What are you playing?

[Bluebird Hewitt]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Another Xbox exclusive launching as a buggy mess that needs to be fixed but won't be fixed soon enough in the game's life to keep a player base going with Redfall. People are saying it's worse than the disappointment of Halo Infinite because at least that was playable and demonstrated a solid sandbox. This is apparently so buggy it's difficult to even play the way it was designed to be played.

I was looking forward to it, but I was gifted a copy of Dead Island 2 and I've been playing that with some friends and I think it's a lot of fun. I have no idea what the replay value will be like and I never played the first one, but I think it's a lot of fun.

Yeah, I've heard nothing but bad things about Redfall. I know Microsoft bought out Arkane, but surely you don't go from quality to shite in one go, unless other things have happened in the background.

[Dr. Gonzo]

9 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Yeah, I've heard nothing but bad things about Redfall. I know Microsoft bought out Arkane, but surely you don't go from quality to shite in one go, unless other things have happened in the background.

It sounds like they didn't have a consistent development team while making the game, lots of changes in people working on the game, then mass layoffs - it sounds like Xbox games was also pushing them to release before the game was ready. Sort of an absolute mess of a situation - it's a shame because it was meant to be a good new IP and I think the concept is very good... but the implementation is very poor.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

37 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It sounds like they didn't have a consistent development team while making the game, lots of changes in people working on the game, then mass layoffs - it sounds like Xbox games was also pushing them to release before the game was ready. Sort of an absolute mess of a situation - it's a shame because it was meant to be a good new IP and I think the concept is very good... but the implementation is very poor.

Ah fair enough. Always asking for trouble when there are development issues, especially with the part in bold as well.

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Ah fair enough. Always asking for trouble when there are development issues, especially with the part in bold as well.

It only hurts the game rushing things out before they should be released. But I think Microsoft's got a problem with the way it treats it's exclusives - this botched Redfall launch is just the latest example. But the last 3 Halo releases also fell far off the mark (and I liked Halo 5 a lot and to a lesser extent, I thought Halo: Infinite had a lot going for it) - they've added to them since launch, but still something about them always feels incomplete and rushed. I love the Gears of War games... and I feel the same way about the last one - it wasn't released with everything fans of the series had come to expect after years of enjoying the series.

It makes me worried about that Starfield game that Bethesda's been working on for ages now that Microsoft's bought them. In fairness, they've kept on most of the staff there and they've got an experienced dev team... and they've got the benefit of being Bethesda so a buggy launch is sort of to be expected (and some of those early day bugs are hilarious so tbh looking forward to seeing what Bethesda manages to fuck up at lauch); and the Fallout 4 launch was generally pretty solid. Idk about that MMO Fallout they released, though. But Starfield isn't going to be a multiplayer game either.

It's not every Microsoft exclusive that seems to shit the bed, Hi-Fi Rush was fun and had a great launch... but it seems to be anything high profile that isn't Forza. But it's particularly bad with the games that are sort of centred around multiplayer. It's hard to get a playerbase to stick with a game if it's released in a poor state and even if they make fixes... if they come out too slow (looking at the Halo series in particular with this), the game starts rapidly losing players. Multiplayer focused games with a small playerbase are destined for failure.

Xbox's best gaming product right now is it's GamePass service. But if the exclusives don't start to pick up in quality... they're in danger of going the same way as Netflix imo - where I now expect most Netflix exclusives to be crap and I'm genuinely surprised when I like one.

[Happy Blue]

3 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Xbox's best gaming product right now is it's GamePass service. But if the exclusives don't start to pick up in quality... they're in danger of going the same way as Netflix imo - where I now expect most Netflix exclusives to be crap and I'm genuinely surprised when I like one.

I think Starfield will be next level, they done the right thing in pushing it back and should of done the same with Redfall, only an hour into that game right now so doesn't seem too bad but expecting it too with the reviews coming out  ..Ghost of Tsushima is taking up my gaming time at the minute, only recently got a PS5 so catching up with all the games i never played as not had a Sony machine since PS2 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Happy Blue said:

I think Starfield will be next level, they done the right thing in pushing it back and should of done the same with Redfall, only an hour into that game right now so doesn't seem too bad but expecting it too with the reviews coming out  ..Ghost of Tsushima is taking up my gaming time at the minute, only recently got a PS5 so catching up with all the games i never played as not had a Sony machine since PS2 

Yeah I have really high hopes, when Bethesda get an RPG game right… they typically make a really enjoyable game.

[Happy Blue]

5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yeah I have really high hopes, when Bethesda get an RPG game right… they typically make a really enjoyable game.

I agree, best in the business at RPG's

[Mel81x+]

Diablo 4 is quite the game I have to say. I had to think a few times before getting it because its Blizzard but I figure why not and now I have played three days straight haha.

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 11/06/2023 at 20:36, Mel81x said:

Diablo 4 is quite the game I have to say. I had to think a few times before getting it because its Blizzard but I figure why not and now I have played three days straight haha.

It's great. If you played the old ones, especially 1 & 2... it really feels like it's taking me back to my childhood. I really think they've done a great job of taking the atmosphere of the 2nd game, taking some of the quality of life improvements from the 3rd game, and coming up with some new ideas to put them together for a really nice Diablo experience.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

Don't know why, but I've never really been that interested in the Diablo series.

Always heard they're very good (bar that mobile game), but never really thought about getting it.

[Dr. Gonzo]

3 hours ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Don't know why, but I've never really been that interested in the Diablo series.

Always heard they're very good (bar that mobile game), but never really thought about getting it.

I've been playing them since the first one (when I was pretty young tbh) on my uncle's computer. So for me a part of it is the nostalgia - but also for the most part they're brilliant games (I never played the mobile one though and 3 was a bit... meh). Idk if you've ever played Borderlands or if you liked that - but it's sort of like that type of game. You kill stuff, you pick up the loot they drop and level up and get a bit stronger... that helps you kill things that are harder to kill and level up some more and get better loot, which'll help you later as you kill stuff that's harder to kill. It sounds repetitive... and it is - but it's weirdly addictive. For 3 and 4 (especially 4) they've added a lot more to the "end game" scenarios than they had in the first couple of games, which sort of makes it feel less repetitive.

But I love the series tbh so I'm biased as fuck.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

16 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I've been playing them since the first one (when I was pretty young tbh) on my uncle's computer. So for me a part of it is the nostalgia - but also for the most part they're brilliant games (I never played the mobile one though and 3 was a bit... meh). Idk if you've ever played Borderlands or if you liked that - but it's sort of like that type of game. You kill stuff, you pick up the loot they drop and level up and get a bit stronger... that helps you kill things that are harder to kill and level up some more and get better loot, which'll help you later as you kill stuff that's harder to kill. It sounds repetitive... and it is - but it's weirdly addictive. For 3 and 4 (especially 4) they've added a lot more to the "end game" scenarios than they had in the first couple of games, which sort of makes it feel less repetitive.

But I love the series tbh so I'm biased as fuck.

Sounds good overall. Big question is can you fight Harry Kane? 

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 minutes ago, Bluebird Hewitt said:

Sounds good overall. Big question is can you fight Harry Kane? 

No but there's a guy in the first 3 called Cain (but he's your friend, no violence against him unfortunately)

[Tommy]

Played Rocket League for the first time in like 3 years. I forgot how much I love this game. Only played on a training server for now though, because that community was toxic as fuck last time I played competitively. As soon as you made one little mistake, your teammates would give you abuse like hell. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 01/07/2023 at 13:12, Tommy said:

Played Rocket League for the first time in like 3 years. I forgot how much I love this game. Only played on a training server for now though, because that community was toxic as fuck last time I played competitively. As soon as you made one little mistake, your teammates would give you abuse like hell. 

I loved scoring a goal in competitive games then spamming "nice save" over and over and watching people get very angry

[Tommy]

4 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I loved scoring a goal in competitive games then spamming "nice save" over and over and watching people get very angry

HOLY COW!

[Pyfish+]

Been playing a fair bit of Rocket League myself again lately whilst on my Switch.

On PC, I've been playing Valheim and Havendock mostly.

[Tommy]

Tennis Manager 2023. If you're into Tennis and Manager games, go give it a try. It's very detailed and in depth. Match engine looks very decent too. 

[OrangeKhrush]

world of guns

https://store.steampowered.com/app/262410/World_of_Guns_Gun_Disassembly/

[nudge]

Finally getting into Fallout. Started with New Vegas. Only one hour in, but I already love it.

[Bluebird Hewitt]

Getting close to finishing Like a Dragon: Ishin, aka Samurai Yakuza.

Been enjoying it in fairness, feeling both fresh (new gameplay styles of swords guns and even both at the same time, as well as fists) and familiar (substories, the characters you see, minigames, tasks etc).

Also based on real life history as well, though I don't know anything about the period in question. One to look up methinks.

Not sure what to play on after though. Probably something on the Switch, though following my playthrough of Advance Wars Reboot, I'm tempted to go back and complete Advance Wars Dark Conflict/Days of Ruin, as it's the only one I never completed.

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 06/08/2023 at 14:37, nudge said:

Finally getting into Fallout. Started with New Vegas. Only one hour in, but I already love it.

New Vegas is absolutely brilliant. It's really badly dated now, the gunplay is hilariously shit without VATS (and tbh so is the melee combat ) but it's still such an enjoyable game. Now that Microsoft owns both Bethesda & Obsidian... I'm hoping that one day a proper "New Vegas 2" sequel (I wouldn't mind the Fallout games going back to their roots with something in the New California Republic, tbh) can be made where it's a Fallout game made by Oblivion. I love Bethesda, I really do... but New Vegas & The Outer Worlds just demonstrate they're much better at making the player choices far more impactful to the story.

Fallout 4 is a much more polished game than New Vegas/Fallout 3 (both are on the same engine, which just feels so... old) and I loved/still love the game. But it did grate me a bit with how they've made a lot of the choices the player has to make: "Yes, I'll do that" "Yes, I'll do that - but I've said it like an arsehole" "Maybe I'll do that if you give me a bit more dialogue, but in the end yes I'll agree to do that" or "No, I won't do that... actually yes I will do that." Still, I ended up loving the game. It's got a good story, the factions are all pretty cool (except the minutemen, bunch of useless arseholes)

Starting with New Vegas though you're starting off with probably the best Fallout game story-wise. And the one with the most potential for each playthrough you have of the game to feel more different to the last. Great game.

[nudge]

21 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

New Vegas is absolutely brilliant. It's really badly dated now, the gunplay is hilariously shit without VATS (and tbh so is the melee combat ) but it's still such an enjoyable game. Now that Microsoft owns both Bethesda & Obsidian... I'm hoping that one day a proper "New Vegas 2" sequel (I wouldn't mind the Fallout games going back to their roots with something in the New California Republic, tbh) can be made where it's a Fallout game made by Oblivion. I love Bethesda, I really do... but New Vegas & The Outer Worlds just demonstrate they're much better at making the player choices far more impactful to the story.

Fallout 4 is a much more polished game than New Vegas/Fallout 3 (both are on the same engine, which just feels so... old) and I loved/still love the game. But it did grate me a bit with how they've made a lot of the choices the player has to make: "Yes, I'll do that" "Yes, I'll do that - but I've said it like an arsehole" "Maybe I'll do that if you give me a bit more dialogue, but in the end yes I'll agree to do that" or "No, I won't do that... actually yes I will do that." Still, I ended up loving the game. It's got a good story, the factions are all pretty cool (except the minutemen, bunch of useless arseholes)

Starting with New Vegas though you're starting off with probably the best Fallout game story-wise. And the one with the most potential for each playthrough you have of the game to feel more different to the last. Great game.

I haven't had much time to play yet, but from what I've seen already, yeah, the gunplay seems to be completely wonky. I just explain that by me being a terrible shooter though, so that's fine  In all seriousness, I am already happy just wandering around in a post-apocalyptic word with retro music playing in the background, that's extremely soothing in some weird way  But the story looks very promising, and I can't wait to get properly into it, hopefully over the weekend!
Should I get any mods to improve the game significantly?

[Dr. Gonzo]

36 minutes ago, nudge said:

I haven't had much time to play yet, but from what I've seen already, yeah, the gunplay seems to be completely wonky. I just explain that by me being a terrible shooter though, so that's fine  In all seriousness, I am already happy just wandering around in a post-apocalyptic word with retro music playing in the background, that's extremely soothing in some weird way  But the story looks very promising, and I can't wait to get properly into it, hopefully over the weekend!
Should I get any mods to improve the game significantly?

I think @Batard a long time ago got me set up with some sort of mods that improved the general stability of the game so it wouldn't crash that much - that's really the only mod I used. I can't remember what they are and I don't have the game installed on my computer anymore so I can't really help you out in that regard.

Yeah, I love the retro music of the Fallout games for some reason. It doesn't really make sense given the alternate history and the year of the "Great War" being well beyond the era of some of these music... but it does fit in with that alternate-history 50s Americana vibe the games are throwing at you really well. They do a great job building the worlds to create a very interesting theme.

Enjoy the game, I wish I could experience playing through New Vegas for the first time again.

[OrangeKhrush]

Fallout 4 with  the lost world wabbajack modded set.   I am a big fan of Wabberjack mods,  it is basically hundreds of mods compressed into a few BA2's and Bitraic compressed for smoother experiences.    The downside to Wabberjack is that you have to use all the mods the Mod itself is build off,  and most of them have a modern tactical feel,  however they run much smoother than having lots of individual mods.