What are you currently playing?

Johnny Novgorod

Bebop Man
Legacy
Feb 9, 2012
18,908
3,468
118
Yeah that was a fun little game. I recall it was very forgiving if you goofed up and fell off a ledge and lost a lot of distance. As there were multiple teleporter checkpoints along the way that let you quickly ascend to close to your fall point. The little robot had a cute design, and a cute audio design as well, so hearing it's little chirps and bleeps constantly never got annoying. Fun time killer for a few days.
I'm liking it a lot. Even if it's super forgiving you still feel the vertigo from all the perilous balancing acts and clumsy controls. Getting to a teleporter and then getting back to where you fell off is still a bit of a journey. I guess the worst thing most people have to say about it is that it's super short, apparently, though well worth the $4 in my opinion.
 

happyninja42

Elite Member
Legacy
May 13, 2010
8,577
2,985
118
I'm liking it a lot. Even if it's super forgiving you still feel the vertigo from all the perilous balancing acts and clumsy controls. Getting to a teleporter and then getting back to where you fell off is still a bit of a journey. I guess the worst thing most people have to say about it is that it's super short, apparently, though well worth the $4 in my opinion.
Yeah the altitude does make me feel that clenching in my scrotum effect I get, similar to playing games like Dying Light, and jumping massive gaps on rickety construction equipment, high up.

But yeah, considering the price, it's hardly a huge investment for what is a solidly made little game. It didn't overstay it's welcome in my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Johnny Novgorod

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
Legacy
Mar 10, 2016
29,389
12,230
118
Detroit, Michigan
Country
United States of America
Gender
Male
Ninja Baseball Batman. You read that right. It's it's the best Ninja turtles game ever made. Better than the Ninja Turtles arcade game or Turtles in Time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: happyninja42

Bob_McMillan

Elite Member
Aug 28, 2014
5,424
2,047
118
Country
Philippines
Was so extremely bored yesterday so I hopped on to some Titanfall 2, and while its amazing that you can still reliably get games these days, fuck everyone playing is already so good at the game. I haven't gotten my ass kicked in an FPS that badly for a long time.
 

SilentPony

Previously known as an alleged "Feather-Rustler"
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
12,058
2,469
118
Corner of No and Where
Its time for my annual replay Bioshock trilogy, so Rapture here I come. I know 2 gets a lot of shit because of the ZP video and little else, but its a solid shooter every bit as good as Doom 2016 and way better than Doom Eternal. Better atmosphere, better controls, the enemies aren't Saturday morning cartoon characters and the Devs didn't forget its a shooter not a first person platformer.
 

meiam

Elite Member
Dec 9, 2010
3,593
1,821
118
Its time for my annual replay Bioshock trilogy, so Rapture here I come. I know 2 gets a lot of shit because of the ZP video and little else, but its a solid shooter every bit as good as Doom 2016 and way better than Doom Eternal. Better atmosphere, better controls, the enemies aren't Saturday morning cartoon characters and the Devs didn't forget its a shooter not a first person platformer.
I dunno about just as good as 2016, but 2 is pretty good (def better than eternal). It just suffer from more of the same without the big twist compred to 1. Also better than infinity.
 

SilentPony

Previously known as an alleged "Feather-Rustler"
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
12,058
2,469
118
Corner of No and Where
I dunno about just as good as 2016, but 2 is pretty good (def better than eternal). It just suffer from more of the same without the big twist compred to 1. Also better than infinity.
That's fair. I think I place Bioshock 2 on par with Infinity in terms of gameplay and story, Doom 2016 might be a better made game than either of them, but I found it got very samey very quickly, with just deathmatch arenas strung together with corridors, whereas Rapture and Columbia felt like places. Although to be fair to Doom its literally all about the demons and the ripping and tearing there of, and the story doesn't matter. Which is why Eternal fell flat on its face. That and I've found the gameplay of Eternal to just be oddly both overwhelming and boring. I've tried on 3 separate occasions to get through it and I always find myself zoning out and going through the motions right around where you shoot a hole in Mars.
Doom 2016 doesn't do story to its credit, and I guess Bioshock 2 and Infinity squeak out the win for me, if for no other reason the Bioshock games are masterworks in atmosphere and Doom being on Mars kinda lacks any.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

meiam

Elite Member
Dec 9, 2010
3,593
1,821
118
I'd place bioshock 1 on par with doom 2016, I'd say the "rip and tear" aspect is about the equivalent of rapture atmosphere and the strong focus on core gameplay of 2016 being equivalent to the large number of option you can take in gameplay from bioshock 1. I'm a sucker for minimalist so 2016 story worked really well for me.

Bioshock 2 atmosphere pretty much coasted on bioshcok 1 atmosphere, so I'm more reticent to give it props for that, they just managed not to fuck it up (something I sadly can't really say for eternal).

Infinity isn't focus enough, columbia is cool but the dimension crap just get in the way of the world. I think I would have liked it a lot more if it dropped that storyline.
 

NerfedFalcon

Level i Flare!
Mar 23, 2011
7,213
952
118
Gender
Male
So I've investigated the castle in Symphony of the Night as much as I could, even looking up how I'm supposed to proceed, but none of the guides that I've been able to find have said anything more than "go to the fake save room" without actually saying where that is or how to get there. So I'm stuck.
Edit: I just realized there's a doorway marked on the map that I haven't been through yet. I'm an idiot.

But I managed to clear a run in Hades yesterday, so that was pretty cool.
 
Last edited:

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
20,142
4,907
118
I think I'm finally in the verge of finishing Hollow Knight.

I'm playing through Persona 5 Royal, but depending on whether or not they fixed the dumb-ass in media res "shocker" from the default game I probably won't continue playing passed that point.

Also, going through the Arkham games again (minus Origin) cuz why the fuck not. Plus, I saw Woolie was doing a playthrough, and when I see let's plays of certain games it just makes me wanna play through them again myself.
 

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
Legacy
Mar 10, 2016
29,389
12,230
118
Detroit, Michigan
Country
United States of America
Gender
Male
Its time for my annual replay Bioshock trilogy, so Rapture here I come. I know 2 gets a lot of shit because of the ZP video and little else, but its a solid shooter every bit as good as Doom 2016 and way better than Doom Eternal. Better atmosphere, better controls, the enemies aren't Saturday morning cartoon characters and the Devs didn't forget its a shooter not a first person platformer.
For you my friend.


 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,910
118
That's fair. I think I place Bioshock 2 on par with Infinity in terms of gameplay and story, Doom 2016 might be a better made game than either of them, but I found it got very samey very quickly, with just deathmatch arenas strung together with corridors, whereas Rapture and Columbia felt like places. Although to be fair to Doom its literally all about the demons and the ripping and tearing there of, and the story doesn't matter. Which is why Eternal fell flat on its face. That and I've found the gameplay of Eternal to just be oddly both overwhelming and boring. I've tried on 3 separate occasions to get through it and I always find myself zoning out and going through the motions right around where you shoot a hole in Mars.
Doom 2016 doesn't do story to its credit, and I guess Bioshock 2 and Infinity squeak out the win for me, if for no other reason the Bioshock games are masterworks in atmosphere and Doom being on Mars kinda lacks any.
DOOM has plenty of atmosphere in terms of just being stuck on a foreign planet and its sprawling base. The interior of most levels feels like it should at least, although more ambient sound design to heighten to mood would’ve worked wonders.

Bioshock is a series where I liked the first game enough to make it seem odd that I’ve never played the others, besides a demo of 2. I have the collection on PS but would much rather play it on PC, where I played the original. Maybe I’ll start 2 on PS4 and see how I like it on a game pad at least. There are few shooters I’ve found more enjoyable there vs with kb/m in front of a monitor with headphones.


On topic, beat the Corrupted Monk Illusion in Sekiro. Probably the first boss I’ve faced where you pretty much need to drain his health to take him out, as he has posture for days. I did see a YouTube video where someone took him out purely via posture break within like a minute or so, and apparently it’s legit. Sure as hell didn’t seem like it after my experience, but he also had some buff activated that I don’t even recognize.

Now it’s probably on to Sunken Valley, which might just be the most frustrating map of any FROM game. If you aren’t being shot at all the time (which drains your health very quickly or your spirit emblems constantly using the umbrella to defend against multiple attacks) , you’re being chased by some Snake Eyes ninja that is arguably the toughest mini boss I’ve faced in the game.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Dalisclock

SilentPony

Previously known as an alleged "Feather-Rustler"
Legacy
Apr 3, 2020
12,058
2,469
118
Corner of No and Where
DOOM has plenty of atmosphere in terms of just being stuck on a foreign planet and its sprawling base. The interior of most levels feels like it should at least, although more ambient sound design to heighten to mood would’ve worked wonders.

Bioshock is a series where I liked the first game enough to make it seem odd that I’ve never played the others, besides a demo of 2. I have the collection on PS but would much rather play it on PC, where I played the original. Maybe I’ll start 2 on PS4 and see how I like it on a game pad at least. There are few shooters I’ve found more enjoyable there vs with kb/m in front of a monitor with headphones.
I actually prefer the gamepad over mouse/keyboard personally because it allows me to relax better and I'm more comfortable with it. But I don't play competitive shooters so it hardly matters, AI are AI, they don't have an interface.
 

Dirty Hipsters

This is how we praise the sun!
Legacy
Feb 7, 2011
8,593
3,109
118
Country
'Merica
Gender
3 children in a trench coat
Now it’s probably on to Sunken Valley, which might just be the most frustrating map of any FROM game. If you aren’t being shot at all the time (which drains your health very quickly or your spirit emblems constantly using the umbrella to defend against multiple attacks) , you’re being chased by some Snake Eyes ninja that is arguably the toughest mini boss I’ve faced in the game.
Tip for snake eyes - the umbrella will block her grab attack (it's the only grab attack in the game where you can block it instead of dodging). She'll still bring you closer to her, and it'll open her up for a few good hits so it's an easy way to stay in and do damage. This means that using the umbrella will block 100% of her attacks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hanselthecaretaker

Piscian

Elite Member
Apr 28, 2020
1,952
2,082
118
Country
United States
I think by the end of it I resigned myself to not hating Bioshock 2, but the whole experience felt pretty derivative. Like about a 3rd of it felt new, but it felt more like an expansion than a fully realized game. Towards the end the fights get very repetitive in a way that made it seem like they were just shuffling around deck chairs. I remember being annoyed enough that I dug around and found that it wasn't the actual Bioshock team that worked on the original, it was a sub-studio that made map packs for multiplayer content I believe. Typical.
 
Last edited:

Hawki

Elite Member
Legacy
Mar 4, 2014
9,651
2,175
118
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
If we're talking about Doom and BioShock, for me it goes:

Doom Eternal>BioShock>Doom 2016/BioShock Infinite

I can't say whether Doom 2016 or Infinite is better, because they're severely flawed in...actually, come to think of it, pretty much the same ways (severely flawed story, monotonous gunplay). I'm putting Doom Eternal about BioShock because of sheer fun factor, otherwise, they do different things well (Doom Eternal has a good story, BioShock arguably has a great story, Doom Eternal has better gunplay, BioShock has more tactical gunplay, etc.)

Anyway, as for the game I'm playing right now, well, this is what I just completed:


In fairness, Spyro 2's gone up from "average" to "good." I'll say that I prefer it to Spyro 1 in that I'll take more linear, albeit varied 'mission levels' over "here's a level, do your thing" in Spyro 1. That, and it's finally provided some context for Ripto, so while the story's paper thin, it's at least something.
 

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
Legacy
Escapist +
Feb 9, 2008
11,286
7,082
118
A Barrel In the Marketplace
Country
Eagleland
Gender
Male
Tip for snake eyes - the umbrella will block her grab attack (it's the only grab attack in the game where you can block it instead of dodging). She'll still bring you closer to her, and it'll open her up for a few good hits so it's an easy way to stay in and do damage. This means that using the umbrella will block 100% of her attacks.
If this is the one at the cliffs above the chasm,

The poison dagger works very well on her and is one of the few bosses with such a weakness.
 

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
Legacy
Escapist +
Feb 9, 2008
11,286
7,082
118
A Barrel In the Marketplace
Country
Eagleland
Gender
Male
I think by the end of it I resigned myself to not hating Bioshock 2, but the whole experience felt pretty derivative. Like about a 3rd of it felt new, but it felt more like an expansion than a fully realized game. Towards the end the fights get very repetitive in a way that made it seem like they were just shuffling around deck chairs. I remember being annoyed enough that I dug around and found that it wasn't the actual Bioshock team that worked on the original, it was a sub-studio that made map packs for multiplayer content I believe. Typical.
I think that's the reason I haven't played it, especially since the original Bioshock was really annoying me with it's constant "Oh, some rocks fell and blocked the door. Better go around!" detours that negated any feeling of progress for much of the game. Yeah, the "Would you Kindly" bit is great but it's surrounded by far less well done stuff(the few hours between that and the end felt kinda pointless).

Honestly, Bioshock for me was:
-Really good Intro sequence(with tunnels flooding and cool setpieces)
-Uh, stuff happens
-Sander Cohen is a fucking nut
-More stuff happens I guess?
-"Would You Kindly?"
-Ending that takes way too fucking long
-Something about a naked dude and a nuclear submarine/bunch of little kids.

Yep, there's my Hot Take. I didn't love Bioshock and found much of it rather meh, and this is when it came out.

I hear Minervas Den is actually kinda of good though.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

Dalisclock

Making lemons combustible again
Legacy
Escapist +
Feb 9, 2008
11,286
7,082
118
A Barrel In the Marketplace
Country
Eagleland
Gender
Male
The sabimaru prosthetic? I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.
Correct.

There is an obscure hint in one of the item descriptions that there were certain(Okami?) warriors in the past that were stopped by using poison and it works on their descendants(which the Snake Eyes count as).

However, the other Snake Eyes, who lives in a poison swamp(Because FROM game) doesn't have this weakness