What are you playing?

bhamv3 · Dec 21, 2014

Assassin's Creed 3

Picked up both this and Black Flag in the Steam sale, and logically I'm starting with AC3.

I dunno... something seems... off about it. I can't put my finger on it. I can play for maybe 30 minutes before I get bored. Maybe it's because Haytham Kenway has the personality of a brick. (And yes, I do already know the twist, so I sort of understand why this is)

I miss Ezio. This was a guy who could claim to be "only the most interesting man in your life," and backed it up by being really interesting. So far, no one in AC3 is really grabbing me.

Hailey Knight · Dec 21, 2014

bhamv3 said:
Assassin's Creed 3

Picked up both this and Black Flag in the Steam sale, and logically I'm starting with AC3.

I dunno... something seems... off about it. I can't put my finger on it. I can play for maybe 30 minutes before I get bored. Maybe it's because Haytham Kenway has the personality of a brick. (And yes, I do already know the twist, so I sort of understand why this is)

I miss Ezio. This was a guy who could claim to be "only the most interesting man in your life," and backed it up by being really interesting. So far, no one in AC3 is really grabbing me.

If you'd asked, we could've warned you not to bother with that AC3. There will be a pretty good twist coming soon, but beyond that, it never stops being boring, and for some reason the more the game gives you to do, the more boring it is.

And since Black Flag is a prequel, you miss nothing by skipping to it.

AshburnerX said:
Pyromancers don't get a stat, so your build should focus on a dex or str weapon in that case.

I'll probably lean more toward Dex overall, since my playstyle seems to be "pew pew, rush in, whack, run away, pew pew," rinse, repeat. Thanks for the warning about the Drake Sword; I'd really like to play through without relying on crutches. I'll try to nab the Claymore when I go back that way and see if I like it.

For now, I'm ready to face the gargoyles again (now with Halberd +4) but somehow I discovered another area that I didn't even see last time. It's weird how easily big places are tucked to the side.

Ravenpoe · Dec 21, 2014

ThatNickGuy said:
I don't know how many games automatically change the onscreen prompts to controller, though, but fortunately, City does and the controller is automatically mapped for me. Is that common for most modern games?

Yes, almost every modern pc game supports xbox controllers, and will change on-screen prompts to match them. In the event that you're using a third party controller, it'll usually say "button 1" "Button 4" etc.

The only problem comes with lazy pc ports (and you'll learn to loath these) that use the button prompts even when you're using a mouse and keyboard. I've had to unplug the xbox controller for some games just to stop them from defaulting to it, even though I chose keyboard.

AshburnerX · Dec 21, 2014

Zero Esc said:
If you'd asked, we could've warned you not to bother with that AC3. There will be a pretty good twist coming soon, but beyond that, it never stops being boring, and for some reason the more the game gives you to do, the more boring it is.

And since Black Flag is a prequel, you miss nothing by skipping to it.

AC3 is interesting, in that it explores a period that few other medium really cover... but that's about it. Conner is a flat character and the story just doesn't justify how boring the game feels sometimes. Give the sailing side-game a try though... if you dig it, then you'll dig Black Flag because their is A LOT of naval stuff in it, being pirate themed.

Zero Esc said:
I'll probably lean more toward Dex overall, since my playstyle seems to be "pew pew, rush in, whack, run away, pew pew," rinse, repeat. Thanks for the warning about the Drake Sword; I'd really like to play through without relying on crutches. I'll try to nab the Claymore when I go back that way and see if I like it.

For now, I'm ready to face the gargoyles again (now with Halberd +4) but somehow I discovered another area that I didn't even see last time. It's weird how easily big places are tucked to the side.

If you want to go Dex, another good option you can get right now is the Uchigatana. You know that Undead Merchant that sells you the Heater, the Orange soapstone, and other stuff? Buy all of his special stuff (bottomless box and etc) then kill him. He drops the Uuchigatana, which is a pretty great and upgrades well... and it can cause bleed occasionaly, which some bosses aren't immune to. The difference is really that the Uchi is specialized for dex while the claymore is more of general use weapon with a good move set.

Hailey Knight · Dec 21, 2014

AshburnerX said:
If you want to go Dex, another good option you can get right now is the Uchigatana. You know that Undead Merchant that sells you the Heater, the Orange soapstone, and other stuff? Buy all of his special stuff (bottomless box and etc) then kill him. He drops the Uuchigatana, which is a pretty great and upgrades well... and it can cause bleed occasionaly, which some bosses aren't immune to. The difference is really that the Uchi is specialized for dex while the claymore is more of general use weapon with a good move set.

Will do. I have all but the bottomless box.

AshburnerX · Dec 21, 2014

In all seriousness... the fight that is going to make or break you is Capra Demon, down in Lower Undead Burg. Summoning can make it easier, but you need to be able to last long enough for your buddy to get into the door...

If you can deal with Capra, you'll be fine. He's by far the hardest fight in the game, yet he's required because you have to kill him to get the Large Ember (let's you upgrade from+5 to +10) from the Sewers.

Hailey Knight · Dec 21, 2014

AshburnerX said:
In all seriousness... the fight that is going to make or break you is Capra Demon, down in Lower Undead Burg. Summoning can make it easier, but you need to be able to last long enough for your buddy to get into the door...

... we're talking about whether I can last 4 seconds?

EDIT: Whoa whoa, hold on. I just looked up what the Capra demon looked like. I beat that thing last time, without help. I exploited the terrain like a motherfucker, so it wasn't fair, but I beat it.

Does that count?

AshburnerX · Dec 21, 2014

Zero Esc said:
EDIT: Whoa whoa, hold on. I just looked up what the Capra demon looked like. I beat that thing last time, without help. I exploited the terrain like a motherfucker, so it wasn't fair, but I beat it.

Does that count?

Yeah, it counts because it's Capra and it's a shit fight. Even experienced players have problems with Capra because that initial charge can ruin your day in 4 seconds.

Bowielee · Dec 21, 2014

Exploiting terrain in Dark Souls is not cheating.

Ravenpoe · Dec 21, 2014

ThatNickGuy said:
Arkham Asylum & Arkham City

It's a bit fitting that these are the first things I'm replaying through on the new gaming rig. After all, the prime reason for the upgrade was for the upcoming Arkham Knight. And...

They're still amazing games. They look absolutely gorgeous with even smoother models than the PS3. Personally, I still prefer City to Asylum, largely because I love sandbox games with lots of fun, interesting things to do. It's one of those "I'll quit the game any second..." kind of games because GOD DAMMIT, ZSASZ, quit ringing the phone so I can quit this game! Oh, but then this opened up. And there's a Riddler trophy that'll just take a second to nab. And when then hell did it turn into 3:00 AM? It's also a great sequel since they improve upon everything from the fighting to the travel to gadgets. It's not just a quick sequel. It's a proper sequel that plays off the first, but improves upon it vastly. Asylum still has the better overall story of the two, though.

It was a bit frustrating to play Asylum with the keyboard and mouse. I don't know if any of you have tried it with such, but I was frustratingly confused when I tried to use the sequencer gadget for the first time. I didn't know you didn't have to hold onto the buttons like you do in the console/controller version. And the fighting was constantly awkward, to be honest. Either way, I did beat it with just mouse and keyboard. But now that I picked up an Xbox One controller and playing City, it's much more comfortable. I don't know how many games automatically change the onscreen prompts to controller, though, but fortunately, City does and the controller is automatically mapped for me. Is that common for most modern games?

Once I'm done City, it's onto Arkham Origins, which I've yet to play and a little nervous, since I've not heard great things about it. I heard it's good, but it's rather bugged and not as overall pleasing as the first two.

After I'm done the Bat-games, I think I'll move onto the Saints Row series.

I wanted to add, if you see Arkham Origins on sale, get it. It's the weakest of the three, and barely adds anything beyond city, but it's still a decent game. If you like city, a and want more, it gives you just that. And the story isn't half bad.

Hailey Knight · Dec 21, 2014

AshburnerX said:
Yeah, it counts because it's Capra and it's a shit fight. Even experienced players have problems with Capra because that initial charge can ruin your day in 4 seconds.

I took a detour into Deeproot Basin to kill the hydra, but once I got back on track today, me and Capra were reunited. He can fuck right off. If I can remember what the hell I did last time to fuck him over, I'll do it.

Now I kind of want to old my save from last time just to see how shitty my equipment and stats were.

Hailey Knight · Dec 21, 2014

For all the difficulty of Dark Souls, it's been an enormous stress relief today. This weekend had been rough until I started playing earlier today, and the next couple days (and soon weeks) at work are going to suck. This is the first game in a long time that's sucked me in so much that I could actually forget about all the shit going on. I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for it last time I got it, but it's been much-appreciated help today.

ThatNickGuy · Dec 21, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
I wanted to add, if you see Arkham Origins on sale, get it. It's the weakest of the three, and barely adds anything beyond city, but it's still a decent game. If you like city, a and want more, it gives you just that. And the story isn't half bad.

I already own it. Bought it on GMG for like $3, actually.

Bowielee · Dec 22, 2014

Yeah, Origins wasn't a total steaming pile, and the stuff with Harley and the Joker was actually really good. I just REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALY regret paying full retail for it. Especially because it was a buggy ass mess on release.

That being said, fights will go like this.

counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, shock gloves, hit, hit, hit, hit, takedown.

Speaking of games I had to force myself through. I made my way through the story mode of Lego Batman 3. As anyone who likes the Lego games knows, the real game doesn't start until you're finished with the story. BOY, is that in spades for this game. The story itself is actually pretty crap, Braniac shrinking the earth, and some stupid emotional spectrum swapping stuff that ends up with heroes and villains getting hit with the ring feelings, so Flash becomes greedy, Wonder Woman angry, Lex Luther hopeful, Grundy compassionate, etc... It was pretty much balls.

However, when you finish, you unlock all of the lantern home planets to play around in and it's a bunch of fun. There's also some cute, but kind of forced Batman 1966 stuff, a crappy Man of Steel level, and a kind of neat Dark Knight level.
Overall, very uneven, but after grinding through the bad, there is some good to be found. Now to move back to Pirates, which is just all around good.

Ravenpoe · Dec 22, 2014

Bowielee said:
counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, hit, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, counter, shock gloves, hit, hit, hit, hit, takedown.

Man, learn to quick gadget. You can counter-spam through every fight, but that's no fun. After acing every fucking combat map in Arkham City, I was conditioned on how to create god-combos by the time I got to origins.

Also, the fight with Deathstroke is actually pretty epic.

Necronic · Dec 22, 2014

AshburnerX said:
In all seriousness... the fight that is going to make or break you is Capra Demon, down in Lower Undead Burg. Summoning can make it easier, but you need to be able to last long enough for your buddy to get into the door...

If you can deal with Capra, you'll be fine. He's by far the hardest fight in the game, yet he's required because you have to kill him to get the Large Ember (let's you upgrade from+5 to +10) from the Sewers.

I quit on the Capra demon. Screw the Capra demon.

Bowielee · Dec 22, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
Man, learn to quick gadget. You can counter-spam through every fight, but that's no fun. After acing every fucking combat map in Arkham City, I was conditioned on how to create god-combos by the time I got to origins.

Also, the fight with Deathstroke is actually pretty epic.

What I'm getting at is that the enemies are CONSTANTLY attacking, so replace a few of my hits with quick gadgets and the result is the same.

AshburnerX · Dec 22, 2014

Necronic said:
I quit on the Capra demon. Screw the Capra demon.

The devs have already gone on record as saying they regret making that fight so hard because it stopped so many people from seeing the rest of the game.

Necronic · Dec 22, 2014

What was so frustrating was that it was hard for all the wrong reasons. The gargoyles or the Taurus demon were incredibly unforgiving, but at least you had room to maneuver, the Capra demon completely removes that. It really sucked.

Hailey Knight · Dec 22, 2014

When I entered the room last night, he fucked me right at the gate. I barely knew what had happened.

I'm going to work on it tonight; I've done him in before when I wasn't doing well in the game, so I can do it now that I have a better understanding ... it just might take a while.

Jay · Dec 22, 2014

Am emulating FF6 (FF3 American), getting everyone back to Narshe.... did I ever mention how good this game is? You forget how mediocre Square became a few years after this game got released.

GasBandit · Dec 22, 2014

Jay said:
Am emulating FF6 (FF3 American), getting everyone back to Narshe.... did I ever mention how good this game is? You forget how mediocre Square became a few years after this game got released.

As MrBTongue said, "There was once a time when I had simply accepted that I would naturally be buying every Final Fantasy title, without question or consideration, immediately upon release for the rest of my life."

How did they fall so very, very far?

Dei · Dec 22, 2014

Just got Bayonetta 2 delivered. My husband is giving me weird looks, which clearly means I must go play it... after the kids go to bed of course.

Hailey Knight · Dec 22, 2014

Apparently I won't be playing tonight yet because my wife is playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Hrmm.

GasBandit said:
As MrBTongue said, "There was once a time when I had simply accepted that I would naturally be buying every Final Fantasy title, without question or consideration, immediately upon release for the rest of my life."

How did they fall so very, very far?

And they still can't figure out what the hell they're doing wrong. It's insanity.

Dei said:
Just got Bayonetta 2 delivered. My husband is giving me weird looks, which clearly means I must go play it... after the kids go to bed of course.

It is SOOOO good.

Ravenpoe · Dec 22, 2014

Jay said:
Am emulating FF6 (FF3 American), getting everyone back to Narshe.... did I ever mention how good this game is? You forget how mediocre Square became a few years after this game got released.

FF6 is easily my favorite FF title, and second behind Chrono Trigger as my favorite jRPG. Try the Japanese translation ROM, it really does make a difference.

Hailey Knight · Dec 22, 2014

Okay, wife in bed, got 1 hour and 10 minutes to play before I follow.

How many times can I lose to the Capra demon before that? Let's find out.

Hailey Knight · Dec 22, 2014

Update: beat it on the second try.

Ravenpoe · Dec 22, 2014

Zero Esc said:
Update: beat it on the second try.

And how that usually goes:

Hailey Knight · Dec 22, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
And how that usually goes:

Considering this is Dark Souls ... accurate.

I'm in the Depths at the bonfire and time to call it a night. Once I beat the giant rat, I'll be where I was before (though with twice as many hours clocked in this time). It'll be interesting to see how the bone dragon thing goes, and from that point, the rest is a mystery. Looking forward to seeing it.

GasBandit · Dec 22, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
FF6 is easily my favorite FF title, and second behind Chrono Trigger as my favorite jRPG. Try the Japanese translation ROM, it really does make a difference.

I tried to get Pauline to play Chrono Trigger with me. She fell asleep

Frank · Dec 23, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
FF6 is easily my favorite FF title, and second behind Chrono Trigger as my favorite jRPG. Try the Japanese translation ROM, it really does make a difference.

I think FF3 and Chrono Trigger both had half decent translations considering they were done by one guy with very little time to do them. Ted Woolsey did pretty damn decent work. You can tell how much Square's localization suffered when he left before FF7.

Ravenpoe · Dec 23, 2014

Frank said:
I think FF3 and Chrono Trigger both had half decent translations considering they were done by one guy with very little time to do them. Ted Woolsey did pretty damn decent work. You can tell how much Square's localization suffered when he left before FF7.

Oh, I've no complaints over the original localization, I just think the translated Japanese version offers a lot of little details that do make some things better. Though, you have to get used to some names being different, like Terra being Tina.

Chrono Trigger's translation I'm fine with, in fact I kinda prefer it's original over the re-translation.

bhamv3 · Dec 23, 2014

So, I play Ogame. It's a browser-based space sim, in which you build ships and attack other people's planets with them. I usually play with a turtling strategy, focusing on my mines and defenses and not attacking other people very much.

Earlier today, two players performed a combined attack on me, with a total of 1,980 Deathstars. Deathstars are the biggest and nastiest ships in the game, and are fantastically expensive, as well as devastatingly powerful. I have one Deathstar. These guys attacked me with nearly two thousand. Well, they wiped out my defenses without losing a single ship. They did it pretty much just to be dicks, because they got nothing out of the raid.

So I go to another player I'm friendly with, and ask if he can trade me some resources so I can rebuild. He asks me who I got attacked by. And just now, he and his alliance revenge-hit both of these players, wiping out both their fleets with their own fleet. I have no idea how many Deathstars they have, but apparently it's more than 2,000.

This must be what it feels like to join a gang in prison.

Hailey Knight · Dec 23, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
Chrono Trigger's translation I'm fine with, in fact I kinda prefer it's original over the re-translation.

I hate Chrono Trigger's retranslation. Athenian Water--what the fuck? Yes, please make Frog's dialogue overwritten garbage, that'll improve the game. I hate whoever is doing that for localizing Square-Enix games and feels like any game that takes place in a medieval-style world needs to have characters talk in shitty LARP session. It's most egregious in the PSP version of Final Fantasy Tactics. "I ran away" becomes some shit like "I fled like a wounded cat on a black wind across the vale, verily never to blow the same way henceforth" or some shit like that. I've seen it some of their other stuff too here and there. So fucking annoying; what hack thought that was a good plan?

Square-Enix, you are a disaster across the globe.

Ravenpoe · Dec 23, 2014

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Pretty fun game, except for 2 points.

1) The assassin's creed shit. I don't really need a modern day sci-fi brain magic entertainment company to frame the story of why I'm a pirate. I could have just been a pirate, and never would have questioned it. Instead, I question why I'm apparently some guy in a cubicle researching the life of a pirate.

2) I'm an hour into the game and it's already a buggy mess. When I first started, the tutorial glitched, and the button prompts never appeared for what I was supposed to do. And apparently my ability to do anything was triggered by those button prompts appearing, so all I could do was walk around until I died. Later on, I start going into cutscenes where suddenly no one has any voices. The background music still plays, the ambient crowd noises play, but fuck if I know what the characters are saying, because they're quieter than mimes.