Whatcha Been Playing?

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

Post by ReprobateGamer »

TrueAchievements are running their own 12 Days of Christmas challenge so I'm using that as a prompt to work through some older games.

First one up was Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna). This is a platformer that had a heavy involvement from the Inuit community. I'm still within the first hour of game play but it's a lovingly crafted game and I'm looking forward to pushing forward more in it. It has a lot of collectibles that provide a link to an aspect of Inuit culture/history/myth and I'm getting an odd Valiant Hearts vibe from it.

Then spend an hour or two in Neverwinter. This has a massive update earlier in the year which revamped every class. Honestly, I haven't been impressed with the change (nominally it upgrades the basis from the D&D 4th edition to current D&D 5th Edition classes) as most of the skills plugged into my Great Weapon Fighter were removed or nerfed when it was re-classed as Barbarian. Some of this is just that I had got used to a way of playing but I'm definitely struggling a little more now in the fights - I imagine if I wasn't solo'ing the game it probably wouldn't be as bad. It just feels a little too easy to get mobbed currently and the one companion I'm allowed doesn't help much with that. The game itself is fine though graphically it betrays if's free to play roots and there are a lot of mechanics that I know I'm barely touching

Also carrying on with Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. It's not the step up from Wildlands that was helped for but I think the press on it has been a little too hard. I partly think releasing this game in the same year as Division 2 is partly to blame for that - the games mechanics are a little too similar ... The loot grind is an issue for sure and my original XB1 still has graphical issues but I am raid ready now alongside two other friends (waiting on just one more to reach us ...), and the ongoing support means that new missions are being released every couple of weeks and some major QoL patches are due. There's also an event tie-in with Terminator so it'll be interesting to see how that develops
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Loopoo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Loopoo »

Luigi's mansion 3

I think I'm a little dead inside - I'm just not connecting to it. It looks beautiful, incredible. The puzzles are brilliant but overall I feel like I'm missing something. The controls don't help, they're so clumsy and fiddly that it disconnects from the gameplay. Something that normally Nintendo do pretty well.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I'm back in to Breath Of The Wild at the moment. Up to about 75 hours now and done the main quest up to where you have to find the photo spots (found about a third of them) and done one of the divine beasts.

I've still got three regions covered on the map I need to climb the towers for, and last night I ventured in to the Lost Woods looking for the korock seed guy. The Lost Woods seems pretty random as to when it kicks you out when the mist sets in, but I eventually got through.

I found...
Spoiler: show
The Master Sword, but don't have enough hearts to pull it out yet.
I'm currently totally scratching my head in the shrine that has a star constellation puzzle.

Still brilliant.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

Alex79uk wrote: December 6th, 2019, 12:44 pm I'm back in to Breath Of The Wild at the moment. Up to about 75 hours now and done the main quest up to where you have to find the photo spots (found about a third of them) and done one of the divine beasts.
So, I sort of ignored the memory flashbacks during my story playthrough and went back to them once I’d beaten the game to get the ones I’d missed.

This I feel like was a mistake as the flashbacks really added to the theme and overall feel of the game.

I’d implore you to complete as many of these as you can before you finish with the game.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

Agreed, it actually gives the game a plot, and makes you actually like Zelda as a character for the first time in years.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Oh yeah I am, that's my main drive through the game. The side quests are all too hard and vague! I never know what I need to do!! Especially the shrine riddle ones.
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chase210
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by chase210 »

I bought a PlayStation VR so I have been playing Astrobot which is very fun. Not sure it needed to be a VR game so far, but it’s very fun.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I had an awesome session on Metal Gear Solid V last night. I'm only about 20 hours in, and played episode 12 when you have to rescue a certain scientist from a facility. Man, talk about exciting.

I snuck in to the compound in the night, turned their power off then stuck a C4 to the control panel. I waited for someone to come and turn it back on, then BOOOOOM! Man went flying!

I used the diversion to sneak further in and find my target. We escaped using a little mech suit, before being confronted by the [spoiler?] - you know what I mean if you've played it.

And oh my shit it was awesome! We ran and hid and waited for the chopper. But the giant thing spotted us and we had to take cover behind some rocks. I haven't felt so tense in a game in years. Cowering behind the rocks as the giant peeped around and at one point actually put its hands either side of us and leaned over to check behind the rock. It was like a human! It was so fucking exciting! We eventually distracted it with a grenade lobbed behind it and when it went to look we got to the chopper.

Woweeeeeee!! Fucking awesome!
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

About 25 hours into Thousand Year Door and its incredible.

It's shaping up to be one of my favourite games so far.

The writing, the art style, the adventure, the gameplay, the systems - its all top top quality.

Oh and I'm playing Metroid Prime Federation Force with Darran and Simon for an hour each night and very much enjoying it.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I started Titanfall 2 (the single player campaign) the other night. I put it on at midnight meaning to have a super quick go just to see what it was like, and meant to stop playing when the game reached a natural lull. Well I ended up going to bed at a stupid hour because there are no natural lulls - man that's an exciting game that rattles along at a breakneck speed! Good stuff. I'll probably get it finished next weekend.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

Couple of new things that launched on Gamepass this past week.

Demon’s Tilt is a video pinball game, very much in the style of Devil Crazsh from days of old. I like it, if you like your pinball games it’s probably worth a look.


I’m also playing through Wandersong, which is amazing. It’s very silly, but also very dark, and very poignant. I’m a sucker for good game writing, and this is right up there with the very best so far.

You play a bard who is trying to find the verses of a legendary song to save the world. But you’re not the hero, it’s complicated. Your character is cheery in the face of adversity, and always tries to see the best in everyone. Not everyone you meet sees life the same way, and therein lies the conflict.

I really like it. It’s clever, and uplifting. Just what I need right now.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

Started Darksiders: Genesis recently and so far I'm liking it a fair bit. Despite the very different perspective and level structure, it still feels very Darksiders. In a way it's kind of like the first game, but chopped up in to individual levels. So far most of them have been fairly linear, but a couple have had a bit more room to explore. Puzzles so far have been pretty light, but it seems like things are getting a bit more complex as things go on, as you unlock more tools to do things with. The puzzle mechanics themselves are very familiar to the series too. And earlier levels are dotted with things you can't interact with when you first play them, so it seems like the idea is that you can come back later to find more puzzles and secrets.

Combat feels pretty good too, and again quite familiar to how these games feel. In fact I was kind of surprised how good it feels with the camera zoomed so far out in that isometric view. Playing as War feels pretty similar to the first game, and Strife feels good too. Primarily a kind of twin-stick shooter theme, but he has some melee combat moves too that aren't bad. And even though it was made with co-op in mind, playing solo is still fun, and I'm switching between characters pretty frequently.

The dialogue between the characters is pretty fun too. I was worried Strife might be annoying, being a kind of jokey smart-arse type who isn't anywhere near as witty as he thinks he is, but that isn't the case. The way he pokes fun at War's stoic personality has brought out some genuinely funny quips, which gives them a fun straight guy/funny guy dynamic. He also doesn't overdo it either, so the jokes don't get too old.

There have been a couple of problems though. There's a little bit of jank to it, when it comes to things like dodgy collision detection leading me to get stuck in a corner, and one bug where I had to back out to the main menu because the item I was trying to use just didn't work. Also it can sometimes be hard to see things on screen with how far zoomed out it is. And occasionally there are these linear platforming sections where you're usually running away from some hazard chasing you. That isometric perspective is really bad for judging jumps, and putting you under the pressure to rush through those parts doesn't help things. Luckily they've all been pretty short so far.

Also still on MH:W Iceborne and still having a great time with that. Done a lot of going back to get geared up again, which has helped a lot to make progress on new quests too. Recently got past Glavenus, which I was looking forward to. Not played any MH game it was in before, but always thought the design looked cool. And now I finally got to fight it, it certainly delivered. The concept of it is great, and the way it moves and just the presence it has are all very impressive. The gear you can craft from it is especially cool too. On the other hand I wasn't really a fan of Barioth or Nargacuga. Both of those I feel like are just sort of... too fast. They're so quick and aggressive that it feels out of pace with how the game usually flows. Especially Narga. And if I was having a tough time with the IG, with all the speed and mobility that gives you, I can only imagine how awful it must feel with a slower weapon. Next up is Brachydios though, which is another I'm looking forward to. One I have fought before in 3U, and was one of my favourites from that game. So that should be fun to come back to.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by stvnorman »

Finished Arkham City on PS4, mopped up the major side quests and Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC, which was my first time playing and I liked a lot. Brilliant as ever being Batman, but not as brilliant as in Asylum.

Still playing Crash Bandicoot on PS1. Some of the cruel level designs and not great platforming have had me tearing my hair out and I’m only 26% in, but it’s hooked me more than it did first time around!

Started Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Xbox Game Pass. Nothing really clicking yet but hoping it will! Also started Titanfall 2 (on PS+ this month) and an hour in I think I like it!

Also played (and won) a few races on other PS+ freebie Monster Energy Supercross, which is a fun mess for a while, but the crap controls, performance and looks - coupled with the general bugginess - soon make the chaotic novelty wear off.
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Jon Cheetham
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Jon Cheetham »

Thanks to the Steam sale I picked up both Portal games for 4 ringgit, which is about 75p. Had a ton of fun with the first one figuring out the physics and puzzles. Did up to the 17th Test Chamber in a sitting, got most of the way through the final level last night but it started to drag just a tad so I decided to wrap it up tonight. It's also very funny, and the reveal when you manage to get into the walls for the first time is a masterfully crafted moment.

Also grabbed Resident Evil 4 & 5 in the same sale and started both, the latter for co-op marathons with my brother. The controversial content of 5 has been much discussed including on the extremely good ep by the Cane and Rinse team, and although in terms of its wireframe and mechanics it is a fun and engaging gameplay experience, there have been a couple of moments that (personally) felt gross. We'll see how far we get and how the storyline redeems the way the setting is depicted.

I much prefer 4, although I had some problems with the controls. I am on the PC port, so perhaps that is why the camera in aim mode seems overly sensitive and swings wildly around? Died a couple of times literally fighting the controls. I swapped out my PS4 controller for mkb and it seems to work better, so hopefully I can mouse my way through the whole game.

I really like it though. The feeling of gradually pushing forward through the oppressive atmosphere and gloomy game world, trying to get to the next typewriter, reminds me of a first playthrough of a Dark Souls game. Speaking of which, I've enjoyed noticing the parts of Resi 4 that influenced Bloodborne, such as some of the encounters and the way the enemies rant at you before attacking

These are the first Resi games I've played since being obsessed with 2, 3 and even Code: Veronica X, save for a few sessions with Outbreak File #2 on the PS2 when it came out. Nice to be back.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

I've been playing Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (PC), which is a bit of a weird one, defying categorisation.

It's set in Depression-era United States, and you're a hobo traversing an overland map of the US. There are points of interest, where you can earn money, buy food, and most importantly, hear stories. These stories are then your game currency, and you use them to entertain fellow itinerants at campfires dotted around the map. A lot of the stories are done in a kind of magic-realist style.

For example, you may bump into a man staggering out of the door of a bar in St Louis. You notice he's bleeding, and he dies in front of you. Later on, you might hear an embellished version of that tale - that the man was shot in an argument over the hat he was wearing, and the embellishments tend to make the tales more outrageous and another step away from reality. Then, when you're sharing tales at the campfire, your companion might ask you to tell them a funny story. Do you go with the Hat story, or is that a horror story? You have to choose a story which matches what they want, but it's not easy to do so.

By telling these stories successfully, you gain the person's trust, and they tell you more powerful stories (I think). It's all rather arcane. Underlying it all is a kind of Steinbeck crossed with Kerouac vibe which works well, and it's nearest corollary is maybe Kentucky Route Zero.

The art and music are excellent; for some reason they have attributed each character's writing to the author - I recognise several games journalists - and that credit pops up when you meet them, which kind of takes you out of the moment but credit where credit is due I suppose.

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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

Huh, that sounds really interesting.

Not my cup of tea as such, but sounds cool non the less.

I do like that art style though.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

Yeah it's an interesting one that I couldn't really recommend to anyone because of its uniqueness, even though that's what makes it cool. It has some drawbacks too - very slow traversal of the map, in particular.

The challenge now is for me to finish it. A lot of walking still to do.


Soundtrack is pretty neat
for a mixture of bluegrass-y and jazz-y stuff. Fits really well with the walking around in different regions.
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MauricioMM
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by MauricioMM »

After many, many weekends, I’ve beaten Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past for 3DS. Pretty great game, especially if you’re already a fan of the saga and if you have patience for slow games, because the pacing in this one is glacial :lol: Even so, I’d say it's my favorite one from all the DQ games I’ve played so far—1 through 7—, it’s got a lot of charm (notably from characters like Maribel and the protagonist’s family), some heartfelt storylines (like Faraday’s and Haven’s respective pasts), memorable locations (El Ciclo and Villa Priores, to name just two), and improves on many of its predecessors’ flaws and inconveniences. Now I just need to play 8 and 11 (I’ll skip 9 and 10) and I’ll consider my DQ experience fulfilled.

At this moment, I’m tackling the Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy. Very entertaining and fairly challenging games controls-wise, especially the 2nd. and 3rd. games. Animations look amazing in their cartoonish glory! :)

And, after I’m done with that, I’ll probably play Grim Fandango. Hopefully this time I’ll make it beyond the lighthouse, it’s about time I beat this gaming classic. And, after that, I might try Thronebreaker: The WItcher Tales.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I've been waiting pretty excitedly for Dauntless to come out on the Switch, and on Tuesday it finally did!

I tried it last night. If you don't know, it's basically Monster Hunter Lite, with quite a nice Fortnite-esque art style. The monsters look good, and there are tons of them in the game. Lots of different weapons and armor sets etc. I've never played Monster Hunter, but have some limited experience with the genre. Soul Sacrifice and God Eater I played a fair amount of, and this Dauntless seems pretty fun. It automatically matches you up with other players for hunts (although you can turn this off and fight solo if you wish) and it all works pretty well.

The game itself then - it drops frames in the hub area left right and centre, but I've never played an MMO that doesn't, and it's not too bad. The frame rate when battling seems solid so far, but it's definitely not 60fps, I think it may be locked at 30? The resolution looks quite low and graphics are a little smudgy (I've only played in handheld), but again, the art style does hide the worst of it. The battles are pretty fun. It's missing a lock on function, but from what I've read MH doesn't have this, either. You can hack at monsters tails and other body parts to cause specific injuries and even chop them completely off. The weapons feel weighty and feedback when you attack seems good. There are different combos you can do, and a raft of status effects different weapons can cause.

I've only played a couple of hours so far, but I'm looking forward to trying it again tonight. It's a perfect fit for the Switch, and if they can iron out a few imperfections it could be a huge hit for them. I'm not sure if it's going to pull the 10-20 year olds away from Fortnite, but it's a nice (free) addition to the Switch's line up.

Anyone else checked it out?
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

After seeming Micheal pick up a UN Squadron cart for the SNES the other week, it really reminded me that I'd never really gone back to that game since I was a child seeing it on someone else's console.

I dipped into eBay and picked up an Area 88 Super Famicom cart for about £13 - funnily enough the seller also threw in a Wild Trax (Stunt Race FX) which is awful but kind enough anyway.

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After a quick clean up of the board and connectors I played a this for a good few hours last night.

I did three play throughs, two each time finding my way through the differing stages and working out which order was the best/easiest to go :lol: .

Only once did I manage to get enough resources for a new plane but each time I finished a stag I found the pattern easier to follow and beat.

Funnily enough as soon as I was using new plane it became apparent that not all the special weapons work on each plane and certain stages almost require a certain type of weapon.

The majority of the descriptive and story based text is in Japanese - so OK then :lol: .

I really like teh day you have to sort of race the Stealth bombers, submarine and cannon base thing over the map as they bear down on your base.

Pretty challenging but very rewarding.

Nice to be back on a Super Famicom again too, its been a long time since I last set it up.

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