What are you currently playing?

[Gordon_4]

Do people claim early pokemon were challenging? You can breeze trough the game by only ever using your starter and having an insurmountable level lead over most enemy.

That depends on how much faith you put in Reddit posts. It is fair to say that modern games with the perma-exp share allow you to out-level pretty hard. X/Y was actually pretty shocking for this for all I loved the shit out of it, like by the time I got to the Elite 4 I was easily 10 levels or so higher than them. But even if you turn them off, if you've been marinating in the type match up, move sets, natures, and ability information for twenty or so years you can cheese the game regardless. The only thing that stops them being a steam roll is the exp curves being what they are in Gen V and prior games.

Like, I'd love to have a hard mode new game+ available for a mainline game. Like every trainer has at least four Pokemon, with items and tactics to match. Or hell TPC/Nintendo could swallow the largest slice of humble pie ever and make the basic Nuzlocke and/or Randomised experiences an option. Hell to make it work you could have it deactivate overworld Pokemon and save some processing power.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Defeated Mega Satan in Binding of Isaac. That's every ending and character unlocked and as close to "beating" the game as I'm willing to go.

Started another roguelite, Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse. People compare it to Dead Cells, which I haven't played. For my money it's like a cross between Chasm and Rogue Legacy. You explore procedurally generated dungeons and whenever you die or abandon a run you resurface to do some crafting and base-building. The roguelite stuff is really just the proc gen dungeon layout and the boons you get, but everything else like skill unlocks and materials carry over. So it does feel like it's designed around throwing yourself enough times until you best a dungeon.

I guess the big selling point is that you're playing a witch's hat rather than a witch. So you can body hop with it, possessing certain enemies just for the hell of a second health bar, or flying off mid-jump for extra airtime. It's alright, doesn't really feel all that integral to gameplay moment to moment. You get by just fine rolling past enemies and 1-2 thwacking them for coin.

Maybe it grows on me. The presentation is a bit alarming. It's a Pocket Pair title (Palworld) and there's a plug in for Discord on the menu screen, which, ew. There's also a multiplayer angle which I'm happy to sidestep.

 

[Dreiko]

Pokemon FireRed

Now I bought these for me and my kids. For them it was a much easier way for them to experience some old school Pokemon games and for me it was a bit of nostalgia.

However, I've gotten two badges so far and I'm not convinced that there's more challenge here than in say, Sword or Shield. What there is, is a more artificial limits that reflect the era in which they are made. Take TMs for example; up until Gen V they were a one use item since the implication is you're downloading data into the Pokemon. Except, its now very widely known that data can be basically copied endlessly. I have also seen much complaints about maps in later games having lots of data on them; yeah guys that's because in 1996 we weren't all carrying around a cellular telephone and GPS tool in our pocket.

And there's just so many other QoL improvements: the move pools are largely garbage, they hadn't done the Special/Physical split for moves so basically all elemental moves are special which can leave you rather awkwardly putting moves on a Pokemon that give you STAB, but take a hit because they might be running off the shittier attack stat. HM moves are still a thing, which outside of Fly, Surf and Waterfall all basically suck then and suck now.


Now FireRed (and LeafGreen) are still good fun games, but to me they're not challenging in the way people insist they are. If its the first ever Pokemon game you play, it will be challenging because you're learning. When you're a rusted on fan like me, you know the ins and outs so all that's being tested is your patience. Which is perhaps true of all things.

The main issue I have with more modern Pokemon games is that they made exp share not a held item but a key item and in the newest games you can’t deactivate it. It was fine in X/Y cause while it still affected your entire team you could just turn it off. The way it is now the only way to not be absurdly overleveled and trivialize every encounter is to raise like 30 different pokemon per playthrough. It’s fine for postgame grinding and ev training and so on but I just don’t get why they removed the toggle and didn’t balance the game around the extra exp you’d be getting as a result.

 

[Gordon_4]

The main issue I have with more modern Pokemon games is that they made exp share not a held item but a key item and in the newest games you can’t deactivate it. It was fine in X/Y cause while it still affected your entire team you could just turn it off. The way it is now the only way to not be absurdly overleveled and trivialize every encounter is to raise like 30 different pokemon per playthrough. It’s fine for postgame grinding and ev training and so on but I just don’t get why they removed the toggle and didn’t balance the game around the extra exp you’d be getting as a result.

X/Y was pretty shocking for that, but ironically that one you could turn the EXP All off at your leisure. Interestingly I did a play through of Shield recently and for that one I found even with global exp I was having to grind either battles or raid dens for exp candies to get on par with they gym leaders and I sure wasn't steaming though them since I was reliably having two-three of my team faint. And Leon nearly wiped me.

Scarlet and Violet is a weird case because it feels like the levelling curve is designed for a traditionally linear Pokemon game but the open world and three main story paths means you can be overlevelled for one thing and then go to another story thread and get curbstomped. Its weird; mechanically S/V is one of the most awkward Pokemon games I've played but I really came away loving the hell out of the three companion characters and their individual stories and that final battle in Area Zero was fucking lit.

Like I say, there are some QoLs that we should keep. EXP for catching Pokemon because you've done all that battling: did you suddenly not learn shit because you caught the Pokemon instead of fainting it? Being able to turn global party EXP off should always be available. Remote access to your Pokemon boxes is just accepting the reality that Pokemon are in some way stored as digital data and our ability to access, transmit and receive data has changed exponentially since 1996.


Semi-related; I would pay in stolen pirate gold for following: some kind of algorithm that would dynamically adjust Gym Trainers and Leaders and the Elite 4 and Champion at least. So sure you grind out to near the top of the obedience cap and go in and the Gym Leader is like "Yeah, you're not the first person to try that, Sonny Jim" and hit you with a higher level (and expanded) party. A New Game+ Hard Mode. In built randomisor for Nuzlockes.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Do people claim early pokemon were challenging? You can breeze trough the game by only ever using your starter and having an insurmountable level lead over most enemy.

I was going to say this exactly. My level 80 Blastoise pretty much single handedly stomped the Elite Four when I was a kid.

 

[Chimpzy]

Been playing Selaco, a high octane cyberpunk shooter. Based on the "Doom" engine. Between parentheses because GZDoom is already a long way from what id Software shipped in 1993. Gameplay is a mix of exploring the intricate maps for keys and supplies, interspersed with bouts of hectic and rather punishing combat. Despite having a slide to close distance, rushing in is usually not a good idea. But even at a distance enemies can chew through your health pool very fast if you get caught out in the open. I actually lowered the difficulty from Admiral to the one below, because it was a bit too much.

Looks kinda nice. Urban, lots of neon, your standard cyberpunk stuff, but presented in an appealing and cohesive way. Definitely way beyond Doom tho. One of the giveaways that this isn't your regular Doom engine are all the flashy effects. In a fight, neon pink blood splatters everywhere and missed shots and explosions send up clouds of sparks, debris and smoke. A little too much of the latter, and I turned the smoke effect down in settings because I often found myself unable to see enemies through all the smoke (but they can still see you).

Anyway, seems like it's a pretty beefy game. I'm about 2 hours in, and looking at a list of the levels, I'm maybe about a fifth of the way through? Though I have spent a lot of time secret hunting. Because there's quite a few of them and damn, some of them are deviously hidden, and while most are just regular supplies, some have permanent upgrades. So always worth keeping an eye out.

 

[thebobmaster]

After at least 6 runs, with 2 clears and 2 Act III boss attempts that didn't clear, I can comfortably say that Slay the Spire 2 is already "the first game, but better", and it's just barely in Early Access. They definitely took the time to make improvements without changing what makes the game so "just one more run" level. The little battle animations add a surprising amount to making things feel more impactful, and I haven't seen a character or enemy design/re-design that I haven't liked, at least (although the Defect certainly has been hitting the gym since the first game). I will just end this with a picture of the best class/player character, IMO. She's the one in the middle, although I love both ladies equally design-wise.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Resident Evil 2 (2019)

In the mood to get into a new (for me) genre and into something that always looked cool but had trouble enjoying because of gameplay and presentation. I dabbled very briefly in 0 and 1 which I learned are not the best ones? And 4 didn't look as interesting even though it's beloved. But 2 is both a recommended starting point and looks to me like what a "resident evil" game does in my head, if that makes any sense.

My problem with this kind of game is getting frustrated when I can't see things in the dark and when everything is like 100 shades of grey or brown. But I'm hoping that the remake updates things enough to make the game feel good to play. And I will be starting on easy mode- I suck at shooting and having to refight/escape the same zombies a hundred times is a recipe for quitting so I'd rather avoid that. I'm in it for the story, the vibes, the exploration.
I'm not worried about the horror/spookiness of it, which is a barrier for some, I've just watched too many horror movies in my time for that to be a thing. Since I've been playing sunny, cutesy cartoony things of late I'm down to go in for some gore and death.

Yeah the hype around Requiem has got my attention on the franchise.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Resident Evil 2 (2019)

In the mood to get into a new (for me) genre and into something that always looked cool but had trouble enjoying because of gameplay and presentation. I dabbled very briefly in 0 and 1 which I learned are not the best ones? And 4 didn't look as interesting even though it's beloved. But 2 is both a recommended starting point and looks to me like what a "resident evil" game does in my head, if that makes any sense.

My problem with this kind of game is getting frustrated when I can't see things in the dark and when everything is like 100 shades of grey or brown. But I'm hoping that the remake updates things enough to make the game feel good to play. And I will be starting on easy mode- I suck at shooting and having to refight/escape the same zombies a hundred times is a recipe for quitting so I'd rather avoid that. I'm in it for the story, the vibes, the exploration.
I'm not worried about the horror/spookiness of it, which is a barrier for some, I've just watched too many horror movies in my time for that to be a thing. Since I've been playing sunny, cutesy cartoony things of late I'm down to go in for some gore and death.

Yeah the hype around Requiem has got my attention on the franchise.

Hope you enjoy it! RE2R is one of my favorites in the series, and I think it's a great example of how to remake a game: it's about keeping the original effect on the player, but doing it a different way.

That actually leads into the best advice I've got for it for first-time players: In the original game, you couldn't move while aiming your weapon, and had to pick the right times to attack and to run away. That's no longer really the case in this game; you can move while aiming and shooting, but if you stand in place for a couple of seconds, the crosshair will close in until it turns into a dot, making your shots more accurate and a little more damaging.

The thing is, despite what a lot of annoying contrarians and a few relatively honest reviewers will tell you, you don't need to take every shot this way; other than regular zombies, which can be a little hard to hit at a distance, a lot of enemies are big enough targets that you realistically can shoot them while moving. It's about learning when you need and have the space to focus, when shooting on the run can work, and when you need to just run and only take aim again when it's safe - which is the same thing you needed to learn in the original game, minus the hard limitation of only being able to attack standing still that just doesn't make sense in modern games.

There's a lot of things like that I can point to, but since you said you never played the original, don't worry about that aspect of it. As long as you know you can focus before shooting but you don't have to, you'll be fine. I think it's a great remake, but that aside, it's also just an amazing horror game.

(If you want to play Requiem afterwards, you'll actually have almost all the backstory you need just from 2.)

 

[Gordon_4]

I was going to say this exactly. My level 80 Blastoise pretty much single handedly stomped the Elite Four when I was a kid.

Charizard with flamethrower, earthquake, slash and cut. Level 75. I only needed Zapdos as backup to take care of Lorelei and Blue’s Blastoise. Everything else he curb-stomped like they owed him money AND he caught them shagging his wife.

The difficulty in FireRed is early on and only really present if you pick Charmander. Once you’re at Vermillion City and beyond, the exp curve is your greatest challenge, along with Gen 1-3’s rather dogshit move pools.

 

[Worgen]

Been playing Selaco, a high octane cyberpunk shooter. Based on the "Doom" engine. Between parentheses because GZDoom is already a long way from what id Software shipped in 1993. Gameplay is a mix of exploring the intricate maps for keys and supplies, interspersed with bouts of hectic and rather punishing combat. Despite having a slide to close distance, rushing in is usually not a good idea. But even at a distance enemies can chew through your health pool very fast if you get caught out in the open. I actually lowered the difficulty from Admiral to the one below, because it was a bit too much.

Looks kinda nice. Urban, lots of neon, your standard cyberpunk stuff, but presented in an appealing and cohesive way. Definitely way beyond Doom tho. One of the giveaways that this isn't your regular Doom engine are all the flashy effects. In a fight, neon pink blood splatters everywhere and missed shots and explosions send up clouds of sparks, debris and smoke. A little too much of the latter, and I turned the smoke effect down in settings because I often found myself unable to see enemies through all the smoke (but they can still see you).

Anyway, seems like it's a pretty beefy game. I'm about 2 hours in, and looking at a list of the levels, I'm maybe about a fifth of the way through? Though I have spent a lot of time secret hunting. Because there's quite a few of them and damn, some of them are deviously hidden, and while most are just regular supplies, some have permanent upgrades. So always worth keeping an eye out.

It is pretty meaty. Especially when looking for secrets. Later on you can go back to earlier areas so you don't have to worry too much about missing something. But those upgrades do help. Have they had the story update yet? They are supposed to have an update before episode 2 that gives more back story to the invaders and such.

 

[Worgen]

After at least 6 runs, with 2 clears and 2 Act III boss attempts that didn't clear, I can comfortably say that Slay the Spire 2 is already "the first game, but better", and it's just barely in Early Access. They definitely took the time to make improvements without changing what makes the game so "just one more run" level. The little battle animations add a surprising amount to making things feel more impactful, and I haven't seen a character or enemy design/re-design that I haven't liked, at least (although the Defect certainly has been hitting the gym since the first game). I will just end this with a picture of the best class/player character, IMO. She's the one in the middle, although I love both ladies equally design-wise.

I've only had 1 successful run so far, but I tend to get to the final boss. Only beat it with the Silence or as you know her, best girl. I haven't chosen a fav yet, in the first game it was Silence, but so far everyone is fun. But, it is hard to argue against the Necromancer and her hand.

 

[Chimpzy]

It is pretty meaty. Especially when looking for secrets. Later on you can go back to earlier areas so you don't have to worry too much about missing something. But those upgrades do help. Have they had the story update yet? They are supposed to have an update before episode 2 that gives more back story to the invaders and such.

I don't know, maybe? Doesn't seem to have much in the way of exposition, it's all environmental storytelling or hinted at in datapads.

 

[thebobmaster]

I've only had 1 successful run so far, but I tend to get to the final boss. Only beat it with the Silence or as you know her, best girl. I haven't chosen a fav yet, in the first game it was Silence, but so far everyone is fun. But, it is hard to argue against the Necromancer and her hand.

Since that post, I have cleared with everyone but the Ironbound. I do agree that everyone is fun, which itself is a step up for me from the first game (I just could never really get into a comfortable playing pattern for The Watcher).

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Hope you enjoy it! RE2R is one of my favorites in the series, and I think it's a great example of how to remake a game: it's about keeping the original effect on the player, but doing it a different way.

That actually leads into the best advice I've got for it for first-time players: In the original game, you couldn't move while aiming your weapon, and had to pick the right times to attack and to run away. That's no longer really the case in this game; you can move while aiming and shooting, but if you stand in place for a couple of seconds, the crosshair will close in until it turns into a dot, making your shots more accurate and a little more damaging.

The thing is, despite what a lot of annoying contrarians and a few relatively honest reviewers will tell you, you don't need to take every shot this way; other than regular zombies, which can be a little hard to hit at a distance, a lot of enemies are big enough targets that you realistically can shoot them while moving. It's about learning when you need and have the space to focus, when shooting on the run can work, and when you need to just run and only take aim again when it's safe - which is the same thing you needed to learn in the original game, minus the hard limitation of only being able to attack standing still that just doesn't make sense in modern games.

There's a lot of things like that I can point to, but since you said you never played the original, don't worry about that aspect of it. As long as you know you can focus before shooting but you don't have to, you'll be fine. I think it's a great remake, but that aside, it's also just an amazing horror game.

(If you want to play Requiem afterwards, you'll actually have almost all the backstory you need just from 2.)

Thanks!

Had my first session and I'm into it. A point I've made many times before but, man, it bears repeating- you really have to be in the mood for something, especially a game, and I am in the mood.
I'm in the police station looking for the medallions and got 2/3 so far. I did not expect this to be a metroidvania! I'm also glad I'm on easy mode- got attacked a few times but am able to progress. I like the boarding the windows mechanic. I hate that I had to look up how to unlock a safe hahah.

Another pleasant surprise is that it's verified on Steam Deck.

 

[BrawlMan]

Thanks!

Had my first session and I'm into it. A point I've made many times before but, man, it bears repeating- you really have to be in the mood for something, especially a game, and I am in the mood.
I'm in the police station looking for the medallions and got 2/3 so far. I did not expect this to be a metroidvania! I'm also glad I'm on easy mode- got attacked a few times but am able to progress. I like the boarding the windows mechanic. I hate that I had to look up how to unlock a safe hahah.

Another pleasant surprise is that it's verified on Steam Deck.

Glad you're having fun. Even on Casual, it's never easy the first time through. As for the metroidvania, most RE games (before RE4-RE6 and after those) have always been about backtracking of some kind. The RPD is basically an expanded version of RE1/RE1R's Spencer Mansion. Let me, @Worgen, or @NerfedFalcon know if you need any advice or run into some trouble.

 

[Worgen]

I don't know, maybe? Doesn't seem to have much in the way of exposition, it's all environmental storytelling or hinted at in datapads.

Ahh, ok, then yeah, its still not implemented yet. It always had some setting stuff, but nothing really regarding the invaders.

 

[Worgen]

Since that post, I have cleared with everyone but the Ironbound. I do agree that everyone is fun, which itself is a step up for me from the first game (I just could never really get into a comfortable playing pattern for The Watcher).

Maaan, I still only have one win. Had a run go really bad with Silence, bad hand.

 

[thebobmaster]

To be fair, I'm not sure if my clears have been just exceptionally good deals or me actually being good at the game. For example, my clear with the Necrobinder started with a card called Scythe that I got in a random selection at the beginning. It works like the Ritual Dagger in the first game, but instead of only gaining damage if it kills an enemy, you only need to attack with the Scythe to increase its damage in future combats (because it does still Exhaust when played). I remind you, I STARTED with this probably-meant-to-be-obtained-halfway-through-a-run-card. By the time I got to the Act III boss, it did about 50 damage. UNBUFFED.

 

[Worgen]

To be fair, I'm not sure if my clears have been just exceptionally good deals or me actually being good at the game. For example, my clear with the Necrobinder started with a card called Scythe that I got in a random selection at the beginning. It works like the Ritual Dagger in the first game, but instead of only gaining damage if it kills an enemy, you only need to attack with the Scythe to increase its damage in future combats (because it does still Exhaust when played). I remind you, I STARTED with this probably-meant-to-be-obtained-halfway-through-a-run-card. By the time I got to the Act III boss, it did about 50 damage. UNBUFFED.

I got my second win, this time with the Necrobinder. I got 2 copies of Squeeze, combined with lethality and items that tended to give a lot of energy meant that I could not only use squeeze but it was also hitting for like 148 each time I used one, if it was the first attack a turn.