Whatcha Been Playing?

[Magical_Isopod]

The PC version received a patch that fixed some of the frame stuttering, but I think a lot of the gameplay issues are not something a patch can resolve. I was cautiously optimistic for this one, but after watching reviews and gameplay, I kinda feel like we have another George Lucas situation where the original creators didn't quite get what made the original good. Plus I definitely think it was rushed out the door to beat EA's remake.

[Megadirt]

I've been playing Harvestella which is, aside from Moonlighter and maybe Dragon Quest Builders 2, the first farming game I've played. It's quite tedious and the dialogue and story is brutally boring, the farming is very simple but for some reason I keep going back to it. Maybe cos I bought it at full price, or maybe I don't like farming games.

[Jon Cheetham]

Been playing Guardians of the Galaxy. Great environment art and combat is (so far) fun with all the team abilities and the huddle, but by far the highlight is the writing. Really funny with constant banter. One of the rare examples where characters constantly talking as I play is welcome and enjoyable. This version of the Guardians is really well formed and their dynamic reminds me a bit of Futurama at times. Like the movies Drax is the star of the show with his hilarious deadpan comments.

Also started A Plague Tale: Requiem. I’m absolutely blown away by the spectacle of this game. It’s insanely gorgeous. A very different hang to GOTG with a story that promises to be extremely depressing, but the writing and pacing is super good so far. Soundtrack is terrific too.

[Magical_Isopod]

Wound up dropping Soul Hackers 2. The gameplay was fantastic, but the story just wasn't going anywhere. This is a consistent problem I've found with nearly every Atlus RPG - the sole exception being Digital Devil Saga. The story has a strong premise, but it never really goes anywhere interesting. They're really basic stories with nothing important to say, and I find that really Damned frustrating. I love the style and vibe their games have, but the writing is just not there.

Like I said, the turn-based combat was excellent, and the core MegaTen staples of recruiting and fusing demons, unlocking new skills, chaining effects in battle... That's all there. But when you're spending the majority of the game in low-budget dungeons between hitting predictable plot points like a checklist, the whole experience feels rote and pointless. I would love an expansive storyline that actually delves into occultism and digital horror beyond predictable anime fluff... But it looks like I'll have to keep waiting.

I did start Xenoblade 3 back up though, and I think the overarching plot is staaaarting to make sense. Just starting chapter 7 now. I feel like the story in this one meanders a lot, but I like some of the themes it's explored so far. It's extremely unlikely that I wind up liking this one more than XC2, and I guarantee I'll like it more than XCX when a is said and done... But I feel like the writers struggle to keep the game focused. If Xenoblade 2 is a man walking home from the pub, Xenoblade 3 is a man walking home from the pub piss drunk. He'll still get there, but it'll take longer and he might fall down a few times.

[Scrustle]

Been dabbling in a handful of games, but haven't been able to stick with anything lately. But I got a few things I can talk about. I put some time in to Rogue Galaxy, a game I've been somewhat curious about for a while. A JRPG on the PS2 made by Level-5 that has action combat. I had a decent time with Ni No Kuni 2, so I figured this might be worth a shot too. It has a nice visual style, with a cel shaded anime look. It's quite attractive, especially in some of the pre-rendered CG scenes. At first combat feels okay, basic attacks are fairly responsive. But after a while it kind of ran out of steam. There doesn't seem to be that much to the combat, and it's near impossible to avoid damage. There's no real dodge, and blocking is fairly useless as enemy attacks don't have good telegraphing. It feels like it forces you to just eat up damage and chug healing items endlessly. The pace of the game is really slow too. Dialogue is really plodding, and dungeons go on quite a bit longer than necessary. I played through a decent chunk of the game and the story didn't seem to be going anywhere in any reasonable stretch of time, so I ditched it.

Also played a bit of Saturnalia, and this one has some cool elements to it. It's a kind of supernatural thriller mystery adventure game, set in a small Italian village and based on local folklore. Several people in town have died in suspicious circumstances, most of the populace seem to be in a strange cult with odd practices, and there's a creature that stalks you as you explore the streets at night. It also has a really cool art style, that makes the game look like a pencil drawing, but with limited use of vivid colours. It's quite striking. It's pretty atmospheric, and the audio design of when you're being chased by the monster is pretty unnerving too. Another interesting thing about it is that it has a roguelike structure, where the layout of the town shifts every time one of the several characters you control gets killed, among other things. But the game allows you to completely turn off all the randomisation, and play it as a fixed game. That's how I played, and it didn't feel like I was getting a compromised or broken experience. Felt like that's just how the game could have been intended to be. But even though it all sounds pretty cool on paper, I wasn't especially grabbed by the story from what I saw. Maybe I'll go back to it, but so far it didn't really click, despite it having a lot of hypothetically interesting qualities.

And lastly I tried out Armored Core: For Answer. With AC6 getting announced recently I figured now might be a good time to check out what these games are all about. I've never been in to mecha stuff really, but for a while I felt like maybe I should give it a go at some point. I like Zone of the Enders a lot, although I know that's not really a "mecha" game, in the true sense of the genre. But the people who like these AC games seem to really like them, and this is the one that I've heard come up most as the best one. First impressions are fairly positive. It has a nice aesthetic to it. It's got a washed out, muted look. It's a kind of austere, futuristic feel that is minimalist but still stylish. It helps sell these machines as actual tangible, hulking things, and the world they exist in as being sombre and grounded. I have heard about how these games are really complicated to control, but that's only sort of true. It's fairly easy to pick up and understand the basics, and the game gives you a bunch of options to automate certain things. But at the same time there's stuff that is ambiguous and I don't really understand. Like sometimes the side boost just doesn't work for no apparent reason. There's an auto lock-on, that is sometimes vague about when it'll work or not, and there's no manual alternative. Maybe I just need to learn how these things work better, but these don't seem like they should be hard concepts to convey. I was doing fine through the campaign missions until I reached one where I have to attack some huge fortress, which just obliterates me near instantly. I'm sure there's some strategy I'm missing, but I'm not entirely sure I'll be returning to it after reaching such a huge roadblock like that.

[Magical_Isopod]

Started Sonic Frontiers. Mostly liking it, which is odd because I don't like 3D Sonic or open world games. But they've stumbled upon a brilliant formula by combining the two - Sonic nyooming around big spaces and solving navigation puzzles with stylish obstacle courses jsut works.

That being said, the cyberspace stages that reproduce the traditional 3D Sonic formula... Those are really hit and miss. Some are fun platforming segments using speed and tight controls to provide a fun challenge. Others are full of cheap deaths, finicky automation, and bad camera angles.

We'll see where I stand when I finish this one, but I think the future of this series lies more in the exploration and parkour than in the lame "way past cool" Dreamcast stuff.

[Jobobonobo]

I always thought open world might be the best way to make Sonic work in 3D. Large expansive environments where you are free to speed around just sounds right for the character.

My last title this year is also a Sega title. I decided to finally tackle the behemoth that is Yakuza 5. Wise of me to start it on a weekend because there was a LOT of story to get through in the first hour. I mean even for Yakuza, the cutscenes were excessive but a new setting and a new line of work for KIryu does make me intrigued to see where this is going. With five characters to play as I know this is going to be a long one but from what little I played I am liking it so far.

Also hacked my 3DS this weekend with custom firmware. Am excited to make it my portable retro machine. Will see what I will put on it for my trip home for the holidays.

[Alex79]

I think perhaps because I went in with quite low expectations after the middling reviews and not being a huge fan of Rick & Morty, but I'm enjoying High On Life at the moment. It's amusing rather than laugh out loud funny, but I'd be lying if I said I'd not had a couple of big laughs from it so far. The shooting seems fairly solid, and zipping around with the grappling knife genuinely feels quite Halo Infinite at times, it can get pretty frantic.

[Alex79]

Oh yeah, I also started The Last Campfire on Switch last night in bed. It's the puzzle adventure from Hello Games, and I've never really heard anyone talk about it, which is a shame because it's a really nice little game. It's got quite an ethereal feel to it, with a bit of Hollow Knights melancholy, some shades of Journey and a tiny little bit of The Witness. It's nothing like any of those games, but I'm getting a similar feel from it. Picked it up a couple of weeks back in a sale for around £4, so keep an eye out for another sale if you're interested. Liking it so far.

[Magical_Isopod]

After finishing Sonic Frontiers, I gave Sonic Adventure 2 a shot...

I know this game is beloved by a lot of folks, so I won't be too rough on it, but this has absolutely not aged well. Steam version looks and runs great, but yeah. Between the goofy music choices, the lousy controls, the awful, awful camera... I don't get why I had people on other fora insisting I play this one after saying I loved Frontiers. XD

[GKBracken]

After finishing Sonic Frontiers, I gave Sonic Adventure 2 a shot...

I know this game is beloved by a lot of folks, so I won't be too rough on it, but this has absolutely not aged well. Steam version looks and runs great, but yeah. Between the goofy music choices, the lousy controls, the awful, awful camera... I don't get why I had people on other fora insisting I play this one after saying I loved Frontiers. XD

I was duped into playing the SA games a couple years ago myself and I agree with you. The audio mixing on them are some next level awful, haven't come across anything quite as poorly mixed before or since.

[lbthrizzy]

I'm still tasting around for something to dive into right now. I started AC2 and AC3, Far Cry 5. Started up The Witcher again now that there's a next gen update. Judgment, Shadow of Mordor, Fallout 76. Nothing has hooked me yet.

[Alex79]

I'm still tasting around for something to dive into right now. I started AC2 and AC3, Far Cry 5. Started up The Witcher again now that there's a next gen update. Judgment, Shadow of Mordor, Fallout 76. Nothing has hooked me yet.

Yeah I get like that sometimes. The games you've mentioned are all big open world games, and often when I'm feeling like that the thought of tackling one of those really puts me off, so I'll try to find a shorter indie game to play through. Might work!

[Angry_Kurt]

Started sparks of hope and it’s really good fun. I think I prefer a grid system in there type of games even though I can’t really explain why. It has some nice additions like the Sparks and I like how all characters level up at the same rate even if you don’t use them. I can’t remember if that was the same in the last game. It also adds some stuff in between battles more akin to a 3D Mario game, like coin dash challenges and small puzzles. Looking forward to playing more.

[Magical_Isopod]

Been playing Yokai Watch and The Quarry. Both are great, and both are interesting but opposite takes on horror.

Yokai Watch is the comfy Pokemon-like I've been wanting for years, and I'm disappointed with myself for overlooking it this long. XD It resonates with me a lot, because even though it's very obviously Japanese folklore, some of those beliefs about spirits mirror some of the Balkan "village wisdom" I grew up with... Like a lot of rural Greeks and Macedonians believe in the concept of a "house spirit," that a house spirit will take on the energy of those who enter the house, and amplify it. An angry person enters the house, the house spirit amplifies anger. Plus all the nature spirits, that mirrors some of the Rodnover (Slavic Pagan) beliefs surrounding the roles of the gods in the natural order. So I dunno. It feels very comfy and familiar in a similar way to The Witcher 3 for me.

The Quarry is just... Good. In terms of the presentation, it's probably the highest quality I've seen from Supermassive since Until Dawn. The Dark Pictures games are great, and House of Ashes is probably still my favourite in this dev's catalogue, but they definitely do feel "budget," though that's not a net negative. I think the subject matter of The Quarry feels a bit stale, but it does have the best cast and acting of any Supermassive game to date.

[Scrustle]

Last few days I've been playing Splatoon 3. It's been so long since I've been able to play Splatoon, and it feels so good to be back. First impressions are very positive, although I'm still feeling things out a bit. I remember when this first came out the more negative side of the reception was focused on saying it was too similar to the last game, but I wouldn't say that's true. I mean, being a sequel in a series like this which is based around an evolving meta, it's always going to be pretty iterative. But this game is more different to 2 than that game was compared to the first.

It once again changes all the specials around, introduces new weapon types, and new maps. But it has a bunch of QoL changes that fix all the niggling issues the old games had that change the character of the game when sitting down for a session in a really good way. Letting you walk around the lobby and practice your aim on the firing range is such a great addition. It lets you hone your skills and get in the right mindset before a match, and gives you something to do between them so you're not just twiddling your thumbs or stewing on a defeat.

The new way ranked matches work now is cool too. I always thought it sounded confusing and a bit off-putting in marketing, but in practice it works well. You have the option to play a series of matches, where your performance at the end will be used to calculate a points total that goes towards your overall rank. You do have to pay a small fee of rank points at the start of a series, but so far it's only been negligible. It helps reduce anxiety of a loss by softening the blow, and you can even be rewarded for your performance in a losing game by the end of it. But the biggest thing it does is that it gives you motivation to keep playing, but also a good stopping point as well. Provides a bit of structure to the online experience. Although I can see this getting more stressful at higher ranks when you have to put more points on the line.

They've also introduced a sort of seasonal battle pass-like reward structure, where you get rewards based on how much you play. Doesn't charge you anything, but it's the same kind of thing. Not really sure on that idea. It feels like it is trying to exploit FOMO a bit, hiding some desirable cosmetics behind a massive grind. When it comes to clothes, you can at least get them later by ordering them from other players, but I don't think there's any other way to get flairs and emotes, etc. Those aren't as important since they don't affect gameplay, but I still don't really like the idea of it. Most of the coolest stuff is really far in to the grind.

[lbthrizzy]

I'm still tasting around for something to dive into right now. I started AC2 and AC3, Far Cry 5. Started up The Witcher again now that there's a next gen update. Judgment, Shadow of Mordor, Fallout 76. Nothing has hooked me yet.

Update: Far Cry 5 is fun!

[Magical_Isopod]

Played through the first hour-ish of Sonic Heroes. This game is FAR more interesting than Sonic Adventure 2 was... But I was kinda bored. Not frustrated, just wasn't really grabbing me.

Also started up Flipnic on PS2... That one, I had trouble putting down. XD This game is absolutely deranged for a video pinball game, I love it.

[Jobobonobo]

After a slow start, Yakuza 5 is really starting to grow on me. One of the reasons why is that a feature I thought I was not going to like, taxi driving, is a weird mix of relaxing and stressful that it makes it fairly compelling. In fact, the taxi and racing missions are similar to the Cabaret Club of 0 and the RTS minigame in Kiwami 2 in that it is an enjoyable and addictive time sink. Upgrading my car to get better at winning races is like a more arcadey version of racing games such as Forza and Gran Turismo. If the other characters have minigames quite as compelling as Kiryu, then I think 5 will rank very high in the Yakuza series for me. It also helps that the arcade games are actually worth a damn this time with Virtua Fighter 2 and Taiko Drum Master.

I am also trying out a fan translated patch of a GBA game that never released outside of Japan known as Densetsu no Stafy. This is a series of cute KIrby-like platformers that Nintendo kept in Japan until the fifth game, the Legendary Starfy which was released on DS. I was always interested in this series since I love a good platformer and part of me wonders why this was not released overseas. It is not too difficult and is bright and cheery so unless it gets very dark/incomprehensible later on, it is weird why Nintendo kept this in Japan. I am nearly halfway through it already and it is just a nice breezy time. It is definitely weird though, one of your best friends is a clam who is in love with a lionfish! Dialogue is amusing enough in general that even though it is not massively story heavy, I would rather play these in English if I get the chance.

[ColinAlonso]

I'm trying to complete Shadow Dancer (Mega Drive) without save states before the podcast cover it. Its actually easy enough once I settled into it. I reached Round 5 the last 2 times which is the last round apparently. Quite a different feel to the console only games as the Shinobi (is it Joe?) is slower and less nimble but that fits this game.

I've also completed three chapters of Live-A-Live. I played the fan translation over 15 years ago and this seems to be a straight remake, so Masaru's chapter is still just seven fights sadly. Pogo's chapter is fun as it tells everything without words. Light breezy classic JRPG fun and it doesn't have the jankiness I'd expect from a direct remake of a 30 year old game.