Whatcha Been Playing?

[Combine Hunter]

Halo 5. The campaign seems good so far. I understand that the plot disappears up it's own bum later on, but they have addressed the level design and mechanical issues I had with Halo 4. There are now much more vertical and open level lay outs, similar to bungie's Halo games, and the prometheans are now considerably more fun to fight, due to improvements in visual, audio and animation feedback. I've never really loved Halo's storytelling anyway, so as long as it continues to be a fun game to play, I'll be ok.

The multiplayer is fantastic. Warzone is a GREAT idea, and even if I fall out with the campaign, I can see my self playing the multiplayer for awhile.

[Flabyo]

I'm still having a lot of fun with the MP. They're taking the Splatoon approach to updates at the moment of giving new maps etc... away for free (they charge for REQ packs, and I've never felt the need to buy any of those).

I don't think it's story is all that bad. It makes more sense than 4's did.

Speaking of Splatoon, the final map for that launches this week, bringing to an end 8 months of continuous free support from Nintendo for it. I kinda hoped they'd keep going for longer with it, but I'm also impressed they supported it as much as they have given Nintendo don't have the greatest track record for that.

[macstat]

I continue going through my steam library. This time i picked Dying Light. I was about 40 hours in when i stopped playing so I'm pretty far in. Right now game shows about 75% completion.
I'm also playing season 5 of Diablo 3 but i might as well be done with it. I got my 6-piece Shadow set, got to level 60 greater rifts and I'm kinda getting bored Its usually the case with me and Diablo, i play it every season for a week and I'm done.

[skidoosh]

I set myself the wonderful challenge of Platinuming all of the Blood/Souls games before xmas in time for Dark Souls 3. I've done Dark Souls and I'm just working to get the "collect all" trophies in Scholar and I've only a few left in Bloodborne. My biggest worry will be Demond's Souls!

So Souls games, lots of Souls games

[Chopper]

I set myself the wonderful challenge of Platinuming all of the Blood/Souls games before xmas in time for Dark Souls 3. I've done Dark Souls and I'm just working to get the "collect all" trophies in Scholar and I've only a few left in Bloodborne. My biggest worry will be Demond's Souls!

Oh man, you should do Demons before the others - it's a beautiful and intricate Platinum which really shows off the game. It has one major flaw unfortunately, but the rest is fantastic.

[Alex79]

Finally making an effort to play through Snatcher (for the fourth time. 4th time I've tried to play it, not 4th time playing it through!)

Enjoying it so far. I'm at the point of going round Ivans flat.

[stvnorman]

Grim Fandango is a game that's always interested me but I was never going to buy for the same puzzle vs patience reasons I've never got a Silent Hill game. When it arrived on PS+, I thought I'd at least load it up. I played for a bit and really liked the setup and where the story was going, so decided to have a go on the basis that checking a walkthrough before my logically-wired brain started getting agitated by any ridiculous item usage was perfectly fine!

Just finished it and I'm glad I persevered. The remaster isn't especially impressive, and in some sections actually hampered progress because it's little more than making the original characters darker than before. But the story was imaginative and engaging though, and well worth the time spent in its world.

[Craig]

After giving monster hunter 3U another chance it's finally sunk it's rathe large claws into me. I just killed the Gobul and have just started the level 4 village quests. I'm using a long sword right now and really getting into it. Still pretty overwhelmed by all the information but I'm getting there.

[seansthomas]

Babysat for a friend tonight and had a few hours to kill, so booted up his copy of Metroid Other M.

What a curious game. A C&R podcast on it would be a classic I reckon. Heard lots about the story ruining Samus' back story and making her the love interest of some grumpy old war general. Hard to tell from the time I've played it how just those claims are but it was certainly taking a step towards that outcome. Certainly found Samus not using her gear due to Adam not authorising her a very weak mechanic and somewhat patronising.

Being surrounded by other soldiers like Corruption is one weird part. Not as isolated or atmospheric as Super Metroid / Prime. The other is the control scheme. Sometimes it nearly works and is good, but it just doesn't quite hang together. Aimings hard due to flicking the wiimote to look round and fire missiles being a great idea but holding you back a lot in reality. Would have worked better using the nunchuk to move and just pressing the B button to go into first person view swiftly. No idea why they didn't do that. Maybe the fear of alienating non nunchuk owning Wii owners?

Anyhow, doubt I'll ever play anymore of it but glad I got to try it out. Certainly a game worthy of a lengthy discussion methinks.

[Craig]

I think they were pretty attached to the "holding the Wiimote sideways like an NES controller". Every Wii owner has a nunchuck as the system comes with one.

[Pitwar]

After hearing nothing but good things and having several people recommend it, I've just ordered the limited edition version of Life is Strange. I really enjoy this type of game when done well, so I have high hopes that it won't disappoint.

[Combine Hunter]

Been playing a bit of Darkest Dungeon. It's very good, but brutal, haven't managed to finish a single quest yet, lol.

[Beck]

I've decided to try and play along with some Cane and Rinse for some of the podcasts this year. I've stated with Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time on the 3ds as Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game I played. I'm really loving it, I'm also surprised I still remember where to go and how to complete some of the side quests as I've not played OOT since I was 13.

[Suits]

I went to Amsterdam over the weekend for a quick break with the lads. Most late nights, or whenever we had a down time, I'd kick back in the apartment with my 3DS and chill.

I went over there with the plan to finish Majora's Mask but I'm still fairly early on in that and the day/night thing I still don't understand, so I wasn't able to get into that in such short blasts.

I did take my cartridge case with me though, so had a large library of games I'd not even started yet.

I pulled out Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - Shadow Wars.

It's a turn based tactical shooter, in a similar sort of vein to XCOM.

It's really good, surprisingly good in fact, I was hooked and continued to play it at every given opportunity. I like the way it details range and damage in a way that always seems to be satisfying and exciting. It provokes good tactical thinking and lets you upgrade your soldiers as you progress through each mission.

It does lack the finer detail and there's no threat of losing a solider that you're cashed in most of your rewards points into as, if you lose any of your squad you instantly fail, so that's a shame as you lose a lot of the tense outnumbered, or last guy syndrome.

But being able to save on the fly and being simple enough to just pick up and put down in short bursts, it felt alike a great holiday, commute handheld title.

Not a 'great' game but a good situational, short blast (mobile I suppose) game.

[ratsoalbion]

It's a turn based tactical shooter, in a similar sort of vein to XCOM.

In fact its lead designer, Julian Gollop, was the creator of the original 1994 X-COM: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown).

[James]

I loved Shadow Wars! It's a game that overshadowed XCOM: Enemy Unknown in many ways for me. It and Invisible, Inc. both did a really great job of providing small, focussed missions that felt strategic and tense in a way that I never got from XCOM. Part of the reason for this, I think, is the differentiation in the class types; the squad (often only 2 or 3 characters) was usually comprised of specialists who had to be deployed entirely differently from one-another, and to different tasks.

[Suits]

In fact its lead designer, Julian Gollop, was the creator of the original 1994 X-COM: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown).

Julian Gallop being involved makes a lot of sense now then.

It and Invisible, Inc. both did a really great job of providing small, focussed missions that felt strategic and tense in a way that I never got from XCOM.

Like you say, the small focused manner in which the missions play out was key to the enjoyment for me with it being handheld.

[stvnorman]

I'm dabbling at the moment before I dive into The Witcher 3. Some Mortal Kombat X story mode, which is a bit too story-heavy but it gives you a nice taste of different characters when you do eventually get to use them. I love the two new Star Wars tables on Zen Pinball 2 - both really pacey with plenty going on and plenty of fan service, though the Rey voice work can be really grating. Also spent a few hours on Hardware Rivals; if you want a time killer it's fine, but I reached the conclusion is wasn't very much fun and deleted it. Which also happened to World of Tanks which appeared on PS4 last week, but in a much shorter time - too nerdy, too free-to-play.

[Todinho]

So Sunless Sea is free on steam for the next 2 days so I have been giving it a shot,it's a very interesting game for sure a roguelike set into a London that has been trapped into an underground lovecraftian sea and where information is a resource. My first character died in a bit of a comical way I was running out fuel and decided to make a sacrifice to the old gods so they would teleport me to London faster,he teleported me to the other side of the map and my crew muttined and killed me... It's interesting but I dont know what to really make of it yet,the UI is pretty confusing though.

[dezm0nd]

I played the opening to The Witcher 3 and man, it is just as good as people have been talking about. I doubt i'll ever properly play it as I'm rarely an RPG guy and I've recently finished two. My patience or lack thereof would only harm my experience.

Still enjoying Rainbow Six Siege and I've been replaying Halo 5 again but this time in co-op. Thinking of getting Resident Evil 0 next