Whatcha Been Playing?

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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Just went to GAME on my lunch and traded in five games for God Of War. Such a rip off really and I always come out of it feeling a bit dirty, but looking forward to starting it at the weekend :)
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

I took a while for the AC adapter part to arrive for my Virtual Boy (a sentence that I never thought I'd be saying in 2018), but now I can fire it up (like I'm going to put six AA batteries in?!? I mean, come on! :roll: ).

And first cab off the rank is Galactic Pinball. I got the cart packed in with my Virtual Boy (including the original box/packaging and instruction manual), and I gotta say, it does play a mean pinball.

You can use either the two d-pads or the trigger buttons on the back of the controller for the pinball paddles, and it feels right. The physics are pretty spot on, which I judge based on my skill with real world pinball (i.e., not that great).

I didn't get the Virtual Boy headaches (again, a sentence I never thought I'd say in 2018). You do need to take breaks, as you need to refresh your eyes from time to time, though it's not really a huge problem due to the nature of pinball not requiring the same time commitments of an RPG.

Overall, I like the experience. Nintendo have a knack for creating wholly unique experiences (regardless of commercial success) - despite all the waggle-shovelware that came out on the Wii, Wii Bowling is still something that feels right, and something that is genuinely simple, intuitive and fun. They take risks, and the Virtual Boy is a risk that didn't really work out, but it's not without its Nintendo charms.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I played the opening couple of hours of God Of War last night, and, well, it's pretty spectacular.

It looks great, although visually I have to say I don't think it's the best the PS4 has to offer. I think Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy were better looking games, maybe even Bloodborne. But audio-wise, it's blown me away. The music, the choral vocal, the sounds - I mean you can literally hear the leather on Kratos outfit creak as he walks. It's incredible.

If I had one minor criticism at this point, it's that whilst the regular combat feels pretty weighty, the boss fights have not. I've only met two bosses. The first large one in the very first part of the game, and the stranger (I don't think there's anything there that could be considered a spoiler..?) but there is very little feedback when you're attacking them. Kratos axe almost seems to just go through them and it's only the slowly decreasing health bar of the enemy that gives you a clue that damage is being dealt.

That aside, very impressed so far. I'm playing on 'balanced' which I think was the default setting and to be considered 'normal'? I've died once so far just from a mob of regular enemies, but yeah, what a game.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

The online demo of Blaz Blue Cross Tag Battle (or whatever the damn thing is called) on the PS4. I think it’s up till some point on Sunday then it reverts to an offline only demo until the game launches.

It’s fun, but not massively my thing. It borrows a lot from Blaz Blue (duh) and also a bunch of mechanics from Persona 4 arena. So if you know either of those games you’ll be mostly at home pretty quick.

For me it’s a bit too chaotic and I keep forgetting all the different systems in play. It’s also really weird seeing Arc Sys go back to 2d sprites again after the utterly gorgeous 3d work in Guilty Gear Xrd. But I suspect it reduces the workload a fair bit if most of the cast already exist in fully animated form.

I do like the special intros they’ve done for almost every character pairing. Kinda fun seeing how the Persona 4 lot deal with the more... extreme... things in the Blaz Blue (and Uniel, and RWBY) universes.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

I’ve played 32 hours of Divinity Original Sin and I’m not out of the first area (there are four).

I’m enjoying it but story-wise it’s generic fantasy bobbins, livened up by some good jokes, and I think I’ve fallen into a combat loop that won’t change much (all four chars have teleport for crowd control and I’m working on getting three out of four a summon familiar spell to tie up enemies further).

So I dunno if the story will take a turn for the better in the next area or whether the combat will need to evolve. I’ll play a bit longer anyway in the absence of any other appealing games.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

Errr, maybe a genre noted for its addictive qualities may not be what you’re looking for right now?
rob25X
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by rob25X »

Just finished James Cameron's Avatar on Xbox 360, all I can say is.. Wow!

I don't know why this game received such poor reviews on release and has a Metacritic rating on just 61%. (User Score 6.9/10).

Firstly the game looks absolutely amazing with one of the most stunningly detailed game worlds of the last generation (360/PS3). Everything in the game looks gorgeous from the plants and skies to the lighting reflections and shadows on the Na'vi's.

The story is very well paced, the missions and gameplay varied and the game split path/two story playthrough of bad side (humans/RDA) and good side (Na'vi) was perfect. As the RDA(humans) I had a great time destroying the Na'vi's homeland and wiping them out and then for the second playthough I really felt a connection to the Na'vi with a sense of innocence and vulnerabilty. I didn't feel like an attacker at any point in their game, more like a defender. Amazing!
My only complaints about the game would be that the flight controls for the banshee's are somewhat awkward and the shutdown multiplayer (unobtainable Xbox achievements).

I will now do the PS3 version and I'm even considering playing the Wii version!

James Cameron's Avatar (2009). A superb game IMO. Well worth checking out.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Simonsloth »

rob25X wrote: May 19th, 2018, 3:50 pm Just finished James Cameron's Avatar on Xbox 360, all I can say is.. Wow!

I don't know why this game received such poor reviews on release and has a Metacritic rating on just 61%. (User Score 6.9/10).

Firstly the game looks absolutely amazing with one of the most stunningly detailed game worlds of the last generation (360/PS3). Everything in the game looks gorgeous from the plants and skies to the lighting reflections and shadows on the Na'vi's.

The story is very well paced, the missions and gameplay varied and the game split path/two story playthrough of bad side (humans/RDA) and good side (Na'vi) was perfect. As the RDA(humans) I had a great time destroying the Na'vi's homeland and wiping them out and then for the second playthough I really felt a connection to the Na'vi with a sense of innocence and vulnerabilty. I didn't feel like an attacker at any point in their game, more like a defender. Amazing!
My only complaints about the game would be that the flight controls for the banshee's are somewhat awkward and the shutdown multiplayer (unobtainable Xbox achievements).

I will now do the PS3 version and I'm even considering playing the Wii version!

James Cameron's Avatar (2009). A superb game IMO. Well worth checking out.
Very interesting perspective. I wrote this off as one for the bargain bin but you’ve piqued my interest.
rob25X
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by rob25X »

Simonsloth wrote: May 19th, 2018, 8:37 pm
rob25X wrote: May 19th, 2018, 3:50 pm Just finished James Cameron's Avatar on Xbox 360, all I can say is.. Wow!

I don't know why this game received such poor reviews on release and has a Metacritic rating on just 61%. (User Score 6.9/10).

Firstly the game looks absolutely amazing with one of the most stunningly detailed game worlds of the last generation (360/PS3). Everything in the game looks gorgeous from the plants and skies to the lighting reflections and shadows on the Na'vi's.

The story is very well paced, the missions and gameplay varied and the game split path/two story playthrough of bad side (humans/RDA) and good side (Na'vi) was perfect. As the RDA(humans) I had a great time destroying the Na'vi's homeland and wiping them out and then for the second playthough I really felt a connection to the Na'vi with a sense of innocence and vulnerabilty. I didn't feel like an attacker at any point in their game, more like a defender. Amazing!
My only complaints about the game would be that the flight controls for the banshee's are somewhat awkward and the shutdown multiplayer (unobtainable Xbox achievements).

I will now do the PS3 version and I'm even considering playing the Wii version!

James Cameron's Avatar (2009). A superb game IMO. Well worth checking out.
Very interesting perspective. I wrote this off as one for the bargain bin but you’ve piqued my interest.
If you see it a bargain bin grab it. It's very underrated. I wasn't really a fan of the movie and really didn't expect to enjoy the game but after playing it for a short time I couldn't get enough of it. I even found myself stopping still at times just to spin the camera around slowly to take in the surroundings and stunning character details. It's game world is like nothing else I've ever played in. I guess it's a kind of visual effect of Bioshock mixed with Assassin's Creed if you can imagine that. It's Pandora... think of the movie as a game, it's really like that.

Not only does it look great but it plays great too. To say too much about the game would ruin it but there's a great mix of things to do. Oh, and scanning everything in the gameworld for info is a really nice touch. People, plants, objects, everything is of interest. Worth playing if only to experience Pandora for yourself.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Simonsloth »

It’s 2.50 on eBay so I’ve taken the plunge. It’ll be a while before I play it but I can’t imagine it being much cheaper in the future
rob25X
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by rob25X »

Simonsloth wrote: May 19th, 2018, 10:47 pm It’s 2.50 on eBay so I’ve taken the plunge. It’ll be a while before I play it but I can’t imagine it being much cheaper in the future
Hope you like it then mate.

If you need any help with anything on it (collectibles or whatever) just drop me a message anytime.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I have no idea how far I'm in to God Of War now, I've played it solidly for 4 evenings so it must be at least 10-12 hours but I feel like I've barely started with the story. No major spoilers but I've only just...
Spoiler: show
...got to the first alternative realm.
Just been doing a lot of exploring and side stuff mainly. I take back what I said about it not being the best looking game on the PS4. Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy did an amazing job of recreating realistic looking settings, but this is pure imagination. I've never seen a fantasy world look so good. Some of these areas looks incredible and total other worldly. Especially the area I mention in the spoiler tag.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

I love it when people dig into the fringes. Is it odd that I consider James Cameron's Avatar fringe? :?

In a week that see's the release of a brand-spanking-new life-shattering gift-from-the-God's-of-emotion game by David Cage, I'd thought I prepare myself by ignoring it and play the PS4 version Taiko no Tatsujin!

I plugged in my Hori taiko, and after some basic setup (despite being a Japanese release, menu's have English) I drummed poorly into the night. :lol:

This is my first foray into the Taiko franchise. I feel so much more comfortable on real drums! From a musician point of view when you read sheet music, it's usual page by page. And in Taiko, it's far more condensed and reactionary, where the gap between when the next note appears and the timing is tiny! It is primary a game, but yeah, it requires gaming, not musical skill!

Still, I replayed songs, and tried to top my last effort, so clearly I had some fun with it.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by macstat »

I've been playing Pillars of Eternity 2 for a couple of days. I really enjoy it. It's surprisingly unique. In addition to expected Baldurs Gate like RPG, you get a significant portion of Pirates! and choose your own adventure type of game.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Alex79uk wrote: May 20th, 2018, 10:01 pm I take back what I said about it not being the best looking game on the PS4. Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy did an amazing job of recreating realistic looking settings, but this is pure imagination.
Man, there's a bit I don't think you've go to yet - that blew my mind with, scale, awe and imagination that the PS4 Pro dealt with impeccably.

Makes me smile thinking about it now.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

Joshihatsumitsu wrote: May 21st, 2018, 1:31 am I love it when people dig into the fringes. Is it odd that I consider James Cameron's Avatar fringe? :?
Joshihatsumitsu wrote: May 21st, 2018, 1:31 am I plugged in my Hori taiko
:lol:
kintaris

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by kintaris »

Despite the increasing backlog I find myself replaying a game now old enough to take a GCSE - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I blame the Top 50 thread for this walk down memory lane.

This is definitely up there among the single figures in my all-time rankings. It's still surprisingly playable too, despite the jank and the terrible gunplay. I can't say the same for a lot of PS2 titles.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

At the time, I always considered San Andreas to be my favorite of the original 3D trilogy. Recently though, I find myself more nostalgic for Vice City. I wish they'd remake it in the GTA V engine. Also, add planes.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by kintaris »

Alex79uk wrote: May 22nd, 2018, 7:34 am At the time, I always considered San Andreas to be my favorite of the original 3D trilogy. Recently though, I find myself more nostalgic for Vice City. I wish they'd remake it in the GTA V engine. Also, add planes.
Rockstar love a good pun and wordplay in general, so I hope they don't pass up an opportunity to make the next numbered sequel GTA VICE.

Vice City holds a special place for me because it was my first real window into 80s culture, and in the subsequent years I've fallen in love with so much more from that decade. I know it's laughable to get nostalgic for a time you weren't alive in, but I do wonder if I might have had a much better time had I been a late teen in the 80s.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

Man, I was 18 when Vice City came out, played it solidly with mates for months.

I'm not generally a fan of sandbox games, especially large ones, I tend to get overcome with options and end up doing nothing, so Vice City was a more condensed version and was more appealing.

I can't remember what it was, although I remember being stuck on 99.9% completion, we'd done the Ambulance and Fire service missions but were stuck on something else.

I also remember that silly Easter Egg room :lol: .

Very good game, easily my personnel favorite in the entire series.
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