What game are you wasting time on?

[Wayward Son]

Been playing some Wasteland, Arena, and some good ol' SMAC. All really good games for scratching every gaming itch I have anymore.

 

[Jarmaro]

Playing Skyrim this one last time to fully experience it and get a final opinion, so can close this chapter of my life.
I installed all the famous quest mods, they were supposed to be good, but they aren't, Falskaar is flat uninteresting land with boring cliche story, Helgen Reborn is tedious, that guy makes quests using already existing locations and it feels like fucking radiant quests.
I have much more to play, but so far it's saddening


I think people like this content beceause it's still above bethesda's quality

 

[Starwars]

Finished my replay of the fantastic Primordia. Now gonna replay Technobabylon, should be fun.

 

[Hellion]

Started replaying Alpha Protocol today after many years. Despite its (mostly technical) issues, it still stands out for its uniqueness today. If only it had received proper support back in the day.

Surprisingly, the original retail DVD version requires only a patch that removes SEGA's online activation but otherwise runs perfectly on Windows 10 without any tweaking whatsoever.

 

[Ezekiel]

I gave Max Payne 3's NYMH another shot. It didn't crash. Made it all the way to the police station this time. The room with the two elevators from which like eight cops appear in smoke. I died in last stand again, because I couldn't shoot my enemy again. I wish you could switch weapons while in last stand. I got there in 2 hours and 10 minutes and accumulated 29 minutes. I was so close to beating New York Minute Hardcore.

I also beat Doom yesterday. That ending was pretty lame. Good game, though.

And I started Resident Evil 7. Doesn't feel like RE so far. The only one of these hide and seek horror games that thrilled me was Alien: Isolation. The alien AI was more interesting.

Edit: For fuck's sake...



Took me two goddamn hours to get there. Maybe it's because I'm overclocking. God, I hope that's it.

 

[sullynathan]

never got a crash in Max Payne 3.

Your point being? For lots of people, it does. Out of curiosity, which OS and specs did you play it with?

Played on PC & Mac across two computers no crashes and I've beat the game like 3 times now

Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3330S CPU @ 2.70GHz

Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M

RAM
8.0 GB

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (build 14393), 64-bit

 

[Average Manatee]

Felt like playing a game like System Shock without wanting to replay System Shock, so I'm working my way through the Dead Space games. Finished Dead Space 1.

Pros:
- Great atmosphere and environments. The ship you are on feels like a real ship. It's basically a System Shock 2 clone in this regard.
- Very Resident Evil 4-like gameplay and mechanics, minus most QTEs. RE4 is a fun game, so this is pretty good too.
- Weapons are nice and varied. Your starter pistol shoots a line of energy either vertical or horizontal, your "crossbow" is like a stronger penetrating version of the pistol with an attached mine launcher, you have a saw that projects out a few feet away from you, good stuff. Only weapon that sucks is the flamethrower, which takes forever to kill things, doesn't stun them well, and isn't very ammo-efficient anyway. You also have a neat stasis ability that slows time on enemies, is basically an instant-win for most encounters, but can only be recharged at specific points which become very sparse as the game goes on.
- The "shoot enemies limbs rather than their head" mechanic works well. Everyone knows how to hit heads these days. They are nice, round, and just a short ways up from the center of mass. Shooting arms and limbs, which move rapidly, is much trickier. Especially when you have weird weapons like the pistol that wants to be lined up along the limb.
- Unlike RE4, weapons are immediately upgradable without being capped by what stage you are at and the price is constant, so you can specialize in virtually any weapon very early and make it your "main". In fact you are encouraged to do so, since it will be a lot more ammo efficient to use one or two strong weapon rather than alternate between weak ones. This would seem to give the game some decent replay value.
- Zero-G segments are neat things to have once in a while, but never overstay their welcome.

Cons:
- Highly linear. There's a central tram that operates like SS's elevators, except you can never go back to previous levels (a few times you do, but its a clone of the old level with some changes, nothing persists and you're still on the plot line). It feels like the game was planned to be non-linear but was changed mid-way in development. The game has a nice overview map of this ship telling you exactly where you are and gives the impression that you were originally intended to navigate the whole ship like in SS. It would be immensely better if it was.
- Quest Arrows on your map. Even a quest bread crumb trail.
- The game is a bit on the easy side even on the hardest difficulty. Enemies are never that fast and go down pretty easily. 90% of your money will come from selling off massive amounts of health and ammo that you receive. Probably a symptom of being designed for consoles, I imagine being accurate with a stick on enemy limbs is a lot harder and stasis becomes pretty much mandatory. RE4 has the same problem of being rather easy when played with a mouse.
- The way enemies spawn can be a bit bullshit. There are vents basically everywhere (you'll be hard-pressed to find something to put your back to that isn't next to one). Enemies coming out of vents don't make much sound at all. Enemies that are too far away from you will often hop into a far vent and appear out of nearby one. Enemies also don't make a ton of noise to begin with. Where in SS2 or RE4 when fighting you'd hear enemies vocalizing behind you and think "oh shit I'm fucked", in DS you'll just get randomly hit in the back, then throw down a stasis and run when you've finished your hit reaction.
- There's a rather big oversight to the economy: Since the game drops ammo based on what you are using (like RE4), and most of your money comes from selling drops (unlike RE4, where it came from treasure), you have a very large incentive to carry guns that "generate" larger piles of money. Have the Force Gun? Their ammo drops in 3s and is worth 450 per drop. Have a Line Gun? Their ammo drops in 2s and is worth 1000 per drop.
- Some plot points are pure bullshit

Spoiler

The source of the Xenomorphs also give living humans dementia, which is constantly talked about in logs and its pretty clear that some things Isaac experiences aren't real. In the end, it's revealed that all of the communication Isaac has been receiving from his girlfriend was fake and that he had a memory-block preventing him from watching the end of her game-opening message to him where she killed herself (very Silent Hill 2-ish). Except, in the game she literally performs meaningful actions to help Isaac get through the ship and you need to defend her once from the Xenomorphs as they attack her. So how the fuck is he imagining that? Also the bitch of your team (you'll hate her the second the game starts) is secretly evil and working for space-umbrella corp. Yet she knowingly came aboard sporting no weapon, no armor, and being basically useless even as everyone around her is slaughtered and she just runs away. How the hell does this make any sense?

Overall, 7/10. Not bad. Could see myself replaying some day. On to Dead Space 2.

EDIT: Should also note some technical stuff. Game controls like ass until you apply a mouse fix. Also you need to limit the game to 60 FPS or shit fucks up. I recommend GeDoSaTo, which also makes the game look way better at a higher resolution. Dunno whats up but there were some effects that were fucked at 1920x1080 but looked way better at 3840x2160, maybe the game renders some stuff at half res or something.

 

[Ezekiel]

FUCK YES!

Finally!

never got a crash in Max Payne 3.

Your point being? For lots of people, it does. Out of curiosity, which OS and specs did you play it with?

Played on PC & Mac across two computers no crashes and I've beat the game like 3 times now

Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3330S CPU @ 2.70GHz

Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M

RAM
8.0 GB

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (build 14393), 64-bit

What I finally did was lower my CPU to 3.4 GHz, switch all MP settings to low-medium and DX9 and not record it. I wanted to be able to watch myself, since I'm never doing this again, but it wasn't worth the risk.

 

[Average Manatee]

So some months ago I was going through my collection of oldies and reinstalling some that I've never listened to in Roland modes just to see what they sound like. I came across Warcraft, the first one, and was actually quite stunned with the soundtrack in Sound Canvas mode. Everybody remembers the 2nd game's music but the first one's is mostly forgotten - I couldn't even find a recording of the main theme on Youtube.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Tried Furi because of universal acclaim it received from pretty much everywhere, this thread included. Surprise surprise, it sucks. Got like 6 bosses in and decided to play a good bullet hell game instead.

 

[Sceptic]

- Quest Arrows on your map. Even a quest bread crumb trail.

Both can be turned off, and it makes the game immeasurably more pleasurable. It also makes it feel a little less linear, at least within each level.

Overall, 7/10. Not bad. Could see myself replaying some day. On to Dead Space 2.

Good luck, I thought DS2 was decline in every way.

Everybody remembers the 2nd game's music but the first one's is mostly forgotten - I couldn't even find a recording of the main theme on Youtube.

What you linked isn't the complete soundtrack, it's just a rip of the audio tracks from the CD version, which the game never actually plays directly off the CD and which correspond to only a handful of the tracks the game does play.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon



it's the tutorial and is GOTY already if only for this

Got a Chikorita from the personality test at the beginning where God(?) told me I'm "a dependable person who stays in the background, pulling the strings to make sure everything is running fine". Even the game thinks I'm a secondary character IRL.

 

[Vorark]

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

The GBA/DS Mystery Dungeon games were super cool, better than the mainline ones. Did you play Gates of Infinity? I've been on the fence about it.

 

[Average Manatee]

- Quest Arrows on your map. Even a quest bread crumb trail.

Both can be turned off, and it makes the game immeasurably more pleasurable. It also makes it feel a little less linear, at least within each level.

Ehh? Is this something in the options menu or a mod? Still, I didn't really use either much and it made sense in-lore that such a thing would exist. Early levels especially felt fairly non-linear and I routinely explored around and completed objectives before they were given to me.

Overall, 7/10. Not bad. Could see myself replaying some day. On to Dead Space 2.

Good luck, I thought DS2 was decline in every way.

Yeah, just started and it seems a bit so far. But it is actually a bit challenging at max difficulty so I can be a little forgiving.

Everybody remembers the 2nd game's music but the first one's is mostly forgotten - I couldn't even find a recording of the main theme on Youtube.

What you linked isn't the complete soundtrack, it's just a rip of the audio tracks from the CD version, which the game never actually plays directly off the CD and which correspond to only a handful of the tracks the game does play.

That's interesting and odd. I guess Blizzard couldn't fit a whole copy of the soundtrack on the CD?

EDIT: Does this have it all?



I actually had much the same experience as you when I replayed WC 1/2 a few years back. In my head I had the notion from my kid years that WC1 and 2 were basically identical except for the 4 unit selection vs. 9 unit selection and naval stuff. Quite the opposite, WC2 is a very competent and fun game.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

The game keeps telling me to take a break every once in a while. I can stop whenever I want, thank you.

The GBA/DS Mystery Dungeon games were super cool, better than the mainline ones. Did you play Gates of Infinity? I've been on the fence about it.

I plan to. I've read it's easier than usual and there's a smaller cast (which is still gigantic) but it tried some new things with mechanics and writing, and the most common complaints (slow text scroll, no legendaries, can only have one mission active, no online rescues) shouldn't bother me that much.

 

[sullynathan]

Tried Furi because of universal acclaim it received from pretty much everywhere, this thread included. Surprise surprise, it sucks. Got like 6 bosses in and decided to play a good bullet hell game instead.

more like you reached the noob killer and rage quit

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Tried Furi because of universal acclaim it received from pretty much everywhere, this thread included. Surprise surprise, it sucks. Got like 6 bosses in and decided to play a good bullet hell game instead.

more like you reached the noob killer and rage quit

Yeah, I rage quit to play Ketsui instead because I just couldn't handle the challenge.

 

[sullynathan]

 

[Mark.L.Joy]

Tried some free Just Cause 3, some frame drops no matter what settings I use but I'm not even complaining about that, I'm no specialist but I'm pretty sure the controls got worse I think you're supposed to use the wingsuit more often but the sling-parachute combo got way awkward, launches you in weird directions and it's not instantaneous making climbing to higher ground a pain.

 

[Jaesun]

Star Wars Galaxy of Hero's.

I should have never gotten a modern cell phone....

 

[Ezekiel]

I started Quantum Break. I'm keeping a kind of journal.

Looks pretty. Runs badly. Have to lower everything to medium-low.

Why can't I turn off the disgusting motion blur?

The crouch is automatic. That's a boring way to do it. Why does he need to crouch all the time? He even crouches when he's behind a pillar, as if only the bottom part will protect him.

The recoil is crazy bad.

At least the controls and animations are responsive.

Why do the bullets get fatter as they travel?

Why can't I shoot without holding aim? I'm waiting to see what the shoot button does when you're not holding the right mouse button. Right now it doesn't do anything at all. I'm assuming there's no melee, since he has infinite pistol ammo.

The story so far has been unintentionally funny, with all the ridiculous time stuff.

The time mechanics make so little sense that it's hard to take them seriously even in sci-fi. And the story wants to be taken seriously. He can manipulate parts of the environment while the rest continues in normal time. How do those isolated areas not get torn out of existence, with the universe always moving?

I can't believe the heavy pistol only has four bullets.

The time powers could be fun, later.

Why is the cast from The Wire here?

Man, these cinematics are so frequent and LONG. Story seems to be going all over the place. What was the point of showing the henchman with his pregnant girlfriend/wife?

Okay, I'm seeing now that he's gonna be an important character. But this long-ass show isn't that interesting. Also, why do the live action cutscenes auto-resume after I Alt + Tab back to the game? I miss part of them because the screen is still black for like two seconds.

Lol, it's pretty obvious the fights are cut like this (chopped up) because the actors can't fight. Would have been easier as a CG cutscene.

Oh great, an upgrade menu now. I'd rather be playing than looking at options. I was hoping this wasn't one of those games. But the AAA action games are ALL like that now.

I thought this was a shooter. There's not enough action.

It's funny that the characters keep talking to you even as you explore the environments. I'm in the train yard. I can't even hear the girl anymore, yet she's still talking.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Just FYI, completionism got the better of me and I finished it in one sitting today. Opinion largely unchanged. I do wonder if there's a mod to change camera to top-down. A lot of my problems with it came down to the perspective making it hard to gauge distances, projectile size, and impossible to see anything when moving north-south.

 

[Erikolaiz]

Finally tried "Divinity: Original Sin". Only played it for a couple of days though. I expected it to have the same average maturity level as BG and NVN, but it turned out to be far too whimsical and childish for my taste. I also disliked how the plot almost immediately escalated/devolved from "solve a murder mystery" to "save existence itself with the help of this silly goblin and the negro-cat-wizard-that-constantly-makes-puns." I liked the gameplay mechanics though, aside from the inventory system.

Now I'm having some fun with XCOM 2. I enjoy playing Ironman with all my carefully designed soldiers, who's largely based on people from ADL's "hate list" (i.e. the good guys).

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I'm having a go at Jazzpunk: Director's Cut (for which I purchased the DLC during the Steam Summer Sale).

Jazzpunk takes place in a world where Japan won WWII over the US, and now a US/Asian conglomerate is waging a Cold War against the Soviet Union, roughly in their version of the 1960s. You control an "agent" for an agency of sorts where you're given Bond-esque assignments. To say that this game is surreal is an understatement, so I'll abandon any further explanation and leave it up to players to figure out the game from there.

I bought and played Jazzpunk originally shortly after it was released. It's both short and devoid of any real gameplay, but it's still highly enjoyable due to the wonderful visuals, style and humor. The game truly shines if you just walk around, click on things and see what kind of response you get. Click on boxes, potted plants and mundane items to get the strangest of reactions. Occasionally inventory items come into play, but mostly they're just for further experiments, like putting quarters into every coin slot you can find during the first mission.

One notable point of criticism I made against the game back in 2014 was the fact that the voice acting is almost entirely done by notable SJWs Zoe Quinn and Jim Sterling, and this was during the height of GamerGate. I raised the concern that their presence might influence the game in a negative manner, which I felt was unfair against a game that otherwise doesn't get involved in modern-day politics.

Now, 3 years later, a Director's Cut has been released and my worst fears have come true: The game has been censored.

It seems that every joke of a sexual or overly political nature has been removed from the game. Two good examples can be found in the first mission. In the lobby of the Soviet embassy was a potted plant that would say "I'm a political prisoner", but now it doesn't say that line any longer. Another is a female robot of sorts that would do a sexy dance and kiss you if you fed it a quarter. Now it just slaps you with a fish. People are claiming that this is due to demands made by Sony for the PS4 release of the game, but that only makes it worse. It shows that the dev has no backbone at all and rolls over at the slightest provocation concerning him or his game. A lot of people are asking for the original Jazzpunk back, but there hasn't been a peep from the dev about this. (Meanwhile the original version of Jazzpunk is still available from non-Steam retailers.)

Further changes to the original game involve redesigned levels, especially the greatly expanded Japan mission... but honestly? Seeing how the developer behaves makes me regret buying the DLC (to the point that I've asked for a refund of it) so at this time my verdict for Jazzpunk is Caveat Emptor! You may be supporting the SJW cause by buying this game.

One month later, and there's news on this.

The devs (both of them) seemingly came out whatever pocket dimension they've been hiding in, explained their stance and (much to everyone's surprise) updated the game again to de-censor it.

Jazzpunk: Director's Cut should now contain the standard "classic" Jazzpunk experience, plus all-new extra content, with nothing having been removed for whatever reasons.

No comment on the DLC though, as last I heard it has more problems than you can shake a pigeon at, but odds are good that if the devs haven't already solved the major issues there, then they'll do so shortly.

Finally one other bit of good news: The updated version of Jazzpunk + the new DLC is now available on GOG.

 

[sullynathan]

Playing Onimusha 3 and yea, shits getting worse. Gildernstern is a bad boss and the combat is getting too me, doesn't compare to DMC. I'm also still playing Yakuza 5, damn I've already played for 15 hours. I wasn't expecting that, it's really fun too.

Just FYI, completionism got the better of me and I finished it in one sitting today. Opinion largely unchanged. I do wonder if there's a mod to change camera to top-down. A lot of my problems with it came down to the perspective making it hard to gauge distances, projectile size, and impossible to see anything when moving north-south.

The camera can get iffy for certain bosses, like the 2nd one in which the pillars can block the visibility of your character. It's kinda hard to gauge at times if certain bosses will hit your character with their melee attacks.