Whatcha Been Playing?

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rob25X
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by rob25X »

Michiel K wrote: March 11th, 2019, 2:16 pm Currently in rotation (and this is a bit of a note to myself, so I don't lose track on the games of my backlog I'm currently tackling):

- Impossible Mission (C64)
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)
- Fire Emblem (GBA)
- God of War (PS2)
- The Witcher - Enhanced Edition (PC)
- Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS)
- WarioWare Gold (3DS)
That's an interesting mixture :) DKC 2 was great back in the day. I've never played a God of War game but thinking about giving the 3rd game (on PS3) a chance sometime.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by stvnorman »

On PS4 I’m playing a mission or two a day on Modern Warfare Remastered, which is still great mindless fun. I’ve also started Resident Evil Remastered and in a couple of hours seem to have got further than I ever did first time around. Once the jarring camera and movement click again it still plays really well.

I’m about two thirds of the way through Cursed Castilla on Switch. It’s hard as nails now, but the unlike its Ghouls/ Ghosts / Goblins inspiration, persistent continues are giving me a fighting chance of completing it a little bit at a time, though there’s been several moments already where I’ve been ready to hurl my Switch at a wall, so we’ll see!

And on the 3DS I’ve put a few more hours into Pokemon Ultra Moon, which I just find so relaxing, but now there’s a proper new one on the way I’ll be speeding up working through it a bit more - an hour or two every couple of weeks isn’t going to cut it if I want the new one day one!
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ReprobateGamer
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ReprobateGamer »

rob25X wrote: March 11th, 2019, 8:37 pm
Michiel K wrote: March 11th, 2019, 2:16 pm
- God of War (PS2)
That's an interesting mixture :) DKC 2 was great back in the day. I've never played a God of War game but thinking about giving the 3rd game (on PS3) a chance sometime.
Have to say that I found the 3rd game to be quite disappointing - the first game dealt with the concept well and the second built upon it. The third, for me, got a little too enarmoured of the spectacle shot, whether that was some particularly gruesome kills, or some parts where the scale was favoured over the playability.

Have never played either of the vita versions(which are also available for PS3) though I imagine the hardware limitations aren't kind to them comparably to their PS3 versions and Ascension was pretty forgetable though not a bad game.

The second would be my choice if you are new to the series - 2 and 3 I think are the only ones that have to be played in order to make narrative sense.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

ReprobateGamer wrote: March 11th, 2019, 9:31 pm
rob25X wrote: March 11th, 2019, 8:37 pm
Michiel K wrote: March 11th, 2019, 2:16 pm
- God of War (PS2)
(snip)
(snip)
I like GoW3 a fair bit, but I think 2 is probably the sweet spot for the actual design for the games, for pretty much the same reasons. I can get the idea of the spectacle being taken too far getting in the way of the gameplay, but what I was more disappointed in was that the secondary weapons didn't feel like they had as much variety as in 2. Several of them were basically the same as the default Blades but insignificantly different. Also the magic system was simplified in a way that I think harmed it slightly. Still a good time overall though. I think about going back to it on the PS4 version every so often.

That definitely seems like a better idea than playing Ascension, which was very disappointing. That's the one where I felt like they took the spectacle to a point where it made it unnecessarily hard to see what's going on. That, and the sheer lack of weapons and general motivation to the story. Magic system took another downgrade as well. I also found it to be pretty buggy, and crashed on me a couple of times.

The portable games (that were on PSP, not Vita) are actually pretty good. They feel much more in line with the PS2 games, and are a really decent recreation of that. They feel like somewhere between 1 and 2. Definitely worth checking out.
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Yeah, I've got parts 1, 2 and 3 of God of War on the shelves. Friend of mine gave me his copy of the PS4 GoW and I figured I clear the original trilogy off the backlog, before I dive into that one, for a sense of context and perspective, if anything.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I legit have a problem with God of War, and it's that I feel deeply uncomfortable with murdering a pantheon of gods. I'm a Rodnover myself, and while I don't believe in the literally gods of Slavic mythology, I have a deep reverence for what they represent. The thought of a fictional work where I cannot invoke Perun or the Damp Earth Mother during a prayer because Roid Man has killed them... Ugh, I dunno, it makes my skin crawl.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I really need to stop buying Tales games on word of mouth and reputation alone. Tales of Vesperia is just... Kind of a bad game. I got about 4 hours in, and I literally Googled "When does Tales of Vesperia get good?" And the resounding answer I got from a number of forum posts was, "It doesn't."

I really don't quite get why these games are so venerated. Like, the gameplay is perfectly fine, but the stories always feel like a waste of time and the writing is just awful - I thought it was localization, but there's something about how dialogue is paced and how characters have a penchant for aggressively stating the obvious (or repeating information we've already learned) that just makes me cringe.

I've now tried Phantasia, Symphonic, Abyss and Vesperia. I bought Berseria on Steam, so if that one turns out to be a dud too... Yeah. I'll have to just ignore any praise given to these games. I don't see the appeal here.
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DomsBeard
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by DomsBeard »

So had an hour with Dead or Alive 6 and the story mode is that much of a mess I have already sent it back. I have enjoyed the others as a daft bit of fun but I can't really explain it but I will try. Random panels appear on a screen with prologue or chapter for each character. There isn't a way I could see of seeing if you had watched it before. Some are just cutscenes rather than a fight and it isn't made clear.

There has been news made of the fact that the outfits are now more sensible. Actually that is a half truth as the usual outfits are either locked behind a paywall (real or in game currency) or preorder dlc.

Anyway todays WTF moment in Left Alive everyone:

https://twitter.com/richspurs24/status/ ... 2501774338

The irony here being I used to volunteer as a Samaritan :|
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Scrustle wrote: March 11th, 2019, 10:17 pm
The portable games (that were on PSP, not Vita) are actually pretty good. They feel much more in line with the PS2 games, and are a really decent recreation of that. They feel like somewhere between 1 and 2. Definitely worth checking out.
This.

The two PSP games were excellent. The Vita ports of GoW 1 and 2 are truly terrible. They stretch the 4:3 to wide-screen for a start, and the frame rate is all over the place. Really disappointing.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Also tried DMC3 after watching a bit of a DMC5 stream and... Yeah, another one I've just completely bounced on. 2019 is not a good year for me and games. RE2make and Metro Exodus were phenomenal, and Apex Legends has my attention, but I'm having a hard time finding games that hook me right now. At least from the backlog.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I get like that sometimes. In these situations I usually end up playing three or four short games. Have you tried any of the following, they could be just what you need.

What Remains Of Edith Finch (amazing)
Gone Home (Super amazing way to tell a good story)
Firewatch (I didn't enjoy, but lots did)
Brothers A Tale Of Two Sons (lovely)

Anything narrative driven like those might be good to play. You seem to be quite focused on big AAA titles, and this may be just the ticket to take a break and explore these stories. They're all fairly old and should be cheapish, too.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I don't mind walking simulators, but all of the games you listed there are absolutely not the kind of thing I enjoy - subject matter is too banal and, at least for me, saccharine to the point of cynicism. I prefer something more akin to Soma or Albino Lullaby for that type of genre.
But then, I also loved DmC and found DMC3 to be boring and not thematically interesting. So I'm very picky. Like a child at the buffet.

Here, have a look at my backlog. It's not updated 100%, but there should be enough on there to pick a few suggestions if you're so inclined.

https://www.grouvee.com/user/PyramidHea ... og/?num=25

My Steam is also PyramidHeadcrab, though I believe the username is presently something like: Magical Isopod '3'
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DomsBeard
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by DomsBeard »

Magical_Isopod wrote: March 12th, 2019, 2:34 pm I don't mind walking simulators, but all of the games you listed there are absolutely not the kind of thing I enjoy - subject matter is too banal and, at least for me, saccharine to the point of cynicism. I prefer something more akin to Soma or Albino Lullaby for that type of genre.
But then, I also loved DmC and found DMC3 to be boring and not thematically interesting. So I'm very picky. Like a child at the buffet.

Here, have a look at my backlog. It's not updated 100%, but there should be enough on there to pick a few suggestions if you're so inclined.

https://www.grouvee.com/user/PyramidHea ... og/?num=25

My Steam is also PyramidHeadcrab, though I believe the username is presently something like: Magical Isopod '3'
Inside is the main one jumping out at me.

But I noticed Yakuza 0 on there. Best game I played last year
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Inside is on the schedule for doing a podcast feedback thingy. I liked Limbo.

Yakuza 0 is a game I'm about halfway through, but it's just so long I needed to take a break. I really like it, it's just like... I can only stay in one game world for so long at a time, you know? 10-20 hours is like, the perfect length for a big story. Smaller games are great too, so long as they say what they need to in their short run time. Limbo, Portal, stuff like that... Never overstay their welcome.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

And on a completely tangential note:
Fuck The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. So much promise, so many good ideas, totally ruined by a "gotcha" ending.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Alex79uk wrote: March 12th, 2019, 2:22 pm I get like that sometimes. In these situations I usually end up playing three or four short games. Have you tried any of the following, they could be just what you need.

What Remains Of Edith Finch (amazing)
Gone Home (Super amazing way to tell a good story)
Firewatch (I didn't enjoy, but lots did)
Brothers A Tale Of Two Sons (lovely)

Anything narrative driven like those might be good to play. You seem to be quite focused on big AAA titles, and this may be just the ticket to take a break and explore these stories. They're all fairly old and should be cheapish, too.
Brothers can easily be played in one sitting and it's really a great game. Limbo by way of Fable, good stuff.

Also, my sister played Gone Home but she said it was to spooky? Is that normal or she just a wimp?
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

Alex79uk wrote: March 12th, 2019, 2:22 pm
What Remains Of Edith Finch (amazing)
Gone Home (Super amazing way to tell a good story)
Firewatch (I didn't enjoy, but lots did)
Brothers A Tale Of Two Sons (lovely)
I was similar recently and both firewatch anf edith finch were great for pulling me out of a funk.

The thing we tend to forget about playing a videogame is that is takes quite a fair bit of energy to focus and engage succesfully with an action game. Games like those listed above are what i play when i cant be on the edge of my seat. It's what i play to the equivalent of reading a book. Its relaxing and engaging in a different way.

Thanks for the recommendations for those who might be in a similar situation
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

Ive heard of a few instance of gone home feeling spooky in that same way of waking up in the middle of the night on your own. Like someone is lurking so you run up the stairs really quick
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

Played some Toy Story 3 on Xbox 360 BC. It's only 4 quid and seems very good so far
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

Magical_Isopod wrote: March 12th, 2019, 2:53 pm And on a completely tangential note:
Fuck The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. So much promise, so many good ideas, totally ruined by a "gotcha" ending.
Fuck you, buddy!

:lol:
duskvstweak wrote: March 12th, 2019, 2:58 pm Also, my sister played Gone Home but she said it was to spooky? Is that normal or she just a wimp?
Well...
Spoiler: show
It kinda pretends to be a horror game at the start; in fact if you take that away from it, it's a bit flat on subsequent playthroughs. For all that it is the original walking sim big hitter, it does depend heavily on sleight of hand.
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