Both games still look and play great today. Yes, they're more console focused by comparison, but actually sold better than the original. Crysis 3 is my personal favorite of the trilogy.
What are you currently playing?
- Thread starter Nick Calandra
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In dire need to find something in the Tunic/Death's Door wavelength. I've played through Fez, Ultros, Outer Wilds, Hyper Light Drifter, all the "progress equals change of perception" hits (in which I barely consider HLD, but fans always mention it) and their point and click deduction cousins (Obra Dinn, Chants of Sennaar). Off the top of my head there's also Inscryption and Rain World, but the first is a roguelite card thing (?) and the second is apparently a survival game, first and foremost. There's also this weird Toki Tori 2+ thing that looks a little too kiddie but all 4 people who played it adore it and review it as "trust bro".
Basically how I feel about it, and honestly the combat is similar. There's a lot of mechanics to it that makes it pretty deep, interesting, and satisfying when you pull off a hard fight... but because they're so badly explained, it's difficult to reach that point, and without that level of understanding it doesn't feel nearly as good. Still, I hope you continue enjoying it.
What chapter are you up to? For my money, Chapter 7 (Palumpolum) is when the game starts getting seriously good both in combat (when you get Fang and three-member parties with a full set of roles each) and the story.
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I played a little of 2 back when it came out, but I don't think it grabbed me back then and it had ea drm that annoyed me and I don't think I could change the fov, which also annoyed me.
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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how initially the combat is such a slog. Once you get the paradigm system it gets much more interesting.
Right now I'm on chapter 6 so looking forward to chapter 7.
You haven't played Inscryption? I wouldn't really categorize it along with Tunic and Outer Wilds, but it's a great game and definitely worth playing. Another option is Void Stranger, which is a bit closer to "your understanding changes what you can do in the game". I didn't completely love it, but it's probably worth checking out.
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Vancouver and Vancouver Island (Parkville, Courtenay, Salt Spring, Victoria). So mostly hiking and mountain viewing. Celebrated Canada Day in Victoria (didn't even know it was a holiday before I got there). Vancouverians take great pride in keeping their natural spaces clean and beautiful.
Played some more of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Man, I've missed this. More than I thought I did, honestly. There's just something about the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series that speaks to my soul. Everything, wandering around the city (or the ocean in this one), enjoying the story, kicking ass, getting plushies out of a crane game, it just works for me. And it's been years since the last time I played one, so I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder or something?
Anyway, though I'm technically still in Chapter 2, I think this one has fewer, longer chapters than most of them, so that doesn't mean a lot. I've made some good progress through the story, run into some plot twists I definitely didn't predict, unlocked some exploration mechanics. Good times all round.
Man, I've missed this. More than I thought I did, honestly. There's just something about the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series that speaks to my soul. Everything, wandering around the city (or the ocean in this one), enjoying the story, kicking ass, getting plushies out of a crane game, it just works for me. And it's been years since the last time I played one, so I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder or something?
Anyway, though I'm technically still in Chapter 2, I think this one has fewer, longer chapters than most of them, so that doesn't mean a lot. I've made some good progress through the story, run into some plot twists I definitely didn't predict, unlocked some exploration mechanics. Good times all round.
Psychonauts 2, like the last new game I played, RE4 '23, appears to have adaptive difficulty. When I get hurt more, the enemies drop needed items more.
They also put in R3 lock-on, because every third person melee combat game needs to use shit button R3 for lock-on now, like Demon's Souls.
The game is okay. Story a little more boring than the first game, but I didn't love it either.
They also put in R3 lock-on, because every third person melee combat game needs to use shit button R3 for lock-on now, like Demon's Souls.
The game is okay. Story a little more boring than the first game, but I didn't love it either.
Ah, neat! I haven't spent much time in Vancouver, but I was in Victoria for about a week when I was a kid. I'm sure it's changed a lot since then. Did you eat a lot of fresh fruit? It's a little ways away from the Okanagan Valley, but I'm sure there was still some good BC fruit this time of year.
Inscryption tends to show up in these discussions but everybody's always super coy about what exactly is that game. I should play it just to get over the mystery.
(Another great game I forgot to mention - Astalon: Tears of the Earth)
I'll check out Void Stranger.
So many people complain about lock-on in Souls games but really, where else is it going to go with this control scheme -
For shield users especially, in a game with simultaneous environmental hazards and attacking enemies, the versatility of character movement being independent of the camera while not locked on is vital. Clicking a stick here and there requires some user discretion, but it’s the least of the evils in terms of needing to rob Peter to pay Paul.
Place it on L1 or R1, the standard before Dark Souls, and move the attack button back to the face of the controller where it belonged. The player would switch to the next closest target ahead (and back) both by pressing L3 (Devil May Cry 3), and by letting go of L1/R1 and quickly locking on again (Zelda). I prefer the older system because it's not a toggle, thanks to the button not actuating at the base of a tilting stick. Because it's so easy to keep the shoulder button depressed and the function is actively felt rather than only seen, the player is more aware that it is active and the ability to run backwards and sideways is just built in even when there is no target, allowing them to move more cautiously. It makes lining yourself up for things in the environment outside of combat a little bit easier. If you wanted to be really creative, you could even let the player sidle between narrow walls without triggering the usual canned animation. Ocarina of Time and later Zelda games HAD toggle options, and I always hated them.
Also don't lock the camera behind the character while the targeting system is active, because it cuts off too much visibility. You can't see what you back into.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon
Once every two blue moons there is a noble AA attempt at doing their own take on Elder Scrolls RPGs, like Dark Messiah, and, uh, the others that I'm sure exist but fail to find memory or right now. Well this right here is the latest! Yes it's jank, yes it's AA, yes in many ways it doesn't surpass the competition,
but on the other hand it's
1: Cheap mid budget price, like £35 not bad considering latest inflation.
2: a bit more risqué with content, is 18 rated and is just littered with books that are literal ye old English pornos written with gusto and flair.
3: the Devs seem really happy to be noticed like at all, they provided a demo weeks before release and the game description is kinda cute about it.
4: a much higher garuntee you money isn't going straight to a corporation that's aiding the military in process of an ongoing live-streamed fucking genocide baby-holocaust in Palestine!
5: fresh uncut eurojank, exquisite glitches and bugs you'll never see coming, like last couple of filthy peasants who attacked me unprovoked had whatever special effects were supposed to be rendered from each of their melee attacks visibly take the day off, leaving instead an intimidating singular white square quickly expanding upon my screen every swing...disappearing only when the next attack birthed a new quick-expanding white square.
Music is a bit more interesting than elder scrolls though, one of those where the emotion is kinda being boarded entirely in the main theme tune it blasts you with as soon as it can. And some of the gothic design can be a tad reminiscent of Prometheus/Engineers architecture in the alien film people failed to appreciate.
Tutorial is a bit of a slog, typical prison schlock for the genre but the sooner you can push through it the better, it reveals the somewhat intriguing narrative hook and sends you on your way. Is messy combat, and third person apparently is more an emergency accessibility option than a tailored experience I've heard elsewhere. The tone strikes a balance of being darker yet more humourous than its peers, if that makes any sense.
that theme tune though. whenever am mildly annoyed and the tune returns am just like "ok fine stahhp, stahhhhp! you're getting me all emotional in front of the girls again!"
Once every two blue moons there is a noble AA attempt at doing their own take on Elder Scrolls RPGs, like Dark Messiah, and, uh, the others that I'm sure exist but fail to find memory or right now. Well this right here is the latest! Yes it's jank, yes it's AA, yes in many ways it doesn't surpass the competition,
but on the other hand it's
1: Cheap mid budget price, like £35 not bad considering latest inflation.
2: a bit more risqué with content, is 18 rated and is just littered with books that are literal ye old English pornos written with gusto and flair.
3: the Devs seem really happy to be noticed like at all, they provided a demo weeks before release and the game description is kinda cute about it.
4: a much higher garuntee you money isn't going straight to a corporation that's aiding the military in process of an ongoing live-streamed fucking genocide baby-holocaust in Palestine!
5: fresh uncut eurojank, exquisite glitches and bugs you'll never see coming, like last couple of filthy peasants who attacked me unprovoked had whatever special effects were supposed to be rendered from each of their melee attacks visibly take the day off, leaving instead an intimidating singular white square quickly expanding upon my screen every swing...disappearing only when the next attack birthed a new quick-expanding white square.
Music is a bit more interesting than elder scrolls though, one of those where the emotion is kinda being boarded entirely in the main theme tune it blasts you with as soon as it can. And some of the gothic design can be a tad reminiscent of Prometheus/Engineers architecture in the alien film people failed to appreciate.
Tutorial is a bit of a slog, typical prison schlock for the genre but the sooner you can push through it the better, it reveals the somewhat intriguing narrative hook and sends you on your way. Is messy combat, and third person apparently is more an emergency accessibility option than a tailored experience I've heard elsewhere. The tone strikes a balance of being darker yet more humourous than its peers, if that makes any sense.
that theme tune though. whenever am mildly annoyed and the tune returns am just like "ok fine stahhp, stahhhhp! you're getting me all emotional in front of the girls again!"
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- Apr 1, 2009
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Beat Crysis. Almost forgot how annoying and janky the final bosses are. The plot also starts kinda going weird, not bad, but characters start doing stupid things because they think its heroic or just wanted to make sure they wouldn't be in a sequel or something. Either way, its still a pretty neat game experience and doesn't feel like other military type games.
Started Crysis 2, it feels smoother to play, but also feels like other military type games. Not sure where the story is going yet, but its a kinda interesting setup, but also a setup where things could go annoying pretty easily. It feels like they are going to make your super suit something special, rather then really advanced military tech. I mean even North Korea had versions of the super suit. Anyway, too early to be sure, but thats just the feeling I get.
Started Crysis 2, it feels smoother to play, but also feels like other military type games. Not sure where the story is going yet, but its a kinda interesting setup, but also a setup where things could go annoying pretty easily. It feels like they are going to make your super suit something special, rather then really advanced military tech. I mean even North Korea had versions of the super suit. Anyway, too early to be sure, but thats just the feeling I get.
Besides, it's not like Dark Souls (rather, Demon's Souls) invented lock-on in 3D action games, or is even the only series that still uses it today. For the former, you have to go back to Ocarina of Time, and for the latter, if you actually play video games, you can probably think of more examples than I can.
2 is much better game. The story is actually good and much better than the first game or Warhead. The mission structure, while still linear, is open ended. You don't get secondary objectives though. The game is a smooth 11-14 hours on Normal mode. The game's biggest flaw is that some the upgrades are really expensive. Thankfully, 3 tones this down. Upgrades are much easier to gain, and they're hidden throughout the maps. 3 does the best both 1 and 2, despite being a shorter game. Crytek even brought back secondary objectives.
I finished mission 2 in COD WW2. It's much shorter than the first mission. I am surprisingly having fun with this. I am playing on Normal though.
Finished Separate Ways. It was okay. There's a greater attempt to tie it into the main story, if that matters to you. Very little new material, though.
Became more obvious with the DLC that there are far too many merchant locations. It's because of all the side quests they put in. Two areas with blue medallions in the original game became thirty in the remake.
I tried out a few rounds of Mercenaries. It's very easy to get S ranks. The flashing numbers on the screen are more distracting. Disappointingly, the DLC for the original music only works for the single player, not Mercenaries, and the new renditions are far lamer.
New Ada theme:
Old Ada theme:
Became more obvious with the DLC that there are far too many merchant locations. It's because of all the side quests they put in. Two areas with blue medallions in the original game became thirty in the remake.
I tried out a few rounds of Mercenaries. It's very easy to get S ranks. The flashing numbers on the screen are more distracting. Disappointingly, the DLC for the original music only works for the single player, not Mercenaries, and the new renditions are far lamer.
New Ada theme:
Old Ada theme:
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- Apr 1, 2009
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Interesting. I suppose I shall see, assuming Im not burned out after 2. Cause I do need to finish Hand of the Necromancer 2 and Hedon again.
I wouldn't be surprised by someone having fun with WW2, it plays really really well. Probably plays the best out of any cod game I can name.