Whatcha Been Playing?

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

Post by stvnorman »

I’m utterly hooked on Graveyard Keeper, which I picked up for a fiver in the PS4 Christmas sale (with Fire Pro Wrestling which was £13). Knew I would be when it was first announced for PC, then somehow missed it when it launched on consoles earlier this year. If I could get someone to make a game just for me, Stardew Valley in a graveyard is probably it! This is game of the year stuff!

Also played through the Titanfall 2 campaign and did a few multiplayer games. Had a lot of fun with the variety and general polish of the single player stuff, but online shooters aren’t my thing and this didn’t change my mind.

And of course I picked up Arcade Archives Frogger on Switch this week. I’d forgotten how hard that game was, but there’s not a single death where you can say that was unfair - you really know it’s you being rubbish every time! Still a brilliantly addictive game though.
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Chopper
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Chopper »

stvnorman wrote: December 14th, 2019, 10:13 am I’m utterly hooked on Graveyard Keeper, which I picked up for a fiver in the PS4 Christmas sale (with Fire Pro Wrestling which was £13). Knew I would be when it was first announced for PC, then somehow missed it when it launched on consoles earlier this year. If I could get someone to make a game just for me, Stardew Valley in a graveyard is probably it! This is game of the year stuff!
Hmmm, I didn't know this was out for console - and a great price too! This Christmas sale seems to end on the 23rd, is that normal? I thought it went on into the new year but maybe they launch a January sale right after this one ends.

The reason I ask is that I used up my gaming budget months ago and am waiting hard for Jan 1. I've already missed the Halloween sales, I'll have to plan better next year :)


Just a note of caution on Where the Water Tastes like Wine which I was extolling a few posts above, as it seems to have made an appearance on console recently and people might be considering it: since the excitement of that first day, it has fallen a bit flat for me. The gameplay, such as it is, is a bit frustrating. It requires you to meet 16 travellers around the map, and tell them 5 stories in order to get to the next level, and this repeats three times, at which point they disappear or open a portal or something I'm unclear on. You can't tell what type of story they ask for, and you can only 'equip' a certain amount of stories at a time, and as previously mentioned, it's hard sometimes to tell the different type of stories - sad, scary, exciting, optimistic - apart. If you fail, they relocate and you need to walk very slowly to them, switch out your stories, and try again (told stories become unavailable for that character). So it's very trial and error and I have been using a guide (to tell the story types apart) and it's still not foolproof.

However, ambiance, music, the stories themselves, are still spot-on and lovely.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

A few more thoughts on Darksiders: Genesis. Still enjoying it, but a couple of issues have started to become apparent. Some of the problems from earlier have lessened though. The issues with platforming seem to have become less frequent. While those sections still pop up, and they are still awkward with the isometric camera, they aren't nearly as common as it seemed they would be given the early levels, and I haven't had to do one where I have to run away from something either, so there hasn't been the issue of failing under pressure and having to repeat the section. Puzzles have started to become a bit more involved as more tools have been unlocked as well. Still less of an emphasis on them than in the usual Darksiders game, but still enough to feel like they actually can mix up levels a bit and get you to think about your surroundings.

But unfortunately one problem that has shown up as I've progressed further seems to be a pretty constant one. The levels feel too long. After the early post-intro levels, the level length expands out and settles in to something that feels like a standard the game is aiming for. And they drag a bit. Not terribly, but just enough that it feels like you only want to do one at a time, and then turn the game off. It hurts the pacing somewhat. If each of these levels were like 30% shorter, I suspect the pacing would feel much better. Perhaps simply increasing your run speed might help. But anyway, despite that, I'm still liking it. It's just not blowing my mind. Which is fine. I wasn't expecting it would.

I also played a bit of Street Racing Syndicate today. It's one of those PS2 era games that jumped on the bandwagon of Fast and Furious and NFS Underground. Thinking back to playing through NFSU2 earlier this year, and remembering I picked this up on PC years ago for pennies, I figured I should finally try to get the thing running properly, since like NFSU2, this needs a few mods to play with a controller and at modern resolutions. This is also not a new game to me though. Another game I first played around release. It's one of those weird and kind of bad B-games this genre had so much of at the time. But I kind of like them. They have a kind of quirky feeling in their badness, as well as being something of a nostalgic time capsule of the early 2000s.

The handling is stiff, the scope feels small, and it's a bit buggy playing on a modern PC. It also has the cringe inducing inclusion of live action bikini babe "girlfriends" that can thankfully be mostly ignored. But the graphics are actually not bad for the time, and it had an amusing little quirk to its modestly sized open world. Most of the city is shrouded in the dark of night, but if you travel through a highway tunnel up to the northern section of the map, that area has daytime lighting. Or more accurately evening lighting. I've always thought that was a neat little work around to try to create some kind of time-of-day variance to the open world. Something that not many other games of the time were trying, even if they were "faking" it. And I just find the concept kind of funny too. That time stands still forever in this city, yet there are two separate completely different, permanent time zones.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by duskvstweak »

Starting playing the Cold Cold Heart DLC for Arkham Origins. Really enjoyed the main game, having a hard time with this? Maybe I've just been away from the combat for too long and I now I feel sloppy. Or, the main game has sloppy combat compared to Asylum and I'm dealing with that now. Either way, I hope to be done with it tonight. Then, I can finally see what all the fuss was about with Knight.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

Haha, I’m nowhere *near* that.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Demon's Tilt looks pretty cool. Don't think my laptop can play it though, on the Switch wishlist it goes. :)
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ReprobateGamer
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ReprobateGamer »

I've been deep into the achievement hunt recently.

Carrying on TrueAchievements Twelve Days of Christmas event, I went back into Kisima Innitchuna and am now pretty close to the end. Sadly, it's initial good impression has waned a little. There is a little too much game mechanics in this and there are only so many times I can watch cute little eskimo girl or cute little winter fox get crushed, mauled or drowned. I really thing this game would be much improved if they had good for a more Oxenfree approach as I really get the feeling that when this was being developed, traditional game mechanics were just presumed to be correct whereas there should have been more thought based on the narrative thread that runs through and underpins the whole thing.

There was then a quick spin in Minecraft (both current and the Xbox One version) to get some 15GS achievements - nothing notable other than the moment of panic when loading into an older world and walked out of a mine directly into a cluster of Creepers - my daughters have been playing on creative levels recently and finding mobs took me by surprise :roll:

Then a blast through chapter 2 of Life is Strange. Stopped once I got the correct number of achievements and definitely felt that this game and that does not mix. I was investigating for the purposes of getting the score and not to learn about the world or the story of Max and the game suffered for it. I am hoping to get back to it before it leaves Game Pass (which is very soon!) and actually be able to spend time with it for it's own sake.

After this, the number of achievements required on each challenge in the event reaches a point where I'm bouncing between various games - pushing my progress in Breakpoint and Outer Worlds, alongside some Forza Horizon 4, Portal Bridge Constructor, State of Decay 2 and The Lego Movie Videogame, finally ending in hunts for the various skulls across Halo 3 and it's MCC incarnation - I hadn't realised that some of the achievements had altered so have also started a Halo: Reach campaign run before noticing that my tally wasn't increasing :oops:
Halo 3 took a little longer than expected as the control scheme in the original is certainly not my standard shooter set-up - the number of times I zoomed when expecting to melee or threw a grenade trying to zoom :P - but certain sections of that game have aged well and the score is as wonderful as ever. Realised as well that it was my first time playing that game solo ...

That's 66 achievements in 12 days (with no more than a few hours in any day) and one challenge left - to spell 'Feliz Navidad' with the first letter of each achievement and to be complete before the New Year. I'm actually less worried about this one than the previous one and it's been a refreshing change of pace to have concentrated targets. My gamerscore broke 60k at some point in the last week and I didn't even notice!

It's also helping focus the mind as we have a house move likely to occur very soon after Christmas ...
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by duskvstweak »

I started Nights...Into Dreams. I did all the levels and than found out I have to do better to get the final levels. So, I learned, I'm not great at the game. I'm gonna give it another few goes and hope I can at least just get a passing grade and see the endgame (and Christmas version!).
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

duskvstweak wrote: December 18th, 2019, 4:03 pm I started Nights...Into Dreams.
I’ve been tempted by this a few times.

I want that controller as well mind.
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hazeredmist
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by hazeredmist »

I bought Nights on Steam too! Is there a way you know of to activate Christmas Nights without finishing it? I could google it but I thought it'd be more fun asking here. I'd love a few minutes of that on Christmas Day.
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duskvstweak
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by duskvstweak »

Suits wrote: December 18th, 2019, 6:10 pm
duskvstweak wrote: December 18th, 2019, 4:03 pm I started Nights...Into Dreams.
I’ve been tempted by this a few times.

I want that controller as well mind.
It's trippy, for sure.
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ReprobateGamer
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ReprobateGamer »

And the True Achievements challenge is done!

Managed to knock out the required twelve achievements in around three hours last night, using ten different games in a variety of stages of completion.

In total, over the last fourteen days, I've unlocked 96 achievements (of which only 78 actually counted) across 21 games (including an abortive attempt at the MCC version of Halo: Reach ...) which did include some cheap moves (using Halo 3 and MCC Halo 3 as separate) but did also include some that would have required a lot of playtime prior to the fact (various late game achievements from three different lego games, or from Breakpoint or Outer Worlds

All games were ones that I owed and had already played or else had on my pile of shame, other than MCC (which probably would have ended on it at some point) and Overcooked 2 (which definitely would have been on it at some point over Christmas!)

And somewhere in all this, I also found time to take part in the Diamond Casino heist in GTA Online ... only a bit of the prep work but the heist proper. At least one take upon it. And as that wasn't in my world, there are other options that we could explore in a replay ...
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Jobobonobo »

MauricioMM wrote: December 12th, 2019, 12:41 am 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.
I only played Dragon Quest 9 and I really enjoyed it! Quite old school but mostly free of the more annoying pitfalls of JRPGs. Just a really chill time and does not take itself too seriously so I would personally recommend it if you are looking for more Dragon Quest. I have always wanted to play DQ8 as I have heard so much good stuff about it but i just don't have the time for a big RPG like that lately. Definitely one I would like to get off my "must play" list eventually.
MauricioMM wrote: December 12th, 2019, 12:41 am 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.
If you are stuck at any point definitely do not feel bad about consulting a walkthrough. Some of the puzzles are ridiculously obscure, had me pulling out my hair at times.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Jobobonobo »

Have hit a bit of a brick wall with both Tetris Effect and Yooka-Laylee and the impossible Lair. I am on the second last level of Tetris Effect in Journey Mode and it is absolutely kicking my arse. I can do 20 lines but after that it just gets too fast and I just break down. The scary thing is that this is on Beginner difficulty! I am truly shit at Tetris. But despite that, I find it so addictive! Every time I fail I just want to try again and again until I can get it right. I can see why this got so much praise when it came out, hard as nails but also incredibly beautiful. Definitely going to keep going until I can at least beat it in Beginner Difficulty.

With Yooka ,well the Impossible Lair is well named. I have all bees ready to take on this level and I have only gotten 43% of the way through. Bloody hell! Yet, I can find myself slowly improving. Bits that were a nightmare to get through first I can now comparatively breeze through. This is definitely some of the most intense platforming I have played in years. But like Tetris Effect, I am enjoying the challenge and am determined to beat it. This is how challenging gameplay should be done: give you a proper going over but every time you get a little better and understand the problem that bit more enabling you to conquer it.

Curious which I will beat first.
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ColinAlonso
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ColinAlonso »

I've completed 22 days of exercise on Ring Fit Adventure. The exercise ring (or ring-con) is fairly sturdy and once survived flying into the wall when I let it slip. The only issue I've noted with it so far is that on the odd occasion it doesn't register returning to its natural position after squeezing it. This is easily remedied by very slightly stretching the ring-con outwards. As for the leg strap, I think I have it too low, to the point where its on my upper leg but just above the knee. The problem is that it slips down there regardless of how I tighten it (Disclaimer: I'm overweight and have chubby upper legs). It's usually good at recording movements but a few of the more complex exercises can be cheated (though this obviously misses the point of the game somewhat) and other times there can be issues with the controller recognising my position (planks are the most common exercise for this problem).

As for the game element itself, its split into individual levels. Levels can involve jogging, battles or a mix of both (jogging alone is rare though). Jogging involves doing it on the spot, but mixes it up in a number of ways so you have to run, squat, knee lift, ab press and other things. Items and gold are also dotted along the courses and can be sucked up by stretching the joy-con. Battles are where the meat of the exercises are. I choose a selection of exercises to bring into levels and can choose from each of those in battle. Exercises are split into arms (red), chest (yellow), legs (blue) and yoga (green). Enemies weak to a particular type of exercise match the colour of the exercise and each type gains healing exercises over time. The presentation is very colourful and cheesy and the story is just dressing. If this was a regular game and someone saw me play it I'd be embarrassed, never mind the exercise.

Overall I feel I can stick at it. I've ramped up the difficulty from 10 to 16 over time as I've become more accustomed to it. I think it just ups the number of reps in a set. There are a few snags to the game that could be improved, for example, if a monster is defeated in the middle of a set, it just ends, whereas I'd like to finish that set. Doing some of the sidequests have driven my level (as in RPG level) about 8 levels above the recommended for this point of the game. I've learned a lot about exercising and have used a lot of muscles that wouldn't get much use otherwise. So it's good so far.

I've also played some Octopath Traveler. I'm 20 hours in and enjoy the battle system, basic adventuring and different field skills (stealing, inquiring, provoking NPCs to battle etc) of the characters. But I feel its too early to give deeper thoughts on it, this could be a very long one.
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shadowless_kick
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by shadowless_kick »

Jobobonobo wrote: December 18th, 2019, 9:43 pm Definitely going to keep going until I can at least beat it in Beginner Difficulty.
you can do it! Journey Mode destroyed me too, but I eventually came out on top. on the other hand, I’ve still yet to get an A ranking in the clear-40-lines-as-fast-as-possible challenge. I thought I’d done it once I broke the 2-minute mark, but the game only taunted me with a measly B. hmph.

just curious — are you playing in VR?

I'm looking forward to digging into ESP Rade, and its release has given me an incentive to finally find a decent-enough arcade stick for PS4.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

Just played through Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn. I put the other DLCs as part of the Games Completed thread since I did them all in one go, but this didn't feel like enough to justify going there on its own. This was alright though. Fleshed out Ardyn's back story a bit, giving his actions a bit more context in the main game. But it's not amazing. I feel like there's more they could have dug in to with this character. Maybe if they had more time and resources they could have done that. As is though, it's fine. Although it covers events that feel like they should have been much more relevant to the main game. Stuff that makes you question why no one ever brought up that this stuff happened before.

Gameplay wise it feels like a simplified version of Episode Ignis, where you have a small city area to explore around, which is broken in to zones that you can gain control of by taking out beacons that are defended by minibosses. You can jump up on the rooftops like Ignis too, but the controls are pretty clunky so it doesn't feel as fluid as it could. That said, it wasn't exactly amazingly done in the Ignis DLC either. Combat feels like a basic version of Noct's play style, which I found enjoyable enough for the short time it takes to beat this. The final boss is a cool spectacle, but way too big. The camera can't deal with it.

Also the audio balance in general feels kind of unfinished too. There were a lot of scenes where it felt like the voices are way out of balance with each other, or where grunts of exasperation are way louder than actual dialogue. A couple of moments which feel like they needed music too but didn't have any.

Interestingly I noticed in the credits there was what looked like allusions to the teams working on the other cancelled DLC episodes. I guess they wanted to give them credit even though what they were making never came out. Or perhaps they helped get this one out the door once their projects got snuffed out.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by hazeredmist »

clippa wrote: December 19th, 2019, 12:18 pm I've found one! Fetch the sack, owly.
:lol:
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dezm0nd
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by dezm0nd »

Picked up the Crash Team Racing remake (which I just found out has all the Nitro Kart tracks too!) and it's bloody amazing. The controls are a bit weird but when you consider it's a PS1 game originally it begins to make more sense when you play with the d-pad instead of stick,

I also picked up Project Warlock on Steam. It's a bit Wolfenstein/Hexen but it's own thing. I think the normal difficulty is whack with the three lives and you've got to start over system but playing it on easy is more in line with a DOOM or Quake etc.

Also played through Metroid Prime Federation Force with SimonSloth and Suits. A proper gem that's been left behind by most but I do think calling it Metroid Prime is a bit of a poor decision,

I've also played through Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Forces for the Twitch channel (and youtube). If you fancy having something to stare at whilst on the toilet or something then have a look!

www.youtube.com/caneandrinse

Good stuff!
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

clippa wrote: December 19th, 2019, 12:18 pm I've found one! Fetch the sack, owly.
That is good.

Very good 😄.
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