What Are You Playing? - The Official Thread

[Longo_2_guns]

I am finally playing God of War.
Dad of War
God of Dad
Dad of Dad

Is good.

I have resumed playing Dad of Dad and I must say, with no exaggeration or overemphasis or extreme enthusiasm...
It is genuinely one of the best games I have ever played in my entire goddamn life. The only fault in the game is the Rune Chests where it's just a game of hide and seek with glowing rocks.
Other than that, I hesitate to use the term 'perfect' but it's about as damn close to it as possible.

 

[Paradox]

For a while now, I have been feeling incredibly unmotivated and I don't seem to have any desire to play video games. I just feel bored all the time and I don't feel like doing much, which is weird

Hope as a whole you’re feeling better soon Craig. As for just the games aspect I’m the same right now. Once I finished Lego Batman 3, I figured I’d move back over to Gear of War Remastered, but I haven’t even turned on the Xbox in a week or so. Just been binging on shows I’ve been wanting to get into but haven’t until now (Star Trek: Discovery, Twilight Zone, The Man in the High Castle).

 

[Master_Craig]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

I'm doing a bit of travelling for work at the moment so in my down time, I've been playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on my Samsung Galaxy 10.

I normally despise mobile gaming as I'm not a fan of pure touch screen controls... but KotoR is alright, actually. Granted, I'm playing on easy mode because I just want to relax and play for the story and exploration, and I've got some settings altered, like auto-running and such.

I'm only about four hours or so in, so still on the first world of Taris. I'll probably be playing more tonight as I have a four hour flight back home.

 

[COMaestro]

Done with Arkham Asylum. On to Arkham City!

 

[Master_Craig]

Done with Arkham Asylum. On to Arkham City!

Very nice! Have you played the Arkham games before, or are you revisiting them through the Return to Arkham remasters?

Arkham City is probably the best Arkham game in terms of story (although Arkham Origins was surprisingly good too). While Arkham Knight has, in my opinion, the best graphics and game play (in terms of the combat system), the story is unfortunately the weakest of the series and the Batmobile, as awesome as it should be, is actually quite frustrating.

 

[COMaestro]

Very nice! Have you played the Arkham games before, or are you revisiting them through the Return to Arkham remasters?

I'm just replaying the Return to Arkham. Arkham Asylum on PS3 was actually my first Platinum trophy years ago.

Honestly, I liked Arkham Origins story the most out of all the games and wish it had been part of the Return to Arkham series. The gameplay was a tad janky in comparison to City, but it made some innovations that were pretty fun (though why oh why did they force multiplayer into that (which I never got to play because no one else was)?). Knight was such a let down when it came to the execution of the story. The story itself was fine, but making so much reliant on the Batmobile, and having no boss fights other than in the Batmobile (when City and Origins had some really cool boss battles) sucked. The combat was phenomenal though!

 

[Master_Craig]

I'm playing a new game for the PS4, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

For those who may not know, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a 'Metroidvania' style game developed by indie developers ArtPlay, and was a Kickstarter project forming up in in 2014, after Koji Igarashi, the creator of the Castlevania series, left Konami. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is considered a spiritual sequel to the Castlevania games.

It's not bad, but it's not quite amazing either. The game play is classic 2D platforming, where players need to solve puzzles and explore the castle, acquiring new weapons and abilities that will allow you to access new areas. I find the game quite challenging, boss battles can be difficult (especially when you encounter a boss that you're under-levelled for) and one thing about the game, is it's pretty easy to get stuck! The game doesn't do a good job in telling you where to go next or providing many hints, but I guess that's kind of the point.

I haven't really been paying attention to the story, and the voice acting is pretty meh. The soundtrack is pretty cool, while the graphics, well... they seem kinda PS2/PS3 looking. Despite the simplicity of the graphics, the art direction is nice, but I did notice some frame rate drops in particular areas, especially if the backgrounds are heavily animated with enemies on screen.

The game introduces some new, unique puzzle mechanics to the 'Metroidvania' genre but honestly, it's not a mind blowing experience. While I am enjoying this game, I don't really see myself playing it again and will most likely return it to EB Games upon completion.

 

[Master_Craig]

I've started playing Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for PS4. I saw it on PSN for a reduced price, costing me like... six bucks or something, so I decided to give it a go.

It's a 2014-era game (technically, it was released in 2011 or 2012, I forget) so honestly, the game does show its age, especially with the graphics, animation and some game play mechanics. In saying that though, the story is pretty interesting and I enjoy the melee combat system, as it's clearly inspired by the Batman: Arkham games, but it most certainly works.

 

[COMaestro]

I really enjoyed what I played of Sleeping Dogs, and at some point I need to get back to it, though I haven't played it in years so I'd probably have to start over in order to remember the story details. Just got sidetracked by a new game at some point and then another and another and it fell by the wayside. Someday, maybe...

 

[Master_Craig]

So, I set up my laptop the other day (my oldest brother gave me his old, 2013 gaming laptop a while ago, which while out of date itself, is a hell of a lot better than my current PC) - and I got some games off Steam. I haven't logged into Steam in ages and it looks like I still had some bloody money in my Steam wallet!

Project Zomboid - This is a fun, but punishingly difficult game that can either be played solo or multiplayer. It's played from an isometric, birds eye view camera, where you're a survivor of the zombie apocalypse and you've gotta do whatever it takes, to survive for as long as possible. The point of the game is that death is an inevitability, but how long you last depends on how you survive. It's quite an overwhelming game with a lot to learn, but I'm hearing a lot of good things about it, so I look forward to playing it more.

Subnautica: Below Zero - Subnautica was one of my favourite games of 2018 (technically 2019 as well, I suppose), so I bought the sequel, Below Zero, on early access. I'm really enjoying it so far. I wish I had the patience to wait for its full release, though. Playing Subnautica: Below Zero really makes me want a new, updated PC.

City of Heroes: Homecoming - Okay, so this isn't quite a Steam game, but I recently discovered that the old superhero themed MMO, City of Heroes, has essentially been bought back to life and is now a functional, playable game with servers and whatnot. I have no idea who hosts this stuff or what the legalities are behind it, but it's pretty nostalgic to play this game. I've been playing this mostly solo, despite the quite large and enthusiastic community, but it's fun to dive back into. Some aspects of the game haven't aged particularly well, but that's okay.

 

[Paradox]

I haven’t played any games at all for the past month, just been catching up on tv shows I’ve been meaning to watch. Yesterday though, on a whim, I went to GameStop and bought a Nintendo Switch. I’d been feeling like playing a Mario game so I got Super Mario Odyssey with it. I played it for a bit last night. It was fun what I’ve done so far, but I really wish Nintendo would quit with the damn motion controls. I just want to hold the controllers like a controller and use buttons.

That being said, it’s a minor gripe and as a whole I’ve had a good time so far. I’m also looking forward to getting the Switch exclusive Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 at some point.

 

[Master_Craig]

I haven’t played any games at all for the past month, just been catching up on tv shows I’ve been meaning to watch. Yesterday though, on a whim, I went to GameStop and bought a Nintendo Switch. I’d been feeling like playing a Mario game so I got Super Mario Odyssey with it. I played it for a bit last night. It was fun what I’ve done so far, but I really wish Nintendo would quit with the damn motion controls. I just want to hold the controllers like a controller and use buttons.

That being said, it’s a minor gripe and as a whole I’ve had a good time so far. I’m also looking forward to getting the Switch exclusive Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 at some point.

I enjoyed Super Mario Odyssey. That was a charming, relaxing and fun title.

I'm looking forward to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. I thought the first one was really good (a fun multiplayer game) and while the second one was kinda average, I'm kinda keen for the third one.

I'm replaying the Resident Evil 2 remake, again, on Leon's campaign. I feel like the game is actually harder than it used to be, even though I'm playing on the same difficulty. In saying that, I read online that a lot of games out there have a subtle mechanic, where as the better you perform in-game, the harder the game becomes, e.g. enemies will become tougher to kill, deal more damage to you etc. despite the fact you're playing on 'normal' difficulty.

It kinda makes sense... as I've essentially finished the game four times (Leon, Clair, then both of their second runs) so I've gotten pretty good at it, and for the most part I got through the game fairly quick. I arrived to the sewers to fight those weird, big blob things. I used my magnum, and I don't remember them taking so many bloody shots to die, in their weak spots. Maybe that subtle mechanic thingo is true?

 

[Master_Craig]

I finished the Resident Evil 2 remake again with both Leon and Clair, just on normal difficulty and standard runs.

Don't think I'm too worried about doing either of their second runs, just yet.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order comes out tomorrow for the Nintendo Switch. I'm keen to see reviews.

 

[COMaestro]

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order comes out tomorrow for the Nintendo Switch. I'm keen to see reviews.

Me too. I had a lot of fun with the previous MA games (which are currently installed and waiting for me to play them on my PS4), as well as the X-Men Legends games before them. Curious to see this new one, especially with how the Marvel roster has expanded in the public consciousness due to the MCU. Like, there's no way the GotG would be in the game were it not for the movies.

 

[Master_Craig]

We got Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order for the Nintendo Switch yesterday. It's... okay, so far.

My brother and I played the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the Nintendo Wii, back in 2006 or 2007 and we loved it back then. We played Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (which is based off the Civil War comic series) and that was a bit disappointing.

If you have friends or/and family to play MUA3, especially in a couch co-op fashion, plus if you all like Marvel (or at least the Marvel Cinematic Universe), then I'd recommend this game. However, if you're playing by yourself or/and you're not the biggest Marvel fan, you could honestly give this a miss. That's just my opinion anyway.

So, some quick pros and cons...

Pros:
+ Easy control scheme, not at all hard to get into;
+ A lot of characters play quite similar to one another, so there's no OP or weak characters;
+ Decent graphics for a Switch title, with a fairly good soundtrack;
+ A huge roster to choose from, with influence from the MCU (your favorite mainstream Marvel character(s) is most likely in there somewhere);
+ A fun game to play with friends/family as a couch co-op title.

Cons:
- Story, writing and dialog feel like a Saturday morning cartoon show for kids;
- The game's camera can be bloody atrocious at time, like really bad (if you are playing solo, change the camera mode in the options menu from 'classic' to 'heroic');
- Game play and overall combat can become repetitive over time;
- When there are a lot of enemies on screen, combat can get hectic and confusing (especially with the crappy camera).

 

[Ivory_Soul]

Good news! I passed my state license exam and am now officially a nurse! 2 of the hardest years of my life and I have a job lined up that I should start within two weeks. More money=more games! Ha!

Anyways, I'm trying to chew through some of my backlogs as I won't have as much time to play console/PC games. I'm going to be working three 12 hour shifts a week and will most likely bring my portable games and backlog to catch up on those (working night shifts has some downtime) so right now I'm focusing on games I've had installed on my PC for ages.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Super Mario Maker 2, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War are what I'm focused on now.

 

[Paradox]

Hey congrats!

 

[Master_Craig]

Good news! I passed my state license exam and am now officially a nurse! 2 of the hardest years of my life and I have a job lined up that I should start within two weeks. More money=more games! Ha!

Congratulations! Well done.

 

[Master_Craig]

At the moment, I'm not really playing much, which is a shame. I replayed and finished Resident Evil 2, again, on both Leon and Clair's campaigns, but I'm not bothering with the second run.

I noticed that as paid DLC, you can actually buy all the RE2's unlockables... and since it was 50% off for like, $3 bucks or something, I totally did it. Ran around for a while playing with the infinite mini-gun, infinite bazooka. Good times. Not gonna lie, but I really couldn't be bothered trying to actually unlock these bonuses. The pre-requisites are pretty tough.

I picked up Prey for PC for a severely discounted price to play on my laptop. I've played Prey before on PS4 and while I enjoyed it, I gave up on the game and returned it, as I wasn't too impressed with the PS4's performance, so I'm giving the game another go but on PC.

 

[COMaestro]

I just started New Game+ on Batman: Arkham City after finishing off all the Riddler Challenges as Batman. Since I don't need to bother with tracking down all the Riddler trophies and riddles and stuff, this playthough is going much faster, though I still do have to do all the side missions to get the Platinum (that and some time travel to get all the Calendar Man interactions).