What are you currently playing?

[wings012]

Does it still use that terrible sounding save system where you either have to sleep in a bed(that you own) or drink a potion, sans mod? Thats one of the things I remember hearing about it when it launched.

It does. I tried to put up with it and roll with the bad personal decision punches. But you can't roll with the punches that leaves you dead. So after losing hours of gameplay because I had the misfortune of being jumped by bandits with superior equipment, I decided I had enough.

 

[Chimpzy]

All of that is true and I enjoyed it, but I don't think I even got a third of the way through the game before dropping it. The time for backtracking for sidequests as you go, and the fairly terrible combat, just made it a slog. And I think I was a good 15-20 hours through it and hadn't even unlocked the magic system. The game was just too much padding for me.

Yeah, the combat is real shit, which is why I get fed up, pressed Alt-Shift-F10 to enable the console and endowed myself with some biblical potency. Basically turns the game in a clunky 90's adventure game with the occasional uppity speedbump I can obliterate in a single turn. Shaves off a ton of time, so I can devote myself to figuring out which of the 50 npcs I need to talk to to advance the plot. Cuz gameplay-wise, I'm reluctant to call this a good game, or even adequate, so I have no qualms taking shortcuts to speed things up. Honestly, at this point I'm pretty much only in it for the characters and because I'm sort of interested in where the plot is going. C'est la vie.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Still Back to the Future for the NES. I don't really know why I've been playing this. I just feel like it, okay?

I made it past the dance stage by turning the brightness on my TV all the way up, but I died on the streets before the Delorian. My next attempt ended at the school, which I'd always thought as the easiest minigame, but I wasted like 5 lives on it this time.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

When I found out that Bamco were holding a Steam sale, I decided to check if Dark Souls 2 was on the list, since it's the only one from that series that I don't already own. Turns out, it was, so I bought it and now I'm starting that. I only got a little way into Nioh, so I should be able to just leave it there and pick it back up later without having to relearn too much.

To be totally honest, I'm often more interested in divisive games than universally praised ones. Dark Souls 2 is about as divisive as it gets, from what I've seen, so I'm hoping that it'll be interesting in that way.

Level up the Adaptability stat in tandem with whatever normal stats you are goin for, because it is the main way to alleviate the game’s mechanics feeling kinda stiff and awkward next to the original. Once it gets to around level 20 the game will feel much better.

I liked 2 more than I thought I would’ve after reading so much criticism. Its design philosophy is a big pivot from the original, including some odd wtf level design, but it also adds a lot of interesting ideas. It is also the biggest game, but bonfire aesthetics makes soul farming and looting so much more convenient.

I agree with Dalisclock that the DLC is arguably a step up from the base game in terms of tighter focus, level design and boss encounters. There are two gauntlet type areas in the Iron King dlc that will test your patience, but nothing the game wouldn’t have already taught you to handle one way or another.

 

[Dalisclock]

Still Back to the Future for the NES. I don't really know why I've been playing this. I just feel like it, okay?

I kinda forgot that game existed and yet I now remember playing it as a kid and how fucking hard it was. You made it a lot farther then I ever did.

I did play through Final Fantasy 2 like a decade or so ago. I'm not really sure why I did. It is a rather painful experience partially due to just how fucking bizarre the Leveling system works and the sheer amount of beef gating you have to deal with in the early game(in tandem with the game telling you where to go but not how to get there).

This review beatifully sums up a lot of the issues. Most telling is the following quote.

If your will somehow remains unbroken and the game is still turned on at this point, Final Fantasy II will begin administering electrical shocks through the controller.

I would compare it to Dark Souls in difficulty but if Dark Souls is a Drill Instructor who uses to pain to teach, Final Fantasy 2 is a Sadist who enjoys watching you suffer.

 

[Dalisclock]

I agree with Dalisclock that the DLC is arguably a step up from the base game in terms of tighter focus, level design and boss encounters. There are two gauntlet type areas in the Iron King dlc that will test your patience, but nothing the game wouldn’t have already taught you to handle one way or another.

I remember the Iron Passage. Is the other the path to Sir Alonne? I know the Iron Passage is purely optional, only there to make it harder to reach the optional re-skin boss. I can't remember if you had to go after Sir Alonne or not to finish the DLC.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Does it still use that terrible sounding save system where you either have to sleep in a bed(that you own) or drink a potion, sans mod? Thats one of the things I remember hearing about it when it launched.

It does. I tried to put up with it and roll with the bad personal decision punches. But you can't roll with the punches that leaves you dead. So after losing hours of gameplay because I had the misfortune of being jumped by bandits with superior equipment, I decided I had enough.

Saviour Schnapps is still the main way to save anywhere (which isn’t so bad once you learn to brew them), but you can also Save>Quit Game anywhere and reload that way from the menu. I’ve never had much of an issue finding a place to save often though since almost any sleeping area that isn’t occupied is available. I’ll always save at the herbalists hut before and after brewing anything for example (no shame in save scumming here).

You can also save at bathhouses. Usually I just drop by one to get the cheapest “service” and save after I’m all “cleaned up” lol. The game also auto saves after any quest progress, but only RPG noobs would ever rely on just that regardless of the game, hehe.

I think there’s also a mod that lets you truly F5 save anywhere, anytime.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

My Friend Pedro (Switch Physical Copy). Another game in the genre of Hotline Miami, but with more humor. It's basically a Deadpool game without the actual Deadpool. A better Deadpool game than the official licensed game. Out of all the Hotline Miami clones, this is the best one so far. It's certainly easier compared to Hotline and Hong Kong Massacre. I like those games too, but both can overboard on the difficulty by throwing so many enemies that can kill you in one hit. Or shoot you from off screen. I completed the first chapter and work my way on the rest later.

Have you tried Katana Zero? I had a lot of fun with that one, and I even think it's better than Hotline Miami. Enemy types are easy to tell apart, they don't suddenly carry different weapons after respawning for no apparent reason, you get plenty of vision due to the side-on view, and it's just so satisfying to slash enemy bullets back at them. It also has the best conversation mechanics I've ever seen.

 

[BrawlMan]

Have you tried Katana Zero? I had a lot of fun with that one, and I even think it's better than Hotline Miami. Enemy types are easy to tell apart, they don't suddenly carry different weapons after respawning for no apparent reason, you get plenty of vision due to the side-on view, and it's just so satisfying to slash enemy bullets back at them. It also has the best conversation mechanics I've ever seen.

No, but I have heard about it and seen reviews. I'll get to that one later. Thank you.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I kinda forgot that game existed and yet I now remember playing it as a kid and how fucking hard it was. You made it a lot farther then I ever did.

I did play through Final Fantasy 2 like a decade or so ago. I'm not really sure why I did. It is a rather painful experience partially due to just how fucking bizarre the Leveling system works and the sheer amount of beef gating you have to deal with in the early game(in tandem with the game telling you where to go but not how to get there).

This review beatifully sums up a lot of the issues. Most telling is the following quote.

I would compare it to Dark Souls in difficulty but if Dark Souls is a Drill Instructor who uses to pain to teach, Final Fantasy 2 is a Sadist who enjoys watching you suffer.

I like those reviews. I've read them before and thought they were really good.

 

[laggyteabag]

Back on DOOM Eternal, and I think im about done with it - not because the game is over, but because I am just bored of what it is doing.

The game being constantly slowed down by platforming sections, puzzles, random pointless cutscenes, and now apparently underwater sections, and im just aching for some good, uninterrupted combat.

The game also appears to be up its own arse about its story, and it is just tiresome.

I honestly find it so odd that one of the 2016's biggest praises, was how it handled its story. How in the opening scene, when the story is being explained to you, the Doom Slayer just pushes away the monitor giving you exposition - only for the sequel to take that praise, and go full-on third-person cutscenes and exposition dumps at multiple opportunities, showing you your past, the motivations of your enemies, all of this guff. There are demons who need slaying - that is all I should need to know.

I dunno. I guess because I am so close to finishing the game, I will probably see it through, but I think I have been ready for it to end for a while, now.

Is it just me, or has 2020 been pretty poor for games, so far?

 

[Kyrian007]

I went into last weekend not really knowing what I was going to play. It had to be something I could play with a controller, because the trackball I've been gaming with since (ready for this) 1996 is finally becoming unusable. I had returned to My Time at Portia, but now I'm awaiting a "big" upcoming content patch before jumping back on. I need to work on my backlog... so instead I loaded Borderlands 2 after I got the free version on Epic. I didn't play it very long (easy to get bored) however I noticed that the graphics seemed much sharper even though I supposedly loaded the free higher resolution texture pack on my Steam version. Maybe it was just a more recent download of the updated textures.

But bored, so lets look at the backlog... nope, instead I reloaded Fallout 3. You always find something new going through a Fallout game. Until Sunday I had no Idea you could keep Lucas Simms alive and get Tenpenny's henchman out of Megaton... neat.

But I'll have to take a break from the wasteland pretty soon, the next Borderlands 3 DLC releases soon. They're talking about how "different" this one is. Let's hope it is, 3 still isn't quite as robust an experience as Borderlands 2 was. Really about on par with the original at this point.

 

[BrawlMan]

Is it just me, or has 2020 been pretty poor for games, so far?

If you're referring to the AAA space, yeah, but that has unfortunately become standard. On the indie side or smaller AA gaming side, they're doing great! I've just been having fun playing the smaller games. I admitted I had put down Doom eternal halfway through, and I've still yet to get back to it. As much fun as I had, it's just more of the same.

 

[Dalisclock]

Finished The Saboteur, like 3 years after starting it.

Pretty fun overall. There's like 50 missions(like a quarter to third of those being optional) but most of them were enjoyable. Near the end there the game starts railroading you a lot, forcing you from one mission to another without much opportunity for free play or exploring. It's not terrible because that's about the point the plot starts coming to a climax.

The bigger problem is near the end the game starts throwing Terror Troopers at you, these big Darth Vader Nazi fuckers who all wear gas masks, pack super powerful weapons and take a ton of punishment to go down and there's like 2 missions closet to the end where it's pretty much just Darth Nazis all the way through(one of which is in a series of dark tunnels). Also, stealth kinda ceases to a viable in these missions, so it's murder all the way through. At least once you kill a Terror Trooper, you can appropriate their weapons, which are fucking god tier even when you have them(and you can also buy them in the store around that point).

Ironically, the finale is a bit of an anti-climax. You ascend the Eiffel Tower to reach the main villain and take him down, but there's no opposition at all. All of the Nazis are either dead or so distraught they have no interest in trying to murder you and the final boss will either go down in a single bullet or will toss himself off the top if you don't shoot him within a minute. He also has an empty gun so it's not like he even poses a threat

The last words imply there were plans for a sequel, with Sean going to carry on the fight into Germany or other occupied nations. However, EA shut down Pandemic Studios not long after this game came out, because EA has never bought a studio they didn't want to liquidate eventually.

So yeah, an Open World with lots of Splody Nazi Killing goodness with some cool set pieces and an AssCreed style climbing system. Sean is a bit fun to listen to, even if he's a massive Irish Stereotype.

Next I'm going to play the Ace Combat 7 DLC and then start The Banner Saga.

 

[meiam]

then start The Banner Saga.

They're beautiful game with great soundtrack... gameplay tough... I just couldn't stomach it.

 

[happyninja42]

If you're referring to the AAA space, yeah, but that has unfortunately become standard. On the indie side or smaller AA gaming side, they're doing great! I've just been having fun playing the smaller games. I admitted I had put down Doom eternal halfway through, and I've still yet to get back to it. As much fun as I had, it's just more of the same.

I couldn't even really stay invested in the Doom original reboot that Eternal is a continuation of. I guess I just don't find pointless shoot-em-ups all that compelling anymore. I played for like, 1 hour maybe? And then I just stopped and uninstalled it.

 

[Neuromancer]

then start The Banner Saga.

Love the first two. Can't say the same about the last one.

OT: A friend gifted me FTL, and I have been playing it based on whim when I have the time. It's at the same time addicting and frustrating. As I have been trying my luck against the Rebel Flagship, however, I am starting to feel that there is less variance in playstyle and that specific things are really needed to bring it down. Fuck its second phase, though.

 

[Dalisclock]

Love the first two. Can't say the same about the last one.

OT: A friend gifted me FTL, and I have been playing it based on whim when I have the time. It's at the same time addicting and frustrating. As I have been trying my luck against the Rebel Flagship, however, I am starting to feel that there is less variance in playstyle and that specific things are really needed to bring it down. Fuck its second phase, though.

All I know is that the three games apparently form a complete story and little else beyond that, particularly the quality of the individual games. Considering the VIking influence, I presume it's a fantasy interpretation of Ragnarok and the Fimbulwinter that precedes it.

I've tried FTL a number of times and I've concluded I suck at it. I can't tell if gitting gud eludes me or I just need to play it a lot to gid gud. Maybe I'm just not good at Rougelites/Rougelikes.

They're beautiful game with great soundtrack... gameplay tough... I just couldn't stomach it.

I've heard it can be hard. However, each game is about 10-13 hours long(apparently) it's not a massive time investment if it turns out to be too difficult. Unlike, say, XCOM or XCOM2 which goes into the 30-40 hour range and one can get locked into a fucking death spiral if not careful. Which is incidentally why I've had XCOM2 for a couple years now and still haven't installed it, because I remember how rough XCOM:EW was.

 

[happyninja42]

I've tried FTL a number of times and I've concluded I suck at it. I can't tell if gitting gud eludes me or I just need to play it a lot to gid gud. Maybe I'm just not good at Rougelites/Rougelikes.

Yeah beating that game relies fairly heavily on luck and good RNG for what encounters you run into. I can say as someone who isn't an expert at that game, you can beat it on regular without too much effort. Though some ship builds/types make it a lot easier than others. But yeah, a lot of it is just if RNJesus is smiling down on your or not. It's a fun game I think, but it's got a short shelf-life of engagement for me.

 

[BrawlMan]

I couldn't even really stay invested in the Doom original reboot that Eternal is a continuation of. I guess I just don't find pointless shoot-em-ups all that compelling anymore. I played for like, 1 hour maybe? And then I just stopped and uninstalled it.

it doesn't help that in my case I've been finding crossover fan art or fanfics with Doom more interesting at the moment. There's a crossover fanfic with RWBY I'm finding way more entertaining at the moment. Better than the actual show too.