What are you playing now?

[BruceVC]

I'm a weak weak man...

 

Now that we have that out of the way: I started Borderlands the Pre-sequel (before finishing up BL2), I also started Legend of Grimrock 2.

 

I probably should finish up everything else I'm playing through first, but yeah, see the first line of this post

 

On the subject of FEAR, FEAR was imho superior to the sequels in all respects except graphics. Of course it loses most of it's scare factor the second time through, same as most horror games do, because you now *know* what's going on. The not knowing wtf is going on around you is a big contributor to the scaryness of many a horror game (Dead Space 1 also comes to mind), the sequels lose most of that because by then you generally know what is going on (though frankly, some of the DLC for the first FEAR managed to keep that "sense of WTF" quite alive, alas they were retconned).

 

Let us know your opinion on Grimrock 2, you and I both enjoyed the first one so I'm keen for your feedback

[marelooke]

LoG2 is more of the same so far (which is a good thing) but in a more varied setting (graphically at least). As of now (that's like 2 hours in) I've seen 3 different environments: sandy beach areas, woodlands and dungeons. Oh, and there's a day-night-cycle so scavenging torches from dungeons has become my new hobby

 

I just went with the default party which seems to be working fine for me (though admittedly I didn't even bother looking at character creation)

 

So far I've found 3 or so secrets and I also managed to dig up a treasure chest left behind by a (pirate?) captain (so there's digging and there are hints as to where stuff is buried). I also found some lock-picks and a locked chest, can't remember if those things were in LoG1 but I don't think so.

 

One of the nice quality of life changes I noticed is that doors that used to close automatically in LoG1 don't seem to do so anymore in LoG2 (eg. if you need to put down a lot of stuff on a lot of pressure plates to open a door you can pick up all your stuff again without the door closing, which was seldom the case in the first game)

 

The automap has also been upgraded and is now much more useful than before imho (I didn't notice an "oldschool" mode that disables the automap, but doing so in LoG2 could be rather painful I imagine while I personally wouldn't consider it such a big handicap in LoG1)

 

I also ran into one boss so far, so it seems that boss fights will be a more regular occurrence compared to LoG1 (ended up losing my Alchemist and Wizard in that fight).

[Wrath of Dagon]

Xenonauts and Wasteland 2. Both are so good it's hard to leave one to play the other. A good and rare problem to have, especially when sometimes you start to suspect you're burned out on games. But no, turns out those games were just crap.

[GhostofAnakin]

Finished my New Game+ run through of The Last of Us.  It really is a great story.

 

One of the little things that really makes the game come alive is the interactions between Joel and Ellie as they're traveling.  Ellie will attempt to whistle, but just end up making a splatting sound.  Or she'll shy away if you shine a flashlight in her eye.  Just little nuances that make the characters feel alive, rather than your typical "AI companion" who just tags along and doesn't do anything until the next combat sequence.

 

The facial animations also are so in sync with the voice acting.  The facial expressions do a good job of conveying every pause in speech, every tone of doubt you hear in their voice.

 

The upgraded guns on my + play through was also satisfyingly rewarding.

[Gizmo]

One of the nice quality of life changes I noticed is that doors that used to close automatically in LoG1 don't seem to do so anymore in LoG2 (eg. if you need to put down a lot of stuff on a lot of pressure plates to open a door you can pick up all your stuff again without the door closing, which was seldom the case in the first game)

I haven't played it yet, but I will be tomorrow... I do recall that in LoG1, the pressure plates (and buttons) were optionally one-time use... So it's far more likely I think (I hope) that the plates you've seen were single use triggers that only worked once to open up a door they don't think needs closing again. 

Edited October 20, 2014 by Gizmo

[ManifestedISO]

Finished my New Game+ run through of The Last of Us.  It really is a great story.

 

One of the little things that really makes the game come alive is the interactions between Joel and Ellie as they're traveling.  Ellie will attempt to whistle, but just end up making a splatting sound.  Or she'll shy away if you shine a flashlight in her eye.  Just little nuances that make the characters feel alive, rather than your typical "AI companion" who just tags along and doesn't do anything until the next combat sequence.

 

The facial animations also are so in sync with the voice acting.  The facial expressions do a good job of conveying every pause in speech, every tone of doubt you hear in their voice.

 

The upgraded guns on my + play through was also satisfyingly rewarding.

 

I've never played a game with better-timed, more appropriately glib f-bombs from a 14-year old female. "**** those guys ..." I was like, yeah, you tell 'em, kid! 

[GhostofAnakin]

I thought both the voice actor for Joel and Ellie did a bang-up job.  The programmers (or whoever is responsible) also did a fantastic job of matching the facial animations and body animations with the words being spoken.  They seemed ... real, so to speak.

 

A lot of video games, you'll hear the voice actors trying to portray emotion, while the actual character animations look stiff and unnatural.

[Lexx]

What I only noticed in my second playthrough, and what I really loved: The moment after Joel saved Ellie from that cannibal dudes... In the next scene (walking through the overgrown city at daylight), you can really feel that something has changed in Joel. Now he starts out with being the talkative one and Ellie is not. Also he has that happy sound in his voice. This was never the case before.

[GhostofAnakin]

Yeah, it's the subtle things, the subtle changes in a character's tone or movements, that really stand out.

 

Not like ME3 with Emo Shepard suddenly running through fields in slow motion in his dreams, all because some kid he's never known died.

[CoM_Solaufein]

I'm playing Icewind Dale. Yes indeed.

[Gizmo]

I'm playing Icewind Dale. Yes indeed.

Great game; IWDII also ~except the AI liked to 'conga-line' its way across the map at hidden characters.

 

I'm playing Alice, and WL2 and Dragon Age:Origins. Soon to be LoG2.

[marelooke]

Just made it out of Ag Center in WL2, now gonna clear up the other infected areas and see what I can do about that one safe in Ag Center that I can't get open even with a Safecracking skill of 4 (and it's not the rewards safe)

[Keyrock]

I'm at what I'm assuming is the very end of Wasteland 2

The return to the now taken over by CotC Ranger Citadel

 I should finish that today.  Once I do that I'll fire up Darklands.  I don't plan to get too serious with it since Bayonetta 2 is almost here, and once that arrives it (and the first Bayonetta that comes packaged with it) will consume most of my gaming time, but I've never played Darklands before so I'll do a throw away trial party to get to know the game a bit, maybe learn some of its quirks, so that when I do get seriously into it I can have at least some idea of what works and what doesn't.

[Starwars]

Darklands is an awesome, awesome game. Hope you enjoy it.

[Tale]

Alien: Isolation just keeps going and going, doesn't it?

 

I was positive I was at the end, then I realized I don't even have the final device upgrade.

 

Also #@%@# those androids in protective suits. They're worse than the bleeding alien! At least there's only ever one of him and he's easy to get rid of. At one point, those androids are even immune to pipe bombs!

[Malcador]

Gave WoW a break, didn't play much of anything other than FIFA, trying Nantes out and the AI is buggering me royally, so will give that a break as well. Have a rather colossal GOG backlog, maybe I will bite into that and finish SWAT 3

[HoonDing]

I'm having more fun with FFXIII than any other game I played this year.

[Hurlshort]

I've been going pretty good in WoW.  I just reached level 61 with my panda monk and I'm entering the Outlands.  It's still flying by.  Speaking of which, flying mounts are pretty neat.

 

I love how quickly I complete areas now, it really eliminates the grindy feel.

[Bokishi]

I'm looking to get an Oculus Rift, just for Alien Isolation

[Malcador]

I've been going pretty good in WoW.  I just reached level 61 with my panda monk and I'm entering the Outlands.  It's still flying by.  Speaking of which, flying mounts are pretty neat.

 

I love how quickly I complete areas now, it really eliminates the grindy feel.

You've not played since vanilla ?

 

Flying mounts are great, they are not adding them in WoD until the first content patch - meant to, uh, make the game world feel more alive or something. Not that players go around anywhere with the queuing functionality for raids/BGs/groups. At the core, means more ganking.

[Volourn]

"Darklands is an awesome, awesome game. Hope you enjoy it."

 

The concept is awesome but the controls and actual game are simply a mess. It could have been a contender. Great character system, great ideas, crap execution.

[HoonDing]

I never even finished Darklands main story. I just did a lot of stuff until my characters got too old and retired filthy rich in Freiburg. Betrayal at Krondor is forever unparallelled in the open world storyline aspect.

[GhostofAnakin]

Played some Metal Gear V: Ground Zero.  Was not impressed.  For a game that's supposed to be stealth-oriented, the final extraction mission is ridiculously difficult to pull off without basically putting the entire base on alert.

 

Hope the main game when it comes out won't be this unforgiving.

[Hurlshort]

 

I've been going pretty good in WoW.  I just reached level 61 with my panda monk and I'm entering the Outlands.  It's still flying by.  Speaking of which, flying mounts are pretty neat.

 

I love how quickly I complete areas now, it really eliminates the grindy feel.

You've not played since vanilla ?

 

Flying mounts are great, they are not adding them in WoD until the first content patch - meant to, uh, make the game world feel more alive or something. Not that players go around anywhere with the queuing functionality for raids/BGs/groups. At the core, means more ganking.

 

 

I didn't play for 7 years, so quite a bit was different when I went back.

[TheChris92]

Played some Metal Gear V: Ground Zero.  Was not impressed.  For a game that's supposed to be stealth-oriented, the final extraction mission is ridiculously difficult to pull off without basically putting the entire base on alert.

 

Hope the main game when it comes out won't be this unforgiving.

I think that goes without saying for most stealth games -- In Hitman Blood Money for instance it was also about trying to memorize the movements of enemy guards and the terrain you were fumbling through. The AI have simply become smarter over the years though, which have ultimately also made it a bit more tricky. Since it's also moved away from you having to infiltrate industrial complexes or military bases to more open and litted areas, it's become.. well more tricky to approach. I did prefer how it was done in Snake Eater, with the jungle infiltration, but you still got enough mechanics at your disposal to keep out of sight and mark enemies to keep track of their movements. Like in previous games I just tend to remove most of the guards near the any points I know I might return to later by using the tranq. I'd agree, however, that stealth shouldn't feel like the exception to the rule in Metal Gear game, which is what it does with Ground Zeroes a bit.

 

Ultimately, I just don't care too much for the sluggish Rockstar-Games-inspired movement animations and things like regenerating health as opposed to using rations to heal. The games have been watered down a bit, I'll say.

 

I ended up enjoying it anyway.