What game are you wasting time on?

[Bliblablubb]

Playing GTA V:

I picked up GTA 5 as well a while ago, but I wouldn't be as harsh about it.
When it came out, I ignored the game and it's hype. I had been burned by GTA 4 before and didn't plan on falling for the same shit again. Also my toaster wasn't up to the task anyway.

When my toaster had a larger potatobattery, I decided to check if it's "good for what it is" and if they learned from all the turdness GTA 4 had.
And I was surprised. Positively. Of course that's easy when your expectations are low.

My main beef with GTA 4 were an unlikeable player character with a terrible fake accent you wanted to kill yourself 10 mins in, a revenge plot that disappeared somewhere (I killed the guy? Didn't notice), the stupid "cousin let's go bowling" friend system and finally a faaaaaar to long game with no real motivation to endure it. Never finished the game.
Also that fugly irish woman the game wanted to force on me.

Now in GTA 5 the 3 player controled characters are tolarable, sometimes even likable, even if they are just walking cliches. The friend system is gone, you may pick people up, but they will never call you (or give boni, so it's pointless flavor).
Plot is definitely better than GTA 4. Franklin, the young gangsta from da hood wants to the top, Michael the retired criminal takes him under his wings, and Trevor the psycho screws things up for comedy relief. Michael's dysfunctional baggage leaves early enough, before they overstay their welcome. In fact, I even missed the constant bitching when visiting Michael's home.
Motivations change from being blackmailed to being blackmailed to... getting revenge on the blackmailers... yeah.
No Citizen Cane of videogaming, but good enough to keep you eating popcorn.
The shooting mechanic is still the same shit, but thankfully you spend not much time using it. Unless you are a member of the Cock of Duty crowd and always pick "lol costumes and deception, let's just run in and kill everyone" for heists. The you deserve to be miserable.
When shooting is unavoidable, you can make it easier with the character's speshul ability, while Franklin's can make car chases lulzy easy.
No need to talk about the game world, it's of course top notch being their main selling point.

TLDR:
Don't expect too much from this game, especially not after that enormous hype created by clever PR. It favors telling it's (decent) story over providing challenging missions. But "production values" are very high and the game world alone can distract you for some hours before that novelty wears off.
Better GTA than GTA 4 and better writing than Mass Effect 3.



Good for what it is, worth picking it up after falling from a truck.

 

[iqzulk]

$1.70 well spent.

If we talk about Ye Olde circa-2000 RPG-Lite, I think, writing/worldbuilding-wise, you can also find Harbinger (think of it as of simplified artsy Diablo 1), Konung: Legend of the North (I've heard that Konung 2 isn't very good, but I do love the first one, despite its shitty exploitable-to-no-end mechanics) and Summoner 2 (PCSX2-emulated; the first part, which has PC-version, is an OK game in its own right, but it doesn't really compare to the second one on any given point except on the matter of soundtrack) quite interesting and pretty original. There is also Anito: Defend a Land Enraged, a 2003 or 2004 Philippinean "indie" RPG-lite, based on, well, Phil corresponding folklore and with a bitching soundtrack to boot (the story itself is pretty banal, but the setting is intriguing, and trying to bewitch/scare everyone you meet via the use of corresponding perks is highly amusing). And, of course, I highly advise you to play Vagrant Story (if you haven't already done so).
Also, the first Rage of Mages game on hard difficulty is, like, one of the most interesting and complete gameplay-centered experiences I've ever had in my videogames. Writing and world-building are utter shite though, and the most that can be said about its visual side, is that it is occasionally nice.

 

[BobtheTree]

Bulletstorm

This is a quality title. Lot of versatile combat options that incentivizes you doing more than just shooting every last enemy in the head. Added plus of dialogue and story that's just entertaining enough to be enjoyable instead of being the typical cringefest that makes up the typical manbro shooter that is clearly being mocked here.

 

[Durandal]

Bulletstorm

This is a quality title. Lot of versatile combat options that incentivizes you doing more than just shooting every last enemy in the head. Added plus of dialogue and story that's just entertaining enough to be enjoyable instead of being the typical cringefest that makes up the typical manbro shooter that is clearly being mocked here.

Bulletstorm would have been better if they did away with all that cinematic bullshit like HOLD RMB TO LOOK AT THIS SHIT FOR POINTS and setpiece design, and just focused on the gameplay more. The dialogue is classic potato swearing translated to more civilized languages (I'LL KICK YOUR DICK OFF) and while there's certainly nothing wrong with the cheesiness of the dialogue, it gets in the way more often then it should through forced cutscenes. Bulletstorm certainly lives up to its potential, it's just that its dragged down by AAA-itis.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

I've sunk 43 hours into Final Fantasy X (PC), about 3 of those hours were me trying to win the Blitzball Tournament, which I did eventually. Now I've completed most of the character's normal Sphere Grid paths (but I'm a hell of a long way from actually maxing out just one of them). I have Tidus' legendary weapon, but I don't think I'll bother with the others. The lightning minigame in particular sounds like an absolute ballache to do. Tomorrow night I might try to take on the Sin stuff and hope I don't get my arse kicked.

The game is great on PC, even with the 30 FPS lock. It looks gorgeous, the rearranged soundtrack is a huge improvement over the tinny original, and the combat is the best of all the modern Final Fantasy's (though I haven't played XII, which is meant to be good). I love how great the weapons sound. Each hit feels just right.

 

[octavius]

Disciples of Steel.
Like Knights of Legend this is like an idiot savant of a CRPG. The UI and some of the design choices are laughably bad, but the combat, character development and items are some of the very best I've seen in CRPGs from the DOS era. I gave up on it the first time I played, but CRPG Addict's very favourable review of it made me try it again.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I gave up on it the first time I played, but CRPG Addict's very favourable review of it made me try it again.

Will you become the consort of Lady Demata the second time around?

 

[boot]

Fuck wish I had my cucxbox.

Does it play well on emulator?

I don't know, but I highly doubt it. Xbox emulation never really took off and this title is not well known at all. Probably a waste of time to even try.

 

[Ovplain]

Been playing Witcher 1 mostly for the past couple of days. Fucking pissed away more than 200€ on the steam summer sale and I'm playing fucking Witcher ONE! Why? Played Witcher 3 for a couple hours, felt bad I didn't have a previous save to import anymore so... I'm making one now. Figure it ultimately doesn't matter much, still can't help myself. Gotta complete the shit out of this shit.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Been playing Witcher 1 mostly for the past couple of days. Fucking pissed away more than 200€ on the steam summer sale and I'm playing fucking Witcher ONE! Why? Played Witcher 3 for a couple hours, felt bad I didn't have a previous save to import anymore so... I'm making one now. Figure it ultimately doesn't matter much, still can't help myself. Gotta complete the shit out of this shit.

You have it easy - I decided to read the 2 short story books, 5 novels and replay W1&W2 before my W3 playthrough. Autism to the max.

 

[Abu Antar]

Playing The Whispered World. Nice art and music. Main character's voice makes me want to commit sudoku. Other than that, the game seems simple enough. No puzzles have left me puzzled (awful pun intended).

 

[A horse of course]

It's worth getting an ohgee eggs box for KUF: Crusaders/Heroes. I couldn't get into musou crap like Dynasty Warriors but KUF hits the spot. Some of the missions are balls hard though. I don't think I ever completed the giant Ogre/troll dude's campaign (not Regnier).

KUF2 is some kind of fucking MMORPGRTS persistent world grind

 

[Hobo Elf]

KUF2 is nothing until it's actually released. Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom is probably my favorite 360 game. It's not a 3rd person RTS/Action hybrid and lots of people didn't like it, but I loved it.

 

[A horse of course]

Circle of Dumb was a rather grindy third-person Diablo clone. I think I finished it in multiplayer co-op. Some nice tracks though, like the forest one

or the Idol of Love merchant


Boss fight theme is Good for What It Is

 

[Hobo Elf]

All the KUF games have pretty rocking music. Circle of Doom is not the greatest game ever, but I had a lot of fun with it, and I think it got more flack than it deserved. The high note of the game was, as always, being able to play as Kendal and Regnier.

 

[A horse of course]

Battle music was good, honest, sincere metal cheese


Briefing music for each mission got you in the mood


Heroes had good shit too


The original Warcraft clone KUF had a great menu theme. I bought the game after hearing it on the demo.

 

[sser]

Subterrain. Been having a blast.

 

[WhiteGuts]

Gunpoint a is neat little game. It's really good. Interesting gameplay, good writing, decent C&C. Granted, it's kinda short which prevents it from dropping in quality but still, it's definitely worth a playthrough at least.

 

[Adon]

After the huge grind RoF was I decided to play something lighter so I've been playing Darkstalkers lately. Doing some of the trials that are in the Resurrection version that came out on consoles, and just messing about mostly. Have only spent a little time online so far since I've been getting used to the game again, but I probably won't spent much time there due to the low amount of people playing online. I've also been dicking around in Marvel vs Capcom 3 doing some of the trials from time to time, and doing some arcade runs.

Obviously I've been in the mood for getting back into fighting games as of late. Once that's done I'll probably move on to USFIV.

 

[Durandal]

Just finished Serious Sam 3 on Serious difficulty

I did like it, though I wouldn't say it was as good as TFE or TSE
The first half takes a long while to get really going, as you're fighting arachnids and hitscan soldiers in tight quarters for quite some time
The graphics look pretty great, most games nowadays just don't get weather and lightning as right as SS3 does, Egypt really reminds me of summer in Croatia
Instead of a chainsaw you have a sledgehammer now, which is infinitely more useful as it wipes most enemies out in one strike and can be used while sprinting, though it stops being useful once enemies stop coming one at a time
You can instantly melee kill anything human-sized close up with your bare hands, though this requires timing and leaves you vulnerable if multiple enemies are attacking. For gore-related reasons this also nets you a melee trophy which you can instantly drop the moment you get it or just throw for funsies. I'd say the sprinting in Serious Sam is a welcome addition since its infinite, and the hueg levels would get kind of tiresome to move in otherwise.
The assault rifle now serves a role of taking out cannon fodder more easily, as its ammo pool is now separate from the minigun and has to be reloaded in order to make up for that, leaving the minigun suitable for more serious moments.
You also have C4 which instantly kills most tougher enemies, but you need to get closer to the rocket launching behemoths to place them and you also can only hold 10 at a time, so there is definitely some risk and reward involved here.
You also get a grappling hook-like weapon for plot reasons which can hold up to four enemies and kill them through strangulation, or one tough enemies after strangling it some longer, but it really is on;ly useful if you don't have any ammo or weapons.
There are also new enemies like the hitscan soldiers who don't react immediately and don't deal that much damage, but can fuck right off regardless. The red hitscan scorpions are introduced too early in the game before you get any explosive weapons, resulting in some encounters turning into taking potshots while you cower in cover. The space monkeys can fuck off too, they are only there to annoy the player in dark temples where your flashlight is pathetically narrow and movement speed lowered and serve no other purpose in the game. The Witchbrides are an interesting concept, for a game with tons of enemies rushing at you having some mages in the back of the party annoying you would be cool, though freezing you in the air while lowering your mouse sensitivity is not cool. Which would be excusable if not for the fact that they warp away in an invincible state every time you take away a fifth of their health. Which is probably why they are not used that often in massive encounters.
The Devastator might be a bit too OP if it weren't for the fact that there are boxes with infinite rocket launcher ammo and had to be reloaded. I guess its more like what the plasma rifle was to the chaingun in Doom where it has a higher damage output but ammo isn't as plentiful.
The encounter design itself is alright and fairly varied, though hitscan enemies should still fuck off. The speed on the projectiles of the mancubus and Khnum could be a bit lower as far as I'm concerned. Some larger encounters tend to drag out a bit too much as well.

Overall its alright, probably more fun in co-op, but I can't tell since I don't have any friends

 

[Deleted member 7219]

I've finished Final Fantasy X. Enjoyed it, story was weak but I wasn't expecting much considering it was a JRPG (although the excellent Trails games have raised my expectations from JRPGs going forwards).

I tried X-2 but really hated the changes to the combat system. I'll go back to it I'm sure, but my PS3 has just become available again so it's back to Trails of Cold Steel for me!

 

[pippin]

(although the excellent Trails games have raised my expectations from JRPGs going forwards).

That's a 2004 game though.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

(although the excellent Trails games have raised my expectations from JRPGs going forwards).

That's a 2004 game though.

Made after FFX, which was the point I was trying to make.

 

[BlackGoat]

Playing Wizardry Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord for the first time. Grew up watching my brother play Wizardry 5 on the Apple II and it's always stuck with me even tho I never dove in myself. Absolutely loving it. Mapping out the floors is zen as fuck.

 

[Ivan]

Salt and Sanctuary: apes the mechanics of Dark Souls, the level design of Metroidvanias, but does both well. looking forward to a more original title from the 2 man-team.


CoD 2: feels like a true successor to MoH: Allied Assault. Great run and gun gameplay set in mostly open environments. Corridors and talky set pieces would later run this series to the ground.