What are you currently playing?

[hanselthecaretaker]

Heading deeper and deeper into Sunken Valley after rather pwning Mr Snake Eyes with a combination of Umbrella, Sabimaru and Ichimonji-Doube with a few random slashes and reflections mixed in (thanks in part to Dirty Hipsters and Dalis Clock tips). Then another centipede dude fell pretty easily mostly thanks to an easy deflection pattern and no underlings lurking around like the one in the temple grounds.

Also barely survived an onslaught of lizards spewing fire and poison in some hidden pit, then met with another serpent who seemed to think a proper introduction would be knocking me off a bridge (like in the trailer!). At least the treasure carp were a decent concession. Then dropping further down, I felt slightly bad offing a massive troop of seemingly innocent monkeys, but am pretty sure they were going to tattle on me and alert the big guy who probably can’t wait to lose his head (for fun no doubt!).

 

[Dalisclock]

Then dropping further down, I felt slightly bad offing a massive troop of seemingly innocent monkeys, but am pretty sure they were going to tattle on me and alert the big guy who probably can’t wait to lose his head (for fun no doubt!).

Watch out, that big guy throws big poos at you.

Also, the poo throwing leaves him open for a short period, so immediately rush him as soon as you see him doing it. The Poo will miss and you'll get a couple free hits

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Watch out, that big guy throws big poos at you.

Also, the poo throwing leaves him open for a short period, so immediately rush him as soon as you see him doing it. The Poo will miss and you'll get a couple free hits

Would this be the one that firecrackers also work well against? Or so I’ve heard.

 

[Dalisclock]

Would this be the one that firecrackers also work well against? Or so I’ve heard.

That they do, but the Flamethrower is also very effective.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm playing a Turkish knockoff of Minesweeper called Minefield.

 

[Dalisclock]

I'm playing a Turkish knockoff of Minesweeper called Minefield.

There are Turkish knockoffs of Minesweeper?

There are Knockoffs of Minesweeper?

I mean, I guess I get it but it's just minesweeper is so basic that I'm hard pressed to think how you'd knock it off or even why fucking bother.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

There are Turkish knockoffs of Minesweeper?

There are Knockoffs of Minesweeper?

I mean, I guess I get it but it's just minesweeper is so basic that I'm hard pressed to think how you'd knock it off or even why fucking bother.

It's 99.99% the same game, all they did was change the title. Well, half of the title. I guess that's enough to cover your bases legally.

No unlockables or microtransactions, surprisingly.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

That they do, but the Flamethrower is also very effective.

Might have to couple that with some oil. I tried that with the firecrackers on the centipede in the depths, but don't think it worked like it would with the flamethrower.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Finished Destroy All Humans 2. By far the inferior of the first game. I'm not even sure what the point is. You end up saving the world from a second species of aliens and hooking up with some Russian spy. Lame. This is not what I signed up for from a game called Destroy All Humans.

Keeping ammo in your guns is probably the most annoying thing about the game though. You end up using a lot of ammo, and the only way to get it back is to mash X on objects and vehicles to transform them into a bunch of ammo drops. And if that wasn't bad enough the drops you get are random so I would frequently be full on everything right away but only have 1/5 for my meteorite gun and spend 5 minutes grinding cars to get it back up only to use them all in the next mission and have to do it again. One of the worst ideas they could have come up with.

I'm not even considering playing the third game at this point. If I ever have the urge again I'll just stick to the first game.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Might have to couple that with some oil. I tried that with the firecrackers on the centipede in the depths, but don't think it worked like it would with the flamethrower.

Once again, the umbrella is very useful.

Spoiler

Surprisingly the umbrella blocks the fear status from the scream, so you can stay in during that attack instead of being forced to back off

 

[Worgen]

I'm still working on Loop Hero, I think I'm on the final chapter and I have most of the stuff unlocked. Also been playing Apex again since there was an event with some neat skins. Picked up Dragon Ball Z FighterZ, I got it while ago but I only beat the Z fighters campaign, started on the bag guy one and I'm like at least half way through it at the moment, having fun. Also playing Dead in Vinland. I got it with a humble bundle and its really cool, I should really play more of it.

 

[BrawlMan]

Did two sessions of co-op boss rush in Streets of Rage 4. The first session I played Axel, and in the second session, I went to Cherry. Player 1 kept playing as Blaze. There are so many exploits you can pull on bosses in co-op mode that's practically game breaking.

 

[Kae]

Metal Gear Solid 3, it's really good, the controls feel like a ver natural evolution from two and despite how convoluted they can be it's very rare that I do something I don't want to, still close to the beginning because even though I do like the game I did just finish 2 and I want something a bit different which is why.

Silent Hill 2, so this game has like the most massive hype ever and even though I had played it before it was just up to the hotel, I basically know everything that's going to happen up to this point and, not going to lie I was a bit disappointed at first as it doesn't really start scary like at all but this game is kinda great at building up tension, I'm in the hotel just past the scene where you fin Pyramid Head in the apartments and my heart is beating really fast, lke this isn't jump scare scary it's slowly build up terror until you get paranoid and start scaring yourself, in any case it's a pleasant surprise, while I was expecting to like the game since the story is great I wasn't expecting the actual game to be anything close to as good as people claim.

 

[EvilRoy]

Silent Hill 2, so this game has like the most massive hype ever and even though I had played it before it was just up to the hotel, I basically know everything that's going to happen up to this point and, not going to lie I was a bit disappointed at first as it doesn't really start scary like at all but this game is kinda great at building up tension, I'm in the hotel just past the scene where you fin Pyramid Head in the apartments and my heart is beating really fast, lke this isn't jump scare scary it's slowly build up terror until you get paranoid and start scaring yourself, in any case it's a pleasant surprise, while I was expecting to like the game since the story is great I wasn't expecting the actual game to be anything close to as good as people claim.

It really is a shame that you can't experience it totally fresh but that's basically impossible at this point in time. A huge amount of the spook factor came from looking into that fog and really not knowing what you might find - just seeing pyramid head the first time and realizing that he could be anywhere out there and you just wouldn't know he was coming was a serious moment for me and many others playing that game totally blind. I'm glad you enjoy it all the same, and I hope you give it a chance for a replay. The way the game deals with its multiple endings is fascinating, and honestly one of the few systems where I feel that the ending you get really is endemic of the actions you took rather than being the result of setting off a flag by stabbing one too many kids or making a choice at a computer at the very end.

 

[happyninja42]

There are Turkish knockoffs of Minesweeper?

There are Knockoffs of Minesweeper?

I mean, I guess I get it but it's just minesweeper is so basic that I'm hard pressed to think how you'd knock it off or even why fucking bother.

It's 99.99% the same game, all they did was change the title. Well, half of the title. I guess that's enough to cover your bases legally.

No unlockables or microtransactions, surprisingly.

If you are looking for a variation on Minesweeper, this game is apparently very much Minesweeper, but with a lot more bells/whistles/challenge tossed in.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Metal Gear Solid 3, it's really good, the controls feel like a ver natural evolution from two and despite how convoluted they can be it's very rare that I do something I don't want to, still close to the beginning because even though I do like the game I did just finish 2 and I want something a bit different which is why.

Silent Hill 2, so this game has like the most massive hype ever and even though I had played it before it was just up to the hotel, I basically know everything that's going to happen up to this point and, not going to lie I was a bit disappointed at first as it doesn't really start scary like at all but this game is kinda great at building up tension, I'm in the hotel just past the scene where you fin Pyramid Head in the apartments and my heart is beating really fast, lke this isn't jump scare scary it's slowly build up terror until you get paranoid and start scaring yourself, in any case it's a pleasant surprise, while I was expecting to like the game since the story is great I wasn't expecting the actual game to be anything close to as good as people claim.

It really is a shame that you can't experience it totally fresh but that's basically impossible at this point in time. A huge amount of the spook factor came from looking into that fog and really not knowing what you might find - just seeing pyramid head the first time and realizing that he could be anywhere out there and you just wouldn't know he was coming was a serious moment for me and many others playing that game totally blind. I'm glad you enjoy it all the same, and I hope you give it a chance for a replay. The way the game deals with its multiple endings is fascinating, and honestly one of the few systems where I feel that the ending you get really is endemic of the actions you took rather than being the result of setting off a flag by stabbing one too many kids or making a choice at a computer at the very end.

That first couple of statements drudged up the memory of those terrible PS360 ports existing. Hopefully Kae, you’re playing either the og/emulated PS2 version or PC version with a more recent quality mod like this?


On topic, took a detour from Sekiro to drop back into some MGSV; first to double check that I didn’t screw myself out of the chance to Platinum via a mission 6 bug (where if you destroy the comm equipment before actually starting the relevant mission it will register as an automatic completion and void a rank status along with the coveted S rank for that play through), but thankfully it was all good.

What I did was plant C4 for the first two that were easy enough to reach undetected, then set those off from a safe area still within grenade throwing distance to finish off the last one. Much easier than how I recall doing it originally, tranq’ing everyone in my immediate vicinity. However that somehow still wasn’t good enough for an S rank, so I destroyed the anti-air radar, then redeployed and took the comm stations out with the mini gun from the choppa. There’s still apparently a few other ways to do it, but I must’ve not had any other drop zones close enough.

Also replayed the Quiet mission for an easy S via supply drop, then got the trophy for playing as a CU staff member, along with another S rank. Playing as a female I might as well try out the Boss sneaking suit next, which apparently presents some “tactical advantages” in the field. Wondering if the balaclava adds or detracts from its effectiveness. Also heard there’s a Sniper Wolf suit for Quiet, but I have a few missions to go before it’s available.

 

[Kae]

That first couple of statements drudged up the memory of those terrible PS360 ports existing. Hopefully Kae, you’re playing either the og/emulated PS2 version or PC version with a more recent quality mod like this?

Playing on PS2, I was aware of the mod and I'm sure it's great but it also sounds like a pain to set up so PS2 it is.

 

[happyninja42]

Still playing Nioh 2, though I don't know how much longer. I'm genuinely experiencing pain now in my wrist, that is possibly carpal tunnel, likely from 40 years of frantic joystick wiggling (not that, that's my other hand, it's fine), button mashing, keyboard surfing, gaming life. And the level of tension I find in my wrist due to holding the controller while I get frustrated with Souls combat, actually hurts. So, I might have to retire it long term, we'll see.

But I'm also really annoyed with the game itself, specifically the blacksmith mechanics. So, one of the features is the ability to level up weaker weapons that you have, and love due to their trait combination, but are too weak due to their level, and thus damage output. Ok fine, sounds great, and it SAYS it's simple, and it mostly is. Put the item you want to level up in Slot A, and the item you are sacrificing to level up A, into Slot B. Item B must be higher level for this to work, and the higher the level difference, the more money it costs to do so. Ok great, no problem, I've done it a few times and it's worked as instructed. But, for SOME reason, that is not explained anywhere in the tips, it's not working on one of my most beloved weapons. I've scrolled through my entire item list, and none of them will increase it's level. It will even tell me, when I try and put an item that's like DOUBLE the level, into Slot B, "Hey if you continue with this action, it's not going to actually change anything, are you SURE you want to waste the item?'

So, WHY?! My theory, and again, it's never SAID anywhere that I've seen, that it's because I used the Temper ability on the item, which lets you reroll individual traits, to do things like remove a +gold earned trait that you don't really want on it, for something more in line with the other traits on the weapon. And that this action, somehow prevents the item from ever being leveled up again, which would be idiotic if true.

But again, it doesn't TELL me this. So, the weapons I've had since level 50ish, that are REALLY fucking good, trait-wise (because I invested resources into them to accomplish this), are basically stuck forever, and I have no idea why. I'm reluctant to get rid of them, because I'm afraid I'm just overlooking something, and don't want to destroy them, but they are increasingly becoming just wasted space.

I also still have no fucking clue what's going on with the story. The events as presented in the cutscenes, are so vague as to be meaningless, and I found myself suddenly working against someone that had been an ally, and I looked at my wife and asked "Ok when the fuck did THAT happen? Did I sleep through a meeting? Did I not get that TPS report?" She was equally confused.

 

[Dalisclock]

Blacksad: Under the Skin

Not quite finished with it but I'm almost to the end and that's more then enough to render judgement. Definitely enjoyed it. The Noir story is quite twisty turny and kept my interest once it got going. The notebook helps keep track of everything and the deductions give you an active role in figuring out the important plot beats along with the character, so he isn't just telling you stuff and hope you're paying attention(that occasionally happens to as a "To sum up...." every so often). Occasionally the game throws a QTE sequence at you which can be annoying if you're given a choice and/or a short time limit and one of them is an insta-fail, but since you "press X to retry" when you fail it's not a huge deal.

There's a few technical rough spots where either the visuals don't look right, the audio seems off or there's a weird video buffering issue(which I've only seen in one cutscene so far at the beginning and not since then). There's also the occasional spot you'll hit an invisible wall for no particular reason which is jarring when it happens. While most of the puzzles make logical sense, there's a few where you can quickly suss what you need to do but not HOW to do it, and one of these is a timed search in a dark room, where you need to find an object on a high shelf, but you may not realize to pan the camera up so blacksad can see and grab it.

With that out of the way. while it's unclear how much choices actually matter in the game, the game does a decent job of providing the illusion you can make some meaningful choices, and since there are apparently 6 different endings one can only imagine they result from a combination of choices along the way. However, since the game isn't particularly popular it's hard to find much information what choices change things.

The game does a notable sequence where you have to impersonate someone else to enter a poker game and the guys running the poker game are...paranoid. As in your cover is thoroughly scrutinized before you can enter the game and since you went and had a chat with the dude you were impersonating before the game, this results in you doing quick flashbacks to determine the answers before your cover is blown, though this gets almost comical after a while where you'll get a "Okay, how did you hear about the game?" Oh, from Kenny" "There's a lot of kenny's in New York. WHICH ONE?" "Oh, that kenny" "What does he do?" And it goes on like that for a bit before they finally believe you aren't just a guy they've never met putting on a silly accent to sneak into their poker game.

With the meatier stuff out of the way, some more tangential asides.

It does feel like the character design team was quite enjoying their furry characters for this game. As in there is a lot of effort put into some of them, and not just for "fanservice"(though there's some of that too, Particularly Helen who definitely looks like they are playing up the sexy, but considering she's an athlete who features in advertising in-universe it's to be expected).

While it may be explained in the graphic novel, the racism that occasionally gets brought up is kinda....I'm not really sure how the analogy works, really. So different species are a noted thing, even if they aren't brought up all the time, Species is listed on records like Race is in our world, but then you have the added twist that nobody really cares much, except for Lizards, whom most people distrust(and apparently they have "anti-fur" racism in return), but Fur color is directly analogous to skin color IRL. So there are White Supremacist groups that consist of arctic foxes and polar bears and such. Several characters in the game (Such as Jake and Bobby, being a Gorilla and a Rottweiler respectively ) are considered black and face racist discrimnation. However, Blacksad is a Black Cat(with some white coloring) who apparently isn't considered black. And even two individuals of the same species may be consider a different race(Bobby is A Rottweiler and thus considered Black, but Smirnov, also a dog, is a German Shepherd and seems to be considered White, since he's a Police Captain in the 1950's). Which I guess makes just as much fucking sense as racism IRL but it's still fucking weird considering. Which has little to do with the story but I figured I'd mention it just because it's a part of the setting.

 

[BrawlMan]

I finally did a Mania run on Arcade Mode with Blaze. The first time I beat with these difficulties setting with Floyd before the big update patch. Blaze is actually the easiest to beat Mania mode, because of her attack advantages juggle exploits. I still died a couple of times, but that was due to the gate stopper that is Y Tower. I got an A Rank. The only ones left now are Axel, Adam, and Cherry.