The Video Game Thread: What are you Playing?

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That Apple II sound wasn't as bad as I expected. Still terrible, but better than I imagined.

I played that one on the C64, and at the time we didn't think videogame music could get any better.

 
I'm really torn as to whether to get Super Robot Wars 30 on Steam.

The series selection in the game doesn't do much for me. There's certainly nothing that would be a big draw to me like Yamato, or Harlock, or Macross. For me it's a worse selection than SRW T, and I had thought SRW T had a pretty marginal lineup.
 
Finished the remake of Kathy Rain. The puzzles are mostly the same so it was a very quick replay. Better graphics, some extra scenes and the ending makes more sense, which was the biggest weakness of the original release.

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Also finished VirtuaVerse, a cyberpunk RPG. It's quite interesting as it's set in a future where people stayed in Google glasses style altered reality all the time, but this has oddly led to a revival of Commodore and Amiga bootleg culture as a way of avoiding being plugged in. It's a very old fashioned point and click with very hard puzzles, but there's a nice story mode if you find that tedious. Has an amazing intro!

 
Finally picked up Verdict Guilty and I don't think I liked it, but I'm at least going to play through all of the Story Modes.
 
I've recently acquired a Valve Index - arguably both the most expensive and most responsive VR set on the market. Some choice VR titles I've tried with it:

Half Life: Alyx
I admit, I didn't finish either of the original Half Lifes. I was on console when 2 dropped in the Orange Box and I think I missed out; years later when I got a laptop, I did try HL2 and I got maybe half way through before getting distracted.

Alyx doesn't seem to mind if you understand the deeper lore or story, it dumps you in regardless. Full of interesting interactions, clever usage of VR limitations and funny quips, I'm enjoying what I have so far. The nature of the combine tech mixed with humanity is a fascinating concept.

- - -

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
I admit, I was a big fan of TWD in the beginning. It got me into the comics, I also played the Telltale series. S&S takes the story to the bayou, to New Orleans, and the player takes the role of a capable traveler called 'The Tourist'. You arrive on the scene in the midst of a gang war between totalitarian fascists and ritualistic anarchists. There is some space in-between to maneuvre.

They utilise a graphical style reminiscent of the Telltale games, and stay true to some really tough decisions to be made. Fighting the zombies is both satisfying and disconcerting; you have stamina, so it's easy to get overwhelmed. There is also no benefit to fighting walkers aside from safety - there are no XP mechanics, and there is weapon durability. Instead progression is handled via scavenging for supplies; the player is expected to stuff their backpack full of almost anything they can get their hands on, and back at their base it's spent on upgrading three stations (melee, ranged and healing) and from within those stations there are several recipes for you to use to prepare you for the next day you set out to scavenge.

It doesn't feel as fluid as Alyx but it is very satisfying in it's own right, albeit repetitive. Chunking off a zombie's head with a cleaver in one hand and catching it in the other is a gory treat.

- - -

Blade & Sorcery
It's little more than a glorified tech demo, still in Early Access, but it promises dungeons and progression in the future alongside it's very interesting and well developed combat system. Weapons have weight to them and need to be swung/stabbed adequately to do damage. Specific armoured body parts can resist harm. It's possible to feint, parry and deflect your enemies. There's actual sorcery too, although I didn't figure that out all too well.

This is probably my most dangerous game; swinging around, I knocked my wall and my desk a few times just out of how ferocious it has you fighting.

- - -

Cook-out
A fun, co-operative cooking game. Each of you has a station with different cartoonish renditions of ingredients, and a host of animal customers will make requests of you. Together you work to complete the orders in time and to perfection. Stressful but a lot of fun! If you enjoy playing overcooked and similar titles just for the stress of yelling at one another to "give me the bloody cheese, please"

- - -

Onward
If Pavlov is the VR COD then Onward is the VR ARMA -very milsim-esque shooter with a slew of weapons and maps to blast your way through. This title went through an interesting shift with it's 1.8 release - the onset of Quest 2 users meant a much larger consumer market but with a kit unable to handle the game as is, so the development team basically downgraded their entire game to mix the low-end Quest users with the PC VR users.

As such, the PC VR community were annoyed, and the 1.7 branch was kept up as a beta for them to go back to. My VR group tried 1.8 and had fun, but 1.7 blew us away.

To be specific we were playing PvE, and the AI in 1.7 are brutal. It's rare we win a round against them. A lot of fun though.
 
Finished the remake of Kathy Rain. The puzzles are mostly the same so it was a very quick replay. Better graphics, some extra scenes and the ending makes more sense, which was the biggest weakness of the original release.

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Didn't know this was out yet. Just checked on GOG, and there's a nice discount of 50% for owners of the original. Must buy for me.

Smith Smith I'm a bit envious of you, that you get to play Half Life: Alyx. I sadly can't. I'm one of those, who get's a splitting headache within 5-10 minutes, when playing in VR. Granted haven't tried the Valve Index, but have tried all the others.
 
Smith Smith I'm a bit envious of you, that you get to play Half Life: Alyx. I sadly can't. I'm one of those, who get's a splitting headache within 5-10 minutes, when playing in VR. Granted haven't tried the Valve Index, but have tried all the others.
When I first ever tried VR it made me really simsick - this was on the older vive tech. Since then the visual fidelity (and importantly refresh rate) has improved. It took time to get used to! Not something I was able to do off the bat.
 
I got Super Robot Wars 30. As feared, practically none of the featured series are the slightest bit interesting. The storyline and characterization in the game is among the worst I've ever seen in a game like this. I've taken to skipping all the story parts because when they happen they're just an hour of scrolling text where absolutely nothing of substance is ever conveyed.

But the game is fun. Some of the new units, if detached from their insipid stories, are pretty cool to use on the tactical grid. Also, there are enough series mainstays that I have some characters and units I like. At least with these games you can nearly always rely on Amuro, Koji, and Ryoma to offer an oasis of familiarity among the desert of newest disposable mecha fad.

The big change in this installment from the past three is that this game has selectable missions instead of a linear story. I think I prefer the linear story more, but the advantage of the selectable missions is that I can just ignore optional missions based on characters/series I don't care about. The game so far is pretty friendly about letting me focus on the guys I enjoy while not forcing me to constantly play the guys I want to leave on the bench. Although there is definitely some of that being forced to play some of the unlikeable guys, but it's so far a surprisingly sparse requirement in the mandatory story missions.

This is the first of these games I've played which features Combattler V. It has that mech and a version of Getter Dragon, both of which I had toys of when I was a child in the 70s. Therefore my team is named "ShogunWarriors."
 
I picked up Flashback on the Switch a couple of days ago for a ridiculously low price and have been playing that.

I really, really want to start playing AC Black Flag but know I will need some interruption free time to really enjoy it and that seems impossible at the moment, one day...
 
Inscryption might be the most imaginative and original game I've played all year. I can't say too much without spoilers but the nearly 19,000 positive Steam reviews in the past 3 weeks speaks for itself. The developer's blub:

Inscryption is an inky black card-based odyssey that blends the deckbuilding roguelike, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror into a blood-laced smoothie.

If you take the plunge, play it blind and don't read spoilers. Although the gameplay is excellent and tight, the story is the main reason to play and once you've seen it to the end, that's it. There really isn't any replay value. This is not a criticism, it would be like playing the same escape room twice.
 
Inscryption might be the most imaginative and original game I've played all year. I can't say too much without spoilers but the nearly 19,000 positive Steam reviews in the past 3 weeks speaks for itself. The developer's blub:



If you take the plunge, play it blind and don't read spoilers. Although the gameplay is excellent and tight, the story is the main reason to play and once you've seen it to the end, that's it. There really isn't any replay value. This is not a criticism, it would be like playing the same escape room twice.
card-based roguelike with kinda dorky art? I'm in. Puzzles and twists are a bonus. I'm in the middle of a bunch of stuff so wishlisted it.
 
Inscryption might be the most imaginative and original game I've played all year. I can't say too much without spoilers but the nearly 19,000 positive Steam reviews in the past 3 weeks speaks for itself. The developer's blub:



If you take the plunge, play it blind and don't read spoilers. Although the gameplay is excellent and tight, the story is the main reason to play and once you've seen it to the end, that's it. There really isn't any replay value. This is not a criticism, it would be like playing the same escape room twice.
You should try his other games Pony Island and The Hex. They're in a similar vein.
 
My wife is set on finishing Tales of Arise before starting another game, but boy is it taking a lot of time.

Today her collector's edition of the new Shin Megami Tensei game arrived: Shin Megami Tensei V Fall of Man Premium Edition.

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Inscryption might be the most imaginative and original game I've played all year. I can't say too much without spoilers but the nearly 19,000 positive Steam reviews in the past 3 weeks speaks for itself. The developer's blub:



If you take the plunge, play it blind and don't read spoilers. Although the gameplay is excellent and tight, the story is the main reason to play and once you've seen it to the end, that's it. There really isn't any replay value. This is not a criticism, it would be like playing the same escape room twice.

Devolver Digital are the most reliably great video game publisher.
 
I'm considering giving the Anniversary Edition of Skyrim a try. I've only done one partial playthrough of the game, which I started about a year ago but haven't touched since April, so it seems like a good excuse to start a new character from scratch.

Since I bought the Special Edition (so many editions...) on Steam, I got the free upgrade already, but am not sure about shelling out $20 for the full upgrade.
 
I'm considering giving the Anniversary Edition of Skyrim a try. I've only done one partial playthrough of the game, which I started about a year ago but haven't touched since April, so it seems like a good excuse to start a new character from scratch.

Since I bought the Special Edition (so many editions...) on Steam, I got the free upgrade already, but am not sure about shelling out $20 for the full upgrade.
What does it include? I've been ignoring all of those since I bought all of the expansions as they came out.
 
Still playing SRW 30. Some of the story bits are getting better and therefore worth looking at instead of skipping. But most of the story is still just a prompt for the skip button. The first big DLC dropped last night with the characters from Sakura Wars. I'll have to check that out tonight, but my team through my first playthrough is pretty much set. The new DLC characters would have to really make an impression for me to switch someone out.

I seem to have abandoned Pool of Radiance. Not sure if I'll get back to it to finish it up. It isn't really anywhere near my gaming priority list at the moment. I do have to say that my recent experience with it was very enlightening, because I approached it as a tabletop game run by a CPU GM, and with that mindset, Pool of Radiance was probably the most accurate to the tabletop experience of anything. However, it was also accurate in the regard of feeling that the GM was just running out of ideas and the campaign was losing steam. Maybe I'll get back to it someday. I'd like to say that I've completed it.

I picked up Carrion. I've only played it for a short bit, but it's pretty fun. You play a murderous amorphous tentacley monster in a sort of Metroidvania style murder and exploration simulator. Tasty humans are about the complex for your monster to feed upon and absorb. Some guys wear some kind of armor, and those guys you just have to grab with a tentacle and bash against the walls until they quit being so uppity. It's entertaining. I've heard it's short, and that's good because it increases my probability of completing it.

I picked up a little twin stick shooter called Satryn Deluxe. It's a very Robotron inspired sort of game. I like it. I think the visual style could maybe use a bit more neon. As it is, the visual style is very slightly/kinda a beefted up ZX-Spectrum sort of aesthetic. The sound seems somewhat lame at first, but after getting deeper into the game it starts working a lot better and feeling super frantic like an arcade style twin stick game should. It's not that it's a slow burn game or anything, but it does take a few levels to really kick into gear. I had been back to playing Geometry Wars Evolved for my twin stick fix, but Satryn quickly took it's place. Now just to see if it has long legs.

I'm looking forward to Monster Rancher 1&2 DX in early December.
 
I'm always playing about 3-4 games in rotation, and right now that is:

Minecraft - don't think that one needs introduction
Ziggurat 2 - Roguelike FPS, great for shorter 1h sessions
Age Of Empires 4 - Finished campaigns, now still trying to find out which nation I resonate with the most...
Time Machine - hidden object game, I know, not exactly monocled gaming, but these games are great for language learning (currently Mandarin Chinese for me)!

I'm looking forward to the next version of the Grimhammer mod for Total War: Warhammer II. Will be the perfect thing to carry me over until WHIII releases next year.
 
Time Machine - hidden object game, I know, not exactly monocled gaming, but these games are great for language learning (currently Mandarin Chinese for me)!

I sometimes enjoy playing some of the hidden object games from the Artifex Mundi catalog. I used to like the old activity books from the 70s where there would be an image and you'd have to find things in it or compare it with an image on another page and the book overall would be packed with mild puzzles and mazes. These hidden object games are like electronic versions of that crossed with a point and click adventure game. What I like about them is that so far there are no walking dead man or Roberta Williams style puzzles. I can just kick back and enjoy the images and ambiance.
 
My wife is giving Battlefield 2042 a spin.
 
This was such a heartwarming video about an older woman who overcame personal tragedy by getting into videogames

 
PS. Any opinions on Death Stranding?

Death Stranding is discounted 70% on Steam until the 24th. I am not sure if it's worth the full $60 but it's definitely worth $18. I enjoy its chill, thoughtful pace after a manic session of GTA Online. I don't think Death Stranding is for everyone by any means but I also feel like many people unfairly judged the game. The major theme of the game seems to be connection (and disconnection) and I love how that theme of connection ties into the co-op part of the game.
 
I've been playing "Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game". It's by the people who made Age of Decadence and is set on a generation ship that will take several generations to reach Earth. You play a member of the crew several generations in, but still several generations from the target world. Society has essentially broken down inside the ship with slums, gangs and so forth, but with wealthy "officer" areas still around.
It's very immersive and unforgiving in combat, if you are not trained in combat never attempt it. Like their previous games you have to play in-character and think out the consequences of your actions to win. Currently in Early Access but very enjoyable.

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I've been playing "Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game". It's by the people who made Age of Decadence and is set on a generation ship that will take several generations to reach Earth. You play a member of the crew several generations in, but still several generations from the target world. Society has essentially broken down inside the ship with slums, gangs and so forth, but with wealthy "officer" areas still around.
It's very immersive and unforgiving in combat, if you are not trained in combat never attempt it. Like their previous games you have to play in-character and think out the consequences of your actions to win. Currently in Early Access but very enjoyable.

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Thanks for the hot take. This has been on my wishlist for a while but I haven't pulled the trigger because early access. I am also kinda wary because The Age of Decadence seemed like one of those games that promises build freedom but it needs specialized/optimized builds to realistically push through. Thoughts?
 
Thanks for the hot take. This has been on my wishlist for a while but I haven't pulled the trigger because early access. I am also kinda wary because The Age of Decadence seemed like once of those games that promises build freedom but in reality is so difficult (like Wasteland 2) that it needs specialized/optimized builds to realistically push through. Thoughts?
I would still hold off on buying. I loved Age of Decadence and enjoyed finding out exactly how to get a character to the end of the game. But it is true that for certain builds this meant only a very narrow range of actions could get you to the end. This game is meant to not be as strict as that in its final build, but is not like that at the moment. Also there are plenty of bugs and the upper class officer section is only sort of built (you can only get ~60% into the story right now).

I'll be back to say more of the 1.0 release.
 
Delta V - Rings of Saturn is 'Asteroids but hard science'. You take on the role of an asteroid miner in the far flung future, trying to eke out a profit on the rings of Saturn. It's interesting considering how much depth there is with this Early Access title, I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's a nice game to relax with.
 
I'm at the time now that I force myself to only buy during the Black Friday and Christmas sale events.
 
Two weeks ago I made the terrible, terrible mistake of reinstalling Kerbal Space Program.

<sigh>

Free time sharply dropped to zero, as usual. Latest versions of Realism Overhaul, Realistic Progression 1, Principia, self-limiting to USA pieces and hard difficulty settings make for a pretty painful playthrough.
I've barely managed to keep pace with real life so far, but I'm in 1962 and will probably start lagging behind now. It's just so freaking difficult to have enough money to keep up with both the Soviet and American space programs...
 
Two weeks ago I made the terrible, terrible mistake of reinstalling Kerbal Space Program.

<sigh>

Free time sharply dropped to zero, as usual. Latest versions of Realism Overhaul, Realistic Progression 1, Principia, self-limiting to USA pieces and hard difficulty settings make for a pretty painful playthrough.
I've barely managed to keep pace with real life so far, but I'm in 1962 and will probably start lagging behind now. It's just so freaking difficult to have enough money to keep up with both the Soviet and American space programs...

KSP goes through phases of being my favourite time waster as well.
 
I'm currently playing Far Cry 6 and having an absolute blast. It may be my favorite of the entire franchise.
 



Anton Castillo calls all true Yaryans to reject the cause of Libertad and to embrace the peaceful reign of El Presidente!


The Far Cry franchise hit its zenith with Far Cry 3 and Michael Mando's legendary Vaas character in the same way that Fallout 3 changed the Fallout franchise. It made an open world environment, gave us an interesting story about people degenerating into savagery, and also critiqued the savior narrative of video games by making it clear the protagonist is deluding himself that he's making things better by killing people. Since then, I've enjoyed most of the subsequent installments with the sole exceptions of Far Cry Primal and Far Cry: New Dawn.



Unfortunately, Far Cry was starting to run out of gas awhile ago. While it had some genuinely innovative ideas like the spectacular cyberpunk hilarity of Far Cry: Blood Dragon, the repetitive gameplay as well as confused storytelling annoyed some gamers. Far Cry 5had a lot of interesting elements, taking the franchise to the United States for example, but its weirdly racially integrated apocalyptic cult, the constant capturing of the protagonist, and cruel twist ending put a lot of gamers off it.

Far Cry 6 had a lot to overcome in order to get gamers back into the saddle. I will admit, despite generally liking the franchise, I was uninterested in continuing. Even the stunt casting of Giancarlo Esposito as a Caribbean island dictator seemed a poor reason to pick the game. I've overthrown a lot of island dictators in my gaming history with the Just Cause franchise having more than satisfied any urges there. Still, I found myself itching to game after finishing Resident Evil: Village and decided to give it a go. What are my feelings? Mixed. But mostly positive.



Gameplay-wise, Far Cry 6 is more Far Cryand the only changes are not ones that I am particularly interested in. The sixth entry into the franchise removes perks and replaces them with modifications you can do to your equipment. I'm actually okay with getting rid of leveling up in the franchise as there's nothing to be gained from it as the best way to play the game is New Game+ when you have all the options to play the game as you wish. Unfortunately, I really didn't like the crafting system and just wished they'd given a simplified game system.

Improvements are extremely minor with the addition of horses as a means of transport and a new device called the Supremo, which is basically a gadget-filled backpack. I hate the Supremo and its ridiculousness. However, it's pretty much necessary whenever you face helicopters or tanks. The game also has gotten rid of human companions and I felt this was a mistake as they were a favorite part of previous games. I also didn't care for the fact some enemy types are vulnerable to regular ammunition, fire ammunition, and armor-piercing ammunition. Aren't all enemies going to be more vulnerable to armor piercing ammunition? It's a little too Borderlands for me.



The combat is also unfortunately slow. When you want to kill someone with a machete from behind or even during combat, the animations are painfully slow. It can also be hard to get into the vehicles that you're trying to steal. For an open world game that takes so much from Grand Theft Auto, it's irritating that you can't move swift enough to engage in the mayhem that is the game's primary selling point. That isn't to say it isn't fun. I actually turned up the difficulty on the combat despite normally being a casual because I wanted to experience a harder more furious experience. So it had that going for it.

You basically follow the same gameplay loop you always do. You are a soldier of the plucky but morally compromised resistance, Dani Rojas. You can play as either a male or female version of the character, much like Assassins Creed: Odyssey or Valhalla, but I feel the female version is far more interesting as well as better acted. Indeed, if there is anything that Far Cry 6 has going for it, it is the fact the characters are far better written than in previous installments. The cast is likable and entertaining throughout but this is the first game since Far Cry 3 where I felt the protagonist had any sense of personality.



The graphics of the game are exceptional and Yara is a beautiful country to live in. Honestly, I'd probably want to move there if it wasn't a cruel and oppressive dictatorship. Giancarlo Esposito does a fantastic job as President Castillo and is probably my favorite villain alongside Vaas. The game also manages to retcon away the ending of Far Cry 5, which is deserving of its own acknowledgement. I actually cared about Yara's freedom to an extent and was impressed by the ending. Good job, writers.

The biggest problem I can think of with the game is the fact Ubisoft really went out of their way to try to drain the customers. The Season Pass doesn't include any of the skins that are sale for Ubisoft points (that cost real money) or other material traditionally included with it. They also have things like the Breaking Bad bundles cost something akin to ten dollars each. That's just ridiculous and the only reason to get the Season Pass is an updated version of Far Cry: Blood Dragon. I think the "Villain Campaign" won't prove to be worth the money.



In conclusion, Far Cry 6 is a game with a lot going for it. The core of the gameplay is as entertaining as it was in Far Cry 3 and removing a lot of the excess leveling up was good. Unfortunately, I really don't like the Supremo and the Crafting focus didn't wow me. The protagonist is the most likable in the series yet and the villain is fantastic. The supporting cast is also fun and the game beautiful. Sadly, it's biggest merit and flaw is it's just more Far Cry. Now with horses!

9/10
 
Star Citizen is free to play until December 1 if anybody is interested. They've gone over $400 million in crowd funding at this point!

Sir Humphrey from Yes Minister!: Nice work if you can get it.

Alternatively:

Maybe some day they'll actually have the game.
 
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