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Games, games, games (Read 273243 times)

Fiend

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#850 Re: Games, games, games
May 16, 2022, 11:06:28 am
Okay so a few minor things I like:

+ quality-of-life tweaks are great: no stamina use outside of combat, open world mobs refill health flasks, all merchants buy almost all stuff so all collecting has value.

+ accessibility tweaks are great: almost all bosses are optional, bonfire spacing much closer, bonfires / stakes closer to bosses, coop / spirit ashes for all bosses, easy to explore / grind / level up

+ combat seems to give the player lots of valid options depending on playstyle preferences, with added bonus of spirit ashes and ashes of war

+ amount of exploration is as good as any open world RPG, plus loot selling makes it generally worthwhile

+ as usual some of the monsters are completely bonkers and very cool

+ the larger legacy dungeons are great in classic Soulslike style

+ the underground world is also great and atmospheric and almost an entire game in itself

+ the ambient music is really nice (i've unusually turned it back up from 20% that I usually set game music to)

+ occasional combats between other groups of enemies is a cool touch

+ the scenery and backdrops and vistas of the world as shockingly, anal-wart-poppingly, stunning in many and various ways. I've actually been laughing out loud about how ridiculously spectacular it looks in some areas.

+ the changing of the weather, day/night, and related ambience is a great touch.

+ the whole vibe of the world is a bit darker, a bit creepier, a bit WTF-ier than the open world average which provides a strong and gripping atmosphere

+ in short, I'm 140 hours in and I don't want to leave it  :wub:


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#851 Re: Games, games, games
May 16, 2022, 12:37:00 pm
Bloodbourne, which truly was a masterpiece.

Absolutely agreed. That game properly got under my skin, it just kept getting weirder and weirder (and better). Definitely one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. I'm not normally that into those types of games, but I found it both so stressful and compelling to play. Weirdly though I never want to play it again, maybe because I like remembering the experience more than the idea of playing again.

On another note, I just started Disco Elysium. So far so good. Brilliant, dark and funny writing, wonderfully realised world, slow pace where you poke around for clues/dialogue, hopefully it can maintain it for the whole game.

Other recent games I played include:

Alba: Wildlife Adventure - very light hearted game with a cool art style and environmental message. Would be good for younger kids.

Banner Saga 2 - Excellent tactical, turn based RPG. I'm in it really for the story, world and art which are all excellent. The gameplay, combat is fine in so much as it keeps it all ticking along. Only one more to go in the Saga, looking forward to it.

Genesis Noir - Cool idea and art. Gets weird. Overall a little to arty farty for me and I felt the gameplay was too simple and let it down. An interesting game rather than a good one, I think.


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#852 Re: Games, games, games
May 26, 2022, 06:28:49 pm
Forgot I had also recently played 'I am dead'. Weird narrative indy game that involves a kind of slicing through object to find hidden things gameplay. Nice story and art style. Interesting and quirky characters. Not sure the gameplay could quite sustain it for the whole game but the story was good and kept me interested.

(Disco Elysium is still going strong. In fact its got even better, if it sticks the landing then it will definitely have to be somewhere near the top of my best games list. Lets hope it pans out.)

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#853 Re: Games, games, games
May 26, 2022, 09:20:15 pm
 About to give Metal Gear Rising a go, mostly because of all the shitposts everywhere about it. Does look like a great game.

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#854 Re: Games, games, games
June 14, 2022, 11:04:58 am
After reading a "best games of 2022 so far" thing the other day, I downloaded Olli Olli World for our kids' Switch.

Skating game, kind of mashed up with a platformer. Nice cutesy cartoon-y graphics. Gameplay actually pretty tough. Highly recommend, and it's only about £15 or something now.

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#855 Re: Games, games, games
June 17, 2022, 12:28:03 pm
Finished Disco Elysium. Absolutely brilliant game. Loved it.

I'm going to struggle to do it justice by trying describing it. It isn't without flaws or weaknesses, but if you are at all interested in narrative and story in games then it is a must play. Dark, funny, sad, brilliantly written, fantastic sci-fi/noir world and for me very thought provoking. It definitely has some things it wants to say and isn't afraid to say them.

Saying that I can't recommend it for everyone since there isn't much 'game' in there (in an action kind of way), but the way you uncover the story, world and characters is brilliant. And I found it very compelling, but would understand if some people hated it.

(I played it on my switch and it definitely struggled a little at points, including a couple frustrating crashes, probably better on something with a little more oomph.)

Trailer here:


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#856 Re: Games, games, games
June 17, 2022, 04:40:35 pm
Disco Elysium is high on my list of games to play once I have some time to, so appreciate the review

Fiend

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#857 Re: Games, games, games
August 22, 2022, 10:01:48 am


Finished Elden Ring after 179 hours @ lvl 177, and cheating the final boss (and skipping Malenia) because fuck and indeed that. Explored everywhere, looted everything, cheesed most bosses by being massively overlevelled, and still died 39472 times.

Fantastic experience. Actually sad to leave it, it's an iconic and memorable world.


Now onto STRAY https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/Stray/ because who doesn't want a really cool 3rd-feline cat sim!!

« Last Edit: August 22, 2022, 10:11:51 am by Fiend »

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#858 Re: Games, games, games
August 22, 2022, 07:24:10 pm
Some strong reviews:

https://thesepaintedhands.tumblr.com/post/690393815046094848/my-boy-did-the-same-thing
https://imgur.com/gallery/2RWfrtM

I am actually fascinated that the game designers have evidently managed to capture feline movement well enough that real cats register it as Cat, or at least Cat???, and then attempt to locate the Cat??? or join them on their adventure.

Fiend

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#859 Re: Games, games, games
August 22, 2022, 07:57:08 pm
Well, https://twitter.com/gamingbible/status/1493555698034036742

But actually: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2022/07/stray-review

Quote
It’s a good thing that Stray developer BlueTwelve Studio already told us in an interview that all animations in the game were made by hand. No motion capture was used, and thank god for that, as seeing the feline hero limping was convincing enough for me to call animal protection services.

If anyone wants a short and sweet action/adventure cat sim in a sort of cyberpunk world with simple gameplay and a cool atmosphere, I'm sure this is the best short and sweet action/adventure cat sim in a sort of cyberpunk world with simple gameplay and a cool atmosphere around.

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#860 Re: Games, games, games
August 23, 2022, 01:32:51 pm
Yeah, I was thinking "captured" in the artistic sense, not motion-cap specifically.
 
Meanwhile, I seem to have fucked up my back (really really hoping it's not a disk injury) so I've decided to embrace failure as an existential experience by playing Disco Elysium.

It was this Tweet and the replies which sold me on it:

https://twitter.com/burgerdrome/status/1557225827993268225

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#861 Re: Games, games, games
August 23, 2022, 06:41:14 pm
Make sure you get The Horrific Necktie off the ceiling fan - it's got to be the best character in the game. And there are a lot of great characters.

JamieG

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#862 Re: Games, games, games
August 23, 2022, 09:16:35 pm
Yeah, I was thinking "captured" in the artistic sense, not motion-cap specifically.
 
Meanwhile, I seem to have fucked up my back (really really hoping it's not a disk injury) so I've decided to embrace failure as an existential experience by playing Disco Elysium.

It was this Tweet and the replies which sold me on it:

https://twitter.com/burgerdrome/status/1557225827993268225

Sorry to hear about your back but happy to hear about Disco Elysium. Enjoy.

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#863 Re: Games, games, games
August 24, 2022, 06:45:59 pm
Yeah, I was thinking "captured" in the artistic sense, not motion-cap specifically.
 
Meanwhile, I seem to have fucked up my back (really really hoping it's not a disk injury) so I've decided to embrace failure as an existential experience by playing Disco Elysium.

It was this Tweet and the replies which sold me on it:

https://twitter.com/burgerdrome/status/1557225827993268225

I downloaded it off the back of this comment and it’s incredible! Thanks for the tip off  :beer2: hope your backs feeling better!

Fiend

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#864 Re: Games, games, games
August 24, 2022, 06:50:00 pm
WELLSY rescue me from these Discoheads, how did the rest of Elden Ring Sting go for you??  :devil-smiley:

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#865 Re: Games, games, games
August 24, 2022, 09:00:25 pm
You should all be playing Stellaris.

Also a new season of Diablo 3 is starting this Friday and looks to be as fun and bonkers as ever with the new seasonal bonuses :D

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#866 Re: Games, games, games
August 24, 2022, 11:11:23 pm
Has anyone, anywhere ever finished a game of Stellaris?

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#867 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 07:02:47 am
Make sure you get The Horrific Necktie off the ceiling fan - it's got to be the best character in the game. And there are a lot of great characters.

I got the Horrific Necktie but it never spoke to me, alas -- I suspect one of my stats was too low for that.

Anyway, I'm plotting a second run with wildly different stats, to see just how different you can make it, so we shall see ...

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#868 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 07:06:43 am
Yeah, I was thinking "captured" in the artistic sense, not motion-cap specifically.
 
Meanwhile, I seem to have fucked up my back (really really hoping it's not a disk injury) so I've decided to embrace failure as an existential experience by playing Disco Elysium.

It was this Tweet and the replies which sold me on it:

https://twitter.com/burgerdrome/status/1557225827993268225

I downloaded it off the back of this comment and it’s incredible! Thanks for the tip off  :beer2: hope your backs feeling better!

 :beer2: Delighted I could pass it on!

It's looking like the back thing is a disc injury, which is really fucking tedious, but OTOH not being able to do anything except sit in a chair and take ibuprofen is really great for maximizing gaming time.

I finished my first Disco Elysium playthrough yesterday, and holy shit it's amazing; I'm contemplating an immediate second run because you can clearly take it in some wildly different narrative directions (or at least fail and die in other entertaining ways).

I rec staying as unspoiled as possible -- there was stuff in the endgame I did not see coming at all, and which I found unexpectedly moving.

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#869 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 08:20:50 am

I got the Horrific Necktie but it never spoke to me, alas -- I suspect one of my stats was too low for that.

Anyway, I'm plotting a second run with wildly different stats, to see just how different you can make it, so we shall see ...

I think it’s the Inland Empire stat that enables a lot of wonderful conversations with inanimate objects.

There’s so much to love in this game isn’t there. I enjoyed that in my play-through even Harry’s tie had its own story arc.

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#870 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 11:24:39 am
Has anyone, anywhere ever finished a game of Stellaris?

Very, very occasionally. The end game is a bit of a slog though and my PC does not enjoy it. Also, you've essentially won after ~150 years so might as well 'go next' :D

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#871 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 11:47:02 am

I got the Horrific Necktie but it never spoke to me, alas -- I suspect one of my stats was too low for that.

Anyway, I'm plotting a second run with wildly different stats, to see just how different you can make it, so we shall see ...

Not sentences you would use every day :)

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#872 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 02:20:36 pm

I got the Horrific Necktie but it never spoke to me, alas -- I suspect one of my stats was too low for that.

Anyway, I'm plotting a second run with wildly different stats, to see just how different you can make it, so we shall see ...

Not sentences you would use every day :)

And yet, among the more normal sentences you can say about Disco Elysium.

Quality experience.

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#873 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 02:59:42 pm
Really glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was fantastic. I often find I play RPGs in the way closest to the decisions I would actually try to make. I struggle to really 'role play'. Thus when the 'sorry cop' achievement/cop style came up it really made me laugh. Apparently I just went around apologising constantly for what an utter shambles I was. Quite telling. :-)

If I play it again, I think I'll have to go for the super arrogant, disco obsessed, meat head and see what happens. :-)

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#874 Re: Games, games, games
August 25, 2022, 03:51:13 pm
WELLSY rescue me from these Discoheads, how did the rest of Elden Ring Sting go for you??  :devil-smiley:

Fiend, you saying you don't want to get bonuses on specific checks by strategically wearing the Flare-Cut Trousers and the Man From Hjelmdall T-shirt?

 

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