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Post by simple on Nov 17, 2021 21:16:27 GMT
I was pretty disappointed by HZD. I think I was hoping for a techno-Skyrim but it was closer to more of a beastie Ubisoft thing.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2021 21:25:12 GMT
It was Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider with robots.
I wasn't a big fan either. It's gorgeous though, and the new one might be the most impressive looking game I've ever seen.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Nov 17, 2021 21:36:59 GMT
I did really enjoy HZD, but I wish these open world games would respect peoples time more. You could have had the exact same world, had the interesting side quests and dispensed with the collectathons and zeroed in a lot more to leave about 20 hours of gameplay. You would still have the lore, the characterisation but none of the metal flower bullshit. I remember when COD 4 came out, the campaign was about 4-5 hours long, but the campaign was really enjoyable. A lot of people complained about the shortness, but I really enjoyed the brevity of it. I wish more games did the same. An example would be a lot of netflix shows, the story could be told quite easily in 6-8 episodes, but they come out in 13 episodes and have 'flashback' episodes and shite. Just narrow it down, I don't have the time anymore. Isn't the point of an open world to fill it with 'content' to artifically increase the playtime?
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 17, 2021 22:08:05 GMT
I did really enjoy HZD, but I wish these open world games would respect peoples time more. You could have had the exact same world, had the interesting side quests and dispensed with the collectathons and zeroed in a lot more to leave about 20 hours of gameplay. You would still have the lore, the characterisation but none of the metal flower bullshit. I remember when COD 4 came out, the campaign was about 4-5 hours long, but the campaign was really enjoyable. A lot of people complained about the shortness, but I really enjoyed the brevity of it. I wish more games did the same. An example would be a lot of netflix shows, the story could be told quite easily in 6-8 episodes, but they come out in 13 episodes and have 'flashback' episodes and shite. Just narrow it down, I don't have the time anymore. Isn't the point of an open world to fill it with 'content' to artifically increase the playtime? I mean, the point of it should be to give the player sufficient amount of *interesting* content, or worthwhile things for them to do. Ymmv on what exactly counts as worthwhile for you, but for me hunting for icons, picking herbs, doing timed challenges, completing MMO-style "bring me X number of Y" quests for charmless humans... that ain't it. HZD isn't really the worst culprit in this, but the gamey elements in it probably disappointed me more because of how compelling the other stuff was. Like a turd in a delicious birthday cake, I can't have completely good memories about it on account of the poo.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Nov 17, 2021 22:11:54 GMT
If I actually found a turd in a birthday cake, I think the memory of the turd would automatically override any possibly good memory I might have about it.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 17, 2021 22:14:05 GMT
So I guess then the question is what open world games should do. Assuming that they don't want to kill the dev team from overwork making sure the world is both huge and filled with detail and meaningful content (hello Witcher 3, how's it going RDR2), the answer is probably to scale things down a bit. So have a small world with fewer things in it, but put a lot of thought and care into those things. Like, say, the last few Yakuza games.
I think BotW is another good example of how to do an open world. Though it's maybe a bit *too* sparse, there's a lot of joy in making your own markers on the map and seeing what you find there. Usually it's a korok seed, but those are always cool to find, and don't require you to constantly be looking at icons on a map.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 17, 2021 22:16:58 GMT
If I actually found a turd in a birthday cake, I think the memory of the turd would automatically override any possibly good memory I might have about it. Yeah I guess the analogy is flawed. I was just trying to think of something that you would actually really enjoy, were it not for things getting in the way of that enjoyment.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Nov 17, 2021 22:20:35 GMT
Scaling things down a bit is what partially-open world games like Gears 5 and Metro Exodus have done, and it really doesn't work. The open areas seem more like a waste of time.
I could cite Outer Wilds as an example of an open world game that works, but that's actually a very different example, as it's more like an interconnected array of locations. It's more like Dark Souls or Wind Waker than Skyrim, but with the added extra that what you do in some places is also relevant and impacts the other places.
Frankly, I think that's the solution. Not filling the world with different things to do that don't really matter (even TW3 and BOTW are guilty of that), but making sure that everything you find in the world is significant. But considering that Outer Wilds had been in development for like 6 years... well, I'm not sure it could be fit in an AAA publisher's schedule.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Nov 17, 2021 22:27:49 GMT
What I meant is that I imagine the reason many devs/publishers start out making an open world game is because it's easy to lazily fill them with filler content
The open world games I've enjoyed have all been on the more sparse side
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Post by steifybobbins on Nov 17, 2021 22:38:17 GMT
What I meant is that I imagine the reason many devs/publishers start out making an open world game is because it's easy to lazily fill them with filler content The open world games I've enjoyed have all been on the more sparse side Same here. I love the sparse nature of BOTW the mystery, sense of adventure and anticipation of possibly finding something was much more rewarding to me than any open world game stuffed with "things" to do. Even The Witcher 3 had too many icons and some pretty boring quests In the 30-40 hours I managed before giving up. I blame the icons, I hate icons because I personally forget to explore and simply tear around after them if they are present.
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 17, 2021 22:40:04 GMT
I don't know if it's always as cynical as the developers planning to have loads of lazy, artless content. To me it sometimes feels like developers start planning something super ambitious, but then oh fuck oh fuck we're out of dev time quick get some filler in there.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Nov 18, 2021 22:18:21 GMT
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD (PC)
An atypical Oddworld game, with almost zero platforming and a lot of action. It works essentially as a shooter, but even so, it manages to set itself apart from other shooters thanks to its absurdist western setting, weapons that are different from the norm, and a general encouragement to capture your enemies for their bounties rather than just killing them, which means you are better off trying to lure them to isolated spots so you won't be interrupted by other enemies.
It all works quite well... but then in the second half there's a big reveal and the game becomes a standard shooter. It doesn't even work well, because the weapons don't work as well when you are being swarmed with enemies. It's still not very hard, but it's a pain nonetheless. The level design gets much more repetitive too. Even the story drops the ball.
Too bad, because the first half really showed promise.
6/10
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Nov 19, 2021 4:48:08 GMT
What I meant is that I imagine the reason many devs/publishers start out making an open world game is because it's easy to lazily fill them with filler content The open world games I've enjoyed have all been on the more sparse sideFar Cry 2 is definitely one of those. Some people find it boring, but I have always enjoyed soundscape and music quite a lot. And the good AI and possibility to change up loadouts and playstyle are helpful as well. Trying to get everywhere on the roads can be annoying, but I have once done a whole playthrough basically walking everywhere and that still worked for me.
Bokida would be another one, but that one isn't really a traditional open world. It's more about moving around and exploring and occasionally solving a puzzle.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2021 10:58:52 GMT
Forza horizon 5 Got to the "hall of fame" which counts as complete, no cutscene or anything. The game feels like expansion pack to 4, I would not be surprised that the new motorsport game got delayed and FH5 got brought forwards to fill the gap. The opening mission is the best but it never reaches those heights after that. The game looks amazing on series x, 4k hdr but everything feels very familiar, I don't buy "its a racing game you can't do anything else" Also the music is not as good as past games, no Chvrches If you have gamepass then its no brainer for something to play but I don't thinks its worth buying unless its first Forza horizon game 7/10 if you have gamepass
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 21, 2021 9:24:28 GMT
Returnal - 10/10
An incredible experience. A genuine treat. Graphically everything looks amazing, you have the dour doomy ruined landscapes contrasted with the alien enemies and then boom - they chuck everything at you. It's bullet-hell in 3D and it's probably the most times I've said 'Wow'in a game. Then the sound - probably the best sound in a game ever, I don't even think it's close. The guns sound like all hell breaking loose, and the soundtrack by Haxan Cloak is immense. Headphones give you a genuine advantage, allowing you to locate enemies outside your field of view.
The game itself feels perfect - the traversal, aiming, everything just works to give you complete control, which you need because it's very very tough. It does that trick when entering a new area where it feels impossible and unfair, and then an hour later you're shredding through the level. There comes a point in each area when you know you can do it and you're chomping at the bit to take on the boss. I don't think there was ever a point where I died unfairly.
The level design is up there with From Soft at times, they loop round into each other and there were a couple of realizations about where I was that gave me that Dark Souls feeling.
If you have a PS5 then you really do need to give this a serious go.
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Post by uiruki on Nov 22, 2021 21:47:35 GMT
52. Fate/Grand Order - iOS - 3/5 (Lostbelt 5 part 2)
Trying to catch up after a year and a half without a commute as the game wants me to complete 5.5 and 6 by next month for events. I feel like the game's losing its way; in terms of story it's feeling more and more formulaic (arrive in area, nearly get killed, find resistance, bad guy turns to your side, you carry on, stakes increase, big bad wasn't actually that bad, you win) and the battle system's just completely busted at this point. I'd mind less if you could skip NP animations or if you got a better heads up on which bits of text can be skipped and which are directly related to the story. If I'm in a hurry to get through then I'd rather be able to just ignore the stuff involving characters who will die at the end of the chapter.
53. Exo One - PC - 4/5
Another game that's great on Game Pass. Only a couple of hours long but visually striking and based around a super fun mechanic: you basically turn the gravity up, catch hills and 'flick' yourself off ramps and slopes. Really cool.
54. The Artful Escape - PC - 3/5
A decent evening's entertainment. It's got a great look and definitely has good presentation (although there were a few bits where my system would just go under 20fps for seemingly no reason). The game itself was a bit crap though, with swimmy movement and I didn't like the buttons they chose for the music parts.
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Post by Techno Hippy on Nov 23, 2021 18:11:04 GMT
Hades
I'm using completed in its loosest sense, but the credits are rolling and it's simply fantastic. The combat is spot on, with enough meta-progression to keep even my rubbish skills wanting more. I'll no doubt keep dipping in to see what else there is to discover and complete more prophecies.
Zagreus is a moany twat though.
10/10
Diablo 2
Completed in the sense that I've played through a story campaign, but I have started new playthroughs with different characters and difficulty.
10/10
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Post by Rich on Nov 25, 2021 17:15:45 GMT
Sinking City
A Lovecraft based detective/horror game. It's ok, edging towards being a bit shit. There's some nice ideas as you go around investigating crimes, but it's far too repetitive, with none of the cases being that interesting, and the combat is terrible and more of an annoyance than anything.
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Post by beastmaster on Nov 25, 2021 23:58:48 GMT
Far Cry 6 - 8.5/10
Love this franchise. This is certainly one of the better entries. Loved the characters and the story. Yep, it's the same old Far Cry and it's a icon frenzy but there's a lot of variety in there. Treasure hunts, missions, taking out bases etc. Loved the "not Cuba" setting. I've been a couple of times and the in-game music and atmosphere is spot on.
Far Cry 2 was the best for me though. I think they've done some DLC such as Vass Insanity but at the moment, I'm totally burned out on this. I had a look at the Special Ops and just can't face them at the moment. Did a few bases and checkpoints tonight but not enjoying it as near as much now.
Was kind of hoping this would keep me going till Halo Infinite but it's not going to do it. Never played Skyrim so very tempted with that but that just seems like another 200 hr time sink. Probably end up doing Halo Infinite MP instead.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2021 13:22:56 GMT
Metroid Dread
My first actual Metroid game despite loving the genre it spawned. The level design and drip feed of abilities is perfect and you always feel like you're improving but still have a challenge. Loved the boss and EMMI sections, it earns the Dread part with those.
But the controls are fucking shite. I don't know if it's because I played on the Lite but if gave me scary movie strong hands in parts. Which is a shame because it flows really well in parts. And the last boss can do one, didn't have an issue with the others or EMMI, but he was just a bastard.
7.5/10 would have been a half point higher if the controls were a bit more intuitive.
And shout out to Phattso for letting me borrow it, a really kind gesture.
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Nov 27, 2021 17:52:58 GMT
Tales of Berseria
Finally completed it after abandoning it a few years ago. Mostly enjoyed it, but was a real slog towards the end. Story was interesting at points though really sagged in the middle, and the characters whilst initially good in that they're not all a bunch of 'plucky kids wanting to save the world with the power of friendship' still grated by the end. It really was far longer than it needed to be. Could have easily trimmed about 20 hours off I think.
Combat was generally shit though and I set it to auto for the last couple of dungeons, only taking control for the bosses.
Think I'll wait a bit before starting Arise, though heard it's a lot better.
6/10
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2021 9:01:26 GMT
Omno
Its nice relaxing little game, one annoying thing is the jumping is really bad. At first its not bad but later on when you you need to jump then dash and the little bastard sometimes refuses to climb up. This could be fixed if the jump was little higher but it feels gimped by the devs (either they don't know how annoying it is at times or they did it on purpose to pad out the short game length)
Apart from that the music is chilled and not that challenging. Good gamepass game
8/10 (would be higher if the jumping was better)
Mighty goose
Mostly enjoyed it. When you first play it, its very hard as you have no power ups and gets really annoying and feels cheap at times and the bosses can a bit shit but when you get better power ups it gets much easier. Also once you did the final boss, the game makes you do the other world which is the same levels but slightly harder but you have the best abilities and its not much harder. If you beat the final final boss, its the same ending. You just get god mode power up
its gamepass/10 type of game, you complete it then will never play it again
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Post by LockeTribal on Nov 28, 2021 10:28:42 GMT
Donut County
Played through on my phone via game pass cloud. Great fun, perfect length and worked okay via the cloud (although the last bit would have been easier with a controller and less latency). Easy recommend.
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Nov 28, 2021 14:05:28 GMT
Forza 5.
Good, if unspectacular. It's basically Forza 4. Which isn't a bad thing as the core gameplay is good fun, but it never really builds upon the fantastic opening, and interesting (sort of) first few missions. It feels like they had a great idea for an opening act and thats it. Theres nothing more, just a endless checklist of races, your usual jumps, billboards, trailblazers etc to finish.
Sadly it actually fizzes out a little bit. Its like a bottle of champagne really. But theres a lot to do, and its well worth the asking price. Handling is great though, and the races have some spectacle to them, dirt races have a nice Sega rally feel, and street races look gorgeous against their twilight back drops.
Some of the older issues still persist - uneven difficulty, and at a certain point, an apathy starts to take over as you just start to cross off events and the growing realisation that theres no real challenge here, the game is content for you just to come wherever in races and showcases are minutely arrange that you don't really fail them.
4/5
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Post by スコットランド on Nov 28, 2021 22:15:15 GMT
Quantum Break - Xbox Series XThis seemed to have mixed reviews but I loved it to bits. - Really enjoyable and well executed story with good acting .
- Excellent visuals despite being a few years old now.
- Mix of live action video between acts and the game worked well
- Special powers were fun.
The gunplay was average at best and there were some fps drops in cutscenes but was a very satisfying experience. 8.5/10
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Nov 29, 2021 20:44:55 GMT
Armed and Dangerous (Series S)
Pretty much MDK3, made by the same guys that made MDK1. Unfortunately the shooting itself is not much to write home about, next to its more famous predecessor. It is serviceable, with some mindless fun to be had for sure, but nothing more (there is also a gun that shoots land sharks... much like the Cerebral Bore from Turok 2, it is more awesome than actually useful).
So you are really playing the game to see the next cutscene. These are all funny, not a single one misses the mark. You could say this is what a Monty Python game should be like. There are about 60 minutes of cutscenes, so you could realistically make a movie out of them. I'm pretty sure someone on Youtube has done exactly that. It is glorious.
8/10
A bit generous overall, given that the game itself isn't all that. But then again, those shrub patrol robots had me rolling on the floor.
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Post by erekose on Nov 30, 2021 12:46:54 GMT
Yeah, GoW is one that I've tried twice now and just never really felt the urge to continue after a certain point. It looks absolutely lovely, cleaving monsters in half never gets old and Norse mythology is legitimately interesting to me... It should be a sure thing, but meh... Presume you meant recently abandoned?... Yep, oops! Sounds like you had the same experience as me though.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2021 16:35:34 GMT
Echo Generation
Shame it was released in the state it was, not broken like other games but the whole game needs rebalancing. The patch from monday really helped as the balancing was so broken before (few major issues like cat character not joining you, who you need to heal early on + more)
The devs had feedback from the summer demo and they ignored it all as majority of players on all platforms said the button timing was too hard and the damage you take even if you block was too high. For a month it was mess until the 1st patch
The game is nice simple RPG, its suppose to be 90's nostalgia but you can say its the 80's and you can tell the difference. Its very much play it on gamepass
5.5/10 now - shame as it could of been 8/10 or more if it was released better balanced
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Post by robthehermit on Dec 3, 2021 14:57:36 GMT
The Ascent
Another game I would probably have never played if not for Game Pass, which would have been a shame because I do like a twin stick shooter. It's not without it's issues, fast travel is next to useless and getting to the next objective takes way too long as a result. There's very little variation in anything as the game progresses and after an hour or so you will have seen pretty much everything the game has to offer with the rest of your time with it being more of the same, that's not necessarily a bad thing depending on what you want out of it. For me, I just wanted some mindless violence with a bit of story if you really have to and I enjoyed it more than I should have. Most of the bugs seemed to have been worked out now and anyone starting out now should have a lot easier time than the rest of us had. I'm going to give it 7.5 out of 10 which is less than I would have liked it to get but probably more than it deserves.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2021 11:02:40 GMT
Flynn: son of crimson
Nice little gamepass game and fairly short to complete, well worth playing (also has no player damage option to turn on and off if you get stuck) Its a game that has gone under the radar, its 2d adventure with hack and slash. One thing that got annoying was the scourge lockdown, that makes re-do an old level to unlock the rest of the map, happens about 6 or 7 times. Cheap way to pad out a short game
8/10
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