Anyone here played Moonlighter? I bought it for Switch because it was about £2 and had been on my watch list for ages.
I think I'm enjoying it. It's a mixture of lots of different types of games - a little bit Stardew, a bit Animal Crossing, touches of early Zelda. You run a shop, but get the things to sell in your shop by crawling randomly generated dungeons on the side.
There are some interesting mechanics around setting prices in your shop. Set them too high and people won't buy the things. Set them too low and customers can't believe their luck, and are visibly excited to be getting a bargain.
The gameplay loop is very much sell, kill, sell, kill etc. but you can also build up your town around you, upgrade the shop as well as armour and weapons etc. It's interesting but I can't help feeling I'm not getting the most out of it at the moment, something around not fully understanding the shop mechanics, what I should be selling, what I should be saving for upgrades etc. and the whole supply and demand system where you can flood the market driving price down, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to recognise when this is happening.
I'll keep at it though, fun so far.
Whatcha Been Playing?
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
With today being the last day of the Wii U online servers, I've been continuing to play more of Splatoon 1 and saying my last goodbyes to it. It's been great to come back and revisit that experience again for one last time. The series has come a very long way since this game, but it's still a lot of fun in its own right and has certain quirks missing from the sequels.
I've mentioned before how the map design in this game is drastically different to what came later, especially in S3. There's a lot more verticality and way more access to flank routes and climbable walls and such. It gives the levels more of an exploratory feel to them that is a lot of fun. That said, as I've played more and refamiliarized myself with them, some of them also do feel a little awkward and pokey. They can be difficult to navigate at times, and have narrow areas that can be very fiddly to play around. Swimming up walls can also cause some issues as well. Later games feel much better suited to actual open encounters with opponents, and feel fairer as a result, but at the same time they so also lose a lot bit of the personality these maps had.
This game has a certain charm to its visuals and atmosphere, which come from it being not as fully formed as later games. Everything is a bit basic, a bit rough around the edges, not quite as confident in itself. But still bursting with the attitude and fun that defines the series and that was first realised here. There are some little touches that I really appreciate too, like specific lighting choices on certain maps. Like the warm evening glow on Flounder Heights accompanied by the cries of cicadas, or the overpowering sunshine of Mahi-Mahi Resort.
I also had a good time scraping off some of the rust on my skills too. When I left off with this game I had reached A+ rank, but I found as I came back I couldn't maintain that and dropped quite quickly down to A-. But since then I've been learning the ins and outs again and started to climb back up. I managed to make it back up to mid A rank. I got close to A+ again once or twice, but I couldn't reach it. Maybe if I played more on rotations that were going well I could've managed it. Ah well. It was a good feeling to have things click again just like they did way back in the day though.
Playing this game does make you appreciate the changes to how map rotations work in the later games too. Only having one Turf War and one Ranked playlist available at any time, with rotations each lasting four whole hours does get rather monotonous. The smaller map list in this game also doesn't help. It makes me glad to have access to Salmon Run and the two ranked playlists in S3.
But still, I love this game a whole lot. It means a great deal to me. It spawned something that has been a huge part of my life for almost the past decade now, and has managed to maintain a sense of freshness and unadulterated joy that is so hard to find in games these days as someone who has been playing them a long time. The gameplay, the aesthetic, the music, the community, and the sense of uniqueness and novelty were all just so engrossing and enjoyable. Despite not being in to competitive games much at all, this one really struck a chord with me in a way that very few games of any kind ever do. So thanks, and farewell to this silly little squid game.
Although... this doesn't have to be the end. I have been keeping an eye on Pretendo, the community run replacement for the Wii U and 3DS online services. I haven't tried it out yet, and it seems like a lot of it is still a work-in-progress, but it looks very promising. They already have private battles for Splatoon set up, and are apparently planning to get public matches working at some point in the future. I do intend to give it a go at some point, especially if they do manage to get general matchmaking to work. PBs are good and all, but that does require going out of your way to organise with people who are likely not on the same skill level. It would be cool to be able to queue up like normal and easily get a good fair game.
I've mentioned before how the map design in this game is drastically different to what came later, especially in S3. There's a lot more verticality and way more access to flank routes and climbable walls and such. It gives the levels more of an exploratory feel to them that is a lot of fun. That said, as I've played more and refamiliarized myself with them, some of them also do feel a little awkward and pokey. They can be difficult to navigate at times, and have narrow areas that can be very fiddly to play around. Swimming up walls can also cause some issues as well. Later games feel much better suited to actual open encounters with opponents, and feel fairer as a result, but at the same time they so also lose a lot bit of the personality these maps had.
This game has a certain charm to its visuals and atmosphere, which come from it being not as fully formed as later games. Everything is a bit basic, a bit rough around the edges, not quite as confident in itself. But still bursting with the attitude and fun that defines the series and that was first realised here. There are some little touches that I really appreciate too, like specific lighting choices on certain maps. Like the warm evening glow on Flounder Heights accompanied by the cries of cicadas, or the overpowering sunshine of Mahi-Mahi Resort.
I also had a good time scraping off some of the rust on my skills too. When I left off with this game I had reached A+ rank, but I found as I came back I couldn't maintain that and dropped quite quickly down to A-. But since then I've been learning the ins and outs again and started to climb back up. I managed to make it back up to mid A rank. I got close to A+ again once or twice, but I couldn't reach it. Maybe if I played more on rotations that were going well I could've managed it. Ah well. It was a good feeling to have things click again just like they did way back in the day though.
Playing this game does make you appreciate the changes to how map rotations work in the later games too. Only having one Turf War and one Ranked playlist available at any time, with rotations each lasting four whole hours does get rather monotonous. The smaller map list in this game also doesn't help. It makes me glad to have access to Salmon Run and the two ranked playlists in S3.
But still, I love this game a whole lot. It means a great deal to me. It spawned something that has been a huge part of my life for almost the past decade now, and has managed to maintain a sense of freshness and unadulterated joy that is so hard to find in games these days as someone who has been playing them a long time. The gameplay, the aesthetic, the music, the community, and the sense of uniqueness and novelty were all just so engrossing and enjoyable. Despite not being in to competitive games much at all, this one really struck a chord with me in a way that very few games of any kind ever do. So thanks, and farewell to this silly little squid game.
Although... this doesn't have to be the end. I have been keeping an eye on Pretendo, the community run replacement for the Wii U and 3DS online services. I haven't tried it out yet, and it seems like a lot of it is still a work-in-progress, but it looks very promising. They already have private battles for Splatoon set up, and are apparently planning to get public matches working at some point in the future. I do intend to give it a go at some point, especially if they do manage to get general matchmaking to work. PBs are good and all, but that does require going out of your way to organise with people who are likely not on the same skill level. It would be cool to be able to queue up like normal and easily get a good fair game.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
I picked up Gran Turismo 7 for the PS5 in a sale recently. Now, I've been a huge fan of the series since day one and have played the death out of every single entry, except GT Sport.
Oh boy, they really make it difficult to love this game. It is utterly maddening. What's all this bullshit with the cafe and menus and a world map? What an absolutely baffling structure to the game. I want a list of events that I can enter, car dealerships and a tuning shop.
There are so many, completely unnecessary barriers to just getting on and playing the game. Want to do the Sunday Cup? Ok. Want to do the next cup? Tough shit, you can do half the races in that cup until you jump through this arbitrary hoop we've put in the way for you. Want to finish a race and get to the next one? Get ready to press X about 15 times to get past all the complete nonsense menus, stat progress trackers and mandatory race replays.
It's crazy. Absolute insanity. The on-track action is fine, but even that is lacking compared to the likes of the most recent Forza Motorsport. Want a racing line? Ok, but it's all one colour and doesn't indicate where you need to brake. Oh no, instead we've got MASSIVE glowing strips on the entire track, urging you to brake for corners. It's horrible to look at. I don't usually use the racing line feature to be honest, so I'll turn that off as soon as I can work out how.
I do not know who this game is for. It has surely pissed off seasoned veterans of the series, and is impenetrably obtuse for newcomers. What an absolute mess.
I'm hoping it gets better. Somehow.
Oh boy, they really make it difficult to love this game. It is utterly maddening. What's all this bullshit with the cafe and menus and a world map? What an absolutely baffling structure to the game. I want a list of events that I can enter, car dealerships and a tuning shop.
There are so many, completely unnecessary barriers to just getting on and playing the game. Want to do the Sunday Cup? Ok. Want to do the next cup? Tough shit, you can do half the races in that cup until you jump through this arbitrary hoop we've put in the way for you. Want to finish a race and get to the next one? Get ready to press X about 15 times to get past all the complete nonsense menus, stat progress trackers and mandatory race replays.
It's crazy. Absolute insanity. The on-track action is fine, but even that is lacking compared to the likes of the most recent Forza Motorsport. Want a racing line? Ok, but it's all one colour and doesn't indicate where you need to brake. Oh no, instead we've got MASSIVE glowing strips on the entire track, urging you to brake for corners. It's horrible to look at. I don't usually use the racing line feature to be honest, so I'll turn that off as soon as I can work out how.
I do not know who this game is for. It has surely pissed off seasoned veterans of the series, and is impenetrably obtuse for newcomers. What an absolute mess.
I'm hoping it gets better. Somehow.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Actually, it did get better. I like it now.
(It's a lot better game with all the assists off and a clean screen for driving without the HUD clutter).
(It's a lot better game with all the assists off and a clean screen for driving without the HUD clutter).
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
I've been waiting on a sale on this for a while either digitally or physically but never seen one. I bet it's no longer on sale now
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Picked up Balatro on Saturday morning, I have not put it down ever since 
It gives me the same feelings I got from Into the Breach in that is has that one more run mindset behind it. And whilst they're different gameplay types, I do think there are some similarities with like how the different squads and their abilities is similar to the different decks and their abilities. I can see this being a GOTY contender.
It gives me the same feelings I got from Into the Breach in that is has that one more run mindset behind it. And whilst they're different gameplay types, I do think there are some similarities with like how the different squads and their abilities is similar to the different decks and their abilities. I can see this being a GOTY contender.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
It was a couple of weeks ago, was between £30-36 everywhere physically. I got it from Argos for £35 but seems to be back up to £60 now. If I see it on sale again I'll let you know.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
cheersAlex79 wrote: ↑April 15th, 2024, 9:21 amIt was a couple of weeks ago, was between £30-36 everywhere physically. I got it from Argos for £35 but seems to be back up to £60 now. If I see it on sale again I'll let you know.
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Finally beat the Elite Four in Pokemon Radical Red. It took a lot of strategizing and coming in with the right held items and moveset but after many weeks I got into the Hall of Fame! But I am not fully dine with this game yet, there is some postgame content I want to do. You can head to a new location in this ROM hack called the Sevii Islands where there is more rare Pokemon to catch and tougher trainers to take on. This game is hard as hell but I love it so much and want to get at least some of my monsters to level 100 before I consider myself fully done with this endeavour. It really shows what a complex gameplay system Pokemon can produce when you tweak with the base formula.
Also been playing Pac-Man World: Re-Pac. Remember playing the original on PS1 many years ago but only as a demo. It was pretty enjoyable and always wanted to return to it at some point. And while it is not groundbreaking this is a really solid little platformer. Collecting the fruits, keys and PACMAN letters is fun and all the little nods to the history of the character are endearing. The mazes are also just a pleasant way to pass the time. The villain is pretty unnerving to look at though, a horrible robotic abomination with massive teeth. I could imagine this thing traumatizing me as a small child!
Also been playing Pac-Man World: Re-Pac. Remember playing the original on PS1 many years ago but only as a demo. It was pretty enjoyable and always wanted to return to it at some point. And while it is not groundbreaking this is a really solid little platformer. Collecting the fruits, keys and PACMAN letters is fun and all the little nods to the history of the character are endearing. The mazes are also just a pleasant way to pass the time. The villain is pretty unnerving to look at though, a horrible robotic abomination with massive teeth. I could imagine this thing traumatizing me as a small child!
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
I went back and did some of the Guardian Trials in New Super Lucky’s Tale and while it is not too hard it is definitely a step up in difficulty from the rest of the game. Did not have time to finish this game up properly early this year so now that I have a bit more free time it was nice to clear up some good content that I missed out on.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Hadn't played on my Xbox for months because of getting a PS5 at Christmas and that being plugged in downstairs instead, but had a bit of a move around yesterday and put the Xbox in our bedroom and whilst the kids were playing Fortnite on a PS5 and PS4 in the living room and their bedroom respectively, I spent a couple of hours back on Elden Ring, which I've not played for ages.
Found myself in the royal capital, and ended up beating two bosses there (first one took two attempts, second one I did first time!) I'm now meant to be heading towards the land of the giants or somewhere like that, the snowy place, no idea how to get there though! An icon has appeared on my map but I can't seem to navigate to it. I also found the Colosseum but don't have Xbox live so couldn't do anything with it.
Found myself in the royal capital, and ended up beating two bosses there (first one took two attempts, second one I did first time!) I'm now meant to be heading towards the land of the giants or somewhere like that, the snowy place, no idea how to get there though! An icon has appeared on my map but I can't seem to navigate to it. I also found the Colosseum but don't have Xbox live so couldn't do anything with it.
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Caligulas Horse
- Member
- Posts: 136
- Joined: March 28th, 2019, 5:08 pm
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Nice on the bosses! I wasn't sure if you wanted to know where to go or wanted to just figure it out, so put it in spoilers below:Alex79 wrote: ↑April 21st, 2024, 10:47 am Hadn't played on my Xbox for months because of getting a PS5 at Christmas and that being plugged in downstairs instead, but had a bit of a move around yesterday and put the Xbox in our bedroom and whilst the kids were playing Fortnite on a PS5 and PS4 in the living room and their bedroom respectively, I spent a couple of hours back on Elden Ring, which I've not played for ages.
Found myself in the royal capital, and ended up beating two bosses there (first one took two attempts, second one I did first time!) I'm now meant to be heading towards the land of the giants or somewhere like that, the snowy place, no idea how to get there though! An icon has appeared on my map but I can't seem to navigate to it. I also found the Colosseum but don't have Xbox live so couldn't do anything with it.
- Spoiler: show
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
ThanksCaligulas Horse wrote: ↑April 25th, 2024, 1:12 pmNice on the bosses! I wasn't sure if you wanted to know where to go or wanted to just figure it out, so put it in spoilers below:Alex79 wrote: ↑April 21st, 2024, 10:47 am Hadn't played on my Xbox for months because of getting a PS5 at Christmas and that being plugged in downstairs instead, but had a bit of a move around yesterday and put the Xbox in our bedroom and whilst the kids were playing Fortnite on a PS5 and PS4 in the living room and their bedroom respectively, I spent a couple of hours back on Elden Ring, which I've not played for ages.
Found myself in the royal capital, and ended up beating two bosses there (first one took two attempts, second one I did first time!) I'm now meant to be heading towards the land of the giants or somewhere like that, the snowy place, no idea how to get there though! An icon has appeared on my map but I can't seem to navigate to it. I also found the Colosseum but don't have Xbox live so couldn't do anything with it.
- Spoiler: show
I did find the lift and made it to the Mountaintops Of The Giants. Just kinda running around in the snow at the moment. I beat a boss but I'm not sure who it was, not an important one as it just said "Enemy Felled". There's a big frozen lake and it gets real misty round there. I'm trying to head towards a big castle type thing but it's at the bottom of the cliff and I can't get down there!Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Currently playing Final Fantasy Rebirth. I'm about to head into the Gold Saucer area but I need to finish up the Queens Blood competitions in Barrett's hometown. I'm also a diehard OW2 player ever since it came out in 2016.
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Alabastermage
- Member
- Posts: 9
- Joined: June 22nd, 2015, 11:42 pm
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Been playing Satisfactory with my friends. I guess most of you should know it. It's a resource management, builder-style game. Games like this aren't action-packed, so don't expect fighting bosses. But still, it's relaxing while keeping your brain engaged.
Just beware, if you'll play it and you'll like it, it's better to rent a private server. Take my word for it, the official ones are laggy and frustrating to play on. We're renting one from supercraft.host for $8. It's not much, but it's totally worth it because the speed is stable, and you can play whenever you want.
Just beware, if you'll play it and you'll like it, it's better to rent a private server. Take my word for it, the official ones are laggy and frustrating to play on. We're renting one from supercraft.host for $8. It's not much, but it's totally worth it because the speed is stable, and you can play whenever you want.
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
I just started The Talos Principle again (was about 8 hours in before) on Switch because I really wanted to play something puzzle like and relaxing like The Witness, but that's not available on Switch and I hardly ever get to play on my big consoles any more!
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Jobobonobo
- Member
- Posts: 582
- Joined: July 27th, 2016, 4:30 pm
Re: Whatcha Been Playing?
Tried out the demo for Sand Land. It just dumps you in a giant desert with no direction on where to go and what to do so I just went around killing enemies and speeding around in vehicles. Motorbike is nice and nippy but shooting with it is an absolute nightmare. The mech is a lot more fun to use for combat with its variety of weapons and punches and I also liked that it looks like Robo from Chrono Trigger. However, overall I was fairly sour on this. Your characters never shut up and repeat the same dialogue constantly. So much of the map is not accessible and when I thought I was making progress in a temple there were dead ends everywhere so exploration was a big waste of time. After that, I deleted it. I did not really get on with this and only marginally enjoyed the mech combat and motorbike speeding. But nothing else grabbed me about Sand Land at all. Never read the manga so had no attachment to the world or characters beforehand, this demo did not convince me to give it any more attention. Looks nice at least, Toriyama's artstyle really lends itself well to games. Curious to see what future installments of Dragon Quest will look like after his passing.