The Video Game Thread

Rock · Post by **Rock** » Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:10 am

I don't have a problem with the change in pacing necessarily. I just don't find Xen as an environment as rich in detail as Black Mesa. One is atmospheric, but the other feels both atmospheric and lived in. I also think platforming is a pain in the ass from a 3D first person perspective, and the emphasis on that element gets a lot heavier in the Xen levels (while the kind of puzzles that were common and organic to the Black Mesa setting are in shorter supply).

Popcorn Reviews · Post by **Popcorn Reviews** » Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:26 am

Rock wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:10 am
I don't have a problem with the change in pacing necessarily. I just don't find Xen as an environment as rich in detail as Black Mesa. One is atmospheric, but the other feels both atmospheric and lived in. I also think platforming is a pain in the ass from a 3D first person perspective, and the emphasis on that element gets a lot heavier in the Xen levels (while the kind of puzzles that were common and organic to the Black Mesa setting are in shorter supply).

Hmm, I actually find that the Xen stages offer their fair share of effective detailed moments.

I completely get the criticism of platforming becoming more abundant. Personally, I've never had an issue with it, but I get why other people do.

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Thu Jul 25, 2019 4:57 am

The Video Game Industry Can't Go On Like This

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:37 pm

Stu wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 25, 2019 4:57 am
The Video Game Industry Can't Go On Like This

Environmental questions aside, I simply do not want to play multiplayer games.
I work a lot and I work unpredictable hours and I cannot reliably get on a multiplayer where anyone can expect I will actually be there. I also like to take frequent breaks from gaming. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, I like a real narrative in my games, even action games. Meanwhile, like everyone else, I hate microtransactions, loot-boxes, and season passes.
I wonder if there will be a place for me in gaming in the near future?
I am absolutely willing to pay more for games than they cost now, and I think they are worth more than what I pay, to be honest, but I suspect most people are spoiled by these prices and aren't as willing to pay so the industry will not go that way.
I mean, honestly, at $69.99, I got 85 hours out of Horizon: Zero Dawn on the first play-through alone and I played it a second time, and will probably eventually play it again. So I actually have paid $0.41/hour, FORTY-ONE CENTS AN HOUR for this game and after I eventually play it a third time, I will have paid on $0.27/h for that game. If the price went to $100/game, I would still only have paid THIRTY-NINE CENTS AN HOUR for a game like that if I eventually played it 3 times or still only $0.59/h if I just played it twice in the whole time I owned it. How can ANYONE complain about that? When I was a kid and there were the big standing consoles for a single game, you might plunk $4-6 worth of quarters into one in an hour, and that's not adjusted for inflation.
So, I'd really just like to see them make more and more great single-player titles and charge $100 for them.

Popcorn Reviews · Post by **Popcorn Reviews** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 3:58 am

Popcorn Reviews wrote: ↑
Thu May 16, 2019 1:30 am
Since I've played a few horror games with the run and hide mechanic recently, I thought I'd post my reviews of them here.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010)

Forget what I said for this one. I replayed it recently, and I now think it's outstanding!

Torgo · Post by **Torgo** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:47 pm

Wooley wrote: ↑
Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:11 pm
Blood Dragon is one of my favorite games ever.
Got to admit though, I quit on the last Wolfenstein game. Just couldn't keep me engaged and I've never loved their gameplay/mechanics.

Very late reply, but regarding Wolfenstein, I like, but don't love Wolfenstein '09 and The New Order. I haven't started playing The New Colossus, mostly because I recently completed Doom '16 and The New Order and I'd rather play an FPS made by a company other than Bethesda.
With that said, and to go along with your reply to Stu, are any other companies making decent FPS's with single-player campaigns? I tried Shadow Warrior '13, but I got bored pretty quickly.

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:10 am

Torgo wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:47 pm
Very late reply, but regarding Wolfenstein, I like, but don't love Wolfenstein '09 and The New Order. I haven't started playing The New Colossus, mostly because I recently completed Doom '16 and The New Order and I'd rather play an FPS made by a company other than Bethesda.
With that said, and to go along with your reply to Stu, are any other companies making decent FPS's with single-player campaigns? I tried Shadow Warrior '13, but I got bored pretty quickly.

Well, honestly, all of the Farcry games are among the best FPSs there are.
I personally loved Prey as a single-player, campaign, RPG, fantasy FPS. Really creative and interesting game I'm really surprised wasn't a bigger hit.
I'm sure you played DOOM, that's the most balls-to-the-wall FPS I know of.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was ok. Worth playing. Not great, but worth playing.
Man, now that you mention it, is it this hard to find good FPSs that aren't all online multiplayer anymore?
I'm gonna jump onto Rage 2 soon (I thought the first one was a lot better than its popularity), I'll let you know how that goes.

Beau · Post by **Beau** » Fri Aug 09, 2019 4:33 pm

I have so many games on my Steam backlog, but I always end up playing on my Switch.

I dumped an unreasonable amount of hours on Into the Breach. It scratched an itch I didn't know I needed scratched, and single-handedly boosted my interest in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which of course I just bought and is a completely different kind of tile-based strategy game, and in many ways is the exact opposite of Into the Breach's minimalist approach to storytelling and mechanics, but is brilliant and weird and wildly ambitious regardless. The only problem I have with Three Houses, to be honest, is that Breath of the Wild spoiled me a bit in terms of over-world exploration, and now I expect all NPCs to wake up in the morning, have schedules and varying dialogue options depending on weather conditions and the time of day, and then go to sleep at night after telling me they're walking back home and now is not a good time to chat, which of course only Breath of the Wild and a handful of other games (Majora's Mask, Ultima VII) actually bother to do, with even behemoths like The Witcher 3 defaulting to NPCs who either just stand around and do nothing or walk around in endless circles.

Macrology · Post by **Macrology** » Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:07 pm

I've been thinking about Three Houses, but god, I have so little time for video games (especially games like Fire Emblem, that require some real time investment). I also have a modest Steam backlog (5-10 games) that I've been neglecting.

All I play regularly right now is the occasional bout of Overwatch with my friends. I tried Dark Souls on the Switch, but it feels like more of a chore than I have time to bother with right now.

Beau · Post by **Beau** » Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:45 pm

Macrology wrote: ↑
Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:07 pm
I've been thinking about Three Houses, but god, I have so little time for video games (especially games like Fire Emblem, that require some real time investment). I also have a modest Steam backlog (5-10 games) that I've been neglecting.

All I play regularly right now is the occasional bout of Overwatch with my friends. I tried Dark Souls on the Switch, but it feels like more of a chore than I have time to bother with right now.

I hear you. Three House feels remarkably lean despite all the stuff it asks you to do. I think it's because every activity, even silly things like the fishing mini-game and the tea parties, all lead back into the basic pillars of the game: mechanically, how you slowly nurture your army and character stats; narratively, how you slowly get to know the protagonists and come to feel protective of them. It's kind of like Breath of the Wild in that sense: a massive game that's so single-minded that everything feels purposeful.

However, yes, the time commitment is real. Around 50 to 60 hours to beat it once, and you're supposed to beat it several times if you want to experience the full story. I've basically blocked off several months to just tackle this game and little else.

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:36 pm

I heard Breath of the Wild mentioned twice, let's talk about how it's the worst game of the generation

It's such a stupidly designed game on every level. Fuckin weapon durability, the weather system, the cooking system, the health system, the stamina system, the pointless shrines, the horrible "dungeons", and really everything about the game is a tedious slog until you finally give up and play one of the countless better actual Zelda games. It's bottom 3 Zelda along with the original and Zelda 2

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:39 pm

It's so regressive compared to Skyward Sword which, for all intents and purposes, should be what Breath of the Wild strives to be. You can marry open world with traditional Zelda gameplay in tremendous fashion, Breath of the Wild is hollow, a gutted experience

Torgo · Post by **Torgo** » Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:04 pm

To get in a fall mood, I started playing Alan Wake's American Nightmare. Like the Half-Life expansion packs, it's definitely a lite version of its predecessor, but I appreciate that it retains what makes the first game so good and that it has an entirely different location and atmosphere, i.e. a small town in Arizona that might as well have inspired the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. It also has a gotta-catch-'em-all task in collecting manuscript pages, which has an added bonus of providing some satisfying world building. It also has another awesome Old Gods of Asgard song (which I posted in the music thread).

Beau · Post by **Beau** » Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:21 am

We already talked about Breath of the Wild last year, and it wasn't a fun discussion. It mostly involved us finding no common ground whatsoever, and it didn't last long.

Bandy Greensacks · Post by **Bandy Greensacks** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:53 am

Imagine thinking Breath of the Wild is "the worst game of the generation"

My God

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 3:55 pm

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 3:56 pm

Bandy Greensacks wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:53 am
Imagine thinking Breath of the Wild is "the worst game of the generation"

My God

Imagine having fun with Breath of the Wild

MY FUCKING GOD WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 3:59 pm

One thing is for certain is that none of you are capable of explaining why this game is fun or good in any manner - it's actually impossible because you know deep down inside that you merely played through the game in it's entirety because you spent 80cad on it, not from some over encompassing sense of joy that the game delivered. You played through this shit on sense of duty and nothing more - I guarantee you did not have fun playing this

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:07 pm

The worst thing about the "rain" problem is it often just lends itself to jokes. Haha, the weather system is trash, I completely forgot how much fun I wasn't having trying to get to a location and having to wait 5-10 minutes because I can't climb up some rocks. People are just being entirely dishonest about their experience when it's all just screaming loud bad game design

Bandy Greensacks · Post by **Bandy Greensacks** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:50 pm

Did you enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2? Because that game had actual bad mission and game play design, and I've barely heard anyone say a word about it.

Smoke Bomb · Post by **Smoke Bomb** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 8:10 pm

Breath of the Wild is immaculate

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 10:10 pm

Bandy Greensacks wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:50 pm
Did you enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2? Because that game had actual bad mission and game play design, and I've barely heard anyone say a word about it.

I bought into the hype of the game and bought it day 1. I played for a few days and the way the game controlled didn't gel with that I just couldn't keep playing it and stopped playing it.

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:09 pm

Bandy Greensacks wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:50 pm
Did you enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2? Because that game had actual bad mission and game play design, and I've barely heard anyone say a word about it.

I'll be the one. That game was a beautiful clusterfuck that I eventually just had to give up on for all its problems.

Deschain13 · Post by **Deschain13** » Sat Sep 14, 2019 11:18 pm

The controls on RDR2 are a bastard. I loved the rest of it though, love Breath of the Wild too.

Currently playing Borderlands 3 which is a blast. If you like the franchise it’s more of it and really well done at that.

Kenji · Post by **Kenji** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 12:16 am

I enjoyed wandering around the world of Breath of the Wild, but I didn't really bother with or care about the main quest. I'm still on my quest to figure out what people see in Mario Odyssey.

Smoke Bomb · Post by **Smoke Bomb** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 12:33 am

Just finished off Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night which was a neat little homage to the Castlevania: SOTN though the shard system is more evocative of Aria of Sorrow.

Currently on my third play through of Sekiro and that my friends is a fucking video game

Deschain13 · Post by **Deschain13** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 12:57 am

Kenji wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 15, 2019 12:16 am
I enjoyed wandering around the world of Breath of the Wild, but I didn't really bother with or care about the main quest. I'm still on my quest to figure out what people see in Mario Odyssey.

Mario Odyssey was definitely a lot of fun, especially New Donk City and all the retro moments. It’s not a particularly deep or difficult game though.

I wanna play Bloodstained but can’t justify paying $30-40 for a 12 hour game. But I’ll definitely grab it on a sale.

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 2:45 pm

Bandy Greensacks wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 14, 2019 4:50 pm
Did you enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2? Because that game had actual bad mission and game play design, and I've barely heard anyone say a word about it.

I marginally enjoyed it, it's certainly a trillion times the game BotW is - I can forgive it's design shortcomings due to it's "skip mission" button. Like, at least I could see that one through beginning to end via it's strong for a video game narrative

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 2:50 pm

Breath of the Wild had no narrative push or pull aside from some memories and that's about it. It's a miraculously hollow game, I'd love to hear what's so immaculate about it because that's all people seem to do is tack on superlatives and call it a day

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:04 pm

You know what games keeps holding up. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. The Music is <3

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:50 pm

Borderlands 3 was fun to a point but lord the game is a poorly optimized and buggy mess, plus I pretty much broke the game with my FL4K build and can shred bosses in seconds on Mayhem 3 difficulty - there was a farming location, Chupacabratch, where I farmed the majority of legendaries so my build is about maximized. It's fun with groups of four but that's about it, got about 50 hours out of the experience. I think for all intents and purposes Borderlands 2 is a better game, we'll see how they treat DLC

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Sat Sep 21, 2019 3:22 pm

The Nameless One wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:50 pm
Borderlands 3 was fun to a point but lord the game is a poorly optimized and buggy mess, plus I pretty much broke the game with my FL4K build and can shred bosses in seconds on Mayhem 3 difficulty - there was a farming location, Chupacabratch, where I farmed the majority of legendaries so my build is about maximized. It's fun with groups of four but that's about it, got about 50 hours out of the experience. I think for all intents and purposes Borderlands 2 is a better game, we'll see how they treat DLC

Well, Borderlands was better than Borderlands 2 so, down the hatch.

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:11 pm

Wooley wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 21, 2019 3:22 pm
Well, Borderlands was better than Borderlands 2 so, down the hatch.

When's the last time you've played Borderlands 1

It's... not. At all. Not in the slightest

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Sun Sep 22, 2019 3:41 pm

The Nameless One wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:11 pm
When's the last time you've played Borderlands 1

It's... not. At all. Not in the slightest

I played it all the way through 4 or 5 times, played 2, went back and played 1 again. I prefer almost everything about it. And I like 2. I just played 2 again, it's cool, but it loses a little something from that sheer Road Warrior vibe of the first.

The Nameless One · Post by **The Nameless One** » Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:06 pm

GyncLymnaromy wrote: ↑
Tue Sep 24, 2019 9:27 am
In my opinion you commit an error. Let's discuss it.

Hahahaha, I'm using this to start all of my posts from here on out.

Torgo · Post by **Torgo** » Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:14 pm

blealkeft wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:54 am
You will not make it.

Troll King? Is that you?

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:49 am

Untitled Goose Game tho.

Torgo · Post by **Torgo** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:06 pm

Ace wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:49 am
Untitled Goose Game tho.

It's pretty awesome. I haven't played Goat Simulator, but it seems like it doesn't have much going for it beyond its ridiculous premise. I thought Goose Game was in the same boat, but I'm glad I took a chance with it because it's a deep, challenging and original puzzle game, not to mention a hilarious one.

Plus, the memes are great:

Ace · Post by **Ace** » Sun Sep 29, 2019 8:27 pm

Torgo wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 29, 2019 1:06 pm
It's pretty awesome. I haven't played Goat Simulator, but it seems like it doesn't have much going for it beyond its ridiculous premise. I thought Goose Game was in the same boat, but I'm glad I took a chance with it because it's a deep, challenging and original puzzle game, not to mention a hilarious one.

Plus, the memes are great:

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:48 am

The most important games of the 2010s

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:26 pm

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Thu Nov 07, 2019 4:08 pm

Stu wrote: ↑
Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:48 am
The most important games of the 2010s

Bioshock: Infinite

And

among the honorable mentions:

Mass Effect 2
Skyrim
Portal 2
The Last Of Us (mostly)
Fallout 4
... and possibly my favorite of them all, Until Dawn

Bandy Greensacks · Post by **Bandy Greensacks** » Thu Nov 07, 2019 9:37 pm

I think Disco Elysium is my GotY so far

Probably one of the best written RPGs ever

Smoke Bomb · Post by **Smoke Bomb** » Thu Nov 07, 2019 10:44 pm

Undertale >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Destiny

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:16 am

Oh, I started The Outer Worlds, by the way.

Deschain13 · Post by **Deschain13** » Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:01 am

Wooley wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 08, 2019 5:16 am
Oh, I started The Outer Worlds, by the way.

I’m about 3/4 of the way through. It’s very fun and very Fallout.

Wooley · Post by **Wooley** » Fri Nov 08, 2019 12:03 pm

Deschain13 wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:01 am
I’m about 3/4 of the way through. It’s very fun and very Fallout.

Glad to hear, I've felt like the mechanics were maybe a little clunky here at the beginning, but I know there are some other games I've had that with, so I'm sure it will get better.
Used all my bullets fighting what turned out to be five gorillas (including a behemoth gorilla?).

Popcorn Reviews · Post by **Popcorn Reviews** » Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:33 pm

Loved CoD 4. Factors such as how the game cycles through the perspectives of several characters (the events are presented on a large scale), how a number of missions involve different variations of combat, and how the whole affair is topped with a couple standout moments, it ensures that the game remains exciting throughout the entire campaign. I also had a lot of fun with some of the difficult stages such as the climax to the sniper flashback. The ending is pretty abrupt and the instances of infinitely respawning enemies were a bit annoying, but I really enjoyed it. I'll play a few of the other installments, but concerning the reputation the franchise gets, I'll proceed with caution.

Smoke Bomb · Post by **Smoke Bomb** » Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:07 am

Nearly finished Katana Zero and it’s been a blast, addictive and simple gameplay with surprising death, unexpectedly good story and some absolutely stellar music. Easy recommendation

Stu · Post by **Stu** » Sun Nov 24, 2019 7:18 am

The evolution of online gaming threatens extinction for the disconnected life