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What games are you currently playing?

Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
Zero Time dilemma, again courtesy of Youtube.

Huh. Well that's a lot.

The Fanfic community is smaller than I expected.

Being a huge fan of Legacy of Kain, I have no room to complain about abrupt cliffhangers.

The storytelling is good. I feel like Zero's abilities are enough to find this religious terrorist person without all these puzzle games. Honestly it's more likely to end up with a bunch of horribly traumatised people than a team of superheroes. The fact that any of these people are still functioning is an achievement in itself.

Is it creepier to be hit on by a 22 year old in a 67 year old's body, or a 67 year old in a 22 year old's body? Narrowly avoiding a romance with your own father, a lesser known hazard of time jumping.

Who also have to watch his baby twins starve to death. Well that's grim.
 

Eerie

Fire and Blood
Not me, but if some of you understand French, you might want to follow the ZEvent2021 on Twitch which is a charity running from today until Sunday. They usually get several millions for a charity, with notably event goals that each streamer set like this one:


(the first 20K made me laugh too much, sorry ^^').

Here is the list of the streamers participating:


This year they support Action contre la faim (Action against hunger).

Edit: they gathered a bit more than €10M! It was an absolutely crazy event!

 
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Odysseus

Ninja Potato
AKA
Ody
For Halloween I replayed a short little Horror RPG/kinda-sorta-rogue-like game I found last year called "No Delivery".
https://horror-n-oates.itch.io/no-delivery
If ever there were a game that really sold Pizza horror, this is it. I really recommend it. It does a good job making you actually think strategically with your resources and experiment since every time you die you're rerolled into a new pizzeria employee with a different class and attributes. No levels or EXP, just items.
 

Fiz

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Eh?
As far as I'm concerned, Tales of Arise was a cute owl game with a 50 hr jrpg thrown in for free.

It was kind of impressive how it kept getting worse with each cutscene in the last third.

Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, if I discount the final arc, I enjoyed it and I really appreciated the things it did well - particularly the battle system, world design, and overall the characters.

The plot is pretty straight forward but that’s fine. I don’t need everything to be complex and deep. But, I think a lot of that boils down to what I come to a Tales game for.

That final arc tho. Yeah, that... was messy. But I feel like I can let that go. I also think it would have been better if they’d played it straight without the twist.

The thing that was more problematic for me was the lack of humour. Tales games, for me, are a cool battle system, quirky characters and a sense of humour.
 

Fiz

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Eh?
The game had a severe case of Final Fantasy XV syndrome. Withholding all the context and information about the world for WAY too long.

You’re referring to Arise?

If so... Maybe, but I think Arises final arc issue is more due to the pandemic delay. It has all the hallmarks of rushing. I think if they’d taken a few more months to streamline the final arc we wouldn’t be having these discussions.
 

ph14basicbitch

shinra merch buyer
AKA
koda
Even if I ignore the last third of the game, there are multiple things that I still think sucked lol

The most offensive bit to me was the monetization of this video game. Putting Dohalim's AoE heal behind a paid DLC title = ?? (Yes I know the actual heal itself is "not good" but that's beside the point.) Then they limit you to carrying 15 of each item, with paid DLC that lets you carry more. The entire CP system reminds me of a mobile game stamina system where they hope you pay for refills. And showing you "DLC AVAILABLE NOW!!" every time you camp? Really?

I did buy a costume pack while I was looking for a black outfit for Shion, but it was one that didn't come w/the titles. I didn't realize the other costume packs gave you titles w/new skills and shit tons of SP until I was talking to someone else later who bought the Ultimate thing. You don't need to buy any of it to finish the game, and it's a single player game so it's not like you're "paying to win" in an arena. But if you've played a previous Tales game, stuff like "Apple gels and other HP items now heal for a fixed amount instead of a %" and "your other character with heals has a paid DLC AoE heal" sticks out like a sore thumb wrt their decisions about monetization.
 

ForceStealer

Double Growth
I know that they did have a lot of DLC crap, fortunately I didn't really look at it what it was, haha. So while I agree that it's bullshit, I can't say that it affected my actual experience all that much.

But yeah, a big part of what I loved about Tales of Xillia was how savvy the cast was. They didn't fall for the stupid traps and mistakes that so many JRPG/anime protagonists do. Or at least when they were forced to, they showed that they knew what it was, and made contingency plans. And, like Fiz mentioned, also allowed for a lot of humorous interludes because they were clever and had a plan so they didn't have to constantly be on guard.

This cast, even though they're reasonably likable, (although
Shionne's tsundere act went on way too fuckin long
), seemed to be making it up as they went along, and constantly re-establishing what was going on. So many of the skits were repeating the same information and the characters having the same repeated reaction to it. Which is all the more confusing given how crazy rushed the final act is. They could have revealed a lot of that information a lot sooner and spent the time discussing and digesting that instead of Shionne looking distressed and saying "It's nothing" while Alphen finally gets annoyed only to shout something unambiguously romantic for the 7,000th time. :lol:
Dohalim was my favorite character by the end, but it was maddening how he seemed as clueless as the rest of them for so much of the game and nobody ever seemed to think that was weird or to ask him about that. Again, in Xillia I was impressed with how naturalistic the conversation was and how the characters often said and asked things that I would have in their situation. But here you've got
one of the 5 Lords with you and no one ever even seems to think to ask him about the other Lords, or any of the details about how the Crown Contest works (from his perspective, I know he doesn't know everything). That was just bizarre to me.

That sounds like I hated it, but as a game, it's very good. I think the graphics look great, and the combat is fantastic, definitely the best out of the Tales games I've played, and a marked improvement over Berseria's combat. And while I don't love the cast obviously I thought they were mostly perfectly fine and still had a few good moments. But the overall storytelling and pacing is a mess, which is a real shame.
And if the pandemic really was to blame for the rushed-ness of the final act, I agree that they should have just dropped the final twist and played that part straight.
 
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Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
I avoided this one for a long time. I'd heard bad things about it, but so far it's pretty good. They finally moved away from the 'giant horde of thugs' model to the fewer, but more dangerous enemies' model which I have much more fun with. I think it's better for storytelling too, because Trinity is more dangerous when they can do more with less rather than just throw bodies at the problem. I much prefer the slow tense stuff than giant stupid battles.

Poor Miguel suffers the eternal fate of helicopter pilots, being brutally murdered so the leads cannot fly away.
Also,
I knew this was an RPG, but I didn't think it would literally use D&D rules. Never played the real thing, always wanted to. Got off to a good start when my paladin was immediately killed by random wolves on the way to the friendly arms inn. Well that was fast.
 

Ghost X

Moderator
More of a "What game am I currently watching", but I managed to find another game I could never remember the name of from my Amiga days :P. A game my brother never let me play, mind you, because he was an asshole, etc. The game being... Shadow Sorcerer. Now I'll see if it was actually any good. I was always fascinated watching it being played.

Edit: If my impressions are correct from what I have now seen. I think my youthful imagination of the game's potential far exceeded reality.
 
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Prism

Pro Adventurer
AKA
pikpixelart
I just picked up Dragon Quest XI about a week ago, and I have to say, it's really got me hooked. After not playing Dragon Quest for years from how standardized they seemed to be on the outside (big mistake...), I've been sucked into XI. Every time I play it's like I get transported to another land. Which really is the best one could ask for with an RPG.
 

Saven

Pro Adventurer
I just picked up Dragon Quest XI about a week ago, and I have to say, it's really got me hooked. After not playing Dragon Quest for years from how standardized they seemed to be on the outside (big mistake...), I've been sucked into XI. Every time I play it's like I get transported to another land. Which really is the best one could ask for with an RPG.

It's a great game. Glad to hear you are enjoying it as much as I did. I always seem to have a smile on my face whenever I pick it up and play it. Like you said, you feel like you are actually there. I've been a big fan of the DQ series since the first (its the first RPG I ever played back in the day) and this is easily one of the best ones in the series. That, VIII, or III.


Currently playing FFXIV on my end. Decided to buy the whole package and dive right in. Really enjoying it so far, and doing everything I can in the Thanalan deserts atm.
 

Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
My gaming week....

Resistance: Fall of Man. Not unenjoyable, but possibly the most generic game I have ever played.

Lego Star Wars Force Awakens. Fun, but somehow lacking the charm of the PS2 games. No idea why. The multibuild thing is in theory a good idea, but it just feels like wasted time.

Bloodborne. Didn't get too far, it's not super compelling. Generic featureless protagonist literally gets told 'go kill monsters'. I have no motivation in or out of universe, just walked out into a town full of people in snazzy hats attacking me with cleavers. I don't particularly object to them trying to kill me, it doesn't seem to do me any harm, immortal vampire that I am. What's to care about?

The games with this playstyle seem very very similar. Also seems like there's a lot of level grinding built into the system. Did I mention that I hate level grinding? I'll keep going, but the combat system isn't drawing me in, and the game seems primarily about the combat system.
 

looneymoon

they/them
AKA
Rishi
Hades has been my covid recovery game and I'm so happy I didn't pay too much attention to the hype because I love it so much.

I also finally finished Fire Emblem Three Houses right before that (Golden Deer run). Dunno if I found it interesting enough to go for another route, even though the Edelgard storyline seems compelling. I think I've had this same thought about the other FE games I've played, but I can't help but feel like I'd find the plots more engaging as a long anime series lol.
 
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Lulcielid

Eyes of the Lord
AKA
Lulcy
351811-skullgirls-2nd-encore-ps-vita-front-cover.jpg


It's good to play a fighting game with good online netcode.
 
D

Deleted member 13557

Guest
Started playing FFX for the first time to further my completion of the series. Already having a blast with it.

I've also wound up buying a second hand PS3 with a copy of FFXIII, alongside some past favourites, of course. Simply cannot say no to a replay of Dead Space.
 

cold_spirit

he/him
AKA
Alex T
Here's what I've been up to the last 3 months:

Pokemon Crystal - Loved it. I chatted last time about how impressed I was with the in-game clock and day/night cycle. This playthrough I really saw the traditional Japanese influences on the game's setting. Kimonos, pagodas, and tatami mats all combine to give Johto an "antique" feeling, at least more so than Kanto in Gen I. Speaking of Kanto, I found its addition to be frivolous. The story with your rival, team rocket, and Suicune all wrap up in Johto, so nothing in Kanto feels important. Additionally, all the memorable features of Kanto have been removed, either because they have a new equivalent in Johto or because of space limitations. Examples include the Safari Zone, the museum, and Bill's House. Exploring Kanto feels bare as a result. I would've preferred it if they cut Kanto out completely and used that development time to further enhance Johto. Controversial opinion I know.

Asura's Wrath - This title is unrivaled in its boldness, but I found myself conflicted. I don't watch anime. However, as I was playing Asura's Wrath I found myself wishing it was made into a television series. But if it was, I wouldn't experience it because I don't watch anime. Quite a conundrum. The gameplay is fun, but not deep enough to keep me interested. At times I wished I could just enjoy the action instead of having to focus on pressing buttons. But its format in the videogame landscape is so unique. If you take that away, it risks becoming just another generic shounen anime. This conflict means that it'll never exist in the perfect space, which I guess just makes it all the more interesting.

We Love Katamari - Wearing a Katamari Damacy t-shirt as I write this. Great game. Lots of interesting new levels and the addition of multiplayer is a game changer. Some levels even have unique mechanics in multiplayer mode, which I found really impressive. I love the intuitive game design of the Katamari series, plus the art style and music are real memorable. There's also so many jokes hidden in the environment of each level. Such a wholesome game.

Shin Megami Tensei V - My game of year for 2021. Each weekend for about 5 weeks I had 6 hour game sessions where I was just totally immersed into the game's mechanics. The numbers are real good in this game. I wrote about one of my favorite aspects to the game on r/megaten, which I'll share here:

Skill potentials and essences are great, but Da'at is the real hero.

It's such a joy to explore. The perfect ratio of collectibles, enemies, and side quests. Yet its surreal beauty is enough to make you stop and take in the view occasionally.

The spaces are diverse too. There's wide open plains, like around Tokyo Tower, compact cites with verticality, like Kamiyacho, and even linear sections, like the optional mountain path up Onarimon. All of which are interconnected. SMTV weaves between these different level designs with ease.

The cherry on top is the dynamic music. I love the chime that rings out to announce the full moon. The perfect mood setter.

Previous SMT games certainly had exploration, but it was a different flavor. It was mostly dungeon crawling. Sure there might've been a world map, but that served primarily as a way to connect towns and dungeons. With SMTV, exploration has opened up, and as a result Da'at feels lived-in. Never before has the series felt so intimate.


Diablo II Resurrected - Played this with my buddies. Earlier this year I played through the original Diablo II, so it was really fun comparing the single and multiplayer experiences.

Solar Ash - Heart Machine's follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter, my 2010-2019 Game of the Decade. Gotta say, I found it alright. The addition of conversation trees really negatively impacted the experience for me. The game leaned on these conversation trees to give exposition and to tell the story, but I felt it made it hollow. I wish the story was better integrated into the environment to really force me pay attention as I play, or to make me want to replay it. Unfortunately, everything is spoon-fed, so I had little investment in what was going on. The soundtrack also lacks potency. I hate to say the experience fell flat to me because I follow Heart Machine and know this game was a huge step for them, but the game was never able to grab my attention.

Okami - Are games allowed to be this good? Okami is creative, funny, beautiful, relaxing, and thoughtful. Everything comes together perfectly. You can bark to bring up your player information. You can dig holes to uncover treasure. The celestial brush mechanic is ingenious. I love it all. Every second I'm like "wow is this objectively the best game ever?" Can't wait to 100% this one.
 
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Rydeen

In-KWEH-dible
Finally playing Cyberpunk 2077. My expectations are definitely tempered and I've been enjoying it so far. I like the soundtrack. I'm also playing an indie game called Coffee Talk. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but it's relaxing for sure. I'm still sore about losing my Portia save file and have not played that game since, but apparently there is going to be a sequel/spinoff.
 
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