What are you playing?

[Mel81x+]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I've been playing shitloads of the Escape mode in Gears and I absolutely fucking love it.

Im almost done with the campaign and I think its a real solid game. I like that they kept the core mechanics intact to the point where I haven't ever felt like I have to overthink a situation. I do wish it was a bit harder though. Some of the cinematic work in Act 2 is gorgeous. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

Just now, Mel81x said:

Im almost done with the campaign and I think its a real solid game. I like that they kept the core mechanics intact to the point where I haven't ever felt like I have to overthink a situation. I do wish it was a bit harder though. Some of the cinematic work in Act 2 is gorgeous. 

Yeah I agree about the difficulty. Gears games have never felt very challenging though unless you blast the difficulty way up and then the AI is all of a sudden infallible with it's aiming. I liked the campaign a lot though and I'm also having fun with the multiplayer, which kind of reminds me of being a kid so that's fun.

[Mel81x+]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yeah I agree about the difficulty. Gears games have never felt very challenging though unless you blast the difficulty way up and then the AI is all of a sudden infallible with it's aiming. I liked the campaign a lot though and I'm also having fun with the multiplayer, which kind of reminds me of being a kid so that's fun.

You playing it on XBox? I was very tempted to crack it and get one but I am glad they have a PC option as I feel a bit more comfortable with a mouse and keyboard for this one. The only time I ever feel like I have to be a bit of an octopus is when I am trying to get Jack to do things while I am trying to also plot other stuff, even with keyboard mapping its a bit tedious but as I said before I am having fun with it and the fact that its so gung-ho is quite nice really.

[Dr. Gonzo]

2 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

You playing it on XBox? I was very tempted to crack it and get one but I am glad they have a PC option as I feel a bit more comfortable with a mouse and keyboard for this one. The only time I ever feel like I have to be a bit of an octopus is when I am trying to get Jack to do things while I am trying to also plot other stuff, even with keyboard mapping its a bit tedious but as I said before I am having fun with it and the fact that its so gung-ho is quite nice really.

Yeah, I don't think my computer (well maybe my work computer can actually) could handle Gears games or anything. I've also played every Gears game with a controller... so I imagine I'd be playing it on PC with a controller as well. Although I bet aiming is much fucking easier on a PC because aiming is always much easier on a PC.

[Mel81x+]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yeah, I don't think my computer (well maybe my work computer can actually) could handle Gears games or anything. I've also played every Gears game with a controller... so I imagine I'd be playing it on PC with a controller as well. Although I bet aiming is much fucking easier on a PC because aiming is always much easier on a PC.

Aiming is certainly easier just because you can set the DPI to your preference (pretty much like the controller sensitivity) but the freedom of the whole hand moving is definitely a plus. I think controllers trump a keyboard though just for pure layout when you want utility playing just because movement feels more natural to me that way rather than the WASD configuration on a keyboard especially for third-person shooters like Gears. Plus holding the shoulder button with thumb movement on the stick is so much easier as both hands are engaged versus just one on the keyboard when you have to literally stretch haha. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, Mel81x said:

Aiming is certainly easier just because you can set the DPI to your preference (pretty much like the controller sensitivity) but the freedom of the whole hand moving is definitely a plus. I think controllers trump a keyboard though just for pure layout when you want utility playing just because movement feels more natural to me that way rather than the WASD configuration on a keyboard especially for third-person shooters like Gears. Plus holding the shoulder button with thumb movement on the stick is so much easier as both hands are engaged versus just one on the keyboard when you have to literally stretch haha. 

Yeah I have no idea how Gears is even laid out on a keyboard, I just assumed WASD would be movement... but I don't know what you'd be using for switching weapons or that button where you... pretty much do all of the actions you can make your character to - which is defaulted to A on the controller (but I use "tournament mode" so it's on LB... which lets me bounce around from cover to cover while still having my thumbs on the sticks so I can aim and stuff - that's mostly for the wallbouncing in multiplayer though). So I have no idea how you'd even stretch for those buttons haha (like the active reload button, which is pretty critical in any Gears game).

But playing these games for the last odd... however the fuck long it's been since the first one... I can't imagine playing them without a controller.

[Mel81x+]

Finished Gears 5. Have to say I think its a good gung-ho shooter which stuck to its mechanical roots but I think the best part of this game is more on the multi-player side and not the campaign. If i had to pick between Control and Gears I would still recommend Control just because its fresher and the story-telling is a lot better.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Mel81x

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 10/10/2019 at 00:44, Mel81x said:

Finished Gears 5. Have to say I think its a good gung-ho shooter which stuck to its mechanical roots but I think the best part of this game is more on the multi-player side and not the campaign. If i had to pick between Control and Gears I would still recommend Control just because its fresher and the story-telling is a lot better.

Yeah - I mean I've always liked the Gears campaigns and story... but the real value in the games is in the multiplayer.

I'll have to check out Control at some point. Right now I'm very very tempted to get Borderlands 3... but I also don't really know if I should. Especially as The Outer Worlds is coming out on October 25... and that looks right up my alley.

[Mel81x+]

Over the past few weeks I have been playing more overwatch and then some other games like DOTA (which I had left for so long that coming back felt weird). I happened to visit a friend who is into CounterStrike and got a look at a very odd monitor made by BENQ which has a 240Hz refresh rate. I could tell there was something weird about it just by the way the mouse moved in Windows but then he told me to take a spin and it felt very different. Anyways, I tried a few rounds and really liked how my tracking seemed to be getting better so I went out and got one. 

I'll only say this to anyone that has never gone above 60Hz. Once you go above it you'll never got back down. Granted its not the best for color reproduction or anything involving ultra clarity but my lord does it makes things seem smoother.

https://zowie.benq.com/en/product/monitor/xl/xl2546.html

It's not a expensive monitor really and it offers DyAC which helps if you want to play online and play a lot of FPS games. 

[nudge]

Have been playing Jade Empire as per @Dr. Gonzo's recommendation. Have really really enjoyed it so far - and I'm only in the Chapter Two haha. The story line, the setting, the music and the characters are superb. I also like the real time combat system a lot; definitely prefer it to the one used in KOTOR. Didn't expect that much depth from the game world; love how it's based on "oriental" mythology too.

[nudge]

Nooooooooo! I completed Jade Empire already  

It's actually one of the very few games that I actually managed to finish; I usually abandon most of them after a while as it fails to hold my interest. But this one was a completely different case... Everything about it was perfect to me - the story, the gameplay, the combat, the dialogues, even the side quests (I know I said most of that already in my previous post but that's just how much I loved it haha). i love how easy it is to get into and there's no steep learning curve so it's easy for a casual gamer like me to just chill and enjoy it. The whole mythological angle as well as bits and pieces of eastern philosophy & teachings woven into the story were particularly great and the setting made the game pretty unique I think (but then I'm a sucker for East Asian mythology and culture). Seriously this was probably the first game where I got really emotionally invested in the story and actually cared for the characters from the start until the very end. Also Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom must be the best side character ever  

The only negative - it's too short  Took me 16 hours to complete the game (I definitely missed some side quests though as the necropolis with it's ghosts annoyed me a bit and I was excited for the main story to progress) and the ending felt a bit rushed so I'd say that the pacing is a bit off. I also suspect that for some the game might be too easy (many ways to "break" the game by using certain styles in combat) but I personally like it that way because I want to enjoy the story instead of getting frustrated at failing missions and losing fights again and again  But that's just minor flaws really anyway. The major problem - now I want more  And now I also realised that were was never a sequel or a reboot made 

Easily one of my personal favourites now. Actually on the top of my hypothetical list of my favourite games ever; I even liked it more than both KOTOR games. Really happy I asked @Dr. Gonzo for recommendation and even happier he came up with it  but now I have a new problem - I want something similar...

 

[Mel81x+]

2 hours ago, nudge said:

Nooooooooo! I completed Jade Empire already  

It's actually one of the very few games that I actually managed to finish; I usually abandon most of them after a while as it fails to hold my interest. But this one was a completely different case... Everything about it was perfect to me - the story, the gameplay, the combat, the dialogues, even the side quests (I know I said most of that already in my previous post but that's just how much I loved it haha). i love how easy it is to get into and there's no steep learning curve so it's easy for a casual gamer like me to just chill and enjoy it. The whole mythological angle as well as bits and pieces of eastern philosophy & teachings woven into the story were particularly great and the setting made the game pretty unique I think (but then I'm a sucker for East Asian mythology and culture). Seriously this was probably the first game where I got really emotionally invested in the story and actually cared for the characters from the start until the very end. Also Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom must be the best side character ever  

The only negative - it's too short  Took me 16 hours to complete the game (I definitely missed some side quests though as the necropolis with it's ghosts annoyed me a bit and I was excited for the main story to progress) and the ending felt a bit rushed so I'd say that the pacing is a bit off. I also suspect that for some the game might be too easy (many ways to "break" the game by using certain styles in combat) but I personally like it that way because I want to enjoy the story instead of getting frustrated at failing missions and losing fights again and again  But that's just minor flaws really anyway. The major problem - now I want more  And now I also realised that were was never a sequel or a reboot made 

Easily one of my personal favourites now. Actually on the top of my hypothetical list of my favourite games ever; I even liked it more than both KOTOR games. Really happy I asked @Dr. Gonzo for recommendation and even happier he came up with it  but now I have a new problem - I want something similar...

 

If you can wait 12 days theres this little Star Wars gaming out 

[Dr. Gonzo]

15 hours ago, nudge said:

Nooooooooo! I completed Jade Empire already  

It's actually one of the very few games that I actually managed to finish; I usually abandon most of them after a while as it fails to hold my interest. But this one was a completely different case... Everything about it was perfect to me - the story, the gameplay, the combat, the dialogues, even the side quests (I know I said most of that already in my previous post but that's just how much I loved it haha). i love how easy it is to get into and there's no steep learning curve so it's easy for a casual gamer like me to just chill and enjoy it. The whole mythological angle as well as bits and pieces of eastern philosophy & teachings woven into the story were particularly great and the setting made the game pretty unique I think (but then I'm a sucker for East Asian mythology and culture). Seriously this was probably the first game where I got really emotionally invested in the story and actually cared for the characters from the start until the very end. Also Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom must be the best side character ever  

The only negative - it's too short  Took me 16 hours to complete the game (I definitely missed some side quests though as the necropolis with it's ghosts annoyed me a bit and I was excited for the main story to progress) and the ending felt a bit rushed so I'd say that the pacing is a bit off. I also suspect that for some the game might be too easy (many ways to "break" the game by using certain styles in combat) but I personally like it that way because I want to enjoy the story instead of getting frustrated at failing missions and losing fights again and again  But that's just minor flaws really anyway. The major problem - now I want more  And now I also realised that were was never a sequel or a reboot made 

Easily one of my personal favourites now. Actually on the top of my hypothetical list of my favourite games ever; I even liked it more than both KOTOR games. Really happy I asked @Dr. Gonzo for recommendation and even happier he came up with it  but now I have a new problem - I want something similar...

 

Other than KOTOR 1 & 2 (without suggesting shite that's super heavy on fantasy elements), I don't know if I can suggest anything that's similar. But here's a few good games that aren't taxing on any computer.

1.) Papers, Please - you play the role of a customs agent checking passports. It sounds stupid, but it's a great game.

2.) Fallout 1/2 - these are more similar to Jade Empire in that they're RPGs; but that's about where the similarity ends. They're not easy games and they're VERY dated lol, but once you figure out wtf is going on - quality games.

3.) The Baldurs Gate games - classic RPGs. Warning: fantasy elements present.

[Mel81x+]

Finished this on my Switch today. Good puzzle game and its very cheap on Steam right now if anyone wants to go get it.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

11 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Finished this on my Switch today. Good puzzle game and its very cheap on Steam right now if anyone wants to go get it.

A mate of mine has it and also said it's very good. Unfortunately, I've got assignments to do for work so haven't got a lot of time at present. 

[Panflute]

On 31/10/2019 at 02:28, nudge said:

Nooooooooo! I completed Jade Empire already  

It's actually one of the very few games that I actually managed to finish; I usually abandon most of them after a while as it fails to hold my interest. But this one was a completely different case... Everything about it was perfect to me - the story, the gameplay, the combat, the dialogues, even the side quests (I know I said most of that already in my previous post but that's just how much I loved it haha). i love how easy it is to get into and there's no steep learning curve so it's easy for a casual gamer like me to just chill and enjoy it. The whole mythological angle as well as bits and pieces of eastern philosophy & teachings woven into the story were particularly great and the setting made the game pretty unique I think (but then I'm a sucker for East Asian mythology and culture). Seriously this was probably the first game where I got really emotionally invested in the story and actually cared for the characters from the start until the very end. Also Sir Roderick Ponce Von Fontlebottom must be the best side character ever  

The only negative - it's too short  Took me 16 hours to complete the game (I definitely missed some side quests though as the necropolis with it's ghosts annoyed me a bit and I was excited for the main story to progress) and the ending felt a bit rushed so I'd say that the pacing is a bit off. I also suspect that for some the game might be too easy (many ways to "break" the game by using certain styles in combat) but I personally like it that way because I want to enjoy the story instead of getting frustrated at failing missions and losing fights again and again  But that's just minor flaws really anyway. The major problem - now I want more  And now I also realised that were was never a sequel or a reboot made 

Easily one of my personal favourites now. Actually on the top of my hypothetical list of my favourite games ever; I even liked it more than both KOTOR games. Really happy I asked @Dr. Gonzo for recommendation and even happier he came up with it  but now I have a new problem - I want something similar...

 

The Mass Effect trilogy!

It's a sci-fi RPG by the same developers that they actually made because they wanted to create another game like KOTOR, but with their own setting/universe instead of a licensed one.

What makes it special is that it was always intended to be developed as a trilogy, so there is a lot of careful pacing to the narrative, and many of the choices you make in the first game will follow you all the way into the third game. Mass Effect 1 takes a little while to get used to as it's a bit dated by now, and they're still experimenting with the gameplay a bit. Mass Effect 2 is considered a classic by many, as it has the most interesting characters and story, with Mass Effect 3 being more divisive due to some story aspects, but still offering the best gameplay of the trilogy.

The only issue is that I don't know which games you can run, but Mass Effect 1 should be fairly forgiveable as it's from 2007 (with the other games being from 2010 and 2012 respectively). But if you can give it a shot, definitely do so as it's probably my single favorite gaming experience, and you already like other games by that developer.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Panflute

[nudge]

6 hours ago, Panflute said:

The Mass Effect trilogy!

It's a sci-fi RPG by the same developers that they actually made because they wanted to create another game like KOTOR, but with their own setting/universe instead of a licensed one.

What makes it special is that it was always intended to be developed as a trilogy, so there is a lot of careful pacing to the narrative, and many of the choices you make in the first game will follow you all the way into the third game. Mass Effect 1 takes a little while to get used to as it's a bit dated by now, and they're still experimenting with the gameplay a bit. Mass Effect 2 is considered a classic by many, as it has the most interesting characters and story, with Mass Effect 3 being more divisive due to some story aspects, but still offering the best gameplay of the trilogy.

The only issue is that I don't know which games you can run, but Mass Effect 1 should be fairly forgiveable as it's from 2007 (with the other games being from 2010 and 2012 respectively). But if you can give it a shot, definitely do so as it's probably my single favorite gaming experience, and you already like other games by that developer.

Cheers for that; looks good! Will give it a go later tonight  

Running them shouldn't be much of a problem... It's an old laptop but the specs are decent and I can run most of the games up until 2014-2015  without running into an issue and many even newer games are totally playable. I'll start with the first one anyway and see how I like it! Thanks!

[Panflute]

2 hours ago, nudge said:

Cheers for that; looks good! Will give it a go later tonight  

Running them shouldn't be much of a problem... It's an old laptop but the specs are decent and I can run most of the games up until 2014-2015  without running into an issue and many even newer games are totally playable. I'll start with the first one anyway and see how I like it! Thanks!

As said, the gameplay of the first one takes a while to get used to as it is rather dated and experimental, but the pay-off will be there in the end. The first game isn't that long either at about 15 hours if you take it slowly, with the sequels clocking in at about 25 hours each. Hope you enjoy them!

[Azeem]

Microsoft announced the release date for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, March 2020. I've been waiting for it, loved the first part the blind forest 

 

[nudge]

Have been playing Planetbase for the past few days; not sure how it slipped off my radar given that it was released almost four years ago but I'm glad I discovered it accidentally now. A space colony building/management game by Madruga Works with some survival elements.

I'm quite enjoying it.

[Mpache]

Phantasy Star. I'm playing through all 4 games. Currently on the first one. I got it on the Switch which is a much easier version of the game, but I only did it because I don't have a Master System. The other 3 I will play on my Genesis.

Heard it of? @Mel81x

Edited January 13, 2020 by Vader

[Mel81x+]

1 hour ago, Vader said:

Phantasy Star. I'm playing through all 4 games. Currently on the first one. I got it on the Switch which is a much easier version of the game, but I only did it because I don't have a Master System. The other 3 I will play on my Genesis.

Heard it of? @Mel81x

Yes I have. Played it ages ago and I was tempted to get the new one for the Switch but then there were other titles I was more interested in playing this year.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

Haven't played much over Christmas due to holiday, feeling crappy and assignment work. Hoping to get back onto Pokémon Sword soon though, especially as this year is going to be ridiculous for games methinks. 

[Pyfish+]

Got Xbox Game Pass Unlimited or whatever it's called for £1 so I'm just downloading PES which is included in it! Great deal. I'm a FIFA guy myself but the chance to try PES for 'free' is not one I'm going to pass up.

[nudge]

Got The Scroll of Taiwu today... https://store.steampowered.com/app/838350/_The_Scroll_Of_Taiwu/

A Chinese indie open world sandbox RPG where you essentially build up a martial arts clan over generations to try and save the world.; currently in early access and the English translation is in the works but there's an unofficial English mod already so I've downloaded that and while the translation is definitely not perfect, it'll do for now. Just finished the tutorial and started my first save; currently trying to wrap my head around it. Looks very unique, innovative and complex; includes not only regular stuff like battling, crafting, resource gathering, but there are also a lot of other unusual game mechanics. The degree of freedom is mind boggling.

@Mel81x @Dr. Gonzo have you heard about it?