Alex,

I think it's an online type of thing, almost like synchronised achievement bonuses, something like that.

After finishing FF: Tactics, I wanted to play something else from this team.

Started Vagrant Story, which ticked every box aesthetically and narratively for me, but after getting over the initial novelty, I started to find the gameplay at bit of a drag. I may have just not been in the mood for its pace of play, but forcing myself to play something is a good way of ending up hating it, so decided to put it on pause for the moment.

Started up Tactic Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which was definitely more my speed, but the difficulty is much more consistent than FF: Tactics and I reached a wall I was getting fed up with.

Turns out, there's lots more side stuff for me to do in FF: Tactics, so started with that and was immediately having more fun. So I think I just need to keep riding this FF: Tactics wave until it crashes. I'm clearly not done with it, despite hitting credits, so let's see if I can get Cloud to a level where he can be effective in battle.

Did you find Vagrant Story confusing to play? I remember getting fairly far with it when it first came out, but tried to play it on Vita last year and was just confused with how to play. I don't remember there being any in game tutorials on how all the systems worked, but I could be wrong.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 18th, 2020, 5:28 pm Did you find Vagrant Story confusing to play? I remember getting fairly far with it when it first came out, but tried to play it on Vita last year and was just confused with how to play. I don't remember there being any in game tutorials on how all the systems worked, but I could be wrong.

I understood it, just found the pace of play very stop/start (literally) and found the environments a little samey.

Combine Hunter wrote: ↑May 18th, 2020, 5:57 pm

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 18th, 2020, 5:28 pm Did you find Vagrant Story confusing to play? I remember getting fairly far with it when it first came out, but tried to play it on Vita last year and was just confused with how to play. I don't remember there being any in game tutorials on how all the systems worked, but I could be wrong.

I understood it, just found the pace of play very stop/start (literally) and found the environments a little samey.

I played Vagrant Story for the first time myself a few months back and had the same response to it. Looks and sounds beautiful but the combat and inventory systems needed some serious streamlining. I played about 5 hours before getting tired of it.

Combine Hunter wrote: ↑May 18th, 2020, 5:57 pm

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 18th, 2020, 5:28 pm Did you find Vagrant Story confusing to play? I remember getting fairly far with it when it first came out, but tried to play it on Vita last year and was just confused with how to play. I don't remember there being any in game tutorials on how all the systems worked, but I could be wrong.

I understood it, just found the pace of play very stop/start (literally) and found the environments a little samey.

That's pretty much why I never managed to finish it, yeah. The environment just never changes. Every time you think you're about to find a new area its just more brown and boxes.

I love the art and audio in vagrant story, as a last generation ps1 title it really is pretty. But I agree, it’s not the most fun to play.

As I said on Twitter, a good one to go to after FFT is the first Vandal Hearts. It’s a less complex game for sure, but it has its own quirks and charm that I still really love.

(Or just jump forward in time and dig out Jeanne d’Arc for the PSP...)

Huntdown on Switch.

If you asked a 12 year old me to describe my dream videogame, this would pretty much be it.

For those not familiar, it’s a 2d sidescrolling platform shoot ‘em up that is kind of similar in feel to those old licensed Acclaim action games of the 16 bit era - specifically Alien 3, Stargate and Judge Dredd, though it plays far better than those games did.

You play as a bounty hunter in a retro-futuristic, cyber punk setting that is a shameless pastiche of every 80s and 90s sci fi/action movie you can think of, and almost every weapon pickup is lifted directly from those influences also, from Robocop’s semiautomatic pistol to Arnie’s grenade launcher from T2, to a chain gun that is literally called Old Painless.

Each level is fairy short and culminates in a boss encounter who is your bounty. And speaking as someone who generally hates boss fights, they’re by and large actually quite fun to fight and surprisingly varied. Challenging but usually not seeming unfair or insurmountalbe (I’m playing on Normal difficulty).

It doesn’t have the most depth, the controls feel a little constrictive (you are unable to shoot diagonally or even up/down) and the voice samples and endless pop culture homages can get a little grating at times, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it for what it is.

Remembered I had Disco Elysium to play via Geforce Now on my Mac and that my trial was running out soon so wanted to get it finished before then. Turns out it is now out on Mac so I don't need it anymore.

Finished Day One, bit of a slow burn this one and not quite sure I get it but time will tell.

Ah brilliant, glad to hear it's good. It instantly went on my wishlist as soon as I watched the trailer.

EDIT: @KissMammal, re: Huntdown, that is.

Been going on a tear while testing my arcade sticks with all my systems via the RetroPad 32. Since this post I've also used it on the PS2 and the Wii (via the Gamecube connector cable.

I've been playing...

* yet more Capcom vs SNK 2 (Gamecube)
* The King of Fighters 2003 (PS2)
* Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Wii)
* Karnov's Revenge (Wii VC)
* Waku Waku 7 (Switch)
* Gradius I & II via Konami's Arcade Collection (Switch)
* Rolling Gunner (Switch)

I think I'm in heaven.

Shameless plug But I started playing Golf with Your Friends on Switch and it's really good fun. Perfect fodder for playing whilst watching something on TV that doesn't require too much attention.

Angry_Kurt wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 9:56 am Shameless plug But I started playing Golf with Your Friends on Switch and it's really good fun. Perfect fodder for playing whilst watching something on TV that doesn't require too much attention.

It's a shame I just started Golf Story a few nights ago, because I'd be playing this otherwise. I've added it to my Switch wishlist though and will probably pick it up when I get paid. And there's What The Golf, too. I do like a golf game.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 10:22 am

Angry_Kurt wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 9:56 am Shameless plug But I started playing Golf with Your Friends on Switch and it's really good fun. Perfect fodder for playing whilst watching something on TV that doesn't require too much attention.

It's a shame I just started Golf Story a few nights ago, because I'd be playing this otherwise. I've added it to my Switch wishlist though and will probably pick it up when I get paid. And there's What The Golf, too. I do like a golf game.

Golf with Your Friends is more of a straight out crazy golf game, whereas the other two you mention include other aspects as far as I was aware, like the RPG aspect to Golf story and I thought What the Golf was more a comedy puzzle game.

Oh yeah they're totally different really. I just tend to only have a couple of games on the go at once, currently Metal Gear Rising and Golf Story. (Animal Crossing doesn't count, that's just an alternative existence at the moment ) I think having two golf games on the go wouldn't work, even though they're different enough. I tried it recently with Yoku's Island Express and Mario Pinball on the GBA but one of them had to be put on the back burner (Mario).

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 1:05 pm Oh yeah they're totally different really. I just tend to only have a couple of games on the go at once, currently Metal Gear Rising and Golf Story. (Animal Crossing doesn't count, that's just an alternative existence at the moment ) I think having two golf games on the go wouldn't work, even though they're different enough. I tried it recently with Yoku's Island Express and Mario Pinball on the GBA but one of them had to be put on the back burner (Mario).

Glad you pursued with Yoku's Island, it was my favourite game in 2017 after hearing about it on TCGS.

Absolutely loved it, my favourite game I've played so far this year. I 100% it, which I never try to do with games, but it was so much fun. My son deleted my save at 66% completion, and I didn't even care because I got to do it again, haha. Really hope they do a sequel.

I'm still hammering away at FF13-2, and it's still really quite enjoyable. There's barely a story here, but jumping around time to resolve paradoxes is quite fun. It's actually a bit of a collectathon - by resolving paradoxes, you get these crystals called Fragments, and I am trying to get them all. There's around 160 of them I think, awarded for doing sidequests, doing story quests, solving puzzles, but the way they're doled out kind of forces you to see every little corner of the game, and I really enjoy that kind of structure. Very good game. Has its issue for sure - some maps are just *too big* and the enemy spawn rates can get frustrating. But in general, I'm having a good time nyooming through spacetime and trying to repair the timeline in this well-realized fantasy world.

I also tried Mega Man X8 and swiftly dropped it. That game is kind of crap. I might give it another shot but... God damn it feels sluggish and not fun to play.

I also gave up on The Mummy Demastered, I was really getting frustrated with it. I managed to soft-lock my game by accidentally damage-boosting into an area I wasn't supposed to be in yet, and I can't get back to where the game wants me to go. A+ game design there, lads. You can damage boost into an area, but not back out.

Also kind of hit a brick wall with A Link Between Worlds. I was really enjoying it when I could just kinda strongarm my way through it without a guide, but now that the Dark World is introduced, it has the exact same issue as Link To The Past - very poor sign-posting on how to advance the game, and strong Dark World enemies that make it way too difficult to feel your way around. It was kind of my, "Let's lay down and fuck around" kind of game, but now that it needs a guide... I've lost interest.

PSP
OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast
Gran Tourismo (had to start all over again as I switched form a 1003 to 3003 series PSP)
Castlevania Collection (just beat Death on stage 5 of RoB, I was stuck on him for like a week)

Xbox One
Borderlands 3 (with three of us and it's fun)

PlayStation
Ridge Racer 4

N64
Wave Race 64

Suits wrote: ↑May 20th, 2020, 7:45 pm PSP
Gran Tourismo (had to start all over again as I switched form a 1003 to 3003 series PSP)

You playing the PSP version of Gran Turismo or is it a hacked console? The PS1 version of GT plays great on PSP and Vita.

The PSP version of the game was really impressive, technically, looked really nice, but it was such a missed opportunity with such a bare bones release. No career mode, nothing really aside from single races. Seemed more of a tech demo than anything.