Whatcha Been Playing?

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Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Cave are definitely focusing their attention, understandably so, on the mobile market. A current gen compilation would be great - especially if you’ve missed out.

Gothic Wa Mahou Otome Is the latest official Cave title - Japanese only, of course! The golden years may have come and gone though.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Great post, Michiel. Since I've been spending a bit more time back in my gaming den (my wife's been ill, I've not had the freedom or desire to pull down the blinds and have an evening to myself for the last month or so), I've adored sinking hours into these Cave games. They're such an incredible and satisfying release, sheer gratification. I feel like a caged rat stomping on a pressure pad, bloated on treats, too sick to stop, but in a good way. They scratch a very weird fundamental itch I didn't know wasn't there.

I'm especially enjoying trying to play them on the front foot, trying to dominate the most unlikely odds, which links to what you were saying about getting into the scoring systems for the real deeper rewards. There's little satisfaction in gaming, for me, as that of learning to (almost!) chain Stage 1 of DaiOuJou. I'll get there eventually and little else will compare.

Last night, though, I put some proper time into Crimson Clover. Wow. The lock on and break systems are so so satisfying. It's perhaps the most spectacular shmup of them all when it really starts firing on all cylinders. There may not be the same gorgeous patterns as Mushihimesama or the same aggressive intensity of Ketsui but it is an audio-visual treat beyond anything I can recall at this moment. I'll regularly talk to myself out loud or just say 'woah' and I catch myself doing it. My brain is frazzled. As wonderfully presented as many of the big AAA games are these days, nothing else is pushing those buttons.

So, Joshi, what's the PCB hunter's life like? :D
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Joshihatsumitsu wrote: May 1st, 2018, 1:36 pm Cave are definitely focusing their attention, understandably so, on the mobile market. A current gen compilation would be great - especially if you’ve missed out.

Gothic Wa Mahou Otome Is the latest official Cave title - Japanese only, of course! The golden years may have come and gone though.
Say what you will about mobile games and that otome b.s., but the looped footage on that site had me hypnotised for a bit. Still the masters of visual overload, without ever sacrificing clarity. With all that glorious mess of score counters, huge medals and bullets, you never lose sight of projectiles and your hitbox. It's incredible how they manage to accomplish that time and again.

Shame all that specific talent isn't put to good use on something more ambitious and less pandering, at the moment.
Stanshall wrote: May 1st, 2018, 2:18 pm Great post, Michiel. Since I've been spending a bit more time back in my gaming den (my wife's been ill, I've not had the freedom or desire to pull down the blinds and have an evening to myself for the last month or so), I've adored sinking hours into these Cave games. They're such an incredible and satisfying release, sheer gratification. I feel like a caged rat stomping on a pressure pad, bloated on treats, too sick to stop, but in a good way. They scratch a very weird fundamental itch I didn't know wasn't there.
I get ya. I really got into them during a rough patch of my life as well and it was like a drug, completely sucking me in during my time playing. At those moments, nothing else mattered.

I've been a bit wary from what I've seen, but I'm not taking your Crimzon Clover recommendation lightly. I'm adding it to my Steam wishlist.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

Hitting up my PS+ backlog now I’m done with Dynasty Warriors 9.

Spent about 20 minutes trying and failing to get into ‘The Swindle’ then decided to play Deus Ex Mankind Divided.

Like it so far, probably not all that far into it though yet really. The changes to the cover system work quite well.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Flabyo wrote: May 1st, 2018, 4:36 pm Spent about 20 minutes trying and failing to get into ‘The Swindle’ then decided to play Deus Ex Mankind Divided.
Not really my thing and being honest, I've not even tried it, nor will have the time to give it a go but a mate went into it cold and came away from it saying it's one of the most enjoyable games he's ever played.

High praise indeed.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

ThirdMan wrote: May 1st, 2018, 8:31 pm I should have said, I'm not looking to flog it on here! I'm just wondering if this is a done thing and where can I do it? Is there an eBay for this type of thing?
I'm approached probably at least once a year by randoms who want to buy my XBL account, via the Xbox message system.

It used to be because I had a relatively high score at one point and that was desirable for some reason.

Nowadays, its by fans of the American TV series Suits.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

I think selling accounts is against the terms and conditions, but people do it anyway.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

I started The Evil Within 2.

What happens when you go into a game expecting to dislike it? Will it become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

The writing and story in this are execrable, and the first hour's gameplay has you navigating a spooky building filled with horror tropes: mannequins, hanging body bags, etc. After that, it deposits you in a semi open world (a small town) with a base of operations that you can go back to and refuel and craft items, and seemingly allows you to go about your business, and even has sidequests! The open world was a pleasant surprise, but I haven't progressed any further to see how this is realised. I expect it will be back to the corridor creeping soon, and I'm not sure I have the energy for fifteen or twenty hours of that.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Stanshall wrote: May 1st, 2018, 2:18 pm So, Joshi, what's the PCB hunter's life like? :D
Very expensive! :shock:

But being able to nab a rare or obscure title, and to be able to play it in the context of what it was designed for - super rewarding.

It’s also forces you to make decisions: I can’t keep up with all the latest releases and buy all the older titles. Like any collector, you limit the scope, and dive deeper. I’ve seen other people’s Sega Master System collections for example, and admire that.

Also, finding good sellers. eBay isn’t a bad place to start, but over the years you find businesses like Mak Japan, G-Front, and Beep, and get a better feel for what prices should be for PCB’s. It’s much, much cheaper, and the stock is so well looked after.

But yeah, PCB hunting means forsaking other games, and other items (many holes in my shoes! :oops: ). And that’s the true value of emulation: lowering the barrier in terms of price and availability. The opportunity for others to experience games is just as important and relevant as books, movies, etc.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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For what it's worth, I've had a similar experience with The Evil Within 2. Played a few hours of it, thought it was "bleh" at best, turned it off, never went back to it again.

Mikami's declining career will probably remain one of gaming's biggest mysteries to me. In the late 90's he paved the way for a new genre, in the early 00's he created two absolute masterpieces, and in the late 00's he made two cult classics. Since then, he's tied himself to Bethesda of all things and has wasted his time and energy on this joke of a stillborn franchise.

Shinji bro, what the hell are you doing?! Go back to Platinum already. Your friends are waiting for you.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Yep, it's feeling that way at the moment all right; unless the town turns out to be really interesting to explore, I'll probably ditch it.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ratsoalbion »

All the best with your life changes, ThirdMan - I hope they have the desired effect and that you regain your equilibrium.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by duskvstweak »

So, Mad Max was getting me down, or leaving me in a funk. To break out of that, I finally started Rayman Origins. They game is loony and I was having so much fun. I look forward to more of it, for sure.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by stvnorman »

I’ve played through a bit of Rayman Legends, with every intention of giving it a quick go as it was free with PS+ then binning it as I’ve never been a fan of Rayman. But I’m quite enjoying it so might keep going. Similar for King Oddball -blatant Angry Birds rip-off but I seem to be about two-thirds of the way through already.

Most of my time spent playing a game called Ocarina of Time on my 3DS. It’s alright! My first ever Zelda game, which I’ve had since I got the machine but never really fancied starting until last week,. And it’s really sunk its teeth into me - one of those you can’t stop thinking about when you go to bed! Still got Pokemon Ultra Sun on the go too, and picked up Out Run and Super Hang On on there in the Easter sale, so the 3DS is getting a lot of love at the moment!
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

stvnorman wrote: May 2nd, 2018, 9:34 pm Most of my time spent playing a game called Ocarina of Time on my 3DS. It’s alright! My first ever Zelda game, which I’ve had since I got the machine but never really fancied starting until last week,. And it’s really sunk its teeth into me - one of those you can’t stop thinking about when you go to bed!
Nice to read it's still able to have that effect!
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shadowless_kick
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by shadowless_kick »

I'm currently playing Absolute Drift: Zen Edition for the PS4 - a game that's been on my wish list for a while.

I rarely play car-centric games and, tbh, I'm having some difficulty adjusting to the controls, but I feel compelled to restart the tracks again and again despite my struggles. Actually pulling off drifts feels fantastic when you nail it, so I can see myself having a lot of fun once I've worked out the kinks.

The aesthetics are quite nice, as well, though I don't enjoy the soundtrack as much as I expected I would. I've been dropping the music level down in the settings and playing to ambient tunes from my library - it works well!

Even though the whole zen/exotic Asian/lotus garden shtick can be laid on a bit thick at times, there is something relaxing about it all. Perhaps because, as the game reminds you, it isn't about speed, defeating opponents or anything aggressive, really; it's about control and in a lot of ways, restraint. And how many games focus on that?
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I've been playing Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (I think!?) on my mobile telephone. Its good! JD was talking about it on TCGS a while back, and it's now out for Android. It's a premium pay once game, about four quid, and it's perfect to play whilst listening to a podcast. Basically, you're a man's upper torso sticking out of a cauldron, and you have to climb a mountain using only a hammer and ridiculous physics. Check it out.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

I've been playing some Devil May Cry 4 after picking it up in the recent PSN sale. It's interesting to revisit this game for the first time since its initial release. After 10(!) years of playing and analyzing various games and becoming more passionate about the medium, I have a newfound appreciation for certain aspects, like the refined technicalities of the combat, but I'm also more critical about other things that didn't really bother me back then, like the bare-bone level design or mediocre art style.

It's also a bit weird because despite considering myself an advocate for the character action genre and being so invested in various other franchises within it, including their own spiritual successor Bayonetta, the DMC games have never truly clicked with me in the way I would want them to, despite being widely considered to be the cornerstone of the genre. I think it's the lack of dedicated defensive options that mostly put me off and go against my instinctive playstyle - I often find myself getting hit without having a clear notion of how I could have prevented it, especially during boss fights.

I'll persevere and see what happens.
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macstat
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by macstat »

I bought Frostpunk 3 hours ago. I'm not usually biggest strategy fan, but this got me really hooked.

I really like how they added an interesting layer of actions and events that build this world and make all those economic gameplay decisions a little bit more soul to what would be just another efficiency grind. Not that there's something wrong with gameplay side of this game. I just don't play those types of game for longer periods of time. I like to have a bit more purpose other than "lets make it efficient".

I also love how it looks. Animations nad graphics are gorgeous. You see how your citizens go to work, how they leave trail in snow. There are a lot of lovely painted panels for events and such. Its just a treat to look at.

I think Frostpunk will stay with me for a while. It feels like similar thing that made me fall in love with Endless Space 2.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by xbenblasterx »

macstat wrote: May 3rd, 2018, 10:13 pm I bought Frostpunk 3 hours ago. I'm not usually biggest strategy fan, but this got me really hooked.
I've played about three hours of it myself, and i found it quite dull, i'm actually considering returning it. I feel like after a few hours i've seen what the loop of the game is, and the atmosphere is just so oppresive i'm finding it hard to enjoy. I'm usually a big of RTS games like this as well, but its just not clicking for me.
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