Hawke64

For random encounters without much positioning or any sort of tactics, it often feels like they should be over as soon as possible. The boss battles (with 1-2 large/very dangerous foes) usually require some strategy, have significance for the story, and are quite engaging (unless they are puzzle-like and require 1 very specific solution), but they would not feel that way without some low-effort (from the designers and the player) fights. So, yes, RTwP systems allow to speed up the later and focus on the former.

(Looking through my Steam library for RPG games with a party in any setting). If action-RPGs (little player's agency) count, then: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. Dungeon Siege III has quite a lot of combat, but technically there is a party (of 2) and some decent decisions>consequences. I also have it in my Steam inventory if anyone is interested. There is also Ember, which was fine (amusing, but, again, quite light on dialogue options). Any of Spiders' games - they all (except Steelrising) were party-based action-RPGs of variable quality. Sword Coast Legends was fine (?). Not sure if it is still available for purchase. There are several quite good party-based RPGs, though the combat is turn-based. Expeditions: Viking was good, with several outcomes and paths to victory (the PC's village not dying out). The sequel was prettier and the combat was better, but it also had more grind (may the conquest battles and random encounters be damned) and felt more shallow. In either game, the PCs' societies were not exactly pleasant, though it somehow depends on the roleplay. The above-mentioned Encased, Wasteland 3, and Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Hong Kong were excellent. Torment: Tides of Numenera.

Saints Row is an interesting juxtaposition of a coming of age story with the usual Power of Friendship and cartoonish violence, gang violence, and the very modern job market. I found it particularly touching after almost 4 months on LinkedIn. It is also a stark contrast to SR2, at the same time being a logical evolution of the series, with the previous entries How the Saints Saved the Christmas and Gat Out of Hell. But ultimately, it is a story about imperfect people in an imperfect world doing their best (through violence)*. So, while the party is not investing in education or researching renewable energy or creating legal job opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, one of the companions donates toys to orphans and there is an actual cat who is unharmed. The graphics and visual style are fine and I found them more appealing with the visual accessibility settings and some filters. As is, they seemed a little too detailed yet some animations were occasionally too minimalistic, but as mentioned, it fit the general style. The controls are comfortable and rebindable, though the aim assist felt a bit too strong by default. The combat felt simple but functional (when compared to Devil May Cry, which might be an unusual example), though I have not used the special abilities. Same for movement and driving, but there are flying suits, which are more grounded than the superhero abilities from SRIV. The range of customisation options is excellent and includes body sliders, layered clothing, and several voices. On the negative side, the missions have been linear so far, and I am 50% in**. The side missions and collectibles are nice, though I would have preferred them being available from the start. As is, their availability is bound to the main story. The number of the save slots is limited to ~16 (not sure, but not enough to save every other main mission). Disabling the online DRM requires adding a launch parameter to the executable. Overall, I would recommend it with the right expectations. *just finished the game. It was about the Power of Friendship. The final mission was very touching and well-made. **one choice for the main story. --- Nioh 2 is an exploration-light (mission-based) Souls-like with a linear story, a quite (for the lack of a better word) shiny (visual-effects-heavy) combat system, and absolutely horrible inventory and loot. Aragami 2 is a decent stealth game. You also can jump there, unlike Aragami 1. It was sad that the developer closed about a year ago. Soultice (EGS) didn't run. Haven't played the rest. --- I am curious about Citizen Sleeper, though I might dislike it. There is no Light: Enhanced Edition looks visually appealing. So, if no one else is interested, the key for either would be appreciated.

https://www.ign.com/articles/dragons-dogma-2-mods-undercut-capcoms-controversial-microtransactions-dish-out-infinite-save-slots Somehow a modder adding essential functionality to a $70 game seems rather odd. Just how hard it was for Capcom to implement manual saving with several characters and into several slots if Bioware managed to do it 25 years ago with BG1 and 10 years ago with an engine for multiplayer FPS? To Dragon Commander.

Sorry for the late reply, but yes - if the combat tutorial has started, backing out is not possible. Some random info on the no-kill run: There's a knock out/non-lethal combat system. The fatigue damage does not scale with anything, so it is possible to KO a foe in one turn + surprise turn. The one possible inconvenience is that the PC gets tired as well and will need to sleep without foes around (by passing out and passing time). A companion recruitment spoiler: Technically, you can reverse pickpocket, but the number of timed explosives is low and so are the crafting materials for them. Not all side quests can be resolved without combat, so having a party (who also can hit people on the head) is recommended. The Magellan Station is enormous (as far as I know, it was the starting point in the EA) and easily can take 30% of a playthrough. There's nothing comparable to it later. The writing in the low-Int playthrough is significantly different. The only thing I can recall about the survival elements is that I was low on food at the beginning of Act 1 in my critical path run.

The holograms seem to count towards human kills (at least one of the guides says so), but a full pacifist/stealth run should take about 4-5 hours when you do only critical path and know exactly what you are doing (there is a step-by-step guide on Steam written and tested by me). Death of a Wish. Defeated 3 out of 4 main bosses. So far so good, though I liked the silent MC in Lucah more.

Saints Row The team building is going well. Got a new hat. Death of a Wish The game is unintentionally funny. And there is a cool garden.

Regarding DD2, the saving system seems to be (not going to get it, so comparing to the experience) the same as in DDDA - one save file per PC/account. As mentioned, can be easily bypassed with Windows Explorer and creating your whole party can be done with Steam Family Sharing (but one would have to go online with each account to upload and download the AI companions). Though, it is really inconvenient that the game lacks such a basic thing as manual saving with several characters. I suppose, it is tied to the online system, which, unlike saving, is a gimmick. Regarding MTX in Capcom games, I can remember the MTX being in their games for quite some time. They definitely were added post-release to DMCV and were present in Monster Hunter (which I refunded). --- https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/no-more-heroes-and-resident-evil-devs-cult-shooter-shadows-of-the-damned-finally-gets-a-pc-release-this-year https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/if-working-overtime-on-aaa-games-with-giant-budgets-is-the-only-way-to-succeed-then-maybe-the-industry-deserves-to-die-says-rpg-veteran-david-gaider-there-is-another-way-to-be I definitely would not object to lower system requirements, no DRM, and no MTX.

Just in case, PC Gaming Wiki says that the Steam version is DRM-free. So, it is possible to download, zip the folder, and put on 2 external drives as backups. It also should be possible to run without Steam, just from the *.exe.

It sounds rather odd - the people who purchase on GOG are less likely to trust their continuous access to their purchases to the publishers' whims (or whatever Amazon is). On the other hand, the ones who use streaming services are less likely to bother with backups, which are the main feature of GOG, or concerns about ownership and preservation, while Steam has a wider selection or titles. So, odd.

It's a visual accessibility option + the Retro filter. The trailers show that the game would look different without them - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvdbvX79H4. I suppose, if there was a dedicated cell-shading option, like in Prince of Persia 2008 reboot, I would have preferred it.

29% on the save file, I think? Just got the actual recruits and started planning to rob a train. And yes, the quest line was fun. The dialogue with Gwen was good as well (as a rather friendly rivalry).

Death of a Wish Steelrising The lowest settings which somehow still required 6GB VRAM. The depth of field and some other settings could not be disabled completely. The hat-hiding toggle kept resetting. The weird mix of English with some French words added was rather unpleasant to see. It should have been either consistently English only or French VA with subtitles. The French is not present at all, by the way, while the proper nouns vary in spelling (e.g. a chateau, an estate, or a p(a)lace when referring to the same location). Saints Row The LARP quest line.

The dragon thing is the main story line and, if it is critically important, does not get much better, though is sort of justified by the plot (?). The end-game and the DLC island are similar, with the latter being unintentionally funny, story-wise.

Social stuff (or self-expression, if one is being generous), like gold watches. Not really useful, but looks so shiny. Steam points are similar - you can customise your Steam profile, so everyone knows that you like XYZ, or give awards to comments or guides, so everyone knows that the comment was helpful/ridiculous. In general, the social features on Steam and them being bound to purchases might encourage the potential users to use Steam (and, say, not Epic) and purchase more. While it does not work on everyone, most humans are social and value the sense of community (because that other player with an animated anime avatar is definitely a part of my community /s).

If it is similar to DD1, it is an action game first - the roleplay options were rather limited. --- Death of a Wish has been released. It is a sequel to Lucah: Born of a Dream. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/death-of-a-wish-review-a-brutal-and-beautiful-experiment

The Blackwell series. Finished. While it looks mostly (different games have slightly different styles) good, the logic of the puzzles often eluded me, while the story included a bit too many holes. Though, I do not play adventure games often. Also, the games should have been bundled together more explicitly - each of them is short and the story in the later ones does not work well on its own. Steelrising. I suppose, while the level design in Spiders' games has never been their strength, combined with the awful visual design (every surface shines) and terrible performance (at least, it stopped frying the CPU with the said CPU safely throttled), it is significantly more noticeable and does not make a good impression. On the positive side, the controls are rebindable, 5-button mice supported, the Assist Mode allows to disable losing "souls" on dying, which is convenient (considering that parrying with 25 FPS is rather challenging). Saints Row. Slowly progressing. So far, it seems like a very nice story about friendship and comradery (or PG13-appropriate gang violence in the US), which is rather nice. Death of a Wish. An excellent surreal action game with engaging combat and unique visual design.

https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-rpg-bundle The price is suspiciously affordable, but Fanatical is a well-known platform and (most of) the games in the bundle are good. Except Mortal Shell, but for this price, it is adequate. I will probably get the OST/DLC for the ones I like.

I actually would like to see the system implemented more widely in single-player only RPGs. Specifically in DD (the saving system was extremely poor, I would add), it was possible to create your own party via Steam Family Sharing and several accounts. Granted, every pawn had to be levelled up separately, and the behaviour respec books provided more reliable results than training.

I would add The Waylanders, though it is not exactly the best of the genre. The wishlist shows Sovereign Syndicate, but I can't tell if it is turn-based or not. The Way of Wrath, Worldstone Chronicles, New Arc Line seem fine? That is to say, there are few high-quality* party-based CRPGs in a fantasy setting at the moment. *have a professional writer and functional gameplay systems --- https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/that-189gb-epic-games-hack-may-have-been-a-scam-aimed-at-other-hackers Well, I still have changed my password.

Looking forward to DD2. From what I remember, MH combat was significantly slower and less responsive, while there also were fewer readable indicators of how well it was going (e.g. monster's HP bar) and the encounter design was not particularly fun (e.g. chasing the monster after injuring). The companion cats were cool, though. Can't recall if they could launch you on the monster, like fighter Pawns do.

Saints Row The active graphical settings are highly unlikely to be used by anyone else, so it might be not exactly representative. There is something amusing about this. The low visibility is intentional. The cat looks a bit off, but good enough for the first actual cat in the series.

Finished Sands of Aura last week and did that one side quest that kept resetting. Basically, you had to defeat a very sturdy mini-boss 7 times without resting and without closing the game while running through the whole area. In the end, it took 2 attempts and about 20 minutes with end-game equipment. Overall, it was a decent Souls-like, nothing exceptionally bad, though the story was not exactly engaging and the lack of target lock was rather inconvenient. The equipment-based character development system and the setting were unusual. Review (long): Started the Blackwell series and finished Legacy. The story follows a journalist and a ghost trying to send restless spirits into the afterlife. I can say with certainty that the progress made by the developers in all aspects is very noticeable when compared to their later games. (i.e. the game is short and the first puzzles make no sense). But the ability to combine ideas was rather nice and the pixel art style looks good. The wisdom of the Internet (PC Gaming Wiki, in particular) allowed me to overcome the EGS DRM on Saints Row and I was able to launch it through Steam. Which means that I do have a DRM-free version. The game runs worse than SR3 and 4, but it was to be expected. I haven't progressed far, but it feels like that the developers might have aimed at a younger audience. Still, the game is fun and I like the MC and the companions. Also there is a cat.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/epic-games-reportedly-hit-by-200gb-ransomware-attack-including-login-and-payment-info

Sands of Aura The maces and the combat style were an unusual combination. Also reminded of lollipops. The hugging thing is not a piece of equipment. After getting several of them, I noticed that they decrease the maximum health. The boss of the area Some got behind the textures. The boss of the area The fire that killed the FPS (the location is a spoiler): Got the musicians. Final bosses Endings