What are you playing?

Cat

Cat

Terrik said:
Everyone hated this game except me.
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I didn't like it the first time I tried it. I didn't get it like I do now, I had to figure it out. It helps that I think most jrpgs are linear and automated so I think most of the common complaints about it also apply to the rest of the series
 
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Frank

Frank

Ravenpoe said:
FF13 gets really good about 15 hours in.

I personally didn't make it that far, I only managed about 6.
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As someone who recently played through 13, this is a lie. It never gets good. Anyone that says otherwise is a liar. It's the same shitty game from start to finish.
 
Cat

Cat

Think I'm on chapter 4 now. It's been good from the start. I like how so far it's mostly about questioning propaganda and ideology. That's been a problem for a lot of gamers
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Control

With @Bubble181's help and suggestions, I procured the DLC, which I didn't think I could (got the game through Humble Bundle, but it was just the base game and I thought the only way you could get the DLC was by re-buying the whole game as the ultimate edition).

And as glad as I am to get the DLC, I don't know if I'll play much of it. I'd finished Control a few months ago and getting back into it was awkward. I'd completely forgotten how the game works, how what controls do what, etc. It's like when I try revisiting an uncompleted Metroidvania game and I'm completely lost. I got my bearings together enough, though, and jumped right into the DLC that ties in with Alan Wake and...I had no flipping clue what was going on. A familiar feeling, since I honestly didn't understand 90% of what was going on in Control in the first place, but coupled that with not remembering much from Alan Wake (even though I played and beat it), I just didn't feel like going further.

I'll keep Control installed, in case I might feel like revisiting it, but I'm not sure. I'm glad I was able to get the DLC, but I think I might have been more inclined to continue had I done so shortly after beating the main game.
 
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Frank

Frank

So I'm playing this low budget space combat game called Chorus and I'm liking it when it's just letting the combat be fun. Everything else is ass turds. The story is....something and the open world (space) stuff is lame as hell. The ship combat, especially huge engagements, is sublime. You're basically a special psychic pilot that bonds with some alien AI spacecraft and it lets you teleport, do breakneck insane moves, etc. The only thing I hate about the combat is one specific type of enemy called a Vulture. Supposed to be a heavily armored slow enemy ship that you're told to get behind and use missiles on, except they stop on a dime (go from full speed to zero momentum nearly instantaneously) and put up an invincible shield (that' you can't use your shield busting lasers on) and unload whatever variant weapon they have until you're dead. You literally have to ignore them until they decide you can hurt them again. This sucks. Game is still fun and budget and worth a try. The ship controls are as perfect as it gets with a controller I think.
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

I learned that if you own Hitman 2016 then you can load the first game's levels into Hitman 2 and play them for free in the second game's engine, so that's what I've been doing.

It feels mostly the same, though the equipment you unlock is different, so I've been forced to adjust my strategies for some of the levels. For example, no lockpick yet, so I can't just break into locked areas with impunity. Also, some levels have been changed a bit, for example a guard will follow Silvio Caruso when you poison him and make him puke, so I had to adapt accordingly. Nonetheless, going through all the levels again and re-experiencing them is just as much fun as before.

Although it appears Nick is a god at Hitman because I simply can't beat his scores. *shakes fist*
 
Frank

Frank

So I decided to try out the last DLC pack in Binding of Isaac and I don't know what's up the item distribution now but I am currently on a -15 streak and I think I've found 2 damage up items in all 15 runs. I've restarted multiple times after 15 minute mom fights because my damage was so low and the bosses just become dps sponges.

It's not fun. It's actually frustrating.
 
Frank

Frank

Literally next run gives me Dark Bum and Tech X along with two different straight damage buffs. Spread the love a little, Jesus.

I'm on floor 5 and my Tech X circle of death dropped the boss in two hits.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

bhamv3 said:
Although it appears Nick is a god at Hitman because I simply can't beat his scores. *shakes fist*
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Feeble mortal. :D

But seriously, it's likely because I followed almost footstep-for-footstep YouTube guides on how to beat the level in just the agent's default suit, undetected, that sort of thing. I can't take all the credit.
 
Frank

Frank

I don't think I'm capable of playing Jacob and Esau well in Binding of Isaac. Controlling two characters, each with their own stats and items is just something I'm never going to be able to grok.

Repentance is very hard.
 
Frank

Frank

I like card games and roguelikes, that much should be obvious to anyone whose ever read one of my posts here. I heard from a Magic and Warhammer Youtuber Pleasant Kenobi, while giving Magic shit for Arena's God awful ingame economy, pointed out that Legends of Runeterra has a single player roguelike element to it and I basically popped up a like a startled meerkat. Now, not a fan of Riot or MOBAs at all and it's another huge, colourful series with extended lore and shit that I don't give a poop about but I think I'm like 8 hours of playing the Legends of Runeterra roguelike and I love it. It's a smidge grindy, but in free to play online card game terms, it's positively outrageously generous. It's also been really good for letting me learn the rules without getting run over by people who know how to play. Go fuck yourself Magic Arena.
 
Frank

Frank

Yeah, just from fucking around in the roguelike I have enough resources to build a tier 2 deck. That's....monumentally more generous than Magic Arena.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
To team up with @Terrik is to subject yourself to a non-stop deluge of friendly (and literal) fire.



"You can't prove that." - Terrik, 12/19/2021
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Fate of the World

I've had this game for years. In fact, it might be one of the first games I owned on Steam. And I play it once in a blue moon. It's basically "Fix Climate Change: The Game." It's meant to be something of an educational game. But holy shit, it's hard to actually win a game. Either the global temperature rises too high that the whole world goes to shit, the economy collapses, you run out money, or you piss off a country so much that it bans you from making changes in it anymore (and then lose if you're banned from too many countries).

I've figured out some strategies to win, though. Starting reforesting IMMEDIATELY in South American and South Asia. This at least curbs the collapse of the rain forests, which raises CO2 levels. Also reduce coal use in India and China as soon as possible. Of course, if you do a global ban on coal, then you risk either peak oil or the economy tanking. Helping raise the GDP of poorer nations like Africa and India helps in the long run, too.

The one thing I hate is, in order to keep the global temperature from rising too high where it causes a game over (like 3 degrees higher), you pretty much NEED to use sulphate aerosols to force the temperature down. A lot of countries hate you for it and it wrecks the environment if you keep it running too long. But JUST to win a game, it's almost a necessity.

Funny enough, I REALLY want to see the Spiffing Brit (on YouTube) play this. I can't imagine what kind of crazy exploits he could find.
 
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AshburnerX

AshburnerX

Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Early Access) ($16.74 during Winter Sale)

Live out your dystopian fantasy of selling yourself to a corporation to escape poverty by breaking up space hulks for them, only to be nickle and dimed with fees perpetually as you try to save up enough to buy your freedom and possibly a better life amongst the stars for you and your family. Surprisingly relaxing; it's got a very bluegrass country soundtrack that really hammers home that this game's basically about what life was like in a company town. If you can handle moving in 3D without getting sick, pick up a welder and gravity gun today!
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
AshburnerX said:
Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Early Access) ($16.74 during Winter Sale)

Live out your dystopian fantasy of selling yourself to a corporation to escape poverty by breaking up space hulks for them, only to be nickle and dimed with fees perpetually as you try to save up enough to buy your freedom and possibly a better life amongst the stars for you and your family. Surprisingly relaxing; it's got a very bluegrass country soundtrack that really hammers home that this game's basically about what life was like in a company town. If you can handle moving in 3D without getting sick, pick up a welder and gravity gun today!
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I really wanted to like it, because everything about it is well done except the rate of progression. You have to repeat breaking down the same kind of ship way too many times to get everything you need to move on to the next one.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
We didn't win, but man did Terrik not go down without a running, screaming, sobbing fight.

 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Solitairica

I'm glad I only paid $1 for this. It's not bad, there's just not much there. The creators certainly overestimated the amount of content they put in their own game. It's kinda like a deck-builder lite. You don't actually build your deck, but you do choose what spells and items you buy. You also don't have any choice in the path you follow. It's always fight, shop, fight, shop. Three random fights in each region, with the same regions, in the same order, every time, with only like 4 or 5 different enemy types in each region. There's some variation with modifiers, but it only changes things a tiny bit.

The gameplay is like a crappy version of Uno combined with a crappy version of Solitaire. Colors aren't used for matching, only numbers, and you don't build up stacks on the board, just remove (you don't even add the removed cards to your deck, despite them visually going into your discard pile). Colors matter for gathering mana for spells, and for some how spells or enemy abilities work.

Pros
  • The core gameplay is somewhat fun, and has potential for more.
  • Has a portrait mode when windowed, so I can play the game next to watching something on my single monitor.
  • Making a long chain of cards feels very rewarding, even if it's mostly luck.
Neutral
  • The artwork, sound effects, and interface are acceptable.
  • There are some fun combos that can be pulled off with various spell combinations. This would go in the pro section, if it weren't for the fact that good runs are almost entirely dependent on getting these few combos. One of the many reasons this game is repetitive.

Cons
  • The gameplay is unbalanced. Some spells or items are completely worthless, others are almost essential to get if you want to win.
  • Items vary a lot in power. For instance, an item that gives +2 health is the same cost as an item that gives +2 starting purple energy. The cheapest spell to restore 2 health costs 3 purple energy to cast. There's no way to get more than 10 hearts besides these, rare, health boosting items, and the +mana crystals don't increase your max mana.
  • It's extremely repetitive.
  • There's one spell that makes a huge difference early on (one that makes it easier to earn money to buy better stuff later), nothing else makes a big difference early on.
  • The first three fights are extremely repetitive, no matter what class you choose. They all play out almost exactly the same for every single deck.
  • Unlockable decks don't change the gameplay much. They mostly serve to increase the difficulty, and increase the reliance on RNG. Classes don't really feel much
I don't know why I felt like writing so much up about what is probably a mobile game port. It just feels like there's so much more potential to this concept than actually made it into the game, and I'm pissed at how much it takes to unlock everything, despite the fact that unlocking decks is not unlocking any new concepts to play with.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

GasBandit said:
I really wanted to like it, because everything about it is well done except the rate of progression. You have to repeat breaking down the same kind of ship way too many times to get everything you need to move on to the next one.
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I honestly feel this is an issue of the early access and of how the other chapters aren't in game yet: if you could unlock everything quickly, then you wouldn't come back to the game during release. They do say that they are shooting for 15-40 hours of meaningful content, so it's likely once the full compliment of ships is in, you won't have to repeat many unless you're trying to get a specific achievement.

My bigger issue is that there isn't ALWAYS a way to cut up a shit for 100%.
 
LordRendar

LordRendar

Since i now have a pretty decent gaming rig, I started playing X4:Foundations again. The X series has always been my favorite space sim game. Everspace 2 and Elite Dangerous are nice, but they dont let my pilot big fuckoff ships.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
A friend really wanted to play Back 4 Blood so I bought it with him.

It's better than it was in beta, for the most part. The river bridge/boat mission still is stupidly easy to wipe on for no real good reason, but after that there's a good mixture of different kinds of mission that keep it interesting. Barroom Blitz is probably my favorite. I still don't like the deckbuilding mechanic, but with more levels it feels like it comes more into play now. Melee is also vastly improved from where it was in beta. In beta I mostly played Hoffman for the ammo stuff, but I find myself playing Holly as my main now, because my deck loadout starts me with the "heal yourself by killing with melee" boon and that spiked bat is now a damn mulching machine for the swarms. For the big guys I bring along an AA12.

I'm not saying it's the MUST HAVE MUST PLAY game that L4D2 was, but it's no longer a disappointing kick to the balls.

I will say though that your enjoyment of the game is ENTIRELY dependent on playing with friends. Bots are useless and Randos are cancer.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

GasBandit said:
A friend really wanted to play Back 4 Blood so I bought it with him.

It's better than it was in beta, for the most part. The river bridge/boat mission still is stupidly easy to wipe on for no real good reason, but after that there's a good mixture of different kinds of mission that keep it interesting. Barroom Blitz is probably my favorite. I still don't like the deckbuilding mechanic, but with more levels it feels like it comes more into play now. Melee is also vastly improved from where it was in beta. In beta I mostly played Hoffman for the ammo stuff, but I find myself playing Holly as my main now, because my deck loadout starts me with the "heal yourself by killing with melee" boon and that spiked bat is now a damn mulching machine for the swarms. For the big guys I bring along an AA12.

I'm not saying it's the MUST HAVE MUST PLAY game that L4D2 was, but it's no longer a disappointing kick to the balls.

I will say though that your enjoyment of the game is ENTIRELY dependent on playing with friends. Bots are useless and Randos are cancer.
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For anyone that wants to play it and doesn't want to pay premium prices for it, it's currently available on microsoft gamepass
 
Wahad

Wahad

I got Disco Elysium in the winter sale and just finished a playthrough.

God, but that game is depressing. I figured I should give it a go because everyone I know was lyrical about it, but I do not seem to be the target audience because the only time I was having any fun was when I was actually getting things done in the shadow of competency. That said, the latter half of the game was more my style, because the mysteries were coming to a head.

That said, the whole church questline and everything about The Pale is very cool. I managed to convince Ruby to walk away, I did okay in the tribunal - Kim survived! So those were some nice moments, at least.

I can see why everybody is so up in arms about it, but it really isn't for me.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Wahad said:
I got Disco Elysium in the winter sale and just finished a playthrough.

God, but that game is depressing. I figured I should give it a go because everyone I know was lyrical about it, but I do not seem to be the target audience because the only time I was having any fun was when I was actually getting things done in the shadow of competency. That said, the latter half of the game was more my style, because the mysteries were coming to a head.

That said, the whole church questline and everything about The Pale is very cool. I managed to convince Ruby to walk away, I did okay in the tribunal - Kim survived! So those were some nice moments, at least.

I can see why everybody is so up in arms about it, but it really isn't for me.
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I actually found it rather uplifting, but then I'm already a depressed nihilistic communist so most of it just spoke as truthful to me.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
So, as I said, Back 4 Blood isn't TERRIBLE, but man, is it a lackluster "spiritual sequel" to the L4D series.

Where L4D dialed it up, B4B has phoned it in.

 
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