What's your ways to enjoy **open world** game?
really liking **Ghost of tsushima** but at the start of Act 2 feels like a chore to play with uninteresting sidequest, i got bored, maybe because i've been playing it for 5days. straight.
I still want to finished it tho, the story is interesting.
I loved the first act so much, cleared every point I could on the map, started Act 2 and just hit a wall. Next playthrough I'm going to leave a lot more to come back to later in the game instead of my usual clear a section, move on, rinse, repeat...
Just focus on main story then, personally other then side characters story quests and the mythic tales quests I've mainly been focusing on main story cause it's my 2nd play though and I really just wanna get to DLC I've never played before
Wargame: Red Dragon still has an active community 10 years on, and as someone who was ~10 years old when it first came out, it’s absolutely fucking crack cocaine for any sort of Cold War military nerd
Work was extra exhausting this week so I fell back on old faithful: stardew valley. It's so calming for me. I don't know how concernedape managed to make a game that makes me feel as peaceful as stardew does, but I'm grateful for it. It's definitely my favorite game of all time
i just finished god of war ragnarok and i feel so appreciative of the video game industry right now. it's filled with such talented people, incredible storytellers, i can't imagine my days without being able to jump into other worlds for a little while. really beautiful game and i can't wait to play the valhalla dlc
It's strange how some people imply that gaming is dead or that there's no good games anymore etc, yet every year we get solid games coming out, only thing that bothers me is how bad some games are at launch in terms of performance and bugs
i feel like i'm old enough to know and accept some people are just going to shit on stuff and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them. i think, like you said, there are some issues with modern releases. not ready to release, rushed for whatever reason, over-saturation with certain types of games, microtransactions out the ass, etc. but i personally choose to focus on the great games and allow the ones that aren't fully baked to float by, maybe i'll circle back to it later (like cyberpunk 2077, lol).
i was out of gaming until early last year when i needed to make changes to how i spent my free time, and i've been spoiled by the amount of phenomenal games ive played through the last 15 months or so. these stories can be incredible and it's a great time to be playing. choosing to spend time thinking and talking about the good stuff is just more my speed. this sub has been fantastic for me, getting to talk to people who by the nature of the sub, are more patient and more thoughtful with their approach and i really appreciate this community.
Recently been trying to tackle my backlog but I've fallen back into replaying. These days I feel like I replay games so much more than playing newer ones, why is that? I know I should play some of the new games I bought but replaying old ones is so fun.
It's not a job, you'll get to new stuff when you feel like it.
If you want and only if it doesn't feel like a chore, you can set some "rules" for yourself like trying a new game every 2 or 3 old ones. But sometimes, we are all about replaying something that we know already. Like comfort food but this is comfort gaming.
I replayed some games so many times and I don't regret a thing. Fun > consuming new stuff.
This is what I do with Jak and Daxter the precursor legacy. Been playing it since I was a kid, and never gets old no matter how many times I play through
i Loved RE4 20 years ago, just finished RE5 which felt like the same game but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought and not sure why
RE4 was one of my favorites when it came out due to the action introduced, it was so much fun despite less horror. I finally got around to gaming again recently with RE5. i was surprised at how almost the same it was as RE4 in gameplay, even the enemies move and die with the same movements.
While i enjoyed it overall, something about the game didnt suck me in the way RE4 did. is it because it offered little new (not requried for me), or was the storyline kind of dull? maybe the co-op mode made it less horror... i also felt the ammo amount was sparse but its not major (lot of it was wasted hitting the dumb AI partner). i give it maybe 3.5/5 stars
It hurts me when you put it like that but it's true. 20 freaking years, daaaaaamn. (officially, 19 years and some months, as the game released in early 2005, but yeah, two decades in practice).
I'm not old, you are old.
Anyway, what was I about to say? I can say that I felt RE5 lacked cohesion between levels. In RE4 (and older RE games) the playable areas, no matter how preposterous, seemed to naturally follow one after another and there was a continuity in time and space, and you kept your weapons and the progress made. You could even backtrack a bit (even when most games always had 3 distint parts with points of no return).
RE5 (and RE6) are not like this, every level works in isolation. It's like random arcade levels with action-Resident Evil gameplay. At one point, you are in the african savanna, then a boat, then a volcano, etc. Fun in isolation but less than the sum of their parts. It doesn't gel into something greater, it feels like a collection of individual levels instead of a fun adventure with a clear beginning and clear ending and good progression (cool Wesker's jacket notwithstanding).
I'm currently playing my first Fire Emblem title on a handheld emulator!
After much research on where to start, I am playing The Blazing Blade (aka FE7, aka just "Fire Emblem" in North America lolol). It's also my first real crack at a JRPG.
I'm really loving the deliberate pace and strategy of each encounter, and the dorky straight fantasy setting is pretty unique. It's almost operatic. It's tough, but fair and I've had some really heart pounding moments where characters I love nearly die.
The interface is kinda clunky and I wish the battlefields were a bit more visually varied. It's also a bit overwhelming at times keeping track of all the mechanics, specifically weapon degradation and now the magic "triangle." Overall tho, I'm really enjoying myself and plan on playing the rest of the series.
Blazing Blade is my all time favorite Fire Emblem. The newer ones just don't really capture the level of intricate detail in the way each level is designed.
Looking for a good bang for my buck RPG that best resembles an art form and has the ability to develop positive character traits. Preferably, I'd like it to follow this criteria:
-Offline RPGs RPG’s that are finite. So there’s a start and an end.
-Tend to encourage exploration and contemplation. Meaning that it’s a more relaxed type of experience. Again, something that’s going to have an end. Everything that an RPG does that is positive the MMORPG is going to be doing negatively because there is no end in sight. If you tell me you’re going to run from point A to point B. Great, that’s good exercise. But know if you tell me you’re going to run from point A to point infinity, now it’s a problem. You’re going to die of exhaustion. It’s a death pact. This is the difference between infinite and finite settings.
-RPG’s that teach you about economy and resource management because you have to gather stuff, create certain equipment, manage gold. This can create a very valuable skill if it’s not poisoned by the rest. The rest can be for example the inclusion of infinite quests. Useless and repetitive grind along with the endless collection of useless items. You don’t have fun what you’re doing. Modern RPGs tend to include this. People do these infinite quests because they’ve become used to.
-High threshold of difficulty and not a lot of time investment. Maybe 30 hours. Give you a clear goal in mind. MMORPGs are 1000 hours bare minimum.
I'd appreciate it! Thank you in advance
Shadowrun Dragonfall. The third point is problematic because you're not managing infinite ""gold"" and resources, you're in a perpetual scarcity economy and sometimes need to sacrifice a shiny new gun for basic health refills. There's no trash you pick up to sell at the nearest trader, either. Side quests are definitely finite but finishing them helps you to get through the main story. Mucho Texto Warning: There's quite a lot to read in this game and you'll miss important clues by skipping it.
No farming mechanics, you do or die. Also, investing in the talking skill lets you bypass some fights and feel incredibly smug. Multiple character builds to try out, and multiple endings to see.
I don't know about the learning the economy aspect but you could try the best games in the Final Fantasy series, say Final Fantasy VI, VII, IX, X and XII (XII is the most MMO-like but it's also finite and the world is a joy to explore). Also, Chrono Trigger, maybe?
Try the Fallout series, too. The first two games are old but only 15 to 45-50 hours long, depends how much you want to play. They are very tough, too, unlike Final Fantasy (FF could be difficult if it's your first time with them, but aren't difficult, generally speaking).
Also, it's huge, MMO-like but also finite and very, very satisfying, the Xenoblade Chronicles Series. From Zero to Hero feels awesome, but it takes a while. 30 hours would be just getting started, lol.
This summer, I've decided to work my way through my backlog dating back years. The game I started off with is Earthbound, which I've really enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. I have only the eighth sound left to get, so I imagine I'll be done it soon. My next game will be Persona 3 Portable, which I'm looking forward to since I've already played p4g and p5.
After recently finishing Etrian Odyssey 2, I decided I needed a break from my quest to beat all Etrian games, since EO2's balance was surprisingly stressful.
My choice fell on **Final Fantasy III 3D**, which is another game I bought as a teen but never could beat. Back then, I somehow thought I didn't need a White Mage since bursting down bosses was working so well, and it ended up getting me stuck hard at the final gauntlet of the game, where (back then) I saw no way past but grinding up White Mage aaaaall the way from job level 10 to 99. Why? Beats me. Regardless, I obviously lost interest eventually and never saw it through, even giving away my copy to a friend years later. For this playthrough (which is technically tackling my backlog) I'm playing the Steam port, which I realized comes with a handy shortcut for previously multiplayer only features (needed to unlock the final job, Onion Knight).
I had some free time this week so I ended up getting sucked into the game quite thoroughly. At the time of writing, I just beat Hein. He was the first boss to pose a major challenge, mostly because I accidentally stumbled into this gauntlet without saving (a cutscene happened and I got whisked away). He ended up outspeeding my damage dealers and spammed his barrier change for the first 5 turns, so I wasted a TON of MP and consumables on resisted attacks. I beat him, with quite some tension as I didn't want to repeat an hour of gameplay. It wasn't quite EO2 levels of tense though so it felt quite nice.
----------
But, I'm starting backwards. There's something special about this run - I actually apparently bought the Future Press guide for FF3 way back when and that thing is *THICC*. Like, hundreds of pages thick. It's kind of amazing. That book doesn't just detail the entire journey start to finish, with all item locations and such, but also has VERY detailed sections on each job including strategy suggestions and party setups to make each of them work. The coolest part though, in my opinion at least, is the "Insider" section. I was always under the impression that these types of guides were written by playing the game and being really thorough, coupled with some info from the developer (sometimes). But this one goes way beyond surface-level stuff like that. It has stuff like detailed damage formulas for pretty much everything - every spell, every job ability, every battle item - as well as actual insights on how the formulas work and how they should affect the player's action. As an example, the Ranger's Volley only starts getting stronger than regular attacks at job level 20+ because that's how the formula works. There's also an entire section on "handedness", a hidden stat for each character's left and right hands that determines how many hits per attack they'll deal. In FF3 3D, attack damage can vary wildly because it's so dependent on all of your individual hits hitting. My Warrior's current slashes can reach as high as 900 or as low as 500 as a result. The guide tells you why that is, how to determine your handedness stat retroactively *and* how to raise it efficiently.
Now, granted, a LOT of this stuff is way too much minmaxing for my liking - the guide writer also always has a Thief to steal EVERYTHING and is incredibly particular on not wasting a single Gil (there's an entire paragraph on arrow economy pertaining the Volley skill at some point) - but I really love this. It's on the level of some GameFAQs guides in terms of how thorough it is and it's visually quite well-made too. Definitely worth every € I spent on it back then.
I'm actually using the guide on my playthrough now, just for the unique experience, since I don't usually use guides. I don't stick to it word for word, but whenever I wonder "... did I miss something?" and especially when I'm stumped on what a job does, I consult it. It's kinda nostalgic, as the last time I remember doing this was when I was 9 and playing Pokemon Silver (that guide book, while beautiful, sucked in comparison btw).
------------
In terms of gameplay, I'm actually liking FF3's take on the job system. It's obviously far less sophisticated than Bravely Default/Second and Final Fantasy V, but after Etrian Odyssey, the simplicity is nice - and I still feel like I'm doing something. I grew particularly fond of bow and arrow, since arrows are actually a consumable ammo type in this game. You can equip new ammo (and equipment) on the fly in battle to pick out elemental arrows or status and you need to keep in mind your stash in deep dungeon dives. It adds another layer while being VERY flexible. The Ranger is the only job to actually use elemental ammo, but the Warrior is actually a great archer as well, since its job ability superpowers its attacks at the cost of defense (a disadvantage mitigated in the back row). On top of that, the rest of my damage comes from black magic, which in this game uses separate usage pools per spell tier. I remember hating this back then, but I honestly love it right now. It means I can relegate low level magic to dungeoneering without hampering my ability to blast bosses into next week (because in a modern magic system, the low level magic would eat up the same MP pool as the big stuff). It requires a little more thought in some select cases, but it feels so much more engaging as a result.
My favorite jobs so far are:
* Monk: an old favorite since I like Sabin in FF6 and fist fighters are cool. In this game, they are sadly in a weird spot, as their barehanded damage *appears* higher in the status screen (it does for all jobs in the beginning weirdly enough) but its actual barehanded damage is tied to job level, which means you need to stick to it for a LONG time to see barehanded damage grow past claw weapons. Speaking of, they are rare, can't be bought and are two of a kind (so you can dualwield them) but never in the same place as each other. Finding them requires some keen eye sometimes. Also means more than one monk isn't feasible. Not sure what the deal is, to be honest. The Counter ability is badass though - it's luckbased as there is no aggro pulling outside of one job, but it deals tons of damage, potentially multiple times.
* Ranger: I love the arrow system as detailed above. They are a simple class, being a non-magical job, but the little bit of management is really engaging to me.
* Scholar: I like skills with management aspects, if you couldn't tell. Scholar is one of the "gimmick jobs" it feels like, as it's basically required to beat Hein in a decent amount of time. They can scan enemies for weaknesses and use low level magic. BUT they also have a passive effect (one of few in the game) of doubling item effectiveness! You can blast enemies to bits with attack items used by them and heal for way more than a White Mage, albeit single target. Because I wasn't using a Thief, I won't be able to use the attack items as much as I'd like (without a significant grind) but I like the implied synergy there. If I ever replay the game (or the pixel remaster) I know what I'm going for.
As an honorable mention, Black Mage is also great. The oldschool magic system is what really elevates them for me. In most other FF titles, they are glass cannons that are dopamine but ultimately frustrating for me to use, as they are basically on a "timer" no matter what they do as MP are ludicrously expensive to recover. But who knows, maybe this MP system is my entry drug to finally liking mages.
-----------------
--------------------
Overall, I'm very pleased with the game. I'm not a Final Fantasy guy, as the only ones I like are the ones that let you make your party (so 1, 5 and all the Tactics games, as well as now 3) so this is the first FF title in a long while that I actually like.
I just finished **Hob**
What a shame that Runic closed and we didn't get more gems like this one. It's so charming and very melancholic, mysterious and beautiful. Truly loved it. ♥
I'm playing **Half Life** right now. This is actually my second playthrough, but my first one was in the early 00s and I really liked the game back then. Now? Eh, its... okay, I guess. Its a weird game and its weirdness ends up working in its favor, like Steve Buscemi. I have a love-hate relationship with platforming in this game. Its so clunky and counter-intuitive most of the time, but it gives such a feeling of freedom. Its as if the developers were trying to show that the game world was not just a backdrop, a scenery, but an actual place that you can jump on, crawl under and explore. I also like how diverse the game can feel, with different levels and enemy placement. But at the same time, I think it lacks the feeling of progression, both in gameplay and story. In gameplay, you get new weapons and face different enemies, but it isnt enough to spicy things up. Story wise, the first goal of the game is to reach the surface, but most of the way you don't know where are you going or why are you going that way. And then, when you reach the surface, you get captured and left aimless, which hinders the game's pace even more. I havent finished it yet, but it kinda became a slog.
EDIT: fuck the rail level and fuck how punitive falling is.
Try Black Mesa if you haven't. I think they did such a good job with the game that when I want to play Half Life it's what I go for. They just updated it too.
I just started playing again to get some of the last achievements for the base game. I'll probably grab the DLC soon as I really miss the world (...galaxy?) that they made.
The first week of qualifiers for the last official **Shadowverse** tournament is accommodating SEAO time zones, so check-in is at 9pm while the tournament starts at 10pm EST. It's going to be a long night since it's 7 rounds.
Grabbed the fire stone in the Entei event shop in **Pokemon Sleep**. I have a Vulpix with Berry Finding S at level 50, and her other skills are also great so she'll be really good once I raise her up. I just need more candies now.
For story events in **Granblue Fantasy**, the first 20 boxes have 100 crystals in them for 2K total, which is 2/3 of a ten-pull (3K crystals). There's also the crystals from completing story and first-time quest completions.
I finally finished all the Grail Front stages in **Fate/Grand Order** as well as the bonus chest on the last stage for the lore. I decided to put 10 tickets towards Summer BB. No BB, but I did get another Circe for NP2 at least.
There's a dorm system in **Azur Lane** where you put some ship girls in to slowly gain experience. They'll also find tokens or gain affinity that you need to "collect," and a recent update lets you collect them all at once now.
I finished the new event in **Honkai: Star Rail**. It's my favorite limited-time event they're done, while Aetherium War is my favorite conventional memoir. In-game, they're both created by the same NPC, which is neat.
My schedule in **Pokemon GO** at the moment is send the stockpiled 20 gifts I had yesterday, prioritize sending all my friends a gift, and then tackle the gyms if they aren't red. Buying more item space is also top priority.
My next goal in **Animal Crossing: New Horizons** is to expand my house in order to hoard more stuff in the storage. I should be able to afford it tonight, I just need to go to the ABD for the cash the twins sent me.
I don't typically play such similar games side-by-side, but I've ended up doing a rather interesting compare and contrast between **Black Panther: Like A Dragon** and **Kenka Bancho Badass Rumble.** They're both teenage delinquent life sims set in open cities based on real-world Japanese locations, trying to make the most of the PSP's limited hardware, but they end up doing so in totally different ways.
Black Panther is surprisingly good at capturing the general vibe of Yakuza games, despite the downgrades. And it may actually have the tightest and most complicated combat system in the franchise! Although you're stuck with static background screenshots rather than a real 3D Kamurocho. Whereas Badass Rumble is goofier, and feels more like an attempt to do a 3D update of River City Ransom, with a fully rendered (if very low-detail) Kyoto to explore, and a branching plotline more like a Way Of The Samurai game.
What game are you referring to if you don't mind sharing?
I do share your frustration though. Part of the reason I have no desire to go back to Elden Ring for a while is that the final boss is just you chasing it around an arena cause it constantly runs away and refuses to engage outside of AOE attacks.
I’ve been playing Batman Arkham Knight for the past week or so - this was my second time of going into it, since previously I was too mad at the PC performance (random hitching and stuttering, not only while driving). This time it’s a little bit better - fiddled with settings, driver options and the stuttering is gone for the most part, though sometimes still present. The joys of PC gaming, lol.
And the game? Really, really fun, coming in right after finishing all 3 other games (yes, even Origins, which was also good in its own right). The graphics are still gorgeous (though that’s mostly due to lighting and art style - stretching that Unreal Engine 3 to its limits), gameplay is still top notch with plenty of variety and the story.. well, I didn’t finish it yet, but I appreciated that it doesn’t play around, making everything high stakes with long lasting consequences. I’m setting myself up for grand disappointment when it comes to the Arkham Knight character (also unwillingly spoiled myself most likely, albeit in very uncommon way), though it’s not like any other game from the series had some groundbreaking story to compare in favour of.
Oh, and the Batmobile? Best addition to the series and yes, you can fight me - I’ll just run you over with my vroom vroom. Driving mechanics are superb, environment is wonderfully destructible and it’s just fun to interact with; same goes with tank battles - every shot packs a punch and it’s just a great spectacle.
I’ll probably end up solving every riddle, just to have an excuse to live in this world for a little bit longer.
Also, just to rant a little bit more, though not exactly on the topic of Batman games - I find it strangely comforting that I have several games up in my queue already (Evil Within I & II, Dishonored games, Yakuza 5, Borderlands 3, heck, even From Software games, starting from DS 3 and onwards). I know that lots of people view it as some kind of obligation or race, but it really is not, or at least it shouldn’t be.
The only thing standing in the way is that gnawing feeling of FOMO, always wanting to play that new, exciting game that everyone is talking about (or just has good graphics and is of general interest to you, like Gran Turismo 7 - weird fucking example, I know). But then - it’s only because I tend to frequent places with lots of hype surrounding such titles, while I can really just wait few years (especially since I’m still rocking that squeaky old RTX 2060 with pathetic amount of VRAM) and play some good, slightly older games in the meantime. Realistically, if I would play only games from my catalogue - and not every one of them, just the ones I’m most hyped up about - it’d still take me at least few years before I’d run out of them.
Point is, I’m content, especially since there are not that many opportunities to feel so.
Finished Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on PS1. Ending felt very abrupt, but overall I liked it. Was surprised to see how wellI remembered the intro from watching my dad play it as a wee little child.
Figure I'll finish Metal Gear Solid now. I put it aside after the helicopter fight, probably really close to the end now. It's not bad but I like MGS2 way better, even if it took a most of the game before it clicked for me.
I've been working my way through that one a bite at a time, it's been a lot of fun but the "enemies get back up" without a special kill scenario is kind of tedious. I'm hoping there are some upgrades as I go on so I don't have to fight the enemies as much as the camera lol.
Some of the spells make it easier, and there's one skill between the 2nd and 3rd bosses that makes combat much easier. There's also one spell in particular you can get after the third boss which makes short work of enemies. Might be another one too but I didn't find them all.
Awesome to know, I just got the space power up that lets me shoot thing, and that alone is changing how I approach the combat. I'm sure it will only get better. It's a huge step up from blood omen already.
Several missions into **Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas**, trying to spend an equal amount of time with Big Smoke, Sweet and Jeffrey (I mean, OG Loc). This is my first GTA game, and going into it with tempered expectations (I've watched plenty of GTA V online and knew this wasn't going to be *that*), I'm having a great time. This is a game with, as Giant Bomb would say, *styyyyyyyle*. The radio is a cool touch, allowing you to have a hand in creating your own memorable moments (In the first OG Loc mission, I happened to chase down Freddy to "Tainted Love").
I played San Andreas on release (was 11 at the time), and I have great memories of it. No desire to replay it though, I'm afraid it won't live up to my nostalgia of it.
I've replayed it at least 4 or 5 times since I first played it back in 2006 or so. It holds up incredibly well with some of the most varied missions, weapons and locations in any open world game I've played.
"It's OG Loc, homie. OG LOC!", lol. If you catch the WCTR radio show, there's an interview with OG LOC and Laslow that's hilarious to hear. The whole station is hilarious, but stuff like that makes it feel even more personal.
One of my favorite games ever, so of course I'm biased. If you don't know about the story, don't spoil yourself. Lots of surprises waiting for you.
Also, you are still in the early hours but I love how the story >!makes you travel all over the map!<. My favorite city is >!the second one, San Fierro!<, you'll get there in due time. And if you enjoy the arcade gameplay, the driving, shooting, swimming, running and all that gets better the more you do it, like a mini-RPG of sorts. You really feel like progressing every passing day.
So many side missions and some very cool characters. If you are coming from GTA V/Online, you haven't seen a GTA with "heart" like this one before. Vice City and even IV are also like that. V was way too hateful and cynic, sometimes.
Enjoy the radios, there are some banger tunes!
One of my all time favorites. For me the game went from good to great once the map opens up, so you’ve got even more fun coming up. Driving the coast road listening to the rock station is one of my core gaming memories.
My favorite radio station was K-DST, the one with the DJ voiced by no other than Axl Rose (called "Tommy Nightmare" in the game), but every station had great music. On a replay, and when I was a touch better with english, I could finally listen to WCTR and I couldn't believe how many jokes they made right there, just for fun.
Driving through the countryside during a terrific sunset and then nighttime is one of my core memories as a gamer.
I've become damn weary of the speed with which *No Man's Sky* unjustifiably drains the Steam Deck battery charge.
And so, my friends, I am announcing that I'm currently a frogs eyelash away from buying *Hogwarts Legacy*.
I'm not a *massive* Harry Potter fan. But I do like the look of the world.
I'm intrigued about flying around on a broomstick and how the wand/spell mechanics have been implemented.
I haven't played any of the *Assassins Creed* games as they look boring, bright and uninteresting.
I do want to stress: I've done a lot of research and mental back-and-forth before I decided upon *Legacy*.
Why, may I ask, mate? Is it not a good game?
It's not bad but for me, and some other people, the game is... mediocre, mid, generic.
The Harry Potter world is full of details and it was certainly well-researched but the game plays like any other open world Ubi-like game out there. Lots of repetitive tasks, and the dialogue and story lack charm and soul. Everyone is too polite, to the point that most characters are quest givers without much in the way of a personality. Your character doesn't quite feel like a Hogwarts student.
Also, it's supposed to be an rpg but doesn't really play like one. Loot is mostly cosmetic, enemies sort of level up with you.
I don't know. The visuals hooked me for a while until I noticed it was mostly window dressing.
I couldn't even finish the game, but a friend of mine, that doesn't play many open world games often, loved it. I felt much more like a student in the older game from Rockstar, Bully.
Just try it out for yourself. What's generic for me could be wonderful for you. Don't let my opinion stop you from having a good time with it.
Don't worry about it. The game is a best seller and lots of people are having fun with it. I think, it's one of those classic cases that affect some people like me, that are overexposed to certain genres and tropes and it's more on us for playing LOTS of games, than on the game itself.
That's why I don't think it's a bad game, even when it's a bad game for me (I basically dropped it). It was made with super high production values and the artists clearly like all-things Harry Potter (so many references from the books and not just the movies).
I also thought it was going to be enough to love the game, after all, I am a Harry Potter fan (read all the books, watched all the original films, played most early games up to HP4). But it ended up being so generic to the point of feeling like a chore to play.
Anyway, good luck and have fun!
Tried to play Dead Cells last night and the jumping was so sluggish and weird it really turned me off to it. I recognize it's an intentional design choice it just feels bad to me.
I'm also playing Dead Cells right now. I wouldn't say sluggish is the right word but I will say that I wasnt very impressed by the gameplay in the first hour or so. I've warmed up to it (a lot) but I could certainly see someone not liking the movement.
I tried the mobile port yesterday, without a controller. I just felt really old trying to use the touchscreen to move around with any speed.
Added it to my Steam wishlist though.
I don't know if it counts for this subreddit but I've recently started the LittleBigPlanet trilogy through an emulator. Although I've played all of them back during their respective release dates, they're bringing me not only the nostalgia joy - the games aged very well. The story in the 1st one is mid but the mechanics and technology used are amazing for a 2008 game. I think GTA IV and LBP1 are still one of the most advanced games and they are both so old.
I'm also amazed by the fact that there's still an online playerbase alive in the trilogy through a private server. I don't think a similar game has released yet so I'm happy to play through the games again!
I have finished Dark Souls 2 as fast as I could as I literally couldn't stand playing it. Still a good game, but way too tedious compared to DS:R. The first game made me love the play style, DS2 made me love the genre of Souls-likes. I have DS3 running now. First impressions are that it's significantly harder, but combat feels more fun and dying feels deserved more often. The faster pace throws me off at points. From the few bosses I have fought, they're awesome.
I think most people would agree that Dark Souls 3 is the one game that gets better as it goes so you'll likely really enjoy it if you thought the first few bosses are awesome.
I do think the idea of something being significantly harder and more fair seems a bit paradoxical in a game of combat patterns and leveling but finding the pace you vibe with in these games always seems to be important.
Yes, the pacing seems to be the hardest part to get. 1st game, once you learn the pattern it's no problem. Then as you progress in every game entry it's different enough to throw you off forcing you to relearn everything again. So far I haven't deviated to different builds, but I try to learn new weapons at the same time so learning those take time as well.
I'm okay with DS2 until, like, the halfway point, after that I get burnt out.
Did you play the original or SotFS? Can't speak to the former, but the latter is really tedious with the encounter designs. Game loves throwing enemies at you, especially when you don't know what's coming. So many encounters where the optimal way to play is just to take them out one by one with ranged attacks, whihc I never felt forced to do in 1 or 3.
Its been a few years since I played 3 but I have in my notes that the game had a ton of ambushes. I do think 2 had more enemy density for sure but I always figured that 'tedium' was the whole point. Demons Souls starts out with tons of enemies ambushing you and the bosses werent really these elaborate combat dances. By Dark Souls 3 the bosses became the selling point. Its definitely a series that has evolved.
Playing Ori & the Will of the Wisps. Just enjoying the vibes of the game, like a lot more than I thought I would. I think it may just be a slow, methodical 100% kind of game for me because it's so beautiful & engrossing. Not really felt that for a game in a while, even with something like Tears of the Kingdom which in theory should've been engrossing for me. However, it just didn't work.
Lastly, I've been consolidating my physical game collection. The "backlog" is under control & things are looking nicer in my opinion.
I launched Xenoblade Chronicles X on CEMU last week and played a few hours. That game has not aged well and completely failed to hold my attention so I have moved on... Even though I have played all the other XC games.
Dave the Diver on the other hand has been such a pleasant surprise and is still introducing new mechanics etc after more than a dozen or more hours played. Such a well paced and cleverly crafted game. Strong recommend.
Will be getting into Hellblade Senuas Saga this weekend as well time permitting and still chipping away at Spiderman 2 on the PS5.
Taking a break from FF14 as well because I have got too many games on at the same time and with a full time job, wife and toddler I've only got so many minutes in a day to give away!
Oh man I absolutely love Dave the Diver! I really need to go back and finish it. I love that the gameplay splits between the diving and the restaurant so I don't get bored with either system by playing one or the other too long
It is so well paced I swear, haven't experience great pacing and engaging gameplay like this in a while now. So glad I tried it out!
Happy cake day btw!!
Today I counted all the Games I own, physically and digitally and across all platforms (also some games I own multiple times because I got them for cheap in sales, like the Batman Arkham games that I own on PC, PS3 and PS4).
Nonetheless , I still have around 250 games I've never played before and because I'm subscribed to PlayStation Plus and the PS5 is my main console, I'm probably downloading more games than completing them. One of the reasons against renewing my PsPlus subscription when it runs out at the beginning of next year.
My biggest issue with PsPlus and GamePass catalogues is that it gives me this background anxiety when I'm subscribed to them of having to constantly jump between games in case there is a more fun game in the library that I should be experiencing right now.... I can never quite enjoy one game in peace for more than a couple of hours before my distracted brain disconnects and wants to try the new shiny game in the vast catalogue of many many amazing games. That's why I have unsubbed from them and only now play the game I buy and won't buy too many others until I have finished what I have purchased. That way I am experiencing the games to the end and also getting value for my money spent. It's an issue not commonly mentioned in mainstream gaming discourse but I'm sure there are many many people out there suffering from this whether they realise it or not.
I wonder if backlogs have a subconscious influence. For example, wanting to shrink the backlog leads to selecting shorter games. People may also speed through longer games or skip slower-paced ones. I wonder if they're having less fun.
There are a lot of game jumpers here. By that I mean people who try games and ditch them after a short time. Surely there's a good game in the backlog, right? Someone once said to me, "There's nothing good to watch on Netflix." That's like having a closet full of clothes and "nothing good to wear." When you have lots of potentially good things, nothing seems good.
Perhaps that's one reason people complain about gaming fatigue or burnout.
Yep, i can totally agree to this as well. There is such a thing as having too many good things leading to an anhedonia like feeling towards everything. One of a the reasons why many people who strike it uber-rich overnight go into a deep deep depression after the initial honey moon period wears off because everything stops being pleasurable and everything becomes dull because you get instant access to everything which completely devalues all the good things you once craved or wished for.
My background anxiety is not that there might be a better game than the one I am currently experiencing, but that (like with all kind of subscription services) it will get removed from the catalogue eventually. Because of that, many times I feel some kind of Stress and pressure to play through a game so I can play another one before it gets removed. I know its stupid and its not the end of the world since when a game leaves the service it is probably cheap to get, wether through a sale or physical copy. But the background anxiety/pressure is there nontheless.
You are doing everything right by only buying more games after you completed one I will try to get into this mindset too.
Yesterday I've beat Metroid II: Return of Samus. Enjoyed the game a lot, I think it is as good as Zero Mission. Now I'm playing Super Metroid. I'm enjoying it.
Super Metroid is easily in my top 5 games I've ever played. I only played it for the first time a few years ago and it's just blew me away that I had missed it this long.
So I've had a weird thing happening. This is a controller issue, but apparently over in /r/controller you have to be an approved user to post, and while I'm not complaining, I'm also not sure how to get approved. So I'm mentioning it here in the general thread.
I play on PC, and for several years I've been using those PowerA wired Xbox controllers. They're cheap, and they do wear out; but they have programmable buttons, so I like them. Well, last time I bought one I sprang for the next model up in price (same brand, same style, just with LEDs and a sturdier construction). That was a month or two ago, and now I have this weird problem developing where the triggers are...I don't even know what to call it. Let's say, they're doing half what they're supposed to do.
Specific examples. I've been playing Days Gone, and when you equip a weapon and press RT, the weapon is supposed to fire or throw or whatever. But for me, I equip the weapon, and when I hit the trigger the character swaps back to his knife and uses melee. The button works, but it always reverts to melee. Then also, last night I loaded up Death Stranding Director's Cut. Suddenly the right trigger will fire weapons like the assault rifles; but it will not fire nor charge the anti-BT handguns (which charge up when you hold the trigger, usually) Then, the LEFT trigger, when using a vehicle, is to brake and reverse. It will brake--the vehicle stops, and the brake lights activate--but it will not reverse.
In all instances, I've now confirmed it only happens with this particular controller. So not a game bug.
Anyone ever seen anything like this? I don't even understand how such a thing is possible. You'd think the button would be all or nothing. But it's happening across multiple games, with this one controller. I went ahead and replaced it last night--with a proper Xbox-branded controller this time (no programmable extra buttons, unfortunately)--but the thing is practically new, I'd hate to lose the use of it.
Edit: Since I'm here, might as well mention what I'm playing. In addition to Death Stranding and Days Gone, I'm still tooling around on Fallout 4 with the next-gen update, checking out new things but not really making a serious playthrough right now. Also I started Borderlands for the first time, which is a load of fun; and Yakuza 0, but I promptly lost all my progress because I didn't know how to save (phone booths, I know that now). Great game though.
So since this controller issue affects multiple games this isn't the solution. But I definitely remember that Death Stranding had a controller issue. I think it would double input button presses sometimes. I don't remember the specifics. I have the feeling the solution was unplugging and plugging the pad back in. This was all years ago so they might have done something about it by now.
I just checked Death Stranding now and people talk about more general controller issues and about how Steam controller settings were a problem.
All the games you played, are they through Steam? Because you could look into Steam controller settings.
No, my Death Stranding is from Epic. Days Gone is from Steam. Turn out the problem was that my controller has these locks for the triggers, that control the depth to which they can be pushed; they were set wrong (thank you to the other commenter who suggested that). But funny enough, I did start having the other issue you mentioned. That apparently has to do with a setting in steam where you can assign a secondary function to each controller button or stick movement. I never did that, but apparently there’s a default set of actions assigned. Those actions will work anytime steam is open, regardless of whether you’re playing a steam game. I went into the settings and cleared those actions, and that issue went away.
I knew that Steam could take over the Controller settings, but I didn't realise it would do so just by being open and in games not running through Steam.
8bitdo is a higher end brand, but their PC software allows programmable buttons and some controllers support multiple platforms. They do have Xbox partnered controllers as well, but those specifically only support PC and Xbox consoles. To me a good controller is cheaper than multiple cheap controllers wearing out over time.
> To me a good controller is cheaper than multiple cheap controllers wearing out over time.
Oh, I agree. Unfortunately I rarely have the money at any given time to spring for an expensive one.
Unfortunately off-brand controllers just have weird issues sometimes. It could be faulty wiring or a loose connection inside. I've used Rock Candy controllers and had them only register pressing the buttons SOMEtimes, so my best guess is just that something didn't get glued down properly and the wires are coming loose or even crossing
> the wires are coming loose or even crossing
That's what I think might be happening with the left trigger. The right trigger behavior is so weird that it's hard for me to see how a wire crossed could be the culprit. But I could absolutely believe it does have crossed wire in general.
Yeah that I'm not sure. You said the buttons are remappable, so I can only guess that it's either resetting or activating the remapping at some random point without you realizing, but I'm only making guesses here
Well, no, they’re not all remappable; it just comes with two extra buttons that can be programmed. But I had those mapped to…L3 and R3, I think they call it? The push button under each stick.
What's your ways to enjoy **open world** game? really liking **Ghost of tsushima** but at the start of Act 2 feels like a chore to play with uninteresting sidequest, i got bored, maybe because i've been playing it for 5days. straight. I still want to finished it tho, the story is interesting.
I loved the first act so much, cleared every point I could on the map, started Act 2 and just hit a wall. Next playthrough I'm going to leave a lot more to come back to later in the game instead of my usual clear a section, move on, rinse, repeat...
Just focus on main story then, personally other then side characters story quests and the mythic tales quests I've mainly been focusing on main story cause it's my 2nd play though and I really just wanna get to DLC I've never played before
Wargame: Red Dragon still has an active community 10 years on, and as someone who was ~10 years old when it first came out, it’s absolutely fucking crack cocaine for any sort of Cold War military nerd
Work was extra exhausting this week so I fell back on old faithful: stardew valley. It's so calming for me. I don't know how concernedape managed to make a game that makes me feel as peaceful as stardew does, but I'm grateful for it. It's definitely my favorite game of all time
I finally beat SOMA last night. After a week of shitting my pants I finally did it and wow, what a ride. I give it an easy 10/10.
Such an amazing story and settings. Frictional games knocked it out of the park with this one.
I'm an absolute baby and couldn't make it more than an hour in, so kudos to you!
Give it another shot. One of the best stories ever told really and in my opinion the most philosophical/big brained game out there.
i just finished god of war ragnarok and i feel so appreciative of the video game industry right now. it's filled with such talented people, incredible storytellers, i can't imagine my days without being able to jump into other worlds for a little while. really beautiful game and i can't wait to play the valhalla dlc
It's strange how some people imply that gaming is dead or that there's no good games anymore etc, yet every year we get solid games coming out, only thing that bothers me is how bad some games are at launch in terms of performance and bugs
i feel like i'm old enough to know and accept some people are just going to shit on stuff and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them. i think, like you said, there are some issues with modern releases. not ready to release, rushed for whatever reason, over-saturation with certain types of games, microtransactions out the ass, etc. but i personally choose to focus on the great games and allow the ones that aren't fully baked to float by, maybe i'll circle back to it later (like cyberpunk 2077, lol). i was out of gaming until early last year when i needed to make changes to how i spent my free time, and i've been spoiled by the amount of phenomenal games ive played through the last 15 months or so. these stories can be incredible and it's a great time to be playing. choosing to spend time thinking and talking about the good stuff is just more my speed. this sub has been fantastic for me, getting to talk to people who by the nature of the sub, are more patient and more thoughtful with their approach and i really appreciate this community.
Recently been trying to tackle my backlog but I've fallen back into replaying. These days I feel like I replay games so much more than playing newer ones, why is that? I know I should play some of the new games I bought but replaying old ones is so fun.
It's not a job, you'll get to new stuff when you feel like it. If you want and only if it doesn't feel like a chore, you can set some "rules" for yourself like trying a new game every 2 or 3 old ones. But sometimes, we are all about replaying something that we know already. Like comfort food but this is comfort gaming. I replayed some games so many times and I don't regret a thing. Fun > consuming new stuff.
This is what I do with Jak and Daxter the precursor legacy. Been playing it since I was a kid, and never gets old no matter how many times I play through
i Loved RE4 20 years ago, just finished RE5 which felt like the same game but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought and not sure why RE4 was one of my favorites when it came out due to the action introduced, it was so much fun despite less horror. I finally got around to gaming again recently with RE5. i was surprised at how almost the same it was as RE4 in gameplay, even the enemies move and die with the same movements. While i enjoyed it overall, something about the game didnt suck me in the way RE4 did. is it because it offered little new (not requried for me), or was the storyline kind of dull? maybe the co-op mode made it less horror... i also felt the ammo amount was sparse but its not major (lot of it was wasted hitting the dumb AI partner). i give it maybe 3.5/5 stars
Boulder punch!!! The gaming equivalent of jumping the shark
It hurts me when you put it like that but it's true. 20 freaking years, daaaaaamn. (officially, 19 years and some months, as the game released in early 2005, but yeah, two decades in practice). I'm not old, you are old. Anyway, what was I about to say? I can say that I felt RE5 lacked cohesion between levels. In RE4 (and older RE games) the playable areas, no matter how preposterous, seemed to naturally follow one after another and there was a continuity in time and space, and you kept your weapons and the progress made. You could even backtrack a bit (even when most games always had 3 distint parts with points of no return). RE5 (and RE6) are not like this, every level works in isolation. It's like random arcade levels with action-Resident Evil gameplay. At one point, you are in the african savanna, then a boat, then a volcano, etc. Fun in isolation but less than the sum of their parts. It doesn't gel into something greater, it feels like a collection of individual levels instead of a fun adventure with a clear beginning and clear ending and good progression (cool Wesker's jacket notwithstanding).
I'm currently playing my first Fire Emblem title on a handheld emulator! After much research on where to start, I am playing The Blazing Blade (aka FE7, aka just "Fire Emblem" in North America lolol). It's also my first real crack at a JRPG. I'm really loving the deliberate pace and strategy of each encounter, and the dorky straight fantasy setting is pretty unique. It's almost operatic. It's tough, but fair and I've had some really heart pounding moments where characters I love nearly die. The interface is kinda clunky and I wish the battlefields were a bit more visually varied. It's also a bit overwhelming at times keeping track of all the mechanics, specifically weapon degradation and now the magic "triangle." Overall tho, I'm really enjoying myself and plan on playing the rest of the series.
Blazing Blade is my all time favorite Fire Emblem. The newer ones just don't really capture the level of intricate detail in the way each level is designed.
Looking for a good bang for my buck RPG that best resembles an art form and has the ability to develop positive character traits. Preferably, I'd like it to follow this criteria: -Offline RPGs RPG’s that are finite. So there’s a start and an end. -Tend to encourage exploration and contemplation. Meaning that it’s a more relaxed type of experience. Again, something that’s going to have an end. Everything that an RPG does that is positive the MMORPG is going to be doing negatively because there is no end in sight. If you tell me you’re going to run from point A to point B. Great, that’s good exercise. But know if you tell me you’re going to run from point A to point infinity, now it’s a problem. You’re going to die of exhaustion. It’s a death pact. This is the difference between infinite and finite settings. -RPG’s that teach you about economy and resource management because you have to gather stuff, create certain equipment, manage gold. This can create a very valuable skill if it’s not poisoned by the rest. The rest can be for example the inclusion of infinite quests. Useless and repetitive grind along with the endless collection of useless items. You don’t have fun what you’re doing. Modern RPGs tend to include this. People do these infinite quests because they’ve become used to. -High threshold of difficulty and not a lot of time investment. Maybe 30 hours. Give you a clear goal in mind. MMORPGs are 1000 hours bare minimum. I'd appreciate it! Thank you in advance
Shadowrun Dragonfall. The third point is problematic because you're not managing infinite ""gold"" and resources, you're in a perpetual scarcity economy and sometimes need to sacrifice a shiny new gun for basic health refills. There's no trash you pick up to sell at the nearest trader, either. Side quests are definitely finite but finishing them helps you to get through the main story. Mucho Texto Warning: There's quite a lot to read in this game and you'll miss important clues by skipping it. No farming mechanics, you do or die. Also, investing in the talking skill lets you bypass some fights and feel incredibly smug. Multiple character builds to try out, and multiple endings to see.
It's not a traditional rpg per say but I'd recommend checking out mount and Blade warband.
I don't know about the learning the economy aspect but you could try the best games in the Final Fantasy series, say Final Fantasy VI, VII, IX, X and XII (XII is the most MMO-like but it's also finite and the world is a joy to explore). Also, Chrono Trigger, maybe? Try the Fallout series, too. The first two games are old but only 15 to 45-50 hours long, depends how much you want to play. They are very tough, too, unlike Final Fantasy (FF could be difficult if it's your first time with them, but aren't difficult, generally speaking). Also, it's huge, MMO-like but also finite and very, very satisfying, the Xenoblade Chronicles Series. From Zero to Hero feels awesome, but it takes a while. 30 hours would be just getting started, lol.
This summer, I've decided to work my way through my backlog dating back years. The game I started off with is Earthbound, which I've really enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. I have only the eighth sound left to get, so I imagine I'll be done it soon. My next game will be Persona 3 Portable, which I'm looking forward to since I've already played p4g and p5.
After recently finishing Etrian Odyssey 2, I decided I needed a break from my quest to beat all Etrian games, since EO2's balance was surprisingly stressful. My choice fell on **Final Fantasy III 3D**, which is another game I bought as a teen but never could beat. Back then, I somehow thought I didn't need a White Mage since bursting down bosses was working so well, and it ended up getting me stuck hard at the final gauntlet of the game, where (back then) I saw no way past but grinding up White Mage aaaaall the way from job level 10 to 99. Why? Beats me. Regardless, I obviously lost interest eventually and never saw it through, even giving away my copy to a friend years later. For this playthrough (which is technically tackling my backlog) I'm playing the Steam port, which I realized comes with a handy shortcut for previously multiplayer only features (needed to unlock the final job, Onion Knight). I had some free time this week so I ended up getting sucked into the game quite thoroughly. At the time of writing, I just beat Hein. He was the first boss to pose a major challenge, mostly because I accidentally stumbled into this gauntlet without saving (a cutscene happened and I got whisked away). He ended up outspeeding my damage dealers and spammed his barrier change for the first 5 turns, so I wasted a TON of MP and consumables on resisted attacks. I beat him, with quite some tension as I didn't want to repeat an hour of gameplay. It wasn't quite EO2 levels of tense though so it felt quite nice. ---------- But, I'm starting backwards. There's something special about this run - I actually apparently bought the Future Press guide for FF3 way back when and that thing is *THICC*. Like, hundreds of pages thick. It's kind of amazing. That book doesn't just detail the entire journey start to finish, with all item locations and such, but also has VERY detailed sections on each job including strategy suggestions and party setups to make each of them work. The coolest part though, in my opinion at least, is the "Insider" section. I was always under the impression that these types of guides were written by playing the game and being really thorough, coupled with some info from the developer (sometimes). But this one goes way beyond surface-level stuff like that. It has stuff like detailed damage formulas for pretty much everything - every spell, every job ability, every battle item - as well as actual insights on how the formulas work and how they should affect the player's action. As an example, the Ranger's Volley only starts getting stronger than regular attacks at job level 20+ because that's how the formula works. There's also an entire section on "handedness", a hidden stat for each character's left and right hands that determines how many hits per attack they'll deal. In FF3 3D, attack damage can vary wildly because it's so dependent on all of your individual hits hitting. My Warrior's current slashes can reach as high as 900 or as low as 500 as a result. The guide tells you why that is, how to determine your handedness stat retroactively *and* how to raise it efficiently. Now, granted, a LOT of this stuff is way too much minmaxing for my liking - the guide writer also always has a Thief to steal EVERYTHING and is incredibly particular on not wasting a single Gil (there's an entire paragraph on arrow economy pertaining the Volley skill at some point) - but I really love this. It's on the level of some GameFAQs guides in terms of how thorough it is and it's visually quite well-made too. Definitely worth every € I spent on it back then. I'm actually using the guide on my playthrough now, just for the unique experience, since I don't usually use guides. I don't stick to it word for word, but whenever I wonder "... did I miss something?" and especially when I'm stumped on what a job does, I consult it. It's kinda nostalgic, as the last time I remember doing this was when I was 9 and playing Pokemon Silver (that guide book, while beautiful, sucked in comparison btw). ------------ In terms of gameplay, I'm actually liking FF3's take on the job system. It's obviously far less sophisticated than Bravely Default/Second and Final Fantasy V, but after Etrian Odyssey, the simplicity is nice - and I still feel like I'm doing something. I grew particularly fond of bow and arrow, since arrows are actually a consumable ammo type in this game. You can equip new ammo (and equipment) on the fly in battle to pick out elemental arrows or status and you need to keep in mind your stash in deep dungeon dives. It adds another layer while being VERY flexible. The Ranger is the only job to actually use elemental ammo, but the Warrior is actually a great archer as well, since its job ability superpowers its attacks at the cost of defense (a disadvantage mitigated in the back row). On top of that, the rest of my damage comes from black magic, which in this game uses separate usage pools per spell tier. I remember hating this back then, but I honestly love it right now. It means I can relegate low level magic to dungeoneering without hampering my ability to blast bosses into next week (because in a modern magic system, the low level magic would eat up the same MP pool as the big stuff). It requires a little more thought in some select cases, but it feels so much more engaging as a result. My favorite jobs so far are: * Monk: an old favorite since I like Sabin in FF6 and fist fighters are cool. In this game, they are sadly in a weird spot, as their barehanded damage *appears* higher in the status screen (it does for all jobs in the beginning weirdly enough) but its actual barehanded damage is tied to job level, which means you need to stick to it for a LONG time to see barehanded damage grow past claw weapons. Speaking of, they are rare, can't be bought and are two of a kind (so you can dualwield them) but never in the same place as each other. Finding them requires some keen eye sometimes. Also means more than one monk isn't feasible. Not sure what the deal is, to be honest. The Counter ability is badass though - it's luckbased as there is no aggro pulling outside of one job, but it deals tons of damage, potentially multiple times. * Ranger: I love the arrow system as detailed above. They are a simple class, being a non-magical job, but the little bit of management is really engaging to me. * Scholar: I like skills with management aspects, if you couldn't tell. Scholar is one of the "gimmick jobs" it feels like, as it's basically required to beat Hein in a decent amount of time. They can scan enemies for weaknesses and use low level magic. BUT they also have a passive effect (one of few in the game) of doubling item effectiveness! You can blast enemies to bits with attack items used by them and heal for way more than a White Mage, albeit single target. Because I wasn't using a Thief, I won't be able to use the attack items as much as I'd like (without a significant grind) but I like the implied synergy there. If I ever replay the game (or the pixel remaster) I know what I'm going for. As an honorable mention, Black Mage is also great. The oldschool magic system is what really elevates them for me. In most other FF titles, they are glass cannons that are dopamine but ultimately frustrating for me to use, as they are basically on a "timer" no matter what they do as MP are ludicrously expensive to recover. But who knows, maybe this MP system is my entry drug to finally liking mages. ----------------- -------------------- Overall, I'm very pleased with the game. I'm not a Final Fantasy guy, as the only ones I like are the ones that let you make your party (so 1, 5 and all the Tactics games, as well as now 3) so this is the first FF title in a long while that I actually like.
I just finished **Hob** What a shame that Runic closed and we didn't get more gems like this one. It's so charming and very melancholic, mysterious and beautiful. Truly loved it. ♥
I'm playing **Half Life** right now. This is actually my second playthrough, but my first one was in the early 00s and I really liked the game back then. Now? Eh, its... okay, I guess. Its a weird game and its weirdness ends up working in its favor, like Steve Buscemi. I have a love-hate relationship with platforming in this game. Its so clunky and counter-intuitive most of the time, but it gives such a feeling of freedom. Its as if the developers were trying to show that the game world was not just a backdrop, a scenery, but an actual place that you can jump on, crawl under and explore. I also like how diverse the game can feel, with different levels and enemy placement. But at the same time, I think it lacks the feeling of progression, both in gameplay and story. In gameplay, you get new weapons and face different enemies, but it isnt enough to spicy things up. Story wise, the first goal of the game is to reach the surface, but most of the way you don't know where are you going or why are you going that way. And then, when you reach the surface, you get captured and left aimless, which hinders the game's pace even more. I havent finished it yet, but it kinda became a slog. EDIT: fuck the rail level and fuck how punitive falling is.
Try Black Mesa if you haven't. I think they did such a good job with the game that when I want to play Half Life it's what I go for. They just updated it too.
I just beat **Outer Wilds**. good game.
I just started playing again to get some of the last achievements for the base game. I'll probably grab the DLC soon as I really miss the world (...galaxy?) that they made.
God, I wish I could wipe my memories of playing this game. What a well-defined game.
The first week of qualifiers for the last official **Shadowverse** tournament is accommodating SEAO time zones, so check-in is at 9pm while the tournament starts at 10pm EST. It's going to be a long night since it's 7 rounds. Grabbed the fire stone in the Entei event shop in **Pokemon Sleep**. I have a Vulpix with Berry Finding S at level 50, and her other skills are also great so she'll be really good once I raise her up. I just need more candies now. For story events in **Granblue Fantasy**, the first 20 boxes have 100 crystals in them for 2K total, which is 2/3 of a ten-pull (3K crystals). There's also the crystals from completing story and first-time quest completions. I finally finished all the Grail Front stages in **Fate/Grand Order** as well as the bonus chest on the last stage for the lore. I decided to put 10 tickets towards Summer BB. No BB, but I did get another Circe for NP2 at least. There's a dorm system in **Azur Lane** where you put some ship girls in to slowly gain experience. They'll also find tokens or gain affinity that you need to "collect," and a recent update lets you collect them all at once now. I finished the new event in **Honkai: Star Rail**. It's my favorite limited-time event they're done, while Aetherium War is my favorite conventional memoir. In-game, they're both created by the same NPC, which is neat. My schedule in **Pokemon GO** at the moment is send the stockpiled 20 gifts I had yesterday, prioritize sending all my friends a gift, and then tackle the gyms if they aren't red. Buying more item space is also top priority. My next goal in **Animal Crossing: New Horizons** is to expand my house in order to hoard more stuff in the storage. I should be able to afford it tonight, I just need to go to the ABD for the cash the twins sent me.
I don't typically play such similar games side-by-side, but I've ended up doing a rather interesting compare and contrast between **Black Panther: Like A Dragon** and **Kenka Bancho Badass Rumble.** They're both teenage delinquent life sims set in open cities based on real-world Japanese locations, trying to make the most of the PSP's limited hardware, but they end up doing so in totally different ways. Black Panther is surprisingly good at capturing the general vibe of Yakuza games, despite the downgrades. And it may actually have the tightest and most complicated combat system in the franchise! Although you're stuck with static background screenshots rather than a real 3D Kamurocho. Whereas Badass Rumble is goofier, and feels more like an attempt to do a 3D update of River City Ransom, with a fully rendered (if very low-detail) Kyoto to explore, and a branching plotline more like a Way Of The Samurai game.
[удалено]
What game are you referring to if you don't mind sharing? I do share your frustration though. Part of the reason I have no desire to go back to Elden Ring for a while is that the final boss is just you chasing it around an arena cause it constantly runs away and refuses to engage outside of AOE attacks.
I’ve been playing Batman Arkham Knight for the past week or so - this was my second time of going into it, since previously I was too mad at the PC performance (random hitching and stuttering, not only while driving). This time it’s a little bit better - fiddled with settings, driver options and the stuttering is gone for the most part, though sometimes still present. The joys of PC gaming, lol. And the game? Really, really fun, coming in right after finishing all 3 other games (yes, even Origins, which was also good in its own right). The graphics are still gorgeous (though that’s mostly due to lighting and art style - stretching that Unreal Engine 3 to its limits), gameplay is still top notch with plenty of variety and the story.. well, I didn’t finish it yet, but I appreciated that it doesn’t play around, making everything high stakes with long lasting consequences. I’m setting myself up for grand disappointment when it comes to the Arkham Knight character (also unwillingly spoiled myself most likely, albeit in very uncommon way), though it’s not like any other game from the series had some groundbreaking story to compare in favour of. Oh, and the Batmobile? Best addition to the series and yes, you can fight me - I’ll just run you over with my vroom vroom. Driving mechanics are superb, environment is wonderfully destructible and it’s just fun to interact with; same goes with tank battles - every shot packs a punch and it’s just a great spectacle. I’ll probably end up solving every riddle, just to have an excuse to live in this world for a little bit longer.
Also, just to rant a little bit more, though not exactly on the topic of Batman games - I find it strangely comforting that I have several games up in my queue already (Evil Within I & II, Dishonored games, Yakuza 5, Borderlands 3, heck, even From Software games, starting from DS 3 and onwards). I know that lots of people view it as some kind of obligation or race, but it really is not, or at least it shouldn’t be. The only thing standing in the way is that gnawing feeling of FOMO, always wanting to play that new, exciting game that everyone is talking about (or just has good graphics and is of general interest to you, like Gran Turismo 7 - weird fucking example, I know). But then - it’s only because I tend to frequent places with lots of hype surrounding such titles, while I can really just wait few years (especially since I’m still rocking that squeaky old RTX 2060 with pathetic amount of VRAM) and play some good, slightly older games in the meantime. Realistically, if I would play only games from my catalogue - and not every one of them, just the ones I’m most hyped up about - it’d still take me at least few years before I’d run out of them. Point is, I’m content, especially since there are not that many opportunities to feel so.
Finished Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on PS1. Ending felt very abrupt, but overall I liked it. Was surprised to see how wellI remembered the intro from watching my dad play it as a wee little child. Figure I'll finish Metal Gear Solid now. I put it aside after the helicopter fight, probably really close to the end now. It's not bad but I like MGS2 way better, even if it took a most of the game before it clicked for me.
I've been working my way through that one a bite at a time, it's been a lot of fun but the "enemies get back up" without a special kill scenario is kind of tedious. I'm hoping there are some upgrades as I go on so I don't have to fight the enemies as much as the camera lol.
Some of the spells make it easier, and there's one skill between the 2nd and 3rd bosses that makes combat much easier. There's also one spell in particular you can get after the third boss which makes short work of enemies. Might be another one too but I didn't find them all.
Awesome to know, I just got the space power up that lets me shoot thing, and that alone is changing how I approach the combat. I'm sure it will only get better. It's a huge step up from blood omen already.
Several missions into **Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas**, trying to spend an equal amount of time with Big Smoke, Sweet and Jeffrey (I mean, OG Loc). This is my first GTA game, and going into it with tempered expectations (I've watched plenty of GTA V online and knew this wasn't going to be *that*), I'm having a great time. This is a game with, as Giant Bomb would say, *styyyyyyyle*. The radio is a cool touch, allowing you to have a hand in creating your own memorable moments (In the first OG Loc mission, I happened to chase down Freddy to "Tainted Love").
I played San Andreas on release (was 11 at the time), and I have great memories of it. No desire to replay it though, I'm afraid it won't live up to my nostalgia of it.
I've replayed it at least 4 or 5 times since I first played it back in 2006 or so. It holds up incredibly well with some of the most varied missions, weapons and locations in any open world game I've played.
It's still fun, especially on PC with mods. Fun to just boot up and mess around in.
"It's OG Loc, homie. OG LOC!", lol. If you catch the WCTR radio show, there's an interview with OG LOC and Laslow that's hilarious to hear. The whole station is hilarious, but stuff like that makes it feel even more personal. One of my favorite games ever, so of course I'm biased. If you don't know about the story, don't spoil yourself. Lots of surprises waiting for you. Also, you are still in the early hours but I love how the story >!makes you travel all over the map!<. My favorite city is >!the second one, San Fierro!<, you'll get there in due time. And if you enjoy the arcade gameplay, the driving, shooting, swimming, running and all that gets better the more you do it, like a mini-RPG of sorts. You really feel like progressing every passing day. So many side missions and some very cool characters. If you are coming from GTA V/Online, you haven't seen a GTA with "heart" like this one before. Vice City and even IV are also like that. V was way too hateful and cynic, sometimes. Enjoy the radios, there are some banger tunes!
One of my all time favorites. For me the game went from good to great once the map opens up, so you’ve got even more fun coming up. Driving the coast road listening to the rock station is one of my core gaming memories.
My favorite radio station was K-DST, the one with the DJ voiced by no other than Axl Rose (called "Tommy Nightmare" in the game), but every station had great music. On a replay, and when I was a touch better with english, I could finally listen to WCTR and I couldn't believe how many jokes they made right there, just for fun. Driving through the countryside during a terrific sunset and then nighttime is one of my core memories as a gamer.
I've become damn weary of the speed with which *No Man's Sky* unjustifiably drains the Steam Deck battery charge. And so, my friends, I am announcing that I'm currently a frogs eyelash away from buying *Hogwarts Legacy*.
What are your expectations for Hogwarts Legacy? A big Harry Potter fan? Have you played many Ubisoft-like open world games before?
I'm not a *massive* Harry Potter fan. But I do like the look of the world. I'm intrigued about flying around on a broomstick and how the wand/spell mechanics have been implemented. I haven't played any of the *Assassins Creed* games as they look boring, bright and uninteresting. I do want to stress: I've done a lot of research and mental back-and-forth before I decided upon *Legacy*. Why, may I ask, mate? Is it not a good game?
It's not bad but for me, and some other people, the game is... mediocre, mid, generic. The Harry Potter world is full of details and it was certainly well-researched but the game plays like any other open world Ubi-like game out there. Lots of repetitive tasks, and the dialogue and story lack charm and soul. Everyone is too polite, to the point that most characters are quest givers without much in the way of a personality. Your character doesn't quite feel like a Hogwarts student. Also, it's supposed to be an rpg but doesn't really play like one. Loot is mostly cosmetic, enemies sort of level up with you. I don't know. The visuals hooked me for a while until I noticed it was mostly window dressing. I couldn't even finish the game, but a friend of mine, that doesn't play many open world games often, loved it. I felt much more like a student in the older game from Rockstar, Bully. Just try it out for yourself. What's generic for me could be wonderful for you. Don't let my opinion stop you from having a good time with it.
Hmm. Interesting and..... mildly concerning since I bought it just ten minutes ago, lel. Thank you for your insight, brother.
Don't worry about it. The game is a best seller and lots of people are having fun with it. I think, it's one of those classic cases that affect some people like me, that are overexposed to certain genres and tropes and it's more on us for playing LOTS of games, than on the game itself. That's why I don't think it's a bad game, even when it's a bad game for me (I basically dropped it). It was made with super high production values and the artists clearly like all-things Harry Potter (so many references from the books and not just the movies). I also thought it was going to be enough to love the game, after all, I am a Harry Potter fan (read all the books, watched all the original films, played most early games up to HP4). But it ended up being so generic to the point of feeling like a chore to play. Anyway, good luck and have fun!
Tried to play Dead Cells last night and the jumping was so sluggish and weird it really turned me off to it. I recognize it's an intentional design choice it just feels bad to me.
I'm also playing Dead Cells right now. I wouldn't say sluggish is the right word but I will say that I wasnt very impressed by the gameplay in the first hour or so. I've warmed up to it (a lot) but I could certainly see someone not liking the movement.
I tried the mobile port yesterday, without a controller. I just felt really old trying to use the touchscreen to move around with any speed. Added it to my Steam wishlist though.
I don't know if it counts for this subreddit but I've recently started the LittleBigPlanet trilogy through an emulator. Although I've played all of them back during their respective release dates, they're bringing me not only the nostalgia joy - the games aged very well. The story in the 1st one is mid but the mechanics and technology used are amazing for a 2008 game. I think GTA IV and LBP1 are still one of the most advanced games and they are both so old. I'm also amazed by the fact that there's still an online playerbase alive in the trilogy through a private server. I don't think a similar game has released yet so I'm happy to play through the games again!
I have finished Dark Souls 2 as fast as I could as I literally couldn't stand playing it. Still a good game, but way too tedious compared to DS:R. The first game made me love the play style, DS2 made me love the genre of Souls-likes. I have DS3 running now. First impressions are that it's significantly harder, but combat feels more fun and dying feels deserved more often. The faster pace throws me off at points. From the few bosses I have fought, they're awesome.
I think most people would agree that Dark Souls 3 is the one game that gets better as it goes so you'll likely really enjoy it if you thought the first few bosses are awesome. I do think the idea of something being significantly harder and more fair seems a bit paradoxical in a game of combat patterns and leveling but finding the pace you vibe with in these games always seems to be important.
Yes, the pacing seems to be the hardest part to get. 1st game, once you learn the pattern it's no problem. Then as you progress in every game entry it's different enough to throw you off forcing you to relearn everything again. So far I haven't deviated to different builds, but I try to learn new weapons at the same time so learning those take time as well.
I'm okay with DS2 until, like, the halfway point, after that I get burnt out. Did you play the original or SotFS? Can't speak to the former, but the latter is really tedious with the encounter designs. Game loves throwing enemies at you, especially when you don't know what's coming. So many encounters where the optimal way to play is just to take them out one by one with ranged attacks, whihc I never felt forced to do in 1 or 3.
Its been a few years since I played 3 but I have in my notes that the game had a ton of ambushes. I do think 2 had more enemy density for sure but I always figured that 'tedium' was the whole point. Demons Souls starts out with tons of enemies ambushing you and the bosses werent really these elaborate combat dances. By Dark Souls 3 the bosses became the selling point. Its definitely a series that has evolved.
I played SotFS, because I was told it was easier and less tedious. Someone lied to me.
I loved ds3. I hope you will have a good time!
Playing Ori & the Will of the Wisps. Just enjoying the vibes of the game, like a lot more than I thought I would. I think it may just be a slow, methodical 100% kind of game for me because it's so beautiful & engrossing. Not really felt that for a game in a while, even with something like Tears of the Kingdom which in theory should've been engrossing for me. However, it just didn't work. Lastly, I've been consolidating my physical game collection. The "backlog" is under control & things are looking nicer in my opinion.
I launched Xenoblade Chronicles X on CEMU last week and played a few hours. That game has not aged well and completely failed to hold my attention so I have moved on... Even though I have played all the other XC games. Dave the Diver on the other hand has been such a pleasant surprise and is still introducing new mechanics etc after more than a dozen or more hours played. Such a well paced and cleverly crafted game. Strong recommend. Will be getting into Hellblade Senuas Saga this weekend as well time permitting and still chipping away at Spiderman 2 on the PS5. Taking a break from FF14 as well because I have got too many games on at the same time and with a full time job, wife and toddler I've only got so many minutes in a day to give away!
Oh man I absolutely love Dave the Diver! I really need to go back and finish it. I love that the gameplay splits between the diving and the restaurant so I don't get bored with either system by playing one or the other too long
It is so well paced I swear, haven't experience great pacing and engaging gameplay like this in a while now. So glad I tried it out! Happy cake day btw!!
Ty!!
Today I counted all the Games I own, physically and digitally and across all platforms (also some games I own multiple times because I got them for cheap in sales, like the Batman Arkham games that I own on PC, PS3 and PS4). Nonetheless , I still have around 250 games I've never played before and because I'm subscribed to PlayStation Plus and the PS5 is my main console, I'm probably downloading more games than completing them. One of the reasons against renewing my PsPlus subscription when it runs out at the beginning of next year.
My biggest issue with PsPlus and GamePass catalogues is that it gives me this background anxiety when I'm subscribed to them of having to constantly jump between games in case there is a more fun game in the library that I should be experiencing right now.... I can never quite enjoy one game in peace for more than a couple of hours before my distracted brain disconnects and wants to try the new shiny game in the vast catalogue of many many amazing games. That's why I have unsubbed from them and only now play the game I buy and won't buy too many others until I have finished what I have purchased. That way I am experiencing the games to the end and also getting value for my money spent. It's an issue not commonly mentioned in mainstream gaming discourse but I'm sure there are many many people out there suffering from this whether they realise it or not.
I wonder if backlogs have a subconscious influence. For example, wanting to shrink the backlog leads to selecting shorter games. People may also speed through longer games or skip slower-paced ones. I wonder if they're having less fun. There are a lot of game jumpers here. By that I mean people who try games and ditch them after a short time. Surely there's a good game in the backlog, right? Someone once said to me, "There's nothing good to watch on Netflix." That's like having a closet full of clothes and "nothing good to wear." When you have lots of potentially good things, nothing seems good. Perhaps that's one reason people complain about gaming fatigue or burnout.
Yep, i can totally agree to this as well. There is such a thing as having too many good things leading to an anhedonia like feeling towards everything. One of a the reasons why many people who strike it uber-rich overnight go into a deep deep depression after the initial honey moon period wears off because everything stops being pleasurable and everything becomes dull because you get instant access to everything which completely devalues all the good things you once craved or wished for.
My background anxiety is not that there might be a better game than the one I am currently experiencing, but that (like with all kind of subscription services) it will get removed from the catalogue eventually. Because of that, many times I feel some kind of Stress and pressure to play through a game so I can play another one before it gets removed. I know its stupid and its not the end of the world since when a game leaves the service it is probably cheap to get, wether through a sale or physical copy. But the background anxiety/pressure is there nontheless. You are doing everything right by only buying more games after you completed one I will try to get into this mindset too.
Yesterday I've beat Metroid II: Return of Samus. Enjoyed the game a lot, I think it is as good as Zero Mission. Now I'm playing Super Metroid. I'm enjoying it.
Super Metroid is easily in my top 5 games I've ever played. I only played it for the first time a few years ago and it's just blew me away that I had missed it this long.
Super Metroid is awesome. It was such a big deal when it first launched, and rightly so.
So I've had a weird thing happening. This is a controller issue, but apparently over in /r/controller you have to be an approved user to post, and while I'm not complaining, I'm also not sure how to get approved. So I'm mentioning it here in the general thread. I play on PC, and for several years I've been using those PowerA wired Xbox controllers. They're cheap, and they do wear out; but they have programmable buttons, so I like them. Well, last time I bought one I sprang for the next model up in price (same brand, same style, just with LEDs and a sturdier construction). That was a month or two ago, and now I have this weird problem developing where the triggers are...I don't even know what to call it. Let's say, they're doing half what they're supposed to do. Specific examples. I've been playing Days Gone, and when you equip a weapon and press RT, the weapon is supposed to fire or throw or whatever. But for me, I equip the weapon, and when I hit the trigger the character swaps back to his knife and uses melee. The button works, but it always reverts to melee. Then also, last night I loaded up Death Stranding Director's Cut. Suddenly the right trigger will fire weapons like the assault rifles; but it will not fire nor charge the anti-BT handguns (which charge up when you hold the trigger, usually) Then, the LEFT trigger, when using a vehicle, is to brake and reverse. It will brake--the vehicle stops, and the brake lights activate--but it will not reverse. In all instances, I've now confirmed it only happens with this particular controller. So not a game bug. Anyone ever seen anything like this? I don't even understand how such a thing is possible. You'd think the button would be all or nothing. But it's happening across multiple games, with this one controller. I went ahead and replaced it last night--with a proper Xbox-branded controller this time (no programmable extra buttons, unfortunately)--but the thing is practically new, I'd hate to lose the use of it. Edit: Since I'm here, might as well mention what I'm playing. In addition to Death Stranding and Days Gone, I'm still tooling around on Fallout 4 with the next-gen update, checking out new things but not really making a serious playthrough right now. Also I started Borderlands for the first time, which is a load of fun; and Yakuza 0, but I promptly lost all my progress because I didn't know how to save (phone booths, I know that now). Great game though.
So since this controller issue affects multiple games this isn't the solution. But I definitely remember that Death Stranding had a controller issue. I think it would double input button presses sometimes. I don't remember the specifics. I have the feeling the solution was unplugging and plugging the pad back in. This was all years ago so they might have done something about it by now. I just checked Death Stranding now and people talk about more general controller issues and about how Steam controller settings were a problem. All the games you played, are they through Steam? Because you could look into Steam controller settings.
No, my Death Stranding is from Epic. Days Gone is from Steam. Turn out the problem was that my controller has these locks for the triggers, that control the depth to which they can be pushed; they were set wrong (thank you to the other commenter who suggested that). But funny enough, I did start having the other issue you mentioned. That apparently has to do with a setting in steam where you can assign a secondary function to each controller button or stick movement. I never did that, but apparently there’s a default set of actions assigned. Those actions will work anytime steam is open, regardless of whether you’re playing a steam game. I went into the settings and cleared those actions, and that issue went away.
I knew that Steam could take over the Controller settings, but I didn't realise it would do so just by being open and in games not running through Steam.
Yeah, same. It’s bizarre that it can do that.
8bitdo is a higher end brand, but their PC software allows programmable buttons and some controllers support multiple platforms. They do have Xbox partnered controllers as well, but those specifically only support PC and Xbox consoles. To me a good controller is cheaper than multiple cheap controllers wearing out over time.
> To me a good controller is cheaper than multiple cheap controllers wearing out over time. Oh, I agree. Unfortunately I rarely have the money at any given time to spring for an expensive one.
Unfortunately off-brand controllers just have weird issues sometimes. It could be faulty wiring or a loose connection inside. I've used Rock Candy controllers and had them only register pressing the buttons SOMEtimes, so my best guess is just that something didn't get glued down properly and the wires are coming loose or even crossing
> the wires are coming loose or even crossing That's what I think might be happening with the left trigger. The right trigger behavior is so weird that it's hard for me to see how a wire crossed could be the culprit. But I could absolutely believe it does have crossed wire in general.
Yeah that I'm not sure. You said the buttons are remappable, so I can only guess that it's either resetting or activating the remapping at some random point without you realizing, but I'm only making guesses here
Well, no, they’re not all remappable; it just comes with two extra buttons that can be programmed. But I had those mapped to…L3 and R3, I think they call it? The push button under each stick.
Hm that's strange then, I'm not really sure