Community MetaSteam | September 2019 - Valve, I Know What You Did Last Summer!

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Rosenkrantz

Once Punched Man
Apr 22, 2019
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I had two awful realizations right now.

First, I have to upgrade my PC to enjoy Cyberpunk and VtMB2 in their full glory, I heard how my wallet wept at the thought.

Second, I realized that Cara Delevingne looks like a female clone of Ben Shapiro, I wept.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
8,971
24,888
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I had two awful realizations right now.

First, I have to upgrade my PC to enjoy Cyberpunk and VtMB2 in their full glory, I heard how my wallet wept at the thought.

Second, I realized that Cara Delevingne looks like a female clone of Ben Shapiro, I wept.
Cant unsee now. Thanks.
 
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Line

meh
Dec 21, 2018
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I'm playing Ni No Kuni 2... it might the best JRPG ever, with all the right gameplay elements and incredible quality all around.
It also manages to misuse every single one of them, and it might be the most boring JRPG ever.
Which is not uncommon for Level 5 mind you, they make super cool stuff... and do nothing with it, meandering in drawn out games that should be half as long and twice as deep mechanically (in order to at least reach the gameplay of any D-tier JRPG).

Holy fuck is that story wasted on shitty fetch quests that never end, the cool action combat just does not let you chain your skills together, the overworld is gorgeous and filled with stuff... which is just RNG mats and trash items, the kingdom building just make you wait around instead of letting you customize your kingdom/characters in depth (except spells, that one's kinda cool, but since you can't chain anyway...)...

Pfff, it's so unsatisfying to find a high budget JRPG with all the usual QOL issues resolved, Metroidvania elements (used once outside of their dungeon, if ever again), fast combat, cool ass cities and dungeons... and just mash buttons on copy/paste ennemies (I think I've seen a total of TWO new enemy types since the first hour of the game - the rest is palette swaps) in gorgeous but flat and uninteresting levels, while fiddling around in your inventory with random bollocks while you wait for your city timers to go ding to start more timers.

It's rare that I find a game that makes me wonder how they managed to fuck it up so bad while they totally nailed all the aspects they were going for...and then forgot what they were supposed to do with it; from materials and crafting where you just slap basic +1 stat on gear instead of making use of the plethora of passives that you can find, or even what to do with their incredible symphonic soundtrack: why moody, melancholic basses in the sun baked port city? Why ridiculously ominous brass in the colorful Japanese casino city? And a cute little clarinet for damp caves?!

What the fuck is the direction in this game...
 

Samson

Junior Member
Aug 2, 2019
396
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Heraklion
I'm playing Ni No Kuni 2... it might the best JRPG ever, with all the right gameplay elements and incredible quality all around.
It also manages to misuse every single one of them, and it might be the most boring JRPG ever.
I hate when people say "This game would be better as a movie," but holy shit I'd rather just watch a full-fledged Ghibli anime of the story than ever play NNK2 ever again.

Also, I love city-builders, but I can't believe how horrible they made NNK2's.
 
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fokkusu

Burn baby burn🔥🎵
Dec 9, 2018
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I guess the first Ni No Kuni was better? I have it on PS3 backlog, let's see if I ever play it :hugging-face:
 
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Samson

Junior Member
Aug 2, 2019
396
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That's why I can't possibly take the reviews on these websites seriously. When websites full of ads for a certain game post a review for said game, and use all sorts of superlatives, I can't possibly believe one thing is disconnected from the other. They read more like PR statements than reviews.
I don't like to tinfoil-hat reviews too much, but the discrepancy between user and "professional" reviews on certain very high-profile, well-advertised games is hilarious to the point of bordering on the suspicious sometimes.



 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
3,860
18,469
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I was about to say WTF when I read "Ni No Kuni 2... it might the best JRPG ever, with all the right gameplay elements and incredible quality all around", but luckily I continued reading before replaying :p

Yeah, it's a perfect example of a game that should by all rights be good, but manages to make its core gameplay so utterly bland to piss it all away. It's exactly like its predecessor in that regard.
 

Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
2,450
6,027
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Well, it's Level-5, what did you expect?
The only above average games they made were the Layton ones, and only if you liked the puzzles.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
3,860
18,469
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I feel like Dark Cloud 2 was a lot more engaging, but it's been a very long time so I might come to a different conclusion today.

Talking about bland games: I have no interest at all in BLANDS3 (even if it was releasing on Steam for 5€) since BLANDS2 is one of only a handful of coop games (out of literally hundreds I've played) that bored me so severely that I didn't even finish it.
 
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Cordelia

MetaMember
Jun 10, 2019
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I don't like to tinfoil-hat reviews too much, but the discrepancy between user and "professional" reviews on certain very high-profile, well-advertised games is hilarious to the point of bordering on the suspicious sometimes.



One paid to be able to write review, one were paid to write review. Furthermore games like those usually put mtx into the game a few months after release so the professional review didn't put it into their review.

I usually prefer user review, unless it's user review on Metacritic where you don't need to own the game to be able to leave review.
 
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kafiend

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
549
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I was about to say WTF when I read "Ni No Kuni 2... it might the best JRPG ever, with all the right gameplay elements and incredible quality all around", but luckily I continued reading before replaying :p

Yeah, it's a perfect example of a game that should by all rights be good, but manages to make its core gameplay so utterly bland to piss it all away. It's exactly like its predecessor in that regard.
I did the same double take. It bored me enough to just put it down halfway through and forget that it existed at all.
 

Echoes

"My destiny is to continue fighting"
Oct 31, 2018
551
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Castelló, Spain
Well, it's Level-5, what did you expect?
The only above average games they made were the Layton ones, and only if you liked the puzzles.
Even in Layton games it's so easy to lose interest, instead of focusing on the story and more quality but less quantity, they drag you around as an excuse to solve hundreds of puzzles.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
8,971
24,888
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I definitely don't when it comes to games with histories of questionable monetization practices like most current sports titles . These games should be getting taken to the woodshed every year for a goddamn epic flogging, and they emphatically aren't.
At the end of the day they have to be nice and play ball because they dont want to get blacklisted by publishers.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
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Was reading some reviews for BL3 today and found one with an affiliate links to Amazon for the game. Noticed these weren't present on every review. Must be an automated thing, but it sure feels weird.

I think as time has gone on I've relied less and less on reviews from the usual websites, while valuing user impressions and gameplay footage more. Not that there aren't good writers out there, but everyone comes into a game from different places and I cba to read fifteen reviews when I can go over fifteen impressions with different insights and some gameplay footage too in less time.
 
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Wildebeet

First Stage Hero
Dec 5, 2018
798
1,883
93
I love GTA5. In fact it's one of my favorite games of all time. I treat it more like Truck Sim or something though. I just drive and fly around and almost entirely ignore the story cues. I absolutely love the setting and the feel of the vehicles and the story just kind of gets in my way occasionally.

Never played it online even once. I had it for months before I realized that I had never even finished the story.
 

beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
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The Xbox beta game whatever app really needs a. unlock countdown on store pages. I'm obviously stupid, but that's the fourth time now I've tried to launch Gears 5 in the expectation it'd be out.
 
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Line

meh
Dec 21, 2018
1,568
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I feel like Dark Cloud 2 was a lot more engaging, but it's been a very long time so I might come to a different conclusion today.
You know, I really disliked Dark Cloud 2 when it came out.
And playing it a lot later... I hated it and realized that it was the game that doomed Level 5 to fantastic ideas chained to awful gameplay.

Dark Cloud 2 is just randomly generated dungeons (so, crap, but even more so when you consider that's it's so old) that can drag on for 100+ rooms. With two different ennemies, and combat with two buttons.
It's sooo bad, I couldn't believe that... Dark Cloud 1 was actually more fun to (re)play. I don't particularly love the game, and it's uuugly, but it's just less bullshit in menus, less bullshit in empty levels (talking about that, Rogue Galaxy is another masterful failure of them, and that one hurts a lot). And more characters, rather than the shitty robot.

The town creation is very fun however (and miles better than Ni No Kuni 2, that's saying something).
 

Stone Ocean

Proud Degenerate
Apr 17, 2019
2,273
7,144
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Well, it's Level-5, what did you expect?
The only above average games they made were the Layton ones, and only if you liked the puzzles.
White Knight Chronciles was very fun, even though it was technically shit as well.

I hope that REsistance thingy is more Outbreak and less every single zombie co op game from the past 10 years.
Zombie coop game
I think you're expecting too much from REsistance. Try "every single shitty assymetrical versus multiplayer in the past few years" instead
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
7,783
15,705
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Was reading some reviews for BL3 today and found one with an affiliate links to Amazon for the game. Noticed these weren't present on every review. Must be an automated thing, but it sure feels weird.

I think as time has gone on I've relied less and less on reviews from the usual websites, while valuing user impressions and gameplay footage more. Not that there aren't good writers out there, but everyone comes into a game from different places and I cba to read fifteen reviews when I can go over fifteen impressions with different insights and some gameplay footage too in less time.
The hate for user reviews found elsewhere is absolutely tragic. They are things of beauty.

I hope that REsistance thingy is more Outbreak and less every single zombie co op game from the past 10 years.
The teaser heavily implies some asymmetrical pvp mechanism. I was pretty letdown since I’m far more interested into co-oping this bad boy with the fam in Meta Co-Op.
 

Cordelia

MetaMember
Jun 10, 2019
2,165
4,793
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It kind of already did, WKC1 is bundled with WKC2 but with the improved battle system and visuals from 2 lul
Yeah that was the version that I played. The graphics looks really dated when I watched it on Youtube earlier this year.

 

Stone Ocean

Proud Degenerate
Apr 17, 2019
2,273
7,144
113
The hate for user reviews found elsewhere is absolutely tragic. They are things of beauty.
Just your usual corporate bootlicking slash tribalism. Can't have my validation look bad.
Yeah that was the version that I played. The graphics looks really dated when I watched it on Youtube earlier this year.

To be fair WKC was an early gen 7 game, it looked pretty good for its time, not the game's fault it only launched overseas 3 fucking years later.
 

Cordelia

MetaMember
Jun 10, 2019
2,165
4,793
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Just your usual corporate bootlicking slash tribalism. Can't have my validation look bad.

To be fair WKC was an early gen 7 game, it looked pretty good for its time, not the game's fault it only launched overseas 3 fucking years later.
Yeah, I bought it day 1 and the online never alive. Not to mention that PS3 online is godawful.
 

Spamlynguist

I can never decide on an avatar
Dec 31, 2018
1,024
2,854
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25

xxr

Member of the Abyss
Dec 21, 2018
557
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How is GTAV still in steams top selling charts, does that include in game purchases? Who are all these people buying GTAV in 2019. (Playing it is fine but I find it odd that it somehow keeps on selling an abundance of new copies at this stage)
Top selling is based on total revenue so that does indeed include in-game purchases.

On a personal note, while I think GTA Online is pretty great overall I'm really saddened by its core revenue model. It ruins the economy and game as a whole since everything (and I mean, everything) is designed with shark cards in mind. It's made to make everything as a big grind as possible (with timers and restrictions in place because we can't have you make money too quickly now do we) while also charging insane amounts for the smallest, superfluous things. It's incredibly counter-intuitive since it incentivizes people to pay up rather than play the game.

It works for them so I guess it's not changing, but I can't help but feel there's a way better model for both parties.
 
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Madventure

The Angel of Deaf
Nov 17, 2018
1,575
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I love GTA5. In fact it's one of my favorite games of all time. I treat it more like Truck Sim or something though. I just drive and fly around and almost entirely ignore the story cues. I absolutely love the setting and the feel of the vehicles and the story just kind of gets in my way occasionally.

Never played it online even once. I had it for months before I realized that I had never even finished the story.
Yeah I love all the GTA games, my favorite missions were just the "Find and steal xyz car/bike/whatever" ones
 

prudis

anime occult member
Sep 19, 2018
10,246
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The Kingdom of Beer and Porn
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toxicitizen

MetaMember
Oct 24, 2018
1,540
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yeah, sure ... why not :)

added!
Well, in that case, I finally got back to Monster Hunter World and finished the main story a few days ago. I started it back when it launched on Steam a year ago, though. Do I still qualify or is that pushing it? lol
 
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Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,692
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How is GTAV still in steams top selling charts, does that include in game purchases? Who are all these people buying GTAV in 2019. (Playing it is fine but I find it odd that it somehow keeps on selling an abundance of new copies at this stage)
I actually still haven't bought GTAV despite owning all the previous games on Steam.
 

beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
2,170
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new char for Slay the Spire
Great week for free DLC.
 
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