I used Quen for the most part.

Iconoclasts

 

This hit the right spot. Character, pacing, and fun.

Me: "Hm, haven't tried Path of Exile for a while, maybe I'll check it out today."

 

**Run client**

**Checking Resources 'client bar'**

...15 minutes later...

**Allocating Space 'client bar'**

...10 minutes later, that bar isn't even 1/3 full...

 

"I'll check their website while I'm waiting."

**There now seems to be a "Cloudflare" captcha intro page that isn't working for me and won't let me into their actual website to check news or anything.**

 

**Client still Allocating Space**

 

Me: F this noise.

 

**goes back to Diablo1**

Edited January 14, 20197 yr by LadyCrimson

With refund policy in place for Epic Store I finally felt secure enough to dip into another store front and give Hades a try. 

Not something I was thrilled much, as I liked Supergiants games for being unique and interesting and they got more and more unusual with every release. Hades did seem to me like a couple-years-late-to-a-party-project. For the most part I didn't change my mind - Rogue Light games is something I lost interest quite a while ago, and unless you do something very interesting gameplay wise (Invisible Inc!) I ususally skip them by now.

Hades does seem like something that should follow up Bastion. Gameplay is fairly similar. Right now the game is light on content, in length, enemy variety, skill/gameplay variety, but the game already feels polished and is quite enjoyable to play. For a first early access build it's very promising. 

However, what took me by surprise and what makes me look forward to more of the title is Supergiant's signiture, which I didn't expect to see here - yes, visuals, music and voiceacting is excellent as usual, but the story is really well done as well! In a procedurally generated rogue-light game! Don't want to spoil much, but the game has already a decent number of characters with whom you get to interact on a regular basis - both in a home area were you go after each death, and in dungeon. The game even had a little bit to say once I reached the end of current dungeon:

 

 

 

Hey, tomorrow is first big update. Hoping for something meaty.

I continue making good progress in The Witness. Today I completed another full section and solved quite a few puzzles in another. That's 6 full sections completed and firing lazer beams at the main hub. I don't know how long it's going to last, but as long as I'm on this hot streak I'm going to get as many puzzles solved as I can. Eventually the creative thinking juices will run out and I'll hit a wall, it happens even to 7th degree puzzle black belts, such as myself, at which point I'll take another break from the game. Until then, I'll continue to ride the wave.

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by Keyrock

When I get time on my PC, I'm playing SW: Battlefront 2 campaign since it got added to Origin Access. It's a shame the campaign's nowhere near as good as that of Battlefield 1, which was shockingly well crafted and gave player a lot of agency, which is not something you can really see in games such as these.

 

Sadly, Battlefront 2 campaign does none of that and just pushes you from objective to the next, shooting dudes, very much bringing it to line with your standard Modern Military Shooter campaign quality.

 

Doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it, mind. The space shooter sections are rather nice and closely strafing above a Star Destroyer and shooting down TIE fighters just never gets old, especially when absolutely everything sounds and feels as right as it does in SW: Battlefront 2. Ground-based sections are fun enough as well and just as with Battlefield 1, they get optional stealth mixed in - sadly with quality of map design present in Battlefield 1's campaign nowhere to be seen.

 

Still, it's big-budget Start Wars with a canon story and I don't mind being dragged along for a roller-coaster every now and again. Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 proved that it could have been so much more so it's a shame that it's not, but it is what it is and I can't say I was really expecting more.

Maybe I'm missing a lot of content, but I'm finding there's not actually that many missions to play in RDR2 at any given time.  Unless you count the "challenges" or the dinosaur bones finding mission, it seems like each chapter has 2 or 3 main quests, 1 or 2 sidequests, and the rest of the time I'm wandering around shooting animals or saying hello to people.

I fired up Tower of Time, and consider me entertained. Set piece battles with a little puzzle solving and Im digging the innovative (for me) "draw your own spell effect location". Still on the first floor of the tower and just unlocked the Elf Druid. I really wish I could [Tab] to highlight interactionable objects.

Some of the later bosses in Hollow Knight are insane, especially the optional ones. 'Spose I should experiment with charms a bit more.

 

Heh, yeah, they can be. How far along in the game are you?

Stopped playing Hollow Knight, because I'm just not good enough for it and grinding the bosses over and over till I might be able to beat them is just not fun for me. Bit of a shame, because I love everything else about the game.

I can really feel how my reflexes deteriorated with age...

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by Lexx

Tbh, the bigger factor for being less efficient in gaming in higher age is lack of time for practice in conjunction with having lot of RL stuff on mind all the time than getting older.

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by Mamoulian War

 

More on topic: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/01/tales-of-an-aging-gamer-why-dont-i-pick-up-a-controller-as-often-as-i-used-to/

 

And one of the more notable paragraphs:

 

While this could be due solely to a decline in enthusiasm for some, an alternative explanation is that many older gamers—especially when they have longterm partners, become parents, or ascend into highly demanding professional positions—simply have different priorities and less time for gameplay. And when you have plenty of other things to do, it’s easy to avoid activities that appear to be either too easy and thus boring, or too difficult and thus frustrating.

It was opposite for me. It got easier as I progressed within the game, probably due to facing the spirit bosses and other optional bosses earlier on in the game which made everything else a piece of cake. Finishing these bosses before even getting to the 3rd campaign boss, ine might add.

 

The thing that got me was memorozing the map, where best to jump when I cannot see. Taking that leap of faith. It's one of the games where playing in 30 minute spurts (30 minutes a day) makes it much easier and accessible than playing it an hour or more - longer plays tend to cause player to overthink. A cooling session has always been beneficial to the gaming community while playing a gale tat requires some level of strategy, rather than plowing through which never worked.

 

p.s,

 

Sacrifice Zote, you will thank me later

Stopped playing Hollow Knight, because I'm just not good enough for it and grinding the bosses over and over till I might be able to beat them is just not fun for me. Bit of a shame, because I love everything else about the game.

I can really feel how my reflexes deteriorated with age...

 

I'm curious, where did you get stuck?

 

Sacrifice Zote, you will thank me later

 

I take it you don't like Invincible, Fearless, Sensual, Mysterious, Enchanting, Vigorous, Diligent, Overwhelming, Gorgeous, Passionate, Terrifying, Beautiful, Powerful Grey Prince Zote then?

Well, right now trying to keep the train of finishing games going.....  Completed Celeste, Guacamelee, and Child of Light so far and am about 3/4 the way through Ghost 1.0, and having fun.  Nice to get through some backlog.  Also playing through Shadow of Mordor on PC.  I think I beat the main game back on the PS4 when it came out, but after just getting done reading The Hobbit and moving on the Lord of the Rings books, I thought it'd be fun to go through Shadow of Mordor and War.

 

I realize that the games I've beaten are shorter, but I figured I'd start with those because it's easier to keep the momentum going early on when I continue on to longer games.  Of course, those three and Ghost 1.0 have been on the switch which does make it easier as someone (so sorry I forgot who) stated that sometimes it's hard to go back to the computer to play games when you spend a good part of your day on them for work. 

 

Looking at Guacamelee 2, Sundered, or that Feudal Alloy coming up.  The bigger games coming up in February and March, I either really haven't looked at, or really, are not appealing to me lately.  We'll see.

Ghost 1.0 was a blast. The plot twist was a bit too obvious but everything else was great. Especially the story presentation and the little TV-show like recaps you got when you loaded your save. Anyone playing Ghost 1.0 on the Switch shouldn't just pause the game and put the console to sleep but quit the game and load the save. It's worth it.

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 20197 yr by majestic

I take it you don't like Invincible, Fearless, Sensual, Mysterious, Enchanting, Vigorous, Diligent, Overwhelming, Gorgeous, Passionate, Terrifying, Beautiful, Powerful Grey Prince Zote then?

I have a love/hate relationship with the character, though I see him as very relatable lol

Tbh, the bigger factor for being less efficient in gaming in higher age is lack of time for practice in conjunction with having lot of RL stuff on mind all the time than getting older.

I don't have a lot of RL stuff to do(just a boring job from 8 to 16 o clock) but even I lack the motivation to play games like I did some 10 years ago when I was 25. Part of it also has to do with the fact that I have played and finished about 300+ games on various platforms and after such a long time, you do get the feeling of 'I have seen/played this before'.

 

Still, there are games that I am curious about, I am just not sure if I will ever get to play them.

Heh, yeah, they can be. How far along in the game are you?

Well that's a rather difficult question to answer.

 

- Beat the Traitor Lord, found the half-charm-thing

- Beat knight in The Hive and got the charm which allows for health regen, which sounds quite useful for jumping bits (that was also the first time I've had to google something - I knew the location was there, but the entrance is hidden insanely)

 

- I've still got one more Dreamer guardian dude to defeat - I've been right next to him in Deepnest so getting there is not a problem, I just didn't want to move the story forward yet

- Right now I'm wrapping up side content like beating the optional dream bosses, killing Superpowerd Zote, that kind of stuff

 

I've opening the egg ahead of me and am quite curious what happens after, but ... I'll get to that.

 

 

Tbh, the bigger factor for being less efficient in gaming in higher age is lack of time for practice in conjunction with having lot of RL stuff on mind all the time than getting older.

Yup, certainly what made me abandon difficult games in general. Now I wonder what'll playing on a Switch do with that mindset since I can now totally squeeze "Two more tries" in while I'm trying to squeeze a stinker out.

Edited January 16, 20197 yr by Fenixp

I'm actually starting to get bored with Red Dead Redemption 2.  Running around the wilderness shooting things or looking for obscure "trophies" gets boring after a while.

 

And I'm not really digging the story missions.  They seem to consist of just getting the law out to get you and being wanted because you got into a gun fight over something stupid after I've spent the rest of the game trying to fit in.

 

Stopped playing Hollow Knight, because I'm just not good enough for it and grinding the bosses over and over till I might be able to beat them is just not fun for me. Bit of a shame, because I love everything else about the game.

I can really feel how my reflexes deteriorated with age...

 

I'm curious, where did you get stuck?

 

 

 

I didn't really get stuck. Pretty sure I could make it through the main story with ignoring all the side-bosses, but I just lost motivation. There's some bosses that I *know* I could beat, but I'm really too slow to dodge their attacks and thus have to repeat them over and over again until I'm lucky.

Last thing I did was beating the mask part boss in the library. Next one probably would have been above the watcher knights (the first boss fight that really started pissing me off). I'm probably strong enough to take them now, as I have the coiled nail and all the other fancy stuff, but I just couldn't fire up the game again.

Edited January 16, 20197 yr by Lexx

Watcher Knights was actually one of those boss fights which got trivial for me the moment I found the right charm combination.
 

The strategy I used below

 

Basically, all charms for speeding up soul gain and the charm which makes your spells more powerful, the grub thing which gives you soul on hit if you've got the notches. If you've found the shaman thingy which makes your vengeful spirit more powerful, the boss fight's suddenly trivial and you can even tank quite a few hits and still win - vengeful spirit's capable of hitting multiple targets and the individual knights don't actually have that much HP, so they die quite easily to the combination. And, more importantly, en mass.

 

 

Anyway, I can definitely see fatigue setting in while getting through Hollow Knight, given the sheer amount of content that game contains.

 

Tbh, the bigger factor for being less efficient in gaming in higher age is lack of time for practice in conjunction with having lot of RL stuff on mind all the time than getting older.

I don't have a lot of RL stuff to do(just a boring job from 8 to 16 o clock) but even I lack the motivation to play games like I did some 10 years ago when I was 25. Part of it also has to do with the fact that I have played and finished about 300+ games on various platforms and after such a long time, you do get the feeling of 'I have seen/played this before'.

 

Still, there are games that I am curious about, I am just not sure if I will ever get to play them.

Well, the feeling of playing the same **** over and over, was the main reason, why I've completely stopped purchasing western AAA games with comming of PS3, with very few exceptions like Mortal Kombat and Gid of War. I am now completely indy, japanese, retro gamer, and I still feel enough motivation to enjoy my games even at my early 40ies. The only issue I have, is that when I know, I will be going for longer business trip, I hesitate to start a new game. For days like these, I still have my Assetto Corsa though

 

Heh, yeah, they can be. How far along in the game are you? 

Well that's a rather difficult question to answer.

 

- Beat the Traitor Lord, found the half-charm-thing

- Beat knight in The Hive and got the charm which allows for health regen, which sounds quite useful for jumping bits (that was also the first time I've had to google something - I knew the location was there, but the entrance is hidden insanely)

 

- I've still got one more Dreamer guardian dude to defeat - I've been right next to him in Deepnest so getting there is not a problem, I just didn't want to move the story forward yet

- Right now I'm wrapping up side content like beating the optional dream bosses, killing Superpowerd Zote, that kind of stuff

 

I've opening the egg ahead of me and am quite curious what happens after, but ... I'll get to that.

 

 

Hiveblood is indeed useful for the platforming challenges in the game. It's really boring to wait for the regeneration though. Really, REALLY boring.

 

Have you found the Grimm Troupe yet?

 

 

Watcher Knights was actually one of those boss fights which got trivial for me the moment I found the right charm combination.

 

The strategy I used below

 

Basically, all charms for speeding up soul gain and the charm which makes your spells more powerful, the grub thing which gives you soul on hit if you've got the notches. If you've found the shaman thingy which makes your vengeful spirit more powerful, the boss fight's suddenly trivial and you can even tank quite a few hits and still win - vengeful spirit's capable of hitting multiple targets and the individual knights don't actually have that much HP, so they die quite easily to the combination. And, more importantly, en mass.

 

 

Anyway, I can definitely see fatigue setting in while getting through Hollow Knight, given the sheer amount of content that game contains.

 

The Shaman Stone is so powerful that you can use it throughout the entire game. There's a reason MonStahLer uses it (along with Spell Twister) in his speed runs.

 

Heh, yeah, they can be. How far along in the game are you? 

Well that's a rather difficult question to answer.

 

- Beat the Traitor Lord, found the half-charm-thing

- Beat knight in The Hive and got the charm which allows for health regen, which sounds quite useful for jumping bits (that was also the first time I've had to google something - I knew the location was there, but the entrance is hidden insanely)

 

- I've still got one more Dreamer guardian dude to defeat - I've been right next to him in Deepnest so getting there is not a problem, I just didn't want to move the story forward yet

- Right now I'm wrapping up side content like beating the optional dream bosses, killing Superpowerd Zote, that kind of stuff

 

I've opening the egg ahead of me and am quite curious what happens after, but ... I'll get to that.

 

 

Hiveblood is indeed useful for the platforming challenges in the game. It's really boring to wait for the regeneration though. Really, REALLY boring.

 

Have you found the Grimm Troupe yet?

 

 

Tbh, the bigger factor for being less efficient in gaming in higher age is lack of time for practice in conjunction with having lot of RL stuff on mind all the time than getting older.

I don't have a lot of RL stuff to do(just a boring job from 8 to 16 o clock) but even I lack the motivation to play games like I did some 10 years ago when I was 25. Part of it also has to do with the fact that I have played and finished about 300+ games on various platforms and after such a long time, you do get the feeling of 'I have seen/played this before'.

 

Still, there are games that I am curious about, I am just not sure if I will ever get to play them.

 

This is so me. Indie, big budget, doesn't matter.

 

 I think in my case - especially since I have a pretty obsessive nature - my desire to commit to devoting a long period (even tho I have time) to master new rules/mechanics or make constant micro-decisions (that item, this item? this perk, that perk?), has dwindled, and the "seen that, been there" doesn't help. Even if it's a game I'd like to check out/play, more and more I'm likely to instead just go back to an already familiar game (or a very simplistic/short game) where I won't care if I wake up the next morning/next week suddenly not wanting to game at all for weeks or months (meaning if I returned to the game then, I'd likely feel like I have to start all over....).