Whatcha Been Playing?

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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

I'm ripping and tearing my way through Doom Eternal right now, and so far I'm liking it a lot, but not without caveats. Essentially, it is basically Doom 2016, but more. Not just in the sense of being very similar to the first, but in a way that every part of the game has been fleshed out and stuff added to it, for better or worse. So in some areas it feels like a good evolution of the last game, while in others it feels a bit unnecessarily bloated and it sort of gets in the way a bit.

Combat is fantastic. All the guns are great, and the new enemy types are interesting, stepping up the experience by asking you to play smarter than before. There's a wider variety of environments now which solves the issue of the kind of samey areas of the last game, and they mostly look excellent. So all that stuff is great and exactly what I was hoping for. But it also the story is nowhere near as elegantly handled this time. It's more prominent, yet it hides away a bunch of important context in text logs. So it gets in the way of the game more, but still leaves out a lot of necessary detail. The game is packed with a bewildering amount of upgrades too. It's not too bad once you get your head around it a bit, but it feels a bit excessive. Could be streamlined a lot more.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Very keen to try that out myself but trying to behave myself until FF7R is out.

I've been mostly playing Groove Coaster when I've had chance, hammering Onegai Darling on a loop trying to get a Perfect Full Combo as some kind of very focused coping strategy. My best is five 'Good' hits off perfection so I'm going to keep plugging away! I don't really know why...
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

Had anyone tried PSO2 on here and if so, what would a newcomer be most suited to playing?
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hazeredmist
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by hazeredmist »

Rocket League, Rocket League, Rocket League.

Still marvelling at the fact I’m playing regularly with mates on PS4 and Xbox One, and I’m on Switch. One of the rare good reasons to be alive right now.
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Cass
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Cass »

Working my way through Final Fantasy X HD at the moment. Had no intention of doing any of the endgame content, which tbh seemed like a collection of pointless busywork, but... then the lockdown hit and we can't leave the house 😅 So guess who's gonna shoot for defeating the Dark Aeons and Penance!
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DomsBeard
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by DomsBeard »

After getting a solid days work in on Animal Crossing I fancied another simple game to have a mess around with and remembered about Lost Words: Beyond the Page on Stadia

Liked the look of it so picked it up for £11.99

Very impressed so far, you use words and phases to progress through a real life and fantasy story one after the other. Eg rise to life a door and repair to fix a broken switch.

There's various points where you make certain decisions. Whether or not they make a big change to the narrative is to be seen.

Great soundtrack and very much a game to be popped on the big Cane And Rinse list. It's coming to PS4, Xbox One and Switch in a years time so I'll look forward to hearing about it from other people then :lol:
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hazeredmist
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by hazeredmist »

Panic-bought Cuphead to self-harm after receiving some concerning news.

Initially hated it (I was drunk) but today I’ve gone back and dusted a couple of levels and I’m pretty sure I will get along with this game just great. Taps right into that shmup mentality of things seeming impossible until they aren’t.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Amen to that. I couldn't stand it at first but about two years on, I went back with a shmup grinding mindset and absolutely loved it. Such a satisfying game when it clicks.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I bought it the first day I had my Switch. Did a couple of levels and never went back. Its on my list of things to play this year.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Still hammering through Doom Eternal. I've reached the point where it warns you the hub world will be off-limits for the remainder of the campaign, so I'm grinding out challenges and collectables. USUALLY I'm not the sort to do that, but the way Doom Eternal sets it up - a reasonably small number of well-hidden collectables and challenges that are tough, but not anger-inducing; all in exchange for tangible gameplay benefits and cool cosmetics - is absolutely my jam. The Tomb Raider games (2013 and Rise of, at least) and the newer Deus Ex games held similar appeal for me. All in all, still really liking this one. Definitely a GOTY contender.

Also, a fair warning to Doom fans in North America... Do NOT buy the Slayer's Collection re-release of Doom 2016. I bought it (on Amazon, so I didn't have the box in front of me) because it promised a $10 mail-in rebate for Doom Eternal, and Doom 1, 2 and 3... But the rebate demands that you DEFACE your cases of BOTH Doom Slayer's Collection and Doom Eternal by cutting off the fucking UPC barcode, and the Dooms 1, 2, and 3 are only digital downloads. Also, the game disc isn't even a patched version of Doom, it's the launch version that REQUIRES a massive update to work on any reasonable level. Really disappointing release, and I feel scammed.

I've also been playing Doom 64 - this week has proven to be *very DOOM* - and oh my god, I LOVE this game. It's perfect for short play sessions laying on the couch, as it's a little more focused on puzzle solving and navigation than Doom 1993. The combat's still there, but the whole experience feels a lot more somber and sedate, to its benefit. This is much more focused on the horror aspects of Doom, with a stellar soundtrack to match.

ADDITIONALLY, once I'm done Doom Eternal, I'm going to be starting DKC Tropical Freeze for the podcast (WiiU version, because it's SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper; I only paid $18 brand new vs. $55 used for the Switch release). So look forward to that as well.

And I was thinking about starting Mega Man Zero 3 as well but like... FF7R and Trials of Mana are due in 2 and 3 weeks, respectively. It's gonna be a busy month of gaming, I'm probably gonna have to temporarily retire Apex Legends for the first time in nearly a year.

And of course, if you'd like to watch some of this and chat with me while I play, I'll be streaming at twitch.tv/pyramidheadcrab. Probably not Doom 64 though, but maybe.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by stvnorman »

Magical_Isopod wrote: March 29th, 2020, 6:13 pm And of course, if you'd like to watch some of this and chat with me while I play, I'll be streaming at twitch.tv/pyramidheadcrab. Probably not Doom 64 though, but maybe.
Definitely recommended! Enjoyed watching Doom Eternal.

Animal Crossing with the odd session on Doom 64 is most of what I’ve done recently, though a bunch of demos and trials appeared this week so I gave them a go...

This weekend there’s been a Predator: Hunting Grounds beta on PS4. Love Predator, don’t love multiplayer shooters, so will never buy it, but was glad to get a chance to play it. Didn’t have any of the reported problems with matchmaking and being a predator seems cool. I even managed to kill someone!

Over on Switch, Bravely Default II was clearly not for me within a minute - the first instance of dreadful conversation then realising I was surrounded by dozens of NPC’s waiting to talk meant I couldn’t delete it fast enough! The Arms free trial period could have been a similar length rather than ten days - I’m not waving my arms about to play that! Necro Worm feels a bit mobile free-to-play puzzler, but my colourblindness made it too much of a struggle to fully appreciate it. Finally, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III felt like an overly complex take on Final Fantasy VII (one of my limited reference points in the genre); best of the bunch, though I could probably have caught a few more fish or collected some shells instead.

I did spend a lot longer than expected with SEGA Master System Road Rash, courtesy of hacked PS Classic. Impressed the hell out of me what they got out of that machine! Looks great, runs at a decent whack and controls better than the Mega Drive version.
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Cass
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Cass »

Attempted to engage with FFX's endgame and noped out of it pretty quickly. Turns out that, even during lockdown quarantine, I have better things to do than trying to win a bullshit chocobo race or to dodge 200 lightning bolts on the Thunder Plains.

Spent some time agonising about whether or not that makes me a Fake Gamer, but then remembered that I'm 32 years old. Now I've finished it up and moving on.

As an aside, A Short Hike is an absolute gem of a game and the perfect antidote to "oh god I've been in this house for the past 96 hours".

Husband has been very keen on us playing Outward together. So far it seems ugly and unwieldy, so if anyone who's played and/or loved this could explain to me how to enjoy it, I'd be grateful.
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drushe1983
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by drushe1983 »

In the final hour of the final episode of the final season of Telltale / Skybound Games The Walking Dead and things just got very real.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

stvnorman wrote: March 29th, 2020, 9:14 pm
Magical_Isopod wrote: March 29th, 2020, 6:13 pm And of course, if you'd like to watch some of this and chat with me while I play, I'll be streaming at twitch.tv/pyramidheadcrab. Probably not Doom 64 though, but maybe.
Definitely recommended! Enjoyed watching Doom Eternal.

Animal Crossing with the odd session on Doom 64 is most of what I’ve done recently, though a bunch of demos and trials appeared this week so I gave them a go...

This weekend there’s been a Predator: Hunting Grounds beta on PS4. Love Predator, don’t love multiplayer shooters, so will never buy it, but was glad to get a chance to play it. Didn’t have any of the reported problems with matchmaking and being a predator seems cool. I even managed to kill someone!

Over on Switch, Bravely Default II was clearly not for me within a minute - the first instance of dreadful conversation then realising I was surrounded by dozens of NPC’s waiting to talk meant I couldn’t delete it fast enough! The Arms free trial period could have been a similar length rather than ten days - I’m not waving my arms about to play that! Necro Worm feels a bit mobile free-to-play puzzler, but my colourblindness made it too much of a struggle to fully appreciate it. Finally, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III felt like an overly complex take on Final Fantasy VII (one of my limited reference points in the genre); best of the bunch, though I could probably have caught a few more fish or collected some shells instead.

I did spend a lot longer than expected with SEGA Master System Road Rash, courtesy of hacked PS Classic. Impressed the hell out of me what they got out of that machine! Looks great, runs at a decent whack and controls better than the Mega Drive version.
Thanks for tuning in! I don't stream too frequently, but I try to. It's been a weird few months for me, so I've only really been able to pick up and play new games on the weekend. Very hard to stream on a regular basis while working full-time.
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OldBailey
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by OldBailey »

Cass wrote: March 30th, 2020, 8:47 am
Husband has been very keen on us playing Outward together. So far it seems ugly and unwieldy, so if anyone who's played and/or loved this could explain to me how to enjoy it, I'd be grateful.
I've not played it but I remember Chopper posting about it quite extensively recently. Search Outward and have a read of his posts, I think he enjoyed it quite a bit. I was thinking about getting it to play in co-op with my wife so I'd be keen to know how you both get on with it.
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Michiel K
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Michiel K »

Cass wrote: March 30th, 2020, 8:47 am Spent some time agonising about whether or not that makes me a Fake Gamer, but then remembered that I'm 32 years old. Now I've finished it up and moving on.
Just makes you someone that demands more engagement of your games than getting simple busywork, in my book. :P
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Cass
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Cass »

OH in a similar fashion to Outward, I bought Control and Outer Wilds at about the same time. Toreeee through Control, had a really good time, but bounced off Outer Wilds hard. I realise this is probably my fault, but can anyone who loves it give me a way in?
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Is anyone else finding that since being stuck at home they somehow have less time to play games than before? Bizarre I know, but perversely I seem to have less spare time than when I was out the house for 8 hours a day. I thought to myself, 'OK lockdown, that's not good but I have a ton of games, movies and comics to get through...'

Nope.
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Stanshall
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Stanshall »

Alex79uk wrote: March 31st, 2020, 6:42 pm Is anyone else finding that since being stuck at home they somehow have less time to play games than before? Bizarre I know, but perversely I seem to have less spare time than when I was out the house for 8 hours a day. I thought to myself, 'OK lockdown, that's not good but I have a ton of games, movies and comics to get through...'

Nope.
I totally get this, man. I'm admittedly still working on site a lot but during my WFH time and especially over the weekend, I've not only felt I've not had the time, I've not had much inclination besides a quick blast on my new telly. Couple of family members are in isolation now so I've been doing their shopping. I don't feel like doing much besides eating and started drinking at home again, to be honest. It's a bit shit because I lost 30 lbs since Jan 1st and this has fucked up my routines and diet. Hmm. I'm not getting pissed but just having the pointless couple of beers or half a bottle of wine. I guess I'm probably pretty stressed below the surface, just not had chance to stop and feel it yet.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Stanshall wrote: March 31st, 2020, 8:08 pm ... I guess I'm probably pretty stressed below the surface, just not had chance to stop and feel it yet.
This is quite a significant point you've made there. I've not felt like I've been particularly stressed but over the last week have been getting this weird...what I can only describe as 'fizzing' in my head. Lasts a few seconds and I'll stand up and kind of try to physically shake it off, and it goes.

It bothered me enough to Google it (usually a mistake with any kind of symptom!) but pretty much every source I found said it's most likely related to stress and anxiety.

Who knew.
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