What are you playing right now?

[Hawke64]

Tried Crossing Souls (action-adventure). 
The main issue which successfully overrides anything good (mostly graphics) this game could offer is uncomfortable, unprecise and uncustomizable controls. The plot is as cheesy as one could expect and the character switch system adds more annoyance than challenge or diversity in combat or exploration.

 

Also replayed the final battle in Sundered. The bug with the portal/wind after defeating the boss has been fixed. It might be because of CS, but I decided to play through the DLC, The Magnate of the Gong (included in the Eldritch Edition). It was less challenging, than I expected (I was overleveled for the boss), but the new platforming sections (one in each region) were great, each had its own requirements for completion. After that I explored the rest of the map and collected all perks. And defeated Nyarlathotep & The Shining Trapezohedron with the Eradicator perk active (increases difficulty and quality of loot). It changed the boss room a bit and they dropped several level 3 perks.

Edited February 2, 2019 by Hawke64

[SonicMage117]

Crossing Souls was quite the nostalgic trip, anyone who is stuck in or fond of the horrible 80's should play it as its a quality nod to pop-culture in that era. That said, there are other games that do it better.

 

I have to play Sundered again. I don't think I ever finished I but I love that unique game's art style and that alone was worth the price of admission when the game launched. There isn't anything like it.

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing my journey in AC Odyseey:

 

 

My playthrough is still early on, I'm at lvl 17 and have half of the map completed, on Nightmare difficulty and exploration mode (with no compass/quest markers).

 

What can I say?

 

The more I play it, the more I realize that besides the porkhour/movement and animus which is similar and trademark throughout the series, nothing is the same.

 

The combat and atmosphere feels largely inspired by Rise Of The Argonuts. The mercenary system is moreorless an improved system of Shadow Of Mordor's Nemesis system but only it's reversed and more complex, you're a mercenary on that system and there's more depth to it's participants. The quests stories and way you approach missions are rpg oriented, not action oriented. Giving you different options in both dialouge and game play. Exploration and naval battles are largley rewarding on a huge map that never feels lacking or generic. However, the towns and actions of their npc's feel limited and undetailed - probably because there is so much gameplay and stories that they don't need to have more depth such as activial naunces.

 

Then there is the cult sect hunting which is a whole other ball game... but I'm not going to get into that to avoid spoilers.

 

What I will say is that every time I think that the game is all about spartans, athenians and pirates, I get reminded that there is some mythical science mixed in. Whether it's mutants by bio-war mutants or alpha animals in caves, it fills that void of the game feeling repetitive on any level.

 

 

Is the game really that great? I think I've said it before - I'd put AC Odyssey up against Witcher 3 any day. However, I didn't run into any glitches all throughout my playthrough in Witcher 3 which is over 100+ hours, or my my playthrough on Shadow Of Mordor - a similar game to Witcher and AC Odyseey.

 

New content gets added daily with well-wtitten plots. With a message/contract board totally ripped off from Witcher 3, you can accept new quests daily if you are connected to the net. No quest feels the same, none of them are lame.

 

 

What would I change? Hmmm.. Let's see, I would have liked a bit of variety in clothing/armor for Cassandra. I'm not saying bikini armor but I'm saying more feminine armor. In some instances where you are rewarded a torso piece, you try it on and it's a male piece of armor which looks weird on Cassandra but for Alexios, all armors ars male and none are female. This is a bit unfair.

 

The helix system encourages pay2win method of microtic-transactions. You can buy legendary weapons and armor or ship skins with real money - SO COOL! So that's another option you have after you complete everything. Wanna have something new and shiny to play with or take screenshots with? You don't have to rely on some stupid mod, you can just buy something and that's being pro-consumer.

 

What else would I change? The horse. The horse can't swim apparently it is afraid of water and throws me off when in shallow water. Hmmmm...

 

 

 

More to come on my experience of AC Odyseey, stay tuned

[GhostofAnakin]

There's realism and then there's tedium.  I'm not sure I really needed some of these "story missions" in RDR2 where I'm fixing fences, milking cows, or wrangling a bull.

[Fenris3heads]

Just gone past 100 hours playing Witcher 3. The porblems I was having with the combat are mostly gone now that I've gotten used to the system and the controls. Really lovin' the story, the setting and the character of Geralt. As a completionist, it is quite possible I'll end up with over 500 hours just on this first play through.

Unless you're just killing time, a completionist run can be done in about 150 hours. 

[Keyrock]

Well, I'm on my 3rd captain now in Sunless Skies.  I keep getting a little too adventurous and exploring too far out and paying the penalty (death) for it. I should probably play it a little more safe and stay closer to New Winchester until I get the funds to buy a better locomotive than the super garbage starter. Still, where's the fun in playing it safe? The game keeps asking me if I want to adjust (lower) difficulty after every death. Screw that. I don't drink decaf Sunless Skies, it's full bodies dark roast all the way. 

 

Edit: Oh man, I almost just had to start a 4th captain. I got a bit greedy (again). I was out there exploring, I had several port reports to turn in, some nice goodies in my hold, everything was going well except my hull was a bit beat up.  I ran into a marauder and decided to engage. I took the marauder down but sustained a bit more damage.  At this point another marauder showed up, then another and I was almost dead, but I refused to give up my spoils and turned around, going back toward the marauders, to plunder the remains of the marauder I just destroyed. Instead of salvaging for repairs I plundered the hold because I got even more greedy, then I made a break for it with marauders all over me.  Then another, bigger marauder joined the fray and I was sure my greed had gotten the best of me, but somehow I managed to get out of that deathtrap with 1 freakin' hp left and I limped it home to New Winchester, heart pounding the whole way.

 

I made enough money to be able to afford an upgrade to my locomotive. I though about armor to make me more survivable, but I instead bought a cargo hold expansion, because I'm greedy like that. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Keyrock

[ShadySands]

Picked up NBA 2k19 for under 20 bucks. MyCareer story is weird this year and I don't know what the deal is with unlikeable protags lately but I was actively rooting against my own guy. Selfish and entitled twit.

[Fenixp]

Sunless Skies.

 

It's like someone who's never heard of space outside of what you can see from your window designed a space exploration game, and it's bloody wonderful. Like literally, full of wonder - the playful imagination with which Failbetter Games craft their world(s?) gives the game so much character, not to mention the writing which is, as expected, absolutely stellar.

 

Oh yea I also recruited a small rat mischief to be my first engineer, because of course I did. RATS!

Edited February 3, 2019 by Fenixp

[Keyrock]

Sunless Skies.

 

It's like someone who's never heard of space outside of what you can see from your window designed a space exploration game, and it's bloody wonderful. Like literally, full of wonder - the playful imagination with which Failbetter Games craft their world(s?) gives the game so much character, not to mention the writing which is, as expected, absolutely stellar.

 

Oh yea I also recruited a small rat mischief to be my first engineer, because of course I did. RATS!

Also, the art style is so freakin' good.

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm struggling to maintain the motivation to finish the RDR2 epilogue. 

[SonicMage117]

It's really no different from their take on the sea with Sunless Sea. A player would have lied if they said they knew what to expect on the 12th full playthrough - as every full playthrough is vastly different, even if you played all 12 the same exact way. Both games are truly amazing, you see as well as the mobile game Fallen London of which they bred from, and that mobile game was simplified/casualized to hell and back and yet still a better rpg than Baldurs Gate 1&2 and even more challenging.

 

I remember, I was the one who raved about Sunless Sea awhile back when comparimg ship battles/naval stories to Deadfire (se people didn't particularly like that here due to Deadfire just coming out and being all the hype at the time) Sunless Sea being one of my all time fav games and one of the best rpg experiences ever made, now my fruits are coming to, well... fruition with the realization that my enemies could possibly enjoy something I backed and was actively a part of thanks to the feedback forums.

 

You're welcome

 

 

Edit:

 

 

p.s

 

If you like Sunless Skies, check out Zubmiriner the Sunless Sea expansion pack which gives you the ability to transform your Zhip into a Zubmarine via Mortal Engines technology, there you will find and battle Cthulhu himself - but can you win?

Edited February 3, 2019 by SonicMage117

[Starwars]

I wanted to like Sunless Sea so bad. Loved the idea, the vibe, the atmosphere of it. But I just couldn't stand A) the gameplay and B) yes, the writing.

[Katphood]

Far Cry 5 is the most fun entry in the series since Far Cry 3.

 

Story isn't the best but the game world is very fun to explore. I also like how varied the side-missions can be. It's a fun open-world shooter.

[Mamoulian War]

Picked up NBA 2k19 for under 20 bucks. MyCareer story is weird this year and I don't know what the deal is with unlikeable protags lately but I was actively rooting against my own guy. Selfish and entitled twit.

Well, that’s what you get, when Millenials start to write about themselves *Dr.Evil grin*

[Oner]

Playing Battle Chef Brigade. Timed match-3 games will probably make me tear my hair out but the game goes easy enough on me for that I can bumble through the challenges.   

Story is charming so far, nothing serious yet.

[Fenixp]

What a coincidence, I got Battle Chef Brigade during Christmas sale on Switch and just started playing it. Looks charming. And very Japanese.

[Tale]

I finished Resident Evil 0. The plan was to go on to Resident Evil Remake and then 3 and Code: Veronica, but I'm just not in the mood for that tension. I'll skip ahead to 4.

 

Edit: Did some Resident Evil 1 Remake while Resi 4 downloaded. It's amazing how much better it is than 0 despite being older. It's obvious it was made with a substantially larger budget. Just looking at the environments they're more alive and detailed. The map's a maze.

[Keyrock]

I'm making some headway in Sunless Skies.  My current captain, Administrator Ulrich, is up to level 6. I've done several steps of the Incautious Driver's story, I've gotten hold and armor upgrades for my locomotive, as well as a pair of stronger cannons that I looted from destroyed marauders and star-maddened explorers, and I'm getting close to having enough money to purchase a new locomotive (I could afford one now, but it's not one I want). I need to be careful not to get too ****y and throw most of it away with a foolish death (you do keep some progress in Legacy Mode).

Edited February 3, 2019 by Keyrock

[kanisatha]

 

Just gone past 100 hours playing Witcher 3. The porblems I was having with the combat are mostly gone now that I've gotten used to the system and the controls. Really lovin' the story, the setting and the character of Geralt. As a completionist, it is quite possible I'll end up with over 500 hours just on this first play through.

Unless you're just killing time, a completionist run can be done in about 150 hours.

Oh I'm sure. I'm not quite killing time, but I do wonder around aimlessly at times and also spend a lot of time looking through and fiddling with what's within the various menus. I also do a lot of pausing the game and leaving it running while away from my machine doing other things including even leaving my house to run errands. So my "hours" on any game are not very informative.

[the_dog_days]

I'm now 123 hours in AC:O. More than halfway through, but other than that I'm not sure how close to being done I am. Really wish I wasn't a completionist. That would make my life a lot easier. 

[Katphood]

I finished Resident Evil 0. The plan was to go on to Resident Evil Remake and then 3 and Code: Veronica, but I'm just not in the mood for that tension. I'll skip ahead to 4.

 

I be like:

https://youtu.be/J---aiyznGQ

[Gorth]

I tried a few hours of "Don't starve together" last night with 3 other people. It was surprisingly fun, but it does have a slightly steep learning curve the first few game days. I managed to get killed right away (not recognizing the hunger, health and sanity gauges for what they were), but luckily one of the other 3 is a bit of a veteran of the game and resurrected me. Haunting rocks and rabbits is only so much fun

 

We made it to day twenty something, having a nice little camp, which in hindsight is probably too close to a spider nest.

 

Days are getting shorter (and colder!) and nights are getting longer.

 

What can I say? "Winter is coming!..."

[SonicMage117]

I'm now 123 hours in AC:O. More than halfway through, but other than that I'm not sure how close to being done I am. Really wish I wasn't a completionist. That would make my life a lot easier.

Nearing 40 hours, level 21 with Cassandra.

 

I've uncovered half the map, done all the base tasks in Atticka and the starting island and a couple small islands.

 

I have 2 legendary outfits, one from looting different places and the other from hurting some of the Cosmos.

 

The Nightmare difficulty spiked at about level 18, I'd say. On level 20, I did a base run in Antifa and well, it was hell lol

 

Something like 1 general, 2 captains, 4 supplies to burn and 3 treasure chests bit to add to that, I was maxed in merc toil so 4 mercenaries came to try to kill me. As you can imagine, frame drops became apparent.

[Fenixp]

Edit: Did some Resident Evil 1 Remake while Resi 4 downloaded. It's amazing how much better it is than 0 despite being older. It's obvious it was made with a substantially larger budget. Just looking at the environments they're more alive and detailed. The map's a maze.

Yeah, you totally don't want to skip Resi 1 based on experience with Resi 0. I didn't even finish 0, but 1's just an exquisitely designed game.

[marelooke]

Tried the Anthem demo over the weekend (even bothered to install Origin for it), and...I ended up just quitting the game during the first mission (mission was bloody long, by the way).

 

It's an obvious console-first game with a horrible PC UI, bad defaults (unplayable for me without fiddling with at least the mouse sensitivity, even in the hub area) and a clunky movement system.

The last one is especially baffling since everyone appears to be going ape over how awesome the Anthem movement system is. Has none of those people played Warframe? Did everyone just play with a controller? Because, aside from flying being practically unusable with mouse+keyboard I found general movement finicky as well. Both Warframe and Destiny 2 feel well smoother to me, movement-wise.

 

Anthem is a powers first game, and in that respect is more akin to Warframe than to Destiny 2 (where power usage is heavily tempered with cooldowns). But unlike Warframe the gun they gave you in the Anthem demo felt like a total peashooter (judging from what I read it's not just this weapon either, guns really take a back-seat) and the powers have, imho, long-ish cooldowns, for how dependant you are on them.

 

Oh, and enemies are total bullet sponges, even the trash tier ones. They also do love their staggers (which are, imho, pretty badly communicated to the player, which might have lead me to consider movement clunky as it felt like the game was unresponsive before I figured out what was going on)

 

Graphics wise, I also don't really get the hype. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked but the game didn't look any better than the competition to me.

 

Oh yes, and I did play solo, which they heavily discourage, so that's on me, but I'm personally not interested in games where I must do every little thing in a group, especially any and all story missions (I quit Guild Wars 2 when I ran into the final "story quest" being a mandatory dungeon, which they've thankfully rectified by now). So if you don't mind grouping up for everything then the game might be OK, as I'm sure having more people compensates for the amount of bullet sponge enemies they throw at you.

 

Anyway, after the demo this went from a "Might pick it up if it reviews well" to "Meh, might pick it up if it ever goes on sale to see if they've improved it".

[Mamoulian War]

From what I have seen, all the hype is generated by few "endorsed" influencers. The unendorsed, who played it have also spoken about bad controls and other stuff which leaves sour taste in the mouth. Especially one person despite enjoying it a lot, said that the game becomes boring and tedious after a while. In the end, he said he played it for 4 hours. What to think about Live service which becomes tedious after such a short while playing...