[bork]

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Finally built a kingdom in M&B 2 Bannerlord, including setting up fiefs with some of my companions. The kingdom mgmt aspect is fun but stressful. Kingdom strength is the sum of all troops + militia + garrisons in a kingdom. I'm around 4200, and my three main enemy factions are each over 12,000 strength. It's tough running back and forth to break sieges, resupply cities, while also working to keep the economy improving and handle "local issues" like bandits and lack of tools. Not un-fun, just stressful, so I'm taking a bit of break for now.

Been playing Prodeus, which I mentioned in the boomer shooter thread. Love it! I know it's meant to ape DOOM but I get strong Half Life and Quake vibes too. The level design is really good. The enemies leave a bit to be desired but maybe I'm not on a high enough difficulty.

Prodeus also put me in a mood for Dusk, Switch version with gyro aiming and no aim correction. Played Blood and Bones and The Dig which is toward the end of the second chapter, trying to find more of the secrets this time around. Dusk is probably the best retro shooter to "put it all together" in one game... the humor and horror of 90s shooters with flawless level design and a ton of deep mechanics buried behind simple graphics. I think I might replay it just with the scythes + thrown items. I love soap!



(for those who don't know, one bar of soap is hidden in each stage and it's a one use, one hit kill even against bosses)

 

[HE1NZ]

Tried Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth but it's too buggy. Can't progress much, like the game though. Anybody played it? I think I'll try Xbox version.

 

[Erdrick]

Your taste in games is impeccable, my friend.

I'm playing FF2's pixel remaster after platinuming the first one. It's fucked mechanically, but the game was a solid step forward in their storytelling. I wish they could have just brought the system from other games (Exp) instead.

It certainly looks nice but the music is absolutely utterly outstanding. Worth it alone for that.

I'll head onto FF3 after that... Never played a sprite version of it, so I'm excited for that.

 

[skeem]

God of War Ragnarok has a mature rating. Blood, decapitations, brutal violence. And then they add in cute fluffy squirrels for comedic effect that would be better placed in a Ratchet and Clank game. Some of the decisions in this game are so poorly made.

That is bizarre, because technically and visually the game is so superb. A real labour of love in so many ways.The game has the special ability to send me straight from being wide eyed to an eye roll.

 

[HE1NZ]

Tried Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth but it's too buggy. Can't progress much, like the game though. Anybody played it? I think I'll try Xbox version.

Got past the buggy place on Xbox version. Seem like there's some additional visual effects that weren't on PC version. Controller vibrates like crazy when protagonist is scared. Game is creepy as hell and interesting. I will continue.

 

[regawdless]

Currently playing ILLWILL

Fun indie shooter with a pretty cool style.

 

[Dreamlord]

I fired up the just released The Last Case of Benedict Fox (it's on game pass) because the trailers the last few months had me curious.

Well, this game either needs more cookin' or more capable developers. The combat is bad and the movement is stiff, both of which are fairly fundamental in a metroidvania.

It looks quite alright (no ultrawidescreen mode, tho) and it has puzzles incorporated in the gameplay (more like a Lovecraftian horror mystery game) to supplement the exploration and combat sections.

I like the atmosphere, but the two major issues are the aforementioned bad combat, as well as the rather weird controls. Why have the right stick for dodge? We shall see if it is worth sticking with... I need a break from Everspace 2 (30 hours in and only started in the third system - out of eight, I think).

 

[regawdless]

I fired up the just released The Last Case of Benedict Fox (it's on game pass) because the trailers the last few months had me curious.

Well, this game either needs more cookin' or more capable developers. The combat is bad and the movement is stiff, both of which are fairly fundamental in a metroidvania.

It looks quite alright (no ultrawidescreen mode, tho) and it has puzzles incorporated in the gameplay (more like a Lovecraftian horror mystery game) to supplement the exploration and combat sections.

I like the atmosphere, but the two major issues are the aforementioned bad combat, as well as the rather weird controls. Why have the right stick for dodge? We shall see if it is worth sticking with... I need a break from Everspace 2 (30 hours in and only started in the third system - out of eight, I think).

I played the demo and didn't like it much, controls and combat didn't feel good. But apparently the game gets positive reviews so far.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

ugh, couldn't stay away from M&B2 Bannerlord for long, so I spun up a new character to take a breather from the end-game play of my khuzait horselord. This time I am exploring the various banditry and mercenary options, forsaking entirely the future hope of owning my own castles and cities, instead making my living on the road and via gang alleyways, workshops, and good ol' raiding. My last character specialized in horse archery and polearms. This time I'm investing my time into throwing weapons, crossbows, and 1h weapons with an emphasis on ranged weapons and commanding my small band of mercs from horseback.

Raiding hideouts, taking caravans, and raiding villages is extremely profitable but less common compared to capturing bandits and selling them as slaves...er... "volunteers" to the local mines. I like loading up on Tools in the north-west corner of Vlandia and traveling the map dropping them off for the commonplace 'Village needs Tools' quests, then bringing back those trade supplies to sell in Vlandia.

Still making progress in Prodeus... just unlocked the Double Jump which opens up a lot of just-out-of-reach Ores from previous stages. The stage variety and design continues to be 10/10, but I'm noticing a lot of the same enemies over and over. While I'm not expecting a new enemy in every single stage, the rate of new ones seems kinda slow. However, with more enemy types showing up, battles are getting much more complex and intense like DOOM 2016. Definitely loving it.

aaaand for the fun of it, I fished out the DJ Hero USB dongle from a storage box and I've been playing DJ Hero 1 and 2 on the PS3 this past week, just a few songs here and there during downtime. Top tier rhythm games, two of the all time greats, though I struggle on any songs above 'Medium' difficulty.

 

[p_banned]

Your taste in games is impeccable, my friend.

I'm playing FF2's pixel remaster after platinuming the first one. It's fucked mechanically, but the game was a solid step forward in their storytelling. I wish they could have just brought the system from other games (Exp) instead.

It certainly looks nice but the music is absolutely utterly outstanding. Worth it alone for that.

I'll head onto FF3 after that... Never played a sprite version of it, so I'm excited for that.

Currently finishing FF3 and what a fucking aweful game. Similar sprites as 1, weakest story, overwhelming side characters. Only good thing is the music. I own FF3 for PSP and didn't find that bad.

I'm doing all the offline FF games in a row.

 

[J-Roderton]

Ditched skater xl and revisiting skate 3 where the controls don't make me want to smash things. Great game.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Started Dead Island 2, huge fan of the first one and I gotta say...this game is pretty entertaining so far. For a game in development hell for so long I'm kinda shocked at how neat and tidy everything is.

 

[HariSeldon]

I've made a start finally on Mount & Blade 2 : Bannerlord, in part due to @DonDonDonPata posting about it. Early signs are good though I got killed by bandits early on so I'll need to improve my combat skills. Some of the problem is my piss poor horse control skills.

Other than that I've finally stopped playing F1 Manager 2022. It's addictive but if I'm honest not actually very good. Too easy, the opponent ai is shite especially in changeable weather.

My side games have been some of the lovely retro shooters in @regawdless thread, so much gold there.

 

[regawdless]

Started Dead Island 2, huge fan of the first one and I gotta say...this game is pretty entertaining so far. For a game in development hell for so long I'm kinda shocked at how neat and tidy everything is.

It's really impressive how they turned that ship around.

 

[HE1NZ]

Currently finishing FF3 and what a fucking aweful game. Similar sprites as 1, weakest story, overwhelming side characters. Only good thing is the music. I own FF3 for PSP and didn't find that bad.

I'm doing all the offline FF games in a row.

Wait until you play SNES titles. New party member every 30 minutes, old ones leaving randomly for story reasons making your party defenceless. The very first FF is still the best one.

 

[regawdless]

Booted up Daemon x Machina on Epic Games Store. Grabbed it for free some time ago. The game doesn't detect my Controller, just doesn't work. Menus with kbm are weird, no mouse support, navigation only via keyboard.

I said fuck it and didn't even start the campaign. Whis this kind of shit show in the main menu already, don't want to see the rest of the game.

 

[Dreamlord]

Still chipping away at EVERSPACE 2 (and still loving it).

I downloaded Guilty Gear - Strive (on GP) to give it a shot and to my surprise, I loved it almost instantly!

Now gona take a quick look at Serious Sam 4. I kinda liked 3 but got stuck on a boss and gave up on it (the flying spaceship thing - could not figure out how the hell to beat it).

The Last Case of Benedict Fox is also seeing some play time.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

is it your first GG @Dreamlord ?

Definitely my favorite and most-played fighting series. hope you keep having fun!

 

[peter42O]

Playing Star Wars Jedi Survivor on Xbox Series X. Excellent game overall but the performance issues at times is annoying with frame rate drops and stutters. Had one crash back to the dashboard after meditating. 8+ hours played. Aside from those technical issues, still an excellent game. Really enjoying it.

 

[Dreamlord]

is it your first GG @Dreamlord ?

Definitely my favorite and most-played fighting series. hope you keep having fun!

Yep, first GG game for me!

Tbh the only fighting game I clicked with and really love is Mortal Kombat 11. Anything else I tried, I either didn't like or could not understand how to play.

GG strive seems to have ways of closing the distance to an opponent, as well as combos that are not impossible to pull off.

It seems to be Steam Deck compatible as well, so I might eventually buy it on Steam if I get decent at it.

 

[MildWolverine]

I fired up the just released The Last Case of Benedict Fox (it's on game pass) because the trailers the last few months had me curious.

Well, this game either needs more cookin' or more capable developers. The combat is bad and the movement is stiff, both of which are fairly fundamental in a metroidvania.

It looks quite alright (no ultrawidescreen mode, tho) and it has puzzles incorporated in the gameplay (more like a Lovecraftian horror mystery game) to supplement the exploration and combat sections.

I like the atmosphere, but the two major issues are the aforementioned bad combat, as well as the rather weird controls. Why have the right stick for dodge? We shall see if it is worth sticking with... I need a break from Everspace 2 (30 hours in and only started in the third system - out of eight, I think).

The Last Case gets even worse, I've stuck with it, I turned the combat on retard mode to compensate for the framedrops and bad frame time and input lag and... man this game is fucked, it has a decent enough story, there's other shitty issues too, like some puzzles due to developer's not understanding how lighting works and just everything else.

There's also a fake skill tree, what I mean by fake is that it's a skill tree that appears to have choices, but you NEED to fill out the 2 prerequisite choices before you can get to the next one, ALSO you need to grind to get enough "ink" to get important skills that you're required to have to "metroidvania" through the game.

There have been parts of the game where I've lost control over the character, like if your controller dies, but my battery was fine and I could even use menus in the game, but I had to reload the game.

Also there was a part where I used a warp in the game and the game just wouldn't load, then when I turned it back on, I had lost hours of gameplay time.

There are multiple chase sequences, when combined with the awful performance, and other awful bugs plays like shit.

I'm still playing it, I stuck to it. It's a solid 4.5/10 but it could have been a 6 or 7 if the developers had a fucking clue.

If anyone wants to see another game that is suffering similar issues Death or Treat, the newest AMAZING looking abortion that has developers that unfortunately have no fucking clue how to make a good game.

I'm enjoying Everspace 2, now that the developers released more performance patches, they had pure shit performance in the start, like the menu screens making the PC fans go beserk and just randomly moments of bad performance.

Man Gamepass is attracting the most retarded PC devs right now.

 

[Dreamlord]

The Last Case gets even worse, I've stuck with it, I turned the combat on retard mode to compensate for the framedrops and bad frame time and input lag and... man this game is fucked, it has a decent enough story, there's other shitty issues too, like some puzzles due to developer's not understanding how lighting works and just everything else.

There's also a fake skill tree, what I mean by fake is that it's a skill tree that appears to have choices, but you NEED to fill out the 2 prerequisite choices before you can get to the next one, ALSO you need to grind to get enough "ink" to get important skills that you're required to have to "metroidvania" through the game.

There have been parts of the game where I've lost control over the character, like if your controller dies, but my battery was fine and I could even use menus in the game, but I had to reload the game.

Also there was a part where I used a warp in the game and the game just wouldn't load, then when I turned it back on, I had lost hours of gameplay time.

There are multiple chase sequences, when combined with the awful performance, and other awful bugs plays like shit.

I'm still playing it, I stuck to it. It's a solid 4.5/10 but it could have been a 6 or 7 if the developers had a fucking clue.

I am stuck now and have no idea where to go. I explored as much as I could in the first area, as much as I could in the second area (the dead woman's world).

I know I have to break the floor tiles with the green aura, but I don't think I have the skill yet and I don't know how to get more purple points for the tattoo.

Honestly, I am thinking of dropping it, as it is just way too janky and it's a pity, because I like the atmosphere.

Edit: I actually was able to smash through the floors. But I decided to uninstall it. I am simply not having fun. I do not like the metroidvania side of it (mostly due to bad controls and terrible combat) and I do not like the puzzles either (fake numerals and alphabet, yeah whatever, Riven did that 20 years ago much much better). So tbh I see no point in spending any more time with it. Plenty of much more entertaining games out there.

 

[MildWolverine]

I am stuck now and have no idea where to go. I explored as much as I could in the first area, as much as I could in the second area (the dead woman's world).

I know I have to break the floor tiles with the green aura, but I don't think I have the skill yet and I don't know how to get more purple points for the tattoo.

Honestly, I am thinking of dropping it, as it is just way too janky and it's a pity, because I like the atmosphere.

Edit: I actually was able to smash through the floors. But I decided to uninstall it. I am simply not having fun. I do not like the metroidvania side of it (mostly due to bad controls and terrible combat) and I do not like the puzzles either (fake numerals and alphabet, yeah whatever, Riven did that 20 years ago much much better). So tbh I see no point in spending any more time with it. Plenty of much more entertaining games out there.

I stuck with it longer, and you just keep hitting walls, and the story doesn't really get much better.

Uninstalling it is the best idea.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

More banditry in M&B2 Bannerlord! I really like keeping a squad around ~20 people instead of 350+ units. I can avoid any parties I want, and I can chase down any bandits (or uhh, merchants) that I want. The only thing standing in between me and pure depravity is the need to keep decent reputation among the lords so that I can pick up mercenary contracts. This playthrough is a lot less demanding than the previous ones since I'm ignoring city-ownership.

Any further thoughts (good or bad) about the game @HariSeldon ?

Messed around in Biomutant (open world THQ furry simulator) and had fun. My youngest son is into it just like he's into Breath of the Wild and immortals Fenix Rising. The intro hours for this game are awful. I seriously question the people who made that portion of the game. the story is awful, the tutorials are awful, it's all awful. But once you get past that and can roam around the open map, fighting and gathering loot, it's actually pretty fun and free-form. I'm going with a Psionics + pistol + fast kung-fu build for now and I'll pivot to something else if I feel like it. Unlike a lot of open world games, this one doesn't punish you too hard for playing outside of your "build", you can try different equipment, craft, rebuild things, mess around. It definitely feels like a late PS3/early PS4 era open world game in terms of design, kind of quaint in its own way.

Also my wife and I began a new game to play through together, Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire. Highly recommended to fans of Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate (PC not PS2), or even Temple of Elemental Evil. She was already sold when I explained "it's in the same vein as Dragon Age", a series she's played to death. The character creation and background choices alone could take someone hours just examining, reading, comparing. It's a "classic CRPG" with real-time-with-pause (or turnbased), massive branching dialogue trees with choices unlocked (or greyed out) by stats, specific party members, and related skills. There are tons of ways to level up your team, and a Final fantasty 12 gambit system to automate it all and make battles easy. I'm roleplaying a pale elf Fury druid focusing on "storm magic" of various kinds (figured it would fit the island theme nicely).

 

[Haxan7]

I just bought a PS5 April 13th and subscribed to PS Plus Premium, so I've been going pretty wild with starting new games, including a few I was saving for PS5.

The main ones:

• Returnal (put 25+ hours in; currently haven't progressed past the third boss). I was extremely into this at first.
• Control (restarting since my PS4 save didn't work on the PS5 version. I've already played 8 hours after starting a few days ago). I love this game.

The secondary games:

• RE Village
• Rocket League (played this since launch day)
• Deathloop
• South Park: Fractured Butthole (30 hours in and mostly dropped it for Returnal/Control)
• Cyberpunk

 

[HariSeldon]

Not had much time as a result of digging out BOTW last night and my son's first birthday - absolute chaos here. I think it's a game where I need to find a good bit of time for a session.

 

[Dreamlord]

Serious Sam 4 was fun (a lot of fun, truth to be told) until it introduced the enemies that can only be killed if shot from behind. Add a dozen of them at the same time (plus others) and the game became stupid. I had the same issue in the previous one, where I dropped it because of stupid difficulty spikes. Uninstalled.

Bought Neodash because @regawdless recommended it and it has bright and shiny neon lights a-la Tron. It's alright. A bit too difficult for a casual game. Also, I could not beat regawdless's times, so he is a cunt.

 

[regawdless]

Serious Sam 4 was fun (a lot of fun, truth to be told) until it introduced the enemies that can only be killed if shot from behind. Add a dozen of them at the same time (plus others) and the game became stupid. I had the same issue in the previous one, where I dropped it because of stupid difficulty spikes. Uninstalled.

Bought Neodash because @regawdless recommended it and it has bright and shiny neon lights a-la Tron. It's alright. A bit too difficult for a casual game. Also, I could not beat regawdless's times, so he is a cunt.

C'mon it's not that difficult, git gud!

I went back to Jedi Fallen Order. But this time, with mods. New character model, quick save everywhere, unrestricted photo mode. Having a really good time, though some of the combat isn't that great.

 

[HE1NZ]

Finished Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth on Xbox.

This game is pretty bad. I heard so many positive things over the years but I can see why it bombed. It really tests player's patience. It has a mechanic of having your screen get all blurry and twisty every time you see an enemy or a corpse or just trying to see below at some height. So half the time you can't see shit. The protagonist is scared! In some situations if he is too scared and you don't stare at a wall to relax you'll go insane and die. What a stupid idea.

Opening two hours are really creepy and well done but afterwards you'll just be too annoyed by trial and error gameplay and stiff controls to care.

I'll go back to Valhalla expansions now.

 

[Dreamlord]

C'mon it's not that difficult, git gud!

I refunded it, actually. It's not better than Distance so kinda pointless.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

• Returnal (put 25+ hours in; currently haven't progressed past the third boss). I was extremely into this at first.
• Control (restarting since my PS4 save didn't work on the PS5 version. I've already played 8 hours after starting a few days ago). I love this game.

Two of my all-time favorite third person shooters, they both do so many things right

 

[BlackOlivesMatter]

I just bought a PS5 April 13th and subscribed to PS Plus Premium, so I've been going pretty wild with starting new games, including a few I was saving for PS5.

 

[regawdless]

I abandoned Jedi Fallen Order again because of issues I have with the gameplay and game design.

Went back to Quantum Break, still very good looking and a lot of fun. Looks like I'll finish that game, finally.

 

[regawdless]

Bought a key for Chernobylite for a few bucks. Interesting games so far with beautiful visuals. Will play more of it, seems solid.

 

[Ferdinand the Cowfish]

Randomly picked up DQ11 again last week and have put over 40 hours into it already.

I started playing it back when DQ11S was released on PC, got to the end of Act 1, and then got distracted by something else. I picked it back up and was completely lost so I started over and am now probably about 1/2 way through Act 2.

I just got the

Spoiler

flying whale

Great game. Plan on trying to finish it and Jedi: Survivor before FFXVI is released in June.

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Back on the Advance Wars train. Currently not moving the campaign forward until I S-rank every level, no matter how many attempts. It's gaming crack, just like it always was, graphics are fine to me and I'm a huge animated pixel art fan

 

[Amorous Biscuit]

I abandoned Jedi Fallen Order again because of issues I have with the gameplay and game design.

Went back to Quantum Break, still very good looking and a lot of fun. Looks like I'll finish that game, finally.

Fun, but ultimately forgettable. A weird reminder of Microsoft's push for gaming and TV hybrids.

 

[Amorous Biscuit]

Anyone here have any experience with The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky? I just bought it on Steam for my Deck as it was £6. Looks like a fun JRPG but I see the series has about 1000 entries.

 

[HariSeldon]

Randomly picked up DQ11 again last week and have put over 40 hours into it already.

I started playing it back when DQ11S was released on PC, got to the end of Act 1, and then got distracted by something else. I picked it back up and was completely lost so I started over and am now probably about 1/2 way through Act 2.

I just got the

Spoiler

flying whale

Great game. Plan on trying to finish it and Jedi: Survivor before FFXVI is released in June.

Yeah it's a cracking game tbh, it's a really fun chill out game imo. Sure it's not doing anything massively innovative but it doesn't need to. It's just a good time.