So dope, thanks for the link
What Are You Playing?
- Thread starter Walter
- Start date
I went through RE4 four times, on different difficulties (twice on standard, once on hardcore, and once on professional), and I kind of hate myself for doing it, but it was fun each time. I've never done this with a game before. That said, I can safely say I've had more than enough, especially after getting the infinite rocket launcher, which basically trivialized the game as it insta-kills everything (even the final boss).
So I'm currently playing this lovely little game (Itorah) while waiting for Jedi Survivor:
So I'm currently playing this lovely little game (Itorah) while waiting for Jedi Survivor:
Moons of Darsalon. It's a little bit like Worms, Pikmin, and Lemmings through the lens of PC technology never evolving beyond the VGA era.
My son is also playing through BotW again in prep for TotK, so I'm helping him with shrines and such whenever he gets stuck.
My son is also playing through BotW again in prep for TotK, so I'm helping him with shrines and such whenever he gets stuck.
Looks great! Definitely making a mental note of it.
XionHorsey
Hi! Hi!
It’s pretty much all been Shining Nikki/Love Nikki for quite awhile. Burning a hole through my heart and my wallet! Worth it! 
Beyond that, waiting for Suikoden Remastered.
Beyond that, waiting for Suikoden Remastered.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Evil Residency 4 months - I FINALLY finished this shit last night after having my PS5 in sleep mode at the end for like a week. I just rocketlauncher'd Saddler in the face too, no time to play for real anymore. This was was one of my most unconventional, if not outright weird, gaming experiences in that I was engaged and playing methodically, too much so if anything, yet it's not like I couldn't put it down either. I don't think I've ever taken this long to complete a game without quiting outright and coming back years later or starting over. Usually I plow through a game until I'm done or I determine it's not for me.
So, it's obviously good, but to my experience didn't grab me like the original. Maybe because I played it and its successors plenty, as I see others experiencing it for the first time are loving it. I don't buy the narrative that it's like the best game since the original RE4 though (it's not even better than most of the RE games since then). Save for a few not-so-great exceptions the gameplay is pretty repetitive throughout, even with the new wrinkles. Idk, maybe if I was properly running and gunning instead of playing it like I was in subsistence mode I'd have had a better time. The biggest omissions were the fight with Ramon's servant and the big truck set piece on the island. I kind of can't believe they cut those, especially the boss; although, was I supposed to kill him in the elevator part? Maybe I'm misremembering these things or how they were reinterpreted here. I also could have done without Krauser, honestly. He is and has always been a shitpost of a character.
Anyway, maybe I'll just keep playing it and change my mind, but this was one I enjoyed in the moment but was never obsessed with like Elden Ring or even the likes of Forbidden West and the Plague Tales. Maybe it's just me right now.
So, it's obviously good, but to my experience didn't grab me like the original. Maybe because I played it and its successors plenty, as I see others experiencing it for the first time are loving it. I don't buy the narrative that it's like the best game since the original RE4 though (it's not even better than most of the RE games since then). Save for a few not-so-great exceptions the gameplay is pretty repetitive throughout, even with the new wrinkles. Idk, maybe if I was properly running and gunning instead of playing it like I was in subsistence mode I'd have had a better time. The biggest omissions were the fight with Ramon's servant and the big truck set piece on the island. I kind of can't believe they cut those, especially the boss; although, was I supposed to kill him in the elevator part? Maybe I'm misremembering these things or how they were reinterpreted here. I also could have done without Krauser, honestly. He is and has always been a shitpost of a character.
Anyway, maybe I'll just keep playing it and change my mind, but this was one I enjoyed in the moment but was never obsessed with like Elden Ring or even the likes of Forbidden West and the Plague Tales. Maybe it's just me right now.
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Rhombaad
Video Game Time Traveler
REmake: I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to playing survival horror games. I tried my best, but I just couldn't make it through this one. I found myself dreading every opportunity I had to play it, which is a shame. I wish I was like Aazealh and didn't get affected by horror games, but it's something I just don't think I can help. That being said, what I played was enjoyable, especially because I liked the original game. The little differences here and there were great, and the crimson heads were a nice touch. Once I reached Lisa Trevor, though, I was out. No, thank you. 
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: I loved this game. First off, it wasn't scary, and second, the storytelling was terrific. Despite the very basic gameplay (all I ever did was slash from the top to the bottom with whatever knife, sword, etc. I had), it was a ton of fun and very compelling. I really enjoyed the Sanity Meter, as well. The various effects it has on you throughout the game were really cool. I only jumped once: when you find yourself dead in the bathtub. The rest were pretty funny, with my favorite being the game trying to convince you that you'd deleted your save file. Good stuff.
Super Mario Sunshine: Okay. I don't know what people's problems are, but I really enjoyed this game. Is it as good as Mario 64? No. Are the controls a little wonky at times? Sure. However, I still had a blast playing it. The levels were fun and unique, I liked the F.L.U.D.D. mechanics, and I even enjoyed looking for all of those blue coins (I'm a fan of collecting, what can I say?). At the end of the day, this seems to be a game that you either love or hate, and I loved it.
Mafia: Now this is what I was hoping to experience when I played GTA III. Is Mafia a GTA rip-off? Kinda, but in the best way. As a huge fan of The Godfather Parts I and II, I couldn't get enough of this game. Everything from the cars to the city to the music on the radio. It was so immersive that just driving around the city was a nice way to pass the time. The missions themselves were a lot of fun to play, as well. I especially enjoyed the one that took place on the farm at night in the rain. Very atmospheric and tense. And that ending...awesome.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: I loved this game. First off, it wasn't scary, and second, the storytelling was terrific. Despite the very basic gameplay (all I ever did was slash from the top to the bottom with whatever knife, sword, etc. I had), it was a ton of fun and very compelling. I really enjoyed the Sanity Meter, as well. The various effects it has on you throughout the game were really cool. I only jumped once: when you find yourself dead in the bathtub. The rest were pretty funny, with my favorite being the game trying to convince you that you'd deleted your save file. Good stuff.
Super Mario Sunshine: Okay. I don't know what people's problems are, but I really enjoyed this game. Is it as good as Mario 64? No. Are the controls a little wonky at times? Sure. However, I still had a blast playing it. The levels were fun and unique, I liked the F.L.U.D.D. mechanics, and I even enjoyed looking for all of those blue coins (I'm a fan of collecting, what can I say?). At the end of the day, this seems to be a game that you either love or hate, and I loved it.
Mafia: Now this is what I was hoping to experience when I played GTA III. Is Mafia a GTA rip-off? Kinda, but in the best way. As a huge fan of The Godfather Parts I and II, I couldn't get enough of this game. Everything from the cars to the city to the music on the radio. It was so immersive that just driving around the city was a nice way to pass the time. The missions themselves were a lot of fun to play, as well. I especially enjoyed the one that took place on the farm at night in the rain. Very atmospheric and tense. And that ending...awesome.
I haven't weighed in on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom yet, probably because I've been playing it a lot 
It is absolutely more Breath of the Wild—and that's fine with me! It becomes clear pretty early on that this is a "better game" than its predecessor. There are improvements and expansions for the existing world and your options for playing around in it. That means there are more things to do, more ways to do things, along with small refinements to the menu and item management. I think it would be very hard to return to BotW at this point.
The additions to the overworld, the new underworld, and the (very sparse) sky islands do make the world feel absolutely massive, and exploring and discovering things is still fun. Discovering what's around that corner or down in that cave is the primary driver in each moment that you're playing these games. That being said, these iterative improvements come at the cost of not feeling as fresh as BotW. You're playing the same game wrapped in a slightly skewed new perspective as a result of the new mechanics. It feels a bit less adventerous, because this is still the same world. Sometimes the differences are artificial, where the world has been altered to the point that the approach path from location A to location B is changed, forcing you get there in a slightly new way. But then you arrive, and it's still Kakariko village or Rito village.
I do think the whole building mechanic feels like a gimmick. It isn't something you're using for most of the game. Sometimes it is explicitly required, such as in a shrine where building is the only clear option to progress, or in a river where it sure would be more convenient to build a boat. In those instances, I do think it's kind of neat, and it feels like an extension of the things you were already required to do in the last game, like manipulating metal objects to build stairs. It's just that notion multiplied.
Still, it's absolutely the only game on my mind the past two weeks, and I love playing it. I'm just not quite spellbound in the same way I was for BotW, which is pretty predictable given the circumstances.
It is absolutely more Breath of the Wild—and that's fine with me! It becomes clear pretty early on that this is a "better game" than its predecessor. There are improvements and expansions for the existing world and your options for playing around in it. That means there are more things to do, more ways to do things, along with small refinements to the menu and item management. I think it would be very hard to return to BotW at this point.
The additions to the overworld, the new underworld, and the (very sparse) sky islands do make the world feel absolutely massive, and exploring and discovering things is still fun. Discovering what's around that corner or down in that cave is the primary driver in each moment that you're playing these games. That being said, these iterative improvements come at the cost of not feeling as fresh as BotW. You're playing the same game wrapped in a slightly skewed new perspective as a result of the new mechanics. It feels a bit less adventerous, because this is still the same world. Sometimes the differences are artificial, where the world has been altered to the point that the approach path from location A to location B is changed, forcing you get there in a slightly new way. But then you arrive, and it's still Kakariko village or Rito village.
I do think the whole building mechanic feels like a gimmick. It isn't something you're using for most of the game. Sometimes it is explicitly required, such as in a shrine where building is the only clear option to progress, or in a river where it sure would be more convenient to build a boat. In those instances, I do think it's kind of neat, and it feels like an extension of the things you were already required to do in the last game, like manipulating metal objects to build stairs. It's just that notion multiplied.
Still, it's absolutely the only game on my mind the past two weeks, and I love playing it. I'm just not quite spellbound in the same way I was for BotW, which is pretty predictable given the circumstances.
I'm honestly having the opposite impression. I adore the bounty of quality of life improvements, new mechanics, and expansions of the map, but I still find myself feeling like I'm more likely to do a replay of Breath of the Wild over this, in the future.
I agree that the building feels like a gimmick, and while it's very entertaining seeing the insane contraptions that people are coming up with, it's just not really grabbing me very much as a feature. And a healthy amount of the loot you find is stuff meant to facilitate playing with that part of the game, which makes a lot of the rewards feel pretty much worthless.
I like that something like 'weapon crafting' was added to Breath of the Wild's template, but I'm irked that it's come at the cost of practically any weapons you find on the surface being pretty much garbage. I know I can make a fire wand or a lightning blade, but I realize that I'd much rather find them in chests; instead I find a lot of Zonai charges. I know the weapon durability has always been a contentious mechanic, but it didn't bother me in the first game. Maybe it's because weapons were always abundant, I'm not fully sure. In this game, though, viable weapons are typically created by sticking an item onto a crappy weapon, and using it will eventually break the attached item. This results in me being extremely hesitant to use any of the drops I get from monsters for this purpose; a case of the classic "I'll wait until I really need it" curse that feels common for a lot of consumable items in RPGs.
The abilities granted for clearing the major dungeons have also been misses for me. Even if the new Rito ability is extremely useful, I used Revali's Gale so often in the first game that its absence here is almost constantly felt. There are substitutes but they all either involve so many more steps, or simply lack the same utility. Beyond that, though, the way you activate the Sage's abilities can be frustratingly inconsistent. You have to talk to their spirit by pressing A. Much of the time I find myself doing this on accident while trying to pick up items, causing them either to be blown far away, or lit on fire; and much of the time when I do want to use one of their abilities, they're fucking around somewhere else! I was very upset when a Hearty Truffle I was planning to pick up got cooked.
The Hearty Truffle being tragically cooked stings that much more because of the absence of Hearty Durians. I know it was cheesy to have maxed out yellow hearts near the beginning of the game in Breath of the Wild, but it still made for a more relaxing experience exploring the world if that's what you were after. That option isn't here in Tears of the Kingdom. There are still "Hearty" items but they are far more sparse. Again, I can't exactly blame Nintendo for this sort of balancing decision, but it's definitely something that makes a replay of Breath of the Wild over this more appealing to me in the future.
I'm still enjoying myself though. It's quite fun, if a bit disappointing.
im currently okaying ghost of Tsushima right now, game’s fun as fuck
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Diablo IV - Played it online with my dad, who is in his early 80s and has played all the previous games right along with me, for a couple hours last night. The opportunity to do that in itself at this point is obviously nicer than anything a game can otherwise offer, but it's fun and seems good so far. Maybe I won't even try to take his ear once PvP is figured out. 
Both Barbs?Diablo IV - Played it online with my dad, who is in his early 80s and has played all the previous games right along with me, for a couple hours last night. The opportunity to do that in itself at this point is obviously nicer than anything a game can otherwise offer, but it's fun and seems good so far. Maybe I won't even try to take his ear once PvP is figured out.
Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oh yeah, after he told me he got it I called him yesterday afternoon and jokingly asked for him by his old warrior/barb name going back to D1, which of course he's still using. If we keep it up we're probably going to be an awful, inefficient party against high level bosses.
Yeah, I totally agree.
Having a great time on it as well.
About 75% done, I'll finish it this week-end along with all the side quests.
Vampire_Hunter_Bob
Cats are great
I'm still playing Elden Ring NG+. I like speeding through the game and just doing whatever I like. Once I'm done I'm going to finish Dead Space.
Are you going for any particular ending?
Vampire_Hunter_Bob
Cats are great
Sort of, I mainly started so I could get all the legendary spells but I am also going for the Age of Order ending.
I finished Final Fantasy XVI at around 80 hours of gameplay, completing every side-quest and monster hunt along with the main story of course. And...wow. I'm happy to be able to say that I fully enjoyed this entry. After having my faith in the series cracked by FF13, and then dealt a near-death blow by FF15, and then playing the fine but definitely not great FF7R, I can say I went into this game without a shred of hype. It not only delivered, but actually revived my love for the series. Here are my thoughts on the game, for anyone who may be interested in checking it out:
Now, if you're looking for an RPG experience, look elsewhere. This game is about as much of an RPG as Elden Ring is a stealth game. The latter's stealth mechanics are so basic it would be funny to call it a stealth game, so think of FF16 in the same vein. RPG depth here doesn't go beyond the basic stats you have when you equip weapons and accessories. That's pretty much it. The series has moved on to action, and whether that's the desired direction for the series will depend entirely on you. I personally am happy with it; my patience for complex RPGs has worn very thin as I grew older.
No, this is more of a Devil May Cry in a Final Fantasy world. This goes beyond comparison; a former DMC developer was actually involved in this game. The combat system is entertaining as hell. This is the first FF where I actually was looking forward to the fights instead of just progressing the story. Then you have the Eikon battles, where you transform into Ifrit and have literally earth-shattering battles with other Eikons. Those were awesome too, despite being heavily scripted. The only drawback I have is that the game is, or at least can be, too easy for those who are experienced with this kind of thing. I beat the final boss on my first try. There is a degree of hand-holding here; if you die, you respawn with your potions fully stocked, and the boss you're fighting doesn't come back with all of its health bar (depending on whether or not you triggered a checkpoint mid-fight). So this game wasn't a struggle to beat, unlike the Final Fantasies I grew up with. Then again, it could be that the latter were more difficult simply because I played them as a child (and they say kids are better at video-games!), and they wouldn't be difficult now.
The side-quests are a mixed-bag. What I mean is that the story-content of the side-quests is good, but the gameplay-content is bad. As an example, your first side-quest involves you waiting on fellow outlaws in your hideaway. You're tasked with delivering soup bowls to a bunch of tables in the mess hall. As you serve the soup, you learn about the people who share the hideaway with you. The stories you're treated to aren't trivial. These people feel like real people, and the more you interact with your hideaway fellows, the more the place feels like your home. You get to care about all these people. Another example is when you offer to help one of the hideaway medics with performing his first operation. To do that, you go and fetch some pain-numbing herbs. You get to know this guy more during the whole thing...but you're still performing a lame fetch-quest. Most of the side-quests fall into this pattern; doing them fleshes out the world and characters more but the gameplay is uninspired.
The main quest, however, is captivating, I'm happy to say. I was invested in Clive Rosfield's story, and the stories of the people he meets and the places he goes. The world felt alive and moving, responding to your actions and to the events that shape it. The narrative is not without its issues, but it does its job and keeps you playing to find out more. That said, there is a distinct lack of originality here. All the themes and story elements here have been dealt with not only in other FFs but in fiction in general. Anyone with familiarity with Game of Thrones will spot a lot of influence here too. The last four Final Fantasies have already explored similar themes, so I don't know why the developers felt the need to recycle so much. Elaborating would risk spoilers, so I'll leave it at that for now.
Anyway, I'm satisfied with the game and it feels like a return to form for the series. Having finished it, I look forward to how the future of the series will unfold, which is more than what I felt when the credits rolled on its predecessor.
PS: the soundtrack was fucking awesome. Final Fantasy never fails to deliver on that front, but this one was fire. If Masayoshi Soken doesn't win the score of the year award, then I'll be truly speechless.
Anyway, here is my ranking of the main line FF games (minus III and V, the remakes, and the MMOs):
1. Final Fantasy XII - still unsurpassed as far as I'm concerned.
2. Final Fantasy X - there is strong nostalgic force behind this ranking, hence its position, despite there being stronger titles in the series. Such as,
3. Final Fantasy VI - self-explanatory, really. It would take number 2 if it weren't for nostalgia.
4. Final Fantasy VIII - my first Final Fantasy ever, so it has a special place for me.
5. Final Fantasy XVI - this new one is in my top five, which is more than I ever expected it to be.
6. Final Fantasy IX - just a gem through and through.
7. Final Fantasy VII - another self-explanatory title, which may have ranked higher had I played it on release instead of 2 decades later.
8. Final Fantasy I, II, IV - ranking those together as it has been too long since I played them, but I remember they were good too.
9. Final Fantasy XV - a massive disappointment for a game I waited over a decade for; decent but not worth the wait or the FF name.
10. Final Fantasy XIII - the worst of them all in my opinion. It certainly didn't help that it came after the greatness that was 12.
Now, if you're looking for an RPG experience, look elsewhere. This game is about as much of an RPG as Elden Ring is a stealth game. The latter's stealth mechanics are so basic it would be funny to call it a stealth game, so think of FF16 in the same vein. RPG depth here doesn't go beyond the basic stats you have when you equip weapons and accessories. That's pretty much it. The series has moved on to action, and whether that's the desired direction for the series will depend entirely on you. I personally am happy with it; my patience for complex RPGs has worn very thin as I grew older.
No, this is more of a Devil May Cry in a Final Fantasy world. This goes beyond comparison; a former DMC developer was actually involved in this game. The combat system is entertaining as hell. This is the first FF where I actually was looking forward to the fights instead of just progressing the story. Then you have the Eikon battles, where you transform into Ifrit and have literally earth-shattering battles with other Eikons. Those were awesome too, despite being heavily scripted. The only drawback I have is that the game is, or at least can be, too easy for those who are experienced with this kind of thing. I beat the final boss on my first try. There is a degree of hand-holding here; if you die, you respawn with your potions fully stocked, and the boss you're fighting doesn't come back with all of its health bar (depending on whether or not you triggered a checkpoint mid-fight). So this game wasn't a struggle to beat, unlike the Final Fantasies I grew up with. Then again, it could be that the latter were more difficult simply because I played them as a child (and they say kids are better at video-games!), and they wouldn't be difficult now.
The side-quests are a mixed-bag. What I mean is that the story-content of the side-quests is good, but the gameplay-content is bad. As an example, your first side-quest involves you waiting on fellow outlaws in your hideaway. You're tasked with delivering soup bowls to a bunch of tables in the mess hall. As you serve the soup, you learn about the people who share the hideaway with you. The stories you're treated to aren't trivial. These people feel like real people, and the more you interact with your hideaway fellows, the more the place feels like your home. You get to care about all these people. Another example is when you offer to help one of the hideaway medics with performing his first operation. To do that, you go and fetch some pain-numbing herbs. You get to know this guy more during the whole thing...but you're still performing a lame fetch-quest. Most of the side-quests fall into this pattern; doing them fleshes out the world and characters more but the gameplay is uninspired.
The main quest, however, is captivating, I'm happy to say. I was invested in Clive Rosfield's story, and the stories of the people he meets and the places he goes. The world felt alive and moving, responding to your actions and to the events that shape it. The narrative is not without its issues, but it does its job and keeps you playing to find out more. That said, there is a distinct lack of originality here. All the themes and story elements here have been dealt with not only in other FFs but in fiction in general. Anyone with familiarity with Game of Thrones will spot a lot of influence here too. The last four Final Fantasies have already explored similar themes, so I don't know why the developers felt the need to recycle so much. Elaborating would risk spoilers, so I'll leave it at that for now.
Anyway, I'm satisfied with the game and it feels like a return to form for the series. Having finished it, I look forward to how the future of the series will unfold, which is more than what I felt when the credits rolled on its predecessor.
PS: the soundtrack was fucking awesome. Final Fantasy never fails to deliver on that front, but this one was fire. If Masayoshi Soken doesn't win the score of the year award, then I'll be truly speechless.
Anyway, here is my ranking of the main line FF games (minus III and V, the remakes, and the MMOs):
1. Final Fantasy XII - still unsurpassed as far as I'm concerned.
2. Final Fantasy X - there is strong nostalgic force behind this ranking, hence its position, despite there being stronger titles in the series. Such as,
3. Final Fantasy VI - self-explanatory, really. It would take number 2 if it weren't for nostalgia.
4. Final Fantasy VIII - my first Final Fantasy ever, so it has a special place for me.
5. Final Fantasy XVI - this new one is in my top five, which is more than I ever expected it to be.
6. Final Fantasy IX - just a gem through and through.
7. Final Fantasy VII - another self-explanatory title, which may have ranked higher had I played it on release instead of 2 decades later.
8. Final Fantasy I, II, IV - ranking those together as it has been too long since I played them, but I remember they were good too.
9. Final Fantasy XV - a massive disappointment for a game I waited over a decade for; decent but not worth the wait or the FF name.
10. Final Fantasy XIII - the worst of them all in my opinion. It certainly didn't help that it came after the greatness that was 12.
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Dark Emperor
Dweller of the Lotus Moon
This was pretty much my biggest issue with the game. I thought the game was ok, but I seriously hope that this is not how future installments of the franchise will be.
Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin. Well, this game seems a bit TOO long. I've already ended main game and one of DLCs (Crown Of The Sunken King).
I play mostly skyrim, resident evil these days and COC in my phone
Wanted to claim that free game in epic store but missed...
Wanted to claim that free game in epic store but missed...