Whatcha Been Playing?

[Simonsloth]

I was more in a Yakuza mood it turns out., so installed 4 last night... I do have other Yakuza games on the pile, and 3 was the last one I played, so logically 4 is next for me!

I ... hope ... you ... like ... words ... and ... lots .... of .... ‘em. [press X to continue].

Oof! I'm already feeling that! (press x)

You’ve just smashed my rose tinted specs! I completely forgot about all that.

It’s the main reason why I don’t think I’ll get around to persona 5.

[shadowless_kick]

a couple of hours into my newest purchase, Tetris Effect, and it has totally charmed me. it really leans into the whole new-agey, "journey of discovery" thing, but though it's easy to scoff at, I've been embracing it and approaching the game as a kind of meditative come-down from more intense titles.

even without VR, the synergy of sight, sound and the rumble of the controller is really well done and the overall presentation is stellar. the game just oozes quality.

[dezm0nd]

Nearing the end of Leon's campaign in REmake 2. Absolutely loving it, with a couple nitpicky minor gripes

Gonna head straight into Claires campaign and then try and get some more modes and find other things to do with another playthrough after.

Think this might be the first RE game to get me involved in post completion content as it plays very well. I've enjoyed the series so far (re6 aside) but never have i truly clicked with the controls enough to encourage me to play the other modes.

Are you playing the PS4 version? If so, can you let me know if you're able to stream it? Because when I try to, it treats the entire game as though it's a blocked cutscene. First game I've never been able to stream. Not sure if it's an RE2 problem or an Isopod problem.

Xbox One (X) on my side. Sorry mate, I cannae help ya

[ReprobateGamer]

I put a few hours into the Anthem VIP demo this weekend (not entirely certain how I got access as I haven't pre-ordered but maybe something from being part of the alpha?)

Anyhoo, the game itself plays well. Being able to jetpack into the sky whenever you want is a great feeling. Graphics are lovely and the world itself seems to have a shedloads of lore which generally speaks to a decent amount of background thinking and investment.

BUT ...

It's currently struggling from every bad thing that can affect persistant open-world games. Connection issues joining in, problems with loading screens, and a map that looks fairly sparse. To be fair to the last point, some things don't appear until you are on top of them and I didn't notice any lag generally which is something.
Enemies though are bullet sponges and encounters are clearly designed for multiple Javelins using combo attacks (inflicting a status then have a team mate inflict a different status to trigger a damage boost) - ammo only drops from dead enemies so it can be easy to get pinned down, and only have your recharging grenade/class abilities left to attack. Health is also an enemy death pickup and the shields felt weak.
And when you do die in a restricted zone, you have no way of de-spawing. The Division did something similar and it's incredibly frustrating to be stuck looking at your corpse, hoping a teammate can get to you to revive you. There is an overheat mechanic to provide players from abusing the ability to fly but it builds up too quickly so you end up staying on the ground, which ultimately turns it into another 3rd person sci-fi shooter.

Actually it reminds me a lot of The Division was like at launch - a great game suffering from mechanics that needed tweaking and not enough end game content. It took that game a while to sort through it's issues and it never fully reclaimed the user base it should have maintained.

And Bioware/EA also keep using old builds for the beta's/demo's so whatever we are playing, and indeed what they had on the dev streams was never the most up to date build. So we aren't even certain if any issues we note have already been fixed, or something that is being glossed over in the hope that it will get fixed 'soon'.

I want to like this game - what I've played of it so far is not filling me with confidence (or the urge to actually buy it)

[stvnorman]

I’ve not played the Anthem demo yet, but from what I’ve read I’m getting much the same vibes.

I finished Raging Justice on the Switch, which I’ve dipped in and out of for months, usually trying to improve on my performance in stages I’ve done before moving to the next when I’m happy with it. I’m sure Streets of Rage 4 will be better received, but this reminds me of Pit-Fighter, which I’ve always liked regardless of what anyone else says!

I’ve played a couple of hours of Cursed Castilla EX on the Switch. It’s a love letter to Super Ghosts ‘n Ghouls ‘n Goblins and a dash of Castlevania too. The atmospheric visuals and soundtrack wear their inspiration on their sleeves, as does the punishing (but mostly fairer) hack and slash platforming gameplay. Apparently loads of levels, loads of challenging bosses, and just like it’s ancestors, all most likely to be wasted on someone like me that will never be good enough to see half of them!

I’m hoping to have more success on Sega Ages Out Run on the Switch - I’ve now got to stage four, which is further than ever before! The Arcade Archives Bomb Jack that came out last week plays brilliantly on there too. Really spoilt with retro stuff on the Switch recently!

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Even though I've got the 3DS version of Sega Ages Out Run, I may double-dip with Switch release eventually...

Once I got past the obligatory opening story moments of Yakuza 4, I spent a good two hours just running around, playing golf, pool (8 and 9 ball), brawling, drinking, shopping, bowling, mahjong (which I don't know how to play), brawling, UFO catcher-ing, visiting hostess clubs, drinking, brawling, eating, tracking down locker keys... I remembered where a lot of places were from when I played the third game many years ago, which makes it feel like a very familiar place, spatially.

Sega were right to ditch the hardware aspect of their business after the Dreamcast! There's a unique feel to a Sega game, and it's so good being in that virtual world!

[Michiel K]

As is usual for me, I've been all over the place. I snatched up a cheap copy of the 1st Splatoon on Wii U, though and that's proven to be very addictive.

I played a bit of Counter Strike back in the days, but have largely left online multiplayer shooters by the wayside, considering that gaming is something I only do when I've tended to all my other responsibilities and if you really want to take 'em serious and play with groups of friends, coordinating playing time seems to be a must.

There's just something so quirky and likeable and different about Splatoon that I've always wanted to try it out, though. And I wanted to start with the 1st game. Also, playing online in Wii U is free!

Would you believe it that at this moment in time the player slots still fill up quickly, most of the time? Sometimes even annoyingly fast, when I'm on the verge of breaking my high score in that 8-bit squid jumping waiting room minigame (genius!).

Quite smitten with this one, the paint splatting, the squid mobility, the unique tactics and the overall style... Not sure how much time I'll dedicate to it, but it can easily be picked up for a quick session or two.

[delb2k]

I also had a little shot of the Anthem demo and I like the movement and the abilities. With a team i think it could be a lot of fun and quite tactical. Also loving the sound design as well, that felt really good

However the technical bit around it is really causing a problem. Loading problems, hangs, freezes and frame rate issues are causing a lot of very bad first impressions, and I fear the open demo cause them a lot of woe

[hazeredmist]

I deleted the Anthem demo after trying unsuccessfully to load a mission after half an hour or so, after they'd said the PS4 issues were fixed. Really poor showing from EA and paints the game in a bad light before it even comes out. Whether it's dev issues, network infrastructure or otherwise, when you are desperate to get a piece of the Destiny pie you don't let shit like this happen to your game. I don't have the time to be a games tester, calling it a demo is almost disingenuous.

[Magical_Isopod]

And Bioware/EA also keep using old builds for the beta's/demo's so whatever we are playing, and indeed what they had on the dev streams was never the most up to date build. So we aren't even certain if any issues we note have already been fixed, or something that is being glossed over in the hope that it will get fixed 'soon'.

I want to like this game - what I've played of it so far is not filling me with confidence (or the urge to actually buy it)

I would not be shocked at all if those "old builds" are actually damn near the finished product. Fallout 76, anyone? I feel like Anthem was doomed to fail from the word go - they announced a Destiny clone while Destiny was already in decline, and EA has seemingly learned nothing from the last 10 years of gaming. Once the law catches up to Loot Boxes, EA is gonna be further down the shitter than a septic tank truck's hose. And good riddance.

I actually like that Bungie took Destiny with them - Destiny 3 is probably going to launch to praise by default if they don't monetize it too aggressively.

[Magical_Isopod]

I deleted the Anthem demo after trying unsuccessfully to load a mission after half an hour or so, after they'd said the PS4 issues were fixed. Really poor showing from EA and paints the game in a bad light before it even comes out. Whether it's dev issues, network infrastructure or otherwise, when you are desperate to get a piece of the Destiny pie you don't let shit like this happen to your game. I don't have the time to be a games tester, calling it a demo is almost disingenuous.

Every issue is EA. Not the Dev, not the tech, but the arse-headed lunatics running that company.

[Alex79]

As an attempt to get some fresh thoughts for the podcast threads, I've been playing Donkey Kong 94 and Donkey Kong Country. Both are fantastic, but DK94 really is such a brilliant puzzle platformer. It's so much fun, and I'd really recommend anyone with access to a Gameboy or alternative way of playing it give it a try. Seems almost a shame to bundle it with the original arcade game on the show given the amount you could probably talk about both of them!

[Magical_Isopod]

An update for anyone who's curious - RE2make DOES have streaming disabled through the PS4, which is BS. This won't be an issue for anyone using a capture card and splitter to bypass the copyright BS, but running through my capture card means I can't play in HDR and 4k sooooooo... I'll just have to give the ol' "ebi se" to CAPCOM, time to crack out the Makedonski jazik for these jerk-heads.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

I deleted the Anthem demo after trying unsuccessfully to load a mission after half an hour or so, after they'd said the PS4 issues were fixed. Really poor showing from EA and paints the game in a bad light before it even comes out. Whether it's dev issues, network infrastructure or otherwise, when you are desperate to get a piece of the Destiny pie you don't let shit like this happen to your game. I don't have the time to be a games tester, calling it a demo is almost disingenuous.

Every issue is EA. Not the Dev, not the tech, but the arse-headed lunatics running that company.

Speaking of EA, I booted up my PS4 copy of Burnout Paradise for the first time ever, and when the EA logo popped up (to which I totally forgot that EA published this) my involuntary, gut reaction was one of disgust and repulsion!

You just can't buy that sort of reputation! Well, maybe in EA's case you can?

[Suits]

Both are fantastic, but DK94 really is such a brilliant puzzle platformer. It's so much fun, and I'd really recommend anyone with access to a Gameboy or alternative way of playing it give it a try.

The battery in my cart has finally given up the ghost , so I can’t save my game, which is a damn shame.

As enjoyable as it is, it’s a little draining starting from scratch each time.

[Alex79]

Found a bargain in a charity shop today, Punch Out on the Wii for 50p! It was bundled in with all the DVDs so they may not have realised it was a game. Still, felt a bit bad so paid with a £2 and let them keep the change

[dezm0nd]

Love a charity shop bargain. Good game that punch out, even if the stereotypes are a little full on

[Suits]

Charity shop runs are wicked.

Me and mate used to do them a few years back, picking up GameCube and DS games for 20p a piece was rad.

Nowadays they’re either all snapped up straight away or priced up at £10.

[Alex79]

Yeah most places have got savvy about the second hand prices nowadays. A decade ago or so, it was like Christmas every Sunday going around the car boot. I had a legitimate sideline for a while bunging car boot finds on eBay, no chance these days, 'retro' games are usually more expensive than PS3/360 era titles. It's funny really, you don't see the same happening with the music and movie market in general (obviously there are exceptions). I suppose its down to the fact games will always have a limited amount of copies made whereas old albums and films go on being produced and re-released indefinitely.

[Chopper]

I have been playing Heroes of Hammerwatch, and Near Death, both on PC, as mentioned in these pages by MajorGamer and Magical Isopod.

Both are pretty tough - HoH is a roguelike with nods to Gauntlet that lets you keep upgrades between procedurally generated dungeons. It took me one false start with a hard-to-play Warlock (I'm now playing Ranger which suits the crowd-control aspects better) and quite a lot of time to beat the first boss. Good, but for me one to dip into rather than for prolonged play.

Near Death is a survival game where you crash at an Antarctic base and need to survive against the bitter cold. This hasn't been a great success for me. The cold is so crushing that you have a limited time to get from point A to point B, and this often turns into trial and error where you die the first once or twice before you eventually find the route. Likewise, the interiors are not mapped, so exploring them becomes a trade-off between hoping to find something useful, and using up your precious fuel (of which there is very little). So exploration is discouraged too, whether intentional or not. That leaves a not-very-pleasant rush to the end.

At the moment I'm almost out of kerosene and am save scumming like crazy. Not a lot of fun, sorry Isopod.

That said, I have a feeling that if I do finish it, I will look back on it fondly.

I am playing a lot of PC games because my console backlog is so daunting - not in breadth but in depth. Very hard to commit to the following:

Bioshock Collection
Pillars Of Eternity
Surviving Mars
Divinity Original Sin 2