What game are you wasting time on?

[Ghulgothas]

Finished another thorough re-play of Door Kickers in preparation for Task Force North. Lookin' forward to pickin' it up towards the end of the month and seeing what's what. Pre-release videos on the changes and stuff they're working on have me excited.

In the meanwhile I mean to delve back into Synthetik now that they've upgraded it to Ultimate status. It and Brigador hold a very special place in my heart as Shoot-em-ups with great art-direction and overall design with their little diorama environments, and I intend to give it as much time and attention as I rave Brigador now that it's 100% complete.

 

[Catacombs]

Doom (through GZDoom) after looking for a simple game I could hop in and out. I played it years and years and years ago in my school's computer lab and have since forgotten how comfy it is... until now.

 

[curds]

Doom ... comfy

Great game but ... comfy?

 

[JDR13]

Doom ... comfy

Great game but ... comfy?

Who knows? Maybe he's the type who has his girlfriend punching his balls.

 

[Catacombs]

Doom ... comfy

Great game but ... comfy?

Just simple in its design and execution. Nothing like the hyperactive, clunky first-person shooter games of now.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Just finished the hottest in open world sci-fi action/RPG to come out of Poland.

This one took me completely by surprise. I wasn't expecting to give it more than a cursory spin and file it away for later (read: never), but instead I was absorbed by it. It didn't seem like a game that would pull me in like that, since it's sort of popamole-adjacent, and those games tend to leave me frustrated by what they could have been rather than happy about what they are, but this one managed to blend a lot of things together to create a genuinely compelling experience.

Pros:

• The open world. There's an enormous sense of freedom about it, and the attention to detail is impressive. All around there are cool structures and varied locales to explore, and you can go anywhere right off the bat. Traversing the environment is a joy. And while the design approach is generally Ubisoft-ish, it changes up certain things to good effect, like the way fast travel works.
• The systems. They're fairly standard for this type of game, but sneaking around, distracting and pickpocketing and silently disabling enemies, hacking security systems, picking locks, etc. is still a lot of fun, and indeed it's better than in some similar games by virtue of the open world always giving you many different avenues of entry and exit.
• The main character. He's not special with a tragic backstory or anything like that, and he's unassuming enough that the range of dialogue options you get don't clash with his personality, but his quips are among the best I've seen for this type of MC, and made me chuckle several times. I also liked the buddy cop relationship he has with the voice inside his head, which is another thing I expected would be trite and annoying but actually turned out enjoyable.

Cons:

• The loot. As usual with games where you can steal things, money becomes a non-issue within the first ten minutes, and there isn't much else to find. By straying off the beaten path you can get some good weapons early on, but it doesn't take long until you're outfitted with better stuff than you can ever come across as loot, which is a shame. There's still unique stuff to find which makes exploration worthwhile, but getting new weapons and armour becomes irrelevant too soon.
• Detective mode. I always hate it, but it's everywhere these days, and in this game as well. Please, devs everywhere, drop the detective mode already.
• The bugs. Unfortunately the game is still rife with them. Visual glitches don't tend to bother me much, but there were a couple of sidequests that I was unable to finish due to characters or items falling through the world, which was incredibly annoying. The game also kept crashing and even shutting down my computer, often several times per session.

But really, other those minor issues I had a whale of a time with this game. Been a long time since I was enraptured by popamole like this.

The game I'm talking about is of course Seven: The Days Long Gone. Cyberpunk, what the hell is that?

Spoiler

This is the stuff I'm talking about. The "see that mountain?" factor is off the charts.

 

[pakoito]

I'm 6h into Blasphemous and it's good. Not innovative or hard in any way, just average with amazing art direction. Also Españita PLUS ULTRA.

 

[samuraigaiden]

I'm playing Morrowind, 100% vanilla no mods imperial knight playthrough. First time mainlining it proper, I want to see it through. Just got the ring. Started making a new save pretty much at every sitting because I'm afraid the whole thing will fall apart. Game's pure gold, tho. Having such a good time I struggle to put it into words

 

[markec]

Recently in another thread I commented on Dishonored and then I realized that I never played any DLC for either game. As I was just in a mood for a stealth game I went and played the The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches expansions.

Not really any point in discussing the gameplay since its just more of the same, instead ill just comment on level design.

Now both dlc has three missions with varied quality and all of them feel a bit short while being more difficult then the main game. As always I played on highest difficulty with no powers, gadgets and pure ghost.

In Knife of Dunwall the first mission takes you to a factory that makes whale oil, a important part of the Dishonored worldbuilding and often part of the gameplay. There you will see how the oil is made and trough pieces of lore see how that work influences the people doing it. I simply love this level, overall its very well done in terms of gameplay and the writing revolving around the whales gives a nice Lovecraftian vibe to it. So much that It really made me hope that one day Arcane will make a stealth Lovecraftian game similar to Dark Corners of the Earth. This level alone is enough of a reason to play this dlc.

Second mission is a typical manor mission with nothing particularly standing out, it is still pretty fun and worth playing but its nothing special.

Third mission is easily the worst of the bunch, little creativity level or encounter design, it feels like a rushed way to introduce the next dlc.


The second dlc Brigmore Witches, is overall better designed and just more consistent experience then the first expansion.

First mission takes you to a jail that while interesting feels way too short.

The second mission is where this dlc shines, four hubs with one being optional and multiple ways of solving the main quest. Its a joy to play and just like first mission of Knife of Dunwall it alone is worth playing the dlc.

The third mission is also pretty good and challenging, although I found the end boss to be extremely easy. Still there are some visuals and encounters that make this level quite fun.


Overall both expansion are well worth playing and will provide hours of worthy Dishonored fun.



Currently Im playing Cyberpunk and Dungeon of Naheulbeuk.

 

[Jinn]

But really, other those minor issues I had a whale of a time with this game. Been a long time since I was enraptured by popamole like this.

I wouldn't really call this popamole, and try to throw them some money next time the game is on sale (buy it as a gift or something) so we can keep getting games from these guys. The game sold like shit.

Was really hoping for another game in the same setting, but I don't know if it's going to happen. Game takes place in just a small part of the whole setting - a prison colony on an island (sound familiar? not the only cue it takes from Gothic). A first person stealth-RPG on the mainland of the setting would be amazing. Or even something like Seven, with an actual leveling system tied to the equipment progression.

 

[Strange Fellow]

I wouldn't really call this popamole

I would. I can't point to a single thing that disqualifies it, other than maybe the absence of physical breadcrumb trails to quest markers. In terms of systems it's more or less indistinguishable from your Far Cry or Assassin's Creed. I'm not saying that to disparage the game, but the reality is that I never had to think about what to do or pay attention to directions or other quest info, and the tools and abilities you get, innate or otherwise, are ridiculously powerful.

try to throw them some money next time the game is on sale (buy it as a gift or something) so we can keep getting games from these guys.

I'm planning on it (Edit: enter here). Sad to hear it didn't sell well.

 

[Abu Antar]

I beat Tearaway Unfolded, yesterday. An okaysih platformer. It's not very difficult, other than a couple of sections that use motion controls. It has charming graphics and an excellent soundtrack. I'd say that this should only be played if your looking for a chill out game.

Now that I don't have Underrail to think about. I can focus on Ho Tu Lo Shu and Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines.

I'm also playing Cyberpunk 2077 despite getting a refund on physical edition. I still haven't been told how/if/when I shall return the game to them.

I also intend to beat Yakuza 5 before the end of the year. I took a little break from it, but next week, it will be beaten.

 

[pakoito]

I'm 6h into Blasphemous and it's good. Not innovative or hard in any way, just average with amazing art direction. Also Españita PLUS ULTRA.

Not innovative or hard in any way, just average

Okay, I'm through most of the game and I'd say way above average. Better than Bloodstained and most other bland metroidvanias for sure. I have enjoyed it more than Hollow Knight.

 

[pakoito]

I'm 6h into Blasphemous and it's good. Not innovative or hard in any way, just average with amazing art direction. Also Españita PLUS ULTRA.

Not innovative or hard in any way, just average

Okay, I'm through most of the game and I'd say way above average. Better than Bloodstained and most other bland metroidvanias for sure. I have enjoyed it more than Hollow Knight.

I've just finished the game. It has the cojones of locking up lots of content that's not necessary to finish the game, even with the good ending. The free DLC bosses are in New Game+ so you know they're extra hard. Some of the quests are obtuse and intrincate, like in Dark Souls.

I seriously underestimated this game.

 

[Ezekiel]

Played Streets of Rage 4 again. I'm so bad at melee combat.

 

[octavius]

Been playing Dungeon Master again, this time with only two characters (Zed Duke of Banville and Wuuf the Bika) as an extra challenge, and it's getting more frustrating than fun.
Two characters means having only half the characters to distribute loot to and having to rest after every battle with purple worms, and generally being overburdened unless I leave a stash behind when exploring.
Also I'm noticing the same problem as in FPS games - I'm not very good at real time gaming anymore.
But at least I haven't had to reload yet, although Wuuf has had to be resurrected twice.

So I think I'll swallow my pride and get me two more heroes.

 

[Apostle Hand]

playing diablo 1

much better game than diablo 2 I'm in hell now

 

[Tel Velothi]

I'm playing Morrowind, 100% vanilla no mods imperial knight playthrough. First time mainlining it proper, I want to see it through. Just got the ring. Started making a new save pretty much at every sitting because I'm afraid the whole thing will fall apart. Game's pure gold, tho. Having such a good time I struggle to put it into words

I envy you good sir. How did you get in the game? What ring? Fatgoth's ring? Give it back to him!
Goddammit - I wish I could get into playing Morrowind again :/

 

[samuraigaiden]

I'm playing Morrowind, 100% vanilla no mods imperial knight playthrough. First time mainlining it proper, I want to see it through. Just got the ring. Started making a new save pretty much at every sitting because I'm afraid the whole thing will fall apart. Game's pure gold, tho. Having such a good time I struggle to put it into words

I envy you good sir. How did you get in the game? What ring? Fatgoth's ring? Give it back to him!
Goddammit - I wish I could get into playing Morrowind again :/

No, good sir. I'm talking about the ring from the cave with the talking door. You know the one. Under moon and star, outlander

Anyway, I can't say exactly what motivated me to go back to it. I remember watching the first 10 minutes of this video https://youtu.be/_kP6LMx4j2g when looking for some YouTube channels that cover RPGs and one thing led to another.

 

[Cael]

playing diablo 1

much better game than diablo 2 I'm in hell now

The lack of running in D1 drove me nuts. Your character is just so darned slow...

 

[Kabas]

Tried a bunch of games lately
Neverwinter night: diamond edition SOTU campaign
I ended up regretting a bit choosing the wizard class. Dorna the dwarven cleric/rogue is kinda garbage at being the frontline companion, tempted to switch my familliar to fairy for trap disarming/lock opening stuff and try monster summoning spells instead, dunno if this will work. Didn't bother recruiting the gnolls and i probaby should have filled my slots with some different spells(i am not very proficient at DnD, not sure which spells i should metamagic or not), nevertheless the ch1 final boss was fun.
Currently on hold
Revenant
Looks damn pretty, animations are beautiful, voice acting is great. The instantly respawning enemies are very annoying and as usual the diablo-likes bore me quickly, this game wasn't the exception unfortunately.
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Funny trying this one after the total war warhammer. There is a fun part in a chaos campaign where you need to choose between Nurgle and Khorne though judging by what i picked from the army builder it doesn't seem to change much apart from the looks and 1-2 units. Also put it on hold.
Temple of elemental Evil
Currently playing it and having a great time, i intend to actually finish it. I followed the advice of a certain person codex knows as Lilura and rolled a glaive fighter with combat reflexes/greater cleave, dual wielding rogue, lawful good cleric with very high stats, generalist wizard with echnantment focus feats and archer ranger - all humans.
The fact that my fighter and ranger started with only 17 in their strength and dexterity respectively didn't ended up hurting me as much as i thought.
Entered the moathouse immediately at lvl 1 because i dislike the usual fetch quest rpg routine, probably shouldn't have in retrospective.
The fight against the drow priest was a bit tricky to me at first until i changed some of my tactics, wizard charm spells and properly placed cleric summons worked great in this fight.
I am an idiot who figured out way too late how to actually trigger sneak attacks, my rogue finally became useful after this.
The fight against the king toad and the sea hag was also very memorable, tackled it at level 5. I wasn't sold too much on sleep/deep slumber spells until i found out that the enemies(even if they're at the level of ogre or sea hag) tend to prioritise the waking up of their comrades over attacking my party, even if the sleeping enemies in question are relatively low threat lizardmen. Also the nice thing about the giant toads is that their tongue grapple doesn't prevent my grappled fighter from attaking them and while they're trying to eat my fighter my rogue is free to land her sneak attacks, reminds me of something.
Fireball is a very satisfying spell to use and the celestial bear summon is damn nasty.

My party is currently just reached level 6 and is slowly clearing the first level of the Temple and i have question about crafting. I am not going to screw myself over if i immediately give a +1 enchantment to my fighter's glaive? Or should i wait a bit until i can enchance it fully to +3 weapon with Holy/Axiomatic or elemental damage and stuff?

 

[OSK]

I'm playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut. It doesn't hold a candle to the original Deus Ex, but it's pretty good. I should be nearing the end, and I'll probably start up the sequel shortly after.

 

[Kabas]

Almost forgot, i also tried Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Liked it, though the turn based combat in ToEE is better than the turn based mode in this one. Will restart later as a new class, not enjoying playing as archer slayer that much even though he is very efficient.

 

[Cael]

Tried a bunch of games lately
Neverwinter night: diamond edition SOTU campaign
I ended up regretting a bit choosing the wizard class. Dorna the dwarven cleric/rogue is kinda garbage at being the frontline companion, tempted to switch my familliar to fairy for trap disarming/lock opening stuff and try monster summoning spells instead, dunno if this will work. Didn't bother recruiting the gnolls and i probaby should have filled my slots with some different spells(i am not very proficient at DnD, not sure which spells i should metamagic or not), nevertheless the ch1 final boss was fun.
Currently on hold
Revenant
Looks damn pretty, animations are beautiful, voice acting is great. The instantly respawning enemies are very annoying and as usual the diablo-likes bore me quickly, this game wasn't the exception unfortunately.
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Funny trying this one after the total war warhammer. There is a fun part in a chaos campaign where you need to choose between Nurgle and Khorne though judging by what i picked from the army builder it doesn't seem to change much apart from the looks and 1-2 units. Also put it on hold.
Temple of elemental Evil
Currently playing it and having a great time, i intend to actually finish it. I followed the advice of a certain person codex knows as Lilura and rolled a glaive fighter with combat reflexes/greater cleave, dual wielding rogue, lawful good cleric with very high stats, generalist wizard with echnantment focus feats and archer ranger - all humans.
The fact that my fighter and ranger started with only 17 in their strength and dexterity respectively didn't ended up hurting me as much as i thought.
Entered the moathouse immediately at lvl 1 because i dislike the usual fetch quest rpg routine, probably shouldn't have in retrospective.
The fight against the drow priest was a bit tricky to me at first until i changed some of my tactics, wizard charm spells and properly placed cleric summons worked great in this fight.
I am an idiot who figured out way too late how to actually trigger sneak attacks, my rogue finally became useful after this.
The fight against the king toad and the sea hag was also very memorable, tackled it at level 5. I wasn't sold too much on sleep/deep slumber spells until i found out that the enemies(even if they're at the level of ogre or sea hag) tend to prioritise the waking up of their comrades over attacking my party, even if the sleeping enemies in question are relatively low threat lizardmen. Also the nice thing about the giant toads is that their tongue grapple doesn't prevent my grappled fighter from attaking them and while they're trying to eat my fighter my rogue is free to land her sneak attacks, reminds me of something.
Fireball is a very satisfying spell to use and the celestial bear summon is damn nasty.

My party is currently just reached level 6 and is slowly clearing the first level of the Temple and i have question about crafting. I am not going to screw myself over if i immediately give a +1 enchantment to my fighter's glaive? Or should i wait a bit until i can enchance it fully to +3 weapon with Holy/Axiomatic or elemental damage and stuff?

There is a Holy one running around, IIRC.

 

[Frank Capicoli]

Wasting time waiting for the pc port of Nioh 2 in February I picked up Project Warlock: It's a competent 'Boomer Shooter' like many others we've been showered with in the past couple years. The level and enemy variety is nice, and it has a weapon/magic upgrade system that gives you two meaningful options for weapons. The level design itself is on the bland side it never feels like it reaches the level of Dusk or Amid evil to use a modern comparison. The soundtrack is just sort of there as well nothing terrible but nothing memorable. Overall it's not a bad game but it just doesn't draw me in like Dusk did.