What Are You Playing?

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Walter said:
Same, though I only got a few hours of games in.

Well, you do have a kid. It's just me and the missus. :void:

Walter said:
I'd put it on my personal Top 10, and the sequel is also good (Seiken Densetsu 3) with a translation patch. I actually loaded up SD3 on my SNES classic as well. Playing that game in English on a TV has been pretty much a lifelong dream of mine.

Nice! Seiken Densetsu 3 is on my list, as well. I'm looking forward to playing it, since it's supposed to be a more complete game than Secret of Mana. I know they had to cut out a lot of stuff since it was originally going to be a disc-based game for what ended up becoming the PlayStation.

BTW, I also picked up a new PS4, though not a Pro. I'm not made of money, either. :serpico: The old PS3 was finally starting to burn out. I think the cooling gel is starting to wear off; the fan is going almost full-blast all the time. It's nice to have a nice, quiet console again.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Oh geez, it's pulling you in because it's a good game; you guys are talking about it like an affliction, as if every one of these Super Metroid clones, including their granddaddy, don't suffer from this mid-game confusion/drag unless they hold your hand (sometimes it can last decades I hear; talk about a slow pace =).

Avg play through of Super Metroid is about 5h. For Hollow Knight it's about 20h. There's a lot to like, but it's also a bloated mess of a game by comparison.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
Avg play through of Super Metroid is about 5h. For Hollow Knight it's about 20h. There's a lot to like, but it's also a bloated mess of a game by comparison.

For what it's worth I clocked in at 41h33 in Hollow Knight with full completion. It's a nice game, but 5 years from now I won't remember anything about it.
Meanwhile, I'm currently playing Into the Breach on Switch (I've played it about 50 hours on PC already) and Narrows on Oculus Go.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
The game is so lovingly made
Walter said:
Avg play through of Super Metroid is about 5h. For Hollow Knight it's about 20h. There's a lot to like
Aazealh said:
For what it's worth I clocked in at 41h33 in Hollow Knight with full completion. It's a nice game

With critiques like these, who needs praise? :carcus:

Anyway, purported bloatedness or goodness aside, I think we can all agree it's not an all-time great or anything, but that's an unfair comparison to start and not a qualifier even I employ, and I AM looking for epic greatness in my games (which unfortunately keeps me from trying a lot of "smaller" titles like this). It's definitely one of my favorites from last year though, and to Wally's issue, I think he's more appreciative of economy and I'm a "more is more" kind of guy when it comes to games, especially ones I enjoy playing and want to keep playing (my initial take on Bloodborne was it was disappointingly short and then I ended up playing it for like 160+ hours anyway). Also, I think I single-handedly skewed the average time to complete Super Metroid by at least 20 hours with my 210,248.5 hour run. =)

Aazealh said:
Meanwhile, I'm currently playing Into the Breach on Switch (I've played it about 50 hours on PC already).

Sounds like it's holding up well. It's on my wishlist but I didn't take the plunge during the Steam autumn sale because I didn't think I'd have time for it now anyway, but maybe next month...


Oh yeah, I should mention, not only did I beat the lovely though sparse Mega Man 11 solo and with a friend... but my seven month old daughter got her first Mega kill at the start of Blast Man's stage, switching to Torch Man's power up and lighting an MFer up... so proud of my little prodigy. :judo:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Sounds like it's holding up well. It's on my wishlist but I didn't take the plunge during the Steam autumn sale because I didn't think I'd have time for it now anyway, but maybe next month...

Yeah it's just so replayable. I think once I finished it four times in a row. And I love the lore too, which was outsourced to Brian Fargo. It's not very deep but manages to be very effective anyway.

Griffith said:
Oh yeah, I should mention, not only did I beat the lovely though sparse Mega Man 11 solo and with a friend... but my seven month old daughter got her first Mega kill at the start of Blast Man's stage, switching to Torch Man's power up and lighting an MFer up... so proud of my little prodigy. :judo:

Attagirl! :guts:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Yeah it's just so replayable. I think once I finished it four times in a row. And I love the lore too, which was outsourced to Brian Fargo. It's not very deep but manages to be very effective anyway.

Brian Fargo of classic FALLOUT fame!? *gets unreasonably excited about game*

Aazealh said:
Attagirl! :guts:

Yeah, we were actually pretty shocked, my wife immediately asked, "Did SHE do that!?" It was like an old DBZ when Gohan would show flashes of some explosive potential he couldn't yet control! :carcus:

Anyway, she even can even handle a controller properly from watching me and because I let her play with a broken PS3 Dual Shock (she learned to crawl chasing after remotes and my glasses =). She'll actually put her thumbs on the buttons properly too! My wife should probably be more angry about this corruption, but I think it's a lark. Can't wait to buy her a Switch for Christmas! :ganishka:
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Griffith said:
Where you at in RDR2, Johnstantine? If you're concerned about spoilers you can just tell me which chapter.

Chapter 2. I just rescued Micah. Every time I get going in the game I start to get bored because of travel.

Also, my bounty is like $700 in one area so it's a pain in the ass sometimes.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Johnstantine said:
Chapter 2. I just rescued Micah. Every time I get going in the game I start to get bored because of travel.

Also, my bounty is like $700 in one area so it's a pain in the ass sometimes.

Some tips: You can unlock fast travel from camp by upgrading Dutch's and then your tent for a few hundred dollars, and if you can't afford your bounty in an area... turn yourself in and serve time in jail! It lowers or wipes it out! Then you can utilize stage coaches to cut down on travel outside of camp (this really becomes important as you open up the world to the point that Valentine to Strawberry is nothing =). Similarly, if you commit a small crime or say accidentally run someone down with your horse but are otherwise without bounties, wait for the police and cooperate and they'll probably let you off with a warning and tell you to get lost. This game is so awkwardly nuanced sometimes. :ganishka:
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Griffith said:
Some tips: You can unlock fast travel from camp by upgrading Dutch's and then your tent for a few hundred dollars, and if you can't afford your bounty in an area... turn yourself in and serve time in jail! It lowers or wipes it out! Then you can utilize stage coaches to cut down on travel outside of camp (this really becomes important as you open up the world to the point that Valentine to Strawberry is nothing =). Similarly, if you commit a small crime or say accidentally run someone down with your horse but are otherwise without bounties, wait for the police and cooperate and they'll probably let you off with a warning and tell you to get lost. This game is so awkwardly nuanced sometimes. :ganishka:

Oh, sweet. Thanks for the tips! I've gone into the game blind, but in my advanced age of 33 I feel like I need some help.
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Been slowly playing and enjoying Spidey PS4, it's been pretty fun but the non-Spider-Man gameplay parts are always an annoying pain. I'm at like 65% completion and hope I don't have many more of those left.

I really liked the tiny bit I played of Into the Breach, I should install it at work so I can waste time doing quick missions instead of browsing twitter... or maybe I should be more productive. :troll:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Johnstantine said:
Oh, sweet. Thanks for the tips! I've gone into the game blind, but in my advanced age of 33 I feel like I need some help.

Yeah, the game has so many little wrinkles like that they don't emphasize or even address, and I don't really blame them because there's so much other core gameplay to cover the whole thing could get really bogged down if they tried to show off every detail. The police one is especially nasty because it goes against all your GTA instincts to actually cooperate. :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Brian Fargo of classic FALLOUT fame!? *gets unreasonably excited about game*

Yup!

Griffith said:
Can't wait to buy her a Switch for Christmas! :ganishka:

:badbone:
thumbup.gif


Dar Klink said:
I really liked the tiny bit I played of Into the Breach, I should install it at work so I can waste time doing quick missions instead of browsing twitter... or maybe I should be more productive. :troll:

Think of all the timelines you could be saving instead of slaving away for your corporate overlords. :judo:
 

Crimson Blade

Burns eternally hot
Just Cause 2 along with Infamous 2 for PS3 are two I'm currently playing. The former more than the latter (since I replayed the first Infamous twice in a row because of karma, I got kinda burned out on it, and second game is too similar still).

JC2 is pretty awesome though; it's just the kind of style of game I enjoy, third person open world. I can just literally do nothing but just explore for hours without even touching the story.


I also bough ta PS4 recently (because of Berserk), but I need to finish my 3 games before I get to it, or at last finish something.

And sadly, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk was one of the most medicore games I've ever played. Pretty bad when something can make my literal favorite IP ever unplayable.
But it's not Berserk's fault, it's Musou, ie Dynasty Warriors. That style of gameplay is literally so generic any skin can be laid on top of it, and it is the most boring style of gaming I have ever experienced in my life. And the difficulty sucks too; it's either baby mode or impossible. I gave up and sold it.


I would kill to have the PS2 version be re-released for something, or just officially in English. I played it via emulation on PC because it was in English and pretty much loved it. Not the best game or anything, but that's how Berserk should be in a game, I feel. Very similar to a game like Bayonetta. At least it's more complicated than button mashing two buttons again and again.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Griffith said:
Yeah, the game has so many little wrinkles like that they don't emphasize or even address, and I don't really blame them because there's so much other core gameplay to cover the whole thing could get really bogged down if they tried to show off every detail. The police one is especially nasty because it goes against all your GTA instincts to actually cooperate. :ganishka:

I took your advice and it made the game smoother for me. Chapter 2 took me about 15 hours to complete, and that was me wanting to do the story only (if I get caught in the grind, I lose interest pretty quickly).
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Crimson said:
I would kill to have the PS2 version be re-released for something, or just officially in English. I played it via emulation on PC because it was in English and pretty much loved it. Not the best game or anything, but that's how Berserk should be in a game, I feel. Very similar to a game like Bayonetta. At least it's more complicated than button mashing two buttons again and again.

Do yourself a favor and play the Dreamcast game. It's old so the graphics have aged and the gameplay is clunkier than in the PS2 game, but from a design and story perspective it's miles above. Characters, story and dialogue are directly all from Miura.
 

Crimson Blade

Burns eternally hot
Aazealh said:
Do yourself a favor and play the Dreamcast game. It's old so the graphics have aged and the gameplay is clunkier than in the PS2 game, but from a design and story perspective it's miles above. Characters, story and dialogue are directly all from Miura.

But that's only a Dreamcast exclusive too, right? Hmm, if I can emulate it, I'll try.

I know that one was officially released and is in English, but I hope you can transfer to Japanese for the dialogue. I seem to recall a twinge in my memory from Puck's English voice.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Crimson said:
But that's only a Dreamcast exclusive too, right? Hmm, if I can emulate it, I'll try.

I know that one was officially released and is in English, but I hope you can transfer to Japanese for the dialogue. I seem to recall a twinge in my memory from Puck's English voice.

Here you go:.
https://youtu.be/N32QQqKOf5I
 

Crimson Blade

Burns eternally hot
Walter said:
Here you go:.
https://youtu.be/N32QQqKOf5I

This would be easiest, but I actually found it downvoted already from my account; possibly years ago, if only due to that atrocious dubbing. Haha.

Think I'll just opt for a synopsis somewhere instead. Maybe even just the script.
 
Crimson said:
But that's only a Dreamcast exclusive too, right? Hmm, if I can emulate it, I'll try.

Yes, it can be emulated. I played it on PC quite some time ago and as Aazealh said, it features some exclusive characters and story from Miura which give it more authenticity than the PS2 title. It's a pretty short game too, you can finish it in one sitting.

Crimson said:
I know that one was officially released and is in English, but I hope you can transfer to Japanese for the dialogue. I seem to recall a twinge in my memory from Puck's English voice.

I believe there are some differences between the English and Japanese versions, so I'm not sure if it's as simple as finding an undub ISO, but you can try looking around. In any case, the English voices are not insufferable, at least in my opinion, so don't worry.

Crimson said:
Think I'll just opt for a synopsis somewhere instead. Maybe even just the script.

I recommend trying it. The visual design enhances the experience quite a bit and after all, it's a game, it's meant to be played not read.
 
Aazealh said:
Do yourself a favor and play the Dreamcast game. It's old so the graphics have aged and the gameplay is clunkier than in the PS2 game, but from a design and story perspective it's miles above. Characters, story and dialogue are directly all from Miura.
I emulated that game first thing when i found out berserk games existed. It was definitely worth it.
The ps2 game has superior gameplay though.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I finished Gargoyle's Quest II on my second break at work yesterday. Both it and the previous entry are nice little platforming gems, and I'm glad I stumbled upon them.

Up next is Super Castlevania IV! I played it once before on my 3DS, but it was murky and hard to see, so I'm playing it again on my SNES Classic. I played a little bit of it this morning and it's much easier to navigate, now that I'm not squinting. Plus, it's an amazingly detailed game that's held up very well over the years.

Edit: I finished Super Castlevania IV and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Master System). Super Castlevania IV was even better this time around. It's such a well-designed game. I've become a major Castlevania fan-boy, too.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was difficult, but after several tries I ended up collecting all of the Chaos Emeralds, opening up the final stage and "real" ending. For a Master System game, it was pretty damn good.

Next up is Mega Man 5!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I just finished Last of Us, a game I've always wanted to play, but never had the ability. Finally sitting down at night and playing the remaster on PS4 was a pretty incredible experience. I am of course coming to the game 5 years late, and already pre-programmed to expect the masterpiece that it (mostly!) is. But layered on top of that was an even bigger hurdle for me: The game draws clear inspiration from The Road, which is one of my favorite books. Consequently, there's a lot to love, but also inevitable contrasts and comparisons. Before I go any further, you should go grab The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Do not bother with the movie. Not saying I'm dropping spoilers here, just vouching for it as a solid book.

See, I do finish games from time to time! So long as they can hold my interest... And as far as I'm concerned, Last of Us is a modern classic. Any nitpicking I'm about to do simply can't drown out its overall greatness.

The animations and character acting were the real stars here. Holy shit... I've never played a game like this. There are thousands of small character animations that convey emotions wordlessly. There's a scene in which Joel jokes "Go Bighorns..." in response to learning where the characters will be headed next (a college). The person pointing the way is caught off guard by Joel's joke, half-smiles in surprise, but the nuance of the animation conveys that he was thinking about a distant memory of the old world. It's a single reaction animation, not even framed in a cinematic, lasting about 2 seconds, but it said more than words could. If I can critique anything about these moments, it's that they are far outnumbered by scenes that simply don't require, or benefit, from the lavish animation capabilities. The story is a pretty straightforward road trip, and the scenario stays consistent for about 90% of the game. The spectrum of possibilities is thus fairly shallow.

The game maturely demonstrates how two very different people deal with trauma. Joel turns inward, just putting one step in front of the other after his life fell apart. Though even at the start of the game, in the old world, Joel wasn't exactly Mr. Chipper. The collapse of civilization however gives him a solid excuse to withdraw and be as forlorn as he wanted. Ellie's take on the world is fresh, as someone who has never known life outside a quarantine zone. Her arc is about grappling with her optimism alongside a man and in a world that won't just mend.

The game ends precisely where it should.
Joel made the wrong choice, but it was really the only option that guy was going to take -- obviously. Marlene grossly misjudged him. She knew Joel's brother, and should have known about Sarah as a result. So that's all on her, as far as I'm concerned. I could feel no remorse over his decision, even though a vaccine could have been the thing that humanity rallied around and began to heal. At the same time, it wasn't as if Joel was going to let the world take another loved one away from him.
Though I was genuinely surprised that none of the emotional punches in the game left much of an impact on me. I was more fascinated with the world and the craft of how the team constructed these scenes than the content of most of them, but I conclude that's a problem with me, not the game.

Around the time of the sequel's announcement, I remember reading many opinions that the game didn't NEED a sequel. But as someone fresh from the experience, I'm happy there's more to tell about Jellie, and I'm looking forward to it.

I would have been happy with about half the fight sequences being removed. I can rationalize some intermittent stealth sequences, because paired with Joel's "sense" as a gameplay element, you constantly feel anxious, never truly comfortable in any space you walk through. All of that serves to reinforce the atmosphere that's at the heart of the story. But the sheer number of these sequences is overkill. Joel is a force of nature, to the extent that it creates dissonance in the realistic portrayal the game is clearly vying for. If I was part of a ragtag band of 20 ruffians, I'd probably start running away after I saw 15 of them mowed down by one grizzled old man. Fuck that. Most of these sequences feel like they were designed to be merely a more violent way to get from A to B, rather than to present interesting challenges that show a different side of the characters. Though one could argue that some character development happens between the startled reactions from Ellie at Joel's caveman instincts, I just wish the gameplay itself were more involved than pallet puzzles and shivving guys in the neck.

I also think I made a huge mistake by starting and then continuing to play on Normal. This made sense at the outset. I primarily wanted to experience the story, not be forced to replay sequences ad nauseum because of small mistakes. But as things progressed, my inventory was perpetually flush with items. No sequence was particularly challenging, and the feeling of scrounging the environment for materials was lessened by the fact that I never really felt in need of anything.

On to my biggest problem with the Last of Us, which is sociological: The unrealistic way people talk and interact. 20 years removed from the collapse of modern civilization, it seems insane to me that people would have the same sense of humor, same mannerisms, same function in human-to-human relations, as they do in our modern world -- they're all just a lot more grumpy. Consider, this is an era where there is no stability. Everyone has lost someone, and they are constantly running and scrounging for a meager existence. Witty repartee simply would not survive the utter collapse of the human spirit. They're sullen, but still sarcastic; a little on edge, but not far removed at all from modern human relations. As broken as people are in this setting, I feel like the change in their personalities would be proportionally radical.

This problem is solidified in Ellie, someone who wasn't even around when the world was whole, yet does a perfect mimicry of a modern teenage girl. I think Cormac McCarthy nailed it with his brittle dialogue, and how untrusting those who survived the collapse were of each other (for those who have read it, the scene with the old man is the most noteworthy example of this). This is a bit like picking on seeing a dated hair style in a movie that's supposed to be set in the future. I'm sure from the writer's room, they could argue that a teenage character should translate to dialogue that is recognizably teenage to modern audiences. If that's the argument, I simply don't agree. If civilization collapsed, the old norms would go with it, and along with that, the way we treat and value each other, and thus the way we speak and interact.

I remember reading The Road, thinking how cool a game it could be. Exploring emptied houses, putting stories together from the remains of the environment, communicating the ways of the old world to one who never experienced it (the Boy in The Road may as well be Ellie) is rife with potential. For the most part, the game does check those boxes. But it also gives you more opportunities to lean into the characters. I just wish they did more of it, and gave Joel and Ellie a longer arc. But I suppose that's what sequels are for!
 
Walter said:
Before I go any further, you should go grab The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Do not bother with the movie. Not saying I'm dropping spoilers here, just vouching for it as a solid book.

I've never played The Last of Us (only watched gameplay of it), so I don't have much to say, but I can definitely vouch for Cormac McCarthy's literary prowess. It comes as no surprise since he's a very popular and established author, but yeah, read The Road if you haven't already.

My most recent read from him was Blood Meridian, also highly recommended, especially for those of you who are liking Red Dead Redemption 2.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
See, I do finish games from time to time! So long as they can hold my interest.

:ganishka:

It's the near finishes that fascinate me because I usually feel obligated to complete those games and bad when I don't, especially if I'm so close to the end. But you're right that it's up to the game to make that worth your while and one shouldn't feel bad or force themselves to play because it didn't do that. Sometimes I find myself playing things out of opportunity or obligation and thinking, "Why am I doing this? I don't even feel like playing this right now!"

Walter said:
As far as I'm concerned, Last of Us is a modern classic. Any nitpicking I'm about to do simply can't drown out its overall greatness.

Ok, well I guess I'll have to add it to my Christmas List. I've heard a lot about it of course but wasn't naturally drawn to it (and like you couldn't play it anyway when it was new), I think in part because the way it was touted made it seem like it's main appeal was as a melodrama, which isn't necessarily even a bad thing, but it sounds like there's a lot more depth to it than that.


Anyway, I need something to wean me off RDR2 because I've reached that end game malaise where I still want to play the game but there's not really a lot left for me to do that I care for but wander the map looking for random shit. Always better to leave wanting more than that slow death. I think when I'm done with the story parts of Read Dead Online I'll be done for a while, though it has been fun avenging my own death from the other players that interfere with me (my favorite being a guy I saw coming a mile away to mow me down so I quickly stepped behind a boulder and when he flew around blasted him full of lead with my pistol =). Once you turn off the mics it becomes not unlike Dark Souls style multiplayer except you don't know who's out to get you or not, plus there can be so many people on the map it's like the usual random NPCs riding around get replaced with wild card humans.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Aw, I should have mentioned Griff, Last of Us Remastered was just $5 in one of the recent PS store sales.

Anyway, Bloodborne is next for me. Starting it tonight. Like Last of Us, this one has a lot to live up to. :daiba:
 
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