What game are you wasting time on?

[JDR13]

I'm replaying Gothic, and planning to replay Gothic 2 and play Gothic 3 for the first time in anticipation to play Archolos (after hearing so many good things about that mod).

Just remember to lower your expectations before starting Gothic 3.

I should clarify by saying that I have actually played several hours of Gothic 3, on a few separate occassions. It was actually the first game in the series I played, back when I was a kid. While I do agree that it's inferior to the first two I still think it seems to be a decent RPG. Only ever finished the liberation of the second town, though, so maybe it all falls apart later.

Yeah, it's not terrible or anything. It just doesn't live up to the standard they set with Gothic 1 & 2.

The exploration isn't nearly as satisfying due to how empty much of the world is, and it's too long for its own good. There's still fun to be had though.

I suspect you'll enjoy Archolos a lot more.

 

[whydoibother]

WORDLE is something I fell for this week.

Spoiler

Meanwhile, in the world of meat....

In the second-biggest gaming deal of the day (but first in our hearts), the word puzzle sensation Wordle was acquired by the New York Times.

The purchase is simultaneously a shock—considering how “grassroots” the Wordle experience felt—and also not that shocking at all. The NYT has been vocal about investing in its puzzles business, and now it adds this viral phenomenon to a heavyweight roster that already includes Crossword and Spelling Bee. The Times said the price for Wordle was in the low seven figures.

Not a bad haul for a pandemic hobby. Created by software engineer Josh Wardle to help his puzzle-loving partner kill time during Covid, Wordle has exploded in recent months.

• The game was played by just 90 people on Nov. 1, per the NYT. Fast forward to today, and millions of people play it on the reg.
• Wordle spawned numerous spinoffs, has been leveraged by brands for marketing purposes, and was crocheted into a pillow.

The only news that matters for Wordle fans: The game will remain initially free for new and existing players, the NYT said.—NF

Fuck you.

 

[Catacombs]

I tried Battletech last night for a few hours and decided it wasn't for me. The premise and turn-based combat sounded intriguing, but I couldn't stand the slow pace.

 

[Abu Antar]

I have reached the final chapter of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. The past few boss fights have been really good. There's some actual difficulty, and if you just "press attack to win", you are done for. It's been a fun ride, so far.

In Ultima Underworld, I have managed to free Murgo from lizardmen, and I actually had to write stuff down for translating what they were saying. I finally have a decent amount of runes, and respectable armour. I can now explore more freely, and slay monsters much quicker. On my way to floor four, I think.

In Chronicles of Myrtana, I am going back to all places I have been, and stealing/pickpocketing what I can.

In The Last Remnant, I just fought one of the toughest boss fights in any main quest, in any jrpg. Luckily, I knew what was waiting, and won on my first try. Other than that, I have been doing as much side stuff I can.

Edit:
I also beat an encounter in God Wars that I was stuck on. The enemy had the high ground, so they get many free attacks until you can reach them. On my successful attemp, I changed one of the main guys into a ninja. He could teleport to the archers, and make short work of them.

 

[flyingjohn]

Imagine my surprise when battleforge received a fan revival by the name of skylords reborn.
Great,a card based rts with 2 and 4 coop missions.what could go wrong?

Well the original was a online only ea game that got shut down.
The remake is a online only game that will probably get shut down in a couple of years(not by ea).

The original also had boosters you could buy with real money.
The fan remake doesn't,but it does have:
-Gold grinding
-The stuff you buy cards grinding(also packs are random sets of cards,hello clones)
-Card upgrades grinding
-An auction house recreation
-Forging which requires 4 cards and gives you a random
Now you would think they would allow you to have all the cards so you can to have fun instead of grinding? Nope,to the devs the grind is the fun in card games.
Fuck me,i thought making interesting decks is fun.
There are free decks but only limited to pvp.I just don't get it,nor do i have to time to waste on grinding.

Oh and if you want to be in top 100,all you have to do is have more then one victory,vivid population.

 

[antimeridian]

Days Gone. Jesus Christ what an underrated title, figures one of the worst-received PS4 games turns out to be the best by far. Seems generic initially, but ends up being pretty damn far from the standard modern open-world formula, despite what the retards calling it a Far Cry rip-off claim. Pretty basic story, but told at an extremely high level. Avoids the modern pozz too. Gorgeous visuals. If being in a zombie apocalypse biker gang appeals to you, just play it.

 

[JDR13]

Days Gone. Jesus Christ what an underrated title, figures one of the worst-received PS4 games turns out to be the best by far. Seems generic initially, but ends up being pretty damn far from the standard modern open-world formula, despite what the retards calling it a Far Cry rip-off claim. Pretty basic story, but told at an extremely high level. Avoids the modern pozz too. Gorgeous visuals. If being in a zombie apocalypse biker gang appeals to you, just play it.

Anyone calling Days Gone a Far Cry rip-off hasn't actually played it.

 

[antimeridian]

Anyone calling Days Gone a Far Cry rip-off hasn't actually played it.

Yeah, it completely avoids that feeling of the open-world being a theme park. At any given point there's usually only two to three missions available so you're not constantly inundated with pointless bullshit to do as you roam around. Handcrafted feel of the map and great weather effects contribute a lot towards the world feeling like a real location with a real narrative playing out, unlike a lot of modern open world titles. Haven't completed it yet, but already bemoaning that we won't see a sequel.

I'd say it's the rare example of what a AAA game should be - doesn't reinvent any wheels, but refines existing concepts with a super high level of polish in the presentation. PC port is great too.

 

[Jvegi]

Age of Wonders 3 hot seat random map with auto battles. Never played the previous ones, although I've tried. It seems like battles are a big part of the experience, and the strategy map is too simple on its own, but since we're learning the rules the simplicity is not an issue yet.

It's not bad, maybe.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

That mawkish (and unavoidable) storyline in Days Gone really knocks it down a few pegs however. It's one of the worst things I ever experienced in gaming. Luckily, all those cut-scenes were skippable (else I would have ragequit) but it would be nearly impossible to re-play this game because it's so storyfag heavy. I enjoyed my time with it though, and I actually put it near the top of the zombie apocalypse genre despite lacking replayablity like Dying Light (a considerably better game since you don't have much of a story that gets rudely crammed down your gullet).

 

[curds]

Finished Gothic, but not in the intended way.

Spoiler

I missed Uriziel. Just used 14 summon skeleton spells and let them deal with Kalom and his boys while I ran about stabbing the orc hearts.

I feel about guilty about it, but at the same time, being able to do this sort of thing is part of the joy of RPGs for me.

 

[Hag]

Finished Off. Quite difficult to review really. It is fair to say I enjoyed it, maybe even more than I thought at first, despite being a RPG Maker game and therefore suffering from flawed gameplay and stupid fights.

So, what to say ? The soundtrack is awesome and really carries the whole game. It complement seamlessly the art, all very eerie and as ethereal as the ghosts we relentlessly fight. It is no meager feat considering how minimal visuals are. Could have looked empty and bland but the music and writing make it dream-like empty, like this hopeless world stuck in limbo. Very well done.
But then you have to interact with this world and it is a video game made in RPG Maker, meaning it does it job and not much more. Interface and combat are low quality Final Fantasy ripoff, fights are clunky but not hard (except some non-mandatory ones) while still requiring to use competencies and objects. You can upgrade equipment but don't have enough money to buy everything, requiring either choices or looking for hidden objects. Considering the limitations of the engine, it is quite competently made. There are also a fair bit of puzzles of a nice variety and difficulty.
You know what ? The interface really is shit, every action is painful and I can't stand games with random popping fights. Yet somehow I have really liked this game. Is is all so well crafted, carefully designed, well written. Simple. Little talking, few colors, ambient music. Comfy, in a melancholic way. It's not weird but strange. You won't find no depth storytelling, lore books or final villain great speech. If you need to have the story all spelled out before your eyes, if you want the game to acknowledge your skills, be on your way, this game doesn't care about your comfort or your opinion.

It is a curious little game that also managed to make me quite sad. Twice.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Playing through Pathfinder Kingmaker.
The Tomb of Vordakai is worse designed piece of shit I've had the misfortune of playing through. If there were an actual DM I'd kick him in the balls.

 

[Puukko]

Been up to some Daemon x Machina bro-op. Far too early to say if the systems hold up or how much they improve the game in the long run, but so far it's a very competent mech action game that took me a while to get the feeling for.

I would have previously called it an Armored Core knockoff, but it apparently had quite a lot of OG AC staff on board. I also would have called it AA, but it turns out it was just originally for the Switch. And yeah, you can tell. It is far from cutting edge looks-wise and the environments are pretty simplistic and often barren. Where they make up for this is in stylized visual flair and the boss designs, along with an appropriately heavy and fast soundtrack for a solid presentation. Also, it runs incredibly well. Playing this at 165 fps is just joy. I didn't know UE4 could run be this optimized.

I have some gripes with the UI, gameplay and how systems are introduced. There is a lot of stuff on the screen and figuring out what all the icons mean takes a while. Ditto with the various mechanics. If you want to jump into MP, you'll need to play what is essentially an extended SP tutorial where it explains the mechanics and unlocks systems over several missions. Being able to coop the campaign would be great, but lacking that, I am sure they could have condensed it down more. As it is, it spends most of the time introducing terribly written characters as your fellow mercenaries. I am talking completely one note to the point I turned down the voice acting due to how inane the dialogue would get. These kind of games just puzzle me. A lot of effort put into something that you can immediately tell is just bad at first impression.

I also think the mechs are just a bit of refinement away from being great to control, rather than just ok. Some of this may or may not be addressed by upgrades, but I could really use some quick turn/maneuver buttons as well as easier to use flight controls. As it is, you press A and left thumbstick to gain or lose altitude respectively. It's difficult to just gain or lose it at a steady pace, it's all or nothing.

If I were to play this completely solo... Eh, I probably would have dropped it already. But I'm not going to say no to mech Monster Hunter with bros.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Played
Force of Nature 2. Feels like Dysmantle except less gay and more focus on actually creating a sustainable shelter. Actually, doesn't feel much like dysmantle at all, not sure what to compare it to. You're on an island(I guess?) and you gotta fend for yourself by building and crafting things. Hit a bug so I saved and exited to fix it, didn't know saving didn't put you back at the same place so I put it down for a bit because I didn't feel like trekking back to where I was. The game describes itself as

This game combines the genres of Survival, Sandbox, Action, Adventure, RPG, Strategy and Resource Management

...And yeah, I guess it is.

Alien Breed Impact(AKA Alien Breed Evolution) fun shooter pew pew pew die xenoscum. Camera controls are kinda annoying tho.

 

[KateMicucci]

Played Curse of the Dead Gods last night. Semi-roguelike action dungeon crawler. I normally really like these sorts of games, and this one seemed very promising. There's nothing wrong with it but I got bored in only 2 hours. Something is missing from the formula.

Combat is pretty good. Reminds me of Bastion. Every weapon archetype behaves differently. You have a torch, main, secondary and two-handed weapon. There are lots of traps and if you're clever you can use the traps to kill enemies.

Unlock progression isn't very interesting. The main things to spend resource on are up to three perks for your character, and building more weapon altars that give you more possibilities to choose from for your randomly generated starting weapons. You can also unlock more weapons but they're just slightly stronger versions of the weapons already in the game.

Enemy composition is another problem. The game is split into three temple paths. In the red path, every room has melee goons and wizards that throw orbs and turn torches off. In the blue path, every room has birds and archers. In the green room, every room has medusas and some poison grub things. The types of traps are also unique to each path. I don't know why they chose to do it this way because it reduces the variety of combat significantly.

 

[Denim Destroyer]

To get my racing fix, without the frustration, I decided to revisit Wreckfest after not touching it for a few months. I am not a fan of the live service and DLC but everything else about the game is great. For those who don't know Wreckfest a demolition derby style racing game with a heavy focus on soft body damage. So cars will somewhat realistically break when damaged. Honestly its a fun game but the tournament mode cars are too powerful and the online is dominated with people who minmax their vehicles.

 

[Old One]

Finished Gothic, but not in the intended way.

I finished Gothic last week and I'm on Chapter 2 of Gothic 2 NotR, atm. They're just such great games, equally good IMO.

Gothic 2 is bigger and has a lot more polish, but Gothic 1 has a more perfect plot structure and setting. Getting punched in the face is the best intro ever.

 

[curds]

Finished Gothic, but not in the intended way.

I finished Gothic last week and I'm on Chapter 2 of Gothic 2 NotR, atm. They're just such great games, equally good IMO.

Gothic 2 is bigger and has a lot more polish, but Gothic 1 has a more perfect plot structure and setting. Getting punched in the face is the best intro ever.

Both are amazing but g2 has the slight edge over 1 imo.

Prison colony setting and atmosphere is unbeatable, though.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Alien Breed Impact (AKA Alien Breed Evolution)

The full trilogy is more of the same so if you liked it enough you can see it as one longer game broken up in big chapters.

I don't remember the camera being troublesome since it doesn't move on its own, except after some cutscenes where I repositioned it immediately anyway. M&K-specific issue maybe.

I was really into Helldivers and its slick twin-stick shooting, which got me looking for anything that could pose as Helldivers-with-a-campaign. Alien Breed was one of my first results and I liked it a lot, the shotgun alone is pure porn.

Yeah the game is fun, you can just pick up and play a level in 30-40 minutes then quit and go back to what you were doing.

 

[Fedora Master]

I said in the past that Inquisitor: Martyr is pretty bad... but playing it now it really seems... fine. If you wanna just SCOURGE AND PURGE a few demons it's totally okay and I must point out that its presentation of the 40k universe is excellent.

 

[Szenhidrat]

Mostly on these games:

https://www.janko.at/Raetsel/Uebersicht.htm

Also i can watch a tv show or a movie where people love each other while playing.

 

[Havoc]

Conan Exiles. Back to some RP servers (last time was during NWN2 servers). If anybody Polish wants to join up to a Conan server (that is using conanlore and not some shitty elves or homebrew), then just message me.

 

[Tel Velothi]

For me games of choice for these depressed days are:
World of Tanks
War Thunder

Those are waste of time anyway - I mean who cares to pew-pew some tanks...
Also I browse steam store for hours every day just to search for some game to spark my will to play games once again...

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Fisnished AC Origins yesterday. Story turned out pretty cool, and they went light on the Abstergo shit. Vast majority of it was just playing as a Magi in ancient Egypt. Action was typical modern AC. Wasn't as good as Odyssey.

I'm currently a couple of hours into Solasta. This is my second go at it and I'm enjoying it a lot more than before. I definitely see myself completing it this time.