Whatcha Been Playing?

[Suits]

I’d recommend a 3DS - a damn fine console with a raft of great games and experiences.

[ratsoalbion]

My N3DSXL remains one of my favourite consoles to this day.

It is true that the larger screen does show up the relatively low resolution on some titles but I still think many games among its massive and treasure-stuffed library hold up incredibly well.

[DomsBeard]

My Alien Isolation run through is getting derailed. Ironically nothing to do with the Alien but the stupid androids.

After avoiding any death by the Alien by some miracle he? Alien finally got me in Chapter 11 in the cruelest way possible. I was on a computer and I heard him drop from a vent next to me (you know that sound if you have played it) before I could log out I was lunch. It was very unfair but it is wasn't? (that doesn't make sense!).

Anyway androids!

There is a bit where they strip you of all weapons and put you in an area where the androids are wearing lab coats that somehow make them impervious to THE ONLY THING THAT CAN DAMAGE THEM WITHOUT WEAPONS. You are then left trying to sneak past 4 of them 3 times to progress, you get spotted you are pretty much dead. Awful section I had forgotten about.

[Chopper]

I began Ultima VII earlier in the week. Ughh. I knew within 30 seconds that my playthrough wouldn't even last 10 minutes as the pixelated Old English font was, to my eyes, almost unreadable. I could feel a headache brewing before the opening credits had even finished. I didn't even have an opportunity to write it off as too old, too impenetrable or too obscure. It was, to this spoiled console-gamer, too difficult to read, which is a first for me.

Should have gone for a font mod! Call yourself a PC Gamer



In all seriousness, fonts are something which can kill a game for me. I've always wanted to play Distant Worlds, the biggest/most complex/interesting 4X, but the font is absolutely execrable (and no mods):

[dezm0nd]

Well, im still playing Rusty Pup which says something about its quality after testing it for about 40 hours im still interested in actually playing it.

But today i bought RDR2 and Evil within 2 (8 quid off ebay) so suddenly theres a lot on my plate. Looking forward to playing all three across the whole of November

[DeadpoolNegative]

Grand Theft Auto V- So I've been doing some more Michael Missions- I've always maintained that Michael's arc is the only one that works (mainly because both Trevor AND Franklin's arcs feel unfinished, waiting for DLC that will never materialize). There's some interesting characterization in "Fame or Shame"- Michael is about to give up and let his daughter debase herself on the show, but Trevor basically badgers him into attacking the set and torturing Lazlow. Trevor, in his own twisted way, cares about the Townley kids, even if part of him perceives them as coming between him and Michael. There's an essay to be written about how Trevor perceives human connections.

There was a scene I'd completely forgotten from my first playthrough. After escaping the morgue in "Dead Man Walking", Michael, realizing he's now under Dave Norton's thumb for the foreseeable, decides to call Franklin. Not for help, but to beg Franklin to leave town, because he knows being associated with Michael will likely get Franklin killed. Michael is self-aware and vulnerable with Franklin in a way that he really isn't with his family or his therapist. I'm in the extreme minority in that I think the story of GTA 5 (and 4) are better written than their reputation, and this is one of the reasons.

River City Rival Showdown- hoo boy, I'm on the third day and hardly any story events have been happening for hours, when I wind up in a few boss battles. Then I seemingly taken on a series of high school dudes to fight, and there were so many, I got confused and thought I had to die to make the story progress, because dudes kept respawning, seemingly infinitely, even after I beat up the heads of the school And then I.. completed the game by dying? "Kunio was never seen again." On the one hand I get a kick out of the old school vagueness, on the other, exactly what was I supposed to be doing here?

--Dan

[Alex79]

Well that's an achievement in itself! Enjoy. Wish I could erase those games from memory to play them again. Love love love that trilogy. Even the third. Even the end. God I wish they'd just remaster them already.

[KSubzero1000]

DMC4 Bloody Palace (Nero) - Relief. Exhaustion. Joy. Palpitations.

Rise of the Tomb Raider - Would you like a good dose of Witcher 3 in your Uncharted rip-off? Not good enough to get excited, not bad enough to stop playing. Yawn.

[stvnorman]

Despite saying I wasn’t buying PS4 games until I’d cleared my backlog, I had already preordered the Castlevania Requiem collection. Started with Rondo of Blood today, which I’ve never played before. Doesn’t seem to be particularly enhanced for the PS4, which doesn’t really bother me, and there’s definitely no hand-holding features - it’s hard! But it seems to be a very good game and I’m enjoying it so far.

Also got to the last stage of Mega Man 3 on the Switch. Best looking of the three I’ve played so far, but there’s something about 2 that I can’t put my finger on that they didn’t quite capture here.

[dezm0nd]

I've started both Red Dead 2 and Evil Within 2 and finding both of them tricky for different reasons.

RDR2 - Feels absolutely overwhelming. There's just so much to see and do with a control scheme which is kinda hurting my brain. Add to that a level of realism I've not seen in a videogame before, which isn't always a good thing, and I'm finding myself feeling like i'm not quite clicking with it yet. It's incredible to look at and does have its moments of open world madness but I can't help but feel the sheer level of detail is slightly working against the player. Maybe I just need to adjust a bit more and focus on the missions which have been brilliant so far.

EW2 - Leaps and bounds above the first game (which I enjoyed) and feels like it's going to be a great mini sandbox horror game but i'm just finding the regular enemies incredibly tricky. I seem to die far more often than I expected going into it after beating the first game but I'm also not helping myself by playing two games together which have unorthodox control schemes. When it's not being a semi open world spooky game and you end up inside the buildings with its curated missions i'm finding myself being scared alot more than the first, a lot more creeped out.

It doesn't have weird mechanics anymore (burning bodies and hiding in furniture in the first game) and feels much more polished. Very much enjoying it so far!

Rusty Pup - plodding along nicely, finding more brains one at a time. It's a very clever puzzle game which needs to be played more by "fans of the genre"

[Chopper]

EW2 - Leaps and bounds above the first game (which I enjoyed) and feels like it's going to be a great mini sandbox horror game but i'm just finding the regular enemies incredibly tricky. I seem to die far more often than I expected going into it after beating the first game but I'm also not helping myself by playing two games together which have unorthodox control schemes. When it's not being a semi open world spooky game and you end up inside the buildings with its curated missions i'm finding myself being scared alot more than the first, a lot more creeped out.

It took me aaages to figure out which enemies I could approach at the beginning; in particular, there's a woman with a knife that was pretty annoying (two stealth attacks to take down ) and who I learned to leave alone.

[dezm0nd]

Yeah, she's particularly bothersome. If there's one thing I need to learn from the first is that I need to actually use my weapons. I tend to rely on stealth too much in favour of ammo conservation and end up paying the price (DEATH!)

The open world they present to you absolutely rewards exploration so long as I take my time I'll be fine using my guns when needed and finding ammo along the way

[hazeredmist]

Binding of Isaac

Caught the bug with this game big time. I'm not very good (yet) and have only completed the challenge "Computer Savvy" but it doesn't count as a completion. I'm learning the items and the rules gradually, and enjoying it, it's incredibly addictive.

[dezm0nd]

Yes, yes it is. Welcome aboard the Isaac train. Any questions, ask them in the Isaac thread and i'll see if I can help

[DomsBeard]

I have Soul Calibur VI, Red Dead 2 and Assassin Creeds Odyssey looking at me I am still just playing Alien Isolation.

I got over my earlier hump by going back to basics and using every thing in my inventory. I have just

Spoiler: show

Blown up the reactor unleashing all the Aliens

a section that took me a week first time round took me 30 minutes.

[Alex79]

I'm 2 or 3 hours in to Hollow Knight. Really enjoying it so far. I've cleared the first two areas and the bosses. Not totally sure where to go next, but it's obviously somewhere I need to dash to!

[Suits]

3DS found, with Mario cartridges and Zelda on the SD card. The gods are good.

Cool, anything else you’ve got your eye on ??

I’m currently having a glorious Indian summer with my 3DS.

[Suits]

Nothing in particular, but I'd love to find a JRPG that really grabbed me because apparently the 3DS is full of classics. However that genre seems to be my bête noire. What are the 3DS Persona or SMT games like? 4 Golden and 5 are two of the only JRPGs I put any significant time into.

Right, I can’t help you on that front I’m afraid as I don’t really get on with those either, albeit I enjoyed Octopath Traveller.

That said, the Mario & Luigi series of games are fondly regarded, that could probably scratch that JRPG itch for you.

The Metroid 2 remake is very good and Luigi’s Mansion 2 is enjoyable - especially this time of year.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Nothing in particular, but I'd love to find a JRPG that really grabbed me because apparently the 3DS is full of classics. However that genre seems to be my bête noire. What are the 3DS Persona or SMT games like? 4 Golden and 5 are two of the only JRPGs I put any significant time into.

I have played SMT IV: Apocalypse, and it is pretty competent. Not amazing, and if you skip it you're really not missing much.

I have a lot of love for Dragon Quest VIII, so I'd personally recommend that, as far as non-Zelda JRPG's go.

[Alex79]

Currently having the genuinely worst week of my life, so hiding in video games. Nine or so hours in to Hollow Knight now. Keep on dying to the Mantis Lords. Haven't quite got them figured out yet.

Also started Fear Effect (PS1) on Vita, which is...interesting. Took ages to customise the controls so it was playable, but got it working pretty good now.

I also reinstalled Salt & Sanctuary on my Vita for a NG+ since Hollow Knight got me back in the mood for a Soulslikeroidvania (feel free to use that if you've not already been sick in your mouth...) on handheld. Love that game.