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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2022 15:49:16 GMT
Dying Light 2
The combat is crap, graphics aren't anything special and the story isn't compelling but it's a lot of fun to play. And that's because of the parkour,they absolutely nail that and you can whizz around the map with ease.
Had quite a few crashes and bugs happen throughout especially towards the end.
7/10
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Apr 7, 2022 17:30:20 GMT
Done with Shadowrun: Hong Kong. It took me about 25 hours, just as long as Dragonfall and it's a lot like that game: An all-around solid RPG-experience that doesn't mess around. It might be comparatively simple and not quite as deep as some other RPGs in some ways, but it also avoids the bloat.
Some people point out how much there is to read, but it's nothing in comparison to Tides of Numenera for instance. And since there also is just the right amount of combat with many opportunities to avoid encounters I liked the pacing just as much as in Dragonfall. The only complaint I have is that there is basically no red thread for about the first half of the game after the introduction.
Characters and their dialogue were fun and though perhaps sometimes a bit too talkative, the writing still felt precise with distinct characters that weren't uselessly babbling and that were usually believable and fun to listen to.
Quite satisfying overall.
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Post by Chopper on Apr 8, 2022 13:04:21 GMT
Done with Shadowrun: Hong Kong. It took me about 25 hours, just as long as Dragonfall and it's a lot like that game: An all-around solid RPG-experience that doesn't mess around. It might be comparatively simple and not quite as deep as some other RPGs in some ways, but it also avoids the bloat.
I probably need to check this out; I've played up to Dragonfall but it was at a time where my gaming expectations were a bit different and I found what I thought were longer levels/battles (compared to Returns) a bit of a drag. I should put it back on the list as I might appreciate it more now.
I finished Iratus: Lord of the Dead. Really, really good, and compares favourably to the grinding quagmire that is Darkest Dungeon. The whole thing clocked in at around 20 hours. There's a quicksave and everything, so even though the final battle took a few tries, at least I was able to do that and didn't lose all my progress.
Would love to spend some more time with it, especially as some new characters unlocked at the end, but the backlog is exerting pressure to push on regardless. Hopefully some day I'll get time to give it another go (along with Trials of Fire, Gloomhaven etc).
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Post by Vandelay on Apr 8, 2022 13:42:21 GMT
Sounds and looks like another Death’s Door. Tunic I found to be an absolutely nightmare in the final quarter of it. I managed to struggle through to the final boss, but ended up having to use god mode to finish it. To put that into perspective, I found Death's Door pretty easy. Can't say I hated Tunic as much as much as Rob though. I really enjoyed its cryptic nature and having to figure out secrets in the manual. That was such a delight for me. There were hints of that right up to the end, so there was still some ments of joy to be had, but mostly I was fed up with it by the time credits rolled. Mentioned this in passing in another thread, but think it is worth highlighting more. Recently finished off Perfect Tides. It is a point & click game, very much in the early style of the genre, pixel art and all. It follows the year in the life of 15/16 year old Mara in the year 2000. Mara lives with her mother and brother on the island of Perfect Tides. The game follows her struggles with friendships and romances, tackling depression, isolation, death, sexual assault and more. I can understand some perhaps dismissing it as a just a bit too teen drama, but it is a truly beautiful game, both visually and through its writing. I genuinely welled up multiple times during it, as well as had a massive grin at others when Mara mentions 02.mp3, do what she says - I ended up with Times Like These and it was perfect . It being set on an island (and a small area of the mainland), locations are fairly limited, but that just helps to build the character of the environment. The cast is tightly packed too, but you get to spend lots of time with many of them. Everything, from the way people talk to the posters seen on the walls of alleyways, screams the year 2000 at you too and it captures the period wonderful, including the teenager's internet life (brilliantly, the slightly older brother is completely oblivious to it as well). If I had any complaints it would be that occasionally I was a little lost as to what to do next. Time pregression is often linked to a specific action and it sometimes should be a bit clearer as to what would trigger this. I did glance at a guide to give assistance a couple of times. There was also a couple of bits towards the end that I wanted to do, but must have mistimed and only managed to half complete, without seemingly any way to finish off. I presume that this would have given be a different ending, although I'm not sure how much of a different ending it would have been. Progresses is mostly done through conversations, which have limited choice. There are a few branching conversations, but not many. There are also some puzzles, which are mostly pretty good. A couple of times I did need to result to combining random things, but it mostly felt quite natural (I think many of the puzzles are optional too). It is all about the writing and the characters though and they are all great. Such a delightful game and one that I will be surprised if it isn't one of my favourite by the end of the year.
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Post by simple on Apr 8, 2022 18:02:19 GMT
NEO: The World Ends With You
I’ve been playing this since launch and only just finished the main quest last night.
There’s a lot that I enjoyed about this despite it taking months to complete. The original was my favourite DS game and this certainly captures the look, feel and sounds of that original world. The combat is probably the best aspect, lots of satisfying flashy attacks to balance out and combine. Part of the reason it took me so long to play was because I was playing it as a pick up and play podcast game just to do an hour or so of grinding.
A few negatives too though. Its been a long time since I played the original but it felt like there was less content - the fashion trend system was downgraded to being basically nonexistent and the pin battling minigame has been removed. The quests were all super basic too, run to location, have fight, thats it. The feature I disliked most though was how the story was told. I’m not really a JRPG player so this might be totally normal these days but the game was structured into chapters framed as days (just like the original) but virtually all the story content was delivered in massive text dump conversations at the start and end of each day. That meant you could be sat 20+ minutes clicking through dialogue boxes into which you had no other input. Towards the end when the story really picks up there are a small handful of fully animated cutscenes which makes me feel like they’d been cutting corners earlier in the game.
Overall, if you liked the original you’ll probably dig this. Its a very shallow experience as an RPG but played as a brawler there’s fun to be had. And lets face it, I wouldn’t put 9 months into something terrible.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Apr 8, 2022 18:06:55 GMT
I wouldn’t put 9 months into something terrible. You won't be saying that when your kid grows up to be a crushing disappointment
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Post by simple on Apr 8, 2022 18:48:08 GMT
Poor Baby Maybe
He got to be a replacement word on here, that’s something at least
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EMarkM
Junior Member
Well, quite...
Posts: 2,149
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Post by EMarkM on Apr 8, 2022 19:54:16 GMT
Poor my child He got to be a replacement word on here, that’s something at least Wait. You called your kid “Minge”? I may have misunderstood slightly…
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Post by dfunked on Apr 8, 2022 20:02:55 GMT
Baybe Maby
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Post by steifybobbins on Apr 8, 2022 21:03:32 GMT
I wouldn’t put 9 months into something terrible. You won't be saying that when your kid grows up to be a crushing disappointment I thought of that joke and was about to type it when I saw this! High Five! Ha I laughed out loud 😄
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2022 20:06:00 GMT
Mirrors edge catalyst on game pass.
I really enjoyed this, but like the first it is very flawed. A great core with shit added on. When it works it is epic, when you nail that free running and doing the parkour stuff. Then you get awkward fights, and sometimes far too far to travel.
A 9/10 and a 5/10 game in one. But I am really glad to have played it, also nice length as the missus says, doesn’t outstay its welcome.
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Post by Chopper on Apr 13, 2022 10:25:52 GMT
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante (PC) This is a choose-your-own-adventure type game where you are born into challenging family circumstances and make your way through life in a fantasy world which is simmering with unrest and which will eventually explode into bloodshed and rebellion. You are swept along in these events, but can shape them according to your life choices. There are many competing factions, summarised into family, church and state, and it's impossible to keep them all happy, so it's up to you what you want to sacrifice in order to shape your destiny.
It's tremendously well done. Interestingly, you can turn on or off (it's on by default) a setting that allows you to see the impact of your stats and the consequences of your actions - so you can play it 'blind' with the stats hidden, or as I did, with stats on. In this mode, you can see at the start of each chapter what stats you need to increase to ensure a certain outcome. This sets up a bit of conflict between what your conscience tells you to do, and what you need to do to get that vital stat up before the end of the chapter. You can always hope that doing the right thing at the expense of your stats will allow you another opportunity later. I missed out on what was possibly the 'best' ending - at least, it was the one I wanted - by one point in one stat. Grrr.
An example of how it works - in the very-minor-spoilery image below, I can do the first three choices, but the fourth is greyed out. I need >0 Willpower to carry out the first choice, and the consequences of that choice are outlined on the right - my Destiny is changed, I lose some of my Willpower stat (which is used for taking certain actions) and might have to make a difficult choice later to get it back up, and I meet Jeanne, and my relationship with her increases.
As a bit of a control freak, I don't know if I could bear to turn this setting off and play blind.
But overall, excellent game. It seems simple at the start, which mirrors the period of your childhood, I guess, but soon complex decisions are coming thick and fast. Decisions are impactful and often close off other routes. Good game!
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Post by Gearoid on Apr 13, 2022 19:11:15 GMT
Animal Crossing New Horizons - finally completed the museum today after two fucking years.
10/10
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Post by unrealkilla on Apr 13, 2022 20:49:25 GMT
Firewatch
This is an utterly intriguing game that I wolfed down in one sitting.
It's a first person adventure mystery story game set in Yellowstone Park.
It's weird. There are multiple story threads that tease a deeper connecting plot. But there kind of isn't one, as far as I can see
I just assumed I'm thick as shit and don't get it so I've spent the last couple of hours watching YouTube theory videos, but it seems like there isn't a single official explanation.
This is a shame because I really enjoyed playing Firewatch, and getting drawn into the story. If anyone can link me a video that actually explains all of it I'd be super grateful.
Highly recommended experience. Please can more people play this so we can compare notes.
8/10
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Apr 14, 2022 5:31:40 GMT
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante (PC) I believe it was free over on gog a while back, but I had never heard of it. Seems quite interesting though.
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Post by Sarfrin on Apr 14, 2022 9:28:56 GMT
Firewatch This is an utterly intriguing game that I wolfed down in one sitting. It's a first person adventure mystery story game set in Yellowstone Park. It's weird. There are multiple story threads that tease a deeper connecting plot. But there kind of isn't one, as far as I can see I just assumed I'm thick as shit and don't get it so I've spent the last couple of hours watching YouTube theory videos, but it seems like there isn't a single official explanation. This is a shame because I really enjoyed playing Firewatch, and getting drawn into the story. If anyone can link me a video that actually explains all of it I'd be super grateful. Highly recommended experience. Please can more people play this so we can compare notes. 8/10 I played it a few years ago. Great game.
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Post by Chopper on Apr 14, 2022 9:43:58 GMT
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante (PC) I believe it was free over on gog a while back, but I had never heard of it. Seems quite interesting though. It's funny - Steam recommended this and Suzerain to me on the same day last year. I picked up Suzerain at the time but kept an eye out for Sir Brante in a sale. I think they are the only Steam recommendations I ever bought. Both excellent, no regrets.
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Post by Chopper on Apr 14, 2022 10:00:29 GMT
Firewatch This is an utterly intriguing game that I wolfed down in one sitting. It's a first person adventure mystery story game set in Yellowstone Park. It's weird. There are multiple story threads that tease a deeper connecting plot. But there kind of isn't one, as far as I can see I just assumed I'm thick as shit and don't get it so I've spent the last couple of hours watching YouTube theory videos, but it seems like there isn't a single official explanation. This is a shame because I really enjoyed playing Firewatch, and getting drawn into the story. If anyone can link me a video that actually explains all of it I'd be super grateful. Highly recommended experience. Please can more people play this so we can compare notes. 8/10 I loved this game but I might disappoint you with my interpretation of events:
From what I remember, it was a story about loneliness and isolation, and finding comfort in a platonic relationship in the unusual close-but-far setup. I see the missing girls and the guy in the mine stories as red herrings - you know all those detective stories where they have an obvious murderer, and then they pull the old switcheroo at the end and pounce on someone unexpected? Same as that - they set up these other stories to provide a framework for Henry and Delilah to spark off each other, provide some doubt as to each other's motives etc, but the problem is that they half-assed the resolution of those stories. They set them up fine, but they didn't conclude them in a satisfactory manner. As a side effect of that, the story looks like it might have a little more depth than it actually does. I find this ambiguity - whether intentional or just because they didn't have the space to resolve the issues satisfactorily - to be fairly common in walking sims. It's the weak point of this game for sure. That said, I didn't mind it at all - the rest of the game was really good so I can let a few missteps slide
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Post by unrealkilla on Apr 14, 2022 10:32:18 GMT
Firewatch This is an utterly intriguing game that I wolfed down in one sitting. It's a first person adventure mystery story game set in Yellowstone Park. It's weird. There are multiple story threads that tease a deeper connecting plot. But there kind of isn't one, as far as I can see I just assumed I'm thick as shit and don't get it so I've spent the last couple of hours watching YouTube theory videos, but it seems like there isn't a single official explanation. This is a shame because I really enjoyed playing Firewatch, and getting drawn into the story. If anyone can link me a video that actually explains all of it I'd be super grateful. Highly recommended experience. Please can more people play this so we can compare notes. 8/10 I loved this game but I might disappoint you with my interpretation of events:
From what I remember, it was a story about loneliness and isolation, and finding comfort in a platonic relationship in the unusual close-but-far setup. I see the missing girls and the guy in the mine stories as red herrings - you know all those detective stories where they have an obvious murderer, and then they pull the old switcheroo at the end and pounce on someone unexpected? Same as that - they set up these other stories to provide a framework for Henry and Delilah to spark off each other, provide some doubt as to each other's motives etc, but the problem is that they half-assed the resolution of those stories. They set them up fine, but they didn't conclude them in a satisfactory manner. As a side effect of that, the story looks like it might have a little more depth than it actually does. I find this ambiguity - whether intentional or just because they didn't have the space to resolve the issues satisfactorily - to be fairly common in walking sims. It's the weak point of this game for sure. That said, I didn't mind it at all - the rest of the game was really good so I can let a few missteps slide Yes the most satisfying way I have found to view the game is that it explores feelings of guilt and missed opportunities, in a setting of loneliness and isolation.
It makes most sense if it's just Ned messing with Henry the whole time, but there are so many things that point to Delilah being in contact and cahoots with Ned - she can clearly see Wapiti fence and station from her lookout, she sends Henry on a mission right across the map to find the axe and you can hear someone following you on the way, then her solution for someone listening in is to give Henry another walkie talkie, but anyone can just scan in and listen to that one as well plus if she can walk all the way to a shop to buy them then she's prepared to walk into Henry's Two Forks territory to hide it, why not just go and meet Henry in person?
Either way, the ending was really unsatisfying, so much so that yeah the best way to see it is as part of the whole thing about platonic/unrequited love, and oh well whatever that was time to move on.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 21:50:55 GMT
Guardians of the galaxy
Golly that was rather good. A good to mediocre game raised to brilliance by the characters, script and genuine heart. I laughed out loud many times, my choices had consequences, music was great, just an awesome game that got better and better as it went on. The last levels… that may be the hardest level in a game I remember, some genuine emotion there.
9/10
7/10 for the gameplay, but the rest is just so so good.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2022 22:13:46 GMT
This guy shut the fridge.
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Post by unrealkilla on Apr 18, 2022 11:05:53 GMT
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Definitive Edition
It's a very lazy remaster of the mobile game, yes. As widely reported it has odd graphical anomalies and glitches, such as a strange ghosting on parts of the vehicles. And some of the character models are weird and fugly. Some of the music tracks have been removed. It's so disappointing considering how much money the GTA series and this trilogy in particular has made R* over the years.
But despite all that, it's not quite that bad. I've always wanted a SA remake in the GTAV engine, but now I don't actually think that would work, the cartoonish presentation suits the game and the era in which it was made, if it looked too serious, modern and real it would actually look very weird.
This does at least look like it's had a mild scrub up. The low poly building models at least have HD textures on them, and they don't actually look too bad. On Series X 60fps performance mode is solid enough too. Although loading up new textures when your flying is horrible.
The best thing this edition does is almost solve the biggest hurdle that playing GTA SA has now which is awkward choppy animations and frame rate, and low Res textures. It now at least looks more playable and you can drive around and move around more smoothly in performance mode.
For sure this "Definitive" edition is far from it, very disappointing and sadly indicative of where R* are these days. But YMMV based on how much of a fan you are of this trilogy, whether you still play them, and to what extent you can overlook the flaws and shortcomings of this remaster.
6.5/10
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2022 17:13:26 GMT
Prey aka System Shock 3
Brilliant. Been ages since a game kept me up until 3am as I just needed one more side mission or one more upgrade.
Took a while to click, but when it did it was absolutely fantastic.
10/10
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Duffman5
Junior Member
big cook, little cook welcome to our cafe
Posts: 1,332
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Post by Duffman5 on Apr 19, 2022 20:21:49 GMT
Prey aka System Shock 3 Brilliant. Been ages since a game kept me up until 3am as I just needed one more side mission or one more upgrade. Took a while to click, but when it did it was absolutely fantastic. 10/10 So need to return to this, vortex is always singing its praises.
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richardiox
Junior Member
Semi proficient
Posts: 1,591
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Post by richardiox on Apr 19, 2022 21:27:50 GMT
Prey aka System Shock 3 Brilliant. Been ages since a game kept me up until 3am as I just needed one more side mission or one more upgrade. Took a while to click, but when it did it was absolutely fantastic. 10/10 So need to return to this, vortex is always singing its praises. Strong contender as most underrated game of the last generation. Revisiting it on Series X with all the Xbox One X enhancements, plus auto-HDR and the 60fps boost is fantastic. On Gamepass too. What's not to like? Anyone who hasn't at least checked it out is a fucking dick.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2022 21:30:38 GMT
It got an FPS Boost on Series X? Might have to go back to it myself.
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Post by dangerousdave on Apr 21, 2022 8:27:03 GMT
Animal Crossing New Horizons - finally completed the museum today after two fucking years. 10/10 Haha. Congrats! I'm still about 6 bugs and 12 fish away, so it could be another year or two for me. I'm still just tinkering with the island layout, which has at least stopped me from starting over like I did with all the older titles.
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Post by dangerousdave on Apr 21, 2022 8:31:56 GMT
Did I already mention that I went back to It Takes Two, having abandoned it when it first came out? I've since completed it, but I don't get the praise it gets. Its so slow. The characters are so annoying. The environments are so big every step feels like padding. The platforming is average. The challenge is non-existent. The abilities, whilst plentiful, are all under utilised. The whole game was a slog.
It sounds like I could be describing a Kirby game, if not for the pacing, but those games at least feel more carefully crafted from a sandbox perspective. It Takes Two leads with its visuals and considers actual level design last.
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Post by rhaegyr on Apr 21, 2022 10:39:22 GMT
Did I already mention that I went back to It Takes Two, having abandoned it when it first came out? I've since completed it, but I don't get the praise it gets. Its so slow. The characters are so annoying. The environments are so big every step feels like padding. The platforming is average. The challenge is non-existent. The abilities, whilst plentiful, are all under utilised. The whole game was a slog. It sounds like I could be describing a Kirby game, if not for the pacing, but those games at least feel more carefully crafted from a sandbox perspective. It Takes Two leads with its visuals and considers actual level design last. I agree with the characters being annoying. Everything else you've said feels like we've played a different game - Slow? Shit level design? Padding?Bonkers. Best co-op game I've played in years.
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Post by dfunked on Apr 21, 2022 11:28:18 GMT
Firewatch - 9/10
Well worth having a blast through it on GP. Only takes a few hours and is a fantastic bit of storytelling.
Annoyingly I started on Xbox and finished on PC which fucked up my achievements. There's also a missable one despite the game having a free roam mode. I'll probably have another full run through it at some point to clean up.
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