What are you currently playing?

BrawlMan

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So far, I'm kind of shocked by how good it is. I'd actually rate it above any of the Bioshock sequels, at this point.
Prey (2017) was another game looking to take the mantle of System Shock 3. I'd say it succeeded. I still would have preferred the sequel to the original Prey (2006), but it found success. I could not get in to it personally, but I loved the soundtrack.

We've gotten so many System Shock 3s' or games in the style of SS that it's crazy. Dead Space, Bioshock, Evil Within 2 (arguably), Singularity, and Alien Isolation.
 

NerfedFalcon

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Seems like you’re doing well though. The beginning to me is the steepest part of the curve as far as difficulty in the base game, save for a couple later areas. Looking forward to what you think of this game’s version of The Depths and Blighttown, but you may end up agreeing those aren’t really the surprises.
I thought that was this game's version of Blighttown, considering that it leads into an area full of lava like the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith. But yeah, at this point I'm committed, even if the game's exploration is a little bit impossible sometimes. And now that I had to look up a walkthrough for the windmill, I don't need to feel bad about doing it for anything else later.
 

Terminal Blue

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Prey (2017) was another game looking to take the mantle of System Shock 3. I'd say it succeeded. I still would have preferred the sequel to the original Prey (2006), but it found success.
I played Prey (2006) back in the day and remember it being technically impressive for the time but pretty forgettable. I think the big problem was that it was conceived in the mid 90s during the whole Doom/Quake phase and ended up being released right at the tail end of that whole aesthetic. By the time I played it, and despite all the new technology, I felt like I'd played similar games. I enjoyed it, but I kind of forgot it existed.

Like, a lot changed between 1995 and 2006. We had immersive sims like System Shock 2, the Thief series and Deus Ex. Then we had games like Half Life and Half Life 2 which took the lessons of those games (particularly the idea of immersive, functional environments) and applied them to first person shooters. Prey was weird in that we're kind of back to that Doom/Quake formula of abstract, surreal environments full of random gribbly monsters. I think it completely missed the trend of where the FPS genre was going and felt strangely dated as a result despite all the technical innovation.

With Prey (2017), I know that I have played similar games, but for me the presentation and environmental storytelling really pushes it into a good place. And yeah, the soundtrack is great.

All in all, I'd really recommend it to anyone who likes those immersive sim games. I have no idea why they tried to market it as a straightforward shooter, but Bethesda did it real dirty.
 
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hanselthecaretaker

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I thought that was this game's version of Blighttown, considering that it leads into an area full of lava like the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith. But yeah, at this point I'm committed, even if the game's exploration is a little bit impossible sometimes. And now that I had to look up a walkthrough for the windmill, I don't need to feel bad about doing it for anything else later.
With the amount of odd design choices it’s almost a requisite to check a wiki here and there to get the most of it without losing some sanity points.
 

happyninja42

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Hardspace: Shipbreaker.

Damn is this game fun. It's kind of barebones right now, given it's Early Access, but damn those barebones are really solid. The mood and setting is really Firefly-esque, as far as the atmosphere that is. But it's also got a really fun premise of dismantling ships for profit. Figuring out the puzzle for each ship layout and improving how many shifts it takes you to salvage it for maximum profit is really fun.

I'd like more actual story content, but given how much work they put into it so far, I suspect that is just something that is further down the development line.

Red Dead 2

It's fun, mostly. I find the targeting system for conversations really annoying. The game seems to be VERY finicky about where you can be standing/riding in relation to someone to try and Greet/Defuse, and in the time it's taking you to try and find that incredibly narrow sliver of radius, you've already missed your chance to make the choice, and things devolve into violence.
 

thebobmaster

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Got a few games recently, but these are the current two that have my attention.

The first one is still in Early Access, and it is called Metal Unit. It's kind of like Mega Man, but the guns in the game are subweapons, with the lead's main weapon being a sword. It also has roguelite elements, where dying resets you to the beginning of the chapter, but with crystals to upgrade your gear for the next try.

The second one is Sigma Theory. That one is a strategy game that's basically all about trying to win a technological race around the world by using spies to give yourself an advantage and slow down the other nations.

I recommend both of them, if either sound intriguing.
 

Dalisclock

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Hardspace: Shipbreaker.

Damn is this game fun. It's kind of barebones right now, given it's Early Access, but damn those barebones are really solid. The mood and setting is really Firefly-esque, as far as the atmosphere that is. But it's also got a really fun premise of dismantling ships for profit. Figuring out the puzzle for each ship layout and improving how many shifts it takes you to salvage it for maximum profit is really fun.

I'd like more actual story content, but given how much work they put into it so far, I suspect that is just something that is further down the development line.
I've been keeping an eye on that because it sounds cool. Does the fact you have to pay for everything and are essentially in debt slavery drag down the enjoyment at all or is it just a way to keep you thinking about optimizing your work?

I've gone back and forth about grabbing it on steam sale while it's discounted.
 

Trunkage

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I mean, why would you ever think to Burn the metal looking axle of a windmill to drain a poison pool.? Especially considering there's nothing like that in any of the souls games(not that I remember, anyway).
I totally did this on accident and found out a month later that there was any acid
 

Trunkage

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Playing GTA V for the first time, since it was free on Epic a while ago. It's great fun. Driving feels good, especially as Franklin, and the shooting is basic but functional. The writing isn't particularly clever but I still giggle at the jokes and the playable characters are all relatively engaging. It's not a very sophisticated work, but it's a well realised world with fun things to do in it, and sometimes that's all you really need.
I'm playing GTA Online with friends. Don't think there is much of a difference. I find the driving horrible, gun play feels unresponsive, hiding behind cover doesnt work properly, every character is pretty obnoxious, you dont speak and the NPCs keep asking you questions you dont answer (this is so dumb), you do a set up for a heist which just involves driving and dropping off things, these heist have not felt challenging and you wonder why you bothered planning, the map and menus are really stupid, GPS goes crazy and gives you bad advice for directions and the netcode and trying to play with just your friends is atrocious
If I wasn't playing with friends Id be finished by now. 1/5 stars. Obnoxiously bad, how did this game get published?
 

Silvanus

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Playing through The Last of Us 2, though it's a bit slow-going because 3 people in my flat are all playing, swapping the same copy between us.

Also trying to grab relics & gems in Crash Bandicoot 3. Not sure whether I can be fully bothered to get the Platinum trophy. I've got them for Crash 1 and 2 on the N. Sane Triology but only after much frustration. And Crash 3 has those goddamn motorbike race levels.... we'll see how irritated I get. Might bail.
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
Still working my way through Persona 4, but also playing Children of Morta, Devil Slayer - Raksasi, and Blazerush. All 3 of which I got on the steam sale. So far they all kick ass in different ways.
 

meiam

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With Prey (2017), I know that I have played similar games, but for me the presentation and environmental storytelling really pushes it into a good place. And yeah, the soundtrack is great.

All in all, I'd really recommend it to anyone who likes those immersive sim games. I have no idea why they tried to market it as a straightforward shooter, but Bethesda did it real dirty.
Prey 2017 is one of my favorite game of the last few years and I'm massively bummed it didn't do well cause I would love more of it. I've never played a game that reward exploration so much, every time I would go trough nook and cranny thinking "there's no way the dev planned for that" but everytime they did and there would be some small reward to be found. I also love that most of the station is accessible from the get go and you can go to place you aren't supposed to yet with just a bit of creativity (gloo gun and dart thrower). If you want more, mooncrash is a pretty good DLC, it throws some randomness into the mix (it's a bit too easy to my taste). Here's hoping system shock 3 will be just as good.
 

happyninja42

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I've been keeping an eye on that because it sounds cool. Does the fact you have to pay for everything and are essentially in debt slavery drag down the enjoyment at all or is it just a way to keep you thinking about optimizing your work?

I've gone back and forth about grabbing it on steam sale while it's discounted.
No the debt thing really isn't something I personally pay any attention to. To me, it's just the framework for why you are out there cutting up ships. It starts at 1billion dollar debt, and while that seems like a lot, the value of the ships you are cutting up, START at around 3-4 million credits (assuming you maximize your salvaging). You really just use the days income as a measure of success. "Alright! I did a $2 million cut job shift today! My old record was 1.3 million in a single shift! I'm really getting the hang of this Mackerel class hull! I wonder if I should upgrade to the next class of ship, which will mean a loss at first as I learn the new layout, or stick with this one a bit more, and see if I can get it down to full salvage in a single shift? I mean I just unlocked some new upgrades to my gear, so I can really speed up some of the stages of the salvage job. Hmmm" That's all the really runs through my head. The question of "how much of my debt did I work off?" Just really is the last thing on my mind.

Yes you do have to pay for things like oxygen refills, and fuel refills, and repairs, but the amount they charge is really pocket change, compared to the amounts you are dealing with. Also, it's VERY common to find containers of emergency oxygen and/or fuel in the ships, and you can harvest them mid-shift to save yourself some money. There are also repair/health kits that you can harvest, and use them back at base between shift, to again save yourself money. But seriously, the cost for mid-shift refills is neglible. The biggest downside to going to buy O2 refills and fuel, is you have to fly over to the station terminal, which means valuable salvage time lost going back and forth.

But yeah I'm really enjoying the hell out of it so far. I just upgraded to a new class of ship, and it's way more layered and complicated to figure out how to initially crack it. There are things like dealing with ship pressurization. Do you vent everything so you can safely move in and out of space? Or do you keep sections atmo'd so that your suit upgrade that siphons O2 from the environment means you don't have to worry about O2 refills? But beware if you accidentally open a section to space, it will violently vent, flinging objects around, causing damage to the resources you can salvage, and also possibly hurting/killing you. Also it might cause a massive chain reaction of systems exploding, causing the entire ship to go boom, thus wasting money.

It's a REALLY complex puzzle game of Space Jenga, and I'm REALLY enjoying it. My one complaint right now is I wish there was more of a narrative structure to it. Again, it's Early Access so I get it, but the little audio/text logs you can find in the hulls hint at a much bigger world going on in the space around your floating scrapyard. And I'd like to see more development there in the future.

But for now, the "here's a ship, find the best way to quickly carve it up into bits, and salvage those bits, while listening to Firefly-esque space/country music" is really damn engaging. It's equal parts mentally challenging in the puzzle-solving aspect, but also really chill and zen in the "you're going at your own pace."

Some people have complained in reviews about the timed shifts, but it makes sense. If you don't like that, there is a Free Play mode, which I assume just removes the timer and let's you do things at your own pace for the fun of it. But there is Career Mode, which is the default way to play it, and that replicates you actually working a shift per day. Personally I don't find it all that bad, the timer. You get 15 minutes per shift, and once you get the hang of the hull type, that's usually more than enough to seriously carve it up. Plus you often are given multiple days per hull to fully salvage it. That's part of the difficulty spike as you progress up the hull tree. You might only have 1 day to salvage this one ship, but the other ship option is a 3 day job. Probably worth less overall, but if you aren't confident you can salvage enough in 1 shift to make it profitable, it's the better option.

And you will notice in all that wall of text, the fact that I have a $1 billion debt was pretty much never mentioned.

The graphics are really damn good for EA, the physics are solid as hell, and you can find really fun and cool ways to exploit the physics systems to your advantage, the music is really good (if a little short on the repeat cycle, I'd like a larger playlist, but that's minor). The setup and mood is really enthralling, the humor is really good, the pace is your own, just, all kinds of good things about this game. I don't do EA games all that often, but this is probably one of the more polished ones I've seen to date.

Also the introduction cinematic when you first pick the career mode is fucking awesome for setting the mood. Not the trailer, but the actual opening cinematic. So damn good.

*Edit*

Also, as a frame of reference, I'm not a huge puzzle/building kind of gamer. Things like Minecraft or Factorio and all that type of game, really aren't my cup of tea. But this game really hits a sweet spot for me. So for someone that REALLY enjoys those kinds of games, playing this, where it's pretty much that concept but in reverse, will probably be highly enjoyable.
 
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NerfedFalcon

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I've defeated the Old Iron King and claimed the second of the four Great Souls. With him and Lost Sinner down, now I just have to figure out how the hell I get to The Rotten and The Duke's Dear Freja. I'm sure that hole in Majula leads to at least one of them, but I can't get down there without dying instantly even from the drop to the first platform... And then there's the question of how to reach the Shrine of Winter, but that can probably wait until I've made more progress on the Great Souls.

Yeah, I looked it up. Down the hole in Majula, and through the foggy part of the Shaded Woods with the transparent enemies who are hard to see in the other parts and basically impossible in that part. Still, since I can't get down the hole, guess that means I'm going to the foggy woods next.
 
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Dalisclock

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I've defeated the Old Iron King and claimed the second of the four Great Souls. With him and Lost Sinner down, now I just have to figure out how the hell I get to The Rotten and The Duke's Dear Freja. I'm sure that hole in Majula leads to at least one of them, but I can't get down there without dying instantly even from the drop to the first platform... And then there's the question of how to reach the Shrine of Winter, but that can probably wait until I've made more progress on the Great Souls.

Yeah, I looked it up. Down the hole in Majula, and through the foggy part of the Shaded Woods with the transparent enemies who are hard to see in the other parts and basically impossible in that part. Still, since I can't get down the hole, guess that means I'm going to the foggy woods next.
Yeah, that hole sucks to get down without dying. There is a way to get down to the first tiny platform easily but from there its "drop and hope you don't miss". And of course, DS2 doesn't really have the controls for platforming.
 
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NerfedFalcon

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Yeah, that hole sucks to get down without dying. There is a way to get down to the first tiny platform easily from there its "drop and hope you don't miss". And of course, DS2 doesn't really have the controls for platforming.
Out of the whole series, Sekiro is the only one that really does. And it definitely uses that third dimension to good effect, though admittedly I never had that much trouble with any of the jumps in the first Dark Souls, other than remembering that you have to not roll to safely get to Vamos's room.
 

Dalisclock

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Out of the whole series, Sekiro is the only one that really does. And it definitely uses that third dimension to good effect, though admittedly I never had that much trouble with any of the jumps in the first Dark Souls, other than remembering that you have to not roll to safely get to Vamos's room.
Dark Souls wasn't so bad. Dark Souls 2 felt like it wanted to be a platformer at times (Parts of the Iron Keep, notably) but without the platformer controls to make it work. Sekiro, as you said, at least decided to give you some proper controls for it.
 

wings012

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Finished Kingdom Come Deliverance. Didn't finish absolutely every sidequest, but did a fair amount of them and the game for some reason gave me the achievement for finishing all quests.

I had fun, spent almost 100 hours on it. Though I did leave the game on at times and the loading times were absolutely terrible so maybe less than what Steam says I've played it for.

But it could be better in a lot of ways. Some of the time sensitive quests are absolutely borky. There was one quest where I was told to come back to some dude in the morning. Go back in the morning, he doesn't respond. I go gallivant somewhere else thinking I'll return the following morning. When I stop playing and reload my game, that quest just flags a bunch of things and fails. Which is a massive ??!!??. I loaded back, and just waited in front of the dude till the following morning for 24+ hours. I am able to complete my quest then.

The final main quests were also quite terrible. The game really wasn't designed for group fights and you basically go through a number of mass fights and a siege. It involves you standing around while your allies and enemies form into a massive mob. My allies would've won without my help and I kinda just hung back shooting arrows randomly wherever I could find an opening. Trying to get into the melee was stupid since there was that awful lockon system which would just get confused and keep locking you all over the place, then the enemies will randomly decide to gank you. There were a huge number of these fights and they would abruptly end when the last enemy dies and just throw you into a loading screen and cutscenes without warning.

And in a middle of all these random group fight sequences, they take a break in the camp and make you do a bunch of fetch quests. For god's sake why?

There was also an infinite loading screen bug that kicked me in the face during one of the last few main quests. I could only get around it through the use of mods, which allowed me to save the game during said loading screen. When I reloaded the game, I was past that loading screen. I hear console players also have this problem - but you don't have mods or the in game console there. So yeah, don't get this game on console.
 

BrawlMan

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Streets of Rage 2 (3D) - Arguably the best port of 2 ever made. Portable wise; most definitely yes. Sega AM2 Division did the porting and those guys and gals are master craftsman. The 3D actually looks great and there are two styles: pop out and fall in. I prefer the pop out option myself. AM2 has done a lot ports of Sega's library and the ports they did for the 3DS are top-notch. I have a 3DS version of Outrun too, and that plays wonderful. SOR2 comes with an extra mode called Relay mode. You automatically switch characters when you lose a life, but can only go up to a max of 4 lives. If you happen to pick a 1up, it just gives you full health. This mode is surprisingly tough, even on Normal mode. I still say the Sega Vintage Collection (comes with all three games) port for 360 is the best due to being able to customize the frame response button inputs for the controls. The 3DS version has an added casual mode and one hit kill mode for people who want a very easy game, and a creative credits for this version. Exactly like the Vintage port, you can play the Japanese or US/World version.
 

Phoenixmgs

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I just finished up Desperados 3 today. Great stealth game with a western setting. Once you get Isabelle, the game is such more smooth sailing as her abilities really open up the strategies. There was one mission where you have to capture a VIP from an area with a good amount of guards. Well, you can slowly take them out one-by-one or you can mind control the VIP and just walk him out of the area.

Here's a couple clips of using Showdown mode setting actions for all the characters.
1) Send in the Cat
2) ???
3) Profit


---

I'm not sure what I'll play next. I think I'm leaning towards Outer Wilds though I did just pick up a bunch of games on sale including aforementioned game, The Room Two, The Room Three, The Escaper, and Control ($20 on PSN). I also nabbed both Portals for $4 total on Steam as I haven't played them in awhile (played them on PS3) and I doubt I'll remember the puzzles much. I also just got this Battlefield 4 PS3 controller because none of my PS3 controllers are in good shape and I actually got 2 new DS3s like 2 years back that both had massive dead zones on the sticks (one was from eBay that I returned and a friend gave me one) so this BF4 controller is like the only not cheap-as-hell PS3 controller you can find these days. Anyway, so I think I'll get back on Ghost Recon Future Soldier multiplayer as it's been quite a while since I played anything online (there just isn't anything that good for online from games this generation).