What Are You Playing?

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Rhombaad said:
I beat Mega Man 2 yesterday afternoon. It was a lot of fun to play, but on Normal difficulty it was pretty easy after beating Ninja Gaiden. I'll probably go back some day and try to beat it on Difficult (the Japanese default), but for now I'm moving on.

You beat MM1 and Ninja Gaiden and then played MM2 on Normal Easy mode!? This is an injustice, sir! Well, a shame at least; I should have warned you but after doing 1 so easily I figured you'd default to the Japanese difficulty on 2 (it's easier anyway and you can do it in a few hours if you like; I have fond memories of afternoons and late nights of Mega Man 2 and beer =). Anyway, you may move on, but know you haven't actually played the all-time classic, Mega Man 2, yet. :carcus:


Dark Souls: Remastered is what I'm playing when I can get the baby down for a few minutes (or while she lays in my arms and I hold the controller up to cradle her =). Anyway, more like Dark Souls: Re-Ported! It seems almost identical to the DS Fix version of Dark Souls on PC, only worse depending how much your hardware could handle (it runs better for me and looks about the same for the most part). I'm not going to rage about this like some ("they're just doing this to sell it, maaaan! " like most games =), but I don't really see the point to it if you've played the original, except... for all the bitching, some people bought it because this version is full of players! Summon signs abound, the bells ringing constantly; this is very cool for someone like me that came to the original Souls late and basically never got to play in a "populated" world. Plus, it has match codes so you can play with your buds (I can't wait to convince Aaz and Wally to play with me and then immediately embarrass myself rolling off a ledge, "I'll help, HIIIYAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" =). I am rusty. For one thing I forgot the Black Knight drops were random, got the sword, but started a new character and deleted it (ugh, there's always the Drake Sword). But, it doesn't really matter because I'm well-versed and because I've already beat the game to death I'm taking full advantage of multiplayer this time. So, if you haven't played Dark Souls or want to play it again with multiplayer, Remastered may be worth it, but otherwise you might as well see how high you can run the old version with DS Fix, it'll probably look better.


I also played a lot of Fallout 4 while staying up with the baby. Great fun and very immersive atmosphere/world for exploration, but the RPG elements, character building/interaction, make even Fallout 3 look like Fallout 2.

Conversation choices really don't matter, it's basically like the same 4 responses repeated for every convo lazily assigned to the controller buttons(!): Good Yes, Reluctant No, Sarcastic Yes, Dickish No). They did an interesting, though simplfied, play on the factions from Fallout: New Vegas where everyone (BoS, Minutemen, Railroad, Institute) is sort of a mixed bag and only two survive the end game depending on your choices/actions, which also effects your npc companions (people figured out ways to spare 3 factions or all companions via loopholes, but much of that was patched out). By the same token, NV managed to do that more realistically and in more nuanced fashion. Like NCR had it's downsides and detractors by virtue of being a big expanding government that organically infringed on freedoms as it expanded lawfulness. Real civilization shit! Whereas here for example the BoS are like the BoS, but genocidal fascists to non-humans and you can't talk them out of it... Yikes!

Basically everyone has the equivalent of an evil secret or something that makes them arbitrarily extreme. It's very manufactured good/evil drama (but watered down so you can defensibly make any choice), and it makes little sense if you think about it too much because you can't even broker peace among factions with aligning interests.

As for challenge the real time fps combat is supposedly much improved, but I wouldn't know because my dude was a totally broken VATS build with infinite regenerating action points. I could basically go toe to toe with a deathclaw and kill it via 1000 paper cuts. So... Yes, it's not hard. The fun part is playing everyone off each other as long as possible.

Anyway, I finished the game with the BoS (was very disappointed when they went all murdery after I alienated everyone else) and the Institute, which has Star Trek tech but a very unhealthy contempt for everyone else and their lives to go with it (I run two factions and made my own BoS with their armor, so I rule the wastes =). It's basically the same shitty bland ending either way "blah blah blah war never changes lol" with nothing about the fate of all the settlements like 1, 2, and NV. I wish we were getting another Black Isle/Obsidion game like New Vegas but I don't think their relationship ended well (still grateful Bethesda did that, and Fallout 3 was a pretty decent big budget tribute to the broad strokes first two games).
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Griffith said:
You beat MM1 and Ninja Gaiden and then played MM2 on Normal Easy mode!? This is an injustice, sir! Well, a shame at least; I should have warned you but after doing 1 so easily I figured you'd default to the Japanese difficulty on 2 (it's easier anyway and you can do it in a few hours if you like; I have fond memories of afternoons and late nights of Mega Man 2 and beer =). Anyway, you may move on, but know you haven't actually played the all-time classic, Mega Man 2, yet. :carcus:

It's funny that you say that. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I plan on going back and playing Mega Man 2 on Difficult (the normal Japanese mode, as you said) one day soon. I felt very unsatisfied beating it on Normal, although the final gauntlet was challenging. I think after playing Ninja Gaiden, I just wanted an easy game to play, but now I regret that decision. I'll make it right. :void:
 
I was in DC this past weekend and on my way back, I was bored and downloaded a couple of games on my phone. I'm not big on gaming on the phone because I never had a good or powerful phone, always running out of battery. Couple of months ago I picked up a refurbished iPhone 7s and it's been holding up pretty well (so far atleast!). Two hours in I got stuck and started getting dizzy in the backseat. Frustrated, I looked for other popular free games and picked up WeavetheLine ... loving that one!
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Rhombaad said:
It's funny that you say that. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I plan on going back and playing Mega Man 2 on Difficult (the normal Japanese mode, as you said) one day soon. I felt very unsatisfied beating it on Normal, although the final gauntlet was challenging. I think after playing Ninja Gaiden, I just wanted an easy game to play, but now I regret that decision. I'll make it right. :void:

Now that's more like it! Good man. :guts: I have unfinished business as well and need to complete what I think is the last level of the Nioh DLC.

Speaking of which, I previously mentioned that I thoughtlessly deleted a new Character in Dark Souls: Remastered that was lucky enough to get the Black Knight Sword drop:

Griffith said:
I am rusty. For one thing I forgot the Black Knight drops were random, got the sword, but started a new character and deleted it (ugh, there's always the Drake Sword).

So, after getting the Covetous Gold Serpent ring I loaded up my dude with humanities (I don't even know if the BK drops are affected by item find or are hard set at 20% chance) and went after the Black Knight Halberd, one of my favorite PvE weapons for speed, power and ease because you can basically fully upgrade it as soon as you reach the Anor Londo giant blacksmith (it was my go-to for NG+ when my fully upgraded Claymore just stopped getting the job done). Of course, I totally struck out and was bummed, figuring I'd have to wait until later in the game to truly make a weapon to my liking. As an afterthought, I went back and killed the Black Knight outside Undead Parish... and of course he dropped the Black Knight Greatsword. Now, I never played with it or heavy weapons in DS1, but I knew it was formidable from it's reputation (same base dmg, but way better scaling and stunlock), so decided for the potential fun to make the STEEP stat investment in strength and dex (fortunately my endurance and vitality were already strong) and HOLY SHIT was it worth it! I went from doing like 50-150 damage to 500-1000. It was shocking in the best way when on a "test swing" at +4 it one shotted a Silver Knight. Now it's two-shotting Drakes and I can't imagine most normal enemies taking more than that. I am now an OP PvE god and my boss summons have started going way up, with good reason, since I can easilly knockoff a third of a bosses health bar in one hit. :carcus: I figured this would be more fun but had no idea. Looking forward to the rest of my playthrough.

Also, very pleased to say I got past the Silver Knight archers on the Anor Londo rooftops on the first try. Still got it. :badbone: To be fair though, I had the usual trials and tribulations at Sen's Fortress, especially some wacky misadventures as a phantom where I fell but survived and then tried making my way back to the others only to get completely turned around. Also lost over 10k souls and 6 humanity when I got cheaply killed from above/behind by a pursuing snake man, THEN got ganked by a gang of snake men in a scenario that would seemingly only ever happen, but always does, when you're out to retrieve your souls. They were all out of place and peculiarly active because on my previous run I had changed the course of the rolling boulders and it didn't revert back, completely changing the scenario in unexpected ways. :puck: This led to me shouting at and shutting off the game and strongly declaring, to my disinterested wife or nobody in particular, "Fuck that! Fuck this stupid game!" DAAAARK SOOOOULS!! :guts:
 
I’m giving Dark Souls 3 another shot. I got far in my first game but put it down for a few months and forgot how to play. I started a new game to help me refresh and I’m doing a lot better than before.

I finally got my backer download code for Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon so I’m playing that a bit. I hope the main game will be good.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I finished Phantasy Star over the weekend, and I plan on playing Bionic Commando next.

Phantasy Star is one of the best 8-bit RPGs I've ever played; I can't wait to experience the rest of the series.

I've heard nothing but good things about Bionic Commando and its unique platforming system, so I'm looking forward to checking it out.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Replaying Dark Souls III from scratch and remembering why I enjoyed it so much; fluid controls, fantastic combat, thoughtfully evolved boss battles (even the tutorial boss is memorable) and a gorgeous presentation. So much more depth and vivid detail to everything (save for menus, thankfully), and a busier, more populated world. If only they'd run more pathways between areas, because you can clearly see them and how they fit together, but they make warping the default mode of transportation. Perhaps they wanted it to feel more like Demon's Souls in how you advanced through areas. Speaking of which, it does, and further feels as much like a direct sequel to Demon's Souls as Dark, which I have right up there with DS1. I only did the High Wall of Lothric, which was fun in itself, and already have invaded, summoned and been summoned multiple times (I was afraid nobody would be on, turns out just nobody good =). I usually never invade, but gave it a try and definitely enjoyed having the hollows on my side for a change. Anyway, gotta sleep and work before the Undead Settlement tomorrow.
 
Agony, mild spoilers about level design are ahead but it's nothing you wouldn't know by the trailers, heavier spoilers about the experience are censored.

I think the game's story is alright. There's not much depth to the gameplay, but it's entertained me well enough. It's just about your journey through 'hell' in pursuit of that which is named in the trailer. I thought it was going to be a survival game, but there's next to no gameplay mechanics, the game is centered around
you "dying" many many many times; sometimes progression means to die and have your soul take another body, many times you're dying in story related events and are put in a body in the next area of the level
, and you're stripped of control too many instances for me to remember. But that's not to say survival isn't a goal, it absolutely is, there's just little you can do in the game. The shoddy voice-acting took some time to getting used to; the first time I experienced it, I was taken from immersion because of its mediocrity. For those empathetic to the main character, the feelings of hopelessness aren't overwhelming, though some sections can be frustrating. Not sure what IGN's beef is with the game's difficulty, but avoiding demons and keeping quiet wasn't hard to me... The scenery and aesthetics are nasty, and there is nothing but grim times for your helpless sorry soul. I really can't rate this game anything above an average score, but the hellish atmosphere and experience itself keeps me coming back to try and conquer it. Oddly enough, I felt a sort of relaxation/calm in some slower moments. Maybe I was in a bad mood and it showed me I don't have it so bad lol

This shouldn't need to be stated, but you're not going to want to have kids anywhere near the room you play the game in (maybe not even home at all). Between the extreme violence, blood, gore, screams of horror, moans of agony, genitalia everywhere, people slipping on and rolling around in feces, succubi making love with each other (and the men who are rolling in the feces), you're going to be in for an experience. Limbs, torsos, heads are littered in many areas, and some walls and hallways are made of flesh and body parts themselves. I heard the studio was considering releasing an X-rated patch but decided against it. That would have no doubt showed actual penetration with the numerous instances of succubi having sex, but that probably would have been the least of it.

---

Pokemon Ultra Sun. I was under the impression the direction gaming would take is one of action and thrills on-demand, putting less focus on storytelling and more on core mechanics. That we could drop straight into the world and get busy. Now this isn't to say games (specifically those aimed at younger audiences) shouldn't take the time to guide one through the basics and teach everyone how to play. But the number of hoops I've had to jump through so far has been giving me blue balls. On a personal note I have fond memories of getting Red and Blue for Christmas the year they released and having to figure out everything as I go, including investigating the world enough to find out NPCs and signs teach you game mechanics. It seems we're moving further and further away from the philosophy of exploring things on our own, and making the tutorial portions mandatory. Would be nice to have a option for vets in the beginning, giving you the ability to skip all the lessons, but I can see that never happening.

I'm a Genwunner who views the first few gens as the golden standard of Pokemon aesthetics, but I'm really looking forward to playing this game. The slight change in formula is interesting to me. I'm hoping that after I figure out a way to complete the Trainer School chapter I'll be given freedom to terrorize the world with my Celebi.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
So here's the thing... I suck at Bionic Commando. Like...a lot. Also, I've really been itching to take a shot at Mega Man 2 on Difficult, so I abandoned Bionic Commando yesterday and started playing Mega Man 2 again...and I finished it about three or four hours later. It goes without saying, but it was much more satisfying beating the game on the normal Japanese difficulty.

The next game I plan on playing is Phantasy Star II. I loved the first one, so I'm really looking forward to its sequel. I'll get back to Bionic Commando one day, since its mechanics are really cool, but I just wasn't having fun with it this time around.
 
Currently For Honor is free to download for a week (permanent copy) on Uplay (Ubisoft's client).

I had played both beta and alpha tests at the time this game was coming out, and I really liked it, but it suffered some harsh criticism (most of it well deserved) a couple months after launch: connection issues, unbalanced classes, broken gear system etc. Players were leaving so I decided not to buy the game.

Surprisingly, as of right now it's doing pretty well. They finally added dedicated servers, solved some balance problems and have been actively adding content to the game. Most high level players still left, because the competitive potential is lacking. Once you get really good at it, the combat options narrow down a lot.

Despite all that, if you just wanna have some fun hacking and slashing, it's one of the better melee combat games out there. Since the base version is free right now, I decided to get back into it and play some casual matches. It has good activity and it's visibly more polished than when I originally played it.

Here's my attempt at recreating the Band of the Falcon emblem ingame. My Uplay username is "tompsyche", feel free to add me if you want to play.

OUKgBDf.png
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Is Fortnite any really that good, or is it just addictive and the "it" game in the mainstream right now? I'm always suspicious when everyone, including non-gamers, is playing something and it's available on your phone, etc.
 
Griffith said:
Is Fortnite any really that good, or is it just addictive and the "it" game in the mainstream right now? I'm always suspicious when everyone, including non-gamers, is playing something and it's available on your phone, etc.
It's just the popular mainstream game right now. I prefer Pubg personally. I don't crash often and i don't have too many problems in-game anymore but that doesn't seem to be the common experience.
 
Griffith said:
Is Fortnite any really that good, or is it just addictive and the "it" game in the mainstream right now? I'm always suspicious when everyone, including non-gamers, is playing something and it's available on your phone, etc.

I suspect because it's free to play and casual friendly, those are the main reasons that I see why tablet kids and IRL streamers (those are the first non-gamers that would come to mind) play it all day, not necessarily because it's so good. In any case, the kind of community it attracted due to its popularity is enough to make me want to stay away from it.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Bit the bullet and bought the deluxe edition of Dark Souls 3 on PSN for $20(my physical copy was destroyed the day after I started it), so now I'm working my way through it (again). Clunkier than Bloodborne, but way beefier.
 
Sareth said:
My Epic Games account name is Sareth- if anyone catches me on and wants to play.

My PSN is SSUSN (feel free to add me everyone). RumAndCigars is my Epic Games ID.

Griffith said:
Is Fortnite any really that good, or is it just addictive and the "it" game in the mainstream right now? I'm always suspicious when everyone, including non-gamers, is playing something and it's available on your phone, etc.

If you like multiplayer games like Call of Duty or Star Wars Battlefront then you’ll like Fortnite. If you don’t like those types of games you probably won’t like Fortnite either.

I think Fortnite is so popular for two main reasons though:

1) Battle royale. They stole the battle royale mode from PUBG, and it turns out it’s a hell of a lot more fun than the traditional modes the other games offer. I don’t think we’ll see a multiplayer FPS game without it ever again. (I hear even the guys behind Call of Duty are making their next Black Ops game more like Fortnite.)

2) Epic Games is constantly doing things. Every week or two they change the game modes. Their game store rotates items every day. They update the game 1-2 times per week. Their seasons have daily and weekly challenges. They add little treats and hidden bonuses in the game. They even slightly, subtly change the game map over time, as well as big things like blowing up towns and adding a giant soccer stadium for the World Cup.

With all that said, I love Fortnite, but I’m more tied to the battle royale concept than this specific game. (I get the feeling the massive player base feels the same.) It’ll be interesting to see if another battle royale game can knock it off its throne. Personally I’m keeping an eye on Realm Royale, which appears to be a fantasy version of Fortnite.
 
Again, I can't really recommend getting Agony if you're looking for a decent game. But it is stunning to look upon at times.

mlPJ3YF.jpg


I couldn't not screenshot this.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Great answers on Fortnite, and very constructive given I wasn't exactly being open minded. Sounds like it's indeed not for me though because I don't like multiplayer like that much at all. I think the last thing remotely like that I enjoyed was the ME3 multiplayer. The Souls series passive aggressive approach has really grown on me though, too bad Sekiro is apparently scrapping it.

Johnstantine said:
Bit the bullet and bought the deluxe edition of Dark Souls 3 on PSN for $20(my physical copy was destroyed the day after I started it), so now I'm working my way through it (again). Clunkier than Bloodborne, but way beefier.

Welcome back to the ultimate Souls game! The epic and comprehensive finale of Miyazaki's Souls trilogy, preceded by equal prequels Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, and made in the Bloodborne engine. I'm going to write a manifesto about it on here someday (I already half have to Aaz =).
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Playing Killer7 finally. It's such an insane and cool looking game. It took a bit to get used to the controls but I'm really enjoying it. I should have checked it out waaay earlier since I loved No More Heroes 1 and 2.

Also got back into the pit of FFXIV :farnese:

It's pretty fun though and the music is amazing, especially the cool FF6 remixes for the Kefka, Warring Triad, and Phantom Train fights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mma9d7MY2cU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFRhYuB93qk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25WOf5s-SU0
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Dar Klink said:
Playing Killer7 finally. It's such an insane and cool looking game. It took a bit to get used to the controls but I'm really enjoying it. I should have checked it out waaay earlier since I loved No More Heroes 1 and 2.

Yeah Killer7 is Sudo51's masterpiece, not sure he'll ever top it.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Continuing my first Bloodborne run...

After getting lost a few times but eventually finding my way (Yharnam makes the Undead Burg seem like sensible city planning =), I beat the Cleric Beast on my second try. Then after some backtracking I took on Father Gascoigne, which was looking like a walk-in first try victory until he transformed and I was literally and figuratively out of bullets. Like the Beast, I'll see how he likes Motolov Cocktails to the face and some oil plus torch action (all of which I find WAAAY more effective than the firebombs from Souls ever were).

As for my build, I've put everything so far into Life and Stamina while I figure what weapon path(s) I'd like to go down. I've been maining the Saw Cleaver but I'm leaning towards a Skill build because it'll let me use the versatile Threaded Cane and the Saw Spear (a greatsword, really =) as a serrated, rangier and pokier Cleaver alternative while also leveling my Visceral attacks because they're clearly important as I learned with the Cleric Beast (hit the guy like a million times my first try and it all felt largely futile save for the Visceral counters). The most bang for my early game buck I figure, and I can diversify later when I hit the soft caps on the above stats. Mainly I need to know which weapons to upgrade since that's going to be my main mode of increasing DPS until I get my life and stamina bars where I want them. Already fun to obsess on this shit, and oh so nice not to worry about carry weight!
 
I think I'm coming back a little to Bloodborne. I'm excited to hear about your game progress as well Griffith! I hope you're loving it so far and truth is that it's only getting better with time and DLC of course.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
VladimirPutin said:
I think I'm coming back a little to Bloodborne. I'm excited to hear about your game progress as well Griffith! I hope you're loving it so far and truth is that it's only getting better with time and DLC of course.

Yeah, I was really loving it until I almost screwed it up! But now I'm back and looking forward to the DLC. The latest rundown of my playthrough so far: https://www.skullknight.net/forum/index.php?topic=14280.msg252148#msg252148
 
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