What are you playing now

[Hawke64]

Completed Stories: The Path of Destinies (an action-adventure with RPG elements in fantasy setting, where the protagonist must not die at the end, Groundhog Day-style).

Quite fun, though the controls were rather unusual and unrebindable (haven't seen dash bound to Ctrl before).

[Mamoulian War]

My PS4 Pro is pretty quite. I hear vents only during summer when I am playing Project CARS.

[Majek]

PLaying COd WWII MP. Opponenets die when i want them to so all is fine. Don't care abouzt campaign or loot boxes i just want my simple TDM rampage. 

[Bokishi]

I’ve been having a hard time playing any singeplayer COD campaign, I’m like why should I do this when I can be leveling up in multiplayer

[SonicMage117]

I don't want to upgrade to a PS4 Pro because it looks ugly. I don't wantbto upgrade to the PS4 Slim because I don't like the roundness . I am just sticking with the sleekest design (the original).

 

Call me shallow?

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

[SonicMage117]

The new Wolfenstein is kinda meh I hear, not jumping in blind with Bethesda anymore in any case.

It's strange to me that people are toting it as the year's top shooter when there wasn't much competition to begin with. Call Of Duty... and? Maybe Destiny 2 and Battlefront 2 of those can be called shooters. Hmmm.

[Hurlshort]

 

The new Wolfenstein is kinda meh I hear, not jumping in blind with Bethesda anymore in any case.

It's strange to me that people are toting it as the year's top shooter when there wasn't much competition to begin with. Call Of Duty... and? Maybe Destiny 2 and Battlefront 2 of those can be called shooters. Hmmm.

 

 

That actually sounds like some pretty major competition. Call of Duty's return to WW2, Bungie's first full sequel to their major property, and a Star Wars game are pretty big deals.

[SonicMage117]

True. I just don't consider them the same marketplace since Destiny 2 is more of an rpg and CoD and Battlefront are more multiplayer focused than anything.

 

I am debating on whether to start my first playthrough of TitanQ Quest but don't know if I have the time considering Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 releases in 2 days.

[GhostofAnakin]

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

 

Huh?  Are you saying PS4 slim doesn't work with surround sound setups?

[Keyrock]

If I can find a good deal on a PS4 Pro during Cyber Monday, I might pull the trigger.

[SonicMage117]

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

Huh? Are you saying PS4 slim doesn't work with surround sound setups?

Exactly. They removed the optic sound out (spdif) in order to "save space". It was a very poor choice on Sony's behalf.

[Keyrock]

 

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

Huh? Are you saying PS4 slim doesn't work with surround sound setups?

Exactly. They removed the optic sound out (spdif) in order to "save space". It was a very poor choice on Sony's behalf.

 

For reference:

[marelooke]

 

No thanks, I hope exclusives finally die their well deserved death. If the only reason people buy your console is because you withold stuff from them..well maybe the console isn't that great after all...

I like when consoles offer good exclusives, those exclusives are what seem to push the industry to create more quality games. Without Sony/Microsoft's in-house studios or published projects, the rest of developers and publishers would probably get lazy and not push themselves in storytelling and art in general. And if there are no exclusives than there would probably be no point for consoles anymore either, I don't want pc to be the only platform because that would be horrible for gaming in alm things. We need competition, it's good for the industry and has always been it's saving grace.

 

 

Nah, most people buy consoles because they want to game from their couch, whether there's exclusives or not isn't going to change any of that until there's actually functional ways to game on your PC from your couch, and we're not there by a long shot last I checked.

 

Exclusives just mean competition between the consoles, the vast majority of people that weren't planning on buying a console won't suddenly buy a console because of one exclusive... There's really barely competition between the PC and consoles, which is why MS has been doing the cross platform thing lately, there's no way in hell they'd allow their formerly console exclusive titles on PC if they thought it'd cost them money. However in doing so they might just steal customers from Sony, because what are you going to do? Get FM7 on the PC you already have or buy a Playstation to play Gran Tourismo?

 

Moreover MS and Sony are, as far as I'm aware just as lazy/toxic as the rest of the big publishers (FM7 anyone?). If we want real progress then it's the indie studios that we need to look at, or just "crazy people" (in this age of greed) that only want to make good games rather than earn lots of money, like this Swen dude you might've heard of

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, on topic: new season started in Diablo 3 and chugging along with my Necromancer. Not sure how far I'll get but I at least want to get the Season rewards done.

 

I kind of stalled in Observer, the game so far has been missing a "hook" to really make me want to figure out what's going on. Maybe I need to push a bit further, but this isn't a problem I had with Soma or Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Edited November 13, 2017 by marelooke

[213374U]

Playing Arkham City a bit. I loved Asylum but never got hooked into the sequels. Maybe this time I will stick with it.

 

I just beat this. The plot is as nonsensical as the first game's and it seems to drag on and on and on... and the finale, while not as bad as Asylum's is fairly underwhelming too. I'm guessing these are staples of the series.

 

Combat was pretty much copy-pasted from Asylum's whack-a-mole "system", so meh. Thankfully there's less forced backtracking, and while the Riddler doodads are a fun distraction, I hated that you GOTTA CATCH EM ALL! to progress a certain sidequest.

 

Compared to, say, Saints Row 4, this game's only saving graces are the Joker's VA and the music which is really top-notch. I can't understand how these games got such high ratings.

[Keyrock]

 I can't understand how these games got such high ratings.

 

It's because Arkham Asylum created, or at least popularized, that type of combat system where you just hit a button and your character magically parries or floats over to another combatant, regardless of what they were doing previously or where they were, which, while nonsensical, looks pretty from a cinematic standpoint and was really fresh and novel at the time.

[SonicMage117]

 

 

No thanks, I hope exclusives finally die their well deserved death. If the only reason people buy your console is because you withold stuff from them..well maybe the console isn't that great after all...

I like when consoles offer good exclusives, those exclusives are what seem to push the industry to create more quality games. Without Sony/Microsoft's in-house studios or published projects, the rest of developers and publishers would probably get lazy and not push themselves in storytelling and art in general. And if there are no exclusives than there would probably be no point for consoles anymore either, I don't want pc to be the only platform because that would be horrible for gaming in alm things. We need competition, it's good for the industry and has always been it's saving grace.

Nah, most people buy consoles because they want to game from their couch, whether there's exclusives or not isn't going to change any of that until there's actually functional ways to game on your PC from your couch, and we're not there by a long shot last I checked.

 

Exclusives just mean competition between the consoles, the vast majority of people that weren't planning on buying a console won't suddenly buy a console because of one exclusive... There's really barely competition between the PC and consoles, which is why MS has been doing the cross platform thing lately, there's no way in hell they'd allow their formerly console exclusive titles on PC if they thought it'd cost them money. However in doing so they might just steal customers from Sony, because what are you going to do? Get FM7 on the PC you already have or buy a Playstation to play Gran Tourismo?

 

Moreover MS and Sony are, as far as I'm aware just as lazy/toxic as the rest of the big publishers (FM7 anyone?). If we want real progress then it's the indie studios that we need to look at, or just "crazy people" (in this age of greed) that only want to make good games rather than earn lots of money, like this Swen dude you might've heard of

That might have been true if pc's couldnt hook up to televisions via hdmi and laptops didn't exist, but you'd be surprised how many people have their pc's in their living rooms these days. One of my pc's is an Alienware Alpha, it's just as easy to set up as a console, in fact it's easier to set up than a PS4/Xbox One given that it's smaller and can fit in tighter spaces with ease.

 

Although I do love my indie games, I don't think they revolutionize anything new in gaming today. I also don't think Sony is any lazier than any of the hardest working devs out there. Sony has some pretty awesome exclusives that are just as original as any indie but the thing is that by the time the exclusive releases everyone knows the ins and outs of the game because of so much money put into marketing. Microsoft, on the other hand doesn't know what they're doing as of late with the Xbox exclusives. I think I would consider them lazy as everything that's on Xbox One is already available on pc. Yet one of the only true exclusives they have (Sunset Overdrive) is still one of the most uniqe and original games I've played.

 

I understand why PC gamers tend to discredit comsole exclusives any way they can, simply for the fact that pc doesn't get those games usually (Steam just got Nioh and it's awesome!) but that doesn't make them somehow less great. That's why they're called 'Killer Apps' after all and "System sellers". We'd be lying to ourselves if we said Mario Odyssey wasn't selling Switches and that Nintendo didn't just redefine platforming... again

Edited November 13, 2017 by SonicMage117

[Bartimaeus]

 

 I can't understand how these games got such high ratings.

 

It's because Arkham Asylum created, or at least popularized, that type of combat system where you just hit a button and your character magically parries or floats over to another combatant, regardless of what they were doing previously or where they were, which, while nonsensical, looks pretty from a cinematic standpoint and was really fresh and novel at the time.

 

 

That and Assassin's Creed, which actually came out a year earlier.

[GhostofAnakin]

 

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

Huh? Are you saying PS4 slim doesn't work with surround sound setups?

Exactly. They removed the optic sound out (spdif) in order to "save space". It was a very poor choice on Sony's behalf.

 

 

Why is this the first I've ever heard of this?  This could dramatically alter my decision.

[SonicMage117]

The Arkham games are widely popular for none other than the reason that they are great 3D Batman games. Before Arkham Asylum, there were literally dozens of horrible 3D Batman games, much to the point where DC fans gave up all hope. Then came along Rocksteady, who gave us games which infuse great storytelling, exceptional voice-overs, top graphics, an addictive fighting systems and detailed exploration - even some role playing features (leveling up, upgrading, etc). All that adds up to make a popular franchise that actually deserves it's popularity.

 

On the other hand I think Telltales' Batman series is awfully horrible, unless you don't mind completely new & weird takes on iconic characters. I can't stand it honestly, to me they butchered everything I love about Batman... too much liberty with the creative process - usually I am not against it but as a Batman fan, it hurts me lol

[213374U]

It's because Arkham Asylum created, or at least popularized, that type of combat system where you just hit a button and your character magically parries or floats over to another combatant, regardless of what they were doing previously or where they were, which, while nonsensical, looks pretty from a cinematic standpoint and was really fresh and novel at the time.

Oh, sure. It does look fantastic. Extremely brutal, fast-paced, great flow. But on the gameplay department, I remain unconvinced that the system is little more than a glorified QTE. Can't let silly details like slow human reflexes get in the way of awesome cinematic combat, now can we?

 

Anyway, I just started Origins. We'll see how high they dial the nonsense. So far I'm liking the visual style much better, at least.

 

 

 

Why is this the first I've ever heard of this?  This could dramatically alter my decision.

Probably because a cursory search reveals that a workaround is more or less trivial.

[injurai]

 

 

 I can't understand how these games got such high ratings.

 

It's because Arkham Asylum created, or at least popularized, that type of combat system where you just hit a button and your character magically parries or floats over to another combatant, regardless of what they were doing previously or where they were, which, while nonsensical, looks pretty from a cinematic standpoint and was really fresh and novel at the time.

 

 

That and Assassin's Creed, which actually came out a year earlier.

 

 

Having played both, I think AC is a bit different. AC tried to create a marionette style of controls that maps buttons to certain parts of the player character. Arms, legs, head. Other than parries which when times can auto-trigger caned counters or finishers, it's mostly free form. Just if you get good then there is no reason to try for anything short of a finisher.

 

Arkham has a far more intrusive "A to win" style of combat that grows old really fast. AC seems to be moving even further away from this style, and expanding ever more on it's more free form aspects.

[GhostofAnakin]

 

 

Also, yes I use the optic audio because I absolutely hate audio through tv/monitor speakers. PS4 Slim doesn't have optic out so if you have surround sound system, good luck.

Huh? Are you saying PS4 slim doesn't work with surround sound setups?

Exactly. They removed the optic sound out (spdif) in order to "save space". It was a very poor choice on Sony's behalf.

 

 

I just noticed you mentioned optic audio.  I don't even use that currently, I use HDMI.  I'm guessing it's only the setups that still use the audio out cables that are affected?

[Bartimaeus]

 

 

 

 I can't understand how these games got such high ratings.

 

It's because Arkham Asylum created, or at least popularized, that type of combat system where you just hit a button and your character magically parries or floats over to another combatant, regardless of what they were doing previously or where they were, which, while nonsensical, looks pretty from a cinematic standpoint and was really fresh and novel at the time.

 

 

That and Assassin's Creed, which actually came out a year earlier.

 

 

Having played both, I think AC is a bit different. AC tried to create a marionette style of controls that maps buttons to certain parts of the player character. Arms, legs, head. Other than parries which when times can auto-trigger caned counters or finishers, it's mostly free form. Just if you get good then there is no reason to try for anything short of a finisher.

 

Arkham has a far more intrusive "A to win" style of combat that grows old really fast. AC seems to be moving even further away from this style, and expanding ever more on it's more free form aspects.

 

 

Yeah, I wasn't trying to say it was equivalent, but a pretty similar idea. I still remember being surrounded be like two dozen guys in AC1...and all of them attacking you one at a time where you can just parry every single attack for easy kills. Super silly stuff.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Bartimaeus

[Katphood]

All this talk of hand-to-hand combat makes me want to install Sleeping Dogs.

[SonicMage117]

From my experience, AC Origins seems to be the first AC game that has fun combat. I've played nearly all of them.

 

Sleeping Dogs, yes, highly underrated/overlooked open world game. Love the brawling system in it, nice change up from the "Let's shoot out our way out" and if I remeber correctly, it has a Hollywood cast which includes Emma Stone and Lucy Lu.