encountered one that I feel like I'd be able to do for the entire game. I've never even gotten a Sword of Kings before, so getting every single 1/128 drop isn't on my list, and the low level challenge (related, a 'no healing' challenge I came across once) just feel extremely frustrating. Anyway, I don't mind playing the 'same' game repeatedly if it's a good enough game, and Earthbound absolutely is.

I never did finish Mother 3, though I've gotten up to the final chapter. Maybe I'll spin that up once I'm done with Earthbound, finally see that ending firsthand.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I haven't ever encountered one that I feel like I'd be able to do for the entire game. I've never even gotten a Sword of Kings before, so getting every single 1/128 drop isn't on my list, and the low level challenge (related, a 'no healing' challenge I came across once) just feel extremely frustrating. Anyway, I don't mind playing the 'same' game repeatedly if it's a good enough game, and Earthbound absolutely is.

I never did finish Mother 3, though I've gotten up to the final chapter. Maybe I'll spin that up once I'm done with Earthbound, finally see that ending firsthand.

Low level challenges are fun, because they reduce grind as well as make the strategy more important and interesting. I haven't done one for Earthbound, but I've enjoyed it for the first 3 Mario RPGs.

Mother 3 was one of my favourite JRPGs when I played it 10 years ago. I started another playthrough last year, but got distracted pretty quickly by other things.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

The Runaway Five in Mother 2 were the 'Tonzura Brothers' (lit. 'Runaway'), and they wore black suits as shown. This was changed to the colored suits worn by the Runaway Five (the keyboardist only appears on stage, so I guess he doesn't count) to avoid getting sued by Saturday Night Live over association with the Blues Brothers.

This despite the fact that they left in the yellow submarine in Dungeon Man that caused the game to not see a re-release outside Japan for 18 years. Go figure.