Now Playing (Video Games)
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Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Your video card and monitor are theoretically G-Sync capable (variable frame rate refresh) -- is it possible that they're attempting to use that mode but not handshaking successfully? Is there a way to turn that feature off on both ends?
Otherwise I'm not sure what to say, as it looks like your video card and monitor should both support these modes and you're using the pack-in monitor cable. You might want to try a DisplayPort connection instead...?
I saw some stuff about Sea of Stars and it looked cool, but I did not realize it was related to The Messenger. I was already intrigued but that might be a selling point for me.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
So I have an interesting situation which is kinda puzzling. I used to have xbox's Gold subscription for years. about 3 years ago or so they offered me a year of game pass for free. Shortly before that I had to cancel all my subscription services, because the world was ending and food and services skyrocketed in price. I haven't re-upped any service. However, I noticed that some of the games on my store wishlist said, "playable." Normally it says, "owned" or like my xbox one games for gold, "installable." In other words, I can install it, but if I want to play it I have to re-up the subscription.
Well, I took a look at some of these "playable" games and they're all gamepass games. I've been able to install and play the Wasteland trilogy, Sea of Stars among others. The thing is.... I don't know WHY. Anybody else has had this most desirable of problems? When I asked a friend about it he said, "Dude, just enjoy some free games." But I'm still bothered by it, nothing is free in this world so I don't know if it's for my brand loyalty or a neat glitch.
Well, I took a look at some of these "playable" games and they're all gamepass games. I've been able to install and play the Wasteland trilogy, Sea of Stars among others. The thing is.... I don't know WHY. Anybody else has had this most desirable of problems? When I asked a friend about it he said, "Dude, just enjoy some free games." But I'm still bothered by it, nothing is free in this world so I don't know if it's for my brand loyalty or a neat glitch.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Finished up The Ascent. It was an enjoyable game, though the story was a bit lackluster and the combat got a little repetitive over time. I do give them credit for trying to mix up twin stick shooter gameplay with shooting at different heights, and having different damage types, and cyber attacks and defense. I only paid $9 for it, but it was easily worth double that.
I'm over 50 hours into God Of War: Ragnarök now, and I think I'm finally near the end. I've maxed out almost all of my loudout, I've been checking off a lot of game-spanning side quests, and some key story events presumably signaling the endgame have started to happen. This game has been way longer than I expected, which leads me to believe that this was originally planned as a trilogy and they opted to collapse both the second and third games into a single final release.
Most of the game has been great, though I've been really disappointed with the relative lack of appeal of the armors that started appearing toward the end. From what I remember, the Surtr armor from the previous game was pretty clearly the best option and you had to work your ass off to get it, but in Ragnarök the Surtr and Dragon Scale armors just don't offer very appealing perks, nor do many of the other late game items. I've been using Sol's Spaulders with the Raven Tears gauntlets and bottoms for the vast majority of the game (basically allowing your rage bar to be used as backup health, and increasing the value of all rage and health pickups), combined with amulet sets that increase my damage proportional to the size of my rage bar, and also increase it when my health is below 50%, and I can't remember the last time I died in battle. I just have no incentive to try anything else at this point. I suppose there are some other perk combos that could work really well for specific playstyles (one based around building up charge on the weapons and protecting that charge, or another based on slowing down time at critical junctures), but my current setup appears to be far and away the best one for survivability.
Looking forward to trying out Phoenix Point next. I was a huge fan of the original 1994 X-Com: UFO Defense (less so its two sequels, though X-Com: Apocalypse had a lot of high points), and while I enjoyed the two recent Firaxis XCOM titles, they were never quite on the same level of the original IMO. Phoenix Point is the original X-Com creator Julian Gollup's take on the Firaxis XCOM style of game, and I'm curious to see how he melds his faction-based overworld strategy into the mix, as well as the tactical enhancements he's added (weapons now have a 100% confidence cone and can be manually aimed, so no more missing at point blank range with a shotgun thanks to RNG; plus enemies supposedly evolve over the course of the game both physically and tactically in response to the way you combat them -- also, vehicles on the tactical battlefield!). The PS5 version contains all but the most recent DLC drop, and the game's been out long enough that the bugs from its launch window should hopefully be all cleared up by now. I guess I'll find out soon.
I'm over 50 hours into God Of War: Ragnarök now, and I think I'm finally near the end. I've maxed out almost all of my loudout, I've been checking off a lot of game-spanning side quests, and some key story events presumably signaling the endgame have started to happen. This game has been way longer than I expected, which leads me to believe that this was originally planned as a trilogy and they opted to collapse both the second and third games into a single final release.
Most of the game has been great, though I've been really disappointed with the relative lack of appeal of the armors that started appearing toward the end. From what I remember, the Surtr armor from the previous game was pretty clearly the best option and you had to work your ass off to get it, but in Ragnarök the Surtr and Dragon Scale armors just don't offer very appealing perks, nor do many of the other late game items. I've been using Sol's Spaulders with the Raven Tears gauntlets and bottoms for the vast majority of the game (basically allowing your rage bar to be used as backup health, and increasing the value of all rage and health pickups), combined with amulet sets that increase my damage proportional to the size of my rage bar, and also increase it when my health is below 50%, and I can't remember the last time I died in battle. I just have no incentive to try anything else at this point. I suppose there are some other perk combos that could work really well for specific playstyles (one based around building up charge on the weapons and protecting that charge, or another based on slowing down time at critical junctures), but my current setup appears to be far and away the best one for survivability.
Looking forward to trying out Phoenix Point next. I was a huge fan of the original 1994 X-Com: UFO Defense (less so its two sequels, though X-Com: Apocalypse had a lot of high points), and while I enjoyed the two recent Firaxis XCOM titles, they were never quite on the same level of the original IMO. Phoenix Point is the original X-Com creator Julian Gollup's take on the Firaxis XCOM style of game, and I'm curious to see how he melds his faction-based overworld strategy into the mix, as well as the tactical enhancements he's added (weapons now have a 100% confidence cone and can be manually aimed, so no more missing at point blank range with a shotgun thanks to RNG; plus enemies supposedly evolve over the course of the game both physically and tactically in response to the way you combat them -- also, vehicles on the tactical battlefield!). The PS5 version contains all but the most recent DLC drop, and the game's been out long enough that the bugs from its launch window should hopefully be all cleared up by now. I guess I'll find out soon.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
About two days ago, I finished Blasphemous 2. It's a good one, one of the sequels that tries to give more of the same, yet give it enough of a twist so it feels like it's great in a completely different way - somewhat like Doom - Eternal Doom or Ori 1 and 2.
I immediately returned to 1, because I found out I haven't played the DLC and I'm stuck on the Isidora boss right now, as well as discovering other stuff.
Otherwise, my gaming progress has mostly stopped, most of the time I'm now using my free time to read or participate in the metal cup
I immediately returned to 1, because I found out I haven't played the DLC and I'm stuck on the Isidora boss right now, as well as discovering other stuff.
Otherwise, my gaming progress has mostly stopped, most of the time I'm now using my free time to read or participate in the metal cup
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Finally finished the main story in God Of War: Ragnarök after about 60 hours, though I was doing all the side stuff along the way. I like how they subverted expectations in a lot of ways, but there were only a few sequences in the final battle that really captured the epic scope of past games in the series (I guess God Of War III set the bar a little too high in that regard). If I have any real complaint it's that most of the game had people running around in isolation talking about how "Ragnarök is coming!" and how they were all concerned about it, but they didn't really demonstrate the stakes or have a steady build-up of tension and difficulty until the very end of the story arc. The themes around Atreus's growth into young adulthood and accepting the consequences of your decisions played out pretty well, though.
There's a decent amount of post-game content that I've mostly wrapped up, with only the two toughest boss fights in the game left (which are only available after finishing the story) -- The Berserker King and the new Valkyrie Queen. Over a few attempts I was able to get the former down to about 1/3 health and the latter down to about 1/2, so I'm going to need to get more familiar with their attack patterns and counters to finish them off -- but as I recall, beating the Valkyrie Queen in the previous game took me many, many attempts and some equipment modifications to finally win, even with maxed out gear, so I may need to mix some things up here, too.
There's a decent amount of post-game content that I've mostly wrapped up, with only the two toughest boss fights in the game left (which are only available after finishing the story) -- The Berserker King and the new Valkyrie Queen. Over a few attempts I was able to get the former down to about 1/3 health and the latter down to about 1/2, so I'm going to need to get more familiar with their attack patterns and counters to finish them off -- but as I recall, beating the Valkyrie Queen in the previous game took me many, many attempts and some equipment modifications to finally win, even with maxed out gear, so I may need to mix some things up here, too.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Cleaned up the two post-game bosses in Ragnarök and hit 100% completion. The Berserker King took many, many attempts, a lot of spear throwing, and a little bit of luck; but for the new Valkyrie Queen I actually reevaluated my gear and traded the Raven’s Tears gauntlets and bottoms for the Surtr set (reducing incoming damage by 40% while I’m in the middle of attacking) while keeping Sol’s Spaulders so rage would still be treated as extra health, and I used the new relic from the other post-game boss for some extra damage. I switched a couple of weapon hilts, too. Going in with the new setup I beat the final post-game boss on only my third try, which was a pleasant surprise.
Now I’m off to Phoenix Point and the PSVR2 version of Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners…
Now I’m off to Phoenix Point and the PSVR2 version of Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners…
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
Finished base game of Sea of Stars, truly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. While a prequel to The Messenger you can play them in any order, you'll get the references either way. Considering it took my 50+ hours I decided to take a break from it and Play Prey (the original with the Cherokee mechanic getting adducted by aliens), and Spiritfarer. I'm enjoying both. Prey for it's simplistic game play, I like early FPS for their limited scope, linear progression and lack of collectathons) and Spiritfarer is just gorgeous to look at and relaxing to play.
I've added Lies of P to my play next docket as, again, even though it's technically a GamePass game, I am able to play it. I've taken my friend's advice and as puzzling as it is to be able to play Gamepass games without a subscription, I won't question it and just enjoy it.
I've added Lies of P to my play next docket as, again, even though it's technically a GamePass game, I am able to play it. I've taken my friend's advice and as puzzling as it is to be able to play Gamepass games without a subscription, I won't question it and just enjoy it.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
Do you guys ever get game paralysis? like... you look at your libraries and go, "fuck I have a bunch of games." "I have no clue what to play next" I had this "plan" to clear my back catalogue, but it started being a bit of a chore. And I'm like, "nah don't want to play THIS right now, kinda feel like playing THAT," but that entails DELETING this so I can INSTALL that... ugh. Kinda having that crisis now lol
DJMayes
Ancient Mariner
This is like half the reason that I'm still stuck on Nintendo systems, to be honest. That said, because I mainly stick to the big first party releases and don't dip into indie games it means I've got the opposite problem with nothing I want to play until the new Mario comes out!
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
When I'm staring at games that are likely going to be 60-100 hour epics, yes, because I need to be ready for that level of commitment before I jump in. I like to play a short indie palate cleanser between big games like that.
I also like to focus on a couple of different games at the same time so I can mix things up without losing accumulated skills, and still feel like I'm progressing on both. Lately that means maining one standard game and one VR game at the same time.
Unfortunately, my broad interests combined with discount frequency and game length are making it so my backlog isn't really shrinking much. A good problem to have, I suppose, but I figured I would have whittled it down more by now.
Speaking of which, I'm probably a dozen hours into my first game of Phoenix Point, and aside from the combat being too easy so far on the default difficulty, I'm enjoying most of the wrinkles Julian Gollop (the creator of the original 1994 X-Com) added back into the Firaxis-style XCOM template. 4 action points instead of 2 (and tracking fractional points so you can use up any remaining move allowance in smaller increments if you like), all environmental objects being destructible, vehicles that can transport soldiers, drive through obstacles, or provide long-range artillery support, and three other in-game human factions with their own cities, tech, trade options, and diplomatic concerns. You can work with or against the different factions as they act against each other and the virally mutated threat, but you lose the game if the overall human population drops below a certain level, so you're incentivized to not try to wipe out competitive factions. And I'm playing my first game without any of the DLC turned on yet. Apparently you can win the game at least 4 different ways, depending on whether you follow your own path or ally yourself closely with one of the three factions, so I'll probably be playing through this one a few times.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
That's not going to last much longer. Apple has pushed for all digital for like the last decade or so (since Tim Cook's first presentation), If the xbox leaks are to be believed, the next Xbox is "adorably" all digital. Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, Hulu, Disney+, GamePass, Steam etc... All our media is becoming digital only. Alan Wake 2 is a digital only release and far from the only one. Diablo IV is only one of several "always online" games. It's a distrubing trend that is gaining traction. Also, according to the leaks, Microsoft is planning on BUYING Nintendo, and the only reason they are considering it is, because DISNEY expressed interest in buying it. So enjoy your Switch and cartridges while you can.
That's the thing, I'm currently mucking about CoD3, Spiritfarer, Prey (OG), Vampire Hunter, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. BUT I want to replay Alan Wake, Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Metro series, etc. And what sucks is that these are NOT short games. It's not like when I wanted to replay Mega Man 2 and I finished it in 25 minutes or Golden Axe II on my Genesis and was done in an hour twenty. Nope, these are AT LEAST 10 hour adventures which means at least a weekend if played diligently and above all competently (I keep dying in CoD3 lol). So yeah, first world problems haha
DJMayes
Ancient Mariner
If these leaks are Phil Spencer's emails, then Kotaku (https://kotaku.com/microsoft-buy-nintendo-net-worth-valve-steam-email-1850852461) quote them as saying that he doesn’t see “an angle to a near term mutually agreeable merger of Nintendo and MS". So in other words, no news except the admission that Microsoft would like to own Nintendo and their IP, which shouldn't really surprise anyone.
With that said, Nintendo are in a strong position right now due to the success of the Switch and its software. I do not think they would agree to sell, but even if they did I would hope that it would not make it through the courts.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
So I started on this a little late since October is almost over, but I've been playing some creepy games. Finally finished Little Nightmares II. I say, "finally," because I started it last year, but reached the hospital level where the medical mannequins move in the dark and I had a huge NOPE moment. Therefore I picked it up again, powered through that level and it got.... VERY calm after that. It wasn't bad, but I prefer the original.
I finally started RE4 OG. The controls are something to get used to, but aside from that I'm having a lot of fun. Barely rescued Ashley and met up with Luis barricading ourselves in the schack while we get attacked.
Before that I decided to replay Alan Wake. Love this game. Every time I play I find new little details. I just worked through the main game, not sure if I'll do the DLC
Also have Rise of the Tomb Raider in the wings again to play some DLC I haven't gotten to yet like Lara's Nightmare.
As for more spooky games I'm debating which Caslevania to play next. I have the Capcom collection and last year played Castlevania I and II for Gameboy and the NES OG. So now I'm between starting Simon's Quest, Symphony of the Night or Harmony of Despair
I finally started RE4 OG. The controls are something to get used to, but aside from that I'm having a lot of fun. Barely rescued Ashley and met up with Luis barricading ourselves in the schack while we get attacked.
Before that I decided to replay Alan Wake. Love this game. Every time I play I find new little details. I just worked through the main game, not sure if I'll do the DLC
Also have Rise of the Tomb Raider in the wings again to play some DLC I haven't gotten to yet like Lara's Nightmare.
As for more spooky games I'm debating which Caslevania to play next. I have the Capcom collection and last year played Castlevania I and II for Gameboy and the NES OG. So now I'm between starting Simon's Quest, Symphony of the Night or Harmony of Despair
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Got too cocky with Phoenix Point because the tactical battles had been consistently too easy on the standard difficulty, so as soon as I got a second transport plane I loaded up my weaker B team on it and sent it off to do an extraction mission pivotal to securing a close alliance with another faction. Poor me, I wound up starting out in the open in a city environment full of human snipers with only one sniper in my squad. They quickly turned him into Swiss cheese from afar, despite my hiding him behind a tree in theoretically full cover and repeatedly medkitting him; and everything went downhill quickly from there, with the whole squad and their VIP getting flatlined. Normally I’d eat the loss and try to keep going, but after enduring a difficulty spike that large, I think I’ve earned a mulligan.
Decided to play A Short Hike as a palate cleanser. This was a game that I actually found through the composer, since I really liked Mark Sparling’s soundtrack for Cursed To Golf, and this previous game of his was reviewed well and was on sale for $5, so I figured why not. The game wound up being a delightful little snack of exploration and traversal that keeps expanding in scope the longer you play, and it’s relentlessly positive and playful. I completed absolutely everything in the game in only 5 hours or so, but that’s still a good value for $5. Highly recommended if you enjoy games like Grow Home / Grow Up, or really any kind of environmental exploration game.
Decided to play A Short Hike as a palate cleanser. This was a game that I actually found through the composer, since I really liked Mark Sparling’s soundtrack for Cursed To Golf, and this previous game of his was reviewed well and was on sale for $5, so I figured why not. The game wound up being a delightful little snack of exploration and traversal that keeps expanding in scope the longer you play, and it’s relentlessly positive and playful. I completed absolutely everything in the game in only 5 hours or so, but that’s still a good value for $5. Highly recommended if you enjoy games like Grow Home / Grow Up, or really any kind of environmental exploration game.
Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Still plugging away at my first playthrough of Phoenix Point, which has gotten noticeably more difficult with the introduction of more advanced enemies who can cause panic and exert mind control. I'm starting to wonder if the enemies evolve based on hitting specific narrative moments, which may mean that I progressed things faster than I should have vs. evolving my tech.
The resource cost of reoutfitting my team is just too high, so most of them are still operating in the original armor I recruited them with, which is starting to get outclassed. For the ones who can be trained to take on a second character class, I may lean into adding heavy abilities just to be able to put them in the jump-jet-capable chest piece, since the parabolic jumps are a huge tactical advantage when you're not fighting in a cave. That might be enough to reassert an advantage.
Also, the game is starting to encourage me to capture some enemies alive to study them, but that involves getting up close to paralyze them with melee weapons and then standing there to keep them paralyzed, which isn't great tactically. I did stumble upon one paralyzing pistol, but I have no way to manufacture more ammo for it, so I can't really rely on it.
I'm at a point where the "Pandoran mist" that infects humans has spread around large parts of the globe, which makes enemies stronger and more plentiful. I've also noticed that a faction I'm not close with has developed some kind of tech to repel the mist in a certain radius around their outposts, which would be very nice to have, so I may need to consider snuggling up to them more or looking for an opportunity to steal their tech. Anyway, still very interesting, though I need a break from it now and then.
I finally gave Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners a try on PSVR2. It didn't allow me to import my PSVR1 save game, unfortunately. The character models and level geometry and everything are at the same level of detail as before, but the increase in visual clarity going from PSVR1 to PSVR2 is so huge, and the enhanced haptics and thumb stick support are so nice, that I'm no longer grumbling about having to pay $10 for the upgrade. It'll take me another couple of hours to catch up to where I was before, but I'm still looking forward to it.
I also picked up Inscryption for $10, which is a bizarre little PvE card game with some minor adventure game meta around it. You don't get any real context on what's going on at first, being locked in a weird little cabin with an adversary you can't quite see, playing cards with actual animals' souls stuck in them, and some of the cards talk to you. And you can get up from the table between matches and interact with a bunch of stuff on the walls, sometimes revealing new cards you can use, and sometimes giving you hints as to what you might need to do to get out of this virtual purgatory. It's got roguelike elements, such as when you fully lose a game you get turned into a card for the next round, with some choices available to you about what attributes to take from other cards, but I'm still learning the systems and trying to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to do. An interesting game for sure, though.
The resource cost of reoutfitting my team is just too high, so most of them are still operating in the original armor I recruited them with, which is starting to get outclassed. For the ones who can be trained to take on a second character class, I may lean into adding heavy abilities just to be able to put them in the jump-jet-capable chest piece, since the parabolic jumps are a huge tactical advantage when you're not fighting in a cave. That might be enough to reassert an advantage.
Also, the game is starting to encourage me to capture some enemies alive to study them, but that involves getting up close to paralyze them with melee weapons and then standing there to keep them paralyzed, which isn't great tactically. I did stumble upon one paralyzing pistol, but I have no way to manufacture more ammo for it, so I can't really rely on it.
I'm at a point where the "Pandoran mist" that infects humans has spread around large parts of the globe, which makes enemies stronger and more plentiful. I've also noticed that a faction I'm not close with has developed some kind of tech to repel the mist in a certain radius around their outposts, which would be very nice to have, so I may need to consider snuggling up to them more or looking for an opportunity to steal their tech. Anyway, still very interesting, though I need a break from it now and then.
I finally gave Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners a try on PSVR2. It didn't allow me to import my PSVR1 save game, unfortunately. The character models and level geometry and everything are at the same level of detail as before, but the increase in visual clarity going from PSVR1 to PSVR2 is so huge, and the enhanced haptics and thumb stick support are so nice, that I'm no longer grumbling about having to pay $10 for the upgrade. It'll take me another couple of hours to catch up to where I was before, but I'm still looking forward to it.
I also picked up Inscryption for $10, which is a bizarre little PvE card game with some minor adventure game meta around it. You don't get any real context on what's going on at first, being locked in a weird little cabin with an adversary you can't quite see, playing cards with actual animals' souls stuck in them, and some of the cards talk to you. And you can get up from the table between matches and interact with a bunch of stuff on the walls, sometimes revealing new cards you can use, and sometimes giving you hints as to what you might need to do to get out of this virtual purgatory. It's got roguelike elements, such as when you fully lose a game you get turned into a card for the next round, with some choices available to you about what attributes to take from other cards, but I'm still learning the systems and trying to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to do. An interesting game for sure, though.
Meliegree
Evening The Odds.
I started Cyberpunk (yes, again) - now I want to finish core game & phantom liberty as netrunner. Funny thing is that I'm lvl 41/60 with 50/50 street creed and I just started act II of the game. I expect that main story will be super easy. 
After that I have couple games from gog.com on my virtual shelf to finish
After that I have couple games from gog.com on my virtual shelf to finish