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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 17, 2023 14:11:18 GMT
I tried playing Dishonored 2 recently and found the framerate on Series X near unplayable. It's never bothered me before The first and Outsider both have 60fps, so it's a shame Outsider is worth playing anyway. There's a couple of really good missions and I really liked the story
Recommend playing DLC for the first game if you haven't already as it basically continues the story from that
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Oct 18, 2023 6:09:00 GMT
Dishonored 2 Epic a "banger" and 10/10. Second run, first one in a few years though, so had forgotten a fair amount. Both runs with Emily (I thought I had used papa the first time!) and both high chaos. I have just started NG+ this time actually going with Corvo and I am going for low chaos. I did download The Outsider, so might jump on that as well. I know it does not get the same love as 1&2 but I enjoyed it first time around in 2017 Really need to get back for a second playthrough at some point. Corvo should be interesting, though I don't really know if I want to go with High Chaos yet.
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zagibu
Junior Member
Posts: 1,861
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Post by zagibu on Oct 18, 2023 16:32:50 GMT
Firewatch. I actually wanted it to go on longer, despite there not being any real gameplay to speak of. It's amazing what some semi decent dialogue between two adults can do in a game.
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hicksy
Junior Member
I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Oct 18, 2023 16:36:43 GMT
Firewatch. I actually wanted it to go on longer, despite there not being any real gameplay to speak of. It's amazing what some semi decent dialogue between two adults can do in a game. Firewatch is a wonderful game. You can easily see why it was under consideration to be developed into a film!
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Post by killerbee on Oct 19, 2023 21:10:50 GMT
I’ve also just finished Cocoon (Series S / Gamepass)
I tend to agree with the comments on the last page - it’s was good, but largely linear and not very taxing. The difficulty ramps up slightly towards the very end, but more in the sense of knowing what to do, but having to figure out how to do it. I never once needed to seek help on a puzzle, which perhaps is a positive in one sense - it shows good design, but then equally it never really felt that satisfying to progress - I was more just steadily moving ever forwards. In fairness, the way the game directs you and teaches you without text or words to explain things is very well done.
Anyway, it has some good ideas and it ends when it should - it just about manages not to outstay its welcome. Worth a go if you have Gamepass.
7/10
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apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,502
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Post by apollo on Oct 21, 2023 16:33:45 GMT
Like a dragon ishin - 6.5/10
I did like the main story and the setting its nice change from the modern era games but it has heavy grind for everything, get crafting parts for weapons and armour, level up blacksmith, level up your cooking, level up bonds with people with dull tasks. Some people like dull gaming tasks but its just boring and low quality game design. Normally the side quests are really good in these games but can't think of any ones that stand out like ones from past games. The games did have a grind to them but this is the most grind heavy one
Play it on gamepass or borrow it
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Post by dangerousdave on Oct 21, 2023 18:49:56 GMT
Another person to have finished Cocoon (Series X).
Contrary to my impressed in the Currently Playing thread, I really warmed to this in the end. It’s definitely slow to get going and until the half way point feels a tad formulaic. However, the second half of the game is fantastic. I really enjoyed the puzzling in that half. It’s not obtuse, but it’s taxing enough that you have time to enjoy a cup of tea as you deconstruct the solutions. I kinda wish there was an additional third of the game with a bump up in difficulty, but it ends very nicely indeed.
4/5
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hicksy
Junior Member
I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Oct 22, 2023 8:59:09 GMT
Like a dragon ishin - 6.5/10
I did like the main story and the setting its nice change from the modern era games but it has heavy grind for everything, get crafting parts for weapons and armour, level up blacksmith, level up your cooking, level up bonds with people with dull tasks. Some people like dull gaming tasks but its just boring and low quality game design. Normally the side quests are really good in these games but can't think of any ones that stand out like ones from past games. The games did have a grind to them but this is the most grind heavy one
Play it on gamepass or borrow it
Out of interest do you know if the levelling (grind) forced to be able to progress the main story quests due to difficulty spikes or can you drop the difficulty to lowest and ignore most of the levelling as xp from main quests is enough? i was going to play this on gp but if it’s forced grind I won’t bother!
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apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,502
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Post by apollo on Oct 22, 2023 9:11:56 GMT
Like a dragon ishin - 6.5/10
I did like the main story and the setting its nice change from the modern era games but it has heavy grind for everything, get crafting parts for weapons and armour, level up blacksmith, level up your cooking, level up bonds with people with dull tasks. Some people like dull gaming tasks but its just boring and low quality game design. Normally the side quests are really good in these games but can't think of any ones that stand out like ones from past games. The games did have a grind to them but this is the most grind heavy one
Play it on gamepass or borrow it
Out of interest do you know if the levelling (grind) forced to be able to progress the main story quests due to difficulty spikes or can you drop the difficulty to lowest and ignore most of the levelling as xp from main quests is enough? i was going to play this on gp but if it’s forced grind I won’t bother!
You don't have to grind for levels for your characters, just play it on easy. Also download the 2 free DLC for the game, the katana and the trooper pack to make it easier. Thankfully you can mainline the entire game without grinding or forced to do side quests
in the games I do like the side quests (its one of the best aspects of the LAD/yakuza games) but in this I found its all interlinked, to get better weapons and armour you need to do the crappy dungeons for crafting. Then grind levels for your blacksmith to make better weapons or raise a bond you need to cook food for them and to cook food you need to farm
its worth playing, just avoid all the pointless busy work, its a chore
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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 Oct 22, 2023 9:23:28 GMT
House of Ashes maybe the least interactive of the Anthology series. I did enjoy the story but the facial animations/models were poor and as I say not that much actual "game" so overall a very average experience, runtime was just over 6 hours, so happy I played via ps+ 5/10
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Post by dangerousdave on Oct 27, 2023 20:34:54 GMT
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
FINALLY!!!
My 295 hour marathon is over. Every Shrine. Every Lightroot. Every Side Adventure. All Main Quests. All but 5 Side Quests. 869 Korok Seeds. What a journey. I’ve already spoken heavily about this game, so I’ll just keep it brief and move on with my life.
It’s an incredible game. Not quite as incredible as Breath of the Wild, but a worthy sequel. If I had anticipated the shift away from puzzles. exploration and discovery to more of an experimental sandbox experience, I may have enjoyed this more, but it at least has a vastly superior story.
It was a bold move using the same overworld, but this is more than glorified DLC. This is a huge gameplay experiment and I could imagine a number of spin offs or completely different games spawning from this project. There’s definitely room for a more building based adventure game, or a more survival based adventure game. So many small ideas that could easily be blown up into fully fledged projects.
However, I hope the next game scales it back down. I still prefer this open-world approach, but would prefer a more manageable sized experience as I am getting too old to commit this kind of time to a single game these days.
I was also a big fan of the final boss fight. I am a big fan of the parry and dodge mechanics, as well as the snappy combat. The fusion mechanics make it all the more fun to experiment with more playful strategies too (such as blinding foe with a mirror glued to your shield).
All in all, I can’t give it less than 5/5. Not after that length of time.
Next up, Red Dead Redemption, which I can complete 100% in less than 20 hours. Phew.
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,176
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Post by malek86 on Oct 28, 2023 10:26:21 GMT
Rain World (PC)A survival platform game. As a nimble but fragile slugcat, survive in a world full of enemies and traps, eat what you need and find a shelter from the titular, all-destructive rain, and when it's time go out, try to reach the next shelter. There is little guidance or goals other than attempting to discover what the future has in store for you. I don't know how long it took me to beat, since I was playing the Amazon version which has no counter... but I'm thinking at least 20 hours. It's very big, tons of screens through many different regions. The art is amazing, and reminds me a lot of Another World. It's also very hard at times... most of the times, in fact. On occasion you cruise around quickly, other times it's very slow, but it's almost never an easy path that you'll take. I have to admit that, unlike other games it most likely took some cues from (cough, Souls for sure) Rain World can and will feel unfair to the player. Enemies comes out of nowhere and will box you in with no warning, some paths are basically blocked by enemies who just won't move out of the way, and the time limit before the rain kills you is never fixed - if you get a short cycle, tough luck, hope you can find enough food and reach a shelter before the time is over. Enemies can be distracted, but in the late regions they will become too strong for you to even just run from, and they sometimes appear almost out of nowhere. Food respawn is also unreliable. The worst aspect is karma. Surviving until you reach a shelter gives you an extra karma point, while dying subtracts a point. Gates between regions will only open if you have a specific karma level, and some of the gates require quite a high level - meaning you need to survive several cycles in a row, finding food and avoiding enemies, and every time you die the process becomes even slower. There have been times when I was tempted to give up just because of it. In a game where exploration is the main drive forward, blocking further exploration until the player grinds an arbitrary number of levels is a real mistake imo. The other worst aspect is how the game doesn't tell you much. There's a sort of guiding being, but it's possible to lose its help by the mid game if you don't know what you are doing (and you probably don't). I know I lost it, and after that I just wandered around until I reached the final game area. And then I got destroyed by the Guardians. At that point I decided to just read a guide, and so I realized the game doesn't just want you to reach the last area, but also get max karma before you can finish it. So I had to go back through a grueling shortcut in the Drainage System, get past the Exterior gate from Chimney Canopy, which took me way too many cycles, and then I was tired at that point and just used the wiki to reach Five Pebbles as quickly as possible, and finally farmed a Passage in the Outskirts so I could fast travel back to the Depths. Oh, the ending kind of sucks too. A real anticlimax. I find it hard to rate this game. It really gripped me, there have been times when I stayed up until almost 2am playing, which nowadays just doesn't happen with many games at all. But it's so difficult to ignore those frustrating times, and those feelings of almost giving up that I had more than once. 8/10It's probably a more generous score than the game actually deserves, but like I said, I did get very invested. Can't ignore that. Not exactly up to trying other characters or the DLC though...
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JonFE
Junior Member
Uncomfortably numb...
Posts: 1,841
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Post by JonFE on Oct 29, 2023 8:25:14 GMT
Finished Death's Door the other night and really enjoyed it. Returned to 100% it, collect all collectibles, pot all seeds, max my character's stats and view the true ending. I'm even considering a second run with the umbrella at some point in the future.
What I'm finding lately at long last is that games like this, or Tunic or Cocoon for that matter really appeal to me. Compact games on a single premise, clear and simple mechanics, charming little characters, cute isometric graphics with a less-is-more aesthetic almost always stick the landing for me; bring them on, I say!
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Post by pierrepressure on Oct 29, 2023 8:27:04 GMT
Spider-Man 2
If you enjoyed the couple of games before then I'm sure you'll find this just as good if not better.
The traversal system was already incredible but now with the wings it feels transformative like when Tony Hawk introduced manuals.
Insomniac have really upped their game where storytelling is concerned too, it's not going to win any awards for originality but it's all told solidly with some great emotional beats along the way.
Can't wait for Spidey 3.
9.5/10
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Post by dangerousdave on Oct 29, 2023 9:24:04 GMT
What I'm finding lately at long last is that games like this, or Tunic or Cocoon for that matter really appeal to me. Compact games on a single premise, clear and simple mechanics, charming little characters, cute isometric graphics with a less-is-more aesthetic almost always stick the landing for me; bring them on, I say! Agreed! Especially on the game length, but I have both Tunic (unfinished) and Death’s Door (unplayed) sitting on my Xbox. I really need to restart and crack on with Tunic again. I was absolutely enthralled, but a house move meant my Xbox was packed away for the best part of a month.
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Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,427
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Post by Tuffty on Oct 29, 2023 18:22:01 GMT
Final Fantasy XVI - 9/10 The latest in the long running series sounded like a dream project on paper. The setting created by those FFXIV's Heavensward and soundtrack by Soken who is also responsible for XIV's amazing score. Most interesting, the combat making a shift to something closer to a character action game, helmed by Ryota Suzuki who is responsible for Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma. The finished product turned out pretty close to meeting all my expectations.
It feels like any discussion around the game seems to be dominated by fixating on it's flaws. A lot of these I can share, the game is too easy on normal difficulty, the crafting system may as well not exist, there's not much reward for world exploration, the pacing can trudge along to a crawl at some point, some side quests are pretty basic and there are decisions made for the story that are disappointing. Yet...I loved this game. I acknowledge all the flaws above but this game really was something special. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters within it (I don't normally pay attention to this kind of thing, but Ben Starr as Clive, was absolutely exceptional in selling those dramatic moments and helped make Clive one of my favourite FF protaganists, as well as Ralph Ineson and others). The combat was excellent to me, from beginning to end it never stopped being fun. What really helps was how smooth it felt, the visual effects of certain abilities and the sound design too. Blocking an enemy attack with a parry just feels right and it all adds up to being extremely satisfying. The variety of abilities all adds up to overlooking some of the easiness of the enemies for me, while the game never explicity rewards you for good or stylish performance in combat, I still had the urge to experiment and see how stylish I could look, something which any DMC player can recognise. It also has some of the best boss battles...ever? The Eikon v Eikon battles being the highlights and the closest we've come since Metal Gear Rising in terms of ridiculous over the top action. While the combat certainly helps in this regard, it's also down to the soundtrack being absolutely stellar and getting you fully invested. And to it's credit, it also succeeds in building up to each fight with, one in particular, getting me so emotionally invested in the story that I had to play to make sure that everything goes well for all the characters involved. That doesn't happen with other action games of it's type like Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising even, so I consider it a bit of a triumph. The game also one of the few AAA games in recent time that's remarkably bug free from the get go, didn't hit any bugs which helps to make it an overall enjoyable experience. Overall, while it's not a tried and true FF game of old and better RPG's do exist in this year, I do feel the highs of this game elevate it to being my personal GOTY and one of my favourite FF's ever. While I ackowledge the game definitely has flaws, by the end of the game I can't help but look back on it and recognise that for me, the game absolutely did it for me in delivering an amazing journey where those flaws don't really detract from it. In character action tradition the valleys can be valleys but the peaks are peaks leaving me out of my seat with excitement or just with happy tears at what I'm experiencing. No other game has done that to me this year and not even in a while. I'll be sad if this is the last we see of Valisthea, but if this is the route that future FF games want to go down, I'm all in.
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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 Oct 30, 2023 9:23:51 GMT
Spiderman 2 PS5 Hours: 20 and counting, post completion "clean-up"
Totally stunning from opening to post credit scenes. The game is just bloody brilliant, looks stunning and is without doubt my GOTY (albeit so far) of 2023, beating DS remake for the title.
I'm trying to think what I did not like and I'm struggling tbh. I did concentrate on the story for the most part, now spending time with sides etc. I have loved all 3 of the ps5 (ps4) Spidey's by insomniac but this is their best one yet.
Can't wait until SM3, although that is probably 4 years away, might get MM2 before that.
11/10
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Post by pierrepressure on Oct 30, 2023 10:00:19 GMT
Spiderman 2PS5 Hours: 20 and counting, post completion "clean-up" Totally stunning from opening to post credit scenes. The game is just bloody brilliant, looks stunning and is without doubt my GOTY (albeit so far) of 2023, beating DS remake for the title. I'm trying to think what I did not like and I'm struggling tbh. I did concentrate on the story for the most part, now spending time with sides etc. I have loved all 3 of the ps5 (ps4) Spidey's by insomniac but this is their best one yet. Can't wait until SM3, although that is probably 4 years away, might get MM2 before that. 11/10 This very much echoes my sentiments. I struggle with a lot of gaming now, the amount of choice on offer is too much for me at times and I only end up playing stuff nowadays that seems to get universal praise in the hope I'm more likely to see it through. Spider-man is comfort gaming for me and long may it continue. Here's hoping for some DLC. Oh and just how good have Insomniac been over the past 10 years? Quickly becoming one of my favourite developers and it seems their work practices are really paying off. Can't wait for the first footage of Wolverine.
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apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,502
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Post by apollo on Oct 30, 2023 17:27:48 GMT
Dead space (remake)
Played on gamepass and worth waiting for. It looks and sounds amazing. DS on 360 has not aged that badly but the remake looks so good. They added 3 side quests but they are just fetch quests but with some good rewards for at least 2. The proto stasis is worth getting, i think one was force gun upgrade but didn't get all the rigs, suppose to give you master access? Also there is new game plus ending if you get all the markers?
Played it on medium and sometimes it was a slog for some parts, easy is too easy (story mode is like god mode tbh) the old problem of when a room goes into lockdown and you got swampt, is a pain and shows the cracks in the gameplay. The end boss is same as ever iirc and not that fun to fight. its a remake but they didn't improve some of the level design and parts which is a shame
I hope they make a new DS game (the studio is doing iron man game now) tbh I don't think 2 and 3 need remaking. this remake showed there is market for dead space game now (after EA molested the game to death with DS3)
While I enjoyed it, there was a chance to re-do more of the game. Also weirdly Nicole looks like Liz truss or some maths teacher (you expect her to mention "pig futures" to isaac) ;)and Issac sort of looks like adam sandler
8/10
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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 30, 2023 17:42:54 GMT
Exact same thoughts on the last paragraph. Felt like the character models in general didn't look that good in the remake
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 30, 2023 20:25:43 GMT
Nioh.
I don't think I've ever loved and hated a game in such equal measure. Loved, because there were many aspects of it that I found to be genuinely brilliant; and hated, because there were also several elements that drove me up the bloody wall. Ask 10 random people about Nioh, and you're likely to get a wide variety of responses: "Ni- what?" "Video games are for nerds." "Get out of my house this instant, or I'll call the police." Ask 10 self-described gamers about Nioh, though, and chances are nine of them will respond in the exact same way: "Dark Souls." "Dark Souls." "Sark Douls. Sorry - I'm prone to spoonerisms when I'm nervous." To most gaming fans, Nioh is best described as a 'Soulslike', and with good reason - from its steep difficulty curve to its use of the, "Lose currency on death; have one chance to get it back" mechanic, Nioh is heavily inspired by FromSoftware's seminal series. For me, though, Nioh is better understood as a 'masocore' game. Per Wikipedia:
"Unfair mechanics" that are "specifically designed to frustrate players" is, to me, Nioh in a nutshell. (To revisit the Soulsborne comparison, it's as though the devs played through Dark Souls until they reached Anor Londo, struggled to get past those douchebag archers, then went, "Our game should be like this, but all the time!")
Nioh is a very hard game, but its difficulty often feels cheap. Enemies lie in wait in dark alcoves, ready to pounce and remove at least a third of your health bar as soon as one pixel of your character model comes within reach; boss encounters in optional missions usually involve fighting upscaled regular foes, this time with a bunch of annoying adds thrown into the mix; later levels devolve into gauntlet-style fights against umpteen powerful yokai, all of which can two-shot you with ease; and so on, and so forth.
All of these complaints are largely offset by the game's many strong points: a superb combat system that combines Team Ninja's hack and slash expertise with a Miyazaki-esque sense of weight and purpose; randomised loot drops that had my inner OCD nerd (approximately 85% of my being by mass) purring with delight; an amazing setting that mixes history with folklore to great effect; an epic boss fight at the end of each main mission, most of which fell squarely into the 'tough but fair' category; solid level design, with shortcuts, hidden loot, and kodama to find, thereby rewarding careful exploration; and plenty more besides.
All in all, then...
8/10.
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Post by JuniorFE on Oct 30, 2023 20:30:58 GMT
On the point of enemy ambushes: Divination talisman. Yet another reason for every build to invest in at least a little bit of Onmyo, this little number will make sure you never get jumpscared again, plus show you Kodama, items and such all in one handy, long-lasting package (yes, I recognise this is rather too late at this point, but hey, if you haven't used it yet it's in the sequel too )
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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 30, 2023 20:39:06 GMT
I liked Nioh precisely because, while there was some Dark Souls influence, it didn't feel like a soulslike. It's the only one that has managed that in my experience and is able to stand on its own
I don't remember the ambushes being that bad. You can act/react and move much more quickly than in any of the souls games so I just tended to be wary
The loot is probably one of the worst aspects of the game for me. Finding loot in Dark Souls is always satisfying, even if it's sometihng you'll never use, because it's mostly unique. Sifting through all the loot in Nioh was always a chore. It would have been nice if you could at least favourite weapon/armour types you were interested in. Popping the chests was nice though
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Ulythium
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 30, 2023 20:59:28 GMT
I actually bought Nioh despite its billing as a Soulslike, rather than because of it - it's the only game* from that 'genre' that has ever truly interested me, and I've checked out a lot of them via YouTube over the past three years.
My gripes with Nioh weren't intended to imply that I wish it was Souls-ier - in fact, just the opposite - but that I felt much of its difficulty was both cheap and artificial.
* That, plus Nioh 2 and Wo Long.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 30, 2023 21:04:45 GMT
There's a good chance you'll enjoy Nioh 2, it's very much more of the same with some new mechanics layered on top. Personally I didn't like some of the additions but it wasn't bad. I played it directly after the first one so was probably reaching burnout anyway. It's a shame they're PS exclusive or I'd probably have another go
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wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
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Post by wunty on Oct 30, 2023 21:17:39 GMT
Nioh 2 is the better game. Although it’s more Nioh 1.5.
I enjoyed it a lot more, but I loved the first regardless.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Oct 30, 2023 21:57:01 GMT
I actually bought Nioh despite its billing as a Soulslike, rather than because of it - it's the only game* from that 'genre' that has ever truly interested me, and I've checked out a lot of them via YouTube over the past three years.
My gripes with Nioh weren't intended to imply that I wish it was Souls-ier - in fact, just the opposite - but that I felt much of its difficulty was both cheap and artificial.
* That, plus Nioh 2 and Wo Long. Do you not like Dark Souls or ER then?
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
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Post by malek86 on Oct 30, 2023 22:09:08 GMT
Voodoo Kid (PC)
Thought I was going to get some proper old point and click adventure. Well, it is that, but it's also a game for little kids more or less.
I'll be honest, there's little good to find here. The visuals are muddy even by 90's standards, the music is uninspired, the voice acting pretty meh, though it barely matters since the script is bland and almost devoid of any good jokes whatsoever. The controls should be easy, but the interface goes out of its way to make sure you will hate it - for example, clicking on your inventory also clicks on the screen behind it for whatever reason. The puzzles are extremely easy and the whole thing can be cleared in less than two hours with nary a brain teaser. It doesn't even qualify as edutainment, because it's not trying to teach you anything really.
Oh, you can choose to be a boy or a girl, but if you choose the girl, the game crashes back to desktop after a few seconds. I'm guessing the bundled emulator is to blame rather than the game itself, but still.
3/10
If you want an adventure for kids, you are much better off playing Spelunx or Opera Fatal or whatever. Actually, go play Opera Fatal anyway. Best edutainment adventure ever.
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Oct 30, 2023 22:15:35 GMT
Aunt Alison I love Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring... so much so, in fact, that they've rendered the vast majority of Soulslikes obsolete for me. Like you, I appreciated Nioh for all the things it did differently.
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Post by Trowel 🏴 on Oct 30, 2023 22:33:01 GMT
Nioh 2 was far more polished... but there's something about Nioh's roughness around the edges that I just... prefer.
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