What game are you wasting time on?

[Sigourn]

Finished BioShock.

Is this game overrated or what. I enjoyed the setting and the atmosphere. The graphics were pretty good IMO. And the voice acting was engaging.
Mostly everything else ranges from mediocre to bad. The ending I got was the dumbest shit I've ever seen in videogames, on par with Fallout 3's original ending.

Spoiler

The most reasonable way to get the ending done would be to judge the player based on their last five Little Sister interactions or something. That way maybe you harvested 20 Little Sisters, but you rescued your last 5, implying you are on the path to redemption.

Regarding the game being "art" or something, I laugh at the idea that a linear shooter is a commentary on "no free will" just like a shitty game is a commentary on "videogames being shit".

 

[Puukko]

Bloodrayne 2. This is very different from 1 in most ways, including the ways in which is it janky. They've pivoted to s more full-featured DMC clone, though that may set expectations too high as to how well it pulls that off. Consequently, I've switched to using a controller.

Visually it's a huge leap in most areas, and with the HD mod from the Nexus it looks legitimately great in places. The environments have received lots of attention and there's lots of destructability and environmental hazards to kill goons with. Unfortunately exploration has been left in the wayside. Animations are fluid but the characters are knee deep in the uncanny valley. They look best at a distance when facing away from the camera. There are more prerendered cutscenes now, but they're largely in engine and haven't aged well either. There has been one quality cutscene so far that looked like it could have been an E3 trailer. I haven't confirmed, but 1 had one such cutscene as well. Entertaining but felt a bit out of place in both cases.

The music is great, mostly that sort of aggressive rock you'd expect from the mid-00s but other times the soundscape is just lacking. It feels like there may be missing sound effects and if there's no music, there's also no ambience. Mixing is also still painful with compression and ear scraping dynamic range in cutscenes.

The gameplay has some cool tricks up its sleeve. Unarmed mooks are free prey while those with melee weapons need to be disarmed. Guns use blood now and start off weak but seem to get stronger (and hungrier) with upgrades. You learn new moves from bosses and mini bosses. Feeding has choices to it in which of your resources you opt to drain, health, rage meter or bullets. The rage meter csn be activated while feeding for extra resources, too. The lock on is janky and a major gameplay mechanic relying on it has extra randomness on top of that. You can use the hook to launch enemies into hazards - thing is, this is very unreliable in which hazard it chooses, if any. I've had enemies fly nearly 10 meters in some direction I wasn't expecting to land in a burning trash can. You'll learn to control it to a degree, but there are puzzles that utilize this mechanic, sometimes on a timer. I cleared the dance club speaker puzzle relatively quickly.

I can get why some fans of the first game didn't care for this one, it being such a big departure with its own set of issues, but I wouldn't say I'm having any less fun in the end.

 

[Puukko]

I took Dark Souls 2 for a spin after not having touched it proper since launch. Consequently never did the DLC either. I've had some gameplay overhauls on my radar since I've had great experiences with such mods in DS3 - opted for Seeker of Fire, mostly because it is the most popular. I was also waiting for major graphics mods to appear since those had been teased for a long while now. Well, a lighting engine mod is now in open alpha and seems to be entirely use worthy so far. It's accompanied by other auxiliary mods using the engine as a base as well. In most areas the game just looks 'right' - the original isn't in the most vivid memory, but I do remember it being very flat and bright by comparison.

The game certainly has its own charm as the ugly duckling of the series. There are lots of small things it does differently and the difficulty is welcome. I've forgotten a lot about progression in particular. I think area design is the game's strength. Lost Bastille took me by surprise with how complex and deadly it was.

The hitboxes, meanwhile... yeah they're a meme for a reason and combined with the lack of feedback on getting hit, it can make combat frustrating at times. I just need to be way more careful against bosses compared to what I'm used to.

Digging the enemy design though.

 

[Abu Antar]

I took a little break from Baldur's gate III. Will get back to it this evening.

I've been playing Ganbare! Super Strikers. A turn-based, tactical football game. It's not amazing or anything, but it combines to of my favorite things - turn-based gameplay, and football. I beat the first part of the story mode, where you had a team of seven players. I reached the second part, and it allows you to play with eleven players. Most matches devolve into the same tactics, and cheesing. If you don't do that, the computer controlled team will mess you up. You players can learn fantastical moves, like ice pass, super shot, and so on.

Goodbye Deponia. Decent adventure game. Not cream of the crop, but at least maintains classic adventure gameplay, with inventory, puzzles and so on. The games look great. The backgrounds/environments are beautifully done. Once I am done with this, I will complete the series by playing the fourth game.

 

[Ash]

Given up on Spyro 2. Piece of shit game.
-Interesting fantasy like setting for levels replaced with generic our world garbage( the closes the game gets is the fantasy Irish/Scottish level with the stone enemies). Yes, I really want to play a city/farm/beach level instead of a fantasy ice cavern, sigh.
-Levels have been butchered. The game introduces metroidvania elements that means you can never really finish specific levels before buying the needed ability. And if you try to blitz through the levels to get to said ability, you can't because you need money to unlock levels. Meaning, you always need to half ass a level to get the necessary money for progression.
The game also transforms most levels into mini game/vehicle gameplay collections. Levels feel completely disjointed.And none of these sections are really fun.
Gone is the simple clear once pure platforming bliss from 1.
-Too much people talking to you. I know they were trying to make the world seem livable, but they overdid it.

As a levelfag I am disgusted by this game.

Indeed. Spyro 1 is the only good Spyro game, and it is a good game indeed. Forget the rest.

Looks like you're going through PS1 games, the GOAT console. Let me know what you intend to play next and I'll hopefully steer you in the right direction so you don't have to waste your time with pure decline like this.

 

[flyingjohn]

Looks like you're going through PS1 games, the GOAT console. Let me know what you intend to play next and I'll hopefully steer you in the right direction so you don't have to waste your time with pure decline like this.

I was just playing some games randomly and just decided for the fun of it to try out more psx games. Spyro 2 was me being curious if the game was truly such a worse sequel.
After I am done with ratchet ps2 I am probably gonna play symphony of the night with hard mode hack. After that, probably Tenchu ps2 games.

 

[Ash]

Tenchu PS2 are all shit except Wrath of Heaven (Tenchu 3), which is arguably the best Tenchu game at least in core gameplay. It lost something along the way but it's still a great tenchu game and conclusion to the series. After that Acquire disbanded or something and From Software took over the IP, and ruined it. They're not tenchu games, just bland soulless shit. Stay away.

Good choice with Symphony of the Night and hardtype romhack.

 

[AdamReith]

Got the original panzer general going in dosbox. Holds up really well and I dig the music.

Really enjoy those little fighting animations too.

 

[Gregz]

Vampire survivors, the hardest drug known to humankind

If you prefer a Diablo flavor to your drugs, give Halls of Torment a shot.

I did. Any semblance of life I had before is gone now

I've dipped my toe into HoT a little, but I still have 14 achievements to get in VS and then I can uninstall forever. So fucking addictive. Reminds me of when I was 12 and found a fun game on newgrounds

VS > HoT

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I enjoyed it more than the first time around, but generally I'm glad to be done with Dark Souls 2. I ventured into a few of the DLC areas briefly, but I just don't care enough to continue. Not a bad game, but it's just such a marked step down from the first. I would like to be playing BG3, but this laptop will only barely run it, and I hate playing things that run poorly, so I guess I'm waiting on that one. I have much fonder memories of Dark Souls 3, so I'm looking forward to that

 

[NecroLord]

I enjoyed it more than the first time around, but generally I'm glad to be done with Dark Souls 2. I ventured into a few of the DLC areas briefly, but I just don't care enough to continue. Not a bad game, but it's just such a marked step down from the first. I would like to be playing BG3, but this laptop will only barely run it, and I hate playing things that run poorly, so I guess I'm waiting on that one. I have much fonder memories of Dark Souls 3, so I'm looking forward to that

View attachment 40063
View attachment 40064
View attachment 40065

The Faraam armor set looks absolutely dope.
Dark Souls 2 is an alright game, just not on par with Demon Souls or Dark Souls.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Actually, in between BG3 sessions I'm playing DS1 to wind down a bit. I have to say the game feels slow as shit after completing Elden Ring lol. Parrying is so easy. Already grabbed a black knight sword + gs. The sword makes 3x the damage of a Claymore +3.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I couldn't decide what character I want to play in BG3, so while I think about that, I've been alternating between Remnant II and Jedi Survivor.

 

[Caim]

I enjoyed it more than the first time around, but generally I'm glad to be done with Dark Souls 2. I ventured into a few of the DLC areas briefly, but I just don't care enough to continue. Not a bad game, but it's just such a marked step down from the first. I would like to be playing BG3, but this laptop will only barely run it, and I hate playing things that run poorly, so I guess I'm waiting on that one. I have much fonder memories of Dark Souls 3, so I'm looking forward to that

View attachment 40063
View attachment 40064
View attachment 40065

The Faraam armor set looks absolutely dope.
Dark Souls 2 is an alright game, just not on par with Demon Souls or Dark Souls.

That's the Falconer set, this is the Faraam set:

 

[NecroLord]

I enjoyed it more than the first time around, but generally I'm glad to be done with Dark Souls 2. I ventured into a few of the DLC areas briefly, but I just don't care enough to continue. Not a bad game, but it's just such a marked step down from the first. I would like to be playing BG3, but this laptop will only barely run it, and I hate playing things that run poorly, so I guess I'm waiting on that one. I have much fonder memories of Dark Souls 3, so I'm looking forward to that

View attachment 40063
View attachment 40064
View attachment 40065

The Faraam armor set looks absolutely dope.
Dark Souls 2 is an alright game, just not on par with Demon Souls or Dark Souls.

That's the Falconer set, this is the Faraam set:

I know, but I merely wanted to praise that PIMPIN' set.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

That's the Falconer set

It's the falconer helm and armour with the leather boots and wanderer manchettes.

 

[Abu Antar]

I beat Goodbye Deponia. My least liked game in the series, and the ending was not satisfactory. Still decent. I saw that I have the DRM free version of the sequel on Humble, so I will start that.

After the chicken run of Elden Ring (playing a mage), it is time for a git good run, playing as samurai. The camera in melee combat almost makes me sick. Two of the main bosses are dead. Lots of side bosses slain. Too much repetition of those, and their side dungeons. Legacy dungeons are still pretty cool. Lots of things were ignored on the first run, so I am seeing more stuff, and beingt more thorough this time around. Combat style is two handed weapon (dexterity based), and barrel rolling through encounters. How the main character hasn't gotten sick and thrown up, is beyond me. Stopped after reaching the church of vows, speaking with the big ass turtle. Gave him the celestial dew.

INSOMNIA: The Arc. I like everything but the combat. I have died so many times. I got through the dreaded game breaking part, I think. Talked to the people that you need to talk to at the right time. Lots of quests, good atmosphere, but ugly as sin characters. I'm 30ish hours in. Am I having fun? yes. Would I recommend it to someone else? Honestly, no. One plus point: no political correctness. I gave a kid a gun, and a cigarette.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

I beat Goodbye Deponia. My least liked game in the series, and the ending was not satisfactory. Still decent. I saw that I have the DRM free version of the sequel on Humble, so I will start that.

After the chicken run of Elden Ring (playing a mage), it is time for a git good run, playing as samurai. The camera in melee combat almost makes me sick. Two of the main bosses are dead. Lots of side bosses slain. Too much repetition of those, and their side dungeons. Legacy dungeons are still pretty cool. Lots of things were ignored on the first run, so I am seeing more stuff, and beingt more thorough this time around. Combat style is two handed weapon (dexterity based), and barrel rolling through encounters. How the main character hasn't gotten sick and thrown up, is beyond me. Stopped after reaching the church of vows, speaking with the big ass turtle. Gave him the celestial dew.

INSOMNIA: The Arc. I like everything but the combat. I have died so many times. I got through the dreaded game breaking part, I think. Talked to the people that you need to talk to at the right time. Lots of quests, good atmosphere, but ugly as sin characters. I'm 30ish hours in. Am I having fun? yes. Would I recommend it to someone else? Honestly, no. One plus point: no political correctness. I gave a kid a gun, and a cigarette.

At the time Goodbye Deponia's ending was kind of a Mass Effect 3-tier incident in the adventure gaming world, but the lead designer made it very clear that the ending of the game is what he wanted it to be and was also adamant in saying that he would not change it. A few months/years later Deponia Doomsday was announced and while it is a better game than Goodbye Deponia, the ending is arguably worse. I think Goodbye Deponia was somewhat shorter than Doomsday, Doomsday was like 8/10 hours long for me instead of the 7-ish of Goodbye, if memory serves.

 

[Kabas]

Will restart Wizards and Warriors again, i feel like having a third warrior is a tiny bit redundant and i am missing out on not having a stone magic specialist. It bothers me way too much.
Replaying the first dungeon shouldn't take long now that i am familiar with it's layout.

Edit: this game gave me a real case of restartisis.
After a few trials and errors decided to settle for Gourk Warrior, Elf Wizard, Dwarf Priest, Elephant Wizard, Pixie Rogue and Human Warrior. Feel like this setup has a nice balance of both might and magic coupled with a pretty good carry weight overall.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I installed Unreal. It blows my mind how you fire off a 25 years old game and it has features such as actual mirror reflections and dynamic lighting, which today are forgotten and abandoned because zumg 2hard.

 

[NecroLord]

I installed Unreal. It blows my mind how you fire off a 25 years old game and it has features such as actual mirror reflections and dynamic lighting, which today are forgotten and abandoned because zumg 2hard.

I never uninstalled Unreal and UT99 off my hard drive.

 

[Average Manatee]

I installed Unreal. It blows my mind how you fire off a 25 years old game and it has features such as actual mirror reflections and dynamic lighting, which today are forgotten and abandoned because zumg 2hard.

Don't worry, raytracing will solve this problem along with the problem of getting more than 15 FPS.

 

[Raghar]

I'm currently wasting time 2 days already on a game: watching youtube videos without watching single ad. I have only partial success, but I managed to develop some workarounds.

 

[Krivol]

After thinking I may be weeb (after 500 hours in Shogun 2) I turned out to be a Total War fag... god dammit, I just sunk 40 hours in Empire in just 5 days :O ! And looking forward to playing Rome 2 and Troy (I want to try that mythological mode).

 

[Raghar]

Empire total War is nice. I would prefer if they allow 4 turns per year, which would allow world conquest without rushing it. But, it's nice. For example when you play as low tech India empire you have Elephants and regular infantry is shitty that will not learn certain stuff, thus you have to use numbers and cannons.

Also if you want revolution, and don't want republic, do double revolution. And remember, move your army out of reach.