What are you playing right now?

[Kavriel]

I was playing Expeditions: Viking, but uni and life have decided to get in the way of my playing time. I'm at a crossroads: I just finished off at Scarborough, and need to figure out where to go next. Orkneyjar, I think! I'll probably get around to playing again in a month or so...

[LadyCrimson]

Bought a VN. Tried to play VN. Refuses to run in Offline mode even tho the store page mentions nothing about 'net required. I did install it on E drive instead of C drive, maybe it doesn't like that, but pffft - if I install it on C drive and it's still Online only I may refund it.

 

Installed Shadow/Tombraider. Fraps won't work with it (a lot of games do work with Fraps on Win10 still, but not all). Tried their Photomode. The P or controller key to take picture doesn't work. Meaning you have to use Steam Overlay to take a screen while in Photomode. Tried Ansel. The Ansel menu comes up but controller doesn't work to use it and the high resolution options aren't even there. I'm confuddled. The built-in benchmark test indicated 35-60fps on mostly Ultra + Raytracing shadows etc at 4k. I'm utterly unimpressed with the Ray-shadows.

 

The game itself? I dunno, it doesn't seem anything special. There's QTE moments. There's too many cutscenes. I feel too closed-in visually a lot of the time. I still don't like "tombraiding" in modern 3d space (vs. original games). But Lara's hair, pants and jacket look really good.

 

Edit: Shadow/TR *is* the first game I've owned where it actually gives me the proper PS4 prompts vs. Xbox ones.

Edited March 25, 2019 by LadyCrimson

[GhostofAnakin]

I do turn off the markers and it helps somewhat but I think you can still "feel" the way it was designed if that makes any sense. It doesn't feel like an organic world in the least when it comes to that I think. Again, crappy loot, crappy leveling and crappy fights doesn't help the exploration. I like the Witcher 3 exploration a *lot* in terms of just seeing the world, experiencing the bustle and atmosphere in Novigrad, the more calm and harsh beauty of Skellige. But there's just nothing in terms of the open world *gameplay* that I like.

 

About following tracks, I don't mind that in itself nor do I mind the fisheye effect. I just mind that so often they end up leading you through yet another little monster infested area because obviously we can't let the player go five seconds without anything happening.

I mean, kinda exaggerating here but in some places it's kinda annoying. It's just trash fights with nothing interesting going on.

 

I don't like the combat much but it can be fun once you actually get into those witcher contracts that are a bit special somehow. But most of the fights you encounter naturally on the map are just pure trash. And there's so much of it. I mean, I guess that's why I felt Kingdom Come was such a breath of fresh air, it was nice to have a game world where combat music doesn't start pounding every couple of minutes because a wolf happened to see you riding by.

 

I'm whining a bit here but yeah, I really think a lot of the Witcher 3 gameplay feels watered down and boring. And it's such a shame because so much effort and love obviously went into the writing, the atmosphere, the audio and visuals.

 

I gotta admit, I'm much more forgiving of these types of issues if the game has a great story and sidequest design.  For instance, especially in RPGs, combat ranks way down on my list of me caring if it's good or not.

 

It's probably why I'm so forgiving of the Witcher 3's faults.  The things it did well are the things I look for most in RPGs.

[LadyCrimson]

Downloading FFXV Ardyn DLC - almost done. Nothing else I've bought recently has been super exciting so ...  why not. May as well round it all out. Wish it has been Aranea episode tho.

 

Watched a part of the dlc already via Twitch ... expectations are middling. I'll probably like it more than Prompto's DLC but less than Ignis' DLC. Besides, it's mostly just new Ansel fodder, am I right? Right.

[Katphood]

I bought the FFXV limited edition shortly after release and didn't play it. Everytime a dlc is released for that game, I am even more scared to touch it. I guess the movie on the bonus disc is a good place to start but damn, they even released dlc after the release of the so called 'royal edition'!

 

Should I bother?

[Malcador]

FM18 continuing to screw with me, injuries are getting pretty damn severe.  But at least I am drawing most matches so it's not as painful as it could be.

[kanisatha]

 

I do turn off the markers and it helps somewhat but I think you can still "feel" the way it was designed if that makes any sense. It doesn't feel like an organic world in the least when it comes to that I think. Again, crappy loot, crappy leveling and crappy fights doesn't help the exploration. I like the Witcher 3 exploration a *lot* in terms of just seeing the world, experiencing the bustle and atmosphere in Novigrad, the more calm and harsh beauty of Skellige. But there's just nothing in terms of the open world *gameplay* that I like.

 

About following tracks, I don't mind that in itself nor do I mind the fisheye effect. I just mind that so often they end up leading you through yet another little monster infested area because obviously we can't let the player go five seconds without anything happening.

I mean, kinda exaggerating here but in some places it's kinda annoying. It's just trash fights with nothing interesting going on.

 

I don't like the combat much but it can be fun once you actually get into those witcher contracts that are a bit special somehow. But most of the fights you encounter naturally on the map are just pure trash. And there's so much of it. I mean, I guess that's why I felt Kingdom Come was such a breath of fresh air, it was nice to have a game world where combat music doesn't start pounding every couple of minutes because a wolf happened to see you riding by.

 

I'm whining a bit here but yeah, I really think a lot of the Witcher 3 gameplay feels watered down and boring. And it's such a shame because so much effort and love obviously went into the writing, the atmosphere, the audio and visuals.

 

I gotta admit, I'm much more forgiving of these types of issues if the game has a great story and sidequest design.  For instance, especially in RPGs, combat ranks way down on my list of me caring if it's good or not.

 

It's probably why I'm so forgiving of the Witcher 3's faults.  The things it did well are the things I look for most in RPGs.

Couldn't agree more. So long as combat isn't frustrating to the point of pulling my hair out I don't really care about it one way or the other. Combat is my least liked part of an RPG too.

 

Also, yes, filler combat is especially loathsome, not just in TW3 but RPGs generally. I don't understand why wild animals, even if they're wolves and bears, should automatically and aggressively attack you. Just plain silly and annoying.

[wolfrider100]

Now that the Enhanced Edition is out for Seven: The Days Long Gone, I'm starting a new playthrough.

 

Hoping it's as bug free as they say it will be, since that was what ruined my first playthrough for me.

Edited March 26, 2019 by wolfrider100

[LadyCrimson]

I bought the FFXV limited edition shortly after release and didn't play it. Everytime a dlc is released for that game, I am even more scared to touch it. I guess the movie on the bonus disc is a good place to start but damn, they even released dlc after the release of the so called 'royal edition'!

 

Should I bother?

Ardyn DLC is the last one, no more.

 

Finished it last night. First half was cool, 2nd half became combat-dull and repetitive. Story bits were fine. Definitely makes you feel sorry for the guy, but I won't go so far as say Ardyn is redeemed. So, it was mostly fun, just the combat in the middle was too filler, at least if you aren't rushing it and were trying to get all the hats. Yes, hats.

[GhostofAnakin]

Unveiling who the Cultists are in AC Odyssey is much more satisfying than actually fighting them since most can be one-shot killed with either a bow shot to the head or that assasination ability that transports you across the map to them.

 

A little worried about the Delian League Cultist branch.  I've killed 3 of them, but so far only 2 clues have popped up about their leaders.  Hopefully that's not a bug because the one who didn't drop a clue was killed waaaaaay back.

[Zoraptor]

Unveiling who the Cultists are in AC Odyssey is much more satisfying than actually fighting them since most can be one-shot killed with either a bow shot to the head or that assasination ability that transports you across the map to them.

 

A little worried about the Delian League Cultist branch.  I've killed 3 of them, but so far only 2 clues have popped up about their leaders.  Hopefully that's not a bug because the one who didn't drop a clue was killed waaaaaay back.

 

Don't worry about it. I'm at the same stage and have the same in game information.

 

meta game observation, not really a spoiler

 

revealed by plot progression would be my informed guess

 

 

This is a potential spoiler of their identity, with reasoning, though I do not know it to be true:

 

99% sure that it will be Cleon (Kleon in game), Athens is head of the Delian League, Thucydides is the main historical source for the game and he hated Cleon, and Cleon dies historically in a way that would fit the game perfectly and in an area there has been no plot reason to visit yet. Fits the clues I've got so far too.

 

 

I like the cultist mechanic overall but I do have a criticism of its meta game implementation. Pretty sure I've worked out something else I really shouldn't have, and not from any historical knowledge this time.

[Katphood]

Sony is handing out The Surge and Conan: Exiles free to PS Plus members this April. Wouldn't mind trying either of them.

[Keyrock]

Sony is handing out The Surge and Conan: Exiles free to PS Plus members this April. Wouldn't mind trying either of them.

Awesome. I too wanted to try both of them, and now I get to for free.*

 

* not actually free

Edited March 27, 2019 by Keyrock

[GhostofAnakin]

Riding somewhere on horseback when you have to follow an NPC is both hilarious and immersion breaking since a]if they get too far ahead of you you can't hear what they're saying and b]they just run over townsfolk who are in their way and don't even react to it.

 

Mom: "Come on, Kassandra.  Ride with me while we chat"

 

*Proceeds to gallop ahead to a distance where dialogue is indecipherable while mowing down a dozen people standing on the path*

 

Mom: "Don't you agree?"

 

Kassandra: "No clue what you said.  I was too buy fighting the guards who attacked me after your wanton slaughter"

[Hawke64]

Devil May Cry V

Unlocked the Hell and Hell difficulty and the super costumes (infinite DT). All was going well in Nero's missions, but the game started to crash randomly (no warning, just "DevilMayCry5.exe has stopped working") when I reached M09 as V. It took 5-6 attempts, but I completed it.

Tried M10 as Dante. It's the only character I can't use effectively and the game has crashed at least twice during the mission. Not sure, if I should wait for the next patch or continue as is.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Hawke64

[Mico Selva]

AC Odyssey. After a few hours, I like it much more than Origins (which was my first AC ever). We will see if this feeling lasts for the next 80 hours.

[GhostofAnakin]

AC Odyssey. After a few hours, I like it much more than Origins (which was my first AC ever). We will see if this feeling lasts for the next 80 hours.

 

It's probably my favorite AC game, but that might have a lot to do with me enjoying the direction they went in (ie. incorporating leveling up skills and stuff).

[Mico Selva]

 

AC Odyssey. After a few hours, I like it much more than Origins (which was my first AC ever). We will see if this feeling lasts for the next 80 hours.

 

It's probably my favorite AC game, but that might have a lot to do with me enjoying the direction they went in (ie. incorporating leveling up skills and stuff).

Oh, yeah, I only got interested in the series after they started copying Witcher 3 design.

[Gorgon]

Sekiro is awesome. I think I like it better than souls, and I'm one of those impossible people who play fighting games with an arcade stick. Let me tell you, it's HARD.

 

 

 

 

muhahahahahaha.

 

 

 

I tried a little bit of Devil May Cry and the difference immense, it was like the enemies were just standing around waiting to die.

[Hawke64]

I tried a little bit of Devil May Cry and the difference immense, it was like the enemies were just standing around waiting to die.

On the lower difficulties enemies are rather passive. On Son of Sparda (hard) and Dante Must Die (very hard) they become more aggressive (and on DMD they also get quite significant HP boost). Though, DMCV still feels easier than DMC3.

 

Also completed M12 in DMCV on Hell and Hell. After several crashes (edited the *.ini file and it should work better now) and defeats (2 furies aren't something I'd like to face on this difficulty), I found the way to skip most of the battles and reached the boss with all Golden Orbs intact (1 HaH Golden Orb = getting hit once).

[GhostofAnakin]

I can't seem to find an armor set that I like in AC Odyssey.  There are some that look okay, but none that make me go, "Oh my, this THIS is looks bad ass".

[Keyrock]

I'm about 45 hours into DQ XI. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm about 3/4 of the way through the main story. This is one of those games that doesn't innovate in any way, the story is super cliche, the twists and turns are easily spotted from a mile away, and none of the characters are particularly memorable, except Sylvando (who is fabulous). Yet, it's super enjoyable and I am powering through it eagerly in a way I rarely do with games these days (I usually don't have the patience to go through long games in a single stint these days, I appreciate shorter games more and more as I get older). Why? Because while the game simply executes the standard jRPG formula used for well over 3 decades, it executes it extraordinarily well.  Every facet of the game's design is just done really well and is polished to a brilliant shine.  Also, there's the trademark DQ charm.

 

Sometimes, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just make a really really high quality wheel.

 

Also, it helps that Squeenix doesn't pump out a DQ every year. If they did, I might get burned out on the series ala AssCreed.

[Melusina]

Playing World Next Door - surprised how this match 3 action game is so much more than any other visual novel & match 3 game - it should be, since story is coming from manga veteran VIZ media. But I haven't played other match 3 game, so I couldn't exactly know.

[HoonDing]

I almost 100%ed DQXI in 122 hours

 

also last game i bought on release

 

better than Skyrim

[Mamoulian War]

I started to play Earthlock. Nice Norwegian indie jRPG-like game. Little bit slower paced, but I am enjoying it