Whatcha Been Playing?

[Alex79]

As flawed as it may be, there is literally no better way of aggregating games reviews. A high Metacritic rating indicates without too much doubt that the game has been generally very well recieved, doesn't it. My point was, really, that 90% of the critical reception doesn't seem to have been based around the more negative traits of his games. Although I must admit that based on anecdotal evidence, I was quite surprised it was that high.

[KSubzero1000]

A high Metacritic rating indicates without too much doubt that the game has been generally very well recieved, doesn't it.

Yes, but it doesn't indicate the details of that reception. There are reviews that are composed of 50% technical complaints while still scoring the game an 8 out of 10. And if the comment section of said review is mostly comprised of folks trashing the game, then it all paints a very different picture than what Metacritic would suggest. It's just a random example, but you get my meaning.

In any case, perhaps I should have said "popular conversation" instead of "critical reception".

I suspect that many people, having just handed over €60, aren't willing to engage in that level of cognitive dissonance just to enjoy a game.

And from a consumerist point of view, I can't say that I blame them. Perfectly valid point.

But perhaps this is where you and I differ on this particular topic, because I personally prefer to completely ignore the consumerist side of things when formulating my critical assessment of a game (or book or movie, etc...). That's why I think that the most insightful and interesting conversations tend to happen years after any given work's release, long after it has disappeared from store shelves and the hyperactivity caused by the pre-release hype / expectations / buyer's remorse / marketing has died down and people are just dealing with the reality of the finished product.

When people talk about The Iliad or Seven Samurai, they do so based on the works' merit and their interpretation thereof, and nothing else. Marketing and price tags aren't a factor any more, because those works have become ingrained into the wider culture. Ideally speaking, those are the type of conversations that I'd like to be part of when it comes to video games as well, although I'll admit to partake in the whole consumerist cycle more often than I'm comfortable with.

Hope this clarifies things. Are we cool?

[Stanshall]

Sounds like you had a great time with GT Sport then. Driveclub was very exciting but turned out to be a complete disappointment. Without spending extra money on DLC packs there's hardly any game there at all - about 90% of the game is blocked with paywalls. It's like a demo without DLC. I've not had a chance to play Project Cars, The Crew or Assetto Corsa yet but those racers look promising.

My friend owns GT Sport so I might ask to see it this week.

GT6 presented me with 21 updates... I should get to play it in about 4 hours.

I'm not one for the whole VR thing but Gran Turismo sure has to be the best game for it.

I wasn't actually there for the Driveclub launch but that was also massively improved with subsequent updates, though I suspect that the Season Pass had quite a bit to do with that, too. There were also several versions of the game and it sounds like you're describing the PS+ edition which was probably almost insulting in its bare bones state given the delays and the crap launch. It's a very very good looking game with fun handling, closer to Need For Speed than Project Cars, I'd say. Well worth a punt if the season pass is on sale. It's the best arcade racer on the PS4, even if it's not really an arcade racer.

[KSubzero1000]

I detected a hint of elitism, or at the very least the suggestion that other people may have been playing the game wrong, or failed to understand it.

Well, guilty as charged. I get grumpy when I feel like things I care about are being undersold.

Although I do clearly remember my mom talking trash about the first Jurassic Park movie because (and I quote) "CGI just means that they took pictures of lizards and taped them together afterwards", meanwhile I spent the entirety of my first Fable playthrough not knowing there was a run button and rolling everywhere like a moron. So I'm gonna have to respectfully reject the notion that audience members are automatically above criticism!

[Flabyo]

Well on the bright side, given Ueda’s usual pace it’ll be at least 2026 before you have to worry about playing anything else from him...

On AC Odyssey, there was never any point where I needed to grind. At all. I guess if you didn’t want to play any of the side stories at all you might need to, but most of them are as well written as the main plot (I’m referring specifically to things on the map with the exclamation mark icon, not those that come from the other mission icon types). It’s much better than Origins in that respect.

[Scrustle]

I've dipped my toe back in to DmC: Devil May Cry Definitive Edition again recently. With the demo for DMC5 coming out, and having gone through 4 again recently I thought it would be cool to give this one another revisit as well. Even though it's definitely never been my favourite in the series, I had always liked it quite a lot before. This time though, it's not clicking that well for me. So far at least. It's a feeling I've had before, but it never really felt anywhere near as pronounced as this time. It feels very hard to get in to a flow state in this game, and the control scheme just feels wrong. Having to hold down the triggers to use different weapons has always confused my fingers somehow, and it's still doing so now. But I'm also feeling like the game is pretty harsh when it comes to grading you in combat, in a sort of unfair way. This is playing on the Hardcore mode they added in to this version, so they changed that to be more like the other games, along with other tweaks. But a lot of enemies seem like they require you to be reactive to them, waiting for them to make their move before you get a chance to properly react. All that waiting around makes your style rank plummet. On top of that the dodge doesn't seem as reliable as I remember, which is odd given how that omnidirectional dive-roll should be way more usable than the somewhat stiff side-hop of the other games. The camera is also not helpful in a lot of circumstances. It's very hard to keep it pointed at a single opponent, even with the lock-on this version adds, which is not helpful when you need to keep an eye on what enemies are doing so you can react. I also just beat the first boss, Succubus. While I've never thought the bosses in this game are anything spectacular, this time it seemed to emphasise a lot of the problems I've been having this run. Very reactive, and doesn't feel dynamic. Maybe I'll start enjoying it more again after I get back in to the swing of things.

[dezm0nd]

Finished World of light in smash Bros Ultimate. Took me 20 hours, i found it enjoyable overall but it probably didnt need to be this long.

[dezm0nd]

Also just finished Tetris Effects journey mode on expert.

Thats all 3 difficulties done and now im just gonna chase scores until the cows come home.

What a game!

[stvnorman]

I’ve played and finished Rogue Trooper Redux on PS4. Very generic third person shooter but pays some nice fan service (and I’m a fan). Found a great bug where I made it through a fairly heavy shooting section by rushing into the next area without killing most of the enemies, so the new enemies had spawned but I’d obviously not triggered them by clearing the previous section. They just all stood there, completely inactive as I walked by!

Also still loving Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! on the Switch. It’s such a joyous game, especially when you get into the groove with the drum controller, and I’m still unlocking all sorts of crazy new songs!

[Michiel K]

Hands down my favorite way to play GBA games at home where I don't need to use headphones, for outside it's NDS Lite all the way.

Same here. I don't even have a GBA, I play my handful of carts on the DS Lite.

[ratsoalbion]

I don’t have a DS Lite any more so it’s GB Micro or the GC GB Player for me these days - or Wii U VC of course.

[PressStart]

I've been enjoying playing Ultima Underworld I. Historically important as it was one of the first truly 3D first-person dungeon crawlers and surprisingly easy to get into still. Currently available (along with its highly rated sequel)for a song on GOG.

[Alex79]

I've just played through the first hour of Return of the Obra Dinn on Steam. It's early days but based on what I've played so far, and assuming it stays at the same quality, then it's a late contender for my game of the year. What a magnificent piece of work from Lucas Pope.

Really hoping this comes to PS4.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Recently purchased SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch), mainly because it was discounted, but also I like boobs.

I feel like if this game was released in the mid-to-late 90's, and it started in the arcade and was ported to home console, it would fit right into that environment. It doesn't have a crazy amount of depth, but if you were in that arcade environment and it caught your attention, you forgive that shortcoming a lot more.

On the subject of sensualisation and objectification, I'm a middle-age Caucasian male, so my opinions are going to be that of a person who hasn't been subjected to, well, any real hardships in life. I'm actually far more interested in getting a female perspective on this game, as most reviews are written by males. So community, if you come across a review or article about this game from a female perspective, I'd like to read that. Having trouble finding any...

[stvnorman]

I was very tempted by SNK Heroines too, for pretty much the same reasons! I wanted to re-read a few reviews first though, so if I come across any I'll let you know!

Pretty much all of the NES era passed me by - at least until I got my NES Classic - so I love discovering most of the monthly NES games with Switch Online for the first time. I’d never heard of Adventures of Lolo or Wario Woods before, but I’m really enjoying them. They both take a while to get going, and to pick up exactly how things work (when you're too lazy to look for instructions), but once you’re up and running time just flies by playing both.

I finally finished Mega Man 3 on the Switch Legacy Collection. Fantastic game, and definitely a little more forgiving than the original Mega Man, which I finished right before starting this one (which was straight after Mega Man 2), though the penultimate Wily Castle stage did have me tearing my hair out a bit.

On the PS4, I’ve picked up a save from 2015 on Lego Marvel Super Heroes. I was playing it with my then 8-year old son but we got a bit stuck and both lost interest. Now at nearly 12 he’s far too old for such things, but I’ve not played a Lego game for a while, and this one is still a lot of fun with great visuals and solid writing, and having got unstuck, I’m ploughing through the last five levels or so.

[Simonsloth]

Haha

[ThirdDrawing]

Finally got my copy of Night Trap for the Switch, at my parents. It's......really bad.

THIS is what the ESRB was created for?

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Finally got my copy of Night Trap for the Switch, at my parents. It's......really bad.

THIS is what the ESRB was created for?

Yeah... the ESRB is very "won't somebody please think of the children!!!"

Still... self-regulation is better than external regulation, ie lootboxes/gambling... it's a smarter strategy over the long haul.

[Stanshall]

Re: SNK Heroines, it really is a bag of shite and an insult to the great SNK fighting games of yore. The mechanics are terribly simplified and it also looks very ugly. If you want a fanservice-laden fighter, I would suggest BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle which plays tremendously well and looks much nicer. It's not as brazen as Heroines but it's a much better game in every respect.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Re: SNK Heroines, it really is a bag of shite and an insult to the great SNK fighting games of yore. The mechanics are terribly simplified and it also looks very ugly. If you want a fanservice-laden fighter, I would suggest BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle which plays tremendously well and looks much nicer. It's not as brazen as Heroines but it's a much better game in every respect.

I did forget to mention the oddly long load times. Opinions on the core game aside, I think it's worth mentioning that the menus and pre-fight screens are not the most nimble. Haven't played the PS4 version, but on the Switch, in story mode, it sure takes it's sweet time.