Whatcha Been Playing?

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Simonsloth
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Simonsloth »

Just started Banjo Kazooie for the first time. Im glad I did Dk64 first. I cannot believe that this is the same developer! It’s like they got rid of all the terrible bits and left the good stuff. I think I wouldn’t have had the patience for Donkey Kong 64 if I had played them the other way around.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Been playing around with PS Classic modding for... God, just shy of a week now. This little box is absolutely incredible.

A few points of note:
- It runs PSP games *flawlessly*, and at full 60fps. They look and perform better on this thing than on a real PSP hooked up to a TV.
- It runs N64 games very well - I've tested 9 titles, and all run close to perfect. Star Wars Episode 1 Racer has some oddities like no music and missing polygons, but just like PSP, everything here runs at a blazing fast framerate.
- I've gotten Dreamcast games uh... Well, let's say "walking". They boot, everything looks more or less right, but they chug like a thirsty drunkard. Guilty Gear is not so great at like 2fps. I think there's potential here, but I'm not expecting miracles.

A few games of note too - for the first time in my life, I've gotten PC Engine CD games working... And I think the SHMUP hype is a little overblown. Same with some of the rarer SHMUPs in general - I think there are legitimate reasons they sold poorly in the day.

Here's a list of some games I've played for the first time and really liked though:
- Bari-Arm (SCD)
- Zero Wing (PC-CD)
- Eliminate Down (Gen, probably the best of the bunch)
- Cannon Spike (DC) (still fun at 5fps!)
- Sonic CD (SCD) (this one's cheating, because I played the US version, but the J version has a much better OST!)
- Ys: Oath in Felghana (PSP)
- Sims & Punishment (N64)
- Ogre Battle 64 (not sure which console)
- Seirei Senshi Spriggan (PC-CD)
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Magical_Isopod wrote: April 24th, 2019, 6:44 pm Ys: Oath in Felghana (PSP)
This is probably the greatest 2D action RPG I've ever played.
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by ratsoalbion »

The Christian Whitehead version of Sonic CD that’s officially available to buy (cheaply) has the option to switch between the Japanese and US OSTs.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

ratsoalbion wrote: April 24th, 2019, 8:10 pm The Christian Whitehead version of Sonic CD that’s officially available to buy (cheaply) has the option to switch between the Japanese and US OSTs.
I have it on PC, but for some reason I can't quite define, I never play PC games? Like, I forget I even have Steam games, and I have 300 of them. I think there's an inherent lack of value when a) the games can't be resold, and b) they're sometimes a pain in ass to even get working because PCs are kind of shit as gaming platforms.

Compared to the proposition of reselling games I don't like on console, and the (enjoyable) effort required to make an emulator box near perfect, I don't think valueless license rentals from Valve and company can compete.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I must admit, I enjoy the tinkering and setting up of emulators far more than actually playing games on them. I'll spend days getting a perfect config set up, amassing a huge library of perfect ROMs with nice cover art, all catalogued and ordered, then literally minutes playing them. It's the love of the chase :lol:
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

Is that the same version of Sonic CD that’s on the Apple TV?
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Flabyo wrote: April 25th, 2019, 4:24 pm Is that the same version of Sonic CD that’s on the Apple TV?
Yeah, the 360, PS3 and various mobile ports are all that version.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

I take back what I said about Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow on the GBA being basic, it's fantastic! Big castle, loads of weapons and enemies, great bosses, just pure Vania brilliance! I think I'm about halfway through (at least, my map screen says 50.6% uncovered), and it's taken about three hours so far. It's not a massively long game, but it's packing so much in to that time I was genuinely shocked when I checked my play time so far. Recommended to anyone who enjoys the style of game and hasn't thought to try the GBA games.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Pitwar »

After 3 weeks of not playing any video games due to Sekiro killing my enjoyment, I finally picked up a pad again last night.

I decided to give Dangerous Driving a bash as I loved the early Burnout games, and it's certainly more of those. It's very odd not having any music while you race, but it makes it a good podcast listening game. I'm digging it so far.

I've also picked up Days Gone today as even after all the average reviews it looks like something I'll enjoy, s fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

clippa wrote: April 25th, 2019, 7:50 pm
Magical_Isopod wrote: April 25th, 2019, 2:26 amPCs are kind of shit as gaming platforms.
Aw, I really like playing on my compooper.
I'm sure we can still bond over other things. What are your views on lasses in skirts?
It's all just about the games, really, innit? However you like to play them best doesn't change things an awful lot.

I feel like I'm partly to blame for this decleration, forcing your arm up your back to have a go on ZeroRanger. I'll make sure I only urge you to play console games from now on.
It's not just ZeroRanger, I feel like at least a quarter of the games I play on PC, I have to spend an hour or more troubleshooting just to get them to start. It's a massive pain in the ass when you have limited time to game. And it's not specific to any one PC, this problem has followed me across three builds now.

And for lasses in skirts... Depends on her personality, really. Someone can be attractive, but if they're not fun to hang out with, why bother? :P
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

So I sold a massive pile of 32 games (and held on to 3, because the price wasn't fair - but 32 outta 35 ain't bad!) and got $192 worth of credit.

I got Wild Guns: Reloaded, Monster Boy (the 2018 one), Dying Light Complete Edition, Kingdom Hearts (because the PS2 version has better music than the remaster) and Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations... and still have $47 left over!

I tried playing Wild Guns for about an hour and like... This game is way too hard. To the point of being not fun. Even on easy, you're constantly getting hit with cheap deaths (like rolling out of enemy fire and directly into enemy fire, constantly), and while the game looks and sounds great, the difficulty is just killing the experience. It doesn't even seem to be a matter of "git gud", it seems to be more "git lucky" than anything. Maybe there's something I'm missing.
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Scrustle
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Scrustle »

Today I picked up Lost Planet: Colonies Edition since Capcom has a sale going on right now on Steam. I played the original version before way back in the early days of the 360, and a while back I tried to pick this up on PC before as well, but the key didn't work, probably thanks to it being a GFWL game. Still had to deal with that this time around, but I actually managed to get around it now. And I found that actually, it's still pretty fun! I was fully expecting it to not stand up, being a game from a different time. It's basic in design, still feels like it has one foot in the PS2 era of doing things, and was one of the earliest attempts of a Japanese publisher trying to appeal to a more global audience. That, and how slow the game moves when you're on foot. So I was mostly expecting it to be an archaic slog that I would only want to briefly poke around for nostalgia's sake. That's why I decided to go for this version too. This edition has a mode where the game plays faster. Thought it might be a good way to revisit it and speed up the pace. But it turns out you can only do it on levels you've already beaten, so I had to play the normal way this time.

But I was surprised to find that it was actually gripping me again after all these years. Despite running on foot being slow, the level aren't too long for that to become a big issue. Guns feel pretty fun to use, especially when you can pick up the mech weapons and use those on foot. And of course the mechs themselves are really fun. They feel appropriately heavy and weighty, but still pretty mobile, and tearing through aliens with them is a lot of fun. The different alien enemy types are pretty cool as well. Visually interesting and diverse, and also make for a more interesting challenge in terms of tactics compared to just shooting back at other humans. You can see a little bit of Monster Hunter peeking through here too, with the bosses and how it feels to use the big mech weapons on foot. The dodge roll feels pretty much identical as well. I've heard Lost Planet 2 get a lot of comparisons to MH, but it's cool to see it has a bit of precedence here as well.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Oh man, Lost Planet... That was the first online game I played, not counting like browser games and other freeware. That game was both kind of awesome and kind of crap for mutilplayer. The mechs and the sheer scale of people vs. the levels was something I've never quite seen replicated. However, it was one of those games where you can spend huge amounts of time wandering around, only to die instantly. And some players were masterful for rolling and jumping *while shooting*. I felt like I needed four hands for that.

And the single player game... I feel like the concept was better than the execution. The huge bosses, the locales, the mech gameplay, the frigid setting, all really good stuff, but the game design all around was never especially exciting.

I highly recommend EX Troopers for the PS3. It's a Japan-exclusive Lost Planet spin-off that was actually built from the remnants of Mega Man Legends 3. It has a lot of similar mechanics to Legends 2 in terms of gameplay, and it's definitely the peak of the Lost Planet series. But the language barrier means you'll miss most of the story.
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Flabyo
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Flabyo »

I vaguely remember I got pretty good at the multiplayer in Lost Planet. So, erm, sorry I guess :)
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chase210
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by chase210 »

My copy of final fantasy 12 on the switch arrived! Looks and plays like a dream.
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Suits
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Suits »

Alex79uk wrote: April 25th, 2019, 9:17 pm I take back what I said about Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow on the GBA being basic, it's fantastic! Big castle, loads of weapons and enemies, great bosses, just pure Vania brilliance! I think I'm about halfway through (at least, my map screen says 50.6% uncovered), and it's taken about three hours so far. It's not a massively long game, but it's packing so much in to that time I was genuinely shocked when I checked my play time so far. Recommended to anyone who enjoys the style of game and hasn't thought to try the GBA games.
On my list mate. I’ve fantasised after this for a while now.

I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to pick a GBA version up while not snapping my wrist whilst getting my wallet out.

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it. Some glorious sprite work.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by stvnorman »

After decades of trying, I finally got to the end of Out Run today! I’ve come within touching distance a couple of times on the Sega Ages version on Switch but this time, apart from a brush with one other car, everything went right and I had seconds to spare. In all my years of gaming, I think this tops the list of my most satisfying accomplishments, and my heart is racing again just thinking about it!

Also finished Moonlighter. Fantastically addictive rogue-like by night and shopkeeping sim by day, which I managed to drag out for 25 hours on Switch before having a go at the final dungeon boss. Still one of my favourite games from last year on any platform.
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Pitwar »

I've played a few hours of Days Gone over the weekend, and I'm really digging it.

A lot of the reviews I read prior to buying the game stated that it offers nothing new, and that's where the game was marked down by many. While that's true, I don't really see it as a bad thing if the game is good, which Days Gone is.

I've had a great time riding around the wilderness on my bike, stumbling across things to do, helping different settlements and following my own story.

I'm really pleased I picked it up and look forward to cracking on with it this week,
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Playing?

Post by Alex79 »

Yeah I actually really want to play this, but feel like it'll probably be fairly heavily discounted within a couple of months so just holding off for now.
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