Whatcha Been Playing?

[shadowless_kick]

regarding the digital vs. physical issue, I prefer physical in 9 cases out of 10, and while the "what about day-one patches?" argument is valid, it's not necessarily a factor unless you just gotta play a game the moment it's released. I want Spider-Man, but I'm in no rush; I can gladly wait until its inevitable GOTY edition that includes all the post-release stuff.

on a related note, I finally got my hands on the Sonic Mania Plus disc ...and I'm surprisingly disappointed. it was obviously made with a lot of love, but that's also its weakness; stages tend to be bloated with too much stuff going on. the zones are beautiful, but too often the game takes control from you with springs, slides and launchers rocketing you around while you basically just watch. obviously the originals did this too, but not to this extent. also, I'm finding the boss battles to be poorly designed, leaving me wondering what I'm supposed to do.

perhaps I just need more time with it, but I'm thinking it would've been better had the developers showed a bit of restraint and saved some ideas for the sequel. (though admittedly, it's kind of amazing they even got to make this one)

which leads to another benefit of physical media: if I end up really bouncing off of it, I can sell it and at least get some of my money back

[Michiel K]

I'm about halfway through The Wonderful 101.

At its best, this is an adorable game bustling with charm and ingenuity that completely commits to its idiosyncratic premise and offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience to the dedicated player.

At its worst, it's a piece of jank full of gimmicky sections and massive visibility / communication issues. I'm obviously no stranger to fixed camera angles and unconventional control schemes considering how often I like to shill for Resident Evil and Ninja Gaiden, but this game is definitely testing my patience at times.

I'm very glad this exists, and I fully intend to see it through to the credits, but I doubt it'll become either my favorite Kamiya or Platinum game if the first half is anything to go by. It's equal parts brilliant and frustrating.

The game was kind of rushed out and the one patch it got wasn't enough. Doesn't stop it from being one of my all-time faves, though. I'd beg for a Director's Cut on Switch if it weren't such a Wii U game through and through. In fact, the section where you control that Gethjerk ship while also duking it out with baddies inside has to rank as one of the best GamePad uses out of them all, for me.

Also, Wonder Green asks "Ça va ?"

[KSubzero1000]

In fact, the section where you control that Gethjerk ship while also duking it out with baddies inside has to rank as one of the best GamePad uses out of them all, for me.

Also, Wonder Green asks "Ça va ?"

I'm probably making this worse for myself by playing with the Pro Controller, mind you. The ergonomics of the GamePad kinda rub me the wrong way. But yes, some segments such as the one you mentioned are incredibly creative.

Speaking of Wonder Green, he does the exact same thing that Cécile does in Peace Walker in that while his french accent is pretty much on point, the illusion quickly falls apart when trying to speak actual french words and it becomes clear that the voice talent has probably never set foot inside of France!

Overall, the game is very good. It's a shame it sold so poorly, although not entirely unsurprising.

[dezm0nd]

I really enjoyed W101... that ending rivals Bayonetta for just pure crazy!

[dezm0nd]

I’ve been playing Far Cry 5 on and off for weeks now, basically playing it when I’ve got a podcast to listen to or fancy some brainless action.

It’s a good game but one I’m finding I have no connection with other than using it to fill half hour windows when I have the time.

The challenges are what’s really keeping me going and I’m finding the side stuff to be varied and more enjoyable than the story missions.

One day I hope they’ll make an multiplayer open world Far Cry game which is basically a giant playground and has zero story stuff from holding you back. I’d love to see loads of us BASE jumping, fishing and doing all the fun stuff this game has to offer in a seamless game a bit like those destiny moments where players come in and out of your game

[Simonsloth]

At the moment I’m playing deadly premonition and The Last Story.

One of these I’m enjoying and the other is proving to be a dull and underwhelming experience. I’m probably 5-6 hours into The Last Story and nothing about it is drawing me back. The only plus point is that I’m able to play it on the Wii u whilst my wife watches x-factor etc. If it was on the Xbox or PS4 I wouldn’t have persevered. I don’t feel like I’m actually doing anything to win fights and the game doesn’t seem to need me to be involved at all. Should I persist?

[Suits]

I'm very much into a nice triple routine at the moment.

I'm playing through Strange Brigade on the Xbox One, which is a fun, if a little bland team shooter. Me and my mate got to the last story mission then our other friend got back from holiday and wanted in, so we've started again.

Although it lends itself well to going back through the levels as there’s lots of collectables and secrets to unlock the game is primarily a vehicle for us to get together and Lego chat for a hour or two of an evening.

Then I’m playing through Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on the 3DS. Very charming, slow paced adventure. Nice simple story that is easy to pick up and immediately get back into. It’s got a couple of old-school-hard puzzles as well, which as frustrating as they can be while you’re in them, give you that slap of satisfaction when you figure them out.

I’m only 6 hours in but the game is still introducing mechanics and scenario’s that keep you guessing and involved.

A very well put together game with almost perfect pacing so far.

Then I’m constantly, as often as I can, playing Pro (PES 2019) on the PS4.

So, if you only read the online noise about this game, you’d be forgiven for giving it a wide berth. It’s Pro so comes with rather a few, large caveats BUT – it’s one hell of a football game.

Master League is currently broken. There’s a bug that means Leicester City, frivolously sell all their players before the transfer deadline and buy no one. Which means, in some cases they go down to a squad of 9 players. This also happen to Birmingham City too.

Konami are looking into this and have stated that there is a patch on the way. I also hope it addresses the fact that Hull occasionally buy Messi for £30M.

Due to this, I have held off starting my Master League – clearly, and have focussed on MyClub which effectively is a card based, deck building, football game. It’s good and has been around for a number of years now. It allows you to actually play the games, online, against the COM, or Simulate matches in the style of a very simplistic Championship Manager style.

Often I will start the SIM matches and sit back in my chair with the 3DS, as the games play out in real time, 10 minutes.

But, back to the actual football. It’s class. Absolute class.

Everything that makes Pro stand out against FIFA is more pronounced than ever before. The weight of the players, the movement, the individualism, it’s crafted so well and makes for a such a rich experience it makes putting up with all the other rubbish.

An example of how things have changed from last year;

Headers. Lot’s of people are complaining that the system is broken and that headers don’t work – wrong, you just have to win them. More often than not the header is won before the leap is made, its won in the positioning, the momentum and the strength of the payers. Then there’s the timing of the leap. You can now effectively build your leap and pop it at a specific moment to win the header, it’s such a great way to build important into headers and really, really makes a difference. It’s easier to defend a header than it is to attack them, is the way they’ve balanced it so that you can’t just bully your way in a game of head tennis.

I’ve also taken the time to upload all the badges, kits and leagues into the game, so it looks perfect.

[stvnorman]

Feel bad for PES as I always preferred it to FIFA, but unfortunately the majority will never know how good it feels and go with the crowd on the path of least resistance.

I’m really enjoying Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Old-school Castlevania in all but name with some really clever character-switching mechanics, atmospheric graphics and sound that make me want to live in it, and plenty to explore and go back to when you’re able to. I’m on the final stage now - the game has got progressively more tricky but aside from a few frustrating sections, it’s all do-able after a few attempts and some experimentation with the characters so far, even on veteran mode.

Also finished Mega Man 2 on the Switch Legacy Collection; the penultimate part of the Dr Wily stage where he’s in the tank took me ages, but the last part was thankfully far more forgiving. I’ve not felt that sense of achievement after a game in a very long time! I jumped straight into finishing the Mega Man 11 demo level, which I loved, and next I’m going to give the original a go.

[ratsoalbion]

Feel bad for PES as I always preferred it to FIFA, but unfortunately the majority will never know how good it feels and go with the crowd on the path of least resistance.

I was an ISS and then Pro Evo evangelist from 1995 to 2006, importing the Japanese versions for my modded PS1 then PS2, burning translation patches onto the ISO, converting all my then FIFA-playing mates and playing hundreds of hours a year solo and multiplayer.

Honestly though, despite continuing to buy both every year, and downloading all the kits and all that malarkey for PES - I haven’t strongly preferred a PES to a FIFA on the pitch since probably 08.

It’s late and I’m on my phone so I’ll not be going into detail, but for me PES hasn’t been the same since the Tokyo based team handed over the reigns to a largely Western team.

Conveniental wisdom still seems to suggest that PES is the purist’s choice and FIFA the casual’s, but as a pretty serious football fan and videogame player, FIFA has provided me with a far more engaging and authentic experience for a decade now.

I’m glad that PES still exists, but with Konami heading away from videogames and this year’s PES selling poorly, I wonder how much longer the franchise will persist.

Edit: I should say I haven’t (yet) bought this year’s PES, because each of the last 6 or 7 versions have been vaunted as a sparkling return to form and shown some initial promise, before rapidly being shelved when I get the new FIFA and have more interesting matches (ones that actually resemble the football that I watch rather than a weirdly smooth, ludicrously fast fantasy version that I don’t recognise) on that.

I realise this makes me very uncool, but I’ve long since learned to live with that.

[Chopper]

Despite not playing either (learning a new sports game is akin to taking on a second job these days), I've always found it odd that neither one supports online league play, meaning you have to manage all that offline if you want to set up a tournament/league. I wonder if the demand for that just isn't there, and people are happy with 1v1 games(or 2v2 etc; I know PES now allows several people on the same team)?

[Suits]

I realise this makes me very uncool, but I’ve long since learned to live with that.

Why would you think that makes you look uncool.

Just play the football game you prefer.

[Suits]

Despite not playing either (learning a new sports game is akin to taking on a second job these days), I've always found it odd that neither one supports online league play, meaning you have to manage all that offline if you want to set up a tournament/league. I wonder if the demand for that just isn't there, and people are happy with 1v1 games(or 2v2 etc; I know PES now allows several people on the same team)?

You touch on it in your post but I think it’s because there’s not much of an appetite for long drawn out online seasons.

I can image a lot of players will loose interest over the course of a 38 games online season and abandon it.

A lot of the online modes now have 10 game seasons, which make them easier to complete.

The new PES have a number of 4 game tournanamets which I think scratch that itch.

[ratsoalbion]

I realise this makes me very uncool, but I’ve long since learned to live with that.

Why would you think that makes you look uncool.

Just play the football game you prefer.

Oh I do, I was only being silly. Should have added a

[Suits]

I’ll put it down to a roller coaster evening at St Mary’s.

[Alex79uk]

Suffering from playing too many games syndrome at the moment. I'm halfway through Oxenfree, and I know if I don't finish it soon I'll have to start again (again). Left Fallout 4 half finished a while back, and halfway through Metro 2033, Shenmue and Kingdom Hearts too. Also playing Retro City Rampage and Assassins Creed III: Liberation on Vita, although have a game of FFX Remaster about ten hours in I need to get back too as well. Quite why I thought now was a good time to trial a month of PS Now I'm not sure, as I want to get through Asuras Wrath and Devil May Cry HD before the month is up on there, too. I'm never usually like this, I'll have one PS4 game and one Vita game on the go at any given time. My brain has gone a bit haywire lately and I can't seem to concentrate on anything. I'll play half an hour of a game and then flick to another and keep doing that all evening. It's quite frustrating and I can't seem to stop it

[ratsoalbion]

Despite not playing either (learning a new sports game is akin to taking on a second job these days), I've always found it odd that neither one supports online league play, meaning you have to manage all that offline if you want to set up a tournament/league. I wonder if the demand for that just isn't there, and people are happy with 1v1 games(or 2v2 etc; I know PES now allows several people on the same team)?

FIFA has accommodated 11 v 11 for years. It’s fabulous if you can get a team together.

[Suits]

I can only imagine it’s a shouty mess to be honest.

[ratsoalbion]

Not if you get the right bunch of people together, which is admittedly very difficult.

[Suits]

Not if you get the right bunch of people together, which is admittedly very difficult.

The most I’ve played with is co-op 4 (local), which isn’t too bad as more often than not you have 4 players on screen at once so you sort of keep a shape.

It is incredible though.

We used to call it; 5 Star Wales

We’d go Wales and attempt to win the World Cup on the hardest difficulty - which used to be represented by 5 stars.

The term has still stuck to this day.

[Flabyo]

There used to be a 3v3 tournament for charity played between the various Guildford game developers. Some of them took it very seriously, one studio had to have internal playoffs to pick their team...

(We also had a Halo 3 tournament as well for a while, but one of the studios brought in some esports players as ringers which seemed a bit against the spirit of the thing)