Whatcha Been Playing?

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Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

I have been digging into the 60 in 1 JAMMA game board (vertical/tate). I did manage to pick up a copy for under $50 AUD, so the price does vary widely, depending on who is selling it.

The quality of the emulation does vary, and I won't go into too much detail with that - there's plenty of forums out there that will break it down much better than I could.

In terms of value for money, if you already have a cabinet/JAMMA setup, it's pretty decent - it's plug and play, super easy to setup, and games like Donkey Kong and Ms Pacman play really well, even if all 60 games don't quite hit the mark. It's certainly cheaper than tracking down original boards, which cost quite the pretty penny.

However, if you don't already have that cabinet/JAMMA setup, and most people don't... much less so. There's VGA output, but you still need to provide power to the board, which a JAMMA harness does, and it's pretty much the only way. Plus, I've seen some pretty sweet Raspberry Pi setups, which give you so much more freedom. You can procure better quality roms and emulators, and putting aside the legal issues of that (and there are legal issues) you can save a lot more money.

I thought I'd share these thoughts because I'm sure some people have seen these multi-boards, and are probably curious. Fortunately there's plenty of legal avenues for playing older titles (just downloaded the Arcade Archives version of Donkey Kong on my Switch... love it), but not everyone has the money, and emulation is one way for people to access content that they probably wouldn't otherwise be able to.
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NuKaholic
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by NuKaholic »

With the recent release of Hollow Knight on Switch I'm back on that gem. The Switch port is fantastic and I love playing it on the porch when it's nice out or in bed. It's actually the first Switch game that I've regularly been using undocked. Also playing Gravity Rush 2 but I'm having a hard time getting into that one. It's fun to just mess around flying and free falling but when I have to fight it's boring or tedious...but...the free 2B dlc costume has damn near inspired me to start a new game of Nier Automata. Most likely going to happen. Damn that was a masterpiece.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

I'm just not settling with Hollow Knight for some reason, although I've only played a few hours so far.

Dipped my toe back into Fallout 4 as it goes, I never did finish that game, so I'm picking it back up just under 90 hours in and level 35.

I bought the season pass it seems, so I'm looking at the DLC, rather enjoying it to be honest.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

This week, I have been mostly playing:

Ikaruga

What a game. OK, OK, I know I'm backtracking on previous comments. I've basically cut all other shmups out of my diet (even my beloved DaiOuJou) and I'm approaching it more on its own terms, more than I ever have before. It basically stands alone in the genre. The polarity system is one of the most profound genre-defying mechanics I can think of. It's like making a 2D 1v1 fighter where the aim is...actually, I can't think of an equivalent at all. It's also very much more of a puzzler than anything else, as has been suggested millions of times, but not just in terms of avoiding damage and so on but in choosing exactly which shots to take and which to leave. It's not by coincidence that any time I convince to shoot a little less, my high score creeps a little higher. It's a process of unlearning every I know about shmups. I would still say I prefer herding bullets and finding routes through the billowing danmaku swathes of Dodonpachi and Ketsui but having approached it from the right perspective, I can see that Ikaruga is a slice of singular genius. Maybe one day I will even be less shite at it, too.

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus

Aside from my semi-regular jaunts to Arcade Club in Bury, I haven't really played or paid any attention to Pac-Man since about 1984. I recently had a go on a four-player 'battle mode' version with a few mates and a few beers on the top floor of Arcade Club and it was one of the most fun things we placed that day. I thought it was pretty limited, though, and would never have given this a thought, really. Multiplayer only, once every couple of months. That'd do me. I saw it for bugger all on the US eShop and went for it, for reasons unknown. I must have heard some good impressions somewhere. Most significantly, I'd just had a couple of beers with the football and had itchy trigger fingers. Well done, tipsy me. What a superb game. It looks and sounds superb, the soundtrack is chock full of bangers, in fact. It plays even better, fast, chaotic, exciting, nerve-shredding and very satisfying every time you beat the clock. Throw in a brilliant two-player mode which is worth the price of admission alone and I've got one of my favourite games of the past few months - and it's up against some brilliant competition.
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NuKaholic
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by NuKaholic »

Suits wrote: June 18th, 2018, 3:16 pm I'm just not settling with Hollow Knight for some reason, although I've only played a few hours so far.

Dipped my toe back into Fallout 4 as it goes, I never did finish that game, so I'm picking it back up just under 90 hours in and level 35.

I bought the season pass it seems, so I'm looking at the DLC, rather enjoying it to be honest.
I enjoyed the Far Harbor DLC significantly more than the base game. It has a very campy vibe. Think B-movie creature horror. Some of the more interesting enemies and a decent story. Even the promotional art and trailers had the b-movie tone which is actually what brought me back to the game. My only issue: There are even more of the beached, mutated dolphin corpses. You know the ones scattered all over the commonwealth near bodies of water. I thought this area being somewhat ocean themed meant we'd finally get some answers about them. What burst through their stomach? Why are they all dead? Can you be attacked by one if you swim in the ocean? Like many of the cane and rinse crew I am terrified of carnivorous creatures lurking below the waters surface yet...I have a morbid fascination with them. Sorry for the novel.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

NuKaholic wrote: June 18th, 2018, 6:29 pm My only issue: There are even more of the beached, mutated dolphin corpses. You know the ones scattered all over the commonwealth near bodies of water. I thought this area being somewhat ocean themed meant we'd finally get some answers about them. What burst through their stomach? Why are they all dead? Can you be attacked by one if you swim in the ocean?
That's a really good point, I never thought of it like that. A little side mission exploring that would have been class.

Regards the game, I'm actually neck deep into the BoS story line and enjoying that again. Looking at my progress, I appear to have played Far Harbor and Robotron, but not touched the Nuka Cola Land.

I all seems like a bit of a blur.
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NuKaholic
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by NuKaholic »

Yeah can't say I ever got around to the Nuka Cola Land. By the time that one came out I was neck deep in the Witcher trilogy. Haven't been back since but I do remember liking Far Harbor
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Ever since FIFA announced it was going to include a story mode, I decided I'd get it when it was dead cheap. I picked up FIFA 17 for £1.99 at the weekend, and played through some of The Journey last night. Enjoying it so far.
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Been giving my poor old 3DS a lot more love in the past week, mainly by playing the first Project X Zone.

I originally put playing the game on hold since I first wanted to get Fire Emblem: Awakening out of the way, but that game pisses me off too much.

This one, though very flawed, is a delight for a life long fan of classic Japanese video games, and I was reminded of that again as Bruno Delinger (a.k.a. Bruce Willis) from Dynamite Deka joined my team and Space Channel 5's Ulala started tagging along as well, sending both Opa-Opa and the flying dude from Space Harrier in for her support attack. Welcome to the Fantasy Zone indeed.

I'm in mission 22 now, and what do you know... it actually gets a bit challenging and starts forcing me to delve more into the minutiae and micro management of its tactical battles.
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Stanshall wrote: June 18th, 2018, 6:25 pm
Ikaruga

What a game. OK, OK, I know I'm backtracking on previous comments. I've basically cut all other shmups out of my diet (even my beloved DaiOuJou) and I'm approaching it more on its own terms, more than I ever have before. It basically stands alone in the genre. The polarity system is one of the most profound genre-defying mechanics I can think of. It's like making a 2D 1v1 fighter where the aim is...actually, I can't think of an equivalent at all. It's also very much more of a puzzler than anything else, as has been suggested millions of times, but not just in terms of avoiding damage and so on but in choosing exactly which shots to take and which to leave. It's not by coincidence that any time I convince to shoot a little less, my high score creeps a little higher. It's a process of unlearning every I know about shmups. I would still say I prefer herding bullets and finding routes through the billowing danmaku swathes of Dodonpachi and Ketsui but having approached it from the right perspective, I can see that Ikaruga is a slice of singular genius. Maybe one day I will even be less shite at it, too.
Pretty much how I feel. :)
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by duskvstweak »

I just started Nioh last night, went way past my normal playtime. I just want to keep moving forward! I love the aesthetic. A bit of Onimusha meets Devil May Cry (I haven't played any Dark Souls, so I can't compare it to those games like most!). Can't wait to dig deeper into the game.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by DomsBeard »

Started two games recently and deciding which one to push on with.

Yakuza 0 had me at the Karaoke mini game :lol: really enjoyed the location, voice acting etc. As a huge Shenmue fan I have always had one eye on this series but never owned a PS3. Getting Shenmue vibes from it.

God Of War is the other one. Again never played one and to be honest the others didn't seem my bag. Has he always been a miserable git? as a Dad of two young boys myself he has pissed me off in the opening 15 minutes but I suppose he is a rage filled god or whatever. The other thing it makes my PS4 Pro sounds like a Boeing 757 is taking off in my front room. Combat is alright (Thor) and it looks stunning.

Also dabbling back in with Detroit. Bought the digital version and got the soundtrack and a lovely digital artbook. I am looking at what happens at other key points which is very interesting. The guy who plays Connor has been running a twitch stream of his play through which seem to have exploded since he first started. The more I look at it the more your ending can scope how you feel with this game. I was really really happy with my ending for this and heavy rain.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

DomsBeard wrote: June 20th, 2018, 12:01 pm God Of War is the other one. Again never played one and to be honest the others didn't seem my bag. Has he always been a miserable git?
He was always a git, but he's a very different git in the new game. Used be be just nothing but thoughtless rage with no self control. So in the new game they kind of acknowledge that by making him sullen and distant. Like after all the stuff that happened in the old games, and how long it's been since then, he's learned how much of an awful person he was and how destructive he was being, but he still hasn't learned how to open up and actually deal with his issues. At least that's how he is at the start of the game. I think they did a pretty good job with it, and his progression as a character in that game.

Also always glad to hear more people enjoying Yakuza too. Fun times.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Todinho »

So with DMC5 being announced I finnaly decided to go and play DMC 3 for the first time something I've been meaning to do for years but never did. First impressions is that it controls alot better then I expected but it still isnt great and I especially hate how the camera works here, also while the style switching is cool not being able to do it on the fly like in DMC4 its really limiting, I mean you cant even get air combos unless you're at swordmaster for example. Another thing is that I really have trouble with how many of the enemies attacks are hard to read and react to, you have the dodge roll but thats really slow and it seems to have no I frames which can make you get hit regardless, the trickster does have a much better dodge but once again you're sacrificing something else.

All that being said Im really enjoying the combat overall, its still very satisfying to obliterate enemies with a well made combo and it felt really good to destroy that cerberous in less then 2 minutes after dying to him a bunch.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

Still playing Vampyr. I'm getting closer to the end now, but still a little ways to go. Still really enjoying it. The overall plot has been a bit... meandering I guess. I don't dislike it, but it does have that kind of feeling of being "this happened, then that happened..." etc. I'm still enjoying watching things unfold, and there's been some interesting twists, but it doesn't exactly feel like a very focused plot. The NPCs around London have remained fantastic throughout. It's always great when you reach a new district and have a bunch of new people to talk to, and to find out about their personalities and relationships. I've even been finding out new stuff about characters I met really early in the game too, so that was a fun surprise.

I'm also starting to enjoy the combat somewhat. Throughout the game, I've mostly been tolerating it. Not been a great time, but not a disaster either. Just kind of basic, a bit sloppy, and not that engaging. But not broken enough to be unbearable. It had enough to it. But that said, it finally started to click for me lately. It only took until about 3/4 of the way through the whole damn game, but it's finally pretty cool. I managed to come across a sword that was fast and did decent damage, and I managed to build up enough stamina and vampire skills that it eventually started to come together to make a system that actually has a decent level of fluidity and pace to it. I still don't think it's a particularly outstanding system, but I can actually now hold my own properly in fights in a way that feels satisfying. Dash around the battlefield, handily evading attacks and juggling different offensive strategies on the fly. It can actually feel pretty good. But it took way too long to get there.

The biggest part of it was how long it took to find a weapon that was decently fast. I think I've been missing something huge there. Even in the closing chapters of the game, I still have less than a third of the weapons that the UI has room for. I must have missed a huge number of them. The ones I do have were pretty hard to find too. The game barely draws attention to them at all. Mostly just lying around the world, hidden in some abandoned building in a dark corner. Not highlighted at all. It's a bit problem I think. I bet many people out there missed out on even more than I did. Makes me wonder how different my experience would have been if I got that pre-order DLC that comes with a sword. Having something like that at the start of the game might have made things a lot less annoying. Although it might have ruined the feeling of variety if you get the best weapon at the start. Not that I've really had enough weapons to experience much variety anyway.

Another part of the gameplay I've been kind of surprised at enjoying has been the weapon upgrade/crafting system. It's pretty simple. Just find the right materials to level up your weapon, and choose a perk to go along with each level. But it gives this feeling of being able to customise your weapons somewhat. Like you can choose your weapon to go all in on damage power, or maybe reduce stamina cost, or more interestingly siphon blood from your enemies or imbue it with an effect that makes it more effective against human or monstrous enemies. Or a mix of any of those things that might take your fancy. It gives a reason for the few duplicate weapons that you come across. They sometimes have a different selection of perks to choose, or you can choose to go down one perk path with one, and another with the other.

I'm also finding it to be one of those games that I just can't put down once I've started. I'll play for hours with the intention of stopping just after that next bit, but then always feeling the pull to do more, and I can't turn it off. You know you're playing something really good when that happens.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Mario Tennis Aces. If I win, great game. If I lose, bag of fuckin shit.

Probably going to send this review into Eurogamer.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Stanshall wrote: June 22nd, 2018, 10:11 pm If I win, great game. If I lose, bag of fuckin shit.
This reminds me of your SFV tantrum a few months ago. You're all right, mate? :lol:
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Hehe, I can be a little bit glib/dumb but that is a pretty accurate summary of my petulant gut feeling. It's a brilliant game actually, the feel is spot on, the timing is exactly what you would expect and hope for, every shot does as you'd expect and when you build some momentum, it feels like you are not only reading your opponent's mind but telling them what to think. However, when the tide turns, it's a tsunami of grief. When someone works you out, when you can't find a winner, when you are scampering around the court like a tired dog, it is a proper beat down. It's pure mind games and risk:reward decisions on every shot. Very distilled arcade action, no padding.

I posted after a superb session with my mate and it was full of highs and lows. It's such a great game to play with someone around your level and I love the cut and thrust of learning each other's habits and decision making. He knows me inside out and although I tend to beat him on, say, any Street Fighter game, he will occasionally tell me what I'm going to do to psyche me out. He just doesn't quite have the execution to capitalise. With this, we're both coming from a position of relative ignorance so I really hope he picks it up before I learn too much and pull away from his level.

It's very very much like a fighting game as plenty of people have said, but not because of racquet damage or whatever, but because of the intensity of the moment to moment decision making.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Mario Tennis has been on my radar ever since the first gameplay presentation during the Nintendo Direct. I definitely plan on picking it up as soon as I buy a Switch. Is there a significant singleplayer component that will still be enjoyable years from now like in Mario Kart or is it purely multiplayer-centric?
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Honestly, there isn't, unfortunately. It's apparently quite short and with some arbitrary and annoying difficulty spikes. The best bits are supposed to be a lot of fun, though. Generally, the game is a bit 'bare bones', like Splatoon 1 and ARMS were at launch, so I hope it gets regular content updates as they both did (to a pretty awesome extent).

Unless you have people keen to play local MP (where it is best) it will live or die on your interest in online tournament mode, I suspect.
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