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[Naked Lunch]

Monster Hunter 1 Japan [Playstation 2]
Playing on original hardware with OPL, the latest translation, and the PSP controls patch - this puts attacks on the buttons rather than the analog stick - plus camera controls on the right stick (also with a Series X controller via Brooks converter!).

Very interesting and refreshing going back the the very start of the series. This is MH at its most raw and pure - and hardcore. The game is quite difficult!
Every single item is finite and hard to come by. Even whetstones, ferns. This is a survival item management game in addition to the boss rush. In some strange way - all the QOL things of recent entries lose all of this - the importance of the gathering and conserving. It wont ever come back either.

Pretty shocked many of the character and monster animations from the original are still the same in brand new games - 20 years later. Great Sword stance and attack animations are the same. The Intro wyvern running and tripping - even Rathalos has the same animations. The monsters staggering away retreating to their nests was there from day one too. I was thinking much of that stuff was added in newer games. Not so.

Seems after all these years - not much has changed. The gameplay loop and charm was always there. And the music is incredible. Shockingly - Im enjoying the original just as much as the modern day versions.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Just finished Indika. I'm not sure what to think.

On the one hand, the game is unusual and inventive. It has unique puzzles, nice 2-D pixel art levels that break things up, strange characters and some cool imagery. The setting is stark, with most of it in black and white (or at least feeling like it). It attempts to address some weighty philosophical issues, such as faith, free will, the will of God, and faith healing. You have a demon (?) whispering in your ear during the game, and it's not clear whether she's nuts ala Senua in Hellblade or whether the game is presenting it as a spiritual reality. In addition, there is a pointless point system, and there are moments when prayer helps you navigate environments. It's a bizarre game, not run of the mill. All of that is to its credit.

On the other hand, the game felt dissatisfying in a way I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's because the story didn't wrap up with any sort of clarity. It just ends abruptly. Maybe it's because the issues I mentioned (free will, faith, etc.) aren't explored in any depth but rather just tossed out there in a jumble. They raise the question, but then they don't do a whole lot with it. Maybe I would get more out of it on a second run, but my first just left me scratching my head, wondering what the hell that was about and what they were trying to say. It didn't cohere, at least for me.

So, I have mixed feelings about it. It's a very inventive, strange game, but it didn't quite gel for me, and I'm not sure why.

Is it worth the asking price or wait for a sale?

Just came out on PS4/5 and damn for such an old PSP game, it holds up surprisingly well….I’m enjoying this game a lot.

I played it for an hour. One thing I wish it had was a fast forward, not a rewind feature. I’ve thought about pulling out my Japanese Vita and playing that version. I won’t get the trophies and I’ve gotten like 5 of them so far. I’ve finished Elden Ring again. Not sure what to play until August. Thought about Trails of Daybreak and a couple other things. My hope for August is much higher so idk.

 

[Danjin44]

I played it for an hour. One thing I wish it had was a fast forward, not a rewind feature.

At first I though its going bother me but I got used to it, in my opinion its pretty damn fun game.

 

[Northeastmonk]

At first I though its going bother me but I got used to it, in my opinion its pretty damn fun game.

I finished back when the Slim PSP was popular. I wish all emulated games would have a fast forward feature to them. It makes an older game better or repayable. Even if you’re use to classics/retro/older titles, you still might play new games, so it would make sense to take in which quality of life features would benefit the player.

 

[Justin9mm]

Man I don't know what it is, but I've had Cyberpunk installed for months, and can't get myself to play through it.

The traversal aspect through the world is quite bland, it made me struggle sometimes. There is a good game in there though. I feel there is a lot of filler, a few boring very long cinematic segments, I hated sitting through all the nomad stuff.

 

[bender]

Because I hate myself I started up FF7: Rebirth tonight. The opening chapter gave me flashbacks of Remake, but I finally made it to the open world just to see what it was all about. It started off so well and didn't drag me by the nose (if I had a nose that is) to my objectives and encouraged exploring. Find a guy, find a dock, find a Chocobo farm, find a Chocobo. The world had sign post leading you to the Chocobo farm and to find the missing Chocobo, you had to follow footprints (the absurd amount of yellow feathers along with the footprints was a bit much but at least the prints weren't highlighted and there was no marker on the map for where the bird would be). And then it happened. The forced bump into the VR nerd, towers (that you don't have to climb) that litter your map with points of interest. Why, God? Why?!?!?!? You were doing so well without this!

I did about half of the points of interest in the first area (based on the dots that fill up on your screen). Seems like this formula will be copy and pasted through the game to fill in the overworld. The little combat trials are neat in that it encourages you to earn the most effective way to beat certain enemies. I thought the little Moogle village was going to be like Alice and Wonderland but it was more of a shitty mini-game. Searching for treasure chest was a little lame but not as lame as the Chocobo sniff hunts. I do like that groups of resources get collected with one button press while riding your bird. And speaking of birds, those Owl's that lead you to points of interest is a nice touch and reminds me of the foxes in Tsushima. I wish the game was more confident in players and did more things like that led to more organic exploration.

Kind of mixed on it so far. I don't hate it yet, but I'm sure I'll get there.

 

[Hrk69]

Just bought Balatro

 

[bender]

Just bought Balatro

That's GOTY Balatro to you, mister. Also know as Bollataro. Fun fact: Did you know SlimySnake sucks at making polls?

 

[BadBurger]

So my current save on Elden Ring is like level 55 and I only just defeated the magic queen in her school - I forget her name. The moon goddess or whatever. Can I play Erdtree or would I be hopelessly underpowered?

 

[NeverYouMind]

So my current save on Elden Ring is like level 55 and I only just defeated the magic queen in her school - I forget her name. The moon goddess or whatever. Can I play Erdtree or would I be hopelessly underpowered?

You probably would get stomped by Radahn (Caelid) and Mohg (Mogwyn Dynasty) before you could get to the DLC. It has been done before though.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Patiently waiting for EDF6 while playing some Ys VI.

 

[hemo memo]

Started Atelier Ryza 2. Right of the bat you can jump into water. 10/10.

 

[BadBurger]

Team Fortress 2 on Deck. Just firing it up.

Edit: this loading music bb

Raw

 

[Humdinger]

Is it [Indika] worth the asking price or wait for a sale?

I think I paid $25 for it (PS). That seems a little steep to me in retrospect. It depends how much money you have to throw around. If spending $25 is no big deal, go for it. If you're trying to be frugal, I'd wait for a sale.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Final boss in Kena and it's total garbage. The game has been great up until this piece of shit. It's poor design just makes my blood boil. Three repetitive time consuming phases and you have to redo everything if you die. And the grab attack is some major bullshit, unavoidable with poor hit detection, even if I'm not in range he still grabs me.

 

[Punished Miku]

Started Atelier Ryza 2. Right of the bat you can jump into water. 10/10.

Your gamertag isn't Mario WiiU is it?

 

[Mr Hyde]

Finished Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Ranting on GAF helped as I beat the final boss right after venting. The game is a great action platformer in the vein of Zelda, but to me it felt more Star Fox Adventures mixed with a bit of Pikmin. Graphics and animations are top notch, as well as the music. The combat is good, but button prompts doesn't always register, which results in unnecessary frustrations and deaths, and some of the bosses were ridiculously hard. Perfect parrying is essential in succeeding. Did not expect a colorful lighthearted game like this to be so challenging. It's a kid's game, no need to turn it into a wannabe Dark Souls. Other than that, highly recommend.

 

[Humdinger]

Finished Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Ranting on GAF helped as I beat the final boss right after venting. The game is a great action platformer in the vein of Zelda, but to me it felt more Star Fox Adventures mixed with a bit of Pikmin. Graphics and animations are top notch, as well as the music. The combat is good, but button prompts doesn't always register, which results in unnecessary frustrations and deaths, and some of the bosses were ridiculously hard. Perfect parrying is essential in succeeding. Did not expect a colorful lighthearted game like this to be so challenging. It's a kid's game, no need to turn it into a wannabe Dark Souls. Other than that, highly recommend.

Yeah, I found the combat unnecessarily frustrating. I'm not a Dark Souls kind of guy, so I was surprised to find that sort of challenge in what appears to be a lighthearted game. I hope they strike a better balance in the sequel, if there is one. I ended up jumping between difficulty levels the whole game and never feeling quite satisfied. I think the game could've been better had they not tried to hop on the "Souls-like" train.

 

[BadBurger]

Trying random games on my Steam Deck. Disco Elysium this moment.

 

[Roberts]

Had to put Flintlock aside for a few days, because me kids (7 and 2,5) are absolutely obsessed with Flock. It's a game where you fly around an island and try to find, identify and charm all kinds of weird animals that are mostly a cross between birds and fish. There are other activities, but no violence, just a chill game. Some creatures are really hard to locate. I mean, it is not my kind of a game, but if you have a kid, this might be a good way to spend time with them.

 

[King Dazzar]

Completed AC Mirage - spent around 40hrs in it. It's a 7. It was OK, movement/parkour needs work and was a step backwards Now starting AC Odyssey on XSX, which is one I skipped before. So far much better than Mirage.

 

[AndrewRyan]

Finished Doom Eternal: Ancient Gods Part 1 and what a ride! They leaned even more into playing it 'their way' where you not only use the correct weapon for some daemons but also the order you take them out. Feels like a perfect farewell to the series. Enjoyed Part 2 a little more due to the wide open arenas and giant blue floating grappling org that adds so much verticality. One of my favorite games of all time and a little sad seeing those credits roll. But now, looking forward to Dark Ages!

 

[BadBurger]

The First Descendant on PS5

It's like if Final Fantasy 14 was made into an arena type shooter.

The game looks fucking gorgeous. They gave Bunny some great big cheeks.

Edit: I am not sure what is going on here

 

[Danjin44]

finished 5th chapter in Jeanne D’Arc.

Holy fuck This game didn’t hold back, I thought we would save Liane in time but they actually burn her alive…fuck me.

 

[Dazraell]

Didn't had as much time for games as I wanted recently, but I've been bouncing between Yakuza 0 and The Thaumaturge

Yakuza 0 is my first time playing Yakuza series. I enjoy it so far, will definitely play Kiwami later this year

As for Thaumaturge, it's a quite neat story-driven RPG with Shin Megami Tensei-like combat. The setting is really unique and definitely stands out. I only played a few hours, but so far story is a bit boring, although I do find the entire premise as compelling and main character as interesting

 

[Punished Miku]

• Flintlock: Finished it up last night. Seriously loved the game. Going to replay it on hard mode in a couple months, and try and get remaining achievements.
• Flock: Played it for a few hours on launch day and will now start going back to it a bit. It's pretty simple, but a charming side game cataloging animals. Bugsnax with wings.
• Worldless: I'm still at the end of the game and need to finish it up. Fights are getting very challenging so I had to take a break.
• Call of Duty: Going to play the campaign on this one that dropped on GP next. First one I've played since the PS2, so we'll see how that goes.
• Dungeons of Hinterberg: This is my next game after the short CoD campaign. Really looking forward to it.

 

[Nintendo's Witch]

SF6

 

[Mr Hyde]

Trying out the new Worlds update for No Man's Sky. I've always wanted to like this game. Every trailer makes it look fantastic and fun to play, but when I actually play it I don't click with it more than a few hours. This time however, it might be the one time it does. Graphical leap is huge, with clouds and water looking significantly better, as does the general vegetation. I landed on a paradise planet and it's lush and beautiful, making me wanna build a base here instantly. Mining and crafting has been streamlined, and by removing inventory caps it's no longer a chore (so far at least). You can customize your play style to your liking. The game is probably where I've always wanted it to be and I hope this is time I actually like it for real. Hello Games have truly done a fantastic job updating this game. I've never seen anyone put in this much effort, time and content to a game. It's astonishing, honestly.

 

[Sidney Prescott]

Doom (2016). This game is so tight. The weapons are all just amazing to use, especially the Chainsaw. My gosh, that is satisfying. The movement and feel of the combat is so smooth and such a rewarding experience.

 

[DragoonKain]

Currently deciding on what JRPG to close the summer out with after I finished Chained Echoes, I have the list narrowed down to a few. But I have a nice list of games planned for the fall. Robocop, System Shock Remake, Banishers, Avatar, Gravity Circuit, Alone in the Dark, and Star Wars. Although with Star Wars I'm still waiting to see more reviews and gameplay to decide if it's my kinda game. If not, I'll pick it up down the road during a sale.

 

[Danjin44]

I'm very close finishing Jeanne D'Arc I think I'm gonna play Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana next and hopefully finish them before Visions of Mana comes out.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I'm very close finishing Jeanne D'Arc I think I'm gonna play Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana next and hopefully finish them before Visions of Mana comes out.

I have that game on emulator

How is it overall?

How's the difficulty?

 

[Danjin44]

I have that game on emulator

How is it overall?

How's the difficulty?

Very solid SRPG and for a 2006 PSP game it aged very well, its not crazy deep like FFT or Unicorn Overlord.

Its also not really difficult game but I'm surprised how dark the story is....like with most Level 5 games the art style feels like Saturday morning anime but it was much darker than I thought and it does some clever stuff to mix actual history with fantasy elements.

Overall I'm very happy with this game.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Very solid SRPG and for a 2006 PSP game it aged very well, its not crazy deep like FFT or Unicorn Overlord.

Its also not really difficult game but I'm surprised how dark the story is....like with most Level 5 games the art style feels like Saturday morning anime but it was much darker than I thought and it does some clever stuff to mix actual history with fantasy elements.

Overall I'm very happy with this game.

I'll be sure to play it either this year or next year

 

[Punished Miku]

Call of Duty MW3: My 1st CoD. Campaign has been great. A lot of stealth / Metal Gear shit. The quality of the gun handling and variety is next level. Really underestimated this series.

Dungeons of Hinterberg: On dungeon 6 of 25. Seems like a pretty big game. Dungeons take me at least 30 min already.

 

[Paltheos]

Currently deciding on what JRPG to close the summer out with after I finished Chained Echoes, I have the list narrowed down to a few. But I have a nice list of games planned for the fall. Robocop, System Shock Remake, Banishers, Avatar, Gravity Circuit, Alone in the Dark, and Star Wars. Although with Star Wars I'm still waiting to see more reviews and gameplay to decide if it's my kinda game. If not, I'll pick it up down the road during a sale.

Gravity Circuit is tight. Speedy and responsive and fun. What a modern Mega Man game should be really... barring of course that you just punch things instead of shooting them.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I have been putting off playing Armored Core VI until I can commit a solid amount of time toward being fully immersed. But instead I just started Gravity Rush Remastered and holy shit, I can't believe I slept on this. I am not far in but the world is super interesting and despite it being a little awkward, the gameplay is super unique and interesting. Also really enjoying the animated manga storytelling.

Yeah, I found the combat unnecessarily frustrating. I'm not a Dark Souls kind of guy, so I was surprised to find that sort of challenge in what appears to be a lighthearted game. I hope they strike a better balance in the sequel, if there is one. I ended up jumping between difficulty levels the whole game and never feeling quite satisfied. I think the game could've been better had they not tried to hop on the "Souls-like" train.

I thought the combat was difficulty at times, but overall I loved how fluid it felt so I didn't really mind.

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

I just received a Nintendo Wii from an Ebay seller. It came with a red Wii Remote Plus, which alone was worth the $50 I paid. The disc drive is causing trouble, which either needs a good dusting or replacing. Either way, I'll be looking into hacking the console to play games (certainly the retro emulators and hopefully WiiWare titles). I bought this because I wanted something that my four-year-old daughter would enjoy, and she already likes Just Dance (that cat song) and Mario Kart (pink Yoshi w/monster tires) on Switch. I'm thinking the Wii Series games would be perfect for her, as well as all those monster truck games that she would be sure to love. Have you ever tried Monster 4x4 World Circuit? That's like the second coming of RC Pro-Am.

I managed to play the opening to Okami a couple nights ago, and that still looks great on my 13" Sony Trinitron. Yes, I have the Switch version as well, it's a classic adventure game that deserves as much love and support as possible. I wish I could get NHL Slapshot and De Blob 1&2 to work. I love those games.

As always, if I need a quick fix, I'll fire up OpenEmu on my desktop Mac and play 5200 Pac-Man, Defender and Mario Bros "Redux," a homebrew graphics update that looks much closer to the arcade.

Meanwhile, the thought of scoring a Sega Dreamcast with GDEMU mod stacked with games remains very tempting. And I see Nintendo Switch Lite with Animal Crossing available on Ebay for roughly $150, a terrific deal if there ever was one. I really need some Animal Crossing in my life to help calm my nerves and bring the blood pressure down. Of course, I'd really love a cute blonde to snuggle every night, but since that's not an option at the moment...hah.

 

[Humdinger]

I just started Gravity Rush Remastered and holy shit, I can't believe I slept on this. I am not far in but the world is super interesting and despite it being a little awkward, the gameplay is super unique and interesting. Also really enjoying the animated manga storytelling.

Yeah, Gravity Rush is a really charming game. Glad you found it.

 

[Danjin44]

Yeah, Gravity Rush is a really charming game. Glad you found it.

I miss the times when Sony used to give us unique game like Gravity Rush…..there is no game like it.

 

[drganon]

Beat the last episode of dusk.

 

[hemo memo]

Finished Ryza 2. That final boss difficulty spike, yeesh. Overall, it’s a great improvement over the first Ryza game.

The alchemy system got some nice upgrades with a more intuitive interface. Exploration is also better, with the new ability to swim and explore underwater adding a lot of depth to the game. Also, development system is brilliant.

However, the difficulty spikes, especially with bosses, can be a bit jarring and sometimes feel ridiculous.

Ryza 2 is a solid sequel that improves on nearly every aspect of the first game, offering a much more polished experience.

 

[Duchess]

Dropped Prince of Persia. I was finding the combat too tough; I couldn't parry stuff, it was overall very frustrating.

Amusingly, I returned the game to my brother over the weekend, and we both played it a bit. Weirdly, I was finding it easier to dodge, parry, etc., on his PS5. Was my controller busted? Nope - I'd brought it along so we can play some couch co-op. After a lot of wrangling, I saw that he has his TV set to Game Mode. I don't. So, for the past 10 fucking years I've been playing all my games with an input delay of at least 50ms..! That's 3 damn frames! ARGGHHH!!!

Moved on to Deathloop, which I'm finding quite interesting. I'll go back to PoP another time.

(I know it's not exactly an input delay I was facing, but I've basically always been attempting to block / parry 3-4 frames too late)

 

[Schmendrick]

Just finished Kunitsu Gami, which I liked very much. Now I guess I´ll finally go for CP2077: Phantom liberty.

 

[Humdinger]

Finished No One Wants to Die recently. I liked the visuals and setting, but I thought the story and dialog were lacking. Gameplay wasn't very engaging, either - click X to progress. It's a detective/mystery game, but there isn't much thought required. 7/10 for me.

I've started into Cocoon. After the overly verbose and non-thinky No One Wants to Die, Cocoon was just what I needed. Quiet, minimalist soundscape, no one speaking. Great art direction. Lots of weird mechanisms that make me go "wow, cool." I'm occasionally getting stumped, though - not for too long, but long enough to make me wonder if it will get too hard/frustrating for me down the pike. I hope not, because I'm enjoying it.

 

[BadBurger]

I decided to try out Overwatch 2 again. They force you into certain classes in a weird way.

 

[Hrk69]

I decided to try out Overwatch 2 again. They force you into certain classes in a weird way.

Obviously. There is no use playing the game with (for example) 5 tanks or support heroes.

 

[Roberts]

I've started into Cocoon. After the overly verbose and non-thinky No One Wants to Die, Cocoon was just what I needed. Quiet, minimalist soundscape, no one speaking. Great art direction. Lots of weird mechanisms that make me go "wow, cool." I'm occasionally getting stumped, though - not for too long, but long enough to make me wonder if it will get too hard/frustrating for me down the pike. I hope not, because I'm enjoying it.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to puzzles and only got stuck once or twice (and not for long) during the whole game. It does get a bit more challenging at the end but by that time you have really figured out all the mechanics and it is not all that much harder.

 

[Humdinger]

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to puzzles and only got stuck once or twice (and not for long) during the whole game. It does get a bit more challenging at the end but by that time you have really figured out all the mechanics and it is not all that much harder.

That's good. I've gotten stumped a few times, but when I do, I shut the game down. When I come back later, things fall into place. Weird how that happens. I guess my brain figures it out unconsciously in the interval.

edit: I ended up quitting at about the 90% level. I was getting stuck too often and I felt wasting time. Things were just getting too finicky for me. Maybe puzzle games aren't my strength, or I just don't like wrestling with their logic after it gets too multilayered.

8/10 for me. Good, solid puzzle game. Very nice graphics and animations, everything screams quality. Multiple "whoah" moments. Recommended for anyone who likes puzzle games.

 

[NahaNago]

i started nier replicant. I originally played nier on the ps3 but never finished it. I'll try and finish it by next week. Half the reason I'm playing it is because I want to watch the anime after I beat those two games.