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Post by wizbob on Sept 25, 2021 0:17:36 GMT
Question about BotW DLC, is it the kind of DLC it's best to have at the start so you can complete it as you go through the game or just do it at the end? The hero's quest map DLC is incredibly handy to have from the start of the game. |
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Sept 25, 2021 3:21:29 GMT
Yeah, the vast majority of the DLC is challenge content. But the map is so useful that it feels wrong to not have had it in the vanilla game.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Sept 27, 2021 8:55:57 GMT
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Series S)
Have had this in my wishlist for a while, so when it arrived on Game Pass, I jumped on it. The game is fun to play, looks great upsampled, and offers a lenghty campaign. On the other hand, there is not much variety to it (the AA gun missions are very underused), so the length campaign feels padded. The last few levels really ramp up the challenge in not so good ways, because lighting-equipped enemies are very annoying to fight. And I gotta dock a point for the complete lack of any kind of subtitles, by 2003 they really should have known better.
7/10
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Sept 27, 2021 9:59:28 GMT
Assassins Creed Valhalla.
Completion time: 70 hours
A mixed bag. Really enjoyed it for 40 hours or so but the last 20/30 turn into a bit of a slog as you go through the motions of pacifying parts of England. Firstly, the good stuff. It looks great. Think it is done by the same team whom did Origins and it shows. Olde England looks great, the scale, sense of place and history really shines through. It is something they did in Origins really well
(Actually better, but it is still good here). The general set up is interesting and there were moments I became quite invested in the story (but bloated baggage puts an end to that). The side quests are fun and good 5 minute
Distractions - they show a glimpse in English life. I also enjoyed playing on Pathfinder mode where it removed a lot of the bloat on the map and stuff is only added as you come across it.
But the whole game almost falls apart under the sheer size of it. Any momentum and goodwill the game generates through its promising beginning is lost as the motions of pacifying England becomes a bit monotonous. There’s hardly any variety in mission design and you just end up losing interest. The game can’t sustain its size. It’s an odd game in that there is, at first what seems like a lot to do, but you just end up coming across the same 5/6 things you can do in every village or town. A lot of it is meaningless, and thus the game actually by its end feels quite empty. All story momentum is lost and in its final few missions, even couple of areas I ended up rushing through simply because I didn’t care anymore. Which is a shame as the game does draw you in.
3/5 Too big for its own boots
Probably have a little rest from gaming (bouncing of loads of games recently) for a week and a bit before Metroid Dread comes out. Perhaps play a little bit of Warzone too pass the time.
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Post by richyroo on Sept 27, 2021 13:40:43 GMT
Assassins Creed Valhalla. Completion time: 70 hours.....
Valhalla is the first AC game I have binned off. I just cannot be arsed with all the busy work anymore. There are far too many other games to be getting on with and enjoying.
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Post by Wizzard_Ook on Sept 27, 2021 14:29:01 GMT
Assassins Creed Valhalla. Completion time: 70 hours.....
Valhalla is the first AC game I have binned off. I just cannot be arsed with all the busy work anymore. There are far too many other games to be getting on with and enjoying.
Yeah I wanted to a few times but I really wanted to finish it as I have picked up A bad habit of buying games and not finishing them (or even starting them for that matter) recently. |
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Post by richyroo on Sept 27, 2021 14:30:51 GMT
Valhalla is the first AC game I have binned off. I just cannot be arsed with all the busy work anymore. There are far too many other games to be getting on with and enjoying.
Yeah I wanted to a few times but I really wanted to finish it as I have picked up A bad habit of buying games and not finishing them (or even starting them for that matter) recently.
I'm definately guilty of this. I have picked up 3 or 4 games this year alone which I have never finished. I am going to be a lot more choosy in what I purchase in the future.
It does help that I now have a Series X and gamepass, so wont be buying many games anyway from now.
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Post by uiruki on Sept 27, 2021 16:08:52 GMT
48. Lost Judgment - Xbox Series X - 5/5
A real barn-burner of a game. As much as I love all the rich side content in RGG Studios' games, once I hit about the mid point of the story I just had to go main quest non-stop until I got to the end of the story. Tense and gripping with plenty of great character moments and a fully integrated setting that wouldn't work if it wasn't for what had come previously.
In terms of game system improvements, I'm happy with the compromises they made. Tailing is less boring and flows much better, chases are more consistent so you don't need to be staring at the middle of the screen for prompts, mortal attacks have gone (mostly) from something you run away from to opportunities for high damage, your tools for avoiding encounters are better than ever while rewards for battles make them much less of a waste of time - all fundamental improvements which keep the nature of the game while reducing frustration. The only blot on the copybook really is the insta-fail stealth but you can retry fairly quickly and they're mechanical enough that once you've worked it out you're fine.
Special call out to the soundtrack too, they've really gone for it this time around with lots of special themes and battle tracks. Great stuff.
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LTK
New Member
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Post by LTK on Sept 28, 2021 21:50:44 GMT
I just finished Spiritfarer, and while I have a few gripes with it, overall it's astonishing how well it hits the bullseye on basically every aspect. The animation is marvelously intricate, it brings the characters to life and it makes even the most mundane activity a joy to watch. The core gameplay loop is tight and well-designed, you always have something to do and something to look forward to. The crafting minigames are just difficult enough to be engaging but not so much to be frustrating (with the possible exception of smithing). The music is evocative and memorable, and it still pops into my head from time to time. The dialogue is great, it manages to be funny, poignant and sometimes even insightful. I just can't think of another game that does so many things so right.
I'm trying to think of another game that has the same level of charm, polish and - as much as I hate the term - amount of content but I'm coming up blank. Wandersong and A Hat in Time have that same sense of unbridled optimism from the main character, Pyre has a similar theme of letting go of those you love, and the newer Rayman games are just as detailed in their animations, but none of them come close to Spiritfarer. I can hardly believe it exists!
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malek86
Junior Member
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Post by malek86 on Sept 29, 2021 6:08:57 GMT
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)
A blatant Gears clone at a glance, and once you dig in, you start seeing even more similarities. Yet it does try to add a few spins to the formula. There is more focus on melee, at least in the first half of the game, but in the second half you'll just get destroyed if you try to close the distance so it reverts to a basic shooter. There are no guns to pick up from the field (you only get them at specific points), and enemy types are few, so overall variety is minimal. Won't comment on the story because I'm not a W40K buff, but while it was pretty predictable overall, it did manage to throw a curveball or two.
Overall, it's still decent fun, and the guns in particular do feel nice to use. That's important in a shooter, so I'm going to be generous.
7/10
I might go on an early 2000's shooters spree next. I have already lined up Chaser (which is supposedly mediocre to bad, but the tutorial had heavy Half-Life vibes so I'm gonna give it a chance) and Chrome. And maybe finally get around to NOLF2.
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Post by bichii on Sept 29, 2021 11:20:30 GMT
Battlefield hard-line
Pretty average but I enjoyed it more than a cod campaign. Had some half decent missions and a half decent story that kept me mildly entertained.
Think I might play prey of Dishonored next.
6/10
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Sept 29, 2021 16:41:19 GMT
Bloodborne
Think I started this a couple of years ago, abandoned it at least twice, but now I've finally got an ending. It was my first From Software / Soulslike game and I think I enjoyed it. Loved the world and the atmosphere, and I like to think I'll give it another play through at some point to do a couple of bosses I missed/get a different ending/try the dlc.
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Post by suicida on Sept 30, 2021 20:55:19 GMT
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS)
Playtime: 88 hrs
This game is basically fan service for people who loved the characters from Persona 3 and 4, and is a "what if" those characters got together for a big adventure. Gameplay is basically Etrian Odyssey (first person dungeon crawling while drawing your own map on the lower touch screen) with a turn based combat system that is a brilliant combination of EO and SMT/Persona.
The story is well told with some great writing. I'm a huge fan of the Persona series, particularly P4, and I loved being able to spend some more time in the company of Chie, Kanji, Yukiko, and the rest of the gang. There are two new characters introduced in this game, and they are both great. The story takes a pretty dark turn near the end, and I ended up getting pretty invested in seeing it through to the end.
The Persona summoning and fusion mechanics will be familiar to anyone who has played the series before, and is one of my favourite elements of the whole series. It really is a min-maxers dream, you can tailor you characters skills and abilities to really craft the perfect party to ruthlessly exploit the combat system and grind your enemies into dust. One character in particular can get ridiculously game-breaking with the right skills and it's so satisfying when you work this out. One of my favourite trademarks of Persona/SMT is the fact that status effects and buffs/debuffs (often pretty useless in other RPGs) are the key to most battles. Even against bosses. This is in full effect here and I beat the final boss of the game by locking it down with status effects, so satisfying.
The dungeons themselves are really well designed and fun to explore, with some light puzzles but nothing too taxing.
My only issues would be that the final dungeon was a little too drawn out (I ended up skipping a few of the later side quests as I just wanted to get to the end) and that playing both P3 and P4 to the end is required before playing this if you want to have any idea of who anyone is. Without being a fan of the series it's still a great dungeon crawler but the characters and writing add so much more to it.
I rate Persona Q a fantastic 9 hee-ho's out of 10
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Post by dfunked on Sept 30, 2021 22:22:16 GMT
Kena: Bridge of Spirits - 8/10
For a first game from an animation studio they pretty much nailed this one out the gate. They've clearly borrowed bits and pieces from other games but it still felt somewhat fresh.
Lovely graphics (apart from the jarring 24fps drops), wonderful score, fun combat, not overly long, nice puzzles and an entertaining story (even if it could do with spending a bit more time on Kena)
The difficulty on normal is absolutely fine until you reach certain bosses who can ruin your day in a couple of hits, so it ended up getting dropped down to story mode to avoid going to the abandoned game pile of shame.
My main negative point was probably the currency that exists purely to buy hats that you've already unlocked, and the rewards for tricky cursed chests being said bloody hats. Think I ended the game with 9000+ unspent hat-bux.
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malek86
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Pomegranate Deseeder
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Post by malek86 on Oct 3, 2021 7:07:56 GMT
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye (Series S)
Well then. At first I was afraid it couldn't live up to the original. And there are admittedly a few design decisions that, early on, I didn't appreciate much. Fast forward a few hours, and those same design decisions had already hooked me. It's a different beast from Outer Wilds in some ways, yet the soul is the same.
That said, there are a few things that I wish had been a little different. I'll keep the spoilers for the other thread (under spoilers of course), but let's just say that if Outer Wilds was basically the best game of the past decade, then perhaps Echoes of the Eye is "merely" the best game of the last two years.
10/10
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dogbot
Full Member
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Post by dogbot on Oct 3, 2021 7:32:16 GMT
Finished God of War, my second playthrough.
Managed to do 7/8 Valkyries this time, had far better armour come the end than I did the first time through and did a lot more side quests. Don't know if I have the steam to do Nifelheim and the last Valkyrie, but it's been an excellent time and great fun.
9/10
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Post by Techno Hippy on Oct 3, 2021 7:57:48 GMT
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)A blatant Gears clone at a glance, and once you dig in, you start seeing even more similarities. Yet it does try to add a few spins to the formula. There is more focus on melee, at least in the first half of the game, but in the second half you'll just get destroyed if you try to close the distance so it reverts to a basic shooter. There are no guns to pick up from the field (you only get them at specific points), and enemy types are few, so overall variety is minimal. Won't comment on the story because I'm not a W40K buff, but while it was pretty predictable overall, it did manage to throw a curveball or two. Overall, it's still decent fun, and the guns in particular do feel nice to use. That's important in a shooter, so I'm going to be generous. 7/10I might go on an early 2000's shooters spree next. I have already lined up Chaser (which is supposedly mediocre to bad, but the tutorial had heavy Half-Life vibes so I'm gonna give it a chance) and Chrome. And maybe finally get around to NOLF2. I'd be more than happy to see a Space Marine sequel. |
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Post by simple on Oct 4, 2021 16:43:16 GMT
Donut County - 9/10 Well that was just lovely... A nice Katamari style gobble-em-up that's over before you know it. Well worth putting a couple of hours into. I'm so pleased to find someone else who just enjoyed this game for what it was. I mentioned it a few times in the old place but when I was on paternity leave and my wife was trying to catch up on her sleep I’d have my son in one arm and play Donut County one handed with the other. Big love for that game. |
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Post by tonyferrino on Oct 4, 2021 16:53:02 GMT
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)A blatant Gears clone at a glance, and once you dig in, you start seeing even more similarities. Yet it does try to add a few spins to the formula. There is more focus on melee, at least in the first half of the game, but in the second half you'll just get destroyed if you try to close the distance so it reverts to a basic shooter. There are no guns to pick up from the field (you only get them at specific points), and enemy types are few, so overall variety is minimal. Won't comment on the story because I'm not a W40K buff, but while it was pretty predictable overall, it did manage to throw a curveball or two. Overall, it's still decent fun, and the guns in particular do feel nice to use. That's important in a shooter, so I'm going to be generous. 7/10I might go on an early 2000's shooters spree next. I have already lined up Chaser (which is supposedly mediocre to bad, but the tutorial had heavy Half-Life vibes so I'm gonna give it a chance) and Chrome. And maybe finally get around to NOLF2. My two recommendations whenever anyone mentions playing old(ish) shooters - Singularity and Binary Domain. The first is a Bioshocky hidden gem, the second is a clever story hidden in a batshit-insane Japanese Gear of War ripoff from the makers of the Yakuza series. |
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Post by Mr Wonderstuff on Oct 4, 2021 22:06:09 GMT
Yea both of those are good games...I loved blowing the limbs of the robots in Binary Domain.
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Post by 😎 on Oct 5, 2021 4:57:25 GMT
I finished another play through of Yakuza 0 just now and for fucks sake I forgot it’s got more endings than Lord of the Rings. I think it’s nearly an hour since the last QTE and I’m still waiting for the frigging new game + screen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2021 8:52:51 GMT
Singularity is a brilliant game. I really miss it when Raven just put out solid shooters before they got sponged up into the CoD pants party.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Oct 5, 2021 9:46:41 GMT
Heh, Raven was always kinda hit and miss. Perhaps more miss than hit. Hexen was great, but Hexen 2 was super boring, then Quake 4 was pants and Wolfenstein the very definition of mediocre.
I'd like to try Soldier of Fortune, but I'm still waiting for a big sale on GOG.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2021 9:47:46 GMT
Soldier of Fortune was great at the time, not sure how well it would hold up now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2021 9:59:45 GMT
Depends on your view of course. I personally have loved pretty much everything they've put out. SoF was hilariously violent. The sequel even more so as it stepped the gore up a few notches. I've a lot of time for Quake 4 and Wolfenstein.
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Post by simple on Oct 5, 2021 22:57:26 GMT
I enjoyed Quake 4. It was very straight ahead no fussing but the shooting was satisfying.
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Post by simple on Oct 5, 2021 23:09:15 GMT
Psychonauts 2 (PS4 Pro)
This was a lot of fun. Plenty of issues to nitpick at like sketchy platforming, long load times, wonky pacing, dated graphics, but the game is so good I can forgive them all because the game is funny, has inventive levels, creative visuals and is just an enjoyable experience and a lovely change of pace to most high profile releases these days.
I can see people being put off by it being essentially a super-charged PS2 game but it gets a big recommendation from me.
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Post by richyroo on Oct 5, 2021 23:13:49 GMT
Psychonauts 2 (PS4 Pro)This was a lot of fun. Plenty of issues to nitpick at like sketchy platforming, long load times, wonky pacing, dated graphics, but the game is so good I can forgive them all because the game is funny, has inventive levels, creative visuals and is just an enjoyable experience and a lovely change of pace to most high profile releases these days. I can see people being put off by it being essentially a super-charged PS2 game but it gets a big recommendation from me.
I am not sure if it is beacuse I played this on the Series X, but to counter a couple of your points:
Load times: Very short. Platforming: Fun, not sure what was sketchy about it Dated graphics: Now I know this is subjective, but I thought the graphics in 4k HDR were truly spectacular. Some of the best I have seen and a proper showcase for HDR (Casino level and neon lights in particular was jaw dropping).
Calling this a "super charged PS2 game" is just crazy talk.
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Post by simple on Oct 5, 2021 23:38:20 GMT
I suppose what I mean is that colourful cartoon action platformers like this and Ratchet & Clank are more in keeping with a genre that was top tier on PS1 and 2 before military shooters fully took over and turned everything grey and brown for two console generations. In that sense I don’t think its unfair or even particularly a negative to say its a supercharged PS2 game.
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Vortex
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is apparently a mangina.
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Post by Vortex on Oct 6, 2021 9:55:02 GMT
Psychonauts 2 definitely had some iffy platforming bits.
I'm not a big fan of the platform genre, and while most was ok, there were some annoying bits.
I enjoyed it overall, but the longer i spend away from it, the more I feel it was more average than i originally felt. Cracking premise, just some lacklustre execution in some areas. No doubt due to lack of resources.
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