What Are You Playing?

Oburi

All praise Grail
Thats great! I too am waiting for the price drop on that. My friend who is usually very critical of games surprisingly loved it.
 
Walter said:
Awesome. I've heard some great things.

Honestly, the last time i was so pleased by a FPS, it was 2007 and i was playing Half Life 2 : Episode Two. That's kind of a sad thought.

Walter said:
I've just sort of been waiting for it to get the ol' faithful Bethesda deep price cut on Steam. :carcus:

Oburi said:
Thats great! I too am waiting for the price drop on that. My friend who is usually very critical of games surprisingly loved it.

Yeah, even if it's one hell of a ride, it's truly a one-time experience :void:


If you wanna know more about the game's development and the creative risk, click here.
 
I recently got Smash 3ds and unlocked all the characters, and then haven't really touched it since then.. I also recently beat DA:I, and wow, that was quite the engrossing experience. I was not expecting to love the game as much as I do. Damn you, Sera! :judo:

Next up for me is Telltale's Game of Thrones game. I've been really excited to start that one up ever since it was announced, particularly due to how great The Walking Dead Season 2 was (imo, of course).

Oh and I can't recommend Crypt of the Necrodancer enough. :ubik: It's by far one of the most fun games I've ever played and one of the few games that can hold my attention for months on end. I'm kind of itching to get a ddr pad to try out that function as well. Completely solid game all around, with a soundtrack I actually prefer to listen to over my typical stuff (mostly during workouts or when driving through LA at night).
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Sarcomere said:
Oh and I can't recommend Crypt of the Necrodancer enough. :ubik:

I picked this up over the Steam Sale, and I've been playing this a little bit each night, 10 minute sessions or so. It's really fantastic. Music has been stuck in my head for days. I think it'd be best on a handheld, though.

Speaking of which, I also recently bought 1,001 Spikes for 3DS. Shovel Knight was a perfect tribute to NES games, done in the style of older games. This is along the same lines. Expertly crafted platforming with grueling challenges all polished to a lovely sheen. I actually really enjoy the story setup too, even though it's comically brief. It's a clever mishmash of drama and comedy.
 
I finished Alien : Isolation last night. Despite some issues (a length artificially stretched, forgettable characters, too much backtracking), there are pockets of sheer brilliance in Alien: Isolation, when the game’s potent mixture of tension and atmosphere are perfectly in sync. You feel like you’re right there, quivering in that locker as the alien searches for you, praying it won’t hear your breathing. Or when you’re creeping down a shadowy corridor or the vents,relying on your tracker and any noise, gripping a flamethrower that you know can’t do anything more than deter the monster for a few precious seconds as you run for your life.

If the pacing wasn't so odd, this could have been a greater game. Anyway, if you're a fan of the first film, the low-fi sci-fi design is back in a elegant and faithful manner, immersion is terrific.
So far, the best adaptation we've got.
 
ryOtoha said:
I finished Alien : Isolation last night. Despite some issues (a length artificially stretched, forgettable characters, too much backtracking), there are pockets of sheer brilliance in Alien: Isolation, when the game’s potent mixture of tension and atmosphere are perfectly in sync. You feel like you’re right there, quivering in that locker as the alien searches for you, praying it won’t hear your breathing. Or when you’re creeping down a shadowy corridor or the vents, relying on your tracker and any noise, gripping a flamethrower that you know can’t do anything more than deter the monster for a few precious seconds as you run for your life.

If the pacing wasn't so odd, this could have been a greater game. Anyway, if you're a fan of the first film, the low-fi sci-fi design is back in a elegant and faithful manner, immersion is terrific. So far, the best adaptation we've got.

Playing through the game wearing Sennheiser 558 headphones and having a 7.2 Surround Sound System made playing through the game from an audio stand point even better. Yes I agree ryOtoha that the game could have been shortened in some sections like
the space platform
for example but beyond that I loved the level design & Length for the rest of the levels within Sevastopol Station. I think that the biggest achievement for Alien Isolation is how the design team let the game speak for itself. And yes its still amusing that it took a company known for strategy games to do a proper Alien game.
 
VengeanceQuest982 said:
Playing through the game wearing Sennheiser 558 headphones and having a 7.2 Surround Sound System made playing through the game from an audio stand point even better.

Agreed. Listening carefully to your envirronement is your primarly defense. It works really well. And I played with a 7.1 headphone :void:

VengeanceQuest982 said:
Yes I agree ryOtoha that the game could have been shortened in some sections like
the space platform
for example.

Or
near the end after letting the Torrens dock, you're preparing yourself to space-jump but of course an alien attacked you, take you to another nest. So you have to find you way back to the space shuttle.

It's possibly more a problem of pacing than content.

VengeanceQuest982 said:
I loved the level design & Length for the rest of the levels within Sevastopol Station. I think that the biggest achievement for Alien Isolation is how the design team let the game speak for itself.

You mean, there's a coherency and organic feel to the overall design ? If so i agree.
The level design of the Sevastopol is truly a success. It's a character itself rather than a empty haunted house.
 
I think my favorite parts of Alien Isolation hands down would have to be

|I|
The Core of Sevastopol Station
|II|
LV-426 & The Derelict
|III|
Sevastopol Station

What were yours ryOtoha?
 
I would say,

Sevastopol main station
Sevastopol core, especially when you activated the reboot and have to escape
LV-426
 
I am like 10 hours into Shin Megami Tensei IV, which hasn't been out in Europe until very recently. This is my first SMT, so far I've only played Persona 3 and 4, which made me me familiar with the demon-collecting-gameplay. It is super addicting. So far I love it, the setting is really interesting and the artwork is amazing.
Just look at this awesome boss design:
Minotaur_SMTIV_Full_Artwork.jpg

The perfect fusion of Zodd and Skull Knight...
But right now I am stuck :farnese:. Maybe you can help me,
I just reached Tokyo and I am supposed to find some military base. I don't know where to look for it, the map view is kind of weird...
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
rage-al said:
But right now I am stuck :farnese:. Maybe you can help me,
I just reached Tokyo and I am supposed to find some military base. I don't know where to look for it, the map view is kind of weird...

You're pretty much where I am in the game (and where I lost all interest). You have to cross a bridge, near the river in the south. You'll find a base there, and then... well, I stopped playing for a year because I found the story (not the setting) tedious and predictable. And I tried to go back to it a few months ago, and the game's systems are so complex that it's really hard to get reoriented. Glad you're enjoying it though! Perhaps I would have liked it more if I stuck with it.
 
I've been playing Zelda quite a lot for the last few weeks, I'm a huge fan of the series and it's been a while since I played any of these games, it was time to play through them once again :ubik:

So far I've finished Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask (good old N64 controller, I didn't miss this damn joystick), and Windwaker HD (that was really beautiful). I'll probably start Twiilight Princess next week.

And then i'll play Bayonetta 2 :carcus:
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
So because Ive been snowed in so much the last few weeks I been clearing out my backlog of games. I beat Bioshock infinite almost straight through in one sitting. It was fun, but I lost interest in the story towards the end when it got a little convoluted. I also beat Wolfenstein New Order which was fun but I was a little let down after hearing some people talk so highly about it. It was interesting at times, I love how it's an alternate history where the Nazis control the world and you are basically in a group of underground insurgents. There's lots of nice little details and lets face it, Killing Nazis is always fun =). But overall it was pretty generic FPS. Just slightly above average. shrug.

I'm also on chapter 11 of the Evil Within so I'm just about to finish that. I really enjoy the gameplay but again, the story is just so convoluted and the characters are so bland and uninteresting that at this point I just want to get it over with. It's nice to play a survival horror game again with similar gameplay to RE4, but it's more gory than scary so it kinda fails in that aspect. So again, not a bad game really, but just not nearly as good as I'd hoped. Also I'm surprised someone said it was difficult. I'm breezing right threw on the standard difficulty (which is actually the hardest on first play though, since there's only 2). But I do take the game slow and try to get all the secrets so I never found myself out of ammo and my character has been ridiculously overpowered the whole time (max health, max sprint, overpowered weapons). For any part that others have claimed to be very difficult I realized that there's always an incredibly easy trick that will work most of the time. Usually, that includes having the frost bolts, which will freeze the enemy for a while allowing you to take out your most powerful weapon (the sniper rifle in my case) and one or two headshots even the biggest, strongest enemies are dead. I was expecting much more of a challenge. It's incredibly easy for a "survival horror" game. There's not even any puzzles or tracking down items or anything like that. It's not like you can backtrack and revisit older areas (unless you replay the chapter).

Next up is Shadow of Mordor and then Dark Souls 2 :guts:
 
zelis said:
I've been playing Zelda quite a lot for the last few weeks, I'm a huge fan of the series and it's been a while since I played any of these games, it was time to play through them once again :ubik:

So far I've finished Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask (good old N64 controller, I didn't miss this damn joystick), and Windwaker HD (that was really beautiful). I'll probably start Twiilight Princess next week.

If you have a 3ds, they're releasing a 3d version of Majora's Mask this Friday. I'm pretty excited for it, though my current funds won't abide that game for a few months :judo:

Anyway.. I just finished the first 2 episodes of the Telltale Game of Thrones game and despite the fact that I can see the rails and already know how limited of a capacity my decisions actually affect the plot, I was really pretty impressed. It actually kind of works in the games favor, since there really isn't much option for the smallfolk and bannermen who are at the whims of their lords and these dicks at King's Landing playing. Makes me feel for Ned, and the tightrope he had to walk, and he's from a major house even! The dialogue is spot on for the series and there's so many satisfying moments, coupled with some genuine ASoIaF shock value.

I've also been playing Never Alone, and I totally love it. Would really prefer to play as co-op, but it's still a great experience. The gameplay is a pretty typical sidescroller, but what sets it apart is you play as an Inupiat girl/her fox companion and it really immerses you within the culture. There's even collectibles in the game that when you get them will unlock short documentary clips that explain the cultural context and it's all just very fascinating and really well crafted. I'm also very partial to the art style and the small atmospheric details that really flesh out the environment and characters. Great folklore based story that's probably unlike anything you've experienced before, and just a real treat of a game.
 
... Finally found the time to play The Order 1886 this past weekend ignored everyone raging online about the game and here's what I have to say. The Order 1886 is for the time free probably the most bug free game on a current gen system. The Voice Acting was quality , I though the Sound design in Alien Isolation blew everything out of the water nope The Order has moved Isolation into 2nd place. This is probably the most cinematic styled game that's been released on the market and I'm not just talking about the cutscenes themselves but I'm talking about the whole of the game its probably the closest we'll get to a CGI Film ish quality in a game for the time being.

Now for what I saw as major issues with the game I'll have any SPOILERS Tagged:
- Yes the game does clock out between 6 1/2 Hours longer if you're just walking around taking in everything mind you.
- Another Generic Shooter that brought nothing new to the table
- Remember when SONY way back when advertized this as a monster hunting game well ...
their is like a total of 9 - 10 Lycans in the game the rest of the enemy is generic humans to kill 101
. They made good on the promise of a cinematic experience but they dropped the ball when it came to everything else.
- I don't have problems with short games I don't really I just think that a game should be priced according to the content of the item being sold.

What I would really like should a 2nd Order game happen
- New Game +
- Photo Mode
- More areas of the City to explore
- I would like the Bosses to be more varied especially in combating them
- They need to include better collectibles
- The option to Pause/FF/RW Cutscenes.
- A better executed Story.
- I would like a Multiplayer Mode but only if its part of the narrative of the main game not some separate nonsense.
TheOrder_1886_20150219160209.jpg~original


Final Rating 3.5/5 Knights
 
VengeanceQuest982 said:
I though the Sound design in Alien Isolation blew everything out of the water nope The Order has moved Isolation into 2nd place.

Agreed.

For the the irrevelant issue regarding the length of the game, it should never matter or even be consider. Like any form of medium, the real question concern the pacing whatever the length. And indeed, it's a problem in The order 1886. The game mechanics aren't revolutionary but pretty good.
This is clearly a game pace to be walk through and not run through. Between, The crazy attention to detail, to the filmic look and feel, to the dynamic light engine, the good (but predictible) story
and most importantly, the installation of a promising new franchise, i enjoyed it. I would say, any fan of the Uncharted serie should enjoy this.

By the way, i played between 10 to 12 hours in hard mode (which is the normal mode nowadays)
 
ryOtoha said:
Agreed.

For the the irrevelant issue regarding the length of the game, it should never matter or even be consider. Like any form of medium, the real question concern the pacing whatever the length. And indeed, it's a problem in The order 1886. The game mechanics aren't revolutionary but pretty good.
This is clearly a game pace to be walk through and not run through. Between, The crazy attention to detail, to the filmic look and feel, to the dynamic light engine, the good (but predictible) story
and most importantly, the installation of a promising new franchise, i enjoyed it. I would say, any fan of the Uncharted serie should enjoy this.

By the way, i played between 10 to 12 hours in hard mode (which is the normal mode nowadays)

Was that including the cutscenes? I'm curious because I can't justify a very short campaign like cod or the "demo" metal gear.
 
bandofthehawk (Salem) said:
Was that including the cutscenes?

Including the cutscenes. Since the game proposed a totally seamless experience between gameplay and cutscene, it's hard to tell.


bandofthehawk (Salem) said:
I'm curious because I can't justify a very short campaign like cod or the "demo" metal gear.

I believe perceived value is personal. Personally i don't care if it's a short or long campaign. Only the coherency count for me. A long/short campaign filled with FedEx quests or/and a sens of unfinishedness isn't interesting.
 
Aazealh said:
And "The Order: 1886" and its QTEs felt finished to you?

I didn't mind QTEs or the way they decide to implement it. And by the end of the game, i didn't remain unsatisfied. In fact, i playthrough some of the chapters many times and i always have a satisfying experience. I just can't wait to know more of this alternative take on history.
I'm currently playing The Wolf Among Us first season (and i love it) and i feel QTEs implementation is okay at best.

I would say, i had almost the same feeling when i played the first Uncharted. There's an organic feeling to it, the universe is promising but there's also some issues (pacing, gameplay mechanics feels solid but too classic, could have been way more audacious).

As you can probably guess, i'm really into immersion, details, story driven experiences. So this is my sweet spot.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I wouldn't say that length's irrelevant, particularly as it concerns the business side. Play time is uniquely relevent in gaming, but in almost all media time is used as a classifer (EP vs LP, feature length vs short film, novel vs short story), so selling one like it's another is definitely relevent, and if there's risk of it becoming a stupid (like a XOF) trend in the game industry, I'd rather not incentivize publishers to get more bang for THEIR buck and dissuade developers and artists from creating longform experiences. Or, to put it another way, don't let $10 an hour become the norm in gaming, it's already expensive enough as it is.


Currently playing Smash Bros Wii U and Wind Waker HD, and trying to decide which Club Nintendo reward games to claim. I have just short of 700 coins, so I can get three classics, two current eshop titles, or a major release like Game & Wario or The Wonderful 101.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
If anyone after reading all the terrible reviews is still interested in playing this, then don't get it now. Pretty simple. Get it when it costs $18.86.

For me these days, time is more valuable than money. If someone crafts a $60 6 hour long game that's not to be missed, I am not going to complain about it. That's clearly not what happened with The Order though, so it's not even worth arguing...
 
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