What Are You Playing?

That game seriously fucked with my mind in my sleep! But zombies were an irrational fear of mine as a kid because of my dad and my cousin teasing me about them and details from the Dead movies so for a while every leaf I heard crackling outside became an undead monstrosity shuffling it's way toward my window to rip of my flesh with its teeth... :magni:

I was really scared of zombies, too. I was so scared of the redeads from Ocarina of Time that I had nightmares about them for years. The death screen for the original RE2 really freaked me out.

 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I was really scared of zombies, too. I was so scared of the redeads from Ocarina of Time that I had nightmares about them for years.

Oh man, those guys were so freaky, especially because they'd look and freeze you and make you helpless before jumping all over you. It really was like a nightmare translated into a video game.

The death screen for the original RE2 really freaked me out.

It was a particularly unsettling one, especially when nearby zombies would start gang eating you. It's like getting killed wasn't bad enough? This is probably still my all-time gaming jump scare precisely because it was supposed to be a safe moment and uses your knowledge of the game mechanics against you:

 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
It was a particularly unsettling one, especially when nearby zombies would start gang eating you. It's like getting killed wasn't bad enough? This is probably still my all-time gaming jump scare precisely because it was supposed to be a safe moment and uses your knowledge of the game mechanics against you

Seeing this and the death video just reinforces how superior the original RE2 is to the remake. Can't believe it made it into so many "best of 2019" lists.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Seeing this and the death video just reinforces how superior the original RE2 is to the remake.

Yeah, it's not surprising. RE2make is just a slick modern action/shooter with an RE2 skin. The original RE2 is a transcendent classic with singular gameplay elements still unique to it today. Particularly structurally, with the A/B scenarios for multiple characters and the zapping system, which is apparently so difficult to manage that Capcom dropped it altogether afterward, to the point they couldn't even recreate it for the remake of this game! It's kind of amazing to go back and play games like that, or OoT, which I was thinking about in comparison to Fallen Order, and realize: this actually holds up or is still better in a lot of ways than its modern AAA successors, and not just for their time, but objectively doing interesting things the new games seemingly can't or won't.

Can't believe it made it into so many "best of 2019" lists.

Including mine and Walter's! :troll:

Well, until it was supplanted by Death Stranding on my list, and now Jedi: Fallen Order is making a late push, but as much as I'm enjoying it, it's probably too derivative to have the kind of impact I'm looking for, ultimately. We'll see, it can win via quantity if I just keep playing it. I've settled into Jedi Grandmaster difficulty, which isn't that bad unless you get into a scenario where you're getting mobbed by waves of enemies and then a boss or some bullshit, because despite being generally easier the game isn't as precisely calibrated for a singular difficulty experience like a Souls (which is why those games don't work if you make an easy mode under the guise of helping the blind or people without hands or something). I still have at least one planet to go and I'm looking forward to it. The gameplay is a lot of fun after some getting used to, maybe more of the abilities should have just been unlocked from the start, particularly the combat ones you'd take for granted like a defensive kick or lunging stab. The story is simple, elegant and yet feels pretty vital and tragic, and actually makes me give a crap about the post-prequel period, which is a minor miracle. Let's see how it plays out, maybe I can kill the Emperor and stop The Rise of Skywalker from ever happening! GOTY!!
 
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I'm playing Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, great game! It really improved upon Shadow of Mordor as a sequel, hoping to get more changes and vast improvements with later installments on the newer generation. I have been on a big Tolkien binge lately ever since I watched The Hobbit Trilogy for the first time a few weeks ago and I'll soon be watching the Lord of the Rings movies completely blind soon as well. I'm extremely hooked in this world and it's a great thing to immerse myself in and learn more about as I wait for more Berserk to release
 
I'm currently replaying the Witcher 3 (3rd playthrough). Got a strong urge to jump back in after the Netflix show. It's aged pretty well too. Strongly recommended for those who haven't tried it yet.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is really good! It might be the best thing about Star Wars this year.

Agreed. This was the biggest 2019 gaming surprise for me. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Even platinumed the game, something I rarely bother doing.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I was really scared of zombies, too. I was so scared of the redeads from Ocarina of Time that I had nightmares about them for years. The death screen for the original RE2 really freaked me out.

Yea the memories I have of playing RE2 and RENemises in the dark, dank basement of my friends house, sitting on the floor a foot in front of the tv, were truly scary at the time. In fact, my friend being slightly older and slightly braver than me would get absolutely pissed when a jump scare would be too much for me and I'd quickly turn off the power to the system rather than see the death screen. This was of course at the exact same point when we would go digging in my fathers old box of recorded vhs tapes and end up watching Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, The Thing, Predator etc for the first time. Sometimes the tapes weren't even labeled. One night we end up watching Wrath of Kahn (hey that wasn't so bad) followed by the Exorcist (ohshitohshit). But yea, mid 90's zombie fright was real and terrifying for me. Resident Evil 2 and 3 were, pure all consuming horror for me.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I finished Fallout. Man, that game was awesome. I had a bout of insomnia the other day, so I played it for about eight hours straight and loved every minute of it.

Now I’m playing Donkey Kong Land III. So far so good. It’s a fun little platformer that, like most of its Game Boy brethren, isn’t quite as good as its cousin, Donkey Kong Country 3. Still, it’s amazing what that machine could do.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Shovel Knight: King of Cards - The game that keeps on giving, now with a fucking fourth campaign! Lots of fun too; at first I was skeptical of King Knight as a main and wondered if this might be one too many after Specter of Torment, which is as good if not better than the base game BTW, but I was happily wrong. They changed up the style so there's multiple smaller levels in each area, so even more like Mario 3, and multiple pathways through. The control scheme is balanced between offense and healing and seems simple but presents a lot of depth when combined with various level mechanics. Playing King Knight is somewhere between Shovel Knight and Specter Knight, but with a dash of Plague Knight challenge peppered in (though not nearly as complicated or awkward, thankfully). There's just a lot of shit going on, and I even like the dumb card game, which you don't have to play but which they clearly designed and implemented in a serious way if you want to indulge (it's basically a built-in fifth game, and they have a Battle mode too!). Anyway, do yourself a favor and pick up Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove if you haven't already, and if you had the original but haven't checked in for a while, go back and play the new campaigns (you should already own them!), they're great, especially Specter of Torment!

I'm currently replaying the Witcher 3 (3rd playthrough). Got a strong urge to jump back in after the Netflix show. It's aged pretty well too. Strongly recommended for those who haven't tried it yet.

I jumped back in at the bar I left off at on my new gaming rig and... thought it looked and felt bad. Still not getting into this one (a purported GOAT)! I need to just dedicate a few hours to roaming around in it until it clicks or I just know for sure it's not for me.

Agreed. This was the biggest 2019 gaming surprise for me. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Even platinumed the game, something I rarely bother doing.

Same here, I didn't even get it at first because I figured it would be okay but mediocre, and the reviews kind of reinforced that, and while it's not transcendent or anything it's a lot of fun and right up my alley. I thought they could have stuck the landing a little better, it paid everything off and then some but felt kind of rushed (like, let me fight that last guy =). Also, at that point I can sit through a ten minute cut-scene where you figure things out as opposed to a five minute one where it just happens; you've earned it! That and lack of armor choices or true dual wielding and are my only gripes, otherwise it offers a lot without taking anything off the table like I feared, especially with the platforming.

I finished Fallout. Man, that game was awesome. I had d a bout of insomnia the other day, so I played it for about eight hours straight and loved every minute of it.

Nice! Now you just need to replay it three or four more times to really start getting a feel for it. :guts:

Man, wait until Fallout 2! It's like 10x bigger and deeper, I lived in that game for about a year... :magni: If you can find a functioning version that is (that has kids in it). BTW, your Fallout 1 have kids? I should have brought this up; lots of versions, especially digital ones available today are without kids because you can kill anybody* in the game and therefore kill kids, which is a big no-no to depict in some countries. You miss out on the Childkiller trait too. :carcus:

Childkiller:
350

You have killed children, the youth of the wasteland. This is considered to be a really bad thing. You evil, evil person.

And if you think that's bad, check out the unused artwork. :isidro:

185


Now I’m playing Donkey Kong Land III. So far so good. It’s a fun little platformer that, like most of its Game Boy brethren, isn’t quite as good as its cousin, Donkey Kong Country 3. Still, it’s amazing what that machine could do.

Is this the method to the madness? Because I'd think of going straight to Fallout 2 or something, but then probably burnout. Is this how you keep it fresh with The List? :slan:
 
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Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Nice! Now you just need to replay it three or four more times to really start getting a feel for it. :guts:

Haha, right? Once I finish with The List, I plan on going back to play all the games I didn’t get 100% on or the ones whose many endings I didn’t get to see, Fallout being one of them

Man, wait until Fallout 2! It's like 10x bigger and deeper, I lived in that game for about a year... :magni: If you can find a functioning version that is (that has kids in it). BTW, your Fallout 1 have kids? I should have brought this up; lots of versions, especially digital ones available today are without kids because you can kill anybody* in the game and therefore kill kids, which is a big no-no to depict in some countries. You miss out on the Childkiller trait too. :carcus:

Childkiller:
350

You have killed children, the youth of the wasteland. This is considered to be a really bad thing. You evil, evil person.

And if you think that's bad, check out the unused artwork. :isidro:

185

OMG, that last image is amazing. My game had kids, because I patched it with Fallout Fixt. I’ll have to do the same when I get to Fallout 2

Is this the method to the madness? Because I'd think of going straight to Fallout 2 or something, but then probably burnout. Is this how you keep it fresh with The List? :slan:

I’m doing my best to play the games in The List based on chronological order. That keeps things fresh, but it also allows me to see the evolution in games as I go along.
 
Same here, I didn't even get it at first because I figured it would be okay but mediocre, and the reviews kind of reinforced that, and while it's not transcendent or anything it's a lot of fun and right up my alley. I thought they could have stuck the landing a little better, it paid everything off and then some but felt kind of rushed (like, let me fight that last guy =). Also, at that point I can sit through a ten minute cut-scene where you discuss figure things out as opposed to a five minute one where it just happens; you've earned it! That and lack of armor choices or true duel wielding and are my only gripes, otherwise it offers a lot without taking anything off the table like I feared, especially with the platforming.

Pretty much. Poncho choices could have been way better designed that's for sure. The last segment was pretty awesome IMO.

Though I have one massive gripe with the game, which is laughed off by people I know but bothers me probably more than it should:

When Cere gives you her lightsaber and you combine it with yours and the result is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in a game. Like, it's a fucking mutation. I was pretty happy with the lightsaber I customized, until that happened. I don't get why the developers felt the need to force that shit down my throat.

Other than that, I loved the game. Not my GotY, but up there. It officially got me into Star Wars. Now I have to see the movies (Disney trilogy doesn't count and I'd like to wipe it from my memory if possible. Episode III is the only other Star Wars I saw).
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Pretty much. Poncho choices could have been way better designed that's for sure. The last segment was pretty awesome IMO.

Yeah, some were cool, but it's like, give me some Jedi robes or something! The best you could do was basically dress in all black or something appropriate for the environment. I also dug the angled poncho with the two large white stripes, but those styles were too much a Luke-on-Tatooine cosplay. Actually, I thought Cal was definitely sort of a young Luke stand-in.

Though I have one massive gripe with the game, which is laughed off by people I know but bothers me probably more than it should:

Heh, I noticed they don't let you change the switch on that one, only the emitter for some reason. I don't know, by the end I switched to the defaults anyway for plot integrity (and it actually looks correct proportionally to where Cal places his hands). I'll switch it up when I'm exploring, but on that front I'm pissed I missed out on the dumb orange lightsaber pre-order even though I would have probably used it for a minute, tops ("BUT WHAT IF IT'S THE BEST ONE!?" =).

But yeah, since you couldn't really change weapons much, it would have been nice if they gave you more clothing/armor choices and made those discoveries actually matter with defensive benefits or little abilities or something. Plus, dual lightsabers outside a special move (the FTW move though)!

Other than that, I loved the game. Not my GotY, but up there.

I still have Death Stranding and I think Resident Evil 2 ahead of it. This one might be the most fun though if that makes sense.

It officially got me into Star Wars. Now I have to see the movies (Disney trilogy doesn't count and I'd like to wipe it from my memory if possible. Episode III is the only other Star Wars I saw).

Yikes, now there's a memory wipe I'd like! I'm actually still fine with Episodes VII and VIII, but only as nostalgia trips for the classic trilogy, which have always been the only movies that matter. See Star Wars, Empire, and Return of the Jedi; forget the rest.
 
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XionHorsey

Hi! Hi!
Love Nikki has eaten my soul. It started out as a mere dress-up game that I enjoyed and would spend some $$$ every once in awhile. I would scroll past the light-hearted story. But, on December 11, that ended. Love Nikki ATE ME. IT HAS EATEN ME. I signed up for survey junkie and fetch rewards just to get Itunes giftcards. I have fanfic bunnies/graphics going through the roof and all because of

Nidhogg

Without him, I would have simply kept scrolling for outfits only pausing for maybe two characters, but that one man changed everything. He is the rain and yes, I thank you.
 
Just to be sure, you made sure to play/replay the original Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, Nioh, Sekiro, Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, The Surge 2, Code Vein, Ashen, and Jedi: Fallen Order? Then I think you're in the clear now. =)

Hahaha noooo just Soulsborne. Good god what are you trying to do to me? Although I do want to play all those argh. Too much games to play, such little time to play them all.

I did Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 in that order. Full playthroughs, every level and boss. Hell I even did all he chalice dungeons in Bloodborne. I intend to do Sekiro soon, I just want to clear off my plate of things I started and never finished while obsessing over Soulsborne hah.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Beat King of Cards and got a nice little message for doing all four campaigns in Shovel Knight. I think I rank it 3rd among them, behind Shovel and Specter (which might be #1, and the closest to a straightforward FF6-like character arc), but ahead of Plague in all but difficulty. I tried the showdown mode but wasn't too taken with it yet. Anyway, again, what a game(s)!

I also made a lot of questionable purchases with that big Origin sale, mostly a lot of DLC for Mass Effect and Star Wars that I'll probably never play, and... Mass Effect: Andromeda. This is the second time I've purchased this game, which I quickly returned after it would only boot a black screen on my computer, and after an hour of it I might be wishing I'd left it at that. Woof! I'm seriously contemplating returning it tonight before time is up... again.

Update: And... DID! Nothing about it grabbed me like the original, on the contrary, it was pretty repellent. The only thing giving me pause was the purportedly huge galaxy of planets to explore and settle, but there's little point if I don't like anything about them.

Hahaha noooo just Soulsborne. Good god what are you trying to do to me? Although I do want to play all those argh. Too much games to play, such little time to play them all.

Well, at least half those games aren't worth the time. The Souls games are probably my favorite of the decade but that doesn't mean I want to play every watered-down imitation or even iteration (Dark Souls and Bloodborne are really the most essential). More on this later...

Hell I even did all he chalice dungeons in Bloodborne.

Only game I've ever platinum'd, and I didn't even set out to do it. The Chalice Dungeons are almost perfectly balanced for what they are, whether played in concert with the main game to compliment it or as end game content. Endless randomized dungeons with enough plot connection to make them compelling, but without cheating you if you just wanted to play the regular game. Basically, they have deeper lore and unique enemies/bosses, but you're not going to miss anything vital to the main game. Unlike, say, MGS: Peace Walker, "Take hours to play a million annoyingly lame and unfulfilling side ops with no story progression to eventually get THE REAL ENDING!" Ugh.

I intend to do Sekiro soon, I just want to clear off my plate of things I started and never finished while obsessing over Soulsborne hah.

An iteration I didn't overly care for despite it's GOTY pretentions. I might put Jedi: Fallen Order ahead of it, at least for fun, though I must admit that unlike Sekiro in Fallen Order mastery comes cheap and the game is basically as good as dead once you beat it (but that's also because it does a good job of making everything you do, except finding outfits etc, an integral part of the playthrough). Not sure why it's lacking a New Game+ mode, that's basically standard these days.
 
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Finished up Katana ZERO last night and had a great time. It's a pretty fresh take on the Hotline Miami formula (which deserves more imitation, IMO) of kill-die-repeat, and the way it straddles the line between reliance on twitch reflexes and planning feels fantastic. The story is pretty stock anime-game fare for the most part, but its delivered so well and woven in so beautifully with the mechanics that it really shines. I found myself playing as much (maybe more!) to see the next non-combat scene as for the gameplay itself, which is rare in a game like this. It only runs about 3-5 hours, but it's very dense and very replayable.

An iteration I didn't overly care for despite it's GOTY pretentions. I might put Jedi: Fallen Order ahead of it
Oof. I know of quite a few Souls fans who are relatively down on Sekiro but this kills me. I'm starting to think the story affected me enough to make me rosier on the whole experience than many - there are beats from that game that still pop up in my head all the time, like from a great film or book. I'd definitely put Fallen Order above the SW sequel trilogy narrative-wise (The main character gets an arc! The mentor gets a better one! There's an antagonist, built up and characterized from beginning to end!) but ultimately I just found it decent; well-made and worthwhile for sure, but pretty generic.
 
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Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Beat King of Cards and got a nice little message for doing all four campaigns in Shovel Knight. I think I rank it 3rd among them, behind Shovel and Specter (which might be #1, and the closest to a straightforward FF6-like character arc), but ahead of Plague in all but difficulty. I tried the showdown mode but wasn't too taken with it yet. Anyway, again, what a game(s)!
I've been playing Specter recently too on my 3DS, after I realized that I had access to all of the new campaigns because I was a Kickstarter backer (apparently? It's been a while...). It's very good. I did not care for Plague of Shadows though.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oof. I know of quite a few Souls fans who are relatively down on Sekiro but this kills me. I'm starting to think the story affected me enough to make me rosier on the whole experience than many - there are beats from that game that still pop up in my head all the time, like from a great film or book.

I think it could be as simple as Sekiro is to defense what Bloodborne is to offense, which is naturally more exhilarating to learn and eventually master.

I'd definitely put Fallen Order above the SW sequel trilogy narrative-wise (The main character gets an arc! The mentor gets a better one! There's an antagonist, built up and characterized from beginning to end!) but ultimately I just found it decent; well-made and worthwhile for sure, but pretty generic.

Well, for what it's worth I played through Sekiro twice in a row and haven't even been able to go back to Fallen Order. Since I beat it I've literally uninstalled it, reinstalled it, turned it on, couldn't think of anything to do, and turned it back off again. That's been the extent of my activity since beating it, so maybe it was more style than substance than I thought.

Certainly both were better than my Mass Effect: Andromeda experience though; the only game I've returned twice that I can recall! :ganishka:

I've been playing Specter recently too on my 3DS, after I realized that I had access to all of the new campaigns because I was a Kickstarter backer (apparently? It's been a while...). It's very good. I did not care for Plague of Shadows though.

You have access to them if you ever owned the original Shovel Knight before they re-branded the whole package as "Treasure Trove" and started selling each campaign ala carte (I kind of wish I'd bought the original on PC too when it was on sale for $15 a few years back; I'm still playing on my Wii U =).

Anyway, Plague has its charms, particularly the humor, but it's sort of exactly what you'd expect from a concurrently happening side story DLC for better or worse, and the moveset and level design is a tricky combination of complicated and precarious as shit. I stopped near the end for a long while and had a hell of time picking it up again, long after I beat Specter, because I couldn't remember how to do anything or what the effective combinations of items and powers were (didn't help that I stopped on an airship platforming level, but that's still some pretty complex bullshit for a fuckin' 8-bit platformer =).

Fortunately, Kind of Cards is somewhere between the original Shovel Knight and Specter of Torment, and probably closest to the former. I also think it's the easiest of the games once you get used to it, partly because it's broken up into more, but smaller, stages with only one checkpoint each (again, very SMB3), until it really ramps it up on a couple of levels at the end. Maybe I'm just used to the game in general though so I wasn't too phased by any of the new wrinkles they throw at you. I was actually kind of drawn to the optional card game even though I pretty much sucked at it, but since you're King Knight of course you have the option to cheat! :ganishka:

Speaking of which, King Knight's by far the weakest as a main character; they basically had to construct the entire plot around his lack of personality and depth, but they managed to have fun with it as always and make it as much a sendoff for the rest of the cast.
 
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Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Speaking of which, King Knight's by far the weakest as a main character; they basically had to construct the entire plot around his lack of personality and depth, but they managed to have fun with it as always and make it as much a sendoff for the rest of the cast.

This is in part why I was most looking forward to King Knight -- I found his showy personality pretty funny in the main game, and a whole campaign around him sounded like good stuff.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
This is in part why I was most looking forward to King Knight -- I found his showy personality pretty funny in the main game, and a whole campaign around him sounded like good stuff.

Then let's just say they don't betray his character from the original game one bit. No unrequited love or tragedy here... well, at least not tragedy for him. :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
All this Shovel Knight talk got me to revisit my copy of the game, which I hadn't touched since I went through the first game. I'm halfway into Plague Knight right now. It's fine I guess, but not as good as "Shovel of Hope".
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
All this Shovel Knight talk got me to revisit my copy of the game, which I hadn't touched since I went through the first game. I'm halfway into Plague Knight right now. It's fine I guess, but not as good as "Shovel of Hope".

Yeah, it's ok, but a little too different and off-the-wall. You can tell they were really trying to differentiate it from the base game, but then you're intentionally straying from a winning formula. Make sure to give Specter of Torment a try before you're through; it's pretty great from what I remember.


I'm messing around around with a Jedi Fallen Order modded "New Game +" save, as well as ME3 so I can maybe give all the DLC a try. We'll see how far I get though, my original save game was in NG+ itself right at the start, so I just decided to start over with the genesis comic to refresh the story in my head and setup the character selections I wanted (Wrex lives!). Don't know that I'm going to play it far enough to matter though.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, it's ok, but a little too different and off-the-wall. You can tell they were really trying to differentiate it from the base game, but then you're intentionally straying from a winning formula. Make sure to give Specter of Torment a try before you're through; it's pretty great from what I remember.

I'm playing it now. It's nice but I miss the overhead map and it also sometimes feels like they've just revamped the levels and boss fights. I've finished Plague of Shadows and thought it was fun enough as a dispensable bonus mode. I did find the love story cute though haha. What surprises me however is how long it took for these side games to come out. Given how many years it took (the Kickstarter was in March 2013 and the original game was released in 2014), I had assumed they were basically whole new games, which isn't really the case. I'm not complaining because I like the game as a whole and it's definitely the best KS campaigned I ever backed, but it makes me wonder what their process is.
 
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