Now Playing (Video Games)

LooseCannon said:
Been thinking about Panzer Corps a lot. It looks really good.
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I have not played a ton, but they did a nice job with 2.0 adding better graphics without hurting the gameplay. Just came out so all the mods are not there yet like PC 1. Both are fun games ... as is, but the PC 1 mods really add a lot of additional gameplay time
 
I'm playing Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
It's an adventure/puzzle game for the DS. This game was made by the man behind the Ace Attorney series, and it shows in the writing.
 
Midnight said:
@Dityn DJ James, have you played it?
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I have not, I liked your post because it is good to know there are still people playing on the DS lol

My video game consumption was pretty low throughout 2018/2019. Pretty much only made time to play Dark Souls 1/2 and a shooter called Paladins. Due to my sickness/being off work, I picked up Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare for PC for about 11 USD. I've quite surprisingly been liking the multiplayer. I will admit all the customization menus get VERY VERY confusing when making a class. after about 15 hours or so I think I've got it down though (customizing classes that is). Gunplay in that game is fun. And to top it off, it plays just fine with a gamepad (my 360 controller). I don't feel like I'm "behind" the KB+M players at all. I just suck at Call of Duty to begin with.
 
Some PSVR games went on sale recently, so I treated myself.

Holy shit, Sairento VR kicks some serious ass. I thought Superhot VR was cool, but this takes it to a completely different level. Never thought I’d be doing huge multi-jumps, wall runs, slo-mo sliding, etc., without feeling pukey, but somehow they pulled it off. Weapon handling is great too. I can only imagine what multiplayer is going to be like — gotta build my skills first.

Tetris Effect is pretty cool in VR. I think the reviews oversold it a bit, because at the end of the day it’s still just Tetris; but the music and environments, and the way the effects from manipulating the tiles create musical notes and sounds that fit into those environments, is neat.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a very polished VR platformer that took the early ideas from The Playroom and really fleshed them out. This is one of the best looking PSVR titles and it plays great.

(Maybe some year I’ll eventually get back to Red Dead Redemption II...)
 
I've been taking advantage of the free Gold games for Xbox, they have Fable Anniversary for the 360 at the moment and they have deals on some classics like Star Wars KOTOR and KOTOR II. less than 4 dollars for each. Not buying them, yet. Like I said, "free" is better (still paying for the annual suscription.)

Fable is pretty good. Never liked the art style, but it's more entertaining than 3. Nice to see where it all began and what the fuzz was. What is really funny is that my GF is not a gamer, but she likes watching me play and sometimes actually WANTS me to play so she can see what happens next. She really liked the Tomb Raider games and she was a bit invested in the Darksider games, even saying, "So when are all four going to show up to play in multiplayer?" As it turns out, Darksiders: Genesis is a spin-off game, not a true sequel, which has co-op play, both local and online. You finally get to play as Strife and War comes along. Point being, She told me today she found Fable, "boring," and left the room lol. I think it is directly related to the art style, because the gameplay isn't all that different from other sandbox games with fetch quests and missions. The story is great, surprisingly dark for such silly animation.
 
I began playing KOTOR I some time ago, but didn't continue. I think I might like it, though.

I used the quarrantine to buy and finish Ori and the Blind Forest (which was wonderful and the combination of cute and heartfelt, but really hard was an intriguing one) and started the second one that came out lately.

Also, Doom Eternal is just as awesome as the previous installment was. Well, actually, I loved every Doom I played. I couldn't tell how much time I spent with I, II, Plutonia, TNT and all the custom WADs (Memento Mori 1 & 2, Alien: Vendetta, Icarus, Scythe, Hell Revealed 1 & 2 etc). 3 was very different and so have been the last two games (a bit too... Quakey? possibly...) but I enjoy them all the same.
 
Here is a side note on gaming as a whole. I've noticed many people throughout the years, professional critics and avid gamers alike, shit on DLC. I never really cared because it was normally additional content that didn't really take away from the core experience. Like in AC Black Flag, it came down to cosmetic changes to outfits you could wear or sails for your ship, no big whoop. The additional content where you can play as Adawale is his own side mission, not part of the core story.

In Fable Anniverary I've been running around doing missions known in the community as "The Lost Chapters." Haven't looked into why they're called that, only that it was included in the original release... but that's all they are... additional fetch quests.

That brings me to Darksiders 3. In Darksiders I and II you could eventually get the Abyssial Armor. In the first game it's a substantial upgrade, in the second you can customize better rated armor, but it's still pretty good. In III... sigh... it's NOT available unless you purchase a specific DLC. The first time I played it I only had one armor, but the description of it led me to believe I could get at least another, the abyssial armor. Never found it and I just chalked it up to not being able to find where it was hidden. Like many games, every so often it will need an update. Now that I'm playing it a second time I noticed I could buy other armor that match and enhance a specific hollow power from Vulgrim. They were NOT available on my first play through. I bought EVERYTHING from him, never saw the armor sets. Now, here they are. They must've been included on the update. So this time I looked into articles and youtube videos in hopes to find the Abyssial Armor and that's when I find out about the DLC. It can still be called nonessential to the core game play, but it was a piece of equipment available from the start in the other two games. Also, there are NUMEROUS versions of the game. The basic one upon release, deluxe edition, collector's edition, apocalyptic edition, etc. The most recent on the xbox live store is Whips and Chains or some crap like that which is supposed to include all the DLCs. In looking at these, they look like more than additional side quests, they do add to the story.

Darksiders: Genesis came out last December. I'm waiting to buy it at least a year for this very reason. The basic game will come down in price, usually they'll add content to it anyway and I'll see if the other versions are even worth it. Fucking ridiculous.
 
Taking a break from Fable. Honestly, I'm like a third of the way through or so (kinda where I stopped with Fable 3 years ago) aaaaand, I don't get it. I just don't get what the big deal was. I've been watching some videos and read some articles as to why it was such a big deal, mainly the "morality system" and the supposed freedom to do anything. Yet other franchises and games had been doing it for years. Star Wars comes to mind as well as Fallout and the Elder Scrolls. The graphics are cartoony and don't fit the darkness of the story or some of the shit you can do. It fits the overall humor, but at its core it's fucking dark.

Speaking of Star Wars, in looking for what else to play I found Star Wars KOTOR! completely forgot I had it. I tried playing it on my Xbox One a few years ago and it didn't run, forgot I had it and now that I have my 360 again I gave it a try and it worked! Also don't see what the big whoop is, but having fun being a scoundral. Barely on the second mission, but curious as to where this will go.

Besides having about.... 4 games unfinished (Fable I, III, Condemned: Criminal Origens, and KOTOR) I FINALLY finished Borderlands the Pre-Sequel. Turns out I only had two more bosses to beat. It was very satisfying to finally get it done. Only one minor complaint. In an attempt to level up and get some money I doubled checked if I had any side-missions left to complete, nope none, ok. Decided to man up and push through and pulled it off with my current stats and arsenal and I didn't die as much as I anticipated. Well, AFTER beating the game two more side-missions open up. Um... ok. Like... why? I'm done. Don't really feel like going back to that just now. So a couple of achievements will have to wait for now.
 
I've been gaming quite a lot during my hiatus from the forum, however, I tend to get sucked in to a few at a time and then repeat if I enjoyed them so not a huge number of games.

Lately I've been diversifying a bit and quite enjoy multiplayer games that focus on cooperating versus or with the world. As such, Don't Starve Together and Stardew Valley have crept up the minutes played on my Steam account. DST is for people that enjoy craziness, a certain amount of darkness, and the Tim Burton style. Stardew Valley is like Pokemon meets Minecraft and is basically a charming pixellated farming sim that is peace and quiet for the soul. Also started playing Fallout Shelter which is a free game on Steam that takes place in the Fallout world (obviously) and has you maintaining a vault which is quite fun and not very time-consuming (or interesting in the long run but for now it's fun).

As a long time Age of Empires franchise fan I went ahead and got the definitive edition for both AoE and AoE II when those came out but will probably stick to the HD edition of AoE II...on the one hand it's fun to try the original civs but I can't get over that all the villagers are both male (how are we reproducing here?) and white (seriously, the ancient egyptians were white????)....and the definitive edition of AoE II is just a lamer-looking version of the HD. Apparently a definitive edition of AOE III is in the works so will likely cave and get that as well.

What else? I still play the Assasins Creed games but as the graphics cards and stuff require higher and higher specs I get more disinterested. Origins seemed like fun but the PC would crash constantly so that's sad. KOTOR II has been sitting there and I have half a mind to get into it again but haven't as of yet. I tried playing The Witcher 2 (love Witcher 3) but the gameplay is a bit odd and I found it rather hard and as I'm in it mostly for the story I'd rather play either Witcher 3 again or read the books so....

On the PS4 I play Helldivers with some regularity and I really can recommend that to play with friends, its fun, there's loads of levels so you can make it as hard as you like, and its humorous...oh and you have friendly fire so that adds to the madness. It's a bit like Magicka if you're ever played that, I think its the same studio involved. Diablo 3 has been getting alot of attention, I enjoy it for the artwork and the sheer crazy amount of loot (I love loot) but I've never progressed very far in the sense of Rifts or replaying it on harder and harder, I just try different characters instead from the beginning. I have Assasins Creed Black Flag on there and that gets a spin when I'm in the mood for sea shanties and the sheer beauty of traversing the Carribean seas.
 
It's good to have you back.

I'm 10 hours into KOTOR and I'm hooked. Having to talk to your party members every now and then as part of exposition is a tad tedious, but aside from that, I'm enjoying it. I like that the maps are smaller, the collectibles are quest pertinent for the most part and clearing it doesn't leave me with a sense of, "I must've missed something." At first I found the lack of NPCs laughable, especially compared to later open world games, but now it's actually welcomed. It is genuinely relaxing to play and easier to focus on missions. I also like the variety in the game play. the reparing robots, hacking computers and security systems or just good ol' fashion brute force... and the actual Force.

I'm sticking to a mostly Light side character, the only Dark side action I did was get a robot for free by threatening a little muscle. I wasn't paying 2000 credits for that thing.
 
I grabbed Stardew Valley on my Switch. I already have it for PC, but I figured...what the hell, let's go for it. That way I can lie in bed and farm. I love the game, so very much.
 
Ok, a little over 40 hours into KOTOR, I got HOOKED. I really didn't expect for this game to be this good. What cracks me up is that every time my GF sees me playing it she says, "omg, they're STILL talking!? I swear that's all you do in this game." LOL aaaand, she's right, well, partially. Sense I've chosen to be as good a person as I'm willing to be (I do abuse of my mind powers a tad and have done a few contract hits), most of it is indeed talking and negotiating. I'm sure had I chosen to be a Sith it would've been more action driven.

The best example of this is the Sand People on Tatooine. On more than one ocassion I could've slaughtered them, but in choosing peace I was rewarded and got to hear their history, which is pretty neat. This game expands the lore so much and I genuinely love reading all these tid bits not found in the movies since this is 4,000 years or so prior. Even then, it discusses history 30,000 years before THAT.

I'm currently after my first encounter with Malak, just found out my dirty little secret and got one planet to go as far as the star map, but sitll got a few side missions here and there. Having no achievements given it's an original Xbox game is both frustrating and a relief. I feel like we've been conditioned to aim for them and get that little pop up of having done something. At the same time, if I DON'T complete all the side missions... who cares?

As I always do when I get hooked on something I did a little digging and started looking at videos and articles about the best Star Wars games out there. KOTOR is #1 in most, top 5 in the rest, yet NONE of the games I grew up with made the list LOL. REbel Assault I and II, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, etc. Those got praise upon release, in fact it was when Star Wars games got, well, good and before they went to shit until, well.... KOTOR.

What I found intriguing is that the recent game, Fallen Order, made top 10 or top 5 fairly often. I decided to look at some footage, The cutscene movie is up on youtube and I saw the first 15 minutes or so. A few things caught my eye, but just to be sure I asked my none gaming GF to watch it with me. I asked her if it reminded her of something and after the gameplay starts she says, "Tomb Raider." So I wasn't crazy. Tomb Raider was developed by Eidos and Crystal Dynamics, Star Wars is EA and Respawn Entertainment, but in seeing the gameplay it is a blatant copy of the recent Tomb Raider games. The pushing through tight spaces, the conviniently marked in red jump spots, the sliding down mountains/starships only to hang on to dear life, etc. Kinda how everyone copied Demon/Dark souls like Darksiders III.

I'm still curious and I might get it at some point, specially when the price drops, but in the mean time, no other Star Wars game grabs me, except KOTOR II. There's always Christmas lol.
 
I've slowed down my rampage through KOTOR. Did a bit of planet hoping before going to... Korrin? The Sith Planet. I shifted my attention to the free games available for Gold. The one for the 360 was the Micromachine remake Toybox Turbos, you race with toy cars on kitchen tables, playrooms, classrooms, science labs, etc. It is A LOT of fun, and what I'm really excited about is that it is the first (and so far only) game I've gotten ALL of the achievements for.

For the Xbox One they offered the bundle of Knights of Pen and Paper I & II. It's 8-bit D&D. Your characters which you can later assign roles to include a Jawa (but they don't call them that, copyrights and all) a Pizza guy, a jock, etc. then you can choose to make them clerics, druids, witches, rogues and all that. It's pretty fun. It's funny, when I was a kid I HATED turned based RPGs, now I enjoy them. Don't love them, but enjoy them, finally "get" them.
 
I really want to play a single-player RPG. Last one I played was Grim Dawn which suits me because I love Diablo-style RPGs but I feel like trying something new. I've heard that the Dragon Age series is good. Anyone know to recommend something?
 
Saapanael said:
I really want to play a single-player RPG. Last one I played was Grim Dawn which suits me because I love Diablo-style RPGs but I feel like trying something new. I've heard that the Dragon Age series is good. Anyone know to recommend something?
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It all depends on what you like, really. Dragon Age 1 is a really good CRPG, 2 is not so great, and 3 is...more of an action RPG or not. If you like action RPGs, lots of people love Mass Effect.

My favourite recently released RPG was Pillars of Eternity, great story, if you like the classic CRPG look.
 
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