What are you currently playing?

[Dalisclock]

The story was kind of obtuse, and I'll admit I don't entirely get it. Something about nihilism, but I'm not really sure what the point of playing through the game 3 times was, other than to maximize asset reuse. The characters other than 9S were uniformly flat. I did end up doing most of the side-quests and did enjoy some of them, most were busywork though.

There's a lot of existenalist tropes to be sure, with a heavy anime filter. The primary theme is: If you were religious and found out God is dead(and had been dead for a long time), what do you do now? Most of the game seems to be dedicated to exploring this, even if it's often silly(Robots run an amusement park...for themselves I guess?).

 

[Worgen]

I liked crying sun, but I don't really feel like doing another run since, unlike most roguelike, it has a pretty strong focus on story and replaying it after finishing the story once feel pointless. It did have a pretty satisfying conclusion.

Yeah, I can totally see that being the case.

 

[Piscian]

Holy shit. Ive been playing Ghosts of Tsushima for like a week now and Ive only finished like two of the main quests. Literally sitting here on a Friday night just exploring the island, not even playing the story. Im playing PS5 OLED, HDR 77" and this is honest to god one of the prettiest games Ive ever played. Haven't had this much fun just existing in a game since Far Cry 1.

 

[FakeSympathy]

With the recent sales, I got MK11 Ultimate for $8.97.

I have not played fighting games in years. I always found them to be complex, hard to master, and I found the idea of two characters beating the crap out of each other appealing. I'd much rather go out exploring in a adventure games.

But MK11, has awakened something in me. The rush I get when I pull off complex combs, the x-ray showing the impact of my attacks (which thankfully was toned down compared to MK9 which was the last MK game I played. It got old), and the absolutely bonker story that complements the hyper violence.

I am still not that good at this game, but it might be the game to help me get more into the genre

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Well I finished Hollow Knight, again. Three full >100% playthroughs in four years and a Platinum trophy and I still couldn't tell you what the story is about. I mean obviously it's your standard issue From Software reboot-a-dying-world hodgepodge, rife with sadness and madness and portent, but I couldn't tell you what anything stands for. There's a Pale King and a White Lady, you're The Knight but not The Hollow Knight, you fight the memories of the dreams of the visions of the dead and there are wyrms and gods and vessels and voids and everything's infected with too much light or too much fungus or both.

Good game but the lore is a typical case of "we'll let some nerd figure out the canon and go with it".

 

[Absent]

Many years ago, I used to be good at Into the Breach.

 

[Hawki]

Many years ago, I used to be good at Into the Breach.

Once more into the breach, lest you perish bravely in the charge!

 

[Chimpzy]

If you are one of the many that venerate Silent Hill 2, you owe it to yourself to play Signalis. Or if you just like classic survival horror in general.

 

[Dalisclock]

If you are one of the many that venerate Silent Hill 2, you owe it to yourself to play Signalis. Or if you just like classic survival horror in general.

I know Castle Super Beast were talking about how it's very much like Silent Hill and doesn't try to hide it

 

[Worgen]

Hrot finally fully launched so I finished up the campaign. A very cool old school style fps game, the final episode holds up the quality of the first 2.

 

[Chimpzy]

I know Castle Super Beast were talking about how it's very much like Silent Hill and doesn't try to hide it

Oh yeah, it totally wears its inspirations on its sleeve. But that's ok, because it gets it right, tho of course explaining why goes into obvious spoiler territory.

 

[Piscian]

If you are one of the many that venerate Silent Hill 2, you owe it to yourself to play Signalis. Or if you just like classic survival horror in general.

Appears to be on sale right now too. I'll check it out.

 

[Dalisclock]

Oh yeah, it totally wears its inspirations on its sleeve. But that's ok, because it gets it right, tho of course explaining why goes into obvious spoiler territory.

It looks good no doubt. I look forward to giving it a go at some point.

*Looks at his backlog with existential dread*

 

[Hawki]

*Looks at his backlog with existential dread*

If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure the backlog is staring back at you...

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Well I finished Hollow Knight, again. Three full >100% playthroughs in four years and a Platinum trophy and I still couldn't tell you what the story is about. I mean obviously it's your standard issue From Software reboot-a-dying-world hodgepodge, rife with sadness and madness and portent, but I couldn't tell you what anything stands for. There's a Pale King and a White Lady, you're The Knight but not The Hollow Knight, you fight the memories of the dreams of the visions of the dead and there are wyrms and gods and vessels and voids and everything's infected with too much light or too much fungus or both.

Good game but the lore is a typical case of "we'll let some nerd figure out the canon and go with it".

That’s not to say devs didn’t have it figured out originally though either. Lore is kinda meant to be tough to figure out by design (but also a byproduct of budget and dev time saves…except maybe for Silksong lol). It’s in the background and has to be discovered, yet there is also understandably only so much time for the player.

On one hand it’s like yeah, who has time to dig for all this stuff besides the most obsessive, but on the other, imagine just how long a game would be if lore was part of the narrative. Would most people even have the attention span let alone patience? Doubtful!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

That’s not to say devs didn’t have it figured out originally though either. Lore is kinda meant to be tough to figure out by design (but also a byproduct of budget and dev time saves…except maybe for Silksong lol). It’s in the background and has to be discovered, yet there is also understandably only so much time for the player.

On one hand it’s like yeah, who has time to dig for all this stuff besides the most obsessive, but on the other, imagine just how long a game would be if lore was part of the narrative. Would most people even have the attention span let alone patience? Doubtful!

There is lore in the background, and then there is lore in the background of the background, written in purple prose, fed through a grinder and shot into tiny item box descriptions and one-sided conversations between my dude and wilfully obtuse, half-crazed NPCs. Also it doesn't help that characters, places and events are all referred to by incredibly broad epithets, that the enduring ambiguity of anything strips everything of inherent value, and that there rarely is a direct relation between what you're told to do (if you're so lucky), what you actually do, and the results of what you do.

I read Moby Dick recently without prompt and for no reason, and I don't want that to become my "I invented the piano key necktie" card but believe me when I say I have infinite patience for long, rambling, reflective, inscrutable stories.

But at the end of the day, games like these, you're just an anonymous chosen one that has to pick every item, unlock every door, kill every thing and then select an ending cutscene. Anything that seeps through those cracks is there to condiment the experience and elevate it from something mundane to generically chivalrous. At least that's the case with most RPGs, and definitely every From Software and Soulslike. They're mood pieces. What I don't get immediately from the act of playing alone doesn't really matter.

 

[Chimpzy]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure the backlog is staring back at you...

Whatever you do, don't blink.

 

[sXeth]

There is lore in the background, and then there is lore in the background of the background, written in purple prose, fed through a grinder and shot into tiny item box descriptions and one-sided conversations between my dude and wilfully obtuse, half-crazed NPCs. Also it doesn't help that characters, places and events are all referred to by incredibly broad epithets, that the enduring ambiguity of anything strips everything of inherent value, and that there rarely is a direct relation between what you're told to do (if you're so lucky), what you actually do, and the results of what you do.

I read Moby Dick recently without prompt and for no reason, and I don't want that to become my "I invented the piano key necktie" card but believe me when I say I have infinite patience for long, rambling, reflective, inscrutable stories.

But at the end of the day, games like these, you're just an anonymous chosen one that has to pick every item, unlock every door, kill every thing and then select an ending cutscene. Anything that seeps through those cracks is there to condiment the experience and elevate it from something mundane to generically chivalrous. At least that's the case with most RPGs, and definitely every From Software and Soulslike. They're mood pieces. What I don't get immediately from the act of playing alone doesn't really matter.

Its prettymuch how it goes. The game (or in my broader direct experience, neverwinter nights server) takes place in X place which is generally moderate at best in size.

Then you basically a make a mad libs sheet for what every other place in the world is. ________ is a nation of (class/profession) with a theme of (element or abstract concept) . their colours are _______ and _______, and their creest is a (plant) and (animal or monster). Run some RNG through it and cool, you now have a fantasy RPGs worth of kingdoms and religions. (hell you can literally shove the "nations" actually ingame in Elden Ring into this format, Caelid is a nation of warriors with a theme of rot, their colours are red and their crest is (a bull IIRC). Which distinguishes them from the yellow lightning knights or the blue mage people.

 

[Drathnoxis]

If you are one of the many that venerate Silent Hill 2, you owe it to yourself to play Signalis. Or if you just like classic survival horror in general.

The inventory limit is just abysmal, though. Even early Resident Evil games gave you 8 slots (except for OG Chris), and that's before you find the side pack. Because apparently the height of horror is running back and forth across the map every time you search a new room to unload your inventory.

 

[BrawlMan]

The inventory limit is just abysmal, though. Even early Resident Evil games gave you 8 slots (except for OG Chris), and that's before you find the side pack. Because apparently the height of horror is running back and forth across the map every time you search a new room to unload your inventory.

It's the only thing holding me back from getting this game. The inventory limit is fucking stupid, even by survival horror standards.