Now Playing (Video Games)

[chaosapiant]

I’m finally burning through Zelda: Skyward Sword, as it’s a game I started playing some six years ago but kept putting down because motion controls annoy me. But I have to push through because I really want to play Breath of the Wild. I just got a new LG55” TV and BoTW looks phenomenal on it, but I’ve barely played it because I’m broke-brained and can’t play a game in a series knowing there’s previous games in a series not completed.

Anyone else have that issue?

 

[LooseCannon]

Definitely not. Especially when the games aren't linearly related.

 

[Josh]

Elden Ring is the shit. I'm at the the Capital Ash lvl 115 and according to the interwebs, this is it until NG+. I love everything From Software. Unless it's another Bloodborne, I hope they don't stray from the open world formula for now on.

 

[Jer]

Disaster Report 4 […]
I'm eager to give it another go as a selfish, money-grubbing asshole just to see how different the experience is. I'm especially curious about how much you can affect the narrative

Sadly, after doing this second playthrough it appears that narrative agency is mostly an illusion, and you can’t really pursue any romantic options or cause havoc at major story beats. Any inappropriate behavior by your character is tolerated by the NPCs, and you’re forced to help people even when you’re given options that make it look like you could leave them to die. That said, there are some pretty funny minor detours you can take (like blaming a friend of yours for a bad deed and then taking part in pelting him with stones), and it’s sort of funny to demand a reward for anything you do and bilk people out of all of their money. I had almost a billion yen by the end of my asshole playthrough, and I was trying to hold the mayor hostage for another 500 million yen, but it looks like that doesn’t pan out.

Amusingly, there’s one spot in the game where you can choose something to the effect of “Pfft, my choices in this game don’t really matter anyway, so I’ll just sit back and watch what happens.” Unfortunately this is mostly true. But I still enjoyed my first playthrough a lot, and had some fun moments in my second.

Gotta finish up some languishing VR games, then pick the next major title from my backlog…

 

[DJMayes]

Elden Ring is the shit. I'm at the the Capital Ash lvl 115 and according to the interwebs, this is it until NG+. I love everything From Software. Unless it's another Bloodborne, I hope they don't stray from the open world formula for now on.

Have you been to all of the optional areas? Some really cool bosses hidden away back there.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Finally found a Series X. The graphical comparison between it and the Xbox One is like night and day. Resident Evil Village, for example, looks like a completely different game.

I started Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and it's pretty addicting. I loved Origins, but I think this one is slightly stronger. I'm excited to jump into Valhalla in a few months!

Heard a lot of great things about Elden Ring, but also that it's a very difficult game.

 

[DJMayes]

Heard a lot of great things about Elden Ring, but also that it's a very difficult game.

Well, for all intents and purposes the game is essentially Dark Souls 4. If you've ever played or watched any of the previous games (and 3 in particular) you know what to expect.

With that said, Elden Ring is probably the most approachable the formula has ever been, for two main reasons. The first is a new mechanic that allows you to summon NPC helpers for boss fights. The second is the sheer scale of the game; if you get stuck there's almost definitely some optional content you can sink into, and if you've done all the optional content you can grind some of the difficulty away.

There is one boss which might be the hardest the company has ever put out, but it's completely optional.

 

[Jer]

Picked up Everything for $3 and saw pretty much…uh, everything it had to offer over 2 or 3 play sessions. An interesting meditation that pushes some of the same buttons as Katamari Damacy, but it’s more of an interactive philosophical experience than a game. Certainly worth it for $3 if you like weirder art house fare.

Finally finished up the main story for Iron Man VR, and aside from a poorly paced attempt at a horror level later on, this was a really well done game. Intuitive dual motion control, a nice mixture of flight, combat, and precision aiming challenges, some nice VR moments between missions, a story that wasn’t completely throwaway, and no nausea despite all the motion going on. Plus they really nailed the feeling of being Iron Man, which is a pretty unique thing. I will definitely be coming back to this one, as there are some challenge levels left, 5-star goals to hit on the story missions, more upgrades to buy, and two higher difficulty levels with a New Game + option. This game was easily worth at least $20, and I bought it for only $10.

Got started on Star Trek: Elite Force II. Still impressed by how much visual fidelity they eked out of the Quake III Arena engine for this nearly 20 year old game. Still in the early going, but this certainly seems to be better than the original game so far.

 

[Spambot]

I haven't owned a console in a decade, and I haven't played one in years. And a week or so ago, my friend borrowed me a PS3 and I could finally play a game I wanted to since it came out in 2010 - God of War 3. I loved God of War (sequel less so) and I was eagerly waiting for third installment, but it didn't come on PS2. So, in the last couple of days, I finished God of War 3, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and I'm currently playing God of War: Ghost of Sparta (I still have God of War: Ascension waiting for me)

I wish they made God of War but in GTA style, so I could just roam around ancient cities or ride in a carriage and enjoy the scenery. Don't even have to kill anybody. Just cruising down the Ancient Greece.

 

[LooseCannon]

Isn't that one of the newer Assassin's Creed games?

 

[chaosapiant]

I'm on a Persona/Shin Megami Tensei kick. So I'm currently simultaneously playing Persona 5 Royal, Nocturne, and Shin Megami Tensei IV. I've played all of these games before, but never beaten them. The only Tensei games I've beaten are Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable.

 

[LooseCannon]

While waiting for a controller to arrive so I can properly play Jedi: Fallen Order, I decided to start with Mass Effect again. I had an abortive attempt to play the game when it first came out, but people love it, so I figured, why not. And the first one is, uh, really bad. Now, I have a history of going back to games years after they come out and playing them, so this isn't a technology thing, it's very much an experience thing. A poor cover shooter with limited RPG mechanics and a very bland and basic storyline. I'm gonna keep going until 2, but if 2 doesn't hook me, I suspect I'll bail.

 

[Dityn DJ James]

While waiting for a controller to arrive so I can properly play Jedi: Fallen Order, I decided to start with Mass Effect again. I had an abortive attempt to play the game when it first came out, but people love it, so I figured, why not. And the first one is, uh, really bad. Now, I have a history of going back to games years after they come out and playing them, so this isn't a technology thing, it's very much an experience thing. A poor cover shooter with limited RPG mechanics and a very bland and basic storyline. I'm gonna keep going until 2, but if 2 doesn't hook me, I suspect I'll bail.

You'll end up liking 2 more than the first one guaranteed. A lot more emphasis was placed on smoothing out the combat and making it more fun to actually play.

I like the first one the most though mostly for its story and clunky charm.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

While waiting for a controller to arrive so I can properly play Jedi: Fallen Order, I decided to start with Mass Effect again. I had an abortive attempt to play the game when it first came out, but people love it, so I figured, why not. And the first one is, uh, really bad. Now, I have a history of going back to games years after they come out and playing them, so this isn't a technology thing, it's very much an experience thing. A poor cover shooter with limited RPG mechanics and a very bland and basic storyline. I'm gonna keep going until 2, but if 2 doesn't hook me, I suspect I'll bail.

Mass Effect 2 and 3 are stronger games than the original by far, with 2 being exceptional. As @Dityn DJ James said, the combat and gameplay in general is a much smoother experience. The game is lighter on overall story for a good chunk of it, but that is balanced by a ton of interesting characters.

Mass Effect 3 is the smoothest overall experience from a gameplay perspective, but in terms of story it's a step down from the first two games.

 

[Dityn DJ James]

@Detective Beauregard hits it right on the head. If you find and do all the side content on two, your experience can go upwards of 50 to 60 hours. But if you rush through and just do all the essential missions it can seem a lot shorter than the first game.

 

[Cornfed Hick]

I wish they made God of War but in GTA style, so I could just roam around ancient cities or ride in a carriage and enjoy the scenery. Don't even have to kill anybody. Just cruising down the Ancient Greece.

It has been a while since I played it, but if I recall correctly, the PS4 version released in 2018 (and recently released for PC, I think) is not too far from what you describe. But it shifted from Greek to Norse mythology.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I wish they made God of War but in GTA style, so I could just roam around ancient cities or ride in a carriage and enjoy the scenery. Don't even have to kill anybody. Just cruising down the Ancient Greece.

For what it's worth, I think this is the appeal the new "RPG-era" Assassin's Creeds (Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla) are going for.

Works for many gamers, me included.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

For what it's worth, I think this is the appeal the new "RPG-era" Assassin's Creeds (Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla) are going for.

Works for many gamers, me included.

There’s “historical landmarks” (at least in Odyssey and I think in Origins) that you can learn more about, too.

 

[chaosapiant]

I’d love to play one of the new AssCreed games, but I still haven’t plAyed the first 27 games in the series. Alas.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I’d love to play one of the new AssCreed games, but I still haven’t plAyed the first 27 games in the series. Alas.

There's no need to. The overarching modern-day "meta story" is the most dispensable, boring and most often ignored part of the series and apart from that, each game (barring a few exceptions) are stand-alone stories in that particular time period.

On the contrary, getting used to the earlier installments might actually make you like the modern ones less ("they changed it, so it sucks" or something)

I'd recommend trying Origins, which is a good jump-on point (it's also the shortest of the new generation games), it has Ancient Egypt, a great protagonist and a great whiff of culture and atmosphere that still probably can't be beat.

Gameplay-wise, Valhalla is probably the most enjoyable (and the Medieval England is beautiful), but it's long af, has a rather bland protagonist and some... questionable decisions from the development team regarding the story, cultures etc. I'm not usually the most PC-type bloke, but I admit there is something off with that.

I have put off Odyssey until I finish Valhalla and Elden Ring (and maybe until I replay RDR 1 and 2 as well) , because it feels most like the middle of the road between the two, and although it's possibly shorter than Valhalla, feels more sprawling nonetheless. On the other hand, Kassandra is one of my favourite characters in games ever and the only reason she's overshadowed and not remembered as much is probably because that was the year of Arthur Morgan and RDR2 (no one can really compete with that).