Page 206 of 275 [ 4399 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1 ... 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209 ... 275  Next

BrokenPieces
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Mar 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 714
Location: Somewhere only we know.

28 Feb 2019, 11:20 pm

I'm playing Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD (Wii U release). I'd never played it or its sequels and I've been on a Zelda binge. I started with the first game and I'm going all the way to Breath of the Wild. Not playing them in order though, and only the main console games.

Before this I played Skyward Sword then Twilight Princess.



Enigmatic_Oddity
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Nov 2005
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,555

01 Mar 2019, 12:24 am

I've been playing Touhou Luna Nights. The story is some nonsense, but the gameplay is excellent. It's like Castlevania with a lot of combat being mostly ranged using projectiles rather than melee. The bosses are fantastic, well designed and finely tuned in difficulty. I don't really play bullet hell games but they seem to be inspired from those sorts of games, with walls of projectiles that require both twitch reflexes and planning. There's also some mechanics that seem to be lifted from shmups, such as refilling energy by 'grazing' projectiles.

The game's unique mechanic is that you can slow down and stop time. It's a great mechanic that sees use in both combat and in the game's traversal. For example, you can throw knives, stop time and then use the knives stuck in time as a platform. Bosses often have small windows to attack them in that require you to be positioned right, and fights are tuned to the point where you need to use the mechanic to get in and capitalise on your positioning. Some obstacles, projectiles and enemies respond differently to time manipulation, such as being in stasis until time is stopped, leading to some rudimentary platforming puzzles.

It looks great too; the sprite work and animation is seriously good. There's lots of little things that impress me with the animation, like how your knives bounce off walls and return to you, how grass and water is animated and reacts to the action, and the massive, detailed and complex sprites of the game's bosses.

It is short though. I've only played a few hours and I've already explored about 70% of the map.

But so far I'm enjoying this a lot. I thought maybe I was getting bored with these sort of games because I've been trying to finish Hollow Knight which had universal praise from... pretty much everyone. But try as I might I just keep finding myself bored with it, whereas I'm having a blast playing this.



Map84
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

Joined: 25 Feb 2019
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Posts: 214
Location: U.K.

01 Mar 2019, 5:34 am

Misery wrote:
Map84 wrote:
I'm playing no man's sky. Reviews made it sound lousy but it's incredible.


Ehh, the reviews were kinda correct.... when the game released.

It's been two years now, and the game is so different that it's as if it became it's own sequel. Quite impressive, what they've done. Even alot of people that previously hated it ended up getting into it.


So I see! It sounds like it was only half finished upon release, it's annoying that companies do this nowadays, though at least games get updated :)


_________________
INTJ-t
AQ50: 34
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 107 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 88 of 200


Enigmatic_Oddity
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Nov 2005
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,555

02 Mar 2019, 6:42 pm

I finished Touhou Luna Nights. It really kept up the quality to the end of the game. It does a lot to differentiate itself from the rest of the genre with its time controlling and bullet hell mechanics. The game shines brightest with its boss encounters. In total it took me about 6 hours to finish. The number of things I didn't like about the game were pretty few, mostly that the time mechanic is overly generous and trivialises most normal enemy encounters, that I don't really see why it wasn't just an original IP since whatever ties it has to the Touhou franchise seem pointless (if you're going to make an indie game that's a totally different genre and has no ties to the existing franchise other than using their characters why not just make it something original?). Also, the game doesn't explicitly point out until near the end of the game that a large part of character progression is tied to the gems you pickup, which you've been encouraged throughout the game to sell. Apparently the game will get another chapter later, which I'm looking forward to.

Now I've started playing something I've been meaning to play for a long time. I've played all the Castlevania games for the Gameboy Advance a long time ago and loved them all, but I've never played Symphony of the Night which is said to be what they're most trying to emulate in their gameplay. It's also heralded as a really good example of the genre.

So far it's been very enjoyable, nothing really ground breaking and I can't say it does things better than the GBA variants. The game looks fantastic, with smooth animations and it has a great soundtrack (mostly - I thought the smooth jazz played in one of its many gothic dungeons was a bit incongruous). The combat's standard Castlevania fare, and while I'm missing the more versatile moveset/magic system of the GBA games it's responsive and fluid.

The map is great but with some caveats; I have a few problems with how unclear some progression paths are, and how the game occasionally gets you to backtrack to a place that seems like it's now open to you given new abilities, only to find it's still blocked to you slightly further ahead. There's tons of extended paths that have no reward upon reaching the end - that's generally fine in an exploration focused game, but here it feels unintentional, with entire dungeons and impressive bosses that guard nothing of worth. The map design is fine - it just lacks the more streamlined map design of Super Metroid, Ori and the Blind Forest or Dark Souls.

Not sure if it's just translation issues but half the stuff in the game doesn't explain itself at all - you constantly pick up new skills with no explanation of what they do or how to perform them. For example early on you get an ability called 'Soul of Wolf'. Using this you can now turn into a wolf and perform running dashes like Samus's Speed booster in Super Metroid - except nothing in the game tells you any of that, and unlike in Super Metroid it's not something you'd intuitively learn how to do without a prompt. You also get a bunch of familiars, with many having some utility - again, not explained at all by the game. There are tons of different gear that have identical stats with nothing seeming to differentiate them - except they are in fact different in a way that the game never indicates. It's not hard to Wiki these things nowadays but back in the day I'd imagine I'd just be completely frustrated with the game's obtuseness. Needless to say, this is a really glaring issue.

Despite these minor issues, I'm having fun. But now I've got to the halfway mark and what lies ahead for the second half looks less appealing, with what seems like a drop in the game's level design. I've had the ability to fly in game for some time now, but flying isn't fun and it seems to be getting used as a crutch for the remainder of the game. Hopefully the game can surprise me because the first half of the game has been great.



Butterfly88
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jul 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 19,857
Location: United States

03 Mar 2019, 10:30 am

Stardew Valley and Toontown Rewritten



SuperEuroNEET
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 9 Feb 2019
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 28

05 Mar 2019, 10:33 pm

I've been playing Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 and I feel incredibly ashamed. This game is miserable to actually play. Half of the dungeons are copy-paste, the battle system seems designed to be as frustrating as possible, and you have to grind constantly. Boss fights can take 20 minutes or so of just hitting the attack button to deplete a bar then using a special move. That said I like the characters even if the whole thing is stupid anime archetypes and nonsensical videogame references. I hate myself for playing this game. Anyway, I got a few of these in a bundle and I think I'm going to finish the lot.



Noca
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 9 May 2015
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,932
Location: Canada

06 Mar 2019, 12:09 am

Witcher 3 still, this game is huge!



HowlinMad
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 19 Jan 2017
Gender: Male
Posts: 5
Location: Buckinghamshire England

06 Mar 2019, 5:25 am

It may be quite an unpopular game right now, but i'm very much enjoying Anthem.



crmoore
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 May 2011
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 612
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

06 Mar 2019, 2:56 pm

Working on Far Cry New Dawn. I'm a sucker for that series. Any FPS that doesn't take itself too seriously is okay with me.



roronoa79
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Jan 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,174
Location: Indiana

08 Mar 2019, 3:52 am

Alisia Dragoon for Sega Genesis, developed in 1992 by Game Arts and Gainax (yes, that Gainax).

Sort of obscure fantasy/scifi side-scrolling action platformer where you play as the titular gladiator-dragoon-princess (?) whose main attack is shooting lightning from her hands to vaporize enemies. You also have 4 companions that follow you around that can be used for different purposes (melee, ranged, etc.) to add a layer of strategy, although only one can be out at a time.

It's a pretty hard game, as there are no "lives" and you start the game with no continues (although you can find some), but it's one of those hard games where your character is kind of overpowered so it feels fair. Your basic (and only) attack with the lightning is quite powerful, hits everything on half the screen, and can be upgraded (a la Simon's whip in Castlevania). However, there is a limit to how long you can use it and you have to use it sparingly so you don't run out of energy which has to recharge over time (pretty quickly tho). You can also take a *lot* of hits (for games back then) before you die and your health can be upgraded. This all is balanced by the fact that the game throws tons of enemies at you constantly like the SNES Star Wars games and has challenging boss fights.

The game also looks great and has an awesome soundtrack. Would very much recommend it to fans of 16-bit action platformers 8.5/10


_________________
Diagnoses: AS, Depression, General & Social Anxiety
I guess I just wasn't made for these times.
- Brian Wilson

Δυνατὰ δὲ οἱ προύχοντες πράσσουσι καὶ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς ξυγχωροῦσιν.
Those with power do what their power permits, and the weak can only acquiesce.

- Thucydides


blackicmenace
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Nov 2016
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,465
Location: Sagittarius A

08 Mar 2019, 9:14 pm

The Sims 4. Made a new household. Instead of The Brady Bunch, I made The Bundy Bunch starring Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz and John Wayne Gacy. :twisted:


_________________
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” ― Bertrand Russell


grahambaster
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 2 Jan 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 439
Location: Upper Midwest, USA

09 Mar 2019, 4:53 pm

KAZAP.IO PvP space shooter pew pew

Image


_________________
Friends ♥ Forever Internet Radio ~ Wherever Particular People Congregate


KomoDomo
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 7 Dec 2018
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Posts: 18
Location: The Void

10 Mar 2019, 10:44 am

I recently got myself Phantom Brave off Steam, which I find enjoyable so far, given that I'm a fan of related games from the Disgaea series (it even features the protagonists for the first game as unlockable characters).

SuperEuroNEET wrote:
I've been playing Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 and I feel incredibly ashamed. This game is miserable to actually play. Half of the dungeons are copy-paste, the battle system seems designed to be as frustrating as possible, and you have to grind constantly. Boss fights can take 20 minutes or so of just hitting the attack button to deplete a bar then using a special move. That said I like the characters even if the whole thing is stupid anime archetypes and nonsensical videogame references. I hate myself for playing this game. Anyway, I got a few of these in a bundle and I think I'm going to finish the lot.


That's actually also what I've played recently. And I feel almost the same way about it to be honest, I've started my playthrough like, 2 or 3 years ago and haven't even seen how it ends yet. Find that the gameplay just doesn't hook me in enough to play it consistently.



SuperEuroNEET
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 9 Feb 2019
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 28

11 Mar 2019, 9:34 pm

roronoa79 wrote:
Alisia Dragoon for Sega Genesis, developed in 1992 by Game Arts and Gainax (yes, that Gainax).


I had that game on Mega Drive way back, I vaguely remember liking it but also I don't think that I've ever gone back and played it. Maybe I should?

I've been playing Devil May Cry 5. It's pretty great except that I hate V and I truly despise every moment I spend playing as him. I don't know what they were thinking. It's basically like playing as any other character, except you're controlling yourself in fourth person, and there's no substantial feedback from hits, and directional inputs feel weird because they're directional relative to V and not the thing you're actually controlling, and also you can't control the movement of your thing beyond hoping that it moves to the enemy. It'd be weird in any game but given that DMC is fairly technical and very focused on fighting with style it makes absolutely no sense, especially since you also have exactly ONE finisher for every enemy. Pulling off that finisher makes me feel like I'm playing one of those Arkham games people pretend to enjoy.

That said, Nero is great and I bet Dante will be too. The engine is amazing, being able to play native 4k at (mostly) 60 and better settings than console on a Vega 56 is great. The opening credits and the subsequent scene were absolutely the most badass thing that I have seen from a videogame in a long time. Dante apparently does some cool stuff later on that I'm looking forward to. My next level is V though so it might be a few days lol

Also I'm playing the second Neptunia Rebirth game and I hate myself even more. These games tap into a very specific desire that I can't quite place, but that thing probably deserves to be in the DSM more than anything else.



Enigmatic_Oddity
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Nov 2005
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,555

13 Mar 2019, 5:04 am

I resumed my playthrough of Hollow Knight and finished it to 107% completion. In the end, I really liked the game. It's full of excellent art and audio design, with well tuned mechanics and encounters. But it took several hours for it to get good. It's by far the most obtuse game of its type I've played, putting games like Dark Souls, which it takes major inspiration from, to shame. Whereas Dark Souls often gave you some vague advice, such as ring the two bells to progress, this game really doesn't do anything to direct the player. For that reason, my first 10 hours were spent traversing and exploring roughly 60% of the map, yet making no real progress, before finally stumbling across a movement ability that would open up the majority of the rest of the map.

Once it gets going, and the game's full movement and combat abilities are available to you, the game gets much better. Some of the late game boss encounters are masterfully tuned, as well as the late game platforming sections. There's tons of content, with a very large map, and a variety of distinct areas and enemies.

The game occasionally pads out the playtime, offering objectives that require you to revisit old areas. Most games of this type ask you to do some backtracking, though usually it's on the way to new areas you can now access, but this game often just has the player returning to old areas as the objective. More than any game, Hollow Knight asks you to do an inordinate amount of backtracking, and it got old.

Other things really irked me, like the terrible map system that only fills out at save points, which only vaguely resembles the geography, which requires in game resources to see where you are on it, and frequently fails to show missed areas, leading one to intuitively mistake unexplored areas as fully explored. I don't see why the designers felt the need to reinvent how maps work; this wasn't an issue as of two decades ago.

It sounds like from all the above that I disliked it, but I found the game enjoyable - I just didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else, who hail it as the best game of its type. It's a game with gorgeous art, with tightly designed mid to late game content. I'm keen to see what's offered in its sequel.



SuperEuroNEET
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 9 Feb 2019
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 28

13 Mar 2019, 5:51 pm

^^^ to be honest, I really hated the time I spent playing Hollow Knight, and I'm a big fan of Dark Souls and not averse to a good exploration platformer. But the game and its art style are really ugly to me, to the point where it's difficult to look at the game for more than like ten minutes, and the areas are sparse with any kind of unique details or landmarks outside of certain special rooms. Actually, that's true of most games of this type, but the levels often seemed too large and too open for a game where each room looks basically the same and the colour scheme is so drab. There aren't any interesting movement-based abilities in the first few hours I played, and nothing special about the enemies, the encounter design, the bosses or your character's moveset.

I've heard that (as you also say) it gets better but I can't think that it could possibly be worth it to play a game that gives me no joy for that long.

Anyway, I've been playing more DMC5 and I finally got to play as Dante for like five minutes earlier, so I'm looking forward to playing more of that. V is sort of growing on me, but in the sense that I'm getting used to his really awful gimmick, not so much that I actually think it's good. Fighting easy enemies as him is fun but difficult encounters make you feel like you're fighting against the game to get your familiars to actually do what you want, while also being expected to pay attention to the positions of three characters at once and how much risk they're in.