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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2022 9:45:08 GMT
Kena.
It's OK, best thing about it is the graphics which can look stunning at times. Especially when it storms. Everything else is just OK, and nothing original about it.
The combat isn't fluid enough for the difficulty spikes it throws at you.
6/10
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Post by RadicalRex on Feb 19, 2022 21:32:39 GMT
Lenna's Inception (Steam) - 7/10
Indie Zelda-like top-down 2D action adventure. The two standout features are A) procedurally generated and B) you can choose to play it in either 8-bit or 32-bit (although I'd call it 16-bit) style. Now if given the choice of having 8-bit audiovisuals, why anyone would even consider anything else is a mystery, so that leaves the procedural generation.
I'm actually impressed by how it manages to create an overworld with all the zeltroidvania progression obstacles in place. Sure, they mostly consist of different types of blocks whose destruction you unlock (no fancy hookshot sequences or anything), but it actually feels pretty close to having been created by a game designer.
What works less well is the dungeons, they feel really random and empty for the most part, like a random distribution of boring rooms. The action is pretty poor too, very simplistic with some terrible hitboxes and lacklustre boss fights. Balancing doesn't exist. It has this in common with many other indie games that focus on exploration and interactive storytelling etc but action is an afterthought that's just there for the sake of being there. Games like Zelda and Golden Axe Warrior aren't the most action-centric games either, but they still do a much better job at it.
The thing with procedural generation is that it's mostly meant to add replay value. But if the first playthrough doesn't make you want to play again, there's no point in it. And that's how this game was for me, reasonably enjoyable and with nice charm, but ultimately not engaging enough to return to after one playthrough.
Playthrough time: 5 hours
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uiruki
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Post by uiruki on Feb 19, 2022 21:57:56 GMT
9. Powerslave Exhumed - PC - 4/5
A great port of a 90s classic with some real care and consideration put into it. Having not played it previously, I was extremely impressed at the quality of the level design (notably, I never got lost in the mazy levels even though I thought the keys and doors were visually too indistinct and the map isn't great) and the weapons were decent, though it did lack a good shotgun equivalent.
The thing that I liked the most was the sense of progression though. It goes from a game where you slowly pick off enemies with a pistol and can tank a fair amount of damage to one where you're a glass cannon flying around spewing fire and lightning from your hands; it reminded me of the progression in Control. The intelligent map design made returning to levels for items and new routes a lot of fun.
Thanks to the addition of checkpoints the game feels surprisingly fresh, too. If I'd been chucked to the start of a level on death I might have found it a bit frustrating but having checkpoints (and no quick saving) meant that I just had to push on rather than getting too caught up on things. I did have to manually restart a level once when I hit a checkpoint with almost no health and a bunch of tough enemies ahead but otherwise it felt nicely balanced.
Having watched some videos of the 'original' PC version running on Build I'd like to give that a look too, as it looks completely different aside from the graphics.
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Post by Sarfrin on Feb 19, 2022 23:32:42 GMT
The Magnificent Trufflepigs
I enjoyed the wandering about fields unearthing stuff gameplay, but the ending was pants. They could have made a way more interesting game out of these mechanics.
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Post by RadicalRex on Feb 21, 2022 4:25:44 GMT
Currently actually trying some of the free games in my ever growing EGS backlog
A Short Hike - 8/10
Very short and easy, I mean, you can't even get hurt. But that's not the point of this game, it's meant to be relaxing and it definitely is. I like the great care put into seemingly little things that shows in the subtle but adorable animation of your little bird, or in how intuitive the controls are. That greatly helps in making this an enjoyable experience as you learn to flap/climb higher and glide farther to reach new places. I also like how it makes perfect sense of one of the most nonsensical game mechanics, the double jump.
Reached the ending after one hour, but there's still stuff left to do and find, will be doing that.
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Post by dangerousdave on Feb 21, 2022 9:13:05 GMT
I refused to beat the game until I was sure I did everything I possibly could. Took about 4 - 5 hours, but I loved it. It's so charming.
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Post by Chopper on Feb 22, 2022 11:26:13 GMT
Victoria II (PC)
Decided to have a learning game of this as the idea of managing your society through Victorian times (the game runs from 1836 to 1936) was appealing. I chose Brazil and followed along closely with this guide/let's play. Brazil starts with a #12 ranking among the Great Powers, and the aim is to finish as high up that ranking as possible. I made it to #9 by the end of the game, but I was just happy to get that far - between reading up on the mechanics and using the guide, the whole playthrough took 20 hours. That could probably be halved by not pausing so much and keeping the time acceleration cranked up.
Sooo, it's a pretty weird game. You run your country by adjusting sliders (tax, mostly), trying to manoeuvre the political parties into supporting reform, trying to get your population's literacy up so that they can embrace the industrial revolution, fighting wars, and researching all the technologies you need to compete with other countries. You can nudge your county down certain paths, eg protectionism versus free trade versus planned economy, but you don't have direct control. Like the Conservatives were the ruling party when I started, and I could only change that over about 40 years. You really try and change societal attitudes by promoting certain policies and let them vote the guys in that they want.
Very interesting; Brazil was very isolated, so it was a much quieter game than if I'd taken someone more in the thick of things. By rights I should start a new game and see if I can steer Russia or the Ottomans to greater glory. It's a big undertaking though.
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Post by Sarfrin on Feb 22, 2022 11:35:01 GMT
Reading that made me wonder if someone could make a Hitman style game where you could change the course of history by assassinating people like "Joris Bohnson" and "Jacob Tree-Frogg".
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Feb 22, 2022 11:58:40 GMT
Almost the very last scene of "Come And See" has something like that where the protagonist obsessively keeps shooting at a portrait of Hitler, each shot reversing history (as seen in flashbacks of historical footage).
And in "Cryostasis - Sleep of Reason" the player could only advance by reversing something bad that had happened to the various characters that you encounter.
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Post by Sarfrin on Feb 22, 2022 12:43:57 GMT
I have a DVD of Come and See somewhere, from the days before on demand.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2022 16:52:45 GMT
I completed the first Horizon last night (and immediately started the second).
Started it at launch, but shelved it as I was deep into Breath of the Wild and NieR Automata. Also I wasn't enjoying it at the time. From the bland characters to how much of a pain it was traversing the world, with the dinobots constantly attacking you and alerting others. Got to Meridian and just stopped.
Came back last week off hype of the new game. For some reason, everything clicked this time. Story got more interesting. I got more weapons and got better at using them. Tripwire and traps in particular helped a great deal. I intended to mainline the story, ended up doing all of the sidequests, barring the training ground trials. Did do the story quest about taking down Redmaw though. I kept getting stronger, so I no longer dreaded running into dinos on the field, but even then I started using the fast travel times to cut down on a lot of the time fillers. By tje end, I was really enjoying it.
So I give it an 8.0. I can't take away how much it put me off at first, but it really does come together the more you play. Or maybe I was just in a different head space. Either way. Solid game.
2 already feels like an improvement regarding moveset.
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Post by Chopper on Feb 22, 2022 20:38:51 GMT
Reading that made me wonder if someone could make a Hitman style game where you could change the course of history by assassinating people like "Joris Bohnson" and "Jacob Tree-Frogg". I guess Watch Dogs: Legion wasn't moddable? I'm sure if it was someone would have put him up on that zipline for target practice.
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uiruki
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Post by uiruki on Feb 22, 2022 22:29:00 GMT
10. Hypnospace Outlaw - PC - 3/5
As much a toy as a game - and a fun and interesting one at that. A somewhat anachronistic Web 1.0 simulator, infused with that typical vaporwave nostalgia for a past that never really existed but it's so dense with detail it's hard not to like it.
I'd have liked a few more chapters but I can see why they didn't do that - there's already a fair amount of flailing about at times trying to find the next bit of the game, and an extended scope would have increased the amount of content exponentially. Ultimately an interesting piece and I think you do get out what you put in, to an extent.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Feb 23, 2022 1:46:42 GMT
XCOM 2 (with the War of the Chosen DLC)
I think this is the 4th time I beat it? It's still great, especially with the Resistance faction classes. There's almost too much content!
Gets less great towards the end, where your guys are so bloody powerful that basically nothing can challenge them anymore. The game is throwing powerful enemies like Sectopods and Gatekeepers at you, enemies that would make you brown your pants when encountered earlier in the game. But you've got so many options at that point that it barely even matters. Even the final mission was annoyingly easy.
But that's not an issue specific to this game; most tactics games I've played are way more compelling at the beginning, where everything is on a knife's edge.
Anyway, still 10/10, would play again. I hope XCOM 3 comes out in the next couple of years. The developers are doing that Marvel/XCOM game, so maybe after that?
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Post by Chopper on Feb 23, 2022 15:20:11 GMT
The Shapeshifting Detective (PC)
I have a lot of time for Wales Interactive's FMV adventures (Late Shift, The Bunker etc) and this one was short and enjoyable. You play as some kind of non-human detective who can shapeshift into other people's bodies, basically using them to uncover clues. Regrettably, I didn't cotton on to this mechanic until about halfway through the game , but enjoyed it nevertheless and discovered the killer first time through. In typical Wales style, there's a pool of different killers, but you use the same-ish clues each time through the game, so they act as both clues/red herrings from playthrough to playthrough. As such, a big part of the enjoyment comes from seeing how the developers have put the game together, and whether they can carry it off. The scene transitions and dependent dialogue were a bit jarring at times in this one, but it delivered the goods in the end.
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Post by Sarfrin on Feb 23, 2022 21:31:20 GMT
Oh nice. I enjoyed the other two you mentioned so I'll have to check this out.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Feb 23, 2022 21:33:04 GMT
It's not the same with high quality video and decent acting
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Post by Chopper on Feb 23, 2022 22:05:30 GMT
It's not the same with high quality video and decent acting I dunno, I also came across this glorious cheesefest today, which looks like something special. Think live action Pubg:
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richardiox
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Post by richardiox on Feb 23, 2022 22:24:52 GMT
It's not the same with high quality video and decent acting I dunno, I also came across this glorious cheesefest today, which looks like something special. Think live action Pubg: "Toodles bitch"
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Post by Chopper on Feb 24, 2022 17:11:37 GMT
Bloodshore (PC)
It had its moments but ultimately didn't match its ambitions as a satire, an action flick, or as a game. I wanted it to succeed but the whole thing collapsed under its own weight in the second half.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Feb 25, 2022 18:12:15 GMT
I have finished my replay of Pillars of Eternity (95 hours). The first time through with a Paladin I did most quests that were available to me, including going to the very bottom of the Endless Paths of Od Nua. But I did neither White March nor Crägholdt.
This time around I mostly ignored Od Nua and didn't do some of the quests available near the end of the game, but I went through most of White March. I guess Crägholdt is left over for a third playthrough at some point in the future.
Notable differences were that I played an "Honest/Benevolent/Diplomatic" "Shieldbearer"-Paladin the first time through. This time with my Priestess of Wael I ended up with "Clever" and "Deceptive" as intended, but wasn't always willing to take available dialogue options when they didn't seem to fit the situation and how I imagined my character, especially with "Deceptive". At times there simply were no "Deceptive" or "Clever" options. So I ended up with a whole lot of "Stoic" as well and a rather random assortment of some others. However, people did rarely care about my dispositions. More about "Deceptive" than about the others. That mattered a little bit in a few dialogues.
I didn't have much trouble with "Hard" difficulty except early on in some optional encounters out in the wilderness. I don't think I had a group wipe after that, though it was pretty close at times, especially towards the end of Durgan's Battery. And I didn't fight any of the dragons and as said also didn't attempt Crägholdt.
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Post by docrob on Feb 26, 2022 11:42:53 GMT
XCOM 2 (with the War of the Chosen DLC) I think this is the 4th time I beat it? It's still great, especially with the Resistance faction classes. There's almost too much content! Gets less great towards the end, where your guys are so bloody powerful that basically nothing can challenge them anymore. The game is throwing powerful enemies like Sectopods and Gatekeepers at you, enemies that would make you brown your pants when encountered earlier in the game. But you've got so many options at that point that it barely even matters. Even the final mission was annoyingly easy. But that's not an issue specific to this game; most tactics games I've played are way more compelling at the beginning, where everything is on a knife's edge. Anyway, still 10/10, would play again. I hope XCOM 3 comes out in the next couple of years. The developers are doing that Marvel/XCOM game, so maybe after that? I actually quite like this about XCOM games - you start off severely outgunned, but there comes a turning point when you start to get the upper hand, and then you can kick arse. It does reduce the challenge in the end game though. The final shot of my WotC campaign was fired by a mind controlled alien which had a 15% chance to hit. This felt appropriate.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Feb 26, 2022 11:56:36 GMT
Yeah I don't want it to be a tense "anyone can die" horror show for the entire campaign. And it is real nice to (for example) get your Ranger with Bladestorm in range of a whole group of Chrysalids, and just watch them run at him and die. That's cool!
It just means that I end up having to think a lot less. And I can make dumb mistakes and it doesn't matter. I like having the power, but I also like being surprised. And the latter third of the game doesn't really do anything to surprise me.
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uiruki
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Post by uiruki on Feb 27, 2022 1:10:54 GMT
11. Horizon Forbidden West - PS5 - 3/5
It's pretty much what I expected. The graphics are much less impressive than they were suggesting if you play in the performance mode, combat is just as flaily and irritating as the original and there's just so much stuff in there. It'd help if people talked a bit more succinctly too. And once again they can't just let a game end properly any more. Nearly knocked another mark off for that.
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zagibu
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Post by zagibu on Mar 2, 2022 13:38:18 GMT
But that's not an issue specific to this game; most tactics games I've played are way more compelling at the beginning, where everything is on a knife's edge. Peak X-Com for me is early game terror from the deep. When the best you have are gas cannons and torpedo launchers. Or early mid game, when you first meet lobstermen.
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Post by dangerousdave on Mar 2, 2022 13:57:58 GMT
...when you first meet lobstermen. You mean Crab People?
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Mar 2, 2022 14:05:58 GMT
But that's not an issue specific to this game; most tactics games I've played are way more compelling at the beginning, where everything is on a knife's edge. Peak X-Com for me is early game terror from the deep. When the best you have are gas cannons and torpedo launchers. Or early mid game, when you first meet lobstermen. Yeah, that's rough. The ending of XCOM 2 strongly suggests that Terror From The Deep will be next. I can't fucking wait, it's going to be so gloriously painful.
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zagibu
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Post by zagibu on Mar 2, 2022 14:08:31 GMT
I've finished the campaign of Battletech. Decent game, although it can be a bit grindy if you are going to hunt for the best equipment. Story was nothing special, but pretty well delivered and fitting with what I know of the Battletech universe.
Sadly, it has the problem that light mechs really aren't worth it, because you only have 4 drop slots, so it just doesn't make sense to waste it with a mech that trades a bit more speed for massive decreases in offensive and defensive capabilities. In the second half of the game, lightest mech I ever dropped with was a 60 ton Quickdraw (mechs range from 20 up to 100 tons), because you don't really need more speed, and otherwise light mechs don't do anything a heavier mech can't do better. They should have limited drop tonnage instead, so you could decide between taking 3 Locusts or 1 Quickdraw.
Otherwise, combat was pretty well done and they managed to provide lots of tactical options, that are really useful in the proper situations. The different weapons, melee, utility modules, jump jets, terrain and environmental features, pilot skills and mission parameters make sure that players encounter some really memorable battles. It's a bit up to the player to make use of all those features, though, because you could certainly blast through the campaign by only doing standard battles with boring laserboat mechs. Still, the campaign missions would provide some variation, as they are often multi-phased and have some surprising turns here and there. All in all I've done over 100 missions, but you could probably finish the campaign with only half that.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the game and would recommend it for anyone who likes complex round based tactics games with some strategic elements mixed in.
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Post by dfunked on Mar 2, 2022 14:14:37 GMT
The Shapeshifting Detective (PC) Ooh, that looks interesting! *opens steam and goes to wishlist it* "The Shapeshifting Detective is already in your Steam library" I'm guessing I bought a bundle after enjoying Late Shift. I'll have to have a look (perfect backlog fodder for the Steam Deck whenever it arrives)
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Mar 2, 2022 15:34:14 GMT
Talking of XCOM 2, it's literally two bucks on Xbox Live right now. I assume it will be completely unapproachable to a novice?
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