21 votes

What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them?

What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.

58 comments

  1. [6]
    elight
    (edited )
    Link
    I keep coming back to Nova Drift. It's Asteroids as a rogue lite with some shades of Geometry Wars—though that does it little justice. The visuals are beautiful. The action starts slowly yet...

    I keep coming back to Nova Drift. It's Asteroids as a rogue lite with some shades of Geometry Wars—though that does it little justice.

    The visuals are beautiful. The action starts slowly yet builds to a frenetic pace. The customization options are absurdly deep with multiple viable powerful builds emerging from various permutations of "upgrades".

    I can't quite explain how this game became one of my happy places. Perhaps it's the size, volume, colorfulness, and noise of the explosions—like the best parts of July 4th fireworks as a game. Perhaps it's the emergent complexity. Or just the way that each play through evolves from strategy to flow state.

    I can't recommend this gem enough.

    8 votes
    1. [2]
      Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      Yeah, not playing it at the moment but it's one of those games which you pick up every now and then and then spend days on it - without feeling bad about it because it's thoroughly fulfilling. It...

      Yeah, not playing it at the moment but it's one of those games which you pick up every now and then and then spend days on it - without feeling bad about it because it's thoroughly fulfilling. It really feels like the old attitude of 'let's just make something fun and pretty' and takes it with a modern spin instead? It really combines the good part of old and new games.

      1 vote
      1. elight
        Link Parent
        Exactly! Every few months, I play the heck out of it. It's been that way for me for a few years now.

        Exactly! Every few months, I play the heck out of it. It's been that way for me for a few years now.

        1 vote
    2. [3]
      Wafik
      Link Parent
      I've been looking at getting into this one for all the reasons you listed. Can it be played casually or does the difficulty really escalate?

      I've been looking at getting into this one for all the reasons you listed. Can it be played casually or does the difficulty really escalate?

      1 vote
      1. Raspcoffee
        Link Parent
        Not OP, but the difficulty scales with time due to it being a rogue lite - and there are options you can pick to make it more easy/difficult. Meaning that you can play it as you want.

        Not OP, but the difficulty scales with time due to it being a rogue lite - and there are options you can pick to make it more easy/difficult. Meaning that you can play it as you want.

        1 vote
      2. elight
        Link Parent
        Just saw this. You can play the default mode (not "Endless"). It has a boss and an ending. It scales a little up to the boss. On Endless, it scales and scales and scales.

        Just saw this.

        You can play the default mode (not "Endless"). It has a boss and an ending. It scales a little up to the boss.

        On Endless, it scales and scales and scales.

        1 vote
  2. [5]
    zatamzzar
    Link
    For whatever reason, I've discovered Fortnite. I've been playing lots of it. Last year, it was War Thunder, which I have not touched since last August.

    For whatever reason, I've discovered Fortnite. I've been playing lots of it. Last year, it was War Thunder, which I have not touched since last August.

    7 votes
    1. [2]
      datavoid
      Link Parent
      My wife made me start playing fortnite with her like a year and a half ago. I originally tried it quickly in 2017 or 18, but didn't enjoy it at all. However, it seems the advertising money went...

      My wife made me start playing fortnite with her like a year and a half ago. I originally tried it quickly in 2017 or 18, but didn't enjoy it at all. However, it seems the advertising money went somewhere, as the game is actually pretty fun now (even though I still constantly get annoyed at the marketing - come on snoop dogg, your time is over).

      My main complaint with the game (other than the incessant advertising) is the battle pass system. Fortnite is extremely generous with their pricing, as unlocking the next battle pass is quite easy if you play once in a while. I paid $10 - $15 more than a year ago, and am still getting all the seasonal rewards, which imo is honestly a good price for the fun we've had. My complaint is that as every game moves to this live service model, the real cost is time. They intentionally give you FOMO on the next season pass, or unlocking special rewards. Every single live service game does this. The result is a hostile gaming environment where every game's goal is to stop you from playing the competition's games by taking up as much of your time as possible.

      I'm fairly sure fortnite gets the majority of its revenue from companies like marvel and Disney, not from players. The real cost to the players is in taking their time, and in being subject to an incredible amount of advertising.

      Thank you for reading my unsolicited thoughts on fortnite 🙂

      4 votes
      1. elight
        Link Parent
        I had to stop there and chuckle.

        My [spouse] made me

        I had to stop there and chuckle.

        2 votes
    2. smoontjes
      Link Parent
      I played it in the beginning and it gets a really bad rap! It's been a few years since I played it (stopped in chapter 2) but I see they added a lot more flashy stuff, however the game is/was...

      I played it in the beginning and it gets a really bad rap! It's been a few years since I played it (stopped in chapter 2) but I see they added a lot more flashy stuff, however the game is/was truly solid. I played it so much back then and got quite good. I was one of the annoying people that built a fort in half a millisecond upon getting shot at lol but had fun with it for a long time and too many hours

    3. redwall_hp
      Link Parent
      I also picked it up recently, because the current map this "season" is Japan themed (with an overpowered katana available)...and a Hatsune Miku collaboration is on the way soon as well. I'm not...

      I also picked it up recently, because the current map this "season" is Japan themed (with an overpowered katana available)...and a Hatsune Miku collaboration is on the way soon as well. I'm not sure what the map usually looks like, but it's quite nice right now.

      Overall, it reminds me of when Team Fortress 2 was popular, but battle royale instead of payload race or capture the flag. It's not a bad game for when I don't feel like focusing as much. At least, until you get down to ten players, then it can get intense.

  3. [8]
    hourglasseye
    Link
    I'm currently playing Super Mario Odyssey - I'm super late to the party, I know (or should I say Mario Party hehehehe). I guess to no one's surprise, I'm enjoying it lots. It's wild to me how...

    I'm currently playing Super Mario Odyssey - I'm super late to the party, I know (or should I say Mario Party hehehehe). I guess to no one's surprise, I'm enjoying it lots. It's wild to me how varied the visual rewards are for going out of your way to collect moons. The possession mechanic is very fun. I was a bit wary that collectathon 3D platformers aren't for me... mostly because the last one I played was Yooka-Laylee and I thought it wasn't very good. I guess I just needed to play a good one (I should get into a Hat in Time).

    Outside of that, my spouse and I have gotten back into Don't Starve Together. It's taken a few attempts but I think we've better at it (again). It remains to be seen if we can finally kill the Antlion, or any of the non-seasonal bosses.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      caliper
      Link Parent
      I found playing Mario Odyssey together with one of the kids was much more fun than playing alone, and I really prefer playing alone most of the time. It’s definitely more fun with two people...

      I found playing Mario Odyssey together with one of the kids was much more fun than playing alone, and I really prefer playing alone most of the time. It’s definitely more fun with two people because Cappy can achieve much more with a second player.

      I really love that game. What I remember most is the music. Especially the music from the Wooded Kingdom, if I recall correctly, was awesome. Too bad I don’t enjoy replaying games, otherwise this would be a great candidate.

      3 votes
      1. hourglasseye
        Link Parent
        Ooh, now I gotta try two players. When I go back for more moons, I'll pay closer attention to the music!

        Ooh, now I gotta try two players. When I go back for more moons, I'll pay closer attention to the music!

    2. [3]
      semsevfor
      Link Parent
      I couldn't get into A Hat in Time. It felt like it had a weird identity crisis. It wanted to both be a kids game and more mature. It wanted open world levels like Mario but also closed linear...

      I couldn't get into A Hat in Time. It felt like it had a weird identity crisis. It wanted to both be a kids game and more mature.

      It wanted open world levels like Mario but also closed linear levels like Sonic.

      It was just...weird, and not in a good way.

      I only played a few hours, and eventually said I'm good. Just strange vibes.

      2 votes
      1. kfwyre
        Link Parent
        I feel the same way about A Hat in Time. I don’t know why I don’t love it (by all accounts I should), but I’ve given it two solid attempts, multiple hours each time, and I just… don’t connect with it.

        I feel the same way about A Hat in Time.

        I don’t know why I don’t love it (by all accounts I should), but I’ve given it two solid attempts, multiple hours each time, and I just… don’t connect with it.

        2 votes
      2. hourglasseye
        Link Parent
        Oh dear. I guess this means I should wait a nice long while before attempting to play it. Thanks for the perspective!

        Oh dear. I guess this means I should wait a nice long while before attempting to play it. Thanks for the perspective!

        1 vote
    3. [2]
      EsteeBestee
      Link Parent
      Your comment made me realize that I had never beat it! So I booted it up today and played for four hours straight, lol. This game is so good!

      Your comment made me realize that I had never beat it! So I booted it up today and played for four hours straight, lol. This game is so good!

      2 votes
      1. hourglasseye
        Link Parent
        IKR? I have to peel myself away haha.

        IKR? I have to peel myself away haha.

  4. BeardyHat
    Link
    I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 5 here and there, steadily making progress through the story. I believe I posted about it last week and mentioned I hate the characters, which I still do. That...

    I've been playing Grand Theft Auto 5 here and there, steadily making progress through the story. I believe I posted about it last week and mentioned I hate the characters, which I still do. That said, I just got to the introduction of Trevor and...I don't hate him? I mean, he's obviously a piece of shit, but he's so over the top that he doesn't seem as offputting as Michael does (and to a lesser extent, Franklin). Anyway, I'm enjoying it so far; I do wish it ran a little better on my laptop so I could play it in my Den and while I still can, I get frequent frame dips, as it's hitting that 15w processor very hard.

    I've also been spending some time with Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity an old DOS Star Trek game that was mentioned to me on a different forum. I'm not very far in it yet, but I absolutely love it. It was clearly crafted by people who love TNG and know how the universe works, so it's primarily an adventure game where you send away teams to planets to solve various issues. You can also cruise around in Federation Space and the opening has you patrolling the Neutral Zone. The Computer has a very detailed and elaborate Codex to it that gives you all kinds of information from specifications of the ship to various crew members, different species in the universe and on and on. It is excellently detailed.

    As per it being clearly crafted by people who care, I did find out that it was actually supposed to be a proper episode or series arc in the TV show, so it was written by genuine writers for the show. They also have, far as I can tell, the vast majority of the actual cast giving pretty damned good performances. Anyway, it's abandonware at this point, so it's pretty easy to find and some community members have done work to make sure it still can run in modern Windows. I did run into some issues running it on my Windows 11 laptop, but I didn't bother to solve them as I realized I could instead play it on my emulation handheld instead, which is what I'm doing. I'm betting it would work great on Deck through Dosbox as well, but I have't tried.

    I also have been messing around with Turtle WoW again. I've been on the server for maybe 5 years now and just drop in periodically to do some questing and get some levels. My friends recently jumped back in, which prompted me to get back on my Priest, which I just hit 36 with; at this point I'm doing the "Anywhere but Stranglethorn Vale" quest run, so I'm hitting up various parts of the world to do quests in a less populated, less annoying zone. I'll probably get myself prepped to do Scarlet Monastery with my friends this weekend.

    5 votes
  5. [5]
    artvandelay
    Link
    I've been playing Trackmania United Forever again. I originally discovered the game in 2013 though I stopped playing around 2015. However, I recently picked up a Steam Deck and re-downloaded...

    I've been playing Trackmania United Forever again. I originally discovered the game in 2013 though I stopped playing around 2015. However, I recently picked up a Steam Deck and re-downloaded Trackmania onto it and have been playing it daily. Currently struggling through the Red/D tracks.

    5 votes
    1. [4]
      smoontjes
      Link Parent
      I love TM so much. Spent thousands of hours in TMUF in the early 10's. Any reason why you're not playing TM 2020?

      I love TM so much. Spent thousands of hours in TMUF in the early 10's.

      Any reason why you're not playing TM 2020?

      3 votes
      1. [3]
        artvandelay
        Link Parent
        I honestly just haven't gotten around to figuring out how to get it on my Steam Deck haha. I played TM2020 a bit during COVID and love it just as much as TMUF

        I honestly just haven't gotten around to figuring out how to get it on my Steam Deck haha. I played TM2020 a bit during COVID and love it just as much as TMUF

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          smoontjes
          Link Parent
          Gotcha. It's through the Ubisoft store but it can be launched through Steam I believe

          Gotcha. It's through the Ubisoft store but it can be launched through Steam I believe

          1 vote
          1. artvandelay
            Link Parent
            Ah gotcha, just saw the listing on the Steam Store actually, will give it a try then! Thanks!

            Ah gotcha, just saw the listing on the Steam Store actually, will give it a try then! Thanks!

  6. smoontjes
    Link
    I was gifted Tiny Glades by a friend and played it a ton over the last few days. It's a beautiful game, very relaxing, and has a surprisingly steep learning curve! Learning all the things you can...

    I was gifted Tiny Glades by a friend and played it a ton over the last few days. It's a beautiful game, very relaxing, and has a surprisingly steep learning curve! Learning all the things you can do it basically a game in and of itself. Very much recommend it - probably the best cozy game I have tried

    4 votes
  7. Protected
    Link
    I played Caravan SandWitch, a winter sale purchase. It's a 3D sci-fi narrative open world game with exploration, fetch quests and no combat. You play as a girl who lives in a space station, but...

    I played Caravan SandWitch, a winter sale purchase. It's a 3D sci-fi narrative open world game with exploration, fetch quests and no combat. You play as a girl who lives in a space station, but upon receiving a message from her presumed dead elder sister runs off back to the planetary colony where she grew up in order to do what she can to find her.

    The world building is quite good. You will learn about the Consortium that founded the colony, as well as the native aliens, and the exploitative relationship between the two, why it came about and what its effects were. Everything fits well together and makes sense. The various inhabitants of the Cigalo colony/planet have their own stories and personalities, although unfortunately this isn't explored too much.

    CSW features a designed world - like, say, The Witness, or Outer Wilds - meaning nothing is "randomly generated". It has a really great aesthetic, with toon shaded but good looking graphics, good use of color, great sound design, cozy and pleasant to explore, if (unfortunately) not very large. There is a photo mode and vistas worth using it with. There is a really nice informal climbing mechanic (think Breath of the Wild, not Jusant), surprisingly well implemented for an indie game, which really makes you feel like you can go "anywhere". There are sidequests and things and places to find.

    A core mechanic in the game is your van, which you receive near the beginning of the game. The van visually displays mementos from your journey as well as technological upgrades installed by your tech wizard friend. Unlike what you might expect, your vehicle makes traversal harder, not easier, since the protagonist is so scrappy. Bringing the van with you is all about using its tools to open doors and passages and gaining access to otherwise blocked out spaces. There is a really cool and seriously underutilized sensor/hacking mode which displays electrical devices and circuits, tagged by name, most of the time to no purpose. You could almost have made a full game out of that alone.

    The writing is generally atrocious. Possibly it was badly translated and localized from another language (french?) I couldn't always parse what was being said at all (dialogue is written; there is no voice acting). Often the attitudes of the characters didn't seem to make sense; they seemed forced, with contrived drama and illogical or inconsistent decisions being made. Things weren't always evenly bad, though, so I don't know. Sometimes it almost felt like they had a real writer.

    There were some non-primary but serious gameplay design issues. For example, some quests require using the van to help one of the other characters. These quests force you into the van with no warning, and then force you to follow a predetermined path through the world; any attempt to alter your route too much and you're forced to redo from start. During these quests you're locked inside the van; the button to get out (prominently displayed in the UI) doesn't work. You are unable to optimize your routing through the world and do multiple quests at once; the quest will force you back into the van and you will have to drive all the way back before you're released from your torment. Fuck these quests!

    Amusingly for a climbing-oriented game, there are no fall "consequences" (there is no health bar, but they could easily have teleported you to the van or something). You can just drop from fifty meters and you're fine; you don't even bend your legs to absorb the impact! In one way that's pretty good for frustration mitigation but it never stops being hilarious.

    Other issues include the quest list UI not always actually telling you what you're supposed to be doing; if you took the quest in a previous play session, good luck remembering! Sometimes your action button stops working and you have to open and close the menu to get it back. It's also possible for it to be bound to two things at the same time, preventing it from doing what it should do according to the prompt on the screen. It seems like there are bugs in quest tracking and completion; I'm pretty sure I did "everything" but I failed to get some achievements I should have gotten (there are other complaints about this online).

    Speaking of which, don't visit the steam forum. LGBTQ people exist in this sci-fi future, and a lot of people are very mad and preachy about that.

    Overall, Caravan SandWitch was an entertaining experience with some really strong points but where the inexperience of the developers also sometimes shines through. I don't regret the discounted purchase. The game is fully playable in less than 12 hours.

    Previous

    4 votes
  8. Venko
    Link
    Orwell: Ignorance is Strength - the sequel to Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You. Much like the original game you play an agent using a super spyware network called Orwell. Your job is to investigate...

    Orwell: Ignorance is Strength - the sequel to Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You. Much like the original game you play an agent using a super spyware network called Orwell. Your job is to investigate citizens and form a version of truth alongside another agent. The twist in these games is that whilst you have access to lots of information on citizens the only action that you're able to take yourself is sending datachunks to the other agent by adding them to the Orwell database. Doing some unlocks other documents that relate to those datachunks. Although the other agent can message you you cannot message them yourself. This means that you can control the "truth" by controlling which datachunks you send. I really enjoyed both the original game and this sequel. There's some crossover between the stories in both games so I suggest anyone interested start with the first game.

    3 votes
  9. [3]
    Pavouk106
    Link
    I've just finished My sexy neighbor right now! I paid like 6€ for it and finished it in 3 hours. I enjoyed it more than if I went to pub and had a beer for those 6€. It is kinda Splinter...

    I've just finished My sexy neighbor right now!

    I paid like 6€ for it and finished it in 3 hours. I enjoyed it more than if I went to pub and had a beer for those 6€.

    It is kinda Splinter Cell/Thief game with sexual content. You have to spy on your sexy neighbor effectively playing as creepy weirdo. You have to sneak around and in her house planting cameras and other things while taking "souvenirs". The game is built around observing paths and taking advantage of free space whenever possible. You have some tasks to do that eventually lead to unbelievable situations (your neighbor stuck in a washing machine, for example; have you ever seen anyone stuck in washing machine in real life???). You gain experience and unlock perks (like being able to climb uo the water drain pipes to the second floor).

    To make it short - I really enjoyed this game. I took it as parody on stealth games AND parody on porn AND parody on real looking graphics. The game is over the top in everythign that happens in it. And as I enjoy movies like Hot shots or Wronfully accused, I enjoyed this game as well - in this kind of view. There is sexual content but it is made so over the top that it won't even arouse you (that is if you don't spy on your sexy neighbors yourself, in that case you may find something that I wasn't able to in this game).

    I was surprised such game even made it to storefront due to its contents (and I don't mean naked lady and erotic toys, I mean more serious stuff), but in the end the story (if we can even call it a story) makes up for this content and kinda cleared my doubt why it even made it there and I got my satisfaction about these concerns.

    This isn't visual novel, this is first-person stealth game.

    EDIT: Bought out of curiosity. I don't regret buying it. It is hilarious! And creepy at the same time.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      BeardyHat
      Link Parent
      Well that's a choice to make a game about. I was friends (no longer, for obvious reasons) with a person who now resides in prison for this exact crime. I love stealth games, but this is a little...

      Well that's a choice to make a game about.

      I was friends (no longer, for obvious reasons) with a person who now resides in prison for this exact crime.

      I love stealth games, but this is a little too close to home.

      5 votes
      1. Pavouk106
        Link Parent
        Yeah, as I said - I'm surprised it made it to storefront. But as I said, the "story" explains it and the ending is very likely the reason this game can exist. To be honest, this isn't even that...

        Yeah, as I said - I'm surprised it made it to storefront. But as I said, the "story" explains it and the ending is very likely the reason this game can exist.

        To be honest, this isn't even that good of a stealth game. It is mediocre all around, but at the same time it is so over the top it is hilarious. But it definitely isn't for someone who has in-person experience.

        I knew the theme of the game before I boughr, but I didn't know what to expect, really. And I got more than I could have hoped for - but likely in other way than it may seem to average observer. Which is, to be clear, not in sexual sense.

        EDIT: The game should be named My creepy neighbor. It would describe it much better!

        1 vote
  10. Rudism
    Link
    I picked up the DLC for Talos Principle 2 on sale over the holidays so I started getting into that. Very happy with it so far--feels kind of like an extended epilogue to the main game (although I...

    I picked up the DLC for Talos Principle 2 on sale over the holidays so I started getting into that. Very happy with it so far--feels kind of like an extended epilogue to the main game (although I don't think it necessarily picks up exactly where you left of since there are so many different ways the main game could end). The gameplay is the same, you get to learn more about the characters you already know as well as meet some new ones, the puzzles are great, and it seems like there's a ton of content. So if you liked Talos Principle 2 and haven't played the DLC I absolutely highly recommend it.

    I think I also read that they're doing a remaster of the original Talos Principle, which I'm pretty sure I'll pick up and play again once it's out (even though I already purchased and played through the game twice for various consoles). These games are just so great and totally up my alley.

    3 votes
  11. [3]
    Thomas-C
    Link
    I went back to STALKER Anomaly again, I just don't get tired of it. In between the many posts about it I've been cobbling together a modpack similar to what I did with Morrowind - a "definitive"...

    I went back to STALKER Anomaly again, I just don't get tired of it. In between the many posts about it I've been cobbling together a modpack similar to what I did with Morrowind - a "definitive" pack, the one I will archive/keep updated instead of continuously building loadouts when I get the itch. I think I'm there, so after getting it going on my PC I set to work making a deck port, so to speak.

    Here are some shots from that portable version. My target was to keep it around 40fps, and prioritize graphical fidelity/immersion on top of adding a few additional survivalist mechanics. I like some survivalist stuff but not quite to the extent a pack like GAMMA goes - cooking food and having to tend to location based wounds is just too much tedium for my taste. Instead I focused on doing stuff with the guns and having animations for everything.

    This time around I played as Sin, a cult of halfway zombified dudes just about everyone hates, to see how difficult it would be. Every faction besides Monolith hates you, so you're limited on stuff like merchants and repair services, and have to engage more with scavenging/repairing stuff yourself. I included a mod that gives guns magazines, so there is no ammo counter/you have to stop occasionally to manually reload. At first I was iffy on it but over time came to really enjoy how it changed up the rhythm of the game. I have to plan out where I'm going to go, and when I take a location I usually need to stop, prep a bit, then make a new plan, because just running around it's easy to get caught without good means of fighting back. The faction situation means I have to engage more with the mechanics for gun/armor repair, as well as doing upgrades with stuff I scavenge instead of purchasing anything.

    Yesterday I had probably the best experience yet. I was taking a squad of 7 into a map called the Army Warehouses. When we got there, we spawned into a situation where three different factions, all hostile to us, were fighting each other, and while we tried to run through to a safe spot a pack of dogs came rushing in to maul everybody. We tried running for a water tower, but by the time I got there my whole squad had been wiped. I made my way up the tower and into a covered space, then sniped folks from there until I was, best I could tell, alone.

    As I descended the tower, I heard some folks, one of the factions had sent a squad after me and were taking the village surrounding the water tower. I snuck through the village with a silenced assault rifle, slowly picking off dudes unawares until I again thought I was alone. I camped inside an old house and called up a squad from home base for support, because there was no way id make it back the way I came based on the gunfire still going on from that direction. The squad was going to take a while, so I decided to try something - I took one of the corpses, put some loot on it, and dragged it out into the road running through the village. As folks from the other factions came close, they'd go for the body to loot it, and Id pick them off with my sniper rifle. For about ten minutes I just sat in a house, occasionally sniping some dipshit and eating crackers.

    One guy in an exosuit managed to get to cover, so I had this incredibly tense exchange, each of us running between different parts of the village and taking shots at each other. He nearly got me more than once, I ran out of medical supplies and managed to pop him with all of about 1/4 of my health left. THEN I got a message, an emission was coming, so I ran back to the old house and smoked a cigarette while an apocalyptic wall of fire blew through the village. My backup squad died in that, so I was again alone while three hostile factions continued to make moves in the surrounding area. Out of medical supplies, low on food, and with only one magazine and my revolver left, I decided to make a break for it and charged a checkpoint down the road I knew only two dudes were manning. I managed to get em with the revolver, found some food and medicine, repaired what I could and then got back to home base, exhausted. Fuckin amazing tbh, could not ask for a better STALKER experience lol.

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      EsteeBestee
      Link Parent
      Holy shit, that’s intense. I was really hoping that Stalker 2 would be good, because I want to experience some of that stalker goodness. I’m still debating if I should just go back to one of the...

      Holy shit, that’s intense. I was really hoping that Stalker 2 would be good, because I want to experience some of that stalker goodness. I’m still debating if I should just go back to one of the older games or wait for a few more patches for 2…

      1. Thomas-C
        Link Parent
        Imo S2 is awesome if you haven't seen all of it. If you have though and prefer the free roaming/faction wars kind of stuff, Anomaly has so much available and such depth to it that it just can't be...

        Imo S2 is awesome if you haven't seen all of it. If you have though and prefer the free roaming/faction wars kind of stuff, Anomaly has so much available and such depth to it that it just can't be beat. S2 has some solid options for making it a deeper/more engaging experience but still needs some time to evolve.

        1 vote
  12. [2]
    ShroudedScribe
    Link
    Started playing Project Zomboid co-op with my partner. I struggle a bit with games that feel a little aimless (the goal seems to only be survival?) but there's some cool elements in there. It...

    Started playing Project Zomboid co-op with my partner. I struggle a bit with games that feel a little aimless (the goal seems to only be survival?) but there's some cool elements in there. It might be one of those games that's in Early Access forever, but it already has a lot going for it.

    3 votes
    1. elight
      Link Parent
      I've been playing it solo with (I won't even try to count) 40+ mods. It is a strange... game? And, yet, because it's a sandbox, I catch myself projecting onto the environment—for instance, in a...

      I've been playing it solo with (I won't even try to count) 40+ mods.

      It is a strange... game?

      And, yet, because it's a sandbox, I catch myself projecting onto the environment—for instance, in a gated community, upon discovering there's a golf course (of course there's a golf course) suddenly and deliberately speed bumping far more zombies than I would otherwise. Eat the rich? 😬

      Also, as a recovered The Walking Dead fan, I realized I had been headcanoning myself as Abraham.

      Among other games, I continue to hem and haw about setting up a private multiplayer server for friends and Tildeans/Tilwhoseits/Till Eulenspiegels..

      1 vote
  13. [6]
    kaffo
    Link
    To be boring, Ostranaughts again. It's pretty good! I think I got another 10 or so hours since last week and I finally got a character and ship combo I was really happy with. I lucked out and...

    To be boring, Ostranaughts again.
    It's pretty good! I think I got another 10 or so hours since last week and I finally got a character and ship combo I was really happy with.
    I lucked out and almost immediately docked with an almost intact, massive freighter. So I stripped it and made my teeny starter ship look more like a normal spaceship.
    I've almost paid off my initial mortgage, then it's upwards and onwards.
    I guess my goal is to get to Venus. I'd at least like to see the station there before I quit, so I'll need my own reactor and torch drive. Both of which sound complicated and expensive.
    So it's a mission, but I'm looking forward to trying to make it!
    Aside that I am unsure how big a ship I want to go. I've seen some of the stock extra large ships and they are massive. Like I couldn't imagine building and maintaining the thing without a crew and I can't be bothered with that micro haha.

    3 votes
    1. [5]
      elight
      Link Parent
      Ah, you can build a reactor by first building out a large cargo bay—easy to do by scrapping every ship of walls and floors). The reactor parts are large. Then, salvage after salvage, collecting...

      Ah, you can build a reactor by first building out a large cargo bay—easy to do by scrapping every ship of walls and floors). The reactor parts are large. Then, salvage after salvage, collecting the reactor parts.

      Once I set myself to the task, it really didn't take long to be torch driving.

      1. [4]
        kaffo
        Link Parent
        Yeah that sounds exactly like my plan. My issue honestly is I have trouble imagining the space which doesn't exist yet! I planned out my current small ship by getting graph paper and drawing it...

        Yeah that sounds exactly like my plan. My issue honestly is I have trouble imagining the space which doesn't exist yet!
        I planned out my current small ship by getting graph paper and drawing it out. Helped a lot, but now I've got an issue where I don't have large enough graph paper lol.

        1. [3]
          elight
          Link Parent
          I didn't plan much at all because I rarely like to game that way. It's too much like real life for me and so not fun for me. Instead, I built a large cargo bay. When it wasn't enough, I pushed the...

          I didn't plan much at all because I rarely like to game that way. It's too much like real life for me and so not fun for me.

          Instead, I built a large cargo bay. When it wasn't enough, I pushed the walls on either side further from the center line. When that wasn't enough space to also build out the reactor (guess what happened?) I did it again. 😉

          Eventually? Reactor.

          YMMV

          1. [2]
            kaffo
            Link Parent
            Oh my god I could not play like that lol. I plan. I want to know the dimensions of all the compartments, the optimal airflow and thrust. Yada yada. Gotta stress about the dumb Internet space ship!

            Oh my god I could not play like that lol. I plan.
            I want to know the dimensions of all the compartments, the optimal airflow and thrust. Yada yada.
            Gotta stress about the dumb Internet space ship!

            1 vote
            1. elight
              Link Parent
              LOL! You nailed it there: I really don't like to stress in my computer games. I try to reserve obsessive perfectionism for as few parts of my life as possible.

              LOL! You nailed it there: I really don't like to stress in my computer games. I try to reserve obsessive perfectionism for as few parts of my life as possible.

  14. [2]
    UntouchedWagons
    Link
    I tried getting back into Factorio after taking a break after finishing Space Age when it released and man the early game really really sucks. It takes way too long to get going and it makes me...

    I tried getting back into Factorio after taking a break after finishing Space Age when it released and man the early game really really sucks. It takes way too long to get going and it makes me not want to play Factorio.

    3 votes
    1. SloMoMonday
      Link Parent
      I remember a mod called Faster Start, that's just a few chests with everything you need to get into the mid game. Stacks of red belts, large and med power poles, defence tools a few goodies. You...

      I remember a mod called Faster Start, that's just a few chests with everything you need to get into the mid game. Stacks of red belts, large and med power poles, defence tools a few goodies.

      You can even do it yourself in the senario editior. Quick calculation on the amount of flasks, power and labs you need and set it up before jumping in.

      2 votes
  15. [2]
    TMarkos
    Link
    Just finished playing The Talos Principle II. I had played the first one a few years back and loved it, but the sequel really did a stellar job of amping up the narrative, characters and visual...

    Just finished playing The Talos Principle II. I had played the first one a few years back and loved it, but the sequel really did a stellar job of amping up the narrative, characters and visual appeal. The first game was a very solitary, eerie experience for all that I found it to be a wonderful time, whereas the second one had me rooting for the loveable band of nerdy, naive robots it introduced. A must-play if you're in the mood for a puzzle.

    3 votes
    1. Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      Both the first and the second are so good. I really love how they made both games very 'humane' but in completely different ways. Also, 'bananas' is good enough, they don't need another language...

      Both the first and the second are so good. I really love how they made both games very 'humane' but in completely different ways. Also, 'bananas' is good enough, they don't need another language pack if you ask me!

      Mmm, maybe I should continue the DLC later. The puzzles are though but very rewarding.

      1 vote
  16. somewaffles
    Link
    I finally got back to finishing the Dead Space Remake and it solidified its spot as my favorite horror game ever, and definitely in my top 15 games in general. I remember liking the original when...

    I finally got back to finishing the Dead Space Remake and it solidified its spot as my favorite horror game ever, and definitely in my top 15 games in general. I remember liking the original when I played it years ago, but the remake makes the Ishimura feel like one big connected ship that thousands of people lived in. Playing on hard and completing all the objectives took around 15 hours, which in my opinion, is the perfect length for a horror game. The whole thing is so absurdly well paced and doesn't fall flat in the third act like 80% of games do, especially in the horror genre.

    I would love for them to remake 2, I remember liking that much more than the original, but sounds like EA is going to be EA about it, and it may never happen, which sucks.

    2 votes
  17. [4]
    IsildursBane
    (edited )
    Link
    I have been playing Far Cry 5 for the first time gradually the past few months. I am a fan of Far Cry 3 & 4, having played through both multiple times over the years. My expectations of Far Cry...

    I have been playing Far Cry 5 for the first time gradually the past few months. I am a fan of Far Cry 3 & 4, having played through both multiple times over the years. My expectations of Far Cry games are that they are going to be games with decent stealth mechanics if you want, or you can go in loud and have the unrealistic experience of wiping out 20 enemies without an issue. My expectations of Far Cry is that they will not be a balanced game, and more just a fun experience of wiping out a swarm of enemies. So now onto specifics of Far Cry 5:

    The strengths:

    It does well on providing the same feel that I expect from Far Cry series. It is a fun, non-challenging shooter

    The companions system is a fun addition. They are not necessary so you can choose not to engage with them, but at points it can be helpful to have some of the specialty companions around with you. Although, sometimes their AI does idiotic things during stealth, where they walk right past an enemy

    The world is quite fun, being set in Montana (compared to both 3 & 4 being imaginary places based on specific areas of the world). It is fun to explore the area and this world is more interactive than previous games.

    They created challenges to get perk points to spend on upgrades, instead of just xp. These challenges are designed for you to vary your play style and use different weapons.

    Lots of optional sidequests, that for the most part are engaging.

    Worked well on Linux

    The Weaknesses:

    Reputation points are not balanced at all. As I am getting close to the end of the game, I am finding that I am skipping a lot of side quests and even story missions, to not level up too quickly. This is more pronounced by the fact that the story automatically advances when you reach the next level in a region. Honestly this is the biggest weakness in the game, where it feels like you have only half finished a region's content and then you have reached the reputation level where you have to take on the leader of the region. You can take the sidequests and even story missions after defeating a region's leader, but that is less satisfying.

    They removed hunting as a way to craft new components. In previous games you hunted to get skins, which let you carry more guns, specific ammo types, and loot. In Far Cry 5, you hunt to get skins to sell for money, and you get perk points to expand skills which can be used on getting those upgrades that were reserved to crafting in previous games. It is still a decent experience, but the old system feels better in my opinion.

    You no longer get straight experience for killing enemies, which is an annoying UI update as it is not as clear when you kill an enemy because you do not have the pop up in the corner of your screen saying +10xp for killing the enemy.

    The weapons do not feel varied nearly enough. In previous Far Cry games not all attachments were available on every gun, and there were more variety. In Far Cry 5, you can put a silencer on every gun, and it feels like most guns are duplicates of another with not mach variance in stats. There seems to be less strategy in picking your guns.

    The setting of a religious cult is quite shallow. For context, in university when I was doing a bachelors degree in theology I wrote an academic paper dissecting BioShock Infinite's theology. At the time I was deciding between BioShock Infinite or Far Cry 5 to write this paper, and I had not played either but I chose BioShock Infinite. BioShock Infinite has much deeper world building, that really makes Far Cry 5 feel shallow in comparison. I think some of this is that BioShock were more willing to push boundaries and wanted to make a philosophical argument, whereas Far Cry were just looking to create an engaging environment for a AAA game.

    Overall Thoughts
    A good addition to the Far Cry series that I am enjoying playing. Overall I would recommend it if you enjoy Far Cry games or just unbalanced first person shooters where you get to wipe out large swarm of enemies and are not looking for a major challenge. My biggest complaint is the lack of balance in the Reputation Points system, and I wish they had set the threshold higher

    2 votes
    1. [3]
      TheJorro
      Link Parent
      Oof I can only imagine the struggle of trying to write a paper on Far Cry 5's theology. I feel like the challenge would be finding anything to really analyze, it's so shallow that there's nothing...

      Oof I can only imagine the struggle of trying to write a paper on Far Cry 5's theology. I feel like the challenge would be finding anything to really analyze, it's so shallow that there's nothing really to look at beyond a popular view of suicide cults being bad. Do you think if you had made that choice back then, you would have dropped it and tried Infinite in the hope that there was more to look at there or did you get enough out of FC5 that you think you would have managed to write a paper on it/

      1 vote
      1. IsildursBane
        Link Parent
        If I were to have picked Far Cry 5, I could see myself taking two approaches: Try and make it work. I feel like I would have worked heavily with John's region for a few reasons. John is the only...

        If I were to have picked Far Cry 5, I could see myself taking two approaches:

        1. Try and make it work. I feel like I would have worked heavily with John's region for a few reasons. John is the only one who tries to lay out a theology in the campaign of the three main regions. John does not provide a ton to work with, but there is more there than Faith or Jacob. John's region also has Pastor Jerome as one of the main characters for the region, providing a bit of a foil to work off of. I would also consider playing with the idea of science and religion, especially evolution with Jacob's region. The other ways I would try and gather content would be paying attention to themes in the cult's graffiti and googling a list of all the loading screen messages. I would be grasping at straws to an extent on the paper, but I could probably manage to pull something together
        2. I try and switch to BioShock Infinite which would be a gamble. When I was deciding, I had not played either game, so I did not know ahead of time which one had more depth.

        I am glad I picked Infinite. It was more willing to offend, and so it had deeper discussions with theology. It feels like FC5 did not want to offend Christians, so they kept everything with the cult vague, but also with it being based in Montana the cult logically needed Christian roots. So it is this weird thing where it is trying to be based on Christianity but also keep enough distance with Christianity to not offend. Whereas Infinite did not pull punches, and as a result in some areas actually had some very strong theological elements that matched Christian doctrine. A prime example of this is how Infinite used themes of baptism that were quite well done. I also think that while both games are first person shooters with a setting of cults, they are in two different genres. Infinite is trying to be a higher level of art, where it is trying to argue a philosophical point, whereas FC5 is just using the cult as a backdrop for their fun shooter game

        2 votes
      2. IsildursBane
        Link Parent
        I have since finished the game, and have a bit more reflections on where I would have taken the paper if I stuck with it. It is worth mentioning here that the class was about discussing how pop...

        I have since finished the game, and have a bit more reflections on where I would have taken the paper if I stuck with it. It is worth mentioning here that the class was about discussing how pop culture media uses Christian themes and the Bible. There would be two themes I would try and work heavily off of. The first is to do a discussion of the seven deadly themes, and compare that to how it is viewed in Christian theology. For in-game content, I would be primarily pulling from John and The Father. The other theme would be apocalyptic literature and in particular the book of Revelation. This would be a theme I would have to work with heavily, and I would not like it as scholarship on Revelation is complex. Pretty much, my paper would be comparing how FC5 uses themes of the seven deadly sins and Revelation to Christian doctrine.

        Spoilers for the end of the game - theological discussion Since the game ends with a nuke being set off, I would consider venturing into theology during the cold war as well. There could be some fun comparisons to how theologians approached nuclear war during the height of the cold war to the game.
        Spoilers for end of game - game design discussion I disliked how the game ended for a multitude of reasons. I chose the ending to resist, I have not done another playthrough yet to choose to walk away. My next playthrough will also be modded to reduce how quickly you accumulate resistance points. My complaints with the ending are:
        1. The final battle is so anticlimactic. The idea of having to rescue your companions is an interesting idea, but it quickly becomes a situation where all you are doing is reviving your companions, rather than fighting. This is boring, the AI gets to fight and all you do is revive. Then there is really no final face-off between you and The Father since your companions instantly take him out.

        2. The ending with the county being nuked is in contrast to freeplay once you have completed the campaign. If you want to go back and finish all the missions you have not finished with the narrative of cleaning up the remainders and restoring the county, it does not work with the county being nuked.

        3. Overall, I feel like the final mission just pales in comparison to FC4. In FC4, it is a final mission of just storming the gates guns blazing, whereas in FC5, there is no real battle.

        1 vote
  18. SloMoMonday
    Link
    Been on a Single Player FPS kick for a bit because i do not have the mental capital for anything more involved. Been digging into the backlog and found some interesting stuff I've been sitting on...

    Been on a Single Player FPS kick for a bit because i do not have the mental capital for anything more involved. Been digging into the backlog and found some interesting stuff I've been sitting on

    First is Battle Shapers and its a weird one. FPS rouge-lite, megaman. I do not like the cartoony artstyle that clashes with the story. I do not like the flood of dialogue with zero voice acting so its just big, obstructive text boxes. There is a comical lack of variety in builds, synergy, enemies, areas/maps and bosses. Most of the unconventional weapons are just plain bad and pale to traditional projectiles/hitscan. One required boss is extremely overtuned and will reliably kill runs that easilly exceed an hour.

    But I want this studio to succeed because they have nailed action arcade gameplay. In those first few hours when you haven't hit the limits of the content, it simply plays like a dream. I wish that they opted for an arena based campaign like the Doom or Bioshock series because it feels like they could do really cool things with a focused experience and creating unique levels to leverage each ability. But you're stuck with overly generic maps, enemies and senarios because you need to cater for the rouge lite structure. And those rouge lite elements are the weakest part of the game but also where the market is. Because the tag is associated with repairability and value for money.

    I'd recommend this only after you've played Deadlink, RoboQuest and Bloodshed and still need a fix. Or it'll be worth the deep sale pickup.
    __

    The other game is Ultrakill and it sort of confirming my feelings on Boomer Shooters after dropping Boltgun earlier this year. It's fun to stretch the old Quake muscles, but only for a few hours before I'm looking for somthing more. Yes im juggling weapons and special abilities and looking for weaknesses to exploit, but I'm never walking away from a combat satisfied.

    Dont get me wrong. Its a solid game and well worth the money. But its just not for me. I prefer Mullet Mad Jack, I Am Your Beast or:
    __

    Citidel. Its another weird one that i really like. If boltgun was to recapture the old school Doom vibe, this one would be more akin to Marathon. Like you can walk into a room packed with enemies while weilding a chaingun. But it turns out a fair bit more surgical affair than if it were Doomguy. The mood is grim and the violence is so much more visceral than normal that some death sprites are just unsettling to be around. Apparently it was some gore fetish game but the dev stumbled into really good systems so toned it down. Can sort of see it so be aware.

    And the unsettling vibe bleeds through everything in this game. The strange quiet through much of it. Music that feels like distant machines. The religious themes and designs. The death screams. Weird NPCs. Esoteric choices that always feels wrong. I'd call it hostile to the player but by design. Like Fear and Hunger or earlier souls games.

    Not for everyone but i find it interesting. I'm tempted to pick up the sequel but maybe later this year. Right now if debating between Elden Ring DLC, finish BG3 (with a new character obviously) or PoE2 to get into while on leave.

    1 vote
  19. Raspcoffee
    Link
    I've been playing some Tropico6 again - where you're the president of a banana republic in the Caribbean. While some of the front end issues remain, I can't get over how good it is - especially...

    I've been playing some Tropico6 again - where you're the president of a banana republic in the Caribbean. While some of the front end issues remain, I can't get over how good it is - especially the comedy. Somehow, the devs really manage to have stereotypes as characters without being offensive and it's just. So. Damn. Good.

    Now that I've finally managed to get the economy running I'm doing a sandbox(which is not quite sandbox in the usual way, just that you don't have a mission). Just to see how far I can take this.

    1 vote
  20. mattsayar
    Link
    Helldivers 2 introduced a new enemy a few weeks ago, which usually engage in city environments. It's been a nice breath of fresh air!

    Helldivers 2 introduced a new enemy a few weeks ago, which usually engage in city environments. It's been a nice breath of fresh air!

    1 vote
  21. 0x29A
    Link
    Ziggurat 2 - Immediate impression after a few hours is like 3/5 stars, maybe 3.5. Very positive experience with the gameplay overall. Fast and smooth. However, I think it falls flat in a couple of...

    Ziggurat 2 - Immediate impression after a few hours is like 3/5 stars, maybe 3.5. Very positive experience with the gameplay overall. Fast and smooth. However, I think it falls flat in a couple of areas, at least for me personally. One being meta progression. If you're playing any difficulties higher than "very easy" or "easy" it starts to feel like meta progression is necessary to progress much, and I'm starting to get frustrated with games designed that way. Meta progression should make you feel stronger, and I don't mind that, but I don't like going into runs that seem like they're designed around having some progression to succeed.

    It may just be that my skills at the game are bad enough that this is the case, but that brings me to my second point- bosses. It's a game like others I've experienced where I can feel skillful and powerful enough to clear the entire maps, but then struggle with bosses.

    In Ziggurat 2 this comes down to mana management, because by design, and the developers have said so they want you to manage your mana more by "spamming" firing your weapons less and focus on trying to only shoot when you know you'll hit and conserve mana by being more accurate. To me this management of mana really detracts from the fun of the game, though. It does lessen a bit with some meta progression, but it's otherwise pretty annoying to get to a boss and just not have the sustain to kill, after spending so much time getting to them. Just feels like you wasted your time getting there.

    So, I ended up going to "easy" difficulty (2 out of 5) just to avoid the annoyance, rather than try to change my playstyle to something less fun.


    In the endgame of PoE2 atm and doing well, but its been on pause for a bit while I play other things, and waiting for the patch coming this week to jump back in.

    1 vote
  22. Tiraon
    Link
    Telepath Tactics Liberated - an indie turn based strategy game and a remake of an older Telepath Tactics on a less buggy platform. The core strategy gameplay is pretty solid with destructible...

    Telepath Tactics Liberated - an indie turn based strategy game and a remake of an older Telepath Tactics on a less buggy platform.

    The core strategy gameplay is pretty solid with destructible environments and a good variety of classes but it is also Jank the Game.

    The ui would be more suited to a game released in early 2000s and does not offer a very smooth experience. Then there are the randomly generated weapons whose breakability can be turned off by lowering the settings only adding to the cruft in the ui.

    Then there is the ability to only save during the start of the turn not for example during or before a cutscene, mission or in shop. That is also not the most user friendly design decisions I have ever seen.

    The story and writing exists, I suppose.

    If you can tolerate all the jank then it can actually be pretty fun but the amount of that jank is very high.

    1 vote
  23. TyrianMollusk
    Link
    Played various small things recently, but my partner and I have been somewhat unreasonably focused on Guild Wars 2 characters recently. We've been playing for years now, and had a stalwart...

    Played various small things recently, but my partner and I have been somewhat unreasonably focused on Guild Wars 2 characters recently. We've been playing for years now, and had a stalwart commitment to our nine initial characters. Nine covers each class, which basically lets us play anything without having to go through any more character creation, so it was a solid "enough" line to draw. But due to various bundles and holiday gifts, we've had two empty character slots and some premium currency kind of tempting us to take our general enjoyment of playing the game and add some more dress-up dolls--I mean, expand our "ready" core play options, as each character has settled into a main way they play and overall look that we're pretty happy with keeping.

    So we've had noses buried in face sliders, look options, and possible names to spread out our doll force with six new characters (five we're each making now, and another for when we'll have another bundled slot to deal with, probably in August), and it's been exhausting locking everything in with looks we're going to be using for likely years, but we're finally wrapped up and getting to actually play again with leveling them so they can get to opening their intended "main" subclasses (the core nine can play all subclasses, so we're basically breaking off six of their #2 builds for the new kids).

    At least leveling itself is minimal since you accumulate some things to skip a lot of that over years of play. We've got nine "new character" jumps to level 60 out of 80 from our six-year-old mains, and a host of things that can be used either for special crafting currency or a free level-up, so we can skip any of those last 20 we feel like.

    But it's a definite relief to be back to normal playing and enjoying our new dress-up dolls (and getting used to them--very weird for a while seeing all these new faces) rather than waffling over various minutiae we're going to be stuck with for a long time. Not an aspect of the game we enjoy, but like many things, something we have to put up with to play GW2.

    1 vote