What game are you wasting time on?

[Unkillable Cat]

I didn't like this mission as much as the rest of the game. Many of the obstacle rooms are too contrived and out of place. Karras won't ever shut up. And I really began to hate the big bots. All it takes is one step on metal floor and it's like half the map wakes up to come looking while I'm sitting in a dark corner for 10 minutes. Please be warned! I have not determined, no danger. A misguided soul. Wretched intruder! Thanks be to Karras! THANKS BE TO KARRAS!

I understand that, but there are still a few cool things at Soulforge to see.

# You can have an eye-to-eye confrontation with Karras himself. He'll stand there and "mock thee", but otherwise doesn't attack you or anything.

# Despite this being the last level of the game, the game is still introducing new gameplay mechanics and enemies. Those machines all over the place are actually fully functional, you can stick things in them and manufacture useful stuff like flares and mines. As for the new enemy... odds are good that you missed it, but it's a right cunt (no, it's not the golden baby).

Let's see if you can guess which room it is.

Is it the one with a million turrets? I've made an attempt, took heavy damage and chickened out. I could have made it to the switch, but my biggest fear was that there'd be no safe way back out again.

Ding ding ding! I actually never even found this room until a very recent playthrough (due to just running right for the mission objective the minute I had pressed seven levers) but I found it not to be as troublesome as everyone had claimed it was... though seeing all those turrets isn't exactly good for one's nerves. IIRC the trick is the walkway above the room, you can avoid 90% of the turrets using that.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I also liked the general morbid atmosphere at the Soulforge, it really lays bare the full extent of the mechanist madness. The fucking spidertrons are one thing for example, but the guards-turned-servants with the bloodied armour etc easily take the cake for me.

 

[Valtiel]

Playing the so greatly hyped Alien: Isolation. 4 hours in, honestly I can't get why it got so praised, it's very basic hide 'n seek with a scripted enemy that can randomly gets to you even if lured far way. Story is quite non-existent, checkpoints combined with frequent death and replaying boring stuff like getting passcodes from terminal (if you don't read it in game, the keypad is locked, wtf is this shit?) is getting frustrating, does it gets any better? Good atmosphere yeah ok, but is lacking personality, I miss (Arkane) Prey

 

[janior]

Playing the so greatly hyped Alien: Isolation. 4 hours in, honestly I can't get why it got so praised, it's very basic hide 'n seek with a scripted enemy that can randomly gets to you even if lured far way. Story is quite non-existent, checkpoints combined with frequent death and replaying boring stuff like getting passcodes from terminal (if you don't read it in game, the keypad is locked, wtf is this shit?) is getting frustrating, does it gets any better? Good atmosphere yeah ok, but is lacking personality, I miss (Arkane) Prey

grafix are real nice

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Playing the so greatly hyped Alien: Isolation. 4 hours in, honestly I can't get why it got so praised, it's very basic hide 'n seek with a scripted enemy that can randomly gets to you even if lured far way. Story is quite non-existent, checkpoints combined with frequent death and replaying boring stuff like getting passcodes from terminal (if you don't read it in game, the keypad is locked, wtf is this shit?) is getting frustrating, does it gets any better?

No, it actually gets worse. Nonsensical plot, graphical glitches and more QTEs than you can shake a motion tracker at.

 

[flyingjohn]

Scrubbing the barrel of my ps2 collection and i found syphon filter , airforce delta and aero academy games.
They are all shit.
Air force delta copies ace combat hud and gameplay elements and puts them in boring missions with horrible anime plot with a lot of useless downtime(you can go in useless rooms and talk to people)
There is a space mission and it feels absolutely boring thanks to the aircraft using missiles like they would normally.
Also airplane controls are not fine,it feels like a boat more then a plane.

now on the other side of the coin is aero academy,a.k.a. flying tutorial the game.
The entire point of the game is you do small errands or missions(take a photo,down some jets,do some acrobatics,etc) and that is the game.
No interesting missions or story just small non related tasks.
The handling of the planes are more realistic then ace combat but the analog sticks do not allow such precisions so it feels wasted on consoles.

Syphon filter ps2 games are a mess or just boring.

All three games suffer from the same problems with the psp ports having their own issues.

Well they removed rolling from the game which i means you have less mobility then the ps1 games which is absolutely amazing.

They all have gadgets that are gimmicky and serve only to highlight one item or go through a dark area.

Also the the latter 2 games are psp ports which translates to:

-Small areas

-too much accuracy when running on ps2 version because of the lack of a analogue stick on psp.

-Sub average graphics

-rag doll psychics are a mess(clipping and bouncing)
Oh and they introduced a cover system which was not needed.The originals had a cover system already in a form of ducking behind something.Here you just snap to object or wall and it feels off.

Oh and there is no proper way to notice that you just got shot.There is no visual or audio indicator like the original.You see a guy shooting you and missing and then you just loose armor and health which you would never notice if you weren't looking at the health/armor bar.

The worst flaw is the maps are smaller then the ps1 counterparts thanks to the psp.

The games just feel off in terms of everything,hell they even recycled the tutorial in the last two games.It is the same location with the same dialogue.

 

[Freddie]

Still playing XCOM 2 WotC, just finished new run, this time on Commander difficulty. Posted my thoughts again in XCOM2 thread.

Edit: Those who like to play Ironman may want to check some technical observations.

 

[RapineDel]

Dishonored DOTO - So far worse then 2, the main character is a tedious so I've mentally checked out of anything story related. Hoping the level design improves now that I'm at Mission 3.

Divinity OS 2 - Just left Fort Joy, decent game so far but as summed up in the release thread I feel like the combat has taken a bit of a nose dive. I'm playing on Tactician as I did with 1 and it often drags on and doesn't feel as fun as the first. However I've enjoyed the music, design of the first area and have been more intrigued by the areas and puzzles, plenty to find in every nook and cranny even if the loot scaling is a mixed bag.

No One Lives Forever 1 - I was given the second game as a birthday present years ago and loved it. The level where you're in the trailer and it's sucked into the air by a hurricane is a gaming memory that's stuck with me. I'd never played the first so I decided to download it. Unfortunately there's an issue where the dialogue cuts out during cut-scenes at the last second and I haven't found a fix. You mostly get the gist however and there's some very funny moments. Highlight so far has been the level on the plane and the low points being the first couple of levels which weren't very interesting. The level design and gun mechanics aren't great but the atmosphere, writing and fun factor are very high so I'll be playing it through to the end. I think I might play the Quake 1 Missions Packs next as I've never played them and would love something more fast paced.

 

[gaussgunner]

Just finished Shadowrun: Dragonfall DC.

I heard around here that it's a good, no frills, tactical combat focused, strictly turn based RPG, and I was not disappointed. Played on "hard" and it was pretty challenging. It's like a Spiderweb game with less run-on dialogue and better graphics. 3D with a charming 2D iso look, and no camera rotation bullshit. In other respects it's pretty shitty... somewhat buggy, weird savegame system, slow level loading, clunky UI apparently designed for tablets, half-assed keyboard shortcuts, almost totally linear progression, dialogue loaded with false choices. That's not as bad as it seems; reading the choices (even the ones blocked by skill checks) tells part of the story. But it's all about the combat. Could be worth replaying with a different character build, maybe max difficulty, speed through the dialogue, and try to do different missions. I roleplayed a "good guy" and turned down some sketchy Illuminati(?) runs. I'd like to see how much of a greedy cold-blooded mercenary asshole I can possibly be.

I kinda agree with the_shadow, it's strange/cheesy having Tolkienesque elves and magic and shit in a cyberpunk setting, though not unheard of. Walter Jon Williams wrote some great cypunk-fantasy novels, Angel Station, Metropolitan, etc. At first I assumed "Eiger" was a trans-troll trap (reminded me of the South Park trans-dolphin episode) until I got to the backstory about the 2012 "awakening" of magic and metahumans. But that's just the Shadowrun universe. It's a futuristic alternate history / alternate universe setting. Didn't bother me at all.

80% off on GOG right now btw.

 

[Gregz]

Just finished Shadowrun: Dragonfall DC.

Yeah it's a lot of fun. My biggest resentment was the inability to import your party from previous games.

I do wish they would retroactively allow full party creation in Returns, and then allow you to import into Dragonfall and Hong Kong, but it would probably introduce a lot of headaches for them, and I'm not sure how they would market such a feature to get paid for their work. Shame they locked out the modding community...

 

[Jazz_]

Is there a car game where you can feel like Kowalski in ''Vanishing Point''?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Burrowed through Steamworld Dig 2 over the weekend.

It's pretty much like the original, except it has more exploration and Metroid-vania elements to it, which inevitably means more puzzles. You'll rage when you find the "The Floor is Lava" cave, and twice again once you reach the end of it.

It looks nice, sounds nice, has decent humor (truckloads of puns) and is quite entertaining while it lasts... which is probably its worst factor. I got through the game with a 89% rating in 10 hours. Had I known I was walking into the final boss fight when I did, I might have spent an extra hour trying to find more of the hidden stuff.

So yeah, it's fun and it's short. Probably too easy a game for seasoned players... but it's probably great for the young 'uns.

 

[pippin]

Well, the original took me like 3 hours to beat, and there was no "new game+" mode, so it's ok.

 

[Siveon]

You know for the average metroidvania (especially indies), 10 hours would probably be the average length, barring 100% runs. I wouldn't say that length is a negative.

 

[boot]

tfw you play hentai games for the gameplay

 

[SirSingAlot]

stupid humble bundle.
first we played 5 hrs of Ultimate Chicken Horse on my couch until my neighbour got sick of our yelling and swearing.

now that my friends are gone, i tried my hands on Shadows over Mordor sneakattack simulation...meh

i want to return to Ultimate Chicken Horse asap

 

[Ramnozack]

Anyone planning on playing Total War Warhammer 2 when it comes out this Thursday? Games lookin pretty good so far.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

no

 

[Ninjerk]

life

 

[Jazz_]

Life has the best graphics but gameplay is too tied to a paywall/p2w model.

 

[Ninjerk]

there is no win so what are you paying for

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

Well, at least it is not PoE

 

[the_shadow]

Just finished Shadowrun: Dragonfall DC.

I heard around here that it's a good, no frills, tactical combat focused, strictly turn based RPG, and I was not disappointed. Played on "hard" and it was pretty challenging. It's like a Spiderweb game with less run-on dialogue and better graphics. 3D with a charming 2D iso look, and no camera rotation bullshit. In other respects it's pretty shitty... somewhat buggy, weird savegame system, slow level loading, clunky UI apparently designed for tablets, half-assed keyboard shortcuts, almost totally linear progression, dialogue loaded with false choices. That's not as bad as it seems; reading the choices (even the ones blocked by skill checks) tells part of the story. But it's all about the combat. Could be worth replaying with a different character build, maybe max difficulty, speed through the dialogue, and try to do different missions. I roleplayed a "good guy" and turned down some sketchy Illuminati(?) runs. I'd like to see how much of a greedy cold-blooded mercenary asshole I can possibly be.

I kinda agree with the_shadow, it's strange/cheesy having Tolkienesque elves and magic and shit in a cyberpunk setting, though not unheard of. Walter Jon Williams wrote some great cypunk-fantasy novels, Angel Station, Metropolitan, etc. At first I assumed "Eiger" was a trans-troll trap (reminded me of the South Park trans-dolphin episode) until I got to the backstory about the 2012 "awakening" of magic and metahumans. But that's just the Shadowrun universe. It's a futuristic alternate history / alternate universe setting. Didn't bother me at all.

80% off on GOG right now btw.

I've just finished Dragon Fall as well.

I enjoyed the story in this one more than DMS, although DMS was pretty good up until the introduction of spirit bugs. There is way more content, the characterization is decent, and you get multiple endings with black-grey morality. The combat is also improved with the addition of flanking mechanics.

There are some things that sort of suck. Sometimes I'd get a glitch where I couldn't move/act in combat. It didn't happen often for most of the game, but the APEX battle was a nightmare due to continuous freezes. The story gets sort of predictable when you're told that a mission is a simple affair which will involve little/no combat, yet you're conveniently allowed to take 3 party members, and then the entire thing turns into an ambush. Companion development is railroaded, with limited options on how you want to develop them. Matrix areas are still boring, and inventory management is still unpleasant.

 

[Gepeu]

I liked Dragonfall very much. It's a good piece of decent gaming if you manage to get it on a sale. Highly recommended.

 

[flyingjohn]

Playing saints row 4 with a friend and this game not being a dlc for the third is really hurting it.
-You get new super cool powers that are great but it nullifies most of the other content.
Cars and most average guns are useless compared to powers and upgrades for stamina are worthless once you get power upgrades that reduce stamina cost to zero.

-You get super new weapons which are nice but it nullifies every other weapon not from this game.
Why would you pick a boring sniper rifle compared to a rocket launcher/flamethrower combo or some other wacky weapon?

-You get new activities but most of them make no sense in the open world context.
Most of them are old third activities not balanced for super powers and most of the new ones are in a separate zone.
The genki tk one is the best use in the open world context but searching for cars is annoying.

-You get new wacky gang members but it makes no difference in this game whatsoever considering how powerful you are.

-The map is the same as third which is lazy and the collectibles are boring and clash with the leveling system.
You will get clusters and money for upgrades yet our level will probably be way lower for it to be unlocked anyway.
The leveling is slow and requires you to rush trough main content or do repetitive side content.
It never feels right.

I could go on, but this really should have been a dlc for the third game.It is still fun but only because of co op(most games are always fun in co op so kinda a moot point).

If there ever was a meh rating game this is it.

Also watching some saints row 2 cut scenes made me realize how over the top the series has become.I think it works against it because if everything is over the top it gets kinda boring soon.
And they always have these serious moments in the third and fourth game(Gat death and earth exploding) but it just doesn't work here compared to the second one.