Author Topic: What are you playing?  (Read 692264 times)

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Offline ShyGuy

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1750 on: November 12, 2019, 08:45:28 PM »
I've been playing Sim City 4 on the PC, the last Sim City game! It's fun, but man the pollution!

Offline broodwars

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1751 on: November 12, 2019, 09:02:02 PM »
Been playing & completing a lot of stuff lately:

- Indivisible (PS4)
- Walking Dead: The Definitive Telltale Collection
- New Super Lucky's Tale
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- The Aladdin/Lion King Collection
- Trine 4
- Concrete Genie (little bit)
- Ghostbusters Remastered
- Yooka-Laylee & the Impossible Lair
- Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
- The Outer Worlds (little bit)
- MediEvil PS4
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Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1752 on: November 19, 2019, 09:15:34 PM »
I haven't had a lot of free time lately, but started playing Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS).

Gotta admit, despite a slow start the story has drawn me in and I'm really enjoying the game now. Why is it this series hasn't been rolled up into an anthology release of sorts? Definitely should have happened already - just fantastic fun.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1753 on: November 30, 2019, 02:04:53 PM »
Just started playing Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (3DS eShop).

It's not the full Bloodstained (and I'm still sore that I don't have a console that supports that game) but it's pretty cool and the old-school roots are a perfect match for my gaming tastes. Looking forward to getting deeper into the game.
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Offline pokepal148

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1754 on: December 13, 2019, 05:16:06 AM »
Tried out Dauntless. It's definitely Monster Hunter for babies so Khushrenada might like it. It feels incredibly hollow compared to Monster Hunter and none of the attacks feel satisfying to pull off. Meanwhile my sour impressions of the game combined with the epic games logo seem like a good excuse for me to uninstall.

Offline MagicCow64

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1755 on: December 21, 2019, 07:49:22 PM »
Per the finished thread, I have some irons in the fire:

Baba is You (PC):

On paper, this is an ingenious concept. A boulder-pushing-type game mixed with a programming-type game. Way to find a niche! Based on the blank spots on the world map, I'm very early in, having only finished the second world, and I can see this becoming an extreme challenge/pain in the ass.

I applaud the effort so far, but it carries a good dose of the "This is labor" feeling from a programming game like Human Resource Machine. At the same time, I feel like it's not doing a fantastic job of teaching its rules. I found it very clever when I figured out you could do crossword-style command orientations. But fast-forward an hour and I'm apparently breaking the internal coding system to try to solve a puzzle (it's giving me a frozen screen that I can resolve by pressing a direction and transforming the avatar back and forth every cardinal move?), when the solution in fact requires an understanding that a vertical identity command (Baba is Baba) invalidates a simultaneous horizontal command (Baba is Crab). Or am I doing it wrong? I don't know about this one.

The Fall: Part 2: Unbound (PC):

I very much enjoyed the first part on WiiU for what it was worth, but was surprised to find it end so abruptly (the ability menu has several blank spots still at that point).

I didn't realize the second part ever came out until the GOG winter sale, and snapped it up. In concept, it's a pretty cool semi-left turn. Instead of a straight 2D physical adventure game, now it's a janky cyberspace metroid type game, with 2D adventure game "dungeons" where you inhabit a real-world robot and have to execute an objective within a delimited environment. Cool! Except that this has maybe the worst controls of a modern game I've ever encountered. I'm invested in the concept, so I'll keep going, but good lord, you can't even push right and left without the controllable character hitching. In the action portions, it feels like the inputs only register half the time. Baffling and infuriating, with checkpointing that seems like it was not even cursorily focus-tested.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2019, 08:08:58 PM by MagicCow64 »

Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1756 on: December 22, 2019, 07:39:34 PM »
Having played out Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon and beaten it on all difficulty levels with just about every permutation of party, I've moved on to Guacamelee (Wii U).  Really enjoying the game. Level design isn't "the best"... but it's good enough, and both the style and writing are winning me over. Very fun game so far, and probably one that I should have played sooner.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1757 on: December 22, 2019, 09:34:33 PM »
That’s interesting timing. I’m in the mood for a Metroid-like game right now, and I’ve been trying to decide whether I should go with that game, Guacamelee, or one of Bloodstained or Axiom Verge. I already own all three of them (in some cases multiple times) but I’ve barely put any time into any of them. What would you recommend?
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1758 on: December 23, 2019, 12:23:26 PM »
Also listening along for the Axiom Verge / Guacamelee opinions. Have both, have started neither.

The Fall: Part 2: Unbound (PC):

I very much enjoyed the first part on WiiU for what it was worth, but was surprised to find it end so abruptly (the ability menu has several blank spots still at that point).

I never got into this series, because I always confused The Fall and The Swapper for some reason. Very similar art styles I guess. Would you still recommend the first one, knowing that part 2 isn't very good?

Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1759 on: December 23, 2019, 10:48:26 PM »
That’s interesting timing. I’m in the mood for a Metroid-like game right now, and I’ve been trying to decide whether I should go with that game, Guacamelee, or one of Bloodstained or Axiom Verge. I already own all three of them (in some cases multiple times) but I’ve barely put any time into any of them. What would you recommend?

I can't really compare, because I haven't played Bloodstained (at least, not the real game; I do love the retro-goodness of Bloodstained Curse of the Moon but that's a love letter to Castlevania 3 on NES and not a Metroidvania at all) or Axiom Verge.

A few hours into Guacamelee and it's still impressing. The game is very action-focused and keeps you moving along consistently without any real need for backtracking or exploration so far. There are lots of special moves to unlock that then open up different pathways and secret areas.  In my mind, exploration and experimentation is one of the key elements of a good Metroidvania, and this game doesn't score highly in that regard... but as a fun and colorful action game it's absolutely worth playing. The style is great, the controls are tight, and there is lots of humor along the way (although some references are now a bit dated).

Considering the game is only about 7 hours long according to How Long To Beat, I figure it's a pretty easy recommendation. The game definitely gets better as you become more skilled and unlock more moves, but you'll know early on whether the style and humor will appeal to you.
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Offline Luigi Dude

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1760 on: December 24, 2019, 12:48:29 AM »
I have not played the IGA metroidvania Bloodstained so I can't comment on that one.  But I have played Guacamelee and Axiom Verge and between those two, Guacamelee is the better game.  Axiom Verge feels more like the NES Metroid, where the game wants you to randomly keep looking around until you find the right path.  It also doesn't help that a lot of the area's look the same like NES Metriod as well, making it hard to remember what area you might need to go back to.

Guacamelee on the other hand is a much more polished game.  The world design is very well thought out and put together with a lot of great platforming sections.  The controls and combat are much tighter and fluid as well so it feels great to control, unlike Axiom Verge which can feel kind of janky at times.  Guacamelee also has a much better variety of bosses that are different and require different strategies.

Axiom Verge is an impressive game when you realize it was made by one guy, but it also feels kind of amateurish at times because of that.  This is why Axiom Verge feels closer to Metriod NES and no where close to the quality of Super which I saw many compare it to when it first came out.  It's still a decent game but I feel Guacamelee is a much better designed and more fun to play experience.

Considering the game is only about 7 hours long according to How Long To Beat, I figure it's a pretty easy recommendation. The game definitely gets better as you become more skilled and unlock more moves, but you'll know early on whether the style and humor will appeal to you.

Its closer to 10 hours if your going for the true ending.  I'd heavily recommend doing that since some of the best platforming challenges in the game are in these optional area's.  Plus going for the true ending makes it more like a metriodvania since you have to do a bit of exploring to find these places.
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Offline MagicCow64

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1761 on: December 24, 2019, 06:15:44 PM »
Also listening along for the Axiom Verge / Guacamelee opinions. Have both, have started neither.

The Fall: Part 2: Unbound (PC):

I very much enjoyed the first part on WiiU for what it was worth, but was surprised to find it end so abruptly (the ability menu has several blank spots still at that point).

I never got into this series, because I always confused The Fall and The Swapper for some reason. Very similar art styles I guess. Would you still recommend the first one, knowing that part 2 isn't very good?

I would easily recommend the first one if you like adventure games. The action parts are a bit tedious, but I enjoyed the approach to puzzles and interactivity with the robo suit. It's a cool concept with a well-executed atmosphere, and pretty decent writing.

Also, despite my poo-pooing, I wouldn't exactly call Part 2 bad yet. It's also a cool concept and in interesting angle on the adventure game genre, it just plays like ass. But this is one of the few genres that can withstand that.

Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1762 on: December 28, 2019, 12:32:45 PM »
... Guacamelee ... the true ending.  I'd heavily recommend doing that since some of the best platforming challenges in the game are in these optional area's.  Plus going for the true ending makes it more like a metriodvania since you have to do a bit of exploring to find these places.

Working on this now. The "bad ending" was a bit disappointing, and now that the game has opened up it's quick enough to go through different areas looking for secrets that I don't think a couple of extra hours will be a problem.

Not sure about getting gold medals for all challenges in El Inferno though... that might be more than I really want to strive for.

That said, I would easily recommend the game. It's solid from start to end, and has a bunch of clever puzzles and challenges to work through. Very entertaining!
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1763 on: December 28, 2019, 02:54:57 PM »
I’ve been playing Guacamelee too because of the recommendations here and while I’m still pretty early, I’m liking it quite a bit.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1764 on: January 02, 2020, 02:42:16 PM »
I’ve been playing Guacamelee too because of the recommendations here and while I’m still pretty early, I’m liking it quite a bit.

Good game!  Good choice!
There was one secret I checked on YouTube to get the good ending, but most things fell into place nicely. One of the more enjoyable games I played last year!

Moved to Trace Memory (DS) after finishing off Guacamelee, hoping to cross that game and the Wii sequel off my list this year. It's kind of odd, and some of the puzzles and gimmicks haven't aged particularly well... but I'm four chapters in and enjoying the game so far.  (Then again, I've always been a sucker for the point-and-click adventure genre... which reminds me that I have another Sam & Max game on Wii to dig out.)
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1765 on: January 02, 2020, 05:22:56 PM »
I always thought Guacamelee was a fighting game of some kind. I guess the melee threw me off so I never looked that closely into the title. Hearing it is like a Metroid type game just rocks my preconceived notions of the game. I guess I should look into it now.

Been mostly playing Pokemon Picross, Gunman Clive 2 and Super Metroid. It's got to be over 10 years since I last played Super Metroid and there's a lot I've forgotten although also a bunch I do still remember. In any case, I find after coming back to it from so long and playing most of the other Metroid games inbetween that I'm not sure I'd consider it the top entry in the franchise anymore. I'm surprised how much I miss the ledge grab, for instance. I'm not saying the game is bad. It is still a top tier SNES title and all-around great video game in general. However, within the series of Metroid itself, I'd rank some other titles ahead of it now.

Picked up Trace Memory and the two seasons of Sam and Max around 3 years ago. Perhaps a new forum retrospective is in order.... But probably not. I finally played Myst for the first time last year and did it with the DS version of all things. I really liked the game and now I want to play more of that series. Not sure if Trace Memory would quite fall in line with that style of point and click puzzle game but now I'm wondering since you brought it up. In any case, there are bigger Wii games I still want to play before Sam and Max and even on the DS, I really am finally going to play Chrono Trigger for the first time as soon as I can tear myself away from some of these 3DS games I keep putting ahead of it.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1766 on: January 03, 2020, 12:06:41 AM »
... and even on the DS, I really am finally going to play Chrono Trigger for the first time ...

Hahaha... Sure you are. One of these days!

(Although you really should. I played it through for the first time a couple of years ago, and have to admit that it lived up to the hype - at least mostly. Was a slow starter for me, but a great game and is easy to replay with many different endings possible.)
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Offline Order.RSS

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1767 on: January 03, 2020, 12:05:50 PM »
Also played Chrono Trigger a few years ago for the first time. Holds up very well, still hum the soundtrack sometimes. Do not skip out on the character sidequests towards the end. I read everyone raving about them but figured "eh I'm a busy person, no time to mess with sidequests."

Of course when push came to shove I tried one of them; immediately discovered this is where the true heart of the game shines through, so I did them all.

Offline MagicCow64

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1768 on: January 05, 2020, 07:03:15 PM »
Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch):

I'm about halfway through (I think?), and I'm decidedly nonplussed about this one. Which is a real shame, as I hold Good Feel in very high regard. Kirby's Epic Yarn is better than most Kirby games and is otherwise a delight, Wario Land: Shake It miraculously salvaged the shitty direction Wario Land 4 took, and Woolly World is hands-down the best Yoshi game (and finally made the formula good).

Crafted World, by comparison, feels half baked along the previous metrics at which the studio excelled.

-Level design for the most part feels very elementary, with the expanded perspective offering little in terms of genuinely interesting interactivity or problem-solving.

-Aesthetically, it feels kind of soft and bland. The whole "crafted" gimmick doesn't pop, and is applied inconsistently (the T-Rex is made of actual bones and is breaking actual stones? e.g.). Furthermore, the backgrounds extend out into the blurry yonder, which doesn't accentuate that this is a hand-built arts-and-craft environment. Plus, the "material" texture implementation feels very flat. Like, the rock that holds the sun gems looks better than most stuff in the actual levels.

-Unlike Woolly World, the standard Yoshi OCD stuff is overloaded and borderline unpleasant. You've got flowers, red coins, coins, and life meter on looong levels, and then additional Poochie pups and souvenirs on top of that. And in this game, if you finish a level missing a red coin, it's like "Great, there's a hidden cloud somewhere in the level track, or some **** tucked away in the background."

If I recall correctly, this game had significant delays, and what was originally shown had much more involved mechanics around flipping the perspective of the levels back and forth to navigate and interact with structures. That's almost entirely absent now outside of the odd little cloud challenge, and the largely pointless Poochie reverse courses. It feels like they had a significantly more ambitious plan for this thing, but couldn't execute for whatever reason, and had to patch something back together that's a bit paltry.

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1769 on: January 10, 2020, 06:41:49 AM »
 I've playing Total war Attila and i think CA have made many good games in the past. sometimes they go wrong and can't achieve the targets that they set, this may be due to SEGA forcing an early release (they fund it, they own it) or because of lack of experience with features, but Total War: Attila is everything that Rome II should have been, this has happened before with Empire total war and then they sorted it out with Napoleon, Total War Attila is amazing, in depth, immersive, fun and almost bug free, give CA another chance and pick this up.

Offline ShyGuy

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1770 on: January 14, 2020, 08:58:41 PM »
I tried the Resident Evil 6 demo on Switch, and man alive, the badness of this game just oozes out.

A new lousy spin on quick Time Events, running towards the camera, combat that works poorly in close quarters and that's the first combat scenario they throw at you, a new cut scene every few minutes, wannabe Call of Duty set pieces, an awkward new inventory system, the clumsy jump system, I could go on. It's like the person who designed the character gameplay and the person who created the levels never spoke. The level design is so bad that they have a path finding system tied to the left bumper button. I could go on...

Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1771 on: January 14, 2020, 09:12:52 PM »
I downloaded Pokémon Go again for my new phone and I have been having fun with it.  Started with Bulbasaur and I am Team Mystic so I am enjoying myself seeing the city and getting some mini exercise while I am out and about.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1772 on: January 14, 2020, 09:45:11 PM »
Borrowed a copy of Ghost Trick (DS) to play through again. Wow, I had forgotten just how lovely a game it is!

The downside is that (roughly halfway through) there hasn't been any tough puzzles to work through at all - either the game is dirt easy, or I'm half-way remembering the solutions as problems pop up.  However, the production is amazing for a DS game and the story is absolutely bonkers in all the best ways, so lack of challenge isn't hurting the experience at all. A gem of a game, and playing it again makes me regret trading it away years ago.
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Offline MagicCow64

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1773 on: January 16, 2020, 07:09:40 PM »
Disco Elysium (PC):

Terrible title! Substantively, though, I'm not sure how I feel about this after four hours or so. The praised writing is the usual gamer-with-an-English-degree stuff you see around the indie scene, just as purple and overwritten, but there's toooons of it.

I like the concept and atmosphere and all of that, but the hard D&D RPG stuff is too much. It really throws you in the deep end with dozens of opaque stat categories and ancillary systems. Right off the bat you've got a timer and the need to come up with a large amount of money, and I was on the brink of just dropping it before I happened into the necessary sum that I happened to have the skill set for and happened to get a favorable roll with. I would be much more into this if it was just a traditional point and click with an Indiana-Jones-style character preset that would affect how you can approach the obstacles.

You can also die essentially at random via interactions the game funnels you into. Very early I found my way into a cargo area that guides you to the union boss's office. You should be talking to this guy according to the logic of the investigation! But apparently it's a kind of boss battle, and I got wiped in 30 seconds for sitting in a chair. Lost 20 minutes of progress. Similarly, I made the mistake of examining the gear shifter of a car, and went into some kind of fugue state that wiped out my resolve or whatever with no warning. Another 20 minutes gone. This feels very trial-and-error but the auto-save is not kind. So now I'm paranoid about constantly making manual saves like I'm playing Fear or some ****. Oh, PC games!

Guess I'll keep going for the time being and see how far I make it.
« Last Edit: January 16, 2020, 07:17:40 PM by MagicCow64 »

Offline ejamer

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Re: What are you playing?
« Reply #1774 on: January 19, 2020, 10:12:43 PM »
Started playing The Kore Gang (Wii), and got to stage 9 before calling it a night.  This is a weird little Wii platformer that feels released in 2010... but reportedly started development a decade earlier than that. That age shows in the design, but it's still perfectly playable.

The in-game camera isn't awesome, and your character doesn't control particularly well. The game (so far) has still be pretty fun, though. It also banks on a lot of weird and odd design to help distract you from the design limitations; I'm ok with that.

In the end, my biggest problem is one of comparison. The gameplay is ok, but nothing special and outdone by a handful of other Wii platformers. The weird story and setting is outdone (for me) by Mushroom Men - another Wii game with outdated design but weirdly cool levels, but one that had a better soundtrack and just felt more grounded to me. So Kore Gang is kind of an "also ran" release from either viewpoint.  Still, if you can look past that and approach the game with tempered expectations, there is some fun to be had here.
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