Jovavic
Concept of a Plan
I've played it for about three hours so far, it's glorious lol, at 25 bucks it should be an instant buy for anyone with a passing interest in older JRPGs
Games you are currently playing - Part 7
- Thread starter SniperHF
- Start date
Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,435
- 30,490
I started replaying Dark Forces for the hundredth time. A few days ago, someone released a reverse-engineered "source port" that supports up to 4K resolution, mouselook and more. Dark Forces is one of my favorite games, so finally getting a proper, non-buggy "source port" for it is like Christmas coming early. You just need to download The Force Engine and have a copy of Dark Forces, which happens to be on sale on Steam for only $2.09: Dark Forces
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Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 16,435
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Decided to drop Persona 5. Not that it's a bad game. I can tell the production quality is very high and it seems to nail what its meant to be. But, what its meant to be isn't for me. In any case, my free game pass trial is ending next week and I wont have time to finish it. I started Wrath of the Righteous instead and I'm glad I did. What a fantastic cRPG. I've just finished Act 1 and I feel like I'm playing a modern Baldur's Gate 2.
Shareefruck
Registered User
Yeah, it's bizarre how so many people like this game. Fanservice goes a long way, I guess.
Nemesis Prime
Registered User
Would have benefitted from a reboot. Take out everything relating to Angeal and Genesis and focus the story around Zack, Sephiroth and Cloud like it should have been.
Shareefruck
Registered User
merely expanding that part in remake would have been more than enough, IMO (Godfather 2 style), but seems like they might not even be going in that direction anymore.
Commander Clueless
Apathy of the Leaf
- Sep 10, 2008
- 15,807
- 3,788
Marvel's Midnight Suns (PC)
About 12 hours in and absolutely loving it.
I'm not exactly a Marvel fan (really know nothing outside of the MCU stuff I've watched), but I am a fan of the Firaxis XCOM combat style. Despite my reservations about working cards into the formula (far too many games incorporate cards for little to no reason), I have to say it's really working here. It adds a random puzzle-solving mix-up to a lot of the fights.
Yes it is extremely cheesy, but I love me some cheese from time to time...if amusingly executed. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of comics-related inside jokes, but I'm still along for the ride.
There's a bundle on Steam with the XCOM games that you can still take advantage of even if you own XCOM already. That's what I did.
About 12 hours in and absolutely loving it.
I'm not exactly a Marvel fan (really know nothing outside of the MCU stuff I've watched), but I am a fan of the Firaxis XCOM combat style. Despite my reservations about working cards into the formula (far too many games incorporate cards for little to no reason), I have to say it's really working here. It adds a random puzzle-solving mix-up to a lot of the fights.
Yes it is extremely cheesy, but I love me some cheese from time to time...if amusingly executed. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of comics-related inside jokes, but I'm still along for the ride.
There's a bundle on Steam with the XCOM games that you can still take advantage of even if you own XCOM already. That's what I did.
Tw1ster
Registered User
Still working my way through God of War Ragnarok. Loving most aspects of it but the combat to me has gotten a bit repetitive and the camera during combat has driven me nuts but still enjoying the game immensely.
Also picked up Divinity Original Sin II for cheap, me and my non gamer girlfriend are going to tackle co-op gaming so it should be interesting to say the least!
Also picked up Divinity Original Sin II for cheap, me and my non gamer girlfriend are going to tackle co-op gaming so it should be interesting to say the least!
Commander Clueless
Apathy of the Leaf
- Sep 10, 2008
- 15,807
- 3,788
Quick addendum for a PSA: If you have the game on Steam, make sure to use the launch command to bypass the 2K launcher. Not only is it unnecessary and annoying, it also causes crashes.
I love the combat in this game. Sort of an XCOM meets Slay the Spire meets Into the Breach.
PeterSidorkiewicz
HFWF Tourney Undisputed Champion
Me and a friend were looking for a Co op game to play so we both started elder scrolls online for the first time. It’s fun, but man I’m so goddamn confused about lots of stuff. Especially at the beginning with these island zones and how to actually share quests because none of them worked so far except one.
Personally I think FO76 is way better so far, but I like ESO too and he likes the style of it more so I’ll keep playing.
Personally I think FO76 is way better so far, but I like ESO too and he likes the style of it more so I’ll keep playing.
flyersnorth
Registered User
- Oct 7, 2019
- 4,672
- 7,142
Same here. I think I'm at the 4th or 5th bounty... great fun in small doses.
Of course, I made the mistake of launching XCOM2 WotC again over the holidays... just for a quick fix. In other words, I'm now sucked back in and nothing else exists.
flyersnorth
Registered User
- Oct 7, 2019
- 4,672
- 7,142
I was really looking forward to this game, but the thing that gave me pause on picking it up is the general tone in reviews that it is quite unbalanced towards the social simulation side. So not only is it cheesy (which is fine when done well), but just *too* much of it in comparison with the combat. I'm also not a Marvel / DC fan at all (not active dislike, just doesn't appeal to me).
How do you find the balance between combat and social simulator? Does it matter if you're not a Marvel fan?
Gaurdians of the Galaxy and I have to say I'm liking it WAY more than I expected to after the trash that was the avengers.
For 30 bucks It's pretty good.
Also got a late Christmas gift of about 70 360 games.
So I'm good for awhile
For 30 bucks It's pretty good.
Also got a late Christmas gift of about 70 360 games.
So I'm good for awhile
Commander Clueless
Apathy of the Leaf
- Sep 10, 2008
- 15,807
- 3,788
I think it's pretty balanced in your day-to-day happenings.
Essentially a typical day-night cycle in the game is to start with resource management / deckbuilding, get a little dialogue here and there, and then head out on a mission. The mission takes up most of the time.
After the mission it is night time, and it typically consists of a "hangout" to increase relationship level for bonuses, which involves a bit of dialogue.
If you ever tire of that cycle, you can also explore the grounds and complete the "mysteries", which are little puzzles, and collect reagents for crafting.
However, when an event happens or a main story mission concludes, there is a LOT of dialogue. I think this is likely where some people's complaints come in.
TL;DR: I personally think it is well balanced 30 or so hours in, but if you go hard into the main story I could see getting dialogue'd out. I've been doing a fair bit of optional missions.
I don't think you need to be a Marvel fan at all. They very much go into the character backstories if you exhaust the optional dialogue trees. As someone who knows nothing of the comic world or half the roster, I learned a lot.
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Avengers releasing before Guardians was the worst thing that could've ever happened to it. The reaction to Avengers was so overwhelmingly negative that it definitely rubbed off on Guardians, especially considering that they look similar graphically.
But yeah, Guardians was great from start to finish. I was honestly kind of blown away by how much I enjoyed it by the end and ended up platting it because I didn't want the experience to end lol. It'll be a shame if we never get a sequel.
Soedy
All Hail Cale
Still playing Zelda BotW (side quests, shrines). Game is absolutely fantastic. Can't wait for Tears of the Kingdom.
Also some Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Bros. with my wife.
On PC, it's mainly PUBG and FIFA 23 with friends and some Witcher 3 which feels kind of boring compared to BotW.
Also some Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Bros. with my wife.
On PC, it's mainly PUBG and FIFA 23 with friends and some Witcher 3 which feels kind of boring compared to BotW.
flyersnorth
Registered User
- Oct 7, 2019
- 4,672
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Thanks for the info!
It sounds like I would probably enjoy it. I will almost certainly pick it up, but may wait for a sale sometime this year.
DJ Spinoza
Registered User
- Aug 7, 2003
- 25,928
- 4,504
Finally started playing this over the course of the holidays and have predictably gotten really sucked in and spent a ton of time with it. I'm on chapter three and really enjoying the pretty steep difficulty, although one slight nitpick that I guess I might have is that it would be nice to have some more explicit telegraphing of where you should be at level-wise. The game does give you a head's up about running multiple save files before multi-step dungeons, and obviously it's always a good idea to run numerous save files in games like these.
Probably a weird way into this, but I say all these because I just wiped the floor with the opponent at The Gates of Cortinae (chaos) while being underleveled but then watched on helplessly as I was destroyed in Cortinae Ward. I'm not 100% sure if it was totally being underleveled or if it was tactical mistakes, but I like the game forcing me to ask the question and think about how I'm going to tackle it the next time. The one area where I am a little bit more frustrated is that even if I back out to my previous save file in order to train, it seems like I've temporarily lost access to the Wildwood in order to recruit new units.
In any case, I'm absolutely obsessed with the game and can't wait to try again, either with better tactics or a more properly leveled group. I never really got into SRPGs and the classic ones have all been inaccessible to me since I've gotten back into gaming, so having this and hopefully FF Tactics at some point is really exciting.
Shareefruck
Registered User
Awesome! I've been hoping for more people to play this. Let me know if you need specific help.
I think it's just that moments in the game are pretty challenging, especially bosses that start off with a full set of cards and are able to one-shot you-- Xaebos is probably the worst of them, if that's what you're stuck on. I find that it's usually just a tactical approach/build/equipment issue when you get stuck-- grinding levels almost never came into play for me (there are also leveling charms if you need them). You might get into under-leveled trouble if you ignore the army and just kill the boss immediately every time, though.
Which route are you on/which choices did you choose at the end of chapter 1 and 2? When you finish one route, I'd recommend trying the others at least up to the end of chapter 3 (the game makes it easy to go back w/o redoing or losing stuff). After seeing the differences and thinking about it, certain characters go from seeming one-dimensional/poorly written to fascinatingly deep, IMO.
Some general tips if you're interested:
* Check the Warren report frequently. Lots of good lore in there, and sometimes nodes will appear in World Tarot that contain hidden cutscenes that don't happen automatically (usually 2-3 per route I think). Reading events opens up sidequests/optional characters too.
* Recruiting tanky beasts/dragons and actually using debuffs (debuff items for higher percentage breach/weaken, too) can make your life a decent bit easier. (made things harder than needed my first playthrough because I always ignore that stuff)
* While Clerics are useful early, they drop off, and you want to be relying more on items that heal 50% or more of your HP per usage.
* You're aware of how weapon proficiency/finishers work, right? Could be rough if someone new to the game ignores them.
* I'd recommend overpreparing when you get to the final dungeon. Some horror stories where people do the whole dungeon and rage-quit at how hard the end boss is because they'd have to go back to before the dungeon to be more prepared.
* Recruiting tanky beasts/dragons and actually using debuffs (debuff items for higher percentage breach/weaken, too) can make your life a decent bit easier. (made things harder than needed my first playthrough because I always ignore that stuff)
* While Clerics are useful early, they drop off, and you want to be relying more on items that heal 50% or more of your HP per usage.
* You're aware of how weapon proficiency/finishers work, right? Could be rough if someone new to the game ignores them.
* I'd recommend overpreparing when you get to the final dungeon. Some horror stories where people do the whole dungeon and rage-quit at how hard the end boss is because they'd have to go back to before the dungeon to be more prepared.
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TheGoldenJet
Registered User
- Aug 24, 2011
- 28,738
- 13,745
This is my 3rd time trying to play Witcher 3 over the years. I bought the remastered version for $30 and have been mostly enjoying it so far. I'm a level 13 now and about to examine the site with Yennifer and then go meet Triss.
I'm enjoying myself for the most part but the game is lacking a little bit of tempo and theme personally so far. It's A LOT of: talk to this person, go to location, to use witcher sense to examine for clues, follow trails/tracks, find out what happened, have short fight with monster, go back talk to that person again, finish mission, start new mission, talk to this person, go to location, etc...
With BOTW, Elden Ring, and Red Dead 1 i felt like i was a part of huge living world and there is a theme to my experience. BOTW focuses on exploration, curiosity, and conquering evil. Elden Ring is about chaos, destruction, and overcoming difficulties. RDR 1 focused on the end of the Wild West and redemption. I'm not sure yet what CDPR is trying to tell me with Geralt so far. The expansive world they've built seems to be much of the same wherever i go and the action is usually so short lived that it's hard to get momentum building in the game so far. I track down the monster or quest, have 30-60 seconds of fighting, and then immediately get sucked back into that loop again i mentioned above.
Not a bad game at all, i'm enjoying the quality of Witcher 3 and its experience, but it's lacking some spice IMO. I'll happily finish it.
Then i just have to play RDR 2, another game i tried to play twice now and couldn't get into. Maybe these complaints just mean Open World RPG's aren't for me?
I'm enjoying myself for the most part but the game is lacking a little bit of tempo and theme personally so far. It's A LOT of: talk to this person, go to location, to use witcher sense to examine for clues, follow trails/tracks, find out what happened, have short fight with monster, go back talk to that person again, finish mission, start new mission, talk to this person, go to location, etc...
With BOTW, Elden Ring, and Red Dead 1 i felt like i was a part of huge living world and there is a theme to my experience. BOTW focuses on exploration, curiosity, and conquering evil. Elden Ring is about chaos, destruction, and overcoming difficulties. RDR 1 focused on the end of the Wild West and redemption. I'm not sure yet what CDPR is trying to tell me with Geralt so far. The expansive world they've built seems to be much of the same wherever i go and the action is usually so short lived that it's hard to get momentum building in the game so far. I track down the monster or quest, have 30-60 seconds of fighting, and then immediately get sucked back into that loop again i mentioned above.
Not a bad game at all, i'm enjoying the quality of Witcher 3 and its experience, but it's lacking some spice IMO. I'll happily finish it.
Then i just have to play RDR 2, another game i tried to play twice now and couldn't get into. Maybe these complaints just mean Open World RPG's aren't for me?
DJ Spinoza
Registered User
- Aug 7, 2003
- 25,928
- 4,504
Thanks! This is all very helpful - will respond to some of the tips below. I am currently on the Chaos route, and I'm digging the game enough that I imagine I will immediately or very quickly try the other routes once I finish.
I was indeed stuck on Xaebos, but ended up just deciding to train and prepare differently and was able to clear the entire map just now with decent ease. If I am not mistaken, I just noticed that the fight seems to scale the difficulty up anyways. I think when I got crushed, I was at level 16 and the enemies were level 19, but I spent some time training (mostly for skills) and got up to level 19 and they were still level 20 in the fight I just did. I appreciate this because I see this fight as essentially a check to make sure you're using more of the mechanics available to you.
I made some tweaks that really helped. Part was just having every character stocked with the Mending Salve +1s that heal 75%, which are much more useful than the spells (though I do think the spells are useful enough in the early stage of long fights). The other part was swapping out some units and training up a few. In particular, I used my Gryphon to be a tank, and I actually trained Arycelle on crossbows and gave her the weapon that has a chance to silence. I also took one of my archers and re-classed them as a ninja, which then enabled me to use the bow as a debuff weapon. Being able to silence and stun with relative ease made the fight pretty simple.
I might have been able to do it without training a bit, but I only needed 5 or 6 fights or so, and when I replayed the fight before Xaebos, I also managed to recruit a winged cleric, which might be fun to play around with a bit. I haven't even been using the clerics much, as there are other ways to heal.
That actually connects right to one of your tips, and I think I'm on the same page about everything, though I should dig further into the Warren Report. With weapon proficiency and finishers, you need to just keep using them as much as possible to get the ranks up, and then at certain plateaus you get the finishers? That's basically what I did with Arycelle and the crossbow.
Now that I'm through, I have access to the woods again so I can recruit some more classes and hopefully find a dragon. The level grinding actually isn't too bad. Since enemies seem to scale with you, it just takes 1 or 2 fights to catch members up who you don't use as much, though I'm not sure it's worth the time investment since their skills won't be as trained. I've already got too many interesting options, but I am sure I will try to recruit as many different classes as I'm able, and maybe even take a crack at some of the harder to get unique characters. I feel like the Xaebos fight got me to an intermediate skill level with my approach.
I play Control a lot. On my 17th run of the game I finally sat down and finished the platinum trophy on PS5. I’m now working on the platinums for both DLC’s.
I started my 18th run of the game on Xbox but their trophy system is really messed up and unorganized.
I started my 18th run of the game on Xbox but their trophy system is really messed up and unorganized.
