Games you are currently playing - Part 7

[Shareefruck]

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.

Nice. I really like how they handle leveling in this game and prioritize strategy over grinding. Lots of tactical options and replayability.

As long as you're aware of how to get finishers and how useful they are, you should be fine. You get a new one every 10 proficiency levels. In some cases, classes make better use of MP than the finishers and you can justify using that slot on something else, though.

If you're on Chaos and you're interested in taking the most efficient path to see everything else worthwhile while avoiding redundant stuff, I'd recommend ONLY doing chapter 3 Neutral next for better character development/context (for two major characters in particular), then going back to the Balmamusa choice and finishing the game on Lawful & getting the opposite outcome for a major choice in chapter 4 (in addition to anything else optional you're interested in). The neutral-only character/endgame differences aren't particularly interesting/plentiful, unlike lawful.

Here's a character guide if you're interested and for when you don't mind spoiling things (the Azelstan stuff in particular is worthwhile, IMO): Tactics Ogre: Reborn - Every Recruitable Character In The Game

 

[The Merchant]

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.

Control is truly one of the must underappreciated games of last gen. Just an absolute masterclass in physics-based gameplay and pacing. I also platted the game and enjoyed every second of it. I can't wait for a sequel.

 

[Andrei79]

Anyone else has played Wrath of the Righteous ? Im in act 3 and it's legitimately one of the best RPGs I've played. Both the lore and the different systems are so deep. Sometimes, the writing can be cheesy, but it's much better than I expected it to be. The only thing I don't enjoy is the crusade. I have no idea why Owlcat always adds these gimmicks into otherwise great games. It's everything I hoped Pillars of Eternity would be.

 

[John Price]

Completed Yakuza Like a Dragon. Will continue to insist and tell everyone that this game is awesome; and the best jdrama / comedy / video game in years. If you haven't purchased it, definitely consider.

Purchased Judgement and probably going to get Lost Judgement too. PS5 backlog piling up. In addition; purchased Elden Ring. Gonna be a lot of ps5 gaming.

Update: Despite not playing Judgement I have purchased the sequel Lost Judgement (23 dollars on PS Store)

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Like a Dragon was incredible. Isn’t there another Yakuza game releasing soon?

 

[John Price]

Like a Dragon was incredible. Isn’t there another Yakuza game releasing soon?

There is. It's Like a Dragon Ishin. I think it releases in February.

It's suppoed to take place in feudal Japan several hundred years ago.

 

[The Merchant]

I was skeptical of the change to turn-based combat in Like a Dragon, but it quickly won me over. Fantastic game.

 

[John Price]

I was skeptical of the change to turn-based combat in Like a Dragon, but it quickly won me over. Fantastic game.

Same. You get used to it plus it allows for more party creativity.

The only bad thing is fights take longer as you have to wait for the opponent to do something. Some of the late boss fights take 10-15 minutes because it's a slow burn as they keep charging up attacks

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I just finished Gaurdians of the Galaxy, and It's a game, It's just a video game, and I know how that sounds it sounds boring, It's not It's a blast to play I had a great time with it, and I will be honest I wasn't expecting to, not after the pile of flaming garbage that was the Avengers.

I was so excited for the Avengers and it failed spectacularly so when this came out I didn't give a single f***.

I picked this up for 30$ expecting NOTHING but getting a gem.

This is everything Avengers SHOULD have been, this is everything I wanted in an Avengers game, this is everything I STILL want in Avengers game, because make no mistake I STILL want that Avengers game.

I'm going to say it again It's just a game, a game with a solid story that made me laugh more than once.

A game with NO, micro transactions, NO skins that I have to buy, NO costumes that I have to buy, there are different outfits but they are found not bought.

There is NO pay to win bullshit here

they got my 30$ and didn't ask for another f***ing dime.

That's not to say It's perfect,It's not, I would have liked to have controlled the other Gaurdians not just Star Lord, and Star Lord guns do feel under powered.

But that's OK, I can deal with that for 30$ and not having to deal with pay to win bullshit.

If you are looking for something that is just a game, go buy this so it can get a sequel because it's really good and it deserves a sequel.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Just started GTA 5 and so far I kind of hate it, but not for the same reasons I hated Avengers or Last of us 2, those games I just didn't like.

This is ENTIRELY due to where they put the map.

Right now I'm trying to chase down a bike, and I'm having a hard time doing it not because I believe it is particularly hard, I don't.

It's because the map/objective marker is in the corner of of the screen instead of putting it at the top of the screen like they do in God of war, or HDZ, or Horizon Forbidden west, or Gaurdians of the galaxy etc I could keep both eyes on the screen and still see my objective marker.

But that's not possible because the map is in the corner of the screen so I have to keep 1 eye on that.

 

[Unholy Diver]

After finishing High on Life I've had a hard time finding something that grabs me, started Sonic Frontiers and was not loving it, so I swapped over to Skyrim and played that for about a week or so and just wasn't feeling that either

Started Saints Row at the end of last week, and it's ok, I'll probably stick it out to the end, but so far it definitley lacks a lot of the stuff that made the Saints Row franchise a personal favorite before SR4 screwed things up

Haven't had any major issues, gun play can get a little wonky at close range but nothing game breaking or ruining the experience for me

 

[flyersnorth]

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?

Interesting to hear someone else be kind of meh with Witcher 3. I tried a few times to get into it, never really made it past 10-20 hours in. Something about it just feels underwhelming. Or grindy. I'm not sure really.

Kinda felt the same with Cyberpunk 2077. Made it all the way through, really enjoyed the storyline and the missions are generally well-designed. But the world feels so ... dead. Unresponsive. Most of the side activities are completely repetitious and boring. I was rushing through the story at the end just to be done with it.

Maybe I'm not a fan of CDPR?

 

[x Tame Impala]

Interesting to hear someone else be kind of meh with Witcher 3. I tried a few times to get into it, never really made it past 10-20 hours in. Something about it just feels underwhelming. Or grindy. I'm not sure really.

Kinda felt the same with Cyberpunk 2077. Made it all the way through, really enjoyed the storyline and the missions are generally well-designed. But the world feels so ... dead. Unresponsive. Most of the side activities are completely repetitious and boring. I was rushing through the story at the end just to be done with it.

Maybe I'm not a fan of CDPR?

I'm on this quest now where i have to find this guy "Dandelion" because he may know where Ciri is. The whole quest line has been running around Oxenfurt. I had to talk to FIVE of his lady interests, go to three separate locations where this guy "Junior" might be, i had to put on an entire play...discussing the dialogue and hunting down/hiring ushers, then watch the play. I still haven't found Dandelion. This game is a f***ing conversation simulator

I look forward to the brief moments where there are random bandits in the streets for me to fight for 5 seconds because at least it's something to do! Even getting involved in the city's criminal underworld is boring. I feel bad that i'm skipping so much conversation and wearing out my X button but this game has turned into watching a boring tv show at times.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Yeah I think if you’re at the point where you’re skipping through dialogue and don’t care about characters then it’s not going to get better for you because a lot of it is about the story.

I was the opposite where I don’t think I skipped any dialogue in the game.

 

[Jovavic]

The Witcher 3 feels alot like Xenogears did for me way back in the day. Universally praised games that I've tried playing at least five times each and can't just get into. Both praised for their stories, which I can see and agree with, but the gameplay is subpar (to me anyway) and absolutely kills any fun. If I wanted something with a great story I'd read a book, I play games to be entertained.

Xenogears was also f***ing ugly, having 3D environments like DQ7 on a PS1 should be a war crime. Make the characters 3D and put them on 2D pictures like the Final fantasy games or just straight 2D like Suikoden or Lunar. Bah, sorry for the tanget.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

I just started Witcher 3 as well. Very overwhelming but going to power through because I loved Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[Ceremony]

Hades.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I think it’s all preferences. I definitely see where Witcher 3 gameplay is clunky but it didn’t bother me at all. Don’t see a huge difference between that and something like Skyrim.

I’m guessing most people would agree that god of war gameplay is better but I bailed on that game pretty early. The camera and the controls and all of that just wasn’t for me. Didn’t get into it whatsoever.

 

[flyersnorth]

The Witcher 3 feels alot like Xenogears did for me way back in the day. Universally praised games that I've tried playing at least five times each and can't just get into. Both praised for their stories, which I can see and agree with, but the gameplay is subpar (to me anyway) and absolutely kills any fun. If I wanted something with a great story I'd read a book, I play games to be entertained.

Xenogears was also f***ing ugly, having 3D environments like DQ7 on a PS1 should be a war crime. Make the characters 3D and put them on 2D pictures like the Final fantasy games or just straight 2D like Suikoden or Lunar. Bah, sorry for the tanget.

We're all different, and that's what makes finding a game that really clicks with you so special.

I'm not a fan of linear single player games in general (GoW, Plague Tale Requiem, Jedi Fallen Order) and find them boring / limited.

But gimme XCOM 2 or Divinity OS 2 all day, any day. Or RDR 1/2, GTA V, even most of Cyberpunk.

As much as Ubisoft gets flak, I enjoyed the hell out of FC 6 in co-op mode with a friend... same with Borderlands 3 (but all of them really). Same with Valheim, Green Hell. We're doing Grounded right now, and waiting for Redfall. So, games I would never play by myself become insanely fun when plowing through it with a friend.

 

[Jovavic]

I wish XCOM 2 was easier lol, my guys die all the time. I loved the very first one on PS1 and the reboot but that second one kicks my butt

 

[flyersnorth]

I wish XCOM 2 was easier lol, my guys die all the time. I loved the very first one on PS1 and the reboot but that second one kicks my butt

Haha, stick with it! Honestly, I struggled early on as well, then I watched ChristopherOdd on YT play through a bunch of missions, and that totally changed my approach.

I still find it very challenging, but that's what I enjoy the most - there's a problem thrown at you (or several problems), and you have a limited amount of tools and abilities that you can use in so many different ways to solve the problem.

 

[Shareefruck]

I'll never understand the "if I want story I'll read a book" mentality. I hear it a lot. Why relegate certain functions to specific mediums so rigidly? Especially considering that different storytelling things can be accomplished with different mediums (not that Witcher is specifically one of those cases).

 

[x Tame Impala]

I'll never understand the "if I want story I'll read a book" mentality. I hear it a lot. Why relegate certain functions to specific mediums so rigidly? Especially considering that different storytelling things can be accomplished with different mediums (not that Witcher is specifically one of those cases).

The conversation isn't intriguing enough and there's too much of it. I'd rather be out there hunting monsters, saving villages, and slicing soldiers in half. Instead there's an extra 2-3 conversation points per interaction and i spend most of my time talking to some Ye Ol' English bartender or blacksmith or whatever.

 

[Shareefruck]

The conversation isn't intriguing enough and there's too much of it. I'd rather be out there hunting monsters, saving villages, and slicing soldiers in half. Instead there's an extra 2-3 conversation points per interaction and i spend most of my time talking to some Ye Ol' English bartender or blacksmith or whatever.

Right, and I think that's a more understandable argument. It seems more respectable to me frame it that way as "I actually just don't think the storytelling is very good" rather than "If I wanted story, I'd read a book," which just comes across as more of a narrowminded sentiment, I think.

(for the record, I didn't love what little I saw of the Witcher 3's story either, but I didn't get very far)

 

[Oogie Boogie]

I told myself this would be the year that I finally go through and complete a bunch of games on my backlog and no buying games unless it was something that I had a HUGE desire to play on release.

For starters, I'm finally going to finish Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Currently on the 3rd chapter. After that, I'm thinking Yakuza Kiwami or Death Stranding.