Community What are you currently playing?
- Thread starter Yakkue
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Me getting hyped for yet another re-play of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic...
Just finished Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines by Troika Games.
Troikas last hurrah before they had to close down. It's apparent right away that this is a work of the people who made Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil. So many options to choose from, so many skills and points to set right from the first minute of gameplay. This game was insanenly ambitious, basically trying to make the game as close to it's Pen and Paper inspiration as possible. Each clan you play has different abilities, and the game needs to work no matter what you choose. On top of that, certain clans like the Malkavians or Nosferatu basically require entire swath of the game just for themselves, because of different they are.
The fact that the game manages to walk this tight rope between dozens of ways to play, while still providing interesting content for each way of playing, is amazing. Even with the Unofficial Patch, it's obvious that this game is fairly unpolished. Especially the latter half of the game, from the final dungeon of the Hollywood area on, is barely complete. It's an overambitious mess at times, but god did love every minute of it. I doubt whatever Paradox is doing can live up to this, hell, even Bloodlines couldn't really, fully, live up to its own ambition, but I hope they at least try to make something that plays a bit like this.
The story feels like a - fairly thorough - introduction to the setting of VtM, the back story with Caine, the different factions, the fear of Gehenna, Thin Bloods and so on. The writing is often cheesy, but effective too. It does what it needs to do, and some of the character writing is outstanding, even if most of them feel like walking caricatures (which, I assume, was their intention). The only thing that bothered me was a few tone dead "jokes" in the Chinatown section, about how Chinese NPCs can't speak English, and god was that Japanese girl cringe worthy. That whole quest should have been cut.
So yeah, some editing could have helped.
Troikas last hurrah before they had to close down. It's apparent right away that this is a work of the people who made Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil. So many options to choose from, so many skills and points to set right from the first minute of gameplay. This game was insanenly ambitious, basically trying to make the game as close to it's Pen and Paper inspiration as possible. Each clan you play has different abilities, and the game needs to work no matter what you choose. On top of that, certain clans like the Malkavians or Nosferatu basically require entire swath of the game just for themselves, because of different they are.
The fact that the game manages to walk this tight rope between dozens of ways to play, while still providing interesting content for each way of playing, is amazing. Even with the Unofficial Patch, it's obvious that this game is fairly unpolished. Especially the latter half of the game, from the final dungeon of the Hollywood area on, is barely complete. It's an overambitious mess at times, but god did love every minute of it. I doubt whatever Paradox is doing can live up to this, hell, even Bloodlines couldn't really, fully, live up to its own ambition, but I hope they at least try to make something that plays a bit like this.
The story feels like a - fairly thorough - introduction to the setting of VtM, the back story with Caine, the different factions, the fear of Gehenna, Thin Bloods and so on. The writing is often cheesy, but effective too. It does what it needs to do, and some of the character writing is outstanding, even if most of them feel like walking caricatures (which, I assume, was their intention). The only thing that bothered me was a few tone dead "jokes" in the Chinatown section, about how Chinese NPCs can't speak English, and god was that Japanese girl cringe worthy. That whole quest should have been cut.
So yeah, some editing could have helped.
I decided to re-play This Is The Police, but this time on PC. I forgot how much I loved this game, though I have yet to play the second. I went from Day 1-57 in one session.
You nailed a lot of why I love VTM: Bloodlines and why sadly parts of it don't hold up super well today. I'm really glad that the devs seem to be more aware of that with the sequel.
Another thing that's always weird when I go back to it is hearing John DiMaggio as Jack. Considering before that he was Wakka and just a year before Bloodlines he started voicing Bender. Thankfully Jack was more Bender than Wakka.
Anyway, for me I'm back to TW: Warhammer 2 and Forza Horizon 4. One of these days I'll get to those RPGs I keep talking about.. maybe.
Bought Monster Hunter World since I got coupon to CDK and could get it for 20€ only.
I've played over 200 hours on PS4 so I don't plan to make it my life again but at least get myself ready for the expansion.
I've played over 200 hours on PS4 so I don't plan to make it my life again but at least get myself ready for the expansion.
Glad to see more people are playing MHW, Easily one of the best games of 2018. That said, not counting games I'm playing for review, I've fallen back into MHW myself. Some more The Division 2, finally got around to playing Spider-Man (IKR) and I recently stopped playing Mortal Kombat 11 due to the allegations against Netherrealm Studios. Waiting patiently for Rage 2
I'm over 10 hours in Hollow Knight and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Not using any guides or walkthroughs, just exploring at my own pace. What a lovely game!
It's amazing how much content this 15$ game has, it's incredible. And so much custom hand drawn artwork. I have no idea how they can sell it at that price. It arguably should cost twice of what it does.
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I've been playing a lot of 428: Shibuya Scramble since I got it on Monday and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. Just made it past the 11:00 time block this morning.
D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die - I just beat this on PC. I played through it on Xbox One originally but wanted the Steam achievements.
I'll probably play Obscure next.
I'll probably play Obscure next.
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey - 2nd DLC- Fate of Arlantis (part 1)
As with Origins, the second DLC is the real, interesting deal. To be fair, DLC 1 was better in Odyssey than in Origins but I'm enjoying the second DLC a lot more, so far. They went all out, from a visual pov. This is a beautifully crafted area, the story is okay and I'm interested to see where this is going. There is a lot of clearing fortresses, but there are "tombs" to explorer and even light puzzles. You can upgrade some abilities to level 4 now (by doing those "tombs"), there are new enemies with new abilities. If you enjoyed Odysseys gameplay loop and visuals, you'll enjoy this one too.
I'm terrible at making screenshots, but (location spoiler, obviously)
https://abload.de/img/assassinscreedodysseyltjp8.png
https://abload.de/img/assassinscreedodysseyqfk8a.png
As with Origins, the second DLC is the real, interesting deal. To be fair, DLC 1 was better in Odyssey than in Origins but I'm enjoying the second DLC a lot more, so far. They went all out, from a visual pov. This is a beautifully crafted area, the story is okay and I'm interested to see where this is going. There is a lot of clearing fortresses, but there are "tombs" to explorer and even light puzzles. You can upgrade some abilities to level 4 now (by doing those "tombs"), there are new enemies with new abilities. If you enjoyed Odysseys gameplay loop and visuals, you'll enjoy this one too.
I'm terrible at making screenshots, but (location spoiler, obviously)
https://abload.de/img/assassinscreedodysseyltjp8.png
https://abload.de/img/assassinscreedodysseyqfk8a.png
Playing Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
Story and settings are weird and the rabbids are annoying but other than that the gameplay is very very good! Feels like X-Com but with more variety! There's always something new to make things more interesting: enemy types, stage layouts, player abilities. Really worth checking if you like tactical strategy games.
Story and settings are weird and the rabbids are annoying but other than that the gameplay is very very good! Feels like X-Com but with more variety! There's always something new to make things more interesting: enemy types, stage layouts, player abilities. Really worth checking if you like tactical strategy games.
Dark Souls: Remastered, it started as a quick playthrough just to see what the remaster looked like really, but is slowly evolving into getting all items and all weapon achievements.
I've been playing Swag and Sorcery over the week-end. It's a good game to play while you're doing something else, but it's currently unfinished. I reached the last dungeon, but there's no point to it. The items you get can't be used for anything right now (well, to be honest, they can be used to upgrade 1 building, but nothing changes, apart from getting the achievement).
I suppose a patch is coming and they'll add the missing stuff.
Also, while I like sending the characters to complete the missions and managing the village / completing quests, the Swag part of the game is kind of a mistery to me. Too random, even when I bribed every judge and discovered what one of them liked and hated, I still managed to lose...
I suppose a patch is coming and they'll add the missing stuff.
Also, while I like sending the characters to complete the missions and managing the village / completing quests, the Swag part of the game is kind of a mistery to me. Too random, even when I bribed every judge and discovered what one of them liked and hated, I still managed to lose...
I don't know. Part of it is because I bought it on PS4 for the bigger playerbase but the IQ is disappointing when I could be playing it comfortably on my PC. The other part of it is just that I don't seem to want to go online and play against others like I did with fighting games in the past.
I did the same thing with Soulcalibur 6 and Smash Ultimate, but I did play those for a few weeks. Just my tastes and patience changing I guess.
ahhh, i see ... yeah, that's understandable
i only play those games for the story (no, really) ... so that's absolutely fine with me
already finished the main story mode ... still have to go through the arcade towers for each character for those story bits ... and after that i think i'll be done with MK11
Final Zone in Kingdom Hearts 3 tonight. I need to gather some materials to upgrade the last couple of Keyblades and then i'm going for the run to the end.
I've got most of the collectables but i'm not going to plat it because fuck the cookery mini-game.
My first and only KH game i've played and it's been fun.
I've got most of the collectables but i'm not going to plat it because fuck the cookery mini-game.
My first and only KH game i've played and it's been fun.
It's been a good palette cleanser, but I'm starting to cool on Stardew a bit.
Immediately after starting the second year I'm kind of not feeling it as much. It just doesn't evolve much, no new structures, haven't had any new crafting recipes in a while and there's like one new crop I can plant, so it's kind of the same all the time now. I'm thinking about possibly doing the community center and then quitting, but I don't actually enjoy the fishing at all so maybe I won't. Maybe I'll do some of that skull cavern, but knowing that it also doesn't have an end, I don't know.
Immediately after starting the second year I'm kind of not feeling it as much. It just doesn't evolve much, no new structures, haven't had any new crafting recipes in a while and there's like one new crop I can plant, so it's kind of the same all the time now. I'm thinking about possibly doing the community center and then quitting, but I don't actually enjoy the fishing at all so maybe I won't. Maybe I'll do some of that skull cavern, but knowing that it also doesn't have an end, I don't know.
I'm old enough to have paid full-price for Castlevania: SOTN and still own the original without the ugly lime green "Greatest Hits" on the instruction manual.
I've run through Super Metroid several times on emulator, and buying it again on the Wii.
Hollow Knight is right up there with those two GOATs. I'd even argue that it surpasses those games.
Oh I get to test the double-post merge feature.
I'm still working on Thronebreaker. The writing is still excellent; CDPR are the masters of ambiguous choices.
In one example light spoilers I decided to not assault a Nilfgaardian troop. Neutrality laws and all that. Well, later on, they figured out a way to sabotage my army without violating the treaty. I could have just took it on the chin, but I was like, NOPE! DIPLOMACY OVER!
In another instance, I'm so straight-arrow that I didn't interfere with someone about to be executed. I've missed 2 unique characters in my playthrough because of this. And I lost a third.
In other words, I'm very bad at moral ambiguity. I function best in black-and-white worlds.
I started Ori and the Blind Forest. Played long enough to get through the intro. Yeah, that's blow-your-socks-off good. I can see how Fe (top 3 indie game 2018) channeled some of that energy. Doesn't play as smoothly as I was expecting, so I'll try a bit on my PC. Also, it jacks up the controls on my gamepad...still expecting Xbox controls, lol.
I am almost done with Darkest Dungeon. I just need to do the actual Darkest Dungeon missions.
Smashed through Katana ZERO.
Played with Blasters of the Universe (VR). Best VR game I've played thus far.
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So I have to dust off my old 2000s era PC gaming skills and edit a .txt file because Ori does not allow you to rebind controls while in-game.
Like old times. I hate it even more now. Why wasn't this in the game, lol?
Like old times. I hate it even more now. Why wasn't this in the game, lol?
Ori and Hollow Knight are up there with SOTN and Super Metroid as the best games in the genre IMO.
Ori being much more dynamic and platforming focused and Hollow Knight being something slower and combat focused.
I think Hollow Knight also captured pretty well the feeling of the Souls games, without necessarily using the same mechanics. But the way the world is connected and whole atmosphere comes straight from the Souls games.
Ori being much more dynamic and platforming focused and Hollow Knight being something slower and combat focused.
I think Hollow Knight also captured pretty well the feeling of the Souls games, without necessarily using the same mechanics. But the way the world is connected and whole atmosphere comes straight from the Souls games.
I'm trying to get into Star Traders and I'm loving how much lore the game has. Complete with a pdf provided with the history of the great houses, laws and cultures.
I've been a sucker for this stuff ever since I first opened Homeworld's manual.
I've been a sucker for this stuff ever since I first opened Homeworld's manual
.
The tier1 stuff in Wildlands scales up the difficulty in a weird way and when I played it I eventually turned it off, it just became completely unfun.
Ori is beautiful but there's some animations that bother me. The game is running at 60 fps, but ORI is not. Maybe 45 or 50 or something. My eyes do not deceive.
Now, many of the characters, like this spider I'm chasing around for a key item at the beginning of the game, are moving at 60.
First world problems AF, but I'll endure.
Now, many of the characters, like this spider I'm chasing around for a key item at the beginning of the game, are moving at 60.
First world problems AF, but I'll endure.
I'm sorry, I missed this.
Ori isn't enrapturing me like Axiom Verge (just as good as Super Metroid) and Hollow Knight (just as good as SotN) did.
So far, it's a prettier version of Seasons after Fall. But the gameplay itself? Meh so far.
Yeah my feelings are similar. I wouldn't put Axiom Verge quite up there with Super Metroid, but it's one of my fav of the genre. Meanwhile Ori and Hollow Knight did very little for me at all.
Axiom Verge is great but it's a little too much like Metroid to me... Ori has more personality IMO. Have you learned the bash yet? That's the mechanic that made the game really special to me.
Axiom Verge is a lot like Metroid, but with a better story...and twists. And crazy abilities like "intentional glitching" to traverse. I think it's a great alternate take.
I have not found the bash yet in Ori. Still very early.
Still busy with Fell Seal, clocked at more than 40 hours so far. I guess I'm at the final stretch of the main campaign now. The game is definitely getting harder the further I progress, especially since the enemies are more varied and consisted of more endgame jobs combination. The AI is also pretty smart and will fully utilize their tools and the map.
Hearing this has me excited to finally give it a shot once I finish up Rage 2.
