OWB is probably the best one on balance, but I do love Lonesome Road. Some of those levels are so cool and the atmosphere of pure desolation is chefs kiss.
I remember the DM tools and custom campaign multiplayer being fantastic, but I don’t remember too much of the actual story. What I do remember is hating the restriction of a single follower, as the party banter is one of my favourite things in this type of games.
Yeah I had pretty much the same experience. BG2 was my favourite game at the time (it’s still up there) so I was incredibly hyped, but it felt flat in comparison.
At least I got enough bang for my buck with the multiplayer stuff.
More power to you, I just can’t relate. I can see going between one narrative game and a couple of non-narrative games. Sometimes you just feel like a game of Civ for example or whatnot in-between sessions of say Cyberpunk. But if I’m into one narrative I usually don’t feel like switching, and if I find something else I get sucked into I lose track of the previous one and don’t feel like going back. Juggling this many story games at once is crazy to me. It’s like carrying on 12 different conversations simultaneously. I know people exist that can do it, I just don’t understand how.
I mostly play strategy games for enjoyment - and against the PC - so for me the slow pace of turn-based is perfect. I don’t like to be stressed when I’m playing something to relax. That’s why Civ is my go-to when I’m in the mood.
It doesn’t help that I also don’t have the hands or brain to juggle everything in an RTS. I’ve tried several and they look fun at a glance, but at the end of the day I can’t put out adequate APM to actually have fun with them.
It’s a shame the writers and directors of The Frontier were so shit. The programmers did stellar job within the confines of that crappy engine and I’m still salty Xilandros fantastic vehicle implementation isn’t made available as a standalone (officially).
I haven’t thought about this game in many years. I only remember it taking so long to come out it became an early meme, and then finally coming out as a wet fart after all those years.
I played a little bit of this, and while it’s definitely still a work in progress, it actually feels like a cohesive game coming together.
I guess the mod is based on earlier leaked builds? I only took a glance at the ModDB page. Have you played the original? Is the mod any better?
I hope you’re enjoying it, that first blind playthrough is quite magical. First half of DS1 is just a masterclass in level design. No other game has made me so excited to find a shortcut.
I haven’t read the design docs for Van Buren myself, were there enough in there to actually build a game out of or is this project more fanfiction and educated guesswork?
Probably won’t do a complete playthrough using this, but would be fun to screw around a bit as Letho and live out my fantasy of him being the protagonist of the next Witcher game.
I’ve been mainlining Esports Godfather, which is the surprise hit of the year for me so far. The title is nonsensical and on the surface it looks like it can’t be good, but it’s been so much fun.
It’s a MOBA-themed sort of deckbuilder/autobattler/management game - which sounds like a hot mess but plays so much better than you’d think. At least after you get over the initial information overload.
I wish the AI was a little smarter, but even with the game being a touch too easy it’s incredible how much fun it is. Loads of cards and heroes to build synergies with and rotating version rulesets keeping things fresh even within a single run.
At just €16 on Steam I’d easily recommend it to anyone with an interest in the genre, and there is even a free demo that covers the first couple hours of a run.
I suspect uncapping FPS would break physics and damage calculations. FromSoft are fond of tying those to FPS.
I’m not surprised about the rest either, though they really should start getting criticized for it in my opinion. No DLSS in 2024 is especially hard to excuse.
For sheer versatility you can’t beat PC, so that is going to have to be my choice. Having flexibility between KB+M and controller, having access to mods and tweaks and (typically) having a wider array of graphics/performance options to tailor to your preferences makes for an unbeatable package.
That being said (and it pains me to say this given my distaste for Nintendo), I absolutely loved the 3DS. The dual screens were cool, it had good ergonomics for me and a nice weight in your hands and there was something very satisfying in the mechanics of flipping it open or listening to the click as you slam it shut. It’s just a really nice device to use.
This is why the game lost me to be completely honest. I felt like the type of storytelling changed into more of a Sunday morning cartoon type vibe where the gang always wins and nobody ever dies.
There was a point during the story (probably Post-ARR through the beginning of post-Stormblood patch quests?) where it felt like there were actual stakes and risks of consequences and the lives of beloved characters were actually in danger and I loved that.
But instead more people seemed to come back from the dead than actually die.
I’ve played only Origins but this trailer is not doing a whole lot for me. Even visually I don’t like it (which is bizarre because I think Origins looks like shit and still I somehow prefer it). Don’t really like this art direction, personally.
That really is one of the biggest flaws of Civ. It’s so hard to find a breakpoint where the gameplay “feels good” but still is challenging. If you’re at a difficulty level where the gameplay is mostly intact, the AI is just too dumb, and if you bump it up it becomes a meta game of playing around the AI bonuses.
I haven’t played 2 or 3, but calling DA:O bad is a bit of a hot take. What did you not like about it?
While the overall plot is fairly standard issue fantasy save-the-world fare, I think the execution and the RPG aspects were excellent. How the game really made your choice of origin matter was incredible to me, and I enjoyed several of the characters too.
It does look like shit though, I’ll give you that. I wish it was less depressingly brown-grey washed out looking.
I don’t know, I never saw it as a meme but rather just shorthand in cases where no other term existed that efficiently communicated the genre or style of a game.
Do you have a replacement term available for Souls-like that sums up what you can expect of a game within that genre using two words or less?
Nothing compares to getting into the flow when you’re playing Spy, I love some psychological warfare. Stringing together long sequences of backstabs and hide-and-seeks with the enemy team is so much fun.
The knife that hides backstabbed corpses and instantly disguises you as them is also super fun to use.
I’m not sure if the above comment played on launch or after the Final Cut update, but there isn’t all that much reading in the game anymore. Almost all text is fully voice acted now. You still have to mentally absorb it of course, but I find it less taxing than reading, personally.
The book-like nature of it is spot on though; it’s better to treat it like an interactive novel where you choose the order in which you read its pages than as a traditional RPG.
Don’t be afraid to pick wild and weird dialogue options, and especially don’t be afraid to fail at things. The game pioneered a “fail-forward” design philosophy
I think my favourite low-int detail was in Fallout 2. You come across the tribal Torr early on in Klamath and he speaks in grunts and broken sentences just like that if you talk to him with normal INT or above. However, if you talk to him with low INT the conversation completely changes into long eloquent sentences with advanced vocabulary for both him and you, matching the dialogue options unlocked at 10 INT. Amazing.
Played a lot of Wuthering Waves since it launched. It’s a tricky one because it has a lot of flaws and weaknesses, but at the same time the core is actually really solid.
The combat feels amazing, and that really is the big selling point here. Parries and perfect dodges feel great, the bosses have fun movesets and the pace is fast and fluid with lots of tech like animation cancelling and character swapping. The character gameplay design is also excellent, with each character having a unique feel and playstyle, and a unique way of building and using the Forte gauge.
I wish the main story wasn’t complete garbage, but hey ho. At least there is a skip button. Even the good characters (like Aalto and Encore) feel out of place and too goofy in a supposedly post-apocalyptic setting. Funny enough some unvoiced side quests have been better than the main story by a long shot (I’m thinking of Eternal Concert, for example).
Also the localisation is insultingly bad and it definitely seems like Kuro actually disregards the importance of non-chinese regions to the point of not employing a single foreign language speaker even to their localisation team. Even their announcements are worse translations than Google translate, and it’s the same for all languages. You’d think they’d at least care about the JP translation. Puzzling and almost offensive.
Still, the game is mechanically satisfying enough to have me hooked for now. And it’s free (and very F2P friendly at the moment).
I do agree that a lot of the find-the-symbols puzzles felt like an afterthought, but overall they didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the game. The story and presentation were fantastic and I thought the blind trial was extremely well done and one of my favourite video game levels.
I had a lot of good times and even more bad times with DotA over the years, until I finally freed myself from it years ago.
IceFrog being behind this backed by Valve bodes well, and I think the premise of an FPS/MOBA hybrid has promise, despite the market being insanely oversaturated already.
I’m not really interested in competitive games these days, but I hope it’ll be good to watch at least. Following The International was fun even after I quit DotA.
I could be mistaken, as I don’t really play competitive games anymore. I thought between Overwatch, Valorant, Apex, The Finals and what have you there was lots of stiff competition.
Probably part of the run up to the announcement and release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. In any case, I’m happy to spread the word because a free version of Dragon Age: Origins in the same year DAI was released is how I found the franchise.
Interesting. So the side content is mostly uninteresting, I take it?
I still have only played DA:O, which I really liked. I still haven’t played the sequels, would you say they’re still worthwhile or is it for the best to leave the story at the end of Origins?
Thank you for the extremely comprehensive run-down! I don’t think I’ve ever had it laid out so clearly before.
I think I’ll keep them on my tentative “to-do” list, but maybe not at the highest priority. I loved Origins but with how it ends I don’t have a super pressing need to continue the story immediately. There are so many good games out there, and more keep being released. It’s hard to find time for all of them. I’m really looking forward to Hellblade 2 next.
I think I will get around to them at some point, though. Exporting my save through all three games and seeing callbacks and consequences does sound interesting, and I’ve heard that is something that does happen.
I think DS3 is great in its own way and has some awesome areas, but it’s hard to compare anything to the first half of Dark Souls. That level design is just something else.
What I like about DS3 compared to ER is there are a lot less delayed attacks and fakeouts. I get that FromSoft needs to constantly up the challenge but it makes it harder to get the same kind of enjoyable combat flow, at least for me. DS3 has some bosses that are just so enjoyable, even though they’re not super hard.
Oh and, don’t know if you’ve done them yet but the DLCs should be more challenging than the main game, if that’s what you’re after.
New week new games! Whatcha all been playing? I decided to finally finish paper Mario ttyd (emulated on dolphin). Almost done with it! Trying to beat bone tail on the 100 level dungeon rn…
I think OWB is many people’s favourite, and Honest Hearts is certainly the weakest DLC. It does have some cool lore and story bits to it though, and the environmental storytelling with the survivalist is very neat. And I think Joshua Graham is a great character.
I hope you come back and do Lonesome Road too, I absolutely love it and think the level design and environments are outstanding.
Having the exact same experience, though I’ve only barely started the PL storyline. The rebalance and revamped perk tree has created so many cool builds and so many fun ways to play. The game is just a joy to play honestly.
I’m so excited for this game. I thought the first game was really interesting and did really well with a limited budget, and really showed a lot of potential.
Hopefully a bigger budget, bigger scope and expanded combat can have this game really blossom.
As most of you know, HL3 is pretty much the most popular “vaporware” game out there. Something always rumored and in development, but never heard again after a certain point....
This is the correct answer I think. They’re also not interested in releasing sub-par games, and again like you say they don’t need to release games at all to make money anymore. So if they’re not that interested and haven’t come up with anything conceptually/mechanically that reaches the high bar they’ve set for themselves, it makes more sense to scrap/postpone.
Their reputation is much more important, and they’re just not going to half-ass Half Life 3. It will come out when they feel they have something truly extraordinary, or it won’t come out at all.
Hey whatcha all been playing! I finally finished Alan wake 2 after a long hiatus. Maybe a tad too long but damn what a game. Cannot wait for Control 2 and whatever else Remedy has cooking
Started playing Phantom Liberty today after having finally finalized my modlist. Still hunting down the source of some crashing, but still.
Haven’t played Cyberpunk since 1.63, and I am loving the changes so far. Very cool builds available with the perk tree changes, I can already tell I will probably do another full playthrough with a different build once I’ve ran through Phantom Liberty. Right now I’m playing a Tech/Body/Reflexes spec going full into explosives, combined with Sandevistan, Kerenzikov and all the dashing/mid-air stuff. It’s definitely a lot of fun, bouncing around the battlefield like a Gummi Bear on speed while everyone around you explodes and burns.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the first PlayStation title on PC that uses a new PlayStation overlay, which includes your Friends list, Trophies, Settings, and your Profile. This feature is available on Windows PCs and will be accessible from the in-game menu or, for keyboard players, by pressing the “SHIFT +F1”...
I think this has to be in the contention for most overrated game of all time.
Before you grab your pitchfork, I’m not saying it’s a bad game. It’s fine. The combat is solid, the boss fights are fun and it’s very pretty. Was very well optimised too, ran like a dream on an old, fat first gen PS4.
It’s not the greatest game of all time though, or anything close to it. The open world is your garden variety UbiSoft style, the tone and the writing is all in a stoic monotone with only crumbs of Kenji to break it up, and the quest design is uninspiring at best and awful at worst. On top of it all the game is way too long considering those flaws.
I know it’s been hyped up, but I still recommend waiting for a sale.
The cat is out of the bag and despite many years of warning before this and similar technology became widely available, nobody was really prepared for it - and everyone is solely acting in their own best interests (or what they think their best interests to be). I think the biggest failure is that despite there being warnings...
I’m actually happy to hear that. I was afraid it would take too much inspiration from the Bethesda games, but sounds like maybe they looked more at Fallout 1 and 2, which would be just what I hoped they would.
I think Uematsu is the absolute GOAT, but XV had a great soundtrack. Not on Uematsu level of memorable, but still very good.
The leitmotif work with Valse di Fantastica/Sunset Waltz/Dewdrops at Dawn always was my favourite, but Ardyn has a nice theme too. Loved when the second version of his theme came in towards the end of the game.
Still completely and unhealthily obsessed with F1 Manager 2023, nearing the end of my second season as Aston Martin. Hard/Hard difficulty has felt about appropriate thus far, at least on a team starting in a good position like AM. I was sweating at the start of this season since the board expected me to get second and I started the year a little slow, but it looks like I will pull it off. Still couldn’t touch Red Bull or Max this year, though I have taken a couple of race wins.
The development race has been tight so far, with Mercedes roaring back after a dismal 2023 season and Red Bull refusing to let me outdevelop them.
It’s a little sad that the first two installments didn’t sell well and F1 Manager 2024 looks like it will be the last entry in the series. Sure, the game has its issues, but there are a lot of good things here too, and a lot of systems that could be refined with time. I didn’t play F1 Manager 2022, but it seems like a lot of the problems with it were addressed in 2023, as well.
Overall, I still recommend the game if you’re an F1 fan, especially if you can find it on sale. You probably have to at least like racing (if not F1) to enjoy it though, as the main draw here is the race-day experience.
That’s about what I figured. I’m not that great with strangers, and English is my second language. I’ve tried other squad based games that rely on voice comms to be enjoyable, and I only really enjoy them when playing with a group of people I’m comfortable with.
Day 19 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I’ve been playing until I forget to post Screenshots (lemmy.world) angielski
Todays game is Fallout New Vegas again. It turns out I could not stay away for long and started Old World Blues today
Was it Good? - Neverwinter Nights (www.youtube.com) angielski
Day 18 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I’ve been playing until I forget to post Screenshots (lemmy.world) angielski
The game is Halo 2 on the MCC
Do you prefer RTS or Turn based tactics angielski
Personally, I’m more an RTS guy playing games such as command and conquer, AOE 3 (first aoe game I played) and supreme commander....
Fallout: London | Trailer (youtu.be) angielski
The Duke Nukem Forever 2001 Restoration project is in a playable state on Moddb.com (www.moddb.com) angielski
I played a little bit of this, and while it’s definitely still a work in progress, it actually feels like a cohesive game coming together.
Pacific Drive sales cruise past 600K copies sold (www.gamedeveloper.com)
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of July 14th
Whatcha been playing?...
Canceled Fallout game Van Buren rebuilt and playable now thanks to mod (www.pcgamesn.com) angielski
Witcher 3 Mod Lets You Play as Fully Customizable Witcher or Sorceress with New Magic Combat System (www.ign.com) angielski
Link to the mod...
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of June 23rd
Whatcha all playing?...
Elden Ring – Patch Notes Version 1.12 (en.bandainamcoent.eu) angielski
They nerfed blasphemous blade’s ability. It’s so over....
favorite gaming medium? angielski
hello hello!...
$843 million lawsuit against Valve already has its own website: "The Steam Claim" accuses the biggest store in PC gaming of "overcharging" players (www.gamesradar.com) angielski
FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL Launch Trailer (www.youtube.com) angielski
Hidetaka Miyazaki 'knows for a fact' other FromSoftware devs want a Bloodborne PC port: 'If I say I want one, I'll get in trouble, but it's nothing I'm opposed to' (www.pcgamer.com) angielski
Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Official Gameplay Reveal (www.youtube.com) angielski
Starfield's latest update draws player ire by sticking a bounty hunting quest behind the Creation Club paywall (www.vg247.com) angielski
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII - Official Teaser Trailer (www.youtube.com) angielski
I hope it’s better than Civ 6.
Dragon Age 4's New Name Is 'Dragon Age: The Veilguard,' First Gameplay Look Next Week (www.gameinformer.com) angielski
Galacticare Has Got That Old Bullfrog Spirit (aftermath.site) angielski
Team Fortress 2 angielski
Team Fortress 2 is such a great game that I never get bored of, everything from the sound to characters to the gameplay....
Is Disco Elysium playable in short bursts? angielski
Hello, I just finished the game I was playing (Book of Demons, would give it 7/10) and I’m looking what to play next....
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of June 2nd
What are you all playing? I’ve been trying out the slay the spire downfall mod a bit. Got some wins with the new characters. A lot of fun!
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Review Thread angielski
Game Information...
Images leak of Valve's next game, and it's an Overwatch-style hero shooter (www.eurogamer.net) angielski
Though the way the leaker describes it makes it sound more like a 3rd person MOBA than a hero shooter....
Dragon Age Inquisition free on Epic right now (beehaw.org) angielski
Probably part of the run up to the announcement and release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. In any case, I’m happy to spread the word because a free version of Dragon Age: Origins in the same year DAI was released is how I found the franchise.
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of May 12th
What are you all playing! I beat thousand year door! Really amazing game. I understand why it is so beloved....
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of May 5th
New week new games! Whatcha all been playing? I decided to finally finish paper Mario ttyd (emulated on dolphin). Almost done with it! Trying to beat bone tail on the 100 level dungeon rn…
Hellblade II Official System Requirements (sh.itjust.works) angielski
Half Life 3 angielski
As most of you know, HL3 is pretty much the most popular “vaporware” game out there. Something always rumored and in development, but never heard again after a certain point....
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of April 28th
Hey whatcha all been playing! I finally finished Alan wake 2 after a long hiatus. Maybe a tad too long but damn what a game. Cannot wait for Control 2 and whatever else Remedy has cooking
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut PC cross-play and system requirements revealed (blog.playstation.com) angielski
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the first PlayStation title on PC that uses a new PlayStation overlay, which includes your Friends list, Trophies, Settings, and your Profile. This feature is available on Windows PCs and will be accessible from the in-game menu or, for keyboard players, by pressing the “SHIFT +F1”...
Baldur's Gate 3 actors reveal the darker side of success fuelled by AI voice cloning (www.eurogamer.net)
The cat is out of the bag and despite many years of warning before this and similar technology became widely available, nobody was really prepared for it - and everyone is solely acting in their own best interests (or what they think their best interests to be). I think the biggest failure is that despite there being warnings...
The Fallout Bible: a collection of lore documents compiled for use in the development of the original (cancelled) Fallout 3 (imgur.com) angielski
PDF version...
Yoko Shimomura For Final Fantasy XV And Nobuo Uematsu Enter Classic FM Hall Of Fame 2024 (noisypixel.net) angielski
Glad to see it. The soundtrack for XV is incredible.
Road to Vostok | Public Demo 2 (www.youtube.com) angielski
The "Hypest Boss Fight of All Time" is now 1 year old (youtu.be) angielski
I Need A Hero!
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of March 17th
Hey y’all! What have you been playing?...
Helldivers 2 has "performed well ahead of expectations" and topped more than 8m sales (www.eurogamer.net) angielski