Whatcha Been Playing?

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
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SludgeWizard
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by SludgeWizard »

Playing both Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and the Link's Awakening remake, and I pre-ordered Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
It's a big month for games that came out 20 years ago.
stvnorman wrote: September 10th, 2020, 9:22 pm I remembered I was about one zone short of finishing Donkey Kong Country, so got that done over what turned into a very infuriating few days! I enjoyed it overall, but not that much - bit repetitive and some sections are just too hard to be my idea of fun.
I finished this up in the past week or so, after playing the game as a kid and not liking how the characters felt to control. He always felt clunky and slow compared to Mario.
But this time around I really enjoyed it! The characters definitely feel different than they do in other platforms. I still want to say clunky and slow, but somehow I mean that in a good way. I liked how they felt.
Here's hoping they add 2 and 3 to Nintendo Online.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Angry_Kurt »

In the evenings whilst watching TV, I have been playing Deus Ex Go which has been on my iPad for a while. I loved both Hitman and Lara Croft Go (baffled as to why none of these games aren't on Switch) and Deus Ex has continued the legacy of being another excellent puzzle game. They're really easy to pick up and play and are nice little brain teasers in bite sized chunks and they also look lovely with their art style. I'm always impressed by how each game integrates the themes of the games into the puzzles and enemies.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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I only really played the Lara Croft one on Vita, it was OK and looked lovely, but never tried the others beyond a quick go on them. I remember thinking an Assassin's Creed one might be quite fun.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Been back on Hitman 2, revisiting the back half of the game to do all the mission stories. The first half of the game still makes a bigger impression on me overall (Miami is a Sapienza-level, god-tier Hitman map) but this is all good stuff too.

Really enjoyed Mumbai this time, it's a good one for doing a suit-only approach as I found lots of sneaky routes to get line of sight on the targets, and shimmying up the half-built skyscraper as the sun glances off it to get a bead on one particular guy is very James Bond/ Mission Impossible. Whittington Creek is good as well with some really entertaining mission stories, but I don't enjoy the environment quite as much as some of the more varied maps.

Isle of Sgail is where it's at though. Infiltrating a secret society meeting at a medieval castle on a private island in the windswept North Atlantic, as a climactic level it's terrific. You can use various disguises to gain access to the Ark Society and get the leaders alone, there's a jewelry heist to pull off (which involves knocking out a pastiche of a Nathan Drake type treasure hunter) and there's a great deal of verticality offering routes up, down and around the different wings of the castle to get to your targets. There's still a few challenges I want to do as an excuse to spend more time in this map, then it's on to the DLC ones.

My only complaint as always is the load times on base PS4... so excruciating. It has all these immersive sim elements that make you want to try different things and experiment, for example seeing if there's a way to get X poison into Y cup without NPCs becoming aware. The consequence for this not being possible is generally that everyone around you kicks off and starts yelling or arresting you. So I tend to want to use quick loads after I've completed a level once, but it's a painfully long wait to try my plan or method again and adds a bit of frustration to an otherwise immaculate gaming experience. If IOI announce some kind of cross-save capability that will allow me to start Hitman 3 on another platform while keeping all my unlocks and progress in the old maps, I'd be really tempted to get it on PC instead.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Angry_Kurt »

Alex79uk wrote: September 14th, 2020, 4:02 pm I only really played the Lara Croft one on Vita, it was OK and looked lovely, but never tried the others beyond a quick go on them. I remember thinking an Assassin's Creed one might be quite fun.
An AC one would fit the format well, shame that it is just a Square Enix thing. The only other franchise of their I could imagine them doing is a Final Fantasy one maybe.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Jon Cheetham wrote: September 15th, 2020, 2:22 am My only complaint as always is the load times on base PS4... so excruciating. It has all these immersive sim elements that make you want to try different things and experiment, for example seeing if there's a way to get X poison into Y cup without NPCs becoming aware. The consequence for this not being possible is generally that everyone around you kicks off and starts yelling or arresting you. So I tend to want to use quick loads after I've completed a level once, but it's a painfully long wait to try my plan or method again and adds a bit of frustration to an otherwise immaculate gaming experience. If IOI announce some kind of cross-save capability that will allow me to start Hitman 3 on another platform while keeping all my unlocks and progress in the old maps, I'd be really tempted to get it on PC instead.
Making these games have instant restarts would be great, and hopefully something they can implement next gen. Have IO said whether Hitman 1 and 2 will get next gen enhancements? I've only played the Paris pack when it first came out and loved it but some reason didn't pick up the full game until a few weeks ago. I'm still yet to start it but wondering whether I should just wait for a next gen version.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Angry_Kurt wrote: September 15th, 2020, 9:37 am Making these games have instant restarts would be great, and hopefully something they can implement next gen. Have IO said whether Hitman 1 and 2 will get next gen enhancements? I've only played the Paris pack when it first came out and loved it but some reason didn't pick up the full game until a few weeks ago. I'm still yet to start it but wondering whether I should just wait for a next gen version.
Not the games themselves but IOI is going to continue their pattern of putting all the maps into the new game's engine as DLC which will be as good as, and if you already own the previous ones that's free. So I played the maps for 2016 as DLC for 2.

It's a really generous and cool approach but it does mean that I'm pretty much committed to playing them on PlayStation unless my IO account can transfer the unlocks and etc cross-platform.

And yeah it does mean picking up 3 is a good place to start as you can just play through the whole trilogy and treat the latest game as a sort of launcher for all 20+ levels.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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I got more into Bayonetta on PS4 the longer it went on, but it still went on a bit too long! A few individual sections dragged a bit too, but overall it’s still some great looking chaotic fun, and I’m glad I finally saw it through after I binned it off and sold it about a third of the game in first time around!

I’ve got to the end of the first episode of Duke Nukem 3D on Switch. It’s been fun but after about 5 hours the novelty is wearing off and I’m not sure I can face another three episodes. That said, the space one seems alright...

Also a good way into Super Mario Sunshine on GameCube. I bought it ages ago, played an hour and put it aside for later. Now I’ve got it coming on Switch shortly, I want to get my money’s worth from the original first! Once it clicks it’s wonderful, and I can’t wait to see how it looks on Switch because it’s still glorious here.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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stvnorman wrote: September 16th, 2020, 10:47 am I got more into Bayonetta on PS4 the longer it went on, but it still went on a bit too long! A few individual sections dragged a bit too, but overall it’s still some great looking chaotic fun, and I’m glad I finally saw it through after I binned it off and sold it about a third of the game first time around!
Played this for the first time earlier this year, on Switch. One of the best things I've played it years, I really loved it. I've got the sequel here to get on with at some point, too.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Last year, I started Mass Effect 3, played for six hours and just...stopped. I was in a bad mood, life was rough. I switched to Mad Max and turned my brain off. But, now I'm back! I was pretty lost at what I was doing jumping back in a year on, but now I'm just moving along, taking jobs as the come. I kind of hate the space bar being the button for...everything? But, that might just be me.
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ReprobateGamer
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ReprobateGamer »

More titles leaving game pass and more titles to try out ...

First was Bad North: Jotunn Edition. This is a procedurally generated strategy game as you defend a succession of islands from Viking invaders. And I do quite like it. The graphics are a pastel hued and dreamy and are a stark contrast to the fighting of the few squads you get each island to fend off waves of attackers. Still on my first run and I'm doing that thing of trying to do things perfectly when I should be just pushing to finish this run and accepting that I have time to come back to it. The individual islands can also be completed in just a few minutes so it could also be something that fits into short spaces of time

I also tried out Westerado's. Described as an action-adventure, the pixel art style and offset top down view point actually reminds me of 8-and 16-bit RPG's with limited attack options, random people giving you quests just for talking to them in the street and the like. There are some nice touches - you can try out new weapons before you buy them, or pull your gun in the middle of a conversation to change the tone. I'm just not grabbed by it at the moment but it seems well put together.

And managed to get my first Eater of Worlds completion in Destiny 2 - had previously reached the final boss more than once but couldn't quite manage the kill. This week, one of my clan arranged an LFG group which saw three of us with three random high level players (I was the lowest light level by 20 points or more) and we polished of Argus in under an hour (would have been sooner but it glitched on us and a weak point didn't break). Nice to have that one ticked off before it gets vaulted ...
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Been playing Hades which is a fantastic roguelike quite unlike any other. In true supergiant fashion it's well written and plays like a charm
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Tried out Tokyo Jungle today and I am amazed that something like this has eluded my attention for so long. Survival games are not my cup of tea at all but the setting of a human free Tokyo and surviving and reproducing until you are eventually snuffed out is super compelling in this game. Obtaining territory, avoiding danger and making sure you have enough to eat while the environment becomes increasingly harsher keeps things interesting at a steady pace. My two main take away from this game so far are (1) Pomeranians are badass predators and (2) whatever you do, do not approach the hippo! Real hidden gem on the PS3.
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

I remember playing Tokyo Jungle after a drunken EGX session round Josh Garritys then dorm room.

Good stuff, I liked it
Marlew
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Marlew »

Tokyo Jungle would make for a fucking brilliant C&R episode. One of the first games I played when I got a PS3 after little more than Wii and DS in the 2000s (and probably thousands of hours of Street Fighter IV). I'd never played anything quite so weird. I associate it with the likes of Everyday Shooter and Flow and the Pixel Junk stuff as my introduction to a different side of gaming.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Hard agree on C&R ding an episode on this one. Just based on the concept alone, it really is one of the more unique experiences out there.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Jobobonobo wrote: September 19th, 2020, 10:09 pm Hard agree on C&R ding an episode on this one. Just based on the concept alone, it really is one of the more unique experiences out there.
Now there’s a blast from the past! I loved Tokyo Jungle! Pretty sure it’s on PlayStation Now too. Such an oddity but fascinating.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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I remember buying it and only ever playing it the once for about half an hour. It was a bizarre game. Never played anything like it before.
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

As Leon would say...

It's on the list!
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Simonsloth wrote: September 19th, 2020, 11:34 pm
Jobobonobo wrote: September 19th, 2020, 10:09 pm Hard agree on C&R ding an episode on this one. Just based on the concept alone, it really is one of the more unique experiences out there.
Now there’s a blast from the past! I loved Tokyo Jungle! Pretty sure it’s on PlayStation Now too. Such an oddity but fascinating.
Yeah, PlayStation Now is how I got to check it out. The PS3 library on there is pretty extensive, have to say.

Also, good to know it is on the list!
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