What are ya playing?

[Ivory_Soul]

I kinda wanna return Mass Effect: Andromeda and get my $79 back... put it toward something else. :/

I was playing last night, playing the first story mission (the desert planet Eos, where you unlock the Mako and meet new squad members) and honestly, I was just feeling really bored. On top of that, I was experiencing some really annoying bugs, e.g. enemies stuck in walls, being able to shoot me but I couldn't shoot them. Bodies randomly being flung up to the sky, like they were being hit by giants from Skyrim, and an anti-climatic boss fight that was easily defeated (if taking a long time) because he could barely figure out where he was going. That last part isn't so much a "bug", just crappy AI.

I know it's too early in the game to judge and that I'm probably being impatient, but when I played the original Mass Effect trilogy, it at least held my engagement almost right away. The original trilogy also felt so much more polished... honestly, I don't recall a single "bug" in the original trilogy.

I guess I should hold off. I've got over a week to go until I'm supposed to return it for a full refund, so I may as well utilize that week. I really want to enjoy this game. :/

It might be too early to say, but I'm already predicting that Andromeda might be my "Most Disappointing Game" of 2017. Last year it was No Man's Sky, year before that it was Batman: Arkham Knight.

Whoa, Arkham Knight? I don't know why you found it so disappointing but there were worse games for 2015 like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 was mine for that year. You also had The Order, Hatred, Star War Battlefront and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour that were much much worse.

But you have to play them in order for them to be your most disappointing. I enjoyed Arkham Knight overall, but I still found it disappointing. Same with MGS V. Fantastic games, but disappointing because in both cases they lacked something previous titles in the series had: good boss battles. The only real boss battle in Arkham Knight was the end Riddler fight, since anything else that could be counted as one required the Batmobile.

I did play them in order, I bought each one the day they came out. Arkham Origins is the disappointing one as I struggle to get through it. It's way too much like Arkham City. I will admit, AC is the best of the series, but I loved Knight's visuals, improved combat system, and better gameplay. Yes, the boss battles were a letdown, but it was a small facet of a larger game.The Batmobile missions actually hurt the game quite a bit and I hated them, but it was a fantastic game to me. I also played it on PC when I got my GTX 970 (came with it) and didn't have nearly as many issues as most people did. I got around 45 FPS during the whole play through and it only dropped occasionally. I actually want to go back through that game with my new GTX 1070 FE OC and finish everything. I actually gave the game a 9/10 on my site. The Arkham series is one of my favorite franchises from the last generation.

MGSV is a game I want to get into, but I started it twice and just couldn't do it. MGS is a hard game to like. I played and finished MGS 2, 3, and 4, but the first and fifth game are hard to play for me.

 

[COMaestro]

I did play them in order...

You misunderstood me. I meant that one had to play the other games you had mentioned in order to find them a disappointment. I hadn't played any of them (Tony Hawk, The Order, etc.), so I could not be disappointed by them. Craig may be the same. I can only be disappointed by the games I did play, such as Arkham Knight and MGS V, even if I did enjoy them they were not as good as I had hoped they would be.

That being said, totally agree about the Arkham series being one of the best franchises from the last generation. Or even just one of the best franchises, period.

 

[Master_Craig]

Whoa, Arkham Knight? I don't know why you found it so disappointing but there were worse games for 2015 like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 was mine for that year. You also had The Order, Hatred, Star War Battlefront and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour that were much much worse.

I guess the reason why Batman: Arkham Knight was so disappointing for me, was because of the hype I had for it. Yes, I fell for the typical "hype train", but I absolutely love the Batman: Arkham games. Arkham Origins, while having a good narrative, felt like a re-skin of Arkham City and thus, was a disappointing experience... but to be fair, it wasn't developed by Rocksteady. So when it was announced that Batman was bringing out a sequel that was not only "next-gen" but also developed by Rocksteady, I was head over heels excited.

Batman: Arkham Knight was not a bad game by any means. It's just not the game I wanted. I didn't really like the story (especially the super vague bonus ending, as well as the reveal of who the Arkham Knight was), I felt there was a lot of missed opportunities such as challenge maps/modes, there was way too much Batmobile (which wasn't nearly as fun as I had hoped for, and Goddammit the secret final fight sucked) and then most of the DLC, especially with the overly expensive season pass, just wasn't worth it, at all.

Like I said, Batman: Arkham Knight was by no means a "bad game" as I did have fun playing it for the most part (with the exception of the Batmobile) but for me, I was so excited by it that in the end, I just felt really disappointed.

I noticed Ivory_Soul that you mentioned you couldn't get into Metal Gear Solid V. I don't blame you. MGSV in my opinion is overrated and is unfortunately another disappointing title, considering I've played/finished all the main MGS games over the years.

 

[Ivory_Soul]

Yeah, it's one of those franchises like Zelda that just gets automatic 10's no matter what. Even if it's bad or not so great people have so much wishful thinking in their reviews or they rely too much on nostalgia and they get 10's. There have been bad to mediocre Zelda games in the past as well as MGS games. MGSV just seemed like it was trying to move forward into the future (modern controls, open areas) but the gameplay was stuck in the past and it was just too damn slow for me. Slogging through large open areas just doesn't feel fun. That type of gameplay is designed for linear levels like past games. This is why Splinter Cell never took the open area route as it would be a chore to play through.

The story is so god damned convoluted that I just can't pay attention anymore. I barely remember MGS 2-4 and even while I was playing it I had to look stuff up online and you shouldn't have to do that with a game. Look at The Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect. MASSIVE amounts of lore and mythology and it's all explained well right within the game. It's part of the reason why Japanese games are going by the wayside.

They're stuck in the past, it's part of their culture, and they have a hard time grasping modern concepts in gaming. JRPGs STILL haven't caught up to Western RPGs with FF15 being the closest we've ever gotten. Their games are archaic in comparison but people gobble them up for nostalgia's sake. There are more low rated Japanese titles than Western. They just come FLOODING in because this generation is so expensive to develop for that they stick to old and past ways so they can pump out games.

You get the rare occasional Japanese game that makes waves like Bayonetta, Nier Automata, FF15, Persona 5, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel vs Capcom etc. These games come a couple of times a decade and causes all other Japanese developers to shift focus only to ruin it and drive it into the dirt.

 

[Longo_2_guns]

Persona 5 is incredible. I'm not a fan of Anime yet I'm completely consumed by its balance of social elements, combat, and story. I don't care much for its anime cutscenes, but the gameplay makes up for it IMO.

You should try out the other SMT games. They don't have social links (other than Persona 3 and 4) but the gameplay in all of them is top tier.
Though they're far more gameplay/dungeon centric than the Persona series.

 

[Green_Lantern]

It's BS I leave on a couple day business trip the day P5 comes out.

 

[Sourdeez]

Just finished Mass Effect Andromeda with around 45 hours of playtime. I manged to complete every quest and fully finish the game in that amount of time.

I actually enjoyed it a good bit but it is kind of one of those be careful what you wish for situations. People complained the other mass effects weren't open world and as much of an RPG as the first game. So the new game feels a bit padded.

The mobility in the game is awesome and the worlds feel like they are as big as US states.

The graphics are the highlight of the game to me and I will definitely be replaying this game when I upgrade my monitor to a higher resolution, refresh rate, or ultra wide. For the most part the game was optimized other than on the ship.

Depth of Field is way overused and motion blur is applied to the whole screen making the DOF look even worse. DOF can't be turned off but luckily motion blur can.
press ` and enter WorldRender.MotionBlurEnable 0
It was surprising to see just how much motion blur was being applied to the whole scene even while stationary.

I didn't pay for the game as I am using my girlfriends Origin account but at least from a free game aspect I think the game was good enough. There are a few moments here and there that biowared pandered to SJWs (like the asinine asari pronoun conversation in the museum) and the love relationships can be really lacking.

In the end I loved the graphics but I think Mass Effect 2 is still my favorite out of the series. It felt really streamlined which I know some hated.

 

[COMaestro]

Yeah, it's one of those franchises like Zelda that just gets automatic 10's no matter what. Even if it's bad or not so great people have so much wishful thinking in their reviews or they rely too much on nostalgia and they get 10's. There have been bad to mediocre Zelda games in the past as well as MGS games. MGSV just seemed like it was trying to move forward into the future (modern controls, open areas) but the gameplay was stuck in the past and it was just too damn slow for me. Slogging through large open areas just doesn't feel fun. That type of gameplay is designed for linear levels like past games. This is why Splinter Cell never took the open area route as it would be a chore to play through.

The story is so god damned convoluted that I just can't pay attention anymore. I barely remember MGS 2-4 and even while I was playing it I had to look stuff up online and you shouldn't have to do that with a game. Look at The Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect. MASSIVE amounts of lore and mythology and it's all explained well right within the game. It's part of the reason why Japanese games are going by the wayside.

They're stuck in the past, it's part of their culture, and they have a hard time grasping modern concepts in gaming. JRPGs STILL haven't caught up to Western RPGs with FF15 being the closest we've ever gotten. Their games are archaic in comparison but people gobble them up for nostalgia's sake. There are more low rated Japanese titles than Western. They just come FLOODING in because this generation is so expensive to develop for that they stick to old and past ways so they can pump out games.

You get the rare occasional Japanese game that makes waves like Bayonetta, Nier Automata, FF15, Persona 5, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel vs Capcom etc. These games come a couple of times a decade and causes all other Japanese developers to shift focus only to ruin it and drive it into the dirt.

Don't forget the entire Souls franchise. That's a Japanese developer as well.

 

[Jonathan_Leack]

Just finished Mass Effect Andromeda with around 45 hours of playtime. I manged to complete every quest and fully finish the game in that amount of time.

I actually enjoyed it a good bit but it is kind of one of those be careful what you wish for situations. People complained the other mass effects weren't open world and as much of an RPG as the first game. So the new game feels a bit padded.

The mobility in the game is awesome and the worlds feel like they are as big as US states.

The graphics are the highlight of the game to me and I will definitely be replaying this game when I upgrade my monitor to a higher resolution, refresh rate, or ultra wide. For the most part the game was optimized other than on the ship.

Depth of Field is way overused and motion blur is applied to the whole screen making the DOF look even worse. DOF can't be turned off but luckily motion blur can.
press ` and enter WorldRender.MotionBlurEnable 0
It was surprising to see just how much motion blur was being applied to the whole scene even while stationary.

I didn't pay for the game as I am using my girlfriends Origin account but at least from a free game aspect I think the game was good enough. There are a few moments here and there that biowared pandered to SJWs (like the asinine asari pronoun conversation in the museum) and the love relationships can be really lacking.

In the end I loved the graphics but I think Mass Effect 2 is still my favorite out of the series. It felt really streamlined which I know some hated.

I also happened to like Mass Effect: Andromeda, even though I wasn't expecting to at all after the pre-release hyperbolic hate train. Maybe it's because I was playing as an Infiltrator sniper, which works incredibly well in the context of the game design. Every time I tried playing as another class I had far less fun.

Playing it maxed out on PC also helped, because the game is absolutely gorgeous. I was taking screenshots every few minutes—I couldn't help myself.

The story did have some apparent weaknesses, and the performances by the game's cast were abysmal. But even then I had a great time.

Certainly a divisive game.

 

[Sourdeez]

I definitely agreed with the review score you gave the PC version. 4/5

 

[Master_Craig]

I'm slowly getting into Andromeda. I was playing last night and I believe I've finished Eos, I think... but I was actually enjoying it and during particular segments, the animations weren't that bad. As Jonathan noted, the beginning of the game is quite slow but it does get better.

It does feel disjointed that my character wears a helmet in-game, then suddenly in cut scenes, is no longer wearing said helmet.

Apparently, Bioware is releasing a patch today (or tomorrow for Australia) that will fix a lot of the game play bugs, animation, voice over synchronization etc. I'm really looking forward to this update.

Maybe I'll keep this game after all?

 

[used44]

I'm a huge ME fan but I've been busy with other things, so I'm glad to hear there's a chance that it will be patched into a better place by the time I play it.

 

[sli]

Just bought Destiny The Collection after being baited by Destiny 2 announcement (it was very cheap though, so nothing to lose!). Enjoying the shooting (why can't you turn off auto aim?), looting, and upgrading. Went with Titan since punching to glory is cool. Mostly see lots of level 40s running around, so so far everything is solo, apart from chancing on some fellas doing open world encounters and joined one similarly low-leveled guy who was running the first strike solo before I barged in. More fun non-solo for sure, but right now I'm in the Journey mindset - perhaps I'll bump into somebody, but probably not. Might try Crucible tonight, but not sure my connection is fast enough (wifi from smartphone running touted 4G)!

EDIT: well, I've just created a TW Late to the Party group/clan [LATE] to see if anybody will join... not very hopeful since my play sessions will be GMT+8 in the evenings and on weekends.

 

[De-Ting]

I'd play it with you and help you learn all the ins and outs, but I swore off it, man. If you get Destiny 2, we can play together.

 

[Ivory_Soul]

Just bought Destiny The Collection after being baited by Destiny 2 announcement (it was very cheap though, so nothing to lose!). Enjoying the shooting (why can't you turn off auto aim?), looting, and upgrading. Went with Titan since punching to glory is cool. Mostly see lots of level 40s running around, so so far everything is solo, apart from chancing on some fellas doing open world encounters and joined one similarly low-leveled guy who was running the first strike solo before I barged in. More fun non-solo for sure, but right now I'm in the Journey mindset - perhaps I'll bump into somebody, but probably not. Might try Crucible tonight, but not sure my connection is fast enough (wifi from smartphone running touted 4G)!

EDIT: well, I've just created a TW Late to the Party group/clan [LATE] to see if anybody will join... not very hopeful since my play sessions will be GMT+8 in the evenings and on weekends.

I stopped playing after I finished the base game. It just felt so mediocre, but I hear after The Taken King was released it became a very solid game. I'm debating whether to pick up the collection as well because it's like $30 now, or if I should just wait for Destiny 2 for PC.

 

[sli]

I'd play it with you and help you learn all the ins and outs, but I swore off it, man. If you get Destiny 2, we can play together.

Shooting stuff is self-explanatory, but the game structure is never explained, and most of the multiplayer stuff and all the different currency/upgrape/cosmetics aren't explained. And of course this late in the update cycle everybody else is at more or less max level.

Let's meet in Destiny 2 then! I can see no reason it'll be a flop from what I've played so far in ver 1.32.

I stopped playing after I finished the base game. It just felt so mediocre, but I hear after The Taken King was released it became a very solid game. I'm debating whether to pick up the collection as well because it's like $30 now, or if I should just wait for Destiny 2 for PC.

I think I've only reached the beginning of the first expansion, so probably still quite a bit off from The Taken King. Shooting and mechanics are very solid (apart from inability to turn off auto aim), and progression (loot drops for gun and gear upgrades) comes at a steady and satisfying pace. So far story is taking a back seat, but it's not going to change the fact I'm playing this for shooting stuff and hoping for loot. I'd say it's an above average shooter with very cool gun/gear/ship designs. Right now I can't see Destiny 2 being anywhere near a flop.

I bought The Collection on disc for less than 20USD equivalent here in Taiwan; the shop said they want to clear out stock now that 2 had been announced. Also came with bonus sparrow and rocket launcher DLC code, as well as 14 day free PS Plus trial.

 

[MattAY]

Playing Infamous Second Son - it's quite fun once you get a few more powers! Neon is awesome!
Open world stuff can be a little dull but it's not terrible

Who has Persona 5?

I've never played a Persona game, and really want to know what it's like!

 

[Ivory_Soul]

Playing Infamous Second Son - it's quite fun once you get a few more powers! Neon is awesome!
Open world stuff can be a little dull but it's not terrible

Who has Persona 5?

I've never played a Persona game, and really want to know what it's like!

I couldn't get into Infamous. I tried the first game and the characters and setting were just so dull to me. I tried every game and put a few hours in and never went back.

I'm curious about Persona 5 as well. My issue is that the series is too hard for me. I've tried Persona 3 and 4 multiple times and just got stuck because I couldn't progress. Is Persona 5 like this anyone?

 

[sli]

Who has Persona 5?

I've never played a Persona game, and really want to know what it's like!

First of all you need to like Japan and anime, especially since P3 and P4. The Japanese commonly cite their highschool years as the best of their lives, so that's why you see tons of anime and light novels in that basic setting.

Gameplay-wise I'd say it's half management (time/activities and personas (personae?)) and half dungeon crawling/turn-based menu command battles. While the battle system isn't complex at all, it strangely doesn't really get boring. The main addiction is the daytime activities in my opinion.

I'm curious about Persona 5 as well. My issue is that the series is too hard for me. I've tried Persona 3 and 4 multiple times and just got stuck because I couldn't progress. Is Persona 5 like this anyone?

I've only played P4 on the Vita, and don't remember it being hard. I kept infusing crap monsters into the same one with good skills quite early on, and honestly it felt a bit overpowered. However, sometimes you just need to get lucky with bosses, since their attacks seem to be random, so sometimes you just get hit with super-unfavourable combos and you die instantly.

[Edited for typos]

 

[Ivory_Soul]

Who has Persona 5?

I've never played a Persona game, and really want to know what it's like!

First of all you need to like Japan and anime, especially since P3 and P4. The Japanese commonly cite their highschool years as the best of their lives, so that's why you see tons of anime and light novels in that basic setting.

Gameplay-wise I'd say it's half management (time/activities and personas (personae?)) and half dungeon crawling/turn-based menu command battles. While the battle system isn't complex at all, it strangely doesn't really get boring. The main addiction is the daytime activities in my opinion.

I'm curious about Persona 5 as well. My issue is that the series is too hard for me. I've tried Persona 3 and 4 multiple times and just got stuck because I couldn't progress. Is Persona 5 like this anyone?

I've only played P4 on the Vita, and don't remember it being hard. I kept infusing crap monsters into the same one with good skills quite early on, and honestly it felt a bit overpowered. However, sometimes you just need to get lucky with bosses, since their attacks seem to be random, so sometimes you just get hit with super-unfavourable combos and you die instantly.

[Edited for typos]

Thanks for some insight, but please don't say you need to like Japan and Anime. That's a little cringy, and insensitive to their culture. Most things in anime and manga are over exaggerations of their everyday lives and nostalgia. Saying you can understand their culture strictly through a media is incorrect. You still won't like or understand this game even if you like anime.

You actually don't have too, but it helps if you are familiar with their culture as the stories around the Persona series include a lot of puns, folklore, culture, and just everyday stuff that teenagers in Japan take part in. If you have watched anime for years on end or even read manga you will get most of it. Thankfully, my wife studied the Japanese language for 9 years and went to Japan so she has explained thousands of things to me over the 8 years we've been together so I am lucky to get nearly all of it. Japanese tend to get frustrated with Westerners as we think their lives are all about anime and Hatsune Miku and Dragonball Z. It's actually a very small fraction, and most, not at all.

Not trying to lecture you, but I just want you to know the difference here.