What Are You Playing?

I've been binge playing Persona 4 for the first time. On the last half of the final dungeon for the 'true' ending (or whatever). Absolutely adore this game and wanted to beat the third and fourth game before the fifth game came out. Almost pulled it off.

I really watch to play the 'Golden' version for Vita bleh. But that means buying a Vita.
 
I finished Nioh. A very fun game. Of all the souls type games, this truly felt by itself. That ninja gaiden vibe was strong. I rushed through Berserk and the band of the hawk. Terrible. Finished The Ringed City. Going from Nioh to souls was a kick to the face in terms of style. Nioh encourages constant offense. Could be me wanting more, but the last dlc of the entire series was a little underwhelming in the fact of what could be fleshed out a little more wasn't.

Currently playing Silent Hill Downpour. Love the series, but not the western games. Just don't seem to get it. When the wife is done with Horizon: Zero Dawn I'll pick that up.
 
Salem said:
Currently playing Silent Hill Downpour. Love the series, but not the western games.

I'm a huge Silent Hill fan and found Downpour to be the best in the western series tbh. It's definitely not without flaws but I feel like they did a pretty damn good job with what they had to work with.

The development was a shitshow though. I've actually been craving to replay that game and was going to soon. Supposed to be stormy tonight and tomorrow, so might be a good time for it hah.
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
VladimirPutin said:
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

I never got around to playing Dark Arisen, but I absolutely loved the original Dragon's Dogma. I thought the world development and finale sequence of that game was incredible. Just wish it had been as popular here as it was/is in Japan.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Salem said:
Finished The Ringed City. Going from Nioh to souls was a kick to the face in terms of style. Nioh encourages constant offense. Could be me wanting more, but the last dlc of the entire series was a little underwhelming in the fact of what could be fleshed out a little more wasn't.

Yeah, from a practical playing standpoint it had everything you would want in an ultimate Dark Souls farewell DLC from challenging areas to a variety of popular/memorable boss styles. But the presentation, especially the lore, was caught in no man's land between trying to touch on, and outright teasing, satisfying series-wrapping conclusions and remembering the end of DS3 is still supposed to be the ending and this is technically a side thing, so trying to do something original in that vein and in the end not really doing either. In a way I kind of like the unique, standalone nature of Ariandel more; it had a bunch of stuff that wasn't already in DS3, whereas everything in The Ringed City was familiar but never quite paid off on that familiarity in a new, satisfying way. I like both DLCs best as a metaphor for needing to "let it go," burn it down, and move on to new worlds. And at least Ringed City gave fans of all the Blood Souls games a final piece of non-info to obsessively theorize and make assumptions over, and isn't that the most fitting "end"* of all? =)

*They didn't want a satisfying end because they're going to announce Dark $oul$ 4 next year anyway. Just make it the successor to 2 as 3 is to 1 and it can double as a redeemer.


Speaking of fitting ends, this appeared on the DS3 wiki foe the final boss within 24 hours of the DLCs release:

The manner in which
Gael
fights and runs in his first phase is very similar to how Guts from Berserk fights in the Berserker Armor.
Gael's
second phase also shows this by his use of the Repeating Crossbow, akin to Guts Repeater Crossbow, and the way he hides and follows his attacks with his cape.

Uh huh, of course. :carcus: It goes without saying that the final boss isn't actually like Guts, berserk or not, at all. :ganishka:
 
Killakcin said:
FFX, grinding my way to max stats now, so I can finally take down the Dark Aeons.

You don't need necessarly max stats to take them down, a combination of good stats, especially Strenght, weapons with Break Damage Limit, and a VERY good strategy with the right abilities (like auto life) will do, i took down most of them with relatively low stats characters. The problem comes AFTER the Dark Aeons... heh heh heh, then you'll really need almost every stats maximized.
 
Tabris said:
I'm a huge Silent Hill fan and found Downpour to be the best in the western series tbh. It's definitely not without flaws but I feel like they did a pretty damn good job with what they had to work with.

The development was a shitshow though. I've actually been craving to replay that game and was going to soon. Supposed to be stormy tonight and tomorrow, so might be a good time for it hah.
I've heard that about downpour and just never got around to playing it. Excited for even a little bit of that lightning in a bottle. Haha, I was also waiting to play until some storms came by. Lightning storm and light rain is when I started. That environment is crucial.

Griffith said:
Yeah, from a practical playing standpoint it had everything you would want in an ultimate Dark Souls farewell DLC from challenging areas to a variety of popular/memorable boss styles. But the presentation, especially the lore, was caught in no man's land between trying to touch on, and outright teasing, satisfying series-wrapping conclusions and remembering the end of DS3 is still supposed to be the ending and this is technically a side thing, so trying to do something original in that vein and in the end not really really doing either.

Well said. Oh lord, that Guts reference in wiki. Yes...exactly like Guts, especially the newly acquired elemental sword in the anime. :ganishka: I played and finished the first dlc quick and never dabbled in the pvp that one threw together. I hardly remembered slave knight. Shame on me. I will say this, that first drop through the chapel had my stomach in knots. Thought I was going into oblivion. I'll be happy if they let it rest and just make games of a similar vein or style. I was very happy with Nioh in regards to branching that style. Started demons souls again and was having fun. Put 180 hrs into my first character. Eesh. I'm afraid to play dark souls again as the inevitable hd remaster could be in the works.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Salem said:
Well said.

I'd like to really go deep on the subject, but there's not a lot of other people *cough*Wally*cough*Aaz*cough* to break it down and go back and forth with. Even the coverage and reviews have been kind of muted, not to menrion tepid, for the grand finale, but again, it's just a DLC so maybe not. IDK, DS3 is the biggest game in the series to date, but I also feel like maybe it's enough and DS mania in general may have subsided for now. Again, maybe not considering Nioh's popularity.

Salem said:
Oh lord, that Guts reference in wiki. Yes...exactly like Guts, especially the newly acquired elemental sword in the anime. :ganishka:

He has armor and a sword and runs around; it's Guts from Berserk! :guts:

The funny thing is how much the boss isn't like Guts in every other way. He doesn't even fight like him in any situation. He's not aggressive enough to be like Guts while berserk, and not aggressive enough otherwise because Guts also doesn't just straight up walk at people. It's a weird comparison but I saw several people making it. Memorable fight though, if not a memorable character. Kind of feel like it's supposed to be a mirror for the player too. =)

Salem said:
I played and finished the first dlc quick and never dabbled in the pvp that one threw together.

I played a few matches and had some fun, but I'd rather just stick to the random fight element where I'm invaded or summoned to help. More random, fun and rewarding all around. I love teaching some cheapshot artist a lesson, though I've noticed a lot of invincible, teleporting cheaters, both as friend and foe, since I've been back.

Salem said:
I will say this, that first drop through the chapel had my stomach in knots. Thought I was going into oblivion.

Yeah, it was a pretty awesome start all around, but ended up being kind of a short retrospective before moving on to the Ringed City. I kind of wanted more of that weirdness.
Did you notice what the Demon Prince's lair actually was? Particularly noticeable at the exit.

Salem said:
I'll be happy if they let it rest and just make games of a similar vein or style. I was very happy with Nioh in regards to branching that style.

I don't know where they go with DS from here, other than following up on DS2 (don't know how much demand there is for that though =), because it's already literally cannibalizing itself otherwise. I think you can hit the reset button on the lore, or at least move it significantly forward, and still make it Dark Souls though.

Salem said:
Started demons souls again and was having fun. Put 180 hrs into my first character. Eesh. I'm afraid to play dark souls again as the inevitable hd remaster could be in the works.

That's actually my Demon's Souls fear, which I still haven't played along with Bloodborne. I don't want to invest in a PS3 and PS4 just to play those two games though, especially when I'm a bit Dark Souled out at the moment. I still really want to play them though because I suspect the real "Souls Trilogy" is Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
I'd like to really go deep on the subject, but there's not a lot of other people *cough*Wally*cough*Aaz*cough* to break it down and go back and forth with.

I haven't felt compelled to play it yet. Maybe in a few months, who knows? :iva:
 
Right now i'm cleaning up the 2013 Tomb Raider which I am absolutely loving, as well as on and off playing the Dragon Age series, I'm pretty late when it comes to most games I can count the number of games I've bought new on one hand so theres' that fact. Slowly also working my way through the Phoenix Wright and Kingdom Hearts series both of which I absolutely love. Other than that not much. Played Spec Ops The Line and that game blew me away despite just being a more modern, slightly less good Apocalypse Now, which is itself just a better Heart of Darkness.
 
Finished off Persona 4 finally. Game was pretty damn cool. Went for the 'true' ending as well.

Decided to take a break from the Persona series to play another game of Dark Souls. Trying to delve deeper into the lore of the series as well. The Soulsborne series are always incredible as hell the first time around (though I've only played Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne) but I find it's even more special knowing what to expect and seeing the significance of certain areas/items/levels etc.

The weight of those aspects makes the games far cooler.
 
Tabris said:
Finished off Persona 4 finally. Game was pretty damn cool. Went for the 'true' ending as well.

Decided to take a break from the Persona series to play another game of Dark Souls. Trying to delve deeper into the lore of the series as well. The Soulsborne series are always incredible as hell the first time around (though I've only played Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne) but I find it's even more special knowing what to expect and seeing the significance of certain areas/items/levels etc.

The weight of those aspects makes the games far cooler.

In my opinion, those are really the only games worth playing in the Soulsborne family (Griffith's correct when he says they're the real trilogy). A big appeal behind the lore aspect of them is the mystery, piecing together the scraps of history you find and uncovering a huge secret in the process that changes your impression of the world. The problem that Dark Souls' sequels faced is that the first game pretty much made all the big reveals. You knew about the rise and fall of the gods, the fading of the First Flame, and the desperate measures taken to preserve it; what else was there to say? Which is probably why the sequels turned out the way they did, retreading and reiterating material that the first game already covered, if not outright referencing it. And worse, they wiped the slate clean with every new iteration, destroying most senses of world-building. When Dark Souls II was announced, I was hoping it would expand on some of the other places we heard about, like Carim, Vinheim, or Thorolund, but that was quickly dashed.

Since you like the gameplay and lore aspect to the Soulsborne games, I definitely recommend you check out Salt and Sanctuary if you ever get the chance. It was made by a different company, hell, it was made by two people as far as I can tell, but they definitely understood what makes these games click on both fronts.

Speaking of which, I'm replaying Bloodborne, trying out an Arcane build. It's nice to actually use those Hunter Tools that otherwise just gather dust in your inventory.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Tabris said:
I'm a huge Silent Hill fan and found Downpour to be the best in the western series tbh. It's definitely not without flaws but I feel like they did a pretty damn good job with what they had to work with.

I really liked Downpour however I played it on release and sadly the game was so full of bugs and glitches and choppyness that about halfway through I had to give up after a glitch left me unable to complete a sidequest.


Anyway, I guess I'll be the one to bring it up: is anyone playing the new Mass Effect?
 
Cyrus Jong said:
Since you like the gameplay and lore aspect to the Soulsborne games, I definitely recommend you check out Salt and Sanctuary if you ever get the chance. It was made by a different company, hell, it was made by two people as far as I can tell, but they definitely understood what makes these games click on both fronts.

I've heard quite a bit about that game, so it has ended up on my never ending list of stuff to play. I will definitely be picking it up eventually though.

Oburi said:
I really liked Downpour however I played it on release and sadly the game was so full of bugs and glitches and choppyness that about halfway through I had to give up after a glitch left me unable to complete a sidequest.

This is weird for me because when that game first came out people were complaining a lot about those kinds of glitches etc. I had one of those old fat PS3s and I never experienced what people were talking about at all. But then that one died and I played it again on a newer model and suddenly I had all those problems. Have no idea what's up with that.

I have a couple friends who worked on the game as well and they were both asking me about those problems when I talked to them about Downpour. So it's not like those issues were unknown. Vatra really sucked though and Konami is far worse. Pretty unfortunate when the game itself is pretty good, but some of those problems really ruined it for some people.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
I haven't felt compelled to play it yet. Maybe in a few months, who knows? :iva:

Boooo! Go play it instead of preferring trendy derivitives like Nioh, or go watch Breaking Bad. Harrumph! :guts:

Cyrus Jong said:
In my opinion, those are really the only games worth playing in the Soulsborne family (Griffith's correct when he says they're the real trilogy). A big appeal behind the lore aspect of them is the mystery, piecing together the scraps of history you find and uncovering a huge secret in the process that changes your impression of the world. The problem that Dark Souls' sequels faced is that the first game pretty much made all the big reveals. You knew about the rise and fall of the gods, the fading of the First Flame, and the desperate measures taken to preserve it; what else was there to say? Which is probably why the sequels turned out the way they did, retreading and reiterating material that the first game already covered, if not outright referencing it. And worse, they wiped the slate clean with every new iteration, destroying most senses of world-building. When Dark Souls II was announced, I was hoping it would expand on some of the other places we heard about, like Carim, Vinheim, or Thorolund, but that was quickly dashed.

Glad my instinct has some validity, and I've often thought Dark Souls already setup and paid everything off the first time. The first game has the grandest, most iconic mythology. Basically Zeus, Death, Puff the Magic Dragon and the Wicked Witch killing the dinosaurs is the history of the world before it falls, but then you get to actually rediscover and fight them yourself, and maybe even the Pygmy if you want him to be more than just a representation of early man.

DS2 is sort of a confusing, generic knockoff that doesn't follow, but has underwhelming stand-ins for those larger than life demi-gods, "So, this old guy's a Zeus wannabe but kinda sucks, is that cool?" (not really). And DS3 is more a direct sequel that has guys that followed in the footsteps of Zeus and you in DS1, but are still kinda underwhelming by comparison: a giant like the many you've seen, the blob, and multiple Artorias/Bloodborne cosplayers, none of which even really want to be there much themselves.

Basically, it all becomes very watered down as you go from finding and fighting the gods to their increasingly unworthy successors and figuratively and literally wondering if any of it is worth it, which is a come down even if the fights are just as fun/hard (and the whole thing is really more a big meta commentary on the nature of playing these games, for better or worse). It's no wonder the most popular elements are callbacks or loose ends from DS1; most prominently
The Nameless King,
though Solaire fulfilled that role previously if you wished, and arguably more satisfyingly. Of course, the theme of the series kind of became about the increasingly unsatisfying state of things, to the point that by the end Zeus himself kind of sucked as well, or at least everything connected to him sure went to shit. :ganishka:

(I think I talked Aaz into it =)

Cyrus Jong said:
Since you like the gameplay and lore aspect to the Soulsborne games, I definitely recommend you check out Salt and Sanctuary if you ever get the chance. It was made by a different company, hell, it was made by two people as far as I can tell, but they definitely understood what makes these games click on both fronts.

I've never heard of that one but I'll have to check it out.

Oburi said:
Anyway, I guess I'll be the one to bring it up: is anyone playing the new Mass Effect?

Same as Wally. Plus, I wasn't very excited for it in the first place. No Shepard, no thank you. =)
 
Sancho said:
You don't need necessarly max stats to take them down, a combination of good stats, especially Strenght, weapons with Break Damage Limit, and a VERY good strategy with the right abilities (like auto life) will do, i took down most of them with relatively low stats characters. The problem comes AFTER the Dark Aeons... heh heh heh, then you'll really need almost every stats maximized.

Holy shit, Penance is a fucking menace! The fight is so RNG heavy at the beginning!
 
Killakcin said:
Holy shit, Penance is a fucking menace! The fight is so RNG heavy at the beginning!
I was bored through out this whole fight. Never managed to beat him just because i would always close the console before killing him. I did however cheat him with the yonjimbo trick, but that doesnt really count.
 
Killakcin said:
Holy shit, Penance is a fucking menace! The fight is so RNG heavy at the beginning!

If you kill quickly his arms before they do their turn the fight can be very static and cyclic, they instead can make the fight very random indeed. Actually you have to kill them everytime they reappear because they can obliterate your party and cure his main body in an instant. The problem with Penance is not only the fight but also how much it takes to create a party build to beat him, like having the right abilities on the armor like autohaste and autoprotect, and finding out how to obtain the necessary items to add those abilities on the armor slots. If you don't like to consult guides, like me, it may take you a long time to create a strong party. Just think that when i finally beated him i had more than 200 hours of gameplay! After that i've never wanted to play it anymore!
 
Sancho said:
If you kill quickly his arms before they do their turn the fight can be very static and cyclic, they instead can make the fight very random indeed. Actually you have to kill them everytime they reappear because they can obliterate your party and cure his main body in an instant. The problem with Penance is not only the fight but also how much it takes to create a party build to beat him, like having the right abilities on the armor like autohaste and autoprotect, and finding out how to obtain the necessary items to add those abilities on the armor slots. If you don't like to consult guides, like me, it may take you a long time to create a strong party. Just think that when i finally beated him i had more than 200 hours of gameplay! After that i've never wanted to play it anymore!

I've actually been able to kill the arms. It's just that you can't kill both arms at the beginning. That's why it's so RNG heavy. You have to get lucky with whatever move the remaining arm takes before you can kill it. Also, is it just me or do the arms regenerate faster in the second phase?
 
Killakcin said:
I've actually been able to kill the arms. It's just that you can't kill both arms at the beginning. That's why it's so RNG heavy. You have to get lucky with whatever move the remaining arm takes before you can kill it. Also, is it just me or do the arms regenerate faster in the second phase?

You actually can if you have speed at 255 and Autohaste on the armors for each of the three character, if you deal 99999 damages for every physical attack AND if you use "quick hit" everytime you attack, be careful though it consumes MP. If you meet those prerequisites you can kill both arms before anyone between the main body and the arms even make their turn. The problem is Autohaste IIRC, to get it you must repeatedly collect certain specific items at the Monster Arena.

I think the reason FFX was awesome is for the myriad of optional superboss fights it has. Most of them are actually stronger than any enemy you fight in the main story, and so you can continue to play it even after you finish it, in a sense it's like the real game begins only then. I must say apart from the Souls series i had never struggled so much to complete thoroughly a game like i did with FFX.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

This game is the gift that keeps on giving. The Specter Knight addition is more comprehensive than Plague of Shadows in that the environments and boss patterns have been drastically altered, if not completely redone (like backgrounds and all), and the move set is easier and just more fun (whereas Plague Knight offered a bit more challenge). You also don't use the map this time but teleport directly from the Tower of Fate to recruit the Order of No Quarter, further differentiating it from the Shovel/Plague Knight parallel version of the game (this is technically a prequel). It's basically a new game; pretty good deal considering I was already supremely satisfied with my initial $14.99 purchase, and there's still another one coming!


I've fired up Breath of the Wild a couple times recently as well but haven't gotten into it like before. I eventually want to and finish the Shrines, though I'm glad to be sleeping normally instead (I used BotW to get off Diablo 3, then DS3 DLC to get off BotW, now I'm in a healthy relationship with Specter Knight =). Anybody still wildly addicted to BoTW though? I'm curious about it's legs and people's lingering impressions (maybe all that new-OoT/Best Game Ever stuff was premature :carcus:). Wally? Bueller...?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

This game is the gift that keeps on giving.

That's good to hear. I'd heard good things about it, but honestly the bit that I played of Plague of Shadows turned me off to checking in on this game. I'll try this now (I got the expansion through Kickstarter :badbone:).

I've fired up Breath of the Wild a couple times recently as well but haven't gotten into it like before. I eventually want to and finish the Shrines, though I'm glad to be sleeping normally instead (I used BotW to get off Diablo 3, then DS3 DLC to get off BotW, now I'm in a healthy relationship with Specter Knight =). Anybody still wildly addicted to BoTW though? I'm curious about it's legs and people's lingering impressions (maybe all that new-OoT/Best Game Ever stuff was premature :carcus:). Wally? Bueller...?

I beat Breath of the Wild about a week ago. The game is utterly fantastic. Easily one of my favorite Zeldas.

My absolute favorite aspect of the game -- the one I keep thinking about, and what I think will be this game's legacy -- is the minute-by-minute sensation that you are taking part in a truly epic adventure. You've done most of this kind of adventuring before, but the scope of the world adds a new layer that's not like anything before. The unedited presentation of all aspects of your journey, complete with all the highs and lows of crossing the world, eating, sleeping, discovering new areas and solving the world's problems, all conveyed through a myriad of systems that still manage to feel cohesive. It's fucking incredible.

But the amazement and wonder inspired by the game’s opening hours slowly began to fade (what game doesn’t, after 100 hours?) , and it never regained its momentum for me. After the final hour of the game, I’m not so sure it hangs in the “top 3” anymore. Top 5? Sure. But the ending was filled with missed opportunities. More on that in a bit.

I particularly had a problem with the game's difficulty curve. More than half of the game was a complete breeze, whereas the first hour or so is the toughest. It's the result of a combination of things, and I chalk it up not to an unintended consequence but merely the byproduct of the open-ended nature of the game.

Early on, you're learning best way to approach combat, and have limited hearts. Survival can be rough. But by the end it's the complete reverse. Plenty of defense upgrades and hearts to buffer damage, and offensive know-how and options a'plenty. Yet the only thing that scales over time is enemy HP and their damage output, which just means combat takes slightly longer as you progress. Tactical changes aren’t required. Other than Lynels the game doesn't throw anything at you that's tougher than the first hour or so of experience.

All of that was likely done by design so they could accommodate for players of varying levels exploring freely. But they could have instituted a little something more dynamic than enemy stats.

As for my thoughts on the ending — It's just too thin. The story setup was fine. A ruined world, Ganon looming on horizon. But it doesn’t really go anywhere. Ganon remains basically a force of nature. There is never an exchange between Link and Ganon. The last hour of the game felt like there were several missed opportunities.

It took the wind out of me to return for more than a few hours more. I acknowledge that the game is already filled with stuff to do, but it was disheartening to me that I couldn't explore a post-Ganon Hyrule. A victory lap with some new dialogue options at each town would have been the icing on the cake. Instead, your options are to start back at your pre-Ganon save, which ... whew, what a bummer. And certainly, there's no precedent for this to be a feature in a Zelda game. But given the huge scope of the world, it seems a natural option to give players -- an incentive to explore even more and rediscover areas from earlier to see how people treat you NOW, hehe.

I hope all of this doesn't make me sound like I'm down on the game. Really, I'm not. The last time I was this into a game was Dark Souls 1, which POSSESSED me for 200 hours. This game bit 100 hours of my life, and I was enraptured by it. It's just -- I felt it deserved a bit more meat on the back end to justify the epic journey. Instead, it just sorta ends, falls flat on its feet with no fanfare, and not much incentive to come back to its amazing world.
 
I just wanted to share my thoughts on the final boss fight in BotW.
Every part of the fight was great. Until you defeat his first form. The thing that follows is underwhelming and with zelda screaming and telling you what to do(shoot any glowing points you see etc) It feels like they forgot that they were trying break their handholding habits. Either that or the final boss was rushed. It didn't seem very polished. I was just very underwhelmed when i finally did it. Like, "oh hey, for the final boss second form all you have to do is hit a stationary target hahah" It just kind of goes against everything they did up until that point.
 
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