What are you currently playing?

[Drathnoxis]

I'm about halfway through Wonderful 101. So far it's really unique and stylish and there's a lot to like about it, but there's a lot to dislike about it too. The tone is really lighthearted and fun, but the fanservice is really obnoxious. Like every time a female character is introduced the camera zooms way in on her boobs and butt completely unnecessarily. The controls are a little awkward and I still don't have a full grasp on them. Some moves can't be blocked and are really hard to dodge and just wreck me, like the little laser tanks with shields. The camera doesn't help at all since you don't have much control over it and it's zoomed in way too far. All the wonders except the main ones are really dumb looking and forgettable, consisting of themes like Wonder-TV who has a tv for a head and stuff like that. The enemies are cool but have really weird names that don't represent them at all like Chew Dough-Goo, I don't know why they are called that.

It also feels really long. Like, I guess you're expected to replay all the levels on higher difficulties (when they unlock) and get better scores, but there's apparently 9 operations each split into 3, and each level takes 20-30 minutes. I guess I haven't been playing for thaat long, it just feels like I have. Probably not going to worry about replaying for platinum medals.

 

[sXeth]

Miasma Chronicles, a turn based (possibly at some point going to RPG territrory) tactics game. Apparently a sequel (or at least in the same universe as Mutant Year Zero which I have not played.

About an hour in and I'm still mostly in tutorial land. The combat is very x-com as that goes, and I only just defeated the boss to get the thingmajig to unlock my "magic" as it were. So no major impressions as yet. It does have an interesting gimmick where you get a little bit of stealth gameplay and can sneak up on enemies to get in position and trigger an ambush when any patrolling/etc units are in vulnerable positions (no cover, near explosives, etc)

Also in a funny note, the 4th game I've played this year involving the protagonist having some sort of magic/tech gauntlet arm/hand.


Also as a combo of a deep sale and someone finally having coherent directions on which thing was actually the campaigns, catching up on four years of Destiny Expansion. Shadowkeep out of the gate is pretty hit and miss since in between every actual story mission is like a stream of "do X patrols or bounties to cleanse the artifact" (the friends have advised this is apparently the worst of the lot)

 

[Worgen]

Also as a combo of a deep sale and someone finally having coherent directions on which thing was actually the campaigns, catching up on four years of Destiny Expansion. Shadowkeep out of the gate is pretty hit and miss since in between every actual story mission is like a stream of "do X patrols or bounties to cleanse the artifact" (the friends have advised this is apparently the worst of the lot)

Just wait till you get to the witchqueen. It's a really good campaign. Beyond Light is also quite cool and Lightfall is pretty good, but it does introduce characters who initially don't feel like they fit but I warmed up to after a bit.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

Death's Door platinum trophy including the umbrella run complete, woo-hoo!

If anyone was considering it, go for it man, it's not THAT hard, just a couple fights that get frustrating but since there is magic ranged weapons which you can upgrade and still upgrade your character, it become very manageable.

And if you haven't played this game and like a classic not-too-hard metroidvanish fun game that feels old school in all the right ways but looks modern so it's not just retro, do play it. And there's a whole secret ending and everything. Good stuff.

As for what to play next... I don't really know. I'll be out of town from 8/10-8/14 so I won't start anything until I come back. Atlas Fallen looks very cool to me but I'm going to need to see a high praise on the combat mechanics for me to buy it full price because I've been burnt on such high-profile games of late. If that one ends up not grabbing my attention/money, I'll probably just wait until Armored Core at this point.

 

[BrawlMan]

Dead Space Remake - Chapter 6 completed. The Leviathan boss was actually pretty easy. I am holding to the Contact Beam and Force Gun. They stay with the my Plasma Cutter and Ripper-chan. They've been getting the most upgrades, but I plan on adding more upgrades to the other two very soon.

 

[BrawlMan]

Did another run of Double Dragon Gaiden. This time with Billy and Linda. Linda is fun to use and you gotta time her whip or running knife attacks just right for the best combo potential. I decided to do the true final boss again, and my performance was almost the same as last time. They need to nerf the boss. He's unfair and is a glorified quarter muncher. I'll stick with 4 stage runs for now on, until they do something about him.

 

[Absent]

Still Phoenix Point. It drags. Its universe is great, I would have liked it as a movie, or to see it become a franchise with games in various genre. And I would possibly have loved it as a vigeogame in a world where XCom didn't exist, as so many details nag me only because XCom did it better (interface, pacing, little quality of life stuff). But I do like Phoenix Point's targetting system better, so there's that.

Its biggest flaw is too much content too spread out. I know I could have accepred that penultimate mission and gone for one of the faction's ending, but in terms of unlocked tech, enemies, units, lore and bits of stories, I'd have just scratched the surface. So I eschew it, and I keep grinding to let the game develop. So much stuff I wouldn't have seen...

I don't have many DLCs, just a couple that were included in the package I bought, and which content I have barely touched. But the overall feel of the game is similar to KOTOR2 with the unofficial patch and its unlocked additional content, which is kinda fine but breaks the pace and the balance, letting your character maxed out mid-game. Phoenix Point feels of features creep, with no vision of overall flow. Feels more amateurish and indie than the XCom games, including Chimera Squad.

But again, I appreciate intents more than accomplishments, so I'm still okay with it.

 

[gorfias]

I'm about halfway through Wonderful 101. So far it's really unique and stylish and there's a lot to like about it, but there's a lot to dislike about it too. The tone is really lighthearted and fun, but the fanservice is really obnoxious. Like every time a female character is introduced the camera zooms way in on her boobs and butt completely unnecessarily. The controls are a little awkward and I still don't have a full grasp on them. Some moves can't be blocked and are really hard to dodge and just wreck me, like the little laser tanks with shields. The camera doesn't help at all since you don't have much control over it and it's zoomed in way too far. All the wonders except the main ones are really dumb looking and forgettable, consisting of themes like Wonder-TV who has a tv for a head and stuff like that. The enemies are cool but have really weird names that don't represent them at all like Chew Dough-Goo, I don't know why they are called that.

It also feels really long. Like, I guess you're expected to replay all the levels on higher difficulties (when they unlock) and get better scores, but there's apparently 9 operations each split into 3, and each level takes 20-30 minutes. I guess I haven't been playing for thaat long, it just feels like I have. Probably not going to worry about replaying for platinum medals.

Which version you playing? I've got it for the Wii U, sitting on my pile of shame. You've got me thinking it would be fun to break it out.

 

[sXeth]

Just wait till you get to the witchqueen. It's a really good campaign. Beyond Light is also quite cool and Lightfall is pretty good, but it does introduce characters who initially don't feel like they fit but I warmed up to after a bit.

Yeah Shadowkeep definitely was lackluster, from half the missions being "go do generic open world stuff" to the actual missions basically just being recycled boss fights (which I can only imagine fell flat when it released immediately after "sunsetting") (also Skolas was just Taniks, not Skolas, vet knowledge there)

Beyond Light seems more likely to be interesting so far, with the potential new element (although I just started to get my build proper together (after a Bungie bug they apparently can't fix broke all older characters).

 

[Drathnoxis]

Which version you playing? I've got it for the Wii U, sitting on my pile of shame. You've got me thinking it would be fun to break it out.

I have the PS4 version. If you haven't played it before one tip that I just learned is that you can zoom out the camera by holding down L1, not sure what it'd be on Wii-U though. Wish I'd have known that 6 hours ago.

 

[thebobmaster]

Playing Midnight Suns. It's pretty good, and a fair bit different than I was expecting. Wasn't expecting so many sidequests from the people who made Enemy Unknown, or a quasi-Metroidvania style open world component. I'm also not entirely sure the game really needed it, even if it's not badly done. Liking the characters so far, which is a plus.

 

[meiam]

Playing Midnight Suns. It's pretty good, and a fair bit different than I was expecting. Wasn't expecting so many sidequests from the people who made Enemy Unknown, or a quasi-Metroidvania style open world component. I'm also not entirely sure the game really needed it, even if it's not badly done. Liking the characters so far, which is a plus.

Honestly was pretty glad when I was done exploring the open world, it really didn't add much and just felt like padding, maybe if someone is a really big fan of the comic?

 

[BrawlMan]

Dead Space Remake - Chapter 8 is done and it was fun killing Leviathan again with the ADS cannons. Much better in this version! On Chapter 9, Dead On Arrival. This is the part where the best enemies in the game appear: The Twitchers! They're not match for my burining Plasma Cutter and Ricochet Ripper-chan!

 

[Worgen]

Yeah Shadowkeep definitely was lackluster, from half the missions being "go do generic open world stuff" to the actual missions basically just being recycled boss fights (which I can only imagine fell flat when it released immediately after "sunsetting") (also Skolas was just Taniks, not Skolas, vet knowledge there)

Beyond Light seems more likely to be interesting so far, with the potential new element (although I just started to get my build proper together (after a Bungie bug they apparently can't fix broke all older characters).

Stasis is a lot of fun to use, so is strand with Lightfall. Beyond Light also has a pretty great antagonist.

 

[BrawlMan]

Dead Space Remake - Chapter 8 is done and it was fun killing Leviathan again with the ADS cannons. Much better in this version! On Chapter 9, Dead On Arrival. This is the part where the best enemies in the game appear: The Twitchers! They're not match for my burining Plasma Cutter and Ricochet Ripper-chan!

Chapter is shorter than I realized. On Chapter 10 now. I got Issacs's Lv.4 Suit now. Stopping for tonight.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Almost finished with Pikmin 4. Excellent game. Like 3 is an improved version of 1, 4 is an improved version of 2. It really feels like a "Pikmin's greatest hits" kind of game with all the aspects of it. It's really good.

 

[Chimpzy]

Also getting my Pikmin 4 on. First time playing one of these. Having a good time, at least once it dropped the handholding after the first hour or so.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Also getting my Pikmin 4 on. First time playing one of these. Having a good time, at least once it dropped the handholding after the first hour or so.

Oh when it wants to challenge you, it will. The Dandori challenges in particular can really test you, and the later night missions can also look pretty daunting if you don't go in prepared.

I also forgot to say I was really happy to see so many returning faces with the enemies. Beasts that haven't been in a Pikmin game since the first game return, and one in particular had me terrified when it showed up.

 

[Chimpzy]

Oh when it wants to challenge you, it will. The Dandori challenges in particular can really test you, and the later night missions can also look pretty daunting if you don't go in prepared.

Yeah, I know, I've started doing those night missions and actually only barely made it through one of the earlier ones because I was just winging it. Learned to plan better (and be proactive) since then, tho I've yet to do any of the rank 3 ones, or the rank 4. The handholding refers to the Nintendo tutorializing in the early game that stops you every 5 seconds to spend 5 minutes slowly explaining a mechanic, and meanwhile you're all "K, I get it, lemme play dammit"

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Yeah, I know, I've started doing those night missions and actually only barely made it through one of the earlier ones because I was just winging it. Learned to plan better (and be proactive) since then, tho I've yet to do any of the rank 3 ones, or the rank 4. The handholding refers to the Nintendo tutorializing in the early game that stops you every 5 seconds to spend 5 minutes slowly explaining a mechanic, and meanwhile you're all "K, I get it, lemme play dammit"

I feel like... Well... I was going to say they should probably give an option that's like, "Are you an adult that doesn't need too much help? Press this button to skip most of this." But they also bake a lot of that tutorialization into the story and stuff and, even if you don't give a crap about the story, makes it harder to disentangle that stuff.

Other tidbit. I really want someone to do a remix of the theme for the groovy boss.