What are you currently playing?

[TheMightyEthan]

Goddamn I want this game, but I can't bring myself to pay full price.  Even used it's like $50.

[Strangelove]

Reaper of Souls.

 

A bow just dropped. My DPS just increased from 18k, to 77k. Holy shit.

 

I wish I would have gotten hooked on it like you did. I just finished the campaign and did about 2 missions in adventure mode and stopped. Havent picked it up since last week.

[TheMightyEthan]

You should give it to me.  

[Strangelove]

You should give it to me.  

 

[toxicitizen]

So, the official release of Incognita Invisible, Inc. on Steam Early Access made me want to fire it up to see how it's coming along. Turns out the answer is "very fucking nicely"! I was sold on the idea of "Stealth XCOM" from the very start but the initial alpha build I played a year ago basically loaded you directly into a single procedurally generated map with no context whatsoever. Once you cleared it, all you could do was go back and try again. It was little more than a polished prototype and there was very little content in it. Now it feel much more like a real game. It also plays a lot better. In the initial build, you couldn't even rotate the camera. Really glad that's implemented now.

 

I don't know if it's feature complete yet but there is a story mode now. Basically, it's a bit of a roguelike-ish structure where the game isn't very long but you're going to fail a lot before you manage to make it anywhere near the end. You start out with two units and two hacking abilities (you can unlock new ones and choose which ones you start with) and you select your missions from a world map. The missions' objectives are things you want to retrieve, such as cash, intel, gear and even new agents. The twist is that you only have 72 hours to prepare for the final mission and each location has a travel time associated to it. Oh and ammo doesn't refill after a mission, if you run out then you need to find/buy a new clip during the next one. So it's essentially a whole lot of time and resource management. And it's glorious.

 

On my first attempt, I failed on the very first mission. I got progressively better with each new attempt and eventually managed to get a third squad member and some decent gear. I'm at a point where I have a good grasp on the mechanics so I started taking more risks and as a result I haven't had a decent run all day. Things can go wrong so very fast if you get careless. As it is right now, it feels maybe a tad too difficult. I think it could definitely benefit from being balanced towards the player if only a little bit but otherwise it's a pretty solid game. Really glad I jumped in early.

Edited August 29, 2014 by FLD

[Strangelove]

What the fuck is up with that blonde kid you rescue in Metro 2033? That is the worst voice acting performance I've heard in recent memory. Jesus shit. It was so bad that I couldn't help but be impressed by it.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

You're playing it in English, aren't you?

[Strangelove]

Yeah...

[Strangelove]

Im playing PSABR again since it was free. I really dont get the hate it gets. Its not a badly made game. Just that the mechanic for winning is beyond retarded and about half the cast is just wrong. I wonder if they fixed those 2 things people would like it. And the goddamn menus. Those are terrible.

Im no Smash expert, but PSABR seems to play almost exactly the same as far as the actual combat goes. The game looks pretty good on PS3 and I think they perfectly captured each character's moveset from their respective games. The game is fun.

 

And then theres stuff I completely dont agree with that other people have issues with. I like the fact that all the characters dont have a unified art style. I like that it looks like every character was ripped from their collective game and put into this one. Mixing two art styles to make a stage was also really cool. The stages are one of the things they did better than Smash. I also like the third party characters, mostly because theyre well done. Theyre all very faithful to their franchise counterparts. I like having Big Daddy and Isaac. Its cool. I think the developers who made it were very passionate about it. It shows.

 

I just wish they had used more money to get the charcters people expected(Snake, Cloud, real Dante) and not those really obscure characters people dont give a shit about(Ape Escape guy, chick from Heavenly Sword, dude from Starhawk).

I think the game is salvageable if a sequel ever gets made. They just need to straight up copy Smash and spend more money for better characters.

 

And besides the first one, I think half the cast of the Smash games are also crap. Im not sure why that gets a pass. Nintendo doesnt have as many memorable characters as people like to think they do.(exclusidng Pokemon fo course since thats basically cheating).

Edited September 5, 2014 by Strangelove

[Chronixal]

Juggling my time between Bravely Default and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Choosing which to focus on feels like Sophie's Choice at this point.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

@Strange: "Just that the mechanic for winning is beyond retarded" <-- My main issue with the game, and the reason I got rid of it.

[toxicitizen]

Juggling my time between Bravely Default and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Choosing which to focus on feels like Sophie's Choice at this point.

I haven't tried Bravely Default but the answer is clearly Danganronpa 2.

 

I finished replaying the original a few days ago but I only got my shipping notice today. So, I won't be able to play it until next week even though I've had it pre-ordered for months. Stupid Amazon.

[CorgiShinobi]

Im playing PSABR again since it was free. I really dont get the hate it gets. Its not a badly made game. Just that the mechanic for winning is beyond retarded and about half the cast is just wrong. I wonder if they fixed those 2 things people would like it.

Yes, basically just that. In the attempt to be like Smash, but not Smash, having closed off stages where you have to land a special move that requires build up is what makes or breaks someone's enjoyment of the game.

[Mister Jack]

PS All Stars would be a much, much better game if not for that stupid, stupid fucking point system. How did anyone think that was a good idea?

[CorgiShinobi]

I figured I'd try to squeeze Infamous: First Light in before Destiny arrives Tuesday.

 

I swear this game plays better than Second Son. Maybe it's because you have a character with a single power, but I do not kid when it feels like Fetch just handles better. I haven't gotten too deep yet, but what did everyone else think of First Light?

[TheMightyEthan]

I should be playing that, but I'm just kind of not...

[Strangelove]

I figured I'd try to squeeze Infamous: First Light in before Destiny arrives Tuesday.

 

I swear this game plays better than Second Son. Maybe it's because you have a character with a single power, but I do not kid when it feels like Fetch just handles better. I haven't gotten too deep yet, but what did everyone else think of First Light?

It's the same except that Fetch has better melee moves(including a finisher) and her neon powers are better because they reused some of Delsins video and smoke powers. So her neon is extremely capable. She can do more.

The game is also faster thanks to those speed boosts you find. And being able to super jump then run in midair twice, something Delsins couldn't do with neon.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, the only thing I would have changed about Second Son would be letting you switch between powers on the fly. That would have been awesome.

[toxicitizen]

I'm a few hours into Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed. The first hour kinda made me go "uh oh, this might have been a mistake" because it seemed a bit shit. But I guess I was just really tired that night because once I got past the admittedly slow start, I really started enjoying it. The combat just looks so ridiculous in action that it's hard not to enjoy the sheer stupidity of it. At one point I was actually running around hitting people with a laptop, then I ripped their clothes off because that's how you kill vampires, obviously.

 

So far, the best part of the game is how authentic it all feels. From what I read, they recreated Akihabara as accurately as possible and it really feels that way. This is pretty much the first time ever where in-game ads actually add to my immersion. It's kinda neat to walk around and see posters and huge banners for other Vita games like Mind Zero and Conception 2. Pretty sure I've also seen one for one of the recent Kiseki games (the Trails in the Sky series). The licensed music also adds a lot to the atmosphere. At one point I heard a song that was super familiar and I'm pretty sure it was the opening theme of one of the Disgaea games.

Edited September 6, 2014 by FLD

[Vecha]

 

SMT IV

[Strangelove]

Ive been playing LA Noire the last couple of days. I never finished it back when I had it and I thought it was repetitive and dull back then, but Im really enjoying it right now. I like that all the dlc cases fit right into the rest of the game, it's seamless. The dlc cases are also top notch quality, good shit. I imagine they lifted those out of the game. 

 

That being said, controlling Cole outside of having him walk around doing detective work or walking fom a place to his car and vice versa is a pain in the ass. Using a gun is the least fun thing to do in this game. Im getting terrible GTAIV flashbacks.

I also suck at the interrogation portion. Im not sure if its me or the way it was written, but it's all over the place. Sometimes I'll get them all right, sometmes Ill get half, sometimes Ill get 4 or 5 questions wrong in a row. I just cant see the pattern in how the game works. Maybe Im just an idiot.

Like most GTAs, driving around is alright thanks to the dialogue and/or the music. Especially this game.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Tales of Xillia. Aside from the usual cheesy un-funny anime humor, it's a breath of fresh air after Graces. Jude isn't perfect, but he's leagues above Asbel in terms of irritation.

[TheMightyEthan]

@SL: I've heard a rumor that the interrogation dialogue was written and recorded based on aggressive/friendly/detached/whatever options, and it was only later that they changed to the accuse/suspect/whatever system it has now. If so, that would explain why Cole appears to be bipolar.

[SomTervo]

IIRC the change was much simpler than that, Ethan.

 

Liiiike... the 'Doubt' option? That used to be 'Push'. As in, try to push them into saying more, through aggression or nagging or persistence. The writing and interrogating makes a lot more sense once you find this out. It was indeed near the end of development they changed 'Push' to say 'Doubt', and singlehandedly fucked most players' success and understanding of all interrogation/ interview encounters.

 

Every time I pushed Doubt thinking he'd just be like "ii'mmm not sureee about thaaat' or 'you're not telling me something', he actually pushes them, going 'COME ONE, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT, CHRIST YOU IDIOT'

 

And the gunfighting. You can't even compare it to GTAIV's gameplay man. Gunfighting in LA Noire just shouldn't have been there. It's terrible. It makes no sense. It's so goddamn dull. Most of the game is so goddamn dull. 

 

I love that they sunk who knows how many millions into the game making a fucking unbelievably amazing, giant, replica 1950s Los Angeles- then made us barely interact with it at all. Like you drive across it thirty times, to very specific places. That leaves, what, 90% of the city unused? Talk about uneconomical design. 

 

Atm I'm playing Minecraft on PS4 with my gf. It's amazing. Made a treehouse, a farm, some pasture. Found a mineshaft and a mushroom island. So great.

Edited September 7, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

I am playing through Arkham City on the Wii U. It is okay, but the whole "throw every Batman villain in there" thing makes it lack any real focus. Oh well. I'm Batman.