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What are you playing?

Discussion in 'Gaming Forum' started by Desides, Aug 19, 2013.

  1. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Yeah, this is my first year with PS+, and I haven't downloaded many free games so far. Zero interest in the ones from this month. Lots of guesses going around as to what they'll be in July, but no leaks this time.
     
  2. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    They're usually hit or miss for me. For every CoD there is an Uncharted 4, Rocket League, and Shadow of the Colossus HD.
     
  3. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I wasn't ever going to buy the Trials of Mana remake, but I was able to borrow it from someone, and finished it yesterday. The original was only released in Japan, but I have to believe that the remake is as faithful as possible to the original. That's not always good.

    Pros:

    There are six playable characters in the game, and you choose three of them for your playthrough, giving the possibility of multiple plays with different outcomes.

    The combat is tight, and the player has very good control over the characters.

    There are a variety of ways to level up the characters.

    You are able to set commands for your party members to follow when you aren't in direct control over them.

    Enemies/monsters are plentiful, and you get an appropriate amount of XP and gold for defeating them.

    There are numerous pieces of gear to purchase throughout the game, they are always set at an appropriate cost, and each gives you a slight bump from the one previous.

    Cons:

    All six of the characters are annoying. Several of them are completely insufferable.

    The writing and voice acting is really terrible. Among the very worst I've ever seen. At times, I wished that the game wasn't voiced.

    The story is super, super shallow. Its very much like a cartoon aimed at 6 year olds, and reminds me a lot of some of the shows that my own 6 year old watches.

    The animation is similar. Its one thing to have cartoonish figures, but you can make that work better, like Dragon Quest does. Most of the humans and monsters in this one look like they're from a preschooler program.

    Even though you can give commands to the characters to follow, they don't always stick to it. Too often, the other two stand around doing nothing while you do all the work with the one that you're controlling.

    Most of the characters don't ever get access to any healing magic whatsoever. This isn't so bad, as healing items are easy to get and affordable. However, the problem is that boss fights limit you to 10 items of any one kind, even if you have 99 in stock. It makes no sense, and threw me way off early on.

    I also learned early on that the only real way to get through the boss fights was to spam one spell over and over and over until they were dead. Only one of the six characters is a mage with attack magic, so I have no idea what I would have done had I not chosen to have her in my party. Even at the end, at level 90, this was the only thing that worked.

    And hilariously, the game has a teen rating, despite having no curse words, no blood, the most minor of cartoon violence, no adult situations, no scenes where characters actually die (they disappear), and no suggestions of sex or adult situations. The reasoning is that some of the female characters outfits are essentially swimsuits. Thats it. Similar shows on Netflix are rated Y-7, lol.

    I would half heartedly recommend this for someone who enjoyed the original Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, or other similar SNES RPGs back in the early to mid 90s. It has a nostalgia feel that does honor that period. I would also recommend it as a 101 entry level RPG for a child looking to start in the genre. But I would probably advise nearly anyone else to steer clear.
     
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  4. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I heard one of the cons from the various comment sections is that it is too easy, which kept me from purchasing the game. I played the original 2D version, and I feel like I would mostly be getting the same experience to want to buy it new.
     
  5. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I would say that vs the regular enemies, throughout the entire experience, there is very little risk of losing a battle as long as you level your characters properly. I just automatically overlevel as a form of habit, and I pretty much beat the crap out of most of them as I went. I do want to say though that they did a great job of making them progressively stronger as you unlock new areas.

    On the flip side though, the bosses are often extremely difficult and powerful. I died many times vs a boss after just tearing through the other enemies in the same level, before I realized the trick was to spam one spell (often the same one) with my mage the whole battle. Not my usual style, and even then it wasn't easy. Partly because of the lack of healing magic, and partly because the characters never gain very much HP more than they start with. Even at level 90, one of mine just broke 1000 HP, as compared to Final Fantasy games where I'd be closer to 10,000.
     
  6. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Don't some of the classes have heals?
     
  7. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    It potentially depends on how you choose to evolve the characters, as you're given two choices each time. But with the way that I went, only my mage had any real magic at all. One of the others was able to lower the attack and defense of enemies, but that was it. Even at their highest class, the other two had no real spells or any sort. And two of the three that I didn't use were fighters who didn't seem like they'd be magic users at all.
     
  8. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Started playing Bloodborne, which is my first Souls game. It's so incredibly daunting at first, but I did research beforehand and pumped my health stat up for survivability. I think Monster Hunter has gotten me ready for this game- I've only struggled with one boss, Vicar Amelia, and I think I fought her earlier than I should have. There's a lot of emphasis on quick reactions.

    Now it feels like it has its hooks in me. The art direction is incredible, which I already knew, but I can't wait until the traditional horror elements move to a more cosmic horror direction, ala HP Lovecraft.
     
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  9. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I should have known better than to deal with Target again after my misadventures with Biomutant. (They recently refunded me my money six months after I preordered it). But....they had 30% off when you preorder sale a few weeks ago, so I went ahead and did it for Ghost of Tsushima, feeling safe since we already knew it wasn't going to be delayed.

    Well, jokes on me again. They sent me an email saying that instead of being delivered Monday, it would get to me in August. Screw that. I cancelled it with them, and just bought the digital copy from the PS Store. Now I can play it as soon as I wake up tomorrow morning.
     
  10. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Lol.

    Like what's the point of preordering? I can't help but think they knew they couldn't handle the demand of the sale they were having but took people's preorders anyway.
     
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  11. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I played about two hours of Tsushima this morning, and its really solid. Its beautiful, and on normal difficulty, the combat is absolutely brutal. I've died at least 15 times so far, including three or four times at the very first place that I came across after the opening sequence is over. I always take games slowly, and that will absolutely be the case with this one as I feel it out.

    There are a lot of comparrisons to AC games, and that's fair. But with the overall look, sound and feel of the game, I found strong connections to Uncharted and Jedi: Fallen Order. So far, the game is also really, really dark, in a literal sense. I left it at default when it booted up and suggested I move the bar to make the picture less visable, and then still found that I had to bump up the brightness once I started playing just to be able to see what I was doing. So far, the game has taken place during the night and/or rain, and we'll see if when the game's world is in bright daylight, if its the same issue.
     
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  12. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I completed the first act of Tsushima, which I'm presuming means that I'm about a third of the way through the game. As a semi-completionist, I explored most of the area that was available at the start of the game, did all of the side quests, and maxed out my character as much as I really could before moving on. Strangely, the game doesn't keep track of your time played, even in the save file data, but I'd say I've spent between 20-30 hours on it so far. I had to laugh at some sites that said that was the estimated total play time for the whole game.

    Along with being very beautiful, well written and well acted, the game truly is a mix of the classic AC games and Uncharted. It very, very clearly takes elements from both franchises and superimposes them on feudal Japan in a highly sucessful way. If you like each of those franchises and have experience with them, then this is absolutely a game for you. They give the player a ton of detail on what needs to be done in the pause menu, which is the only map in the game. But when you leave the pause screen, the UI is about as minimal as I've ever seen. Its a really clever way to toe the line between too much and too little information.
     
  13. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I never take the expected play time things serious. It's incredibly varied by how a person wants to play the game and becomes some meaningless number.

    They should just directly say how long the cutscenes are in a game total instead of just "play time"
     
  14. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I like to have a general idea, because I'm just not going to bother with a game if the general consensus is that it takes 15-20 hours to play through. However, given the open world setting of this one, and the fact that the developers themselves said that it was a 50+ hour experience, I wasn't too worried. And I always take longer myself, because of the way that I play.
     
  15. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Oh I agree it's nice to have a general idea, it's just that the general idea never really feels too accurate to me.
     
  16. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    I'm back to Fortnite since I can't find anything I want to buy. I was thinking about the Star Wars Jedi title that came out last year or the sci-fi/action game Control- has anyone played either of those? They're both on sale in the Epic store for around $30 each.
     
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  17. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I just finished Ghost of Tsushima last night. Its a very good game. 8/10. A solid open world RPG that does a great job mixing elements of Assassins Creed and Uncharted in an absolutely stunning Feudal Japan setting. I highly recommend it.

    Now, I'm back to playing Madden for a while.
     
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  18. KeyFin

    KeyFin Well-Known Member

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    Okay, cool...I'll take a look now. I really love the open world stuff where you can follow missions or just do your own thing for a while.
     
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  19. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    Started playing Destiny 2 again. Wish I hadn't stopped playing for so long. So much to do...
     
  20. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Almost tried this for the first time last week but just the sheer amount of currencies in that game totally turn me off. I watched a "catch-up" video and actually was more confused by the end of it.

    I have reservations about picking up FFXIV again, too. I haven't played that since the end of the base game (before the first expansion). I just don't know how accommodating the game and current player base it is to players that need to catch up.

    Sooooo....

    I've been getting close to the end of Breath of the Wild. I just finished the last of the shrines and sidequests, and am tempted to just finish the story and be done with what was a really relaxing and unique game. Apparently the DLC is only really worth it if you're playing from the beginning of the game. If anyone can chime in as to how correct that is I'd love to hear your opinion.

    I'm also about 70% done with the base game of Bloodborne. BB and BotW balance each other out with regard to my catalogue. BB can be so heavy, brutal, and atmospheric while BotW is a very chill, calm video game.

    My roommate got me Ghost of Tsushima for my birthday so I'll probably start that tonight.
     
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  21. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I think that I'm going to try ES online when I get my ps5, and hope that it doesn't require the obscene amount of hard drive space then that it does on the ps4.
     
  22. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Five years ago, Sick turned me onto a project for a RPG called Edge of Eternity, which was at that point in its early stages as a kickstarter. I've been following it ever since, and its taken a lot longer than they thought, but it will finally be released for the PC and consoles some time before the middle of next year. It looks like a solid AA experience, and the developers have put a ton of love and time into it.
     
  23. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I've been playing my Genesis Mini lately. Super Fantasy Zone and Comix Zone.
     
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  24. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I had planned on getting a SNES mini, but they're really scarce and the prices are generally through the roof on Amazon. Just not worth it.
     
  25. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Yeah totally not in my opinion. The main reason I got my Genesis mini is that Sega, as a company, generally sucked up until recently. After their initial fall I mean. So I wanted to support an official release of something good.

    Plus it has 42 games compared to the SNES Mini which I believe has like 20 something? So it felt more worth the purchase.
     
  26. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I've never owned anything Sega in my life, and I never enjoyed the games when I would play them at a friend's house as a teen. Just really not my thing. But the SNES was an awesome system in its day with so many great games, so I wanted to be able to get in on that again. No dice the way things are right now though.
     
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  27. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    It's funny because for me it was always the opposite.

    Megaman and Mario are really the only two Nintendo exclusive series I really got into. I also really liked Star Fox back in the day. Donkey Kong Country is good too but I dont like 2 or 3.

    I never got into Zelda/Kirby or other nintendo series very much.

    I owned both systems though which was cool.
     
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  28. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I was into the Mario games through the end of the SNES's life, but haven't really played one since then. I was big into Zelda back then, and have played a few of them through the Wii. I'd like to play the one on the Switch, but don't have one as of yet. But more than anything, I was into the RPG games. I started with Dragon Warrior when I was in grade school, then the first three Final Fantasy games on the Nintendo systems, along with Chrono Trigger, Secret of Manna, ect. I also loved F Zero and Mario Kart, the Mega Man games, Street Fighter and various beat em' up games like TMNT. Along with sports games like the Techmo Bowl series, Madden, RBI baseball and Ken Griffey Jr. For me, it was basically age 11-20, which was pretty much the middle of the strike zone for who games were marketed towards back then.

    Then I jumped to the Playstation while I was in college in part because of the FF series, and because the sports games looked so much better. And for a long time after that, Nintendo started marketing themselves as the family console, so it wasn't where I wanted to be as I was becoming an adult anyways. But they're good memories. Right place / right time.
     
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  29. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    A bit off topic but slightly related.

    Sports and RPG are where the modern consoles shine to me. I do get a bit disheartened entire genre are basically lost to the past or are only represented in indie titles.

    I've never seen 3D gaming as an "improvement" over 2D games, just a different genre entirely. Its worked wonders for RPG and sports titles like I said though.
     
  30. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I guess as someone who's overwhelmingly been RPG and sports focused, I haven't thought about it all that much. And then obviously games like GTA, AC, Uncharted and the like, 3D is essential.
     
  31. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    I'm a platformer myself. There are some decent 3D platformers but I've always been a fan of 2D platformers, and side scrolling shooters. Plus arcade type games, space invaders, galaxian so on.
     
  32. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Back on Monster Hunter Iceborne. I'm just about to crack Master Rank 4.
     
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  33. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    What percentage of that game is boss fights? Is there any real traditional rpg to it where you go around, explore, fight smaller monsters and gradually level up? Or is it just the big ones?
     
  34. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The whole game is basically boss fight after boss fight. Progression is equipment and skill based.
     
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  35. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    That was the impression that I'd gotten. Really the opposite of my thing. I'd love to find another long form, exploration based RPG that I can sink my teeth into the next three months before the PS5 comes out. But I think that I've exhausted them on the PS4.
     
  36. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    The game drops you into a handful of maps (5-6 in this one) after you select a "hunt" (basically a session). These new maps are the biggest and complex ones they've ever did, but the game boils down to about 3 main loops: gathering (which really really streamlines itself the more you progress as in I barely gather anymore), crafting armor/weapons/misc. boss-specific tools, and hunting said bosses.

    The combat is very deliberate and can vary in speed and complexity depending on which weapon you prefer. Then there are skills which you can stack to augment your weapon type or complement your play style. These parts are the most enthralling. There are so many weapon types and skills that it becomes a pseudo class building system.

    I've been playing the series since PS2 and they just keep adding on every year. It's pretty awesome. It's great to have the series on a traditional console because for so long the only way to play it was 3DS. They just announced a new entry for the Switch a couple days ago.
     
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  37. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    What is your weapon? I dual blade. I honestly rarely change, though I havent played in a long time.

    Even did the damn Behemoth (both versions) with them which was a major pain in the ***.

    My first in the series was 4U so I dont go back as far with the games.
     
  38. Dol-Fan Dupree

    Dol-Fan Dupree Tank? Who is Tank? I am Guy Incognito.

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    They just did a huge update for Monster Train.

    If you like roguelike deck builders, they have doubled the number of heroes and monsters in the game.

    Super fun game if you like those types of games. Think Slay The Spire.
     
  39. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Great Sword, baby!

    I also dabble in Hunting Horn. Just beat Shara Ishvalda.
     
  40. AGuyNamedAlex

    AGuyNamedAlex Well-Known Member

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    Great Sword is actually the only other thing I'll occassionally change to.

    I could never get the hunting horn right, but it's a great weapon for those with the patience to learn to use it right.

    I always loved when there was a HH user in the party, it fits nicely with Dual Blades.
     

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