Yakoob on 23/10/2022 at 19:14
I just started playing Days Gone and... I don't know.
It's technically very well done and everything, but it feels too... cinematic? Railroaded? I'm not sure how to describe it, it feels like the designer is over my shoulders constantly saying "and now go around this truck, now throw the rock to distract this zombie, now climb this trash can to the roof, now pick up the conveniently placed fireaxe, etc." Even the movement itself, I don't feel like I am a real independent entity in a world, it feels like I am a robot glued to the floor and only allowed to move and interact in very specific ways that the designer allowed for.
I'm only an hour and a half in so the world hasn't really opened up, but there's something about the "game feel" that puts me off. Like I'm just playing a linear Netflix series in a non-linear matter, rather than living in a world. And I know Days Gone isn't the only game that does this kind of a thing, but I guess that's maybe why I don't play a lot of those linear action games?
Might give it another hour or two to see if I change my opinion, but I also read about the irreverent save game system that makes me worried when I go back to it tonight.....
Thirith on 24/10/2022 at 08:40
I've been replaying Assassin's Creed Unity, of all games. It's still the same immensely shallow collectathon for the largest part, even if the technical issues are a thing of the past - but I love how much and how well the game evokes revolutionary Paris as a place. NPCs are simplistic, the missions repetitive, but I am enjoying just traversing the city and seeing the sometimes subtle, sometimes big differences between the various quarters. Assassin's Creed Syndicate does almost everything better, but there's a quality to Unity's visuals and especially its lighting that IMO is still best in the entire series. I'm sure I'll tire of replaying the game way before the end, but for now I'm happy to explore historical Paris for a bit before going to bed.
Meanwhile, I suspect I'm slowly approaching the endgame of Sekiro (which may still be a dozen hours for all I know). I've returned to Ashina Castle, and there are ninjas and soldiers fighting everywhere. I'm still not particularly good at the game but I'm good enough not to die repeatedly and frustratingly all the time. But I suspect I would've given up if it wasn't for the extensive guides and walkthroughs on the internet helping me with a number of the bosses.
Tomi on 25/10/2022 at 19:23
Replaying an Assassin's Creed game? Are you crazy? :eek:
I've actually got AC Unity in my library, but I've never played it. I did play AC Syndicate around two years ago though and from what I can remember, I did enjoy the sightseeing for a while and I thought that the virtual London was beautifully created. The actual gameplay is fun for maybe five hours at most, and then you just have to endure the last 20+ hours if you want to see how the story ends. They seem to be adding all those new bells and whistles and new activities for the newer AC games, but in a way I think it's just making things worse, as these new features tend to be all about grinding as well. I wish they concentrated on making the combat and parkour stuff more interesting and challenging instead. AC Syndicate is the newest game in the series that I've played, so maybe they've already done changes to that, I dunno.
Revolution era Paris sounds interesting though, so perhaps I'll give Unity a try when I feel like playing an AC game again. I do have Black Flag and Origins in my library as well though. Oh, and Chronicles: China - that looks like something a bit different.
Sulphur on 26/10/2022 at 05:08
So I dropped Horizon: Forbidden West, because eh. It's quite possibly the prettiest game, which is an achievement because it doesn't use any RT hijinx whatsoever (not that the consoles can do anything but a stripped-back version of RT, but I digress), and I like looking at it, but the entire experience is redolent of the worst excesses of a Ubisoft game. I don't play Assassin's Creed games as often as I would like to because they're like a hit of cocaine followed by a week of snorting baking soda. The games are just really great at fucking me off with tedious gameplay once I'm done gawking at the sights. Horizon at least has fun combat, but it isn't enough to pull me along its various quest chains of people talking at me.
Instead, I'm playing A Plague Tale: Requiem, because of course it is also very good looking. Also extremely demanding - I have to lock it to 30 FPS so it doesn't melt my GPU - on my now aging rig, whose specs put it about on par with a slightly compromised console experience. About twenty minutes in and it's done pretending that Amicia and her brother have something good to look forward to, and they're almost immediately thrown into the same grim territory from the first game. I'm sort of surprised that Amicia isn't more psychologically screwed up than she shows, being forced to kill more often than not, but they might actually address that here in time.
Anyway, the developers also know how ludicrous the excesses they're going for are, and in what is quite possibly the most French thing ever, decide to show you that self-awareness through some foreshadowing via a story beat that first forces you through a butchers' quarter, then tips you into an amazingly disgusting bit just to rub your face in it. Or, more accurately, rub your companion's face in it. I would applaud if it wasn't so hammy; or maybe I should applaud because it is. Anyway, expect a lot of rotting flesh, because it's the plague, y'all.
So the rats return for this outing, mais oui, and they're the stars again. Seeing them pour in like some seething tidal wave of fur and teeth is quite something, and the art team has given their eyes the same demonic red glow from last time that helps them stand out in the dark, which is an inspired artistic and design choice. So far, I'm seeing the same malicious stealth puzzle segments from the first game where you use the rats and some chemistry to fuck up mercs and guards while also not getting devoured yourself, which is both an intriguingly vicious mechanic (that's always ostensibly at odds with Amicia's general personality), and also one of the most deliciously video-gamey things ever.
It's a strong beginning, but I'm hoping there's more layers to it as we go along, both in the story and gameplay, especially because we know that Hugo can control the rats, so once the contrived reasons to separate them are dealt with, things should get even more interesting, hopefully. Looking forward to the rest of it!
Thirith on 26/10/2022 at 07:25
I have to admit that while Horizon absolutely has some fantastic design (mainly the robot creatures) and gorgeous vistas, I'm rather ambivalent about the overall aesthetic, which I find messy and just a tad Thomas Kincaidy, especially in the use of colours. The individual elements are often great, but for me the sum is often somewhat less than the parts.
But hey, I'm the guy who replays Assassin's Creed Unity, so everyone's MVV. :cheeky:
Malf on 26/10/2022 at 10:10
I haven't bothered with Forbidden West for the same reasons Sulph outlines. The first game also outstayed its welcome, and would have been just about right if it were a quarter the size it ended up being.
I did enjoy the first game's expansion, as it was a bit more focussed, but even so, I think I've had enough of Horizon having completed it on both PS4 and PC (well, almost on PC; completed the DLC and am not far off of completing the main campaign thanks to the extras from the expansion allowing me to absolutely beast the main campaign.).
One thing I will say though: it's a better game for hunting monsters than Monster Hunter. I loved MHW, but the monsters in Horizon feel more fair to fight, and I feel more clever beating them.
And Horizon doesn't have a never-ending gear/experience treadmill.
As for wot I yam playin, I jumped back in to Rimworld recently thanks to the release of its new Biotech expansion.
I've started a colony with a Mechanotor (or whatever the mech option is), with the end goal of controlling my own hive of mechanoid bastards. I've got lots of little robots doing menial tasks for me, and have just recruited something that crashlanded on the map that looks like it might be half-wolf, half man.
I'm glad I've finally got another humanoid around, as finding time to research as the sole human on the map has been difficult up until he arrived.
While Dwarf Fortress will always be my first love when it comes to colony management sims, Rimworld remains playable for far longer, thanks to the smaller scale of the simulation.
I really hope Toady takes some time with the Steam release of DF to address framerate death.
nicked on 26/10/2022 at 15:57
I've been playing Carrion, a neat little metroidvania-ish 2D "platformer" in which you play a horrific blob of eyes, teeth and tentacles and must squirm your hideous way through various scientific installations, eating everyone you come across to grow your biomass, and gaining a few powers and upgrades by absorbing biohazard samples in abandoned labs.
It's got a procedural movement animation system similar to how Rain World works, and a great "Pixel art Plus" art style, where it's semi-realistic and has lighting effects. Gameplay is all about stealthing around avoiding gunfire until you can ambush people and tear them into shreds. It's kinda similar to playing the alien in AvP in a lot of ways - you're a goopy red glass cannon. The soundtrack is full of horror stings and blood-curdling screams.
It's great fun - only a few quid on Steam at the mo in their halloween sale.
WingedKagouti on 26/10/2022 at 16:39
Quote Posted by nicked
I've been playing
Carrion, a neat little metroidvania-ish 2D "platformer"
I've beaten it twice, well worth the normal asking price IMO and certainly worth the sale price.
Aja on 26/10/2022 at 16:45
I've been all over the place. On a whim I downloaded Resident Evil 7 and got pretty far, up to the docks. At first I found it frustrating and stressful, the pattern always being: invincible enemy chases you around the house while you frantically run in circles looking for the button prompt you need to defeat them, but after a while I started to get the hang of it. The sound design is so good; it reminds me a bit of Thief in how it propagates and how can you use it to pinpoint where the enemy is. I also love the ambient sound, the random creaks and groans that make me jump every time, especially with the old 5.1 system I have hooked up. They really fine-tuned the bashing-through-doors mechanic as well.
I'm also giving Death Stranding another try, this time the director's cut on PS5. I've gotten about as far as I did the first, time about 10 hours, and I'm enjoying it more. I think the secret to this game is to not force it; just be chill and revel in its opulence rather than fret over the confusing plot or the indecipherable menus or the inscrutable gameplay. Ha. You take it one step at a time and make sure to tug on your straps for balance. Well, you definitely have to be a fan of Kojima to enjoy this, and I guess I am.
And I'm still regularly playing Gran Turismo 7; they're drip-feeding us content in monthly updates, but the physics are getting better, the new cars are beautiful as always, and every month we all hold out hope that this one's gonna be the big update. And it never is. But the core gameplay is so compelling that I'm fine with it. I just wish the economy was a little more balanced toward the player. Some cars cost 20 million credits, and in like 80 hours of actual driving time I've managed to earn only 54 million. It's meant to be a slow burn, I suppose.
henke on 26/10/2022 at 18:03
Heyyyyy Aja, I'm playing Death Stranding: D.C. again too! On PS5 as well! If you find any immaculately placed ladders that say LeeMajorz6k on em, uuuh ya welcome! I'm maybe 30 hours in, just made it up to the snowy mountains. Love it.
Also playing WHATEVER, which is basically "what if we made an arcade game about that time the Evergiven cargo ship got stuck in the Suez canal". I'm on the second to last level, getting chased by a kaiju through New York's water ways. It's quite challenging, and fun.
And I've played the first 71 min of Ctrl Alt Ego. Some bits are pretty wonky, some are pretty cool. It's... interesting.
