Whatcha Been Playing?

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

Post by Michiel K »

All I'll say is that The Wonderful 101 is a game that keeps on giving. My GOTY of 2013.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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So does that mean at some point they could switch off the Hitman servers and our purchases will become unusable?
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Alex79uk wrote: September 12th, 2018, 8:33 pm So does that mean at some point they could switch off the Hitman servers and our purchases will become unusable?
Well, yeah. That's the main issue with DRM, really. There's a truckload of modern games that have an expiration date and I guess I am part of the problem now.
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

I’m away at Butlins this week so I took my 3DS for when ive got the energy!

Luigis mansion 2 - New Game plus kinda. Super powered hoover and capturing the boos ive left behind

WarioWare Gold - far too hectic for my tired brain. Love it though

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga is a good remake on 3DS but bowser minions addon feels a bit... hands off. Nice they added anything but I don’t really feel like I’m playing much. Feels a bit like when you press “auto battle” on some games
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

KSubzero1000 wrote: September 12th, 2018, 8:17 pmScrew always online DRM for single-player games and the people condescendingly framing it as "the future of gaming". Being arbitrarily locked out of content I've paid for and that never needed to be online-based in the first place is completely unacceptable.
So they still haven't patched that out of the game... sorry Hitman, a series I have a genuine love for, but I still have to pass!

On a related note, I've been developing a new game. It's called Blank Disc, and it's a blank disc (CD for standard edition, DVD for Ultimate edition). You, the consumer, buy it from me for $60 US, and I send you a blank disc.

Now, there's no content on that disc... oh no... that's going to require a season pass. Now that season pass will give you access to options to give me more money. Now, again, there's no content, however there are loot boxes.

Now, these loot boxes contain no content, or do they? (spoiler alert: no they do not).

You will require a constant online connection, but that's mainly for data-mining purposes, not DRM. I'm not worried about piracy, because again, there's no content.

So Blank Disc everyone... available for all platforms (even the Switch!). CD standard edition, DVD for the Ultimate experience!!! 8-)
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

After clearing one of the three areas I think I’m done with Far Cry 5.

It’s good, if predictable and maybe if they made a smaller game I’d be up for the rest of it but as it stands I just look at the map and sigh.

An odd feeling for a game I have been enjoying but unless I can rope someone in for co-op I think I’ll shelve it to make time available for the horse game in October
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Everyone being smug about the whole ‘I only buy physical media’ thing, you are aware that in most cases now the thing on the disc is barely functional without downloading a day one patch, which is just as likely to vanish for ever as any ‘always on’ service?

The days of ‘the thing you buy is complete forever’ died over a generation ago, and there’s not really any going back now.

It sucks, but not a one of us escapes it.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Flabyo wrote: September 13th, 2018, 7:22 am Everyone being smug about the whole ‘I only buy physical media’ thing, you are aware that in most cases now the thing on the disc is barely functional without downloading a day one patch, which is just as likely to vanish for ever as any ‘always on’ service?

The days of ‘the thing you buy is complete forever’ died over a generation ago, and there’s not really any going back now.

It sucks, but not a one of us escapes it.
While this is true in some large AAA cases, I don't believe it's as severe as your post states at all. Yet.

Nintendo still seems to be pushing out products that this is severely less applicable to.

Not many Switch games have game plastering day one patches, for the majority, those cartridges they will be playable forever without any patch at all regardless of expiring licenses or distribution service takedowns.

The whole DRM threat will have just have to evolve and we'll see what happens.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Flabyo wrote: September 13th, 2018, 7:22 am Everyone being smug about the whole ‘I only buy physical media’ thing, you are aware that in most cases now the thing on the disc is barely functional without downloading a day one patch, which is just as likely to vanish for ever as any ‘always on’ service?

The days of ‘the thing you buy is complete forever’ died over a generation ago, and there’s not really any going back now.

It sucks, but not a one of us escapes it.
As far as I'm aware, the vast majority of my WiiU games and all of my 3DS games are perfectly functional without any patch. That's the way it used to be, and that's the way it should be. More than half of the GOTY editions I own on PS4 have only received very minor updates since I bought them. The base version of Yakuza Zero works like a charm right out of the box.

I buy digital sometimes, but I always treat it as a glorified rental. If you want to make a case about the usual AAA stuff like AC Unity being poorly developed and rushed out before completion due to publisher interference, then yeah I think we can all agree on that. But that's hardly something we should accept as the norm because "that's just the way it is".

You're awfully quick to rush to the defence of the industry, but this topic started because I was denied access to a product I paid for, which is straight up highway robbery as far as I'm concerned. What do you think of that?
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Don't mean to pile on mr. Flabyo here at all, really (and I'm somewhere in the middle of this ongoing debate in that given the choice I prefer physical, but I'm not opposed to downloadable at all if handled right), but I also don't think everyone that's an advocate for physical media is being smug about it. Maybe people are actually concerned about certain industry developments?

Anyway, I've been playing Def Jam: Fight for NY for the podcast and I encourage anyone here that played it (if there are any) to leave some feedback in the podcast thread on it, as only Mechner has done so, so far. :)

Also dove deeper into the SF 30th Anniversary Collection museum and I'm loving it. The frame-by-frame animation archive for the characters is amazing!

And I've dipped my toes into Quackshot, courtesy of this fantastic individual called Suits. Enjoying the look and feel, while it also reminds me I need to have my MD and SNES 60Hz modded, sooner rather than later.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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Michiel K wrote: September 13th, 2018, 9:39 am ..... but I also don't think everyone that's an advocate for physical media is being smug about it. Maybe people are actually concerned about certain industry developments?
Oh no, I'm certainly smug about it.

Very smug indeed.

He's got that bang on.



:lol:
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

HA!
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

Tried out the Forza Horizon 4 demo both on PC and a base Xbox One. Played it on the console first, because the Microsoft Store on PC is pretty awful with download times. And it's pretty fun. Pretty much exactly what you would expect. Another Horizon game. Very pretty, good handling, and a fun party atmosphere. It's interesting having it set in the UK this time too. They get all the little details right and it feels very familiar, except for roads that are too wide, but that's something you can't really avoid with racing games. Trying to race down single-lane B roads full of potholes probably isn't going to be a fun time, especially on a controller.

But once it finally did finish downloading I had a go on the PC version, and it was really impressive. The optimisation on this one is way better than in FH3. Not a single dip below 60fps on the High preset for me, which I couldn't do in the last game. It also has an excellent benchmark that runs a race through different weather and lighting conditions, and then gives you a graph at the end which tells you exactly what your frame rate was through the entire benchmark, and even gives you info on how well your GPU and CPU were doing individually, and how much far above the frame rate cap you may be using the thing was actually running. So it tells you exactly where stress points are, what's causing them, and how much headroom you have. It's fantastic. Maybe the best benchmark I've seen in a game. On top of that, lower graphical settings look much better than they did in 3 as well. In that game, putting things down to Medium felt like a compromise too far, making things look a bit ugly. Here I didn't even notice a difference between Medium and High, on first impressions at least. Medium definitely isn't distracting in any way.

But not only is it impressive graphically and performance-wise, I found the game simply felt way better to play in 60fps too. The handling felt way sharper and more responsive, and everything was way smoother. Strangely, I've found that it's actually kind of harder to drive at 60fps in FH3, for some reason. Cars feel more skittish and more prone to losing control. But here it's the opposite. You feel way more in control. Also, in the console version of this demo, I found the motion blur to be a bit excessive. Turning sharply was kind of ugly, and really hard to pick out detail in all the movement. At 60fps things are much sharper and readable. So overall, very impressed. Relieved too, as after having so much trouble with FH3, I was expecting that I just would never be able to experience FH in full 60fps without having to spend a huge amount of money.

And I've also been playing through Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. Despite playing through both games many times, this is the first time I've played this version. I just happened to pick up and play the original version on PC shortly before this remaster was announced. So even though having the old one meant I got this for free on release, I didn't feel like playing it until now. Thought it would be a good idea to have every version under my belt, as well as preparation for Darksiders 3 coming out soon. It's fun to go back to again. While I think the sequel is far better for replaying through, this one is still really solid. I'm not really sure if this remaster is really worth it though. It's slightly sharper I guess, and a bit more colourful, but otherwise indistinguishable. It doesn't need to exist at all. Apart from being able to get 60fps on the console version I guess. But on PC it's sort of pointless.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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KSubzero1000 wrote: September 13th, 2018, 8:51 am What do you think of that?
I’m not claiming anyone should accept it as the norm. I’m saying that all the idiots on my twitter timeline who say they’re never affected by this because they only buy physical copies are wrong for thinking that and I wish they’d actually go and be smug about something that’s actually true.

And I defend the industry a lot because I’ve worked in it for twenty years and unsurprisingly that tends to reduce ones ability to be wholly objective about it. Especially in recent years with all the trash, hate and general awfulness directed at developers by the internet for having the gall to actually care about what they do.

I am not thick skinned and I do not see why the internet insists I have to be thick skinned just cause I make video games.
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Sean
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Sean »

Recently tried OnRush thanks to Game Pass, and, while I find the actual gameplay fun, I absolutely can't stand everything around it. The menus, UI, music, announcer, you name it. Pretty much all of that is entirely against my personal tastes.
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

I feel the same way about most codies racers. Dirt would be amazing if they just shut the flip up every time I did something.

WOAH DUDE YOU DROVE A CAR .... monologue for another five minutes.

Not really sure what this physical media thing is all about and quite frankly I don’t struggle to even care what’s going on. I’ll buy what I like and when I like and if my digital gets delisted or my physical gets damaged or lost then I’ll just deal with it and remember that the world won’t end.

Regarding Horizon 4. Glad to hear it’s
Good. Definitely downloading that via gamepass. Scrustle your line about potholes had me laughing, cheers
For that :D
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

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dezm0nd wrote: September 13th, 2018, 7:59 pm I feel the same way about most codies racers. Dirt would be amazing if they just shut the flip up every time I did something.

WOAH DUDE YOU DROVE A CAR .... monologue for another five minutes.
Dirt Rally is what you're after.

Re: digital vs physical, I much prefer digital these days. I've only got three physical PS4 games vs almost 100 digital (NOT including PS+)

The only reason I get physical now is if its a brand new game and physical is cheaper. I can count the amount of times that has been a relevant factor for me in the last two years on one hand. Literally. It's Uncharted 4, God Of War and Yakuza Zero. (Or if I'm in a Game shop and pick up a few old games in a 3 for 2 type deal).

The fact that at some point the games might be unplayable does concern me, but realistically, how often do I go back to games once they're finished - not often. I do think all games requiring an online connection ought to be patched when they turn off servers, though. Or, you know, not actually require a connection in the first place for single player.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

Alex79uk wrote: September 13th, 2018, 8:42 pm The fact that at some point the games might be unplayable does concern me, but realistically, how often do I go back to games once they're finished - not often. I do think all games requiring an online connection ought to be patched when they turn off servers, though. Or, you know, not actually require a connection in the first place for single player.
Totally agree. There's been precedence with this regarding Sim City, and the insistence that the game absolutely requires a constant online connection... until it didn't. Single player games really don't require it - I don't care how that's spun.
Flabyo wrote: September 13th, 2018, 3:36 pm And I defend the industry a lot because I’ve worked in it for twenty years and unsurprisingly that tends to reduce ones ability to be wholly objective about it. Especially in recent years with all the trash, hate and general awfulness directed at developers by the internet for having the gall to actually care about what they do.

I am not thick skinned and I do not see why the internet insists I have to be thick skinned just cause I make video games.
You absolutely shouldn't have to put up with other peoples garbage. People can become very empowered in the anonymity that social media provides, and for some odd reason, defends.

Also, Twitter is a cesspool. It's garbage. I work for a university, and there's the social media team (Twitter, Facebook, whatever), so from a professional standpoint there has to be some engagement (seemingly solely for the sake of looking engaged - seriously, who cares about Yammer?). But personally, I don't use it, don't like, don't need it. You're sanity would be better without it... but I understand why you would use it from a professional standpoint.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I've not been playing it, but I've been looking to pick up The Witcher 3 Game Of The Year edition recently, as it's fairly cheap and I really want to go back to the world and do the DLC, which I missed out on when I played the main game. I'm bloody glad I Googled this, because it turns out the vanilla game save is NOT compatible with the GOTY edition! I wanted to do the DLC with 'my' Geralt. Looks like I'll have to find a cheap copy of the original game again and get the DLC separately.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I've just spent an hour playing Trials: Rising closed beta.

If you were disappointed that later Trials games moved away from the more technical, skillful gameplay of Trials HD in favour of a much easier, bombastic approach, whereby most tracks could be completed by simply keeping your finger on the gas, well, don't get your hopes up.

The positives:

- It's a Trials game, and despite the steady decline of the series, they're still enjoyable.

- It looks nice.

Erm.

The negatives:

- DUDE! AWESOME! RAD! Oh fuck off. Just fuck off. Are we really still doing this shit? In 2018? It was old hat by the time Tony fucking Hawks Underground 2 came out in 2004.

- Hey, welcome rider, let's sign your first contract! We're so glad you joined our race team! Yeehaw, we're gonna be the best Trials team of the season! FUCK. OFF. FOR. FUCKING. FUCKS. SAKE!!! Just let me play the game! I am sick to death of racing games going on about contracts and teams and seasons, just let me drive the fucking car! (or ride the bike).

- The soundtrack is an identity crisis in musical form. Cheesy American skate punk, dubstep, and Motorhead. OK...

Doubt I'll bother with this.
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