Topic: What are you playing?

[oohhboy]

I played Bastion and got to the end ages back. I agree that it is mediocre. I can't place my finger on why it isn't a good game. The only real thing I remember about it is the narrator and the unbalanced weapons. It was probably seen as "Good" back then as the market isn't as crowded as it is now.

[Mop it up]

Also, I couldn't connect to an online match, but my Switch was connected to the internet, and I had just downloaded updates on 3DS and Wii U. I'll try to figure that out tomorrow unless anyone here has any suggestions other than unplugging my modem/router and plugging it back in.

A bit late, but I have one possible suggestion. If you always keep your Switch in sleep mode instead of powering it off, then try turning it off completely and turning it back on. I've heard that being on (including sleep) for too long can cause connection issues, for some reason.

[broodwars]

Played a few hours of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice last night after it unlocked. So far, I like it, but much like Ninja Theory's previous works this is going to divide people.

The visuals, sound, and voice acting are just outstanding. This game does this weird thing with Senua constantly hearing the voices of the dead as she journies into Hel. They taunt her, warn her, mock her, and even talk amongst themselves constantly, often overlapping. From a narrative perspective, they voice Senua's doubts. From a gameplay standpoint, they're the game's guidance system: they nudge you towards puzzle solutions & they act as alerts in combat.

For example, if an enemy's about you hit you from behind, you'll hear The Voices whisper "BEHIND YOU!" When a boss is gearing up a big attack you need to interrupt, they'll yell "STOP HIM!" You get the idea.

The combat's...OK. It reminds me of Sands of Time in feel & Heavenly Sword in execution.

I'm only a few hours in, and I'm enjoying it...but this game has had some annoying pixel-hunting perspective puzzles that remind me uncomfortably of Other M. The game also starts out in a really confusing manner and a lot of the dialogue can be hard to hear & understand due to everyone whispering everything, including Senua.

[Phil]

I'm playing Infinite Minigolf, Death Squared, Slime-san, and soon Retro City Rampage DX for review. I'm a little stressed because I've been depressed this past week and I don't want to be blacklisted for taking too long.

[Khushrenada]

Who are you reviewing the games for?

[Phil]

They're for my site, SuperPhillip Central, but I don't want to make the devs/pubs wait too long for the reviews for fear they will not give my requests the time of day any longer.

[broodwars]

Nearing the end of Undertale on my Vita and...really? This is what the internet lost its mind over a few years back? This totally average, borderline dull, gaming culture wank-a-thon? Really?

IMO, the Pacifist run (which OF COURSE you do first, since the Internet's already ruined what happens if you don't for the last 2 years) is probably the most boring way to play through this game. Sure, you aren't leveling, but since the enemies aren't appreciably increasing in difficulty either it doesn't really matter. Since you're not killing anything, none of the game's RPG subversions kick in, either, making it just bland & forgettable.

Doesn't help that the music's practically inaudible on Vita, too.

[lolmonade]

Nearing the end of Undertale on my Vita and...really? This is what the internet lost its mind over a few years back? This totally average, borderline dull, gaming culture wank-a-thon? Really?

lol, two of my friends have been arguing this over gchat.  One of them LOVES this game as a humorous send-up of old school RPGs, the other one bought it on PC and thinks it's boring as sin. 

[ejamer]

Nearing the end of Undertale on my Vita and...really? This is what the internet lost its mind over a few years back? This totally average, borderline dull, gaming culture wank-a-thon? Really?
...

I've found that this sentiment applies to most indie darlings.
Some manage to be clever in the moment, but most are utterly forgettable.


There are exceptions. I still think World of Goo is a fantastic little title, for example.

[oohhboy]

FTL is another. I only saw a couple of screen shots and the trailer but I knew I had to get this game. It is easily one of my most satisfying gaming purchases I have ever made.

Back then I heard it from the word of mouth unlike these days where it is far to easy to over-hype games because it gets you clicks.

[ejamer]

FTL is another. ...

FTL probably won't appeal to everyone, but I agree that it's pretty sweet! Hits all of my personal gaming soft spots.


There are definitely some deserving of praise - but unfortunately many others with pretty art or a single good idea that lack enough real gameplay to be worth coming back to.

[broodwars]

Usually, we'd use the other thread for this, but since it's being talked about here, I thought I'd wrap this up here: I've beaten Undertale now. Twice, technically. The first time I cleared it, it turned out I'd missed a sidequest so I hadn't unlocked the True Ending.

So I got a terrible ending preceded by an absolutely AWESOME, insane Final Battle.

So out of curiosity, I looked up what I'd missed, reloaded my save, did the thing, and beat the game again.

This resulted in a FANTASTIC ending preceded by a DIFFERENT completely nuts Final Battle.

Unfortunately, that kind of sums up my problem with Undertale: it has some INCREDIBLE moments, but unless you are playing a VERY particular way, you're not going to see all the crazy stuff that makes this game memorable. It's 6 hours of mediocrity with a badass last 10%, and that really doesn't cut it with me. It's by NO means a bad game, just very average.

[Adrock]

Got to the last area of Cave Story+. This is difficult.

[MagicCow64]

Yeah I actively wanted to punch Undertale. It was the most fedora-y game I've ever played, and the fawning reception it continues to receive says a lot about video game enthusiast culture.

I played a game!

Hellblade (PC):

This was okay. Strong presentation, kind of a Conan/Beastmaster grounded fantasy vibe, some neat effects and visual sequences. It's about as close to a walking simulator as I can engage with at this point, saved by some basic puzzle activities and combat, though I could have done with about half as much as the latter and twice as much of the former. People going nuts over the story and themes are once again demonstrating how low the bar is for the medium, but it works well enough. Too many cut-scenes, though, and they say the word "darkness" about 1,000 times too many.

[Adrock]

Yeah I actively wanted to punch Undertale. It was the most fedora-y game I've ever played, and the fawning reception it continues to receive says a lot about video game enthusiast culture.

Haha, may I ask what you mean by "ferdora-y"? I haven't played the game, but my brother sent me a Youtube video of the final boss music. Goddamn, it's so good.

[Khushrenada]

I believe he means it is "hipster-y".

[MagicCow64]

No! Not hipster! Fedora!

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7040939/14-fedora-lords-who-should-be-banned-from-the-internet

[Adrock]

That was the impression I got. I generally associate fedoras with the hapless "nice guy" who says "m'lady" and doesn't understand the inconsistency of trumpeting his own niceness versus calling women bitches when they rebuff his (usually unwanted) advances. That said, I don't know what that means in regards to Undertale. I thought the game was about a human falling into the world of monsters. Is the main character a Fedora Lord®?

[MagicCow64]

I mean, that link was probably too focused on romance stuff, but I'm talking about the sort of dudes that fit that profile, their attitude, aesthetic, and humor. I would venture to say there's a lot of overlap with like Hot Topic emo-punks. Theater techs is another proxy. Sensitive redditors. Like, people who quote Monty Python sketches at length, say things like "you amuse me", post anime reaction .gifs. I'm kind of punching down here, but it's not really straight nerd-dom either, as it involves a particular mix of pompousness, unintentional cringe humor, and twee sensibility. Fedoras are kind of an ineffable symbol of this (cringe), and I found that Undertale exuded that ethos with every fiber of its being, on top of being a plodding, shitty game.

If it was a hipster thing that would be a major step up (though still bad), because at least the pretentiousness wouldn't be so stunted and insular. I might be too old at 31, but having spent a decade-plus in the hipster hotbeds of a small liberal arts college in the NE and Brooklyn, I can say that I've never encountered a video game hipster. Video games were considered one of the lamest forms of activities by these people, outside of nostalgia Goldeneye or whatever. No contemporary discourse.

The most hipster game I can think of is probably Journey, but you've got to own a console to play it, which excludes the majority of that demo in my age group/social sphere. The (few) people I know in meat space who keep up with games at all do so in a sort of sullen secrecy, treating it almost like porn (as do I; posting here is my only outlet).

And really a hipster gaming posture would be like, this one ColecoVision game forecasted the contradictions of the medium in 1983. Or even like Deadly Premonition is vital programming, which attitude does exist to an extent, but not really as part of a developed aesthetic/academic posture toward video games as far as I've seen. My hipster opinion would be that Stephen's Sausage Roll is one of the most important games ever made. And that Toki Tori 2 is the best game of its generation. 

[Khushrenada]

No! Not hipster! Fedora!

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7040939/14-fedora-lords-who-should-be-banned-from-the-internet

Learn something new everyday even if you'd have rather not.

[Adrock]

I mean, that link was probably too focused on romance stuff, but I'm talking about the sort of dudes that fit that profile, their attitude, aesthetic, and humor. I would venture to say there's a lot of overlap with like Hot Topic emo-punks. Theater techs is another proxy. Sensitive redditors. Like, people who quote Monty Python sketches at length, say things like "you amuse me", post anime reaction .gifs. I'm kind of punching down here, but it's not really straight nerd-dom either, as it involves a particular mix of pompousness, unintentional cringe humor, and twee sensibility. Fedoras are kind of an ineffable symbol of this (cringe), and I found that Undertale exuded that ethos with every fiber of its being, on top of being a plodding, shitty game.

This was a great response. Thanks for taking the time to explain that. I've been curious to see what all the fuss regarding Undertale was all about. If I eventually get around to playing it, I wonder if I'll feel the same way. I mean, I've read how the game kind of uses your save file in a unique way and that you have to play the game at least twice to see the true ending (as well as hear the aforementioned baller final boss music) which may be a deterrent in starting Undertale. I generally don't make time for multiple play throughs of a game unless I feel like it's transcendental, or I liked a game and many years have passed.

Recently, I started Castlevania: Circle of the Moon since I haven't beaten it in over a decade and Cave Story+ is killing me.

[broodwars]

I mean, that link was probably too focused on romance stuff, but I'm talking about the sort of dudes that fit that profile, their attitude, aesthetic, and humor. I would venture to say there's a lot of overlap with like Hot Topic emo-punks. Theater techs is another proxy. Sensitive redditors. Like, people who quote Monty Python sketches at length, say things like "you amuse me", post anime reaction .gifs. I'm kind of punching down here, but it's not really straight nerd-dom either, as it involves a particular mix of pompousness, unintentional cringe humor, and twee sensibility. Fedoras are kind of an ineffable symbol of this (cringe), and I found that Undertale exuded that ethos with every fiber of its being, on top of being a plodding, shitty game.

This was a great response. Thanks for taking the time to explain that. I've been curious to see what all the fuss regarding Undertale was all about. If I eventually get around to playing it, I wonder if I'll feel the same way. I mean, I've read how the game kind of uses your save file in a unique way and that you have to play the game at least twice to see the true ending (as well as hear the aforementioned baller final boss music) which may be a deterrent in starting Undertale. I generally don't make time for multiple play throughs of a game unless I feel like it's transcendental, or I liked a game and many years have passed.

Recently, I started Castlevania: Circle of the Moon since I haven't beaten it in over a decade and Cave Story+ is killing me.

You can literally just reload your save & beat it again if you've fulfilled the conditions already for the True Final Ending.

[Ian Sane]

I haven't played Undertale and honestly hadn't even heard of it until it won some "best game ever" poll like three months after it came out.  I instinctively was disinterested due to that kind of hype.  It's hard to take hype of indie releases at face value because, frankly, if an indie game didn't have a devoted fanbase pumping its tires you wouldn't even have heard of it.  There is a bigger incentive for the fans to effectively advertise indie games than there is for mainstream games.

This brings up an interesting phenomenon.  I feel with indie games in general I'm pretty out of the loop despite being very in the loop in regards to gaming otherwise, at least in terms of knowing what games are coming out and what's getting good buzz.  I feel like my parents probably did when suddenly I'm listening to rock music that they're completely unfamiliar with and frankly don't really get.  Videogames are now old enough that there can be generation gaps.  When I was a kid there was no other generation playing videogames.  I didn't know anyone's parents that played games and seemingly everyone that did play games was within a ten year age range of me.  I was born a mere four years after the Atari came out and aside from home Pong there essentially was no home videogame scene before then.  Now I'm old enough that kids born the year I graduated high school have graduated high school themselves.  That's a whole different group of people playing games that were raised in a completely different world and they like different music and movies than me so why wouldn't they also be enamored in videogames that I don't "get"?

[broodwars]

I'm trying to play through FF 12 Zodiac, but unfortunately most of the improvements are extremely minor. I ****ing hated the PS2 version, & I'm just bored with this remake. It speaks VOLUMES that the biggest change in this version is the ability to speed the game up to 4x speed. The devs knew how goddamn boring this game is to watch play out, so the only way to improve it was to let you just fast-forward it. I really wanted to give this game another chance because so many love it & the Zodiac changes were supposed to improve so much...but it's pretty much the same ugly, boring game.

[Adrock]

I thought the biggest change was that Square Enix fixed Vaan's weird abs.

That's a shame about Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age though. I couldn't get into it, but my brother loved it on PS2.