Now Playing (Video Games)

[Onhell]

BTW, @Onhell have you played Alien: Isolation? (I'm too lazy to search the thread).

I was reminded of it during Control - and I just now realise why - because the video logs in both games were actually videotaped

But other than that, Alien: Isolation is an absolutely sublime game in many aspects - I like how it was intentionaly retro - with the developers actually going out of their way to recapture the 70s feel of the original movie, I like how the game keeps shifting things, so that the enemies and the areas and your means are recontextualised and despite the game being on the longer side, it still feels fresh, because they find new ways how to challenge the player and the game never becomes a monotonous routine, I like the AI of the Alien and in general, that's one of my favourite games, really.

I just specifically thought of you because we were discussing horror stuff some time ago.

YUP! one of the most recent games to legitimately scare the shit out of me. Absolutely love it. I keep seeing rumors of a sequel, but nothing concrete. It's one of those games I want to play again, then remember who tense and frightened I felt throughout and go, "naah, once was good enough." lol

Almost done with Octopath Traveler. Took a while, but finally learning the full mechanics of each character and how to exploit passives, buffs and specials. Some of these late game bosses feel easier and go down faster than mid game ones. Guess I got gud.

Picked up Shantae and the Seven Sirens on sale and also used some reward points for a gift card to bring it down even more. Doesn't have the charm of earlier games, but the gameplay is consistent... we'll see how that turns out.

Since October is around the corner I'm getting my horror game list out and decided on the Silent Hill 2/3 HD remasters and Blasphemous 2. I also have Resident Evil 7 and 8, but those may have to wait for now.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

BTW, @Onhell have you played Alien: Isolation? (I'm too lazy to search the thread).

I was reminded of it during Control - and I just now realise why - because the video logs in both games were actually videotaped

But other than that, Alien: Isolation is an absolutely sublime game in many aspects - I like how it was intentionaly retro - with the developers actually going out of their way to recapture the 70s feel of the original movie, I like how the game keeps shifting things, so that the enemies and the areas and your means are recontextualised and despite the game being on the longer side, it still feels fresh, because they find new ways how to challenge the player and the game never becomes a monotonous routine, I like the AI of the Alien and in general, that's one of my favourite games, really.

I just specifically thought of you because we were discussing horror stuff some time ago.

I thought I knew what survival horror was after playing Resident Evil and stuff for decades, but I was wrong. Alien Isolation was absolutely terrifying. I’m not typically a fan of games where you have to hide from an invincible one-hit-kill enemy, but this game just nailed it. Superb and tense experience all around.

Decided to start Control again after beating it back in the day, and the best part for me is easily Dr. Darling’s video logs. Hilarious stuff.

 

[Onhell]

I thought I knew what survival horror was after playing Resident Evil and stuff for decades, but I was wrong. Alien Isolation was absolutely terrifying. I’m not typically a fan of games where you have to hide from an invincible one-hit-kill enemy, but this game just nailed it. Superb and tense experience all around.

Also how it feels like a movie rather than a game was pretty cool, nailed all the 70s "future" sci-fi aesthetic to a t.

Decided to start Control again after beating it back in the day, and the best part for me is easily Dr. Darling’s video logs. Hilarious stuff.

That music video... Gold!

 

[Meliegree]

Lately I've been into older titles or remakes of old games.

Black Mesa is an absolutely great remake of my favorite shooter. Just like in the original, I feel like I'm in an action movie. I love the design of the research complex - the environmental storytelling is really high level. After it, I'll gladly go back to Half Life 2.

Doom 3 is still as scary as it was when it premiered. I know that not everyone likes this part of the series, but for me it's an absolutely perfect survival horror. Although I have a weakness for games set in research complexes where something went wrong.

GTA IV - I haven't played this part in 10 years, but it's still definitely an interesting part of the series. The third part had a more arcade feel due to the graphics, while 5 was more realistic. The fourth part is a bit in the middle and you can feel it. Despite everything - it's still fun and I still like driving around the city with the radio on and running away from the police.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Doom 3 is still as scary as it was when it premiered. I know that not everyone likes this part of the series, but for me it's an absolutely perfect survival horror. Although I have a weakness for games set in research complexes where something went wrong.

YES! I love the entire series, but 3 really is an underrated gem. Happy to see some love for it.

 

[Detective Beauregard]

Lately I've been into older titles or remakes of old games.

Black Mesa is an absolutely great remake of my favorite shooter. Just like in the original, I feel like I'm in an action movie. I love the design of the research complex - the environmental storytelling is really high level. After it, I'll gladly go back to Half Life 2.

Doom 3 is still as scary as it was when it premiered. I know that not everyone likes this part of the series, but for me it's an absolutely perfect survival horror. Although I have a weakness for games set in research complexes where something went wrong.

I’m in the same boat as you. Lately I’ve been going back and playing old classics and games I bought but never got around to.

I love Black Mesa, although I never played the final alien world part (my crappy PC couldn’t handle it, anyway). It might be the best fan-made remake I’ve ever played; every part of it improved upon the now quite sterile-feeling original. My only wish is that Valve will make it official enough to port to consoles.

I decided to start up Doom 3 last night, after being more into Doom in general lately. I love this game. It took a classic and reinvented it with arguably my favorite genre (survival horror), and the results are wonderful. My only gripe is that everyone in the game looks like they bench 500 lbs. regularly, which while understandable for marines is not quite so for scientists. A product of its time, though.

I too love the “experiments gone wrong” angle; Resident Evil is hands down my favorite series in gaming.

I could never get into GTA, but the other day I started up Watch Dogs, which is kind of similar. I moved on to something else after starting it years ago, but it’s been fun thus far. As a native Chicagoan, though, I can say that the game’s city does not resemble Chicago geographically in the slightest.

 

[Meliegree]

I could never get into GTA, but the other day I started up Watch Dogs, which is kind of similar. I moved on to something else after starting it years ago, but it’s been fun thus far. As a native Chicagoan, though, I can say that the game’s city does not resemble Chicago geographically in the slightest.

Damn :-( Visiting US is one of my dreams so I was hoping that at least in a game I can do that and Watch Dogs is one of my all time favourites (but I think that WD2 is a little bit better in terms of mechanics; Legions should never be released).

I've started Black Mesa years ago but the I forgot about it due to crappy pc. Rescently I've updated my hardware so now this is not a problem at all and I loved it. Mod for black mesa, Blue Shift, also is very good but a little bit less polished and is not finished yet. Either way - everything about Half Life universe is great and I love Black Mesa facility enough to have mug from the game. And since I'm working as a Data Analyst / Researcher it feels great to work, have my Black Mesa mug and blast OST from the game all day long ;-)

Rescently I'm also more in Doom (or - into ID software old games, to be precise) - last week i've finished Quake 1 (great game) and I can't way to receive my copy of "Masters of Doom" from Amazon (and John Romero biography).

 

[Onhell]

After the Wolfenstein games I decided to follow them up with the Doom games. I've been playing the original on PC for a bit and it's fun, but also a tad frustrating as I get lost easily trying to find the damn keys. I quit a while back because I just can't find the way out of this level with toxic waste everywhere. I've killed all the demons in the level, so now I'm just running around and keep finding dead ends. I walk along the walls looking for secret rooms I might have missed and nothing. I'll look for a walkthrough later, but I still want to play the others. I asked a few friends where should I start and unanimously they said Doom 2016. When I asked them about Doom 3 they said, "Eeeeh, it's its own thing. It's still good, just different, more horror than action, start with Doom 2016, then go back to 3." I'm also a bit curious about Doom 64. So hopefully I'll get through those soon.

I also was never able to get into the GTA games. I know they're good games, I can see why people like them, just.... not my kind of game. I tried playing Bully and same thing... just... meh. I think I'll just try the Red Dead Redemption games.

 

[Meliegree]

I also was never able to get into the GTA games. I know they're good games, I can see why people like them, just.... not my kind of game. I tried playing Bully and same thing... just... meh. I think I'll just try the Red Dead Redemption games.

I know the feeling. I know that baldurs gate 3 is great game but it just can't click with me. Sometimes there are games / genres like this.

 

[Jer]

I could never get into GTA

I also was never able to get into the GTA games.

I have to wonder how many people who think this way either started with GTA IV or only stuck to the story missions and didn’t just get out there and have fun with the emergent sandbox gameplay as well.

The GTA III trilogy had phenomenal sandbox opportunities with all the stunt jumps, tanks, fire engines, etc. — you could have a blast just about anywhere on the map trying to pull off stunts or starting up a ruckus and seeing how long you could survive. GTA: San Andreas really took this to the ultimate extreme, with three different cities and all the wilderness in between, complete with planes and skydiving, trains, 4-wheelers, etc. There was always something fun to do within your line of sight.

GTA IV was, unfortunately, the exact opppsite. The vehicles weren’t fun to drive as they opted for a more realistic driving model, and while Liberty City looked nice, you couldn’t really do anything in it. No stunting opportunities, nothing fun in the air (until the Ballad Of Gay Tony expansion, and even then it felt gimped), and the boat action was tepid too. GTA IV’s strength was its story and story missions, but that was it.

GTA V took a big step back in the right direction, but it still never quite captured the manic freedom of the GTA III trilogy. I really appreciated the wilderness areas, though, and they gave you more to do on (and under) the water.

I actually enjoyed the stunting in GTA: SA so much that I made a video on top of Nightwish’s “Moondance” with some silly stunts on my PS2 back in the day. Someone else liked it enough to permanently host it on their YouTube channel…LOL. Enjoy:

 

[Meliegree]

I have to wonder how many people who think this way either started with GTA IV or only stuck to the story missions and didn’t just get out there and have fun with the emergent sandbox gameplay as well.

The GTA III trilogy had phenomenal sandbox opportunities with all the stunt jumps, tanks, fire engines, etc. — you could have a blast just about anywhere on the map trying to pull off stunts or starting up a ruckus and seeing how long you could survive. GTA: San Andreas really took this to the ultimate extreme, with three different cities and all the wilderness in between, complete with planes and skydiving, trains, 4-wheelers, etc. There was always something fun to do within your line of sight.

GTA IV was, unfortunately, the exact opppsite. The vehicles weren’t fun to drive as they opted for a more realistic driving model, and while Liberty City looked nice, you couldn’t really do anything in it. No stunting opportunities, nothing fun in the air (until the Ballad Of Gay Tony expansion, and even then it felt gimped), and the boat action was tepid too. GTA IV’s strength was its story and story missions, but that was it.

GTA V took a big step back in the right direction, but it still never quite captured the manic freedom of the GTA III trilogy. I really appreciated the wilderness areas, though, and they gave you more to do on (and under) the water.

I actually enjoyed the stunting in GTA: SA so much that I made a video on top of Nightwish’s “Moondance” with some silly stunts on my PS2 back in the day. Someone else liked it enough to permanently host it on their YouTube channel…LOL. Enjoy:

I remember this video from something like 10 years ago! But I see that it was posted 18 years ago soooo... WOW.

 

[Jer]

So, PS5 Pro comes out November 7 @ $700 and basically gets you to 4K/60 with full fidelity on everything. I could barely see the differences in the side-by-side presentation, so this would appear to only be for total graphics whores. I don’t even have a 4K TV, because the TV would have to be so large with me sitting 7-9ft away from it to even be able to see a difference between 4K and 1080p that there’s no point.

I’d be more interested in seeing its effects on PSVR2 games, but Sony doesn’t appear to be focusing on that product anymore. Oh well.

 

[Onhell]

So, PS5 Pro comes out November 7 @ $700

This got me curious as far the 2000 console releases.... Since I'm an xbox guy that's what I'll be using, but Playstation pretty much has released theirs around the same time.

The OG xbox was released November of 2001
The 360 November of 2005! The OG xbox was only around for four years! That's insane.
The Xbox One November of 2013! EIGHT years after the 360. That's crazy, not only that, the 360 continued to have support after that.
The Series X/S November 2020. This one suprised me, seven years after the One, I could've sworn the One didn't last that long, but almost as much as the 360.

I haven't really payed too much attention, but it seems 7 years is standard. The NES released in 1983, the SNES in 1990/1 (can't recall), the N64... 1996? So yeah, I wonder how long this generation lasts, if at all.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

I have to wonder how many people who think this way either started with GTA IV or only stuck to the story missions and didn’t just get out there and have fun with the emergent sandbox gameplay as well.

The GTA III trilogy had phenomenal sandbox opportunities with all the stunt jumps, tanks, fire engines, etc. — you could have a blast just about anywhere on the map trying to pull off stunts or starting up a ruckus and seeing how long you could survive. GTA: San Andreas really took this to the ultimate extreme, with three different cities and all the wilderness in between, complete with planes and skydiving, trains, 4-wheelers, etc. There was always something fun to do within your line of sight.

GTA IV was, unfortunately, the exact opppsite. The vehicles weren’t fun to drive as they opted for a more realistic driving model, and while Liberty City looked nice, you couldn’t really do anything in it. No stunting opportunities, nothing fun in the air (until the Ballad Of Gay Tony expansion, and even then it felt gimped), and the boat action was tepid too. GTA IV’s strength was its story and story missions, but that was it.

GTA V took a big step back in the right direction, but it still never quite captured the manic freedom of the GTA III trilogy. I really appreciated the wilderness areas, though, and they gave you more to do on (and under) the water.

I actually enjoyed the stunting in GTA: SA so much that I made a video on top of Nightwish’s “Moondance” with some silly stunts on my PS2 back in the day. Someone else liked it enough to permanently host it on their YouTube channel…LOL. Enjoy:

I agree. When 3, Vice City and San Andreas came out, it was gaming perfection - after first discovering the city on foot in 3 and after Vice City added the absolutely entrancing 80s retro atmosphere (and the soundtrack!) I just didn't think they would up the ante again. And then when after the beginning of San Andreas you left Los Santos (which was already as big as 3, or at least felt that way) and appeared in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, you felt the world was just so ... big. To me, they worked better than Morrowind or Oblivion (maybe because I was young and stupid) and to this day, I kinda still compare every "open" game to SA.

That said, I totally get how people playing 4 and 5 would feel differently - I missed 4 because I didn't have the PC for it back then and when I tried 5 some time ago, I just could not finish it - it was certainly well-wrought, it was very detailed and a lot of care must have gone into the product, but it was really... boring. Lifeless. Dunno. The characters were also kinda meh (though I genuinely enjoyed the burnt-out middle-aged bloke whose name I don't even remember) - the discount CJ was really a disappointment and Tevor was the series jumping the shark for me.

I think I'll just try the Red Dead Redemption games.

Yeah, these are their own thing and while I didn't finish GTA V and have no intention to return to it, RDR 2 is among my best games of all time.

 

[Meliegree]

I never liked San Andreas. I mean - I can see that it was a good game but never worked for me. Don't know why. I loved GTA I, II and III and I miss Kill Frenzies in newer versions. I play now IV and I don't feel the magic but maybe it is due to graphic choices - color palette is not that great.

Morrowind was probably last great RPG in Elder Scrolls for me. Skyrim is a lot of fun but I don't feel the epic magnitude of Morrowind. Morrowind was great for role playing (with addons etc. even better) but what I loved about this game was that a) you could kill anyone, anytime - even if that would brake the game and b) while reading ingame books you could find traces of legendary weapons and then, actually, get them. It blew my 13yo brain out.

 

[LooseCannon]

San Andreas is one of my favourite games of all time. Hell of a fun time. Shame it doesn't run well on modern PCs and shame that the re-master was such crap.

Skyrim is a game I have consistently failed to get into, just like with Oblivion.

 

[DJMayes]

Morrowind was probably last great RPG in Elder Scrolls for me. Skyrim is a lot of fun but I don't feel the epic magnitude of Morrowind. Morrowind was great for role playing (with addons etc. even better) but what I loved about this game was that a) you could kill anyone, anytime - even if that would brake the game and b) while reading ingame books you could find traces of legendary weapons and then, actually, get them. It blew my 13yo brain out.

Fantastic RPG, but deeply frustrating as a game. Between the random chance for attacks to miss and the asinine levelling system (which requires a spreadsheet to use optimally) I find it very difficult to go back and play.

On the other hand, I fondly remember trying to swim to Solstheim the first time I played and being amazed that it actually worked.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Yesterday evening I finished Alan Wake's American Nightmare and just now I finished the main game of Control - I still have to do the mirror, the mold sidequest, re-fighting Tommasi and the two DLCs.

As for AWAN: I must say, in some ways at least, I liked it more than the first game. The gameplay felt more smooth (although it might have been because I played this one on PC), however I should have chosen the harder difficulty - the standard one was way too easy. I liked the feel, it reminded me of Tarantino's part of Grindhouse (which is my favourite Tarantino movie overall) - the repetitive arc structure, the deliberately trashy aesthetic, the retro stylisation (I mean, if it was actually set in the 70s, you wouldn't have to change a thing), it felt more concise, narratively (and less game-y, weirdly enough) and although very short, definitely worth it. I'm not really sure if it adds to the lore in any sensible matter, though.
Despite the omission of Barry (or maybe because of it) and despite it all feeling very ... self-contained and more minimalistic, I enjoyed the characters slightly more - the main "villain" clicked more for me (though there wasn't really a villain in 1), I actually cared about Emma - with their post-modern banter feeling rather on-point - and "little miss Whoreslut" was both hilarious and eerily dark, which is a balance that's hard to manage. I just realised - there was a lot of female characters, this time around - Sam Lake has definitely gotten better at writing those since the times of Max Payne (whose first two installments are still my favourite Remedy releases, nonetheless).

Control: That game was a blast and I must admit that it corrected most of the problems I had with Alan Wake - in particular the combat, once you started acquiring the various superpowers, was very smooth and fun, definitely at least to the par of Hogwarts Legacy's combat, maybe even God of War's one. Like I already said, I should have liked this one less than AW, purely genre-wise, but I enjoyed the story beats more, the mind-screw near the end was less expected and therefore more effective and Jesse was 100x more charismatic than Alan, sorry (although around the time of American Nightmare, I came around on him as well). Ahti was cool - perkele - and some of the ideas - the Motel, the Ashtray maze etc. were really, really cool. That said, maybe the horror aspect could have been more pronounced (there were ideas like the apparently sentient furnace that led nowhere in the end) and me personally I'd add a bit more of a cosmic horror twist in the end.

Maybe the game felt a bit too ... bloated, in a way, with the main quest and the sidequest feeling slightly too long (although I understand the desire to give the gamer his money's worth, which it definitely did).

But a very cool game indeed.

@Onhell what's the consensus on the DLCs? Should I do them in release order or should I put AWE before the Foundation (as I've seen recommended several times on Reddit and elsewhere)? And does it really matter?

After fully completin Control, it's Alan Wake 2, baby (in parallel to Baldur's Gate 3).

 

[Onhell]

@Onhell what's the consensus on the DLCs? Should I do them in release order or should I put AWE before the Foundation (as I've seen recommended several times on Reddit and elsewhere)? And does it really matter?

After fully completin Control, it's Alan Wake 2, baby (in parallel to Baldur's Gate 3).

Don't know if I'm the right person to ask, because I try to do as many side quests and collectables as possible before finishing a game. I did AWE as soon as it became available, around mission 7 I think. I like to do it first as Foundation is the true endgame.

 

[Vaenyr]

Finally finished It Takes Two earlier today. It was one of the weirder games I've played. My overall impression is rather mixed to negative, with some highlights.

The story straight up sucks; every single character is obnoxious and frustrating without any redeeming qualities; the music is forgettable; the voice acting subpar. The environmental design is great, the art direction at times truly gorgeous and some of the enemies are really creative designs; the human characters on the other hand are offensively ugly and bad, same goes for the freaking book. The game is far too long and each section draaaaags and overstays its welcome. Not once do the human characters act like actual human beings would and most of the problems are pure contrivances that could've been solved by talking for a minute.

There is a ton of variety in gameplay, yet none of it is stellar. Most minigames are rather redundant and many of the puzzle sections are half baked. The idea to split up abilities between the characters is nice, but the execution left a lot to be desired. First of all, the asymmetry in puzzle engagement was pretty glaring. There were many times were one character was clearly doing far more than the other and you even have to simply wait around while the other player is doing their thing. Furthermore, while some abilities were pretty fleshed out and had some neat puzzles, others felt like afterthoughts and more along the lines of "ugh, we need to think of something for both of them" and tacked something on to both, without properly thinking about if the new abilities are a worthwhile addition to the core gameplay. Despite the game dragging endlessly, the puzzle design was always cut short, right before things started getting interesting.

While I'm usually a fan of linearity, I was disappointed that there were essentially no secrets or easter eggs to explore. You have these interesting and cool locations, but except for a few boring minigames there's nothing to discover and no reason to really look around. You were basically just going through the lacklustre puzzles to go from one badly directed and annoying cutscene to the next. It really didn't help that the overall message of the game seems more than misguided.

I'm baffled that this game won so many GOTY awards when it didn't even deserve a nomination in my opinion. I didn't hate my time with the game and there were some cool moments overall, but it was truly exhausting and I was so glad when it was finally over. At least now I can move one to some other games.

Started The Legend Of Banjo-Kazooie: The Jiggies Of Time yesterday, a romhack of BK in OOT's Hyrule. What a delightful little project! Completed the first world so far and the re-arrangements with BK's soundfont are awesome. For a fangame it's surprisingly solid. Had me grinning like a fool for entire first hour that I played. Looking forward to continuing later.