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[Crayon]

I just tried the gothic demo. I like the subtly of the writing and things immediately seemed pretty believable.

I've played the original very briefly and I can say that the controls and fighting are much more modern here. But ironically, Elex played like a game from 2000 anyhow and this is not much better. I quit elex because the combat was really rough. I can deal with that for so many hours but after awhile it gets so dull. RPG's mostly come down to killing monsters and it's not asking too much to make that part good.

For as tragic as unreal 5 performance is, I have to say I like what it's doing for lower budget stuff. Lumen is heavy but it really works. This, oblivion, robocop, ninja gaiden - UE5 is giving aa games a bigger visual boost than it is to aaa.

 

[Cynexius]

I just platinumed Returnal and got all the trophies in the Ascension DLC (total playtime is ~150 hours). Absolutely amazing game. The combat is so fluid and responsive, I wish other games had the feel you get from controlling the character. Graphic-wise, the PS4 Pro patch makes the game look absolutely phenomenal. The rogue-like gameplay loop is addicting - whether I die or beat it, I just want to start another cycle. And finally, the story - although a bit confusing at first, after unlocking the secret ending and watching a video explanation on Youtube, everything falls into place and makes complete sense. It just blows my mind what the overarching narrative turned out to be. Returnal is a 10/10 experience.

 

[Ultra Donny]

Spacemarine 2 and Doom the dark ages. Previous i played South of midnight so the contrast noticeable. Three good games.

 

[Hypereides]

DAYS GONE

Easy riding through the landscape while exploring, scouring and scavenging in the wilderness. The game has a kind of slow ramp up in the beginning imo, but opens up after the first hour or two. The world's scavenger economy, wheather- and eco-system is pretty neat. I dig how scavenging items seems nearly non-redundant with how its balanced plus ties into upkeep of your bike and gear.

Deacon almost constantly blabbering to himself is a bit immersion breaking and awkward though. They probably could've cut that self-narrating monologue by 80% or so to make it seem more believable and natural.

This game doesn't have an OT or any thread. It's a pretty awesome Descent-like that looks and plays like an early 00s PC game in a good way.

It launched a few months ago after an early access period and despite the 97% positive ratings they keep refining it with updates like today's:

Desecrators - 1.0.2 changelist - Steam News

Updated Deep Space Mine and Dark Refinery: - Reworked lighting - Improved texturing - Improved geometry for various room types - Added new room types Extended tunnel generation Added new AI flanking behaviour to certain enemies Added new damage FX for various weapons Various performance...

store.steampowered.com

Looks awesome. Hope it lands on consoles at some point. That's definitely something I'd check out.

 

[Mobilemofo]

There is something about these games that the AAA games are lacking. I remember playing Two Worlds 2, Risen on 360 and enjoying them despite their faults. I think if these teams would have a bit more money and time, those games could compete with the high budget open world RPGs.

However, Elex 2 was not good, even as an eurojank enjoyer.

Let's see how Gothic Remake will do. I think they have put a bit more effort and money on that so it might actually get some recognition.

If I had paid for Elex 2 I would have been furious. As it was, it cost nothing, and I was still insulted by it. It's the equivalent of a simultaneous punch in the throat and a kick in the cock.

 

[Hydroxy]

Kathy Rain: Soothsayer.
So far so good. Loved the first game and this one is just as good so far.

Yakuza Kiwami 2
Really behind on Yakuza games. Only played 0 and Kiwami 1 so far and now started 2. Loved 0, didn't like 1 but 2 is good so far pretty early on.

Red Dead Redemption Remastered
Applied the Reality Redemption graphics mod and game looks so nice. Story and characters are interesting. Still pretty early but good so far.

 

[Rocky_Balboa]

If I had paid for Elex 2 I would have been furious. As it was, it cost nothing, and I was still insulted by it. It's the equivalent of a simultaneous punch in the throat and a kick in the cock.

Yeah, I understand. I paid maybe 2 euros so it wasn't too much.

 

[Roberts]

Revenge of the Savage Planet. I enjoyed the first game, completed it and despite this looking better and having new gameplay mechanics, it took me a while to warm up to this one. But I didn't give up and finally it clicked for me now that I have most of the upgrades. It's just fun and kind of relaxing despite having way more combat than the first game. Also, maybe it is the motion blur, but one of the few 30 fps games that doesn't feel super choppy. It's like an obnoxiously sarcastic asshole brother of Subnautica.

 

[hemo memo]

Playing Ocean's Heart. It's a 2D Zelda-like and very enjoyable so far.

 

[Windle Poons]

Oblivion Remaster - XSX.

 

[Punished Miku]

Clair Obscur: nearing the end I think. Phenomenal game. I do have a few complaints but big picture- the game is extremely impressive and a ton of fun. I beat one of the more difficult bosses Axon #2 without a few optional things that massively decrease the difficulty, so that was really satisfying. Took like 10 or 11 tries. I didn't think I was going to do it, but pulled it off finally.

Antstream Arcade: played a bunch of old arcade beat em ups so that was fun.

Towerborne: I'm at a standstill. My favorite class is level 50, and that's the cap but I still have a lot of map left to explore. I don't really want to restart with a different class honestly. You're limited to only a few levels at the very beginning and the game was already pretty repetitive. Going to have to either max out the map without getting any class XP, or just wait for future updates when they lift the level cap. Undecided. Game is extremely fun if you want a challenging hack and slash.

Sea of Stars DLC: Just did the intro pretty much. Looks neat, but a bit challenging. Going to run through this after CO33.

After that, it's either Doom or Blades of Fire up next.

 

[EerieArcade]

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
Can't seem to settle on a game recently. Picked this up fairly cheap because I was in the mood for an RPG of this type: Pretty casual, not particularly challenging, and all that. I remember playing this on PS3 and thinking it was decent enough. Played two hours and so far it's...decent enough.

Resident Evil: Director's Cut
Just arrived in the labs. Finish this and I'm going to move onto Resi 2.

 

[adamsapple]

Playing some Far Cry 4 post patch.

No 4K but seems to have imported better settings than before on Xbox and runs native 1080p instead of 1440x1080p like it did before.

 

[Humdinger]

Started into Stellar Blade. I enjoyed the first hour of the game, but I'm getting clobbered by the first boss.

I'm thinking I probably made a mistake in buying the game. I wanted to support the studio and see what everyone was talking about, but I've probably bitten off more than I can chew, or at least more than I feel like chewing. I'm just not very good at fast-action combat games like this - ones that require quick reflexes, memorization of lots of different combos, and precise timing.

To the game's credit, it has a training arena, which I've found helpful. But I'm still getting trounced by this guy, and he's only the first boss. I'll dial it back to Story mode and see if I can get through it. (edit: That worked. Story mode is more my speed, heh.)

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

jshackles

Shadow Hearts (PlayStation 2)

7 hours into the game

I love the Judgement Ring

And its for everything

Want to use a item in battle? Judgement Ring. Want to get a discount at a store? Judgement Ring

Also there are status effects that effect the Judgement Ring where the areas you hit get smaller to hit or the line goes too fast

They really thought lot about this

I can understand why Shadow Hearts Games are considered to be some of the best JRPGs around

So it's a big part of the game. Not complaining, I like the challenge and it's not too bad

Story, Cast, Graphics, Music and Gameplay are all fantastic

Story wise

I got to Shanghai after I did an exocism on that Ji Ji Lady. (I think that's her name) Her first form was tougher than her second form. I equipped accesories that nulled Paralysis to all my party members. Story wise I loved the FMV cutscene with the old woman going into how the daughter had her dad voice and her dad had her voice because of a curse. Really dark and creepy.

It's been a long time since I played a PS2 game and I can understand why it's my GOAT still. I never played Shadow Hearts before and it is fantastic

 

[Jesb]

Expedition 33. Also rotating on 2nd playthrough's of RE4. And started a hardcore playthrough of village. Having unlimited shotgun is cool lol. Also playing doom up to ch 6. These will keep me busy for a while.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Split my time between Forza horizon 5 and Indiana Jones, for the Indy game very early on it, I am finding the whole combat controls getting used to, and having to keep an eye out for fatigue....(wish it had a combat mechanic like Uncharted where such things didn't matter..)

 

[MaestroMike]

On the ice world of doom eternal playing on ps5 pro. game looks great don't mind playing these smaller levels just killing demons. I grew up with mario so platforming is alright with me haven't played the other doom games except like 2016 for an hour a long as$ time ago when it first released so i don't know what to expect in these doom games i'm having fun

 

[adamsapple]

Popped in some Binary Domain after reading some heathenish comments about it not being a good game on GAF. tsk tsk.

It's so frickin' good. Came out at a great time to show that the RGG studio was no one trick pony, as well.

Bonus that the Xbox version has FPS boost and runs pretty damn flawlessly. The PC version is also often on ridiculously low sales.

Great shooting, good story and characters and a pretty robust companion trust mechanic which radically changes their fates and the ending(s) to the game.

 

[Roman Empire]

I went back and booted Burnout Paradise. I never played the DLC and I'm itching to play an arcade racer with high octane crashes and chases.

 

[Punished Miku]

Finished up Clair Obscur. Definitely a very interesting game. Really glad I played it.

I think its time for Doom Dark Ages now. Need something violent and action packed.

 

[bender]

I finished the three endings for the Heaven and Hell expansion of Tiny Rogues. It's become one of my favorite indie games ever.

Popped in some Binary Domain after reading some heathenish comments about it not being a good game on GAF. tsk tsk.

It's so frickin' good. Came out at a great time to show that the RGG studio was no one trick pony, as well.

Bonus that the Xbox version has FPS boost and runs pretty damn flawlessly. The PC version is also often on ridiculously low sales.

Great shooting, good story and characters and a pretty robust companion trust mechanic which radically changes their fates and the ending(s) to the game.

Terrible game. All the enemies are robots.

 

[adamsapple]

Terrible game. All the enemies are robots.

 

[Crayon]

I'm gameless!!!

That's okay but the problem is im upgrading so my choices are strictly limited to games with good graphics for the next week at least.

I've got the choice of doom, e33, oblivion, indiana jones, wukong,monster hunter, space marine 2, and what else? That's already some really good choices.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Animal Crossing New Horizon still... Lol I'm always trying to create and improve my island while also trying to get the perfect combination of my favorite villagers. Bob Lopez and Wolfgang for life! I brought in Faith for the sole purpose of getting the street piano recipe and she is never inside her house crafting anything.

 

[RPS37]

I was lovin* Expedition 33, but now I can't put down Doom.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I'm gameless!!!

That's okay but the problem is im upgrading so my choices are strictly limited to games with good graphics for the next week at least.

I've got the choice of doom, e33, oblivion, indiana jones, wukong,monster hunter, space marine 2, and what else? That's already some really good choices.

Fantasy Life i

 

[Crayon]

Fantasy Life i

Whoa whoa. I said I was upgrading, not getting a fire-breathing beast.

 

[forsakkenSoul]

A mod was published the other day that considerably improves the graphics quality of the game, so I took the opportunity to start it and take it out of the backlog. I've already finished DS II, DS III and Sekiro from FS, but not DS I yet.

 

[Paltheos]

Bloodborne (PC)

Completed all the optional side areas post-Cathedral Ward, two of the mainline chalice dungeons (stuck on Rom in the third), and Forbidden Forest. New technical hiccups in the forest (and only the forest) - in some area transitions and inconsistently, my screen turned completely white. Hard resetting shadPS4 fixed the issue each time and allowed me to proceed but this happened like 5 times tonight.

Now that I don't have to worry about vial refills, the experience is more directly analogous to Dark Souls, and it's hard to say whether I think Dark Souls III or Bloodborne deserves the From crown. I still think the vial system is imperfect - this is just a band-aid. Starting with 20 every time is just too much; the Dark Souls way of improving your stock and potency over time still feels better imo.

Most of the fights have been pretty easy. Nothing outside the chalice dungeons has really given me much trouble. Shadows of Yharnam went down incredibly easy - it's a fight I liked and still like but they just didn't pose much of a threat considering how big the arena and how slowly the ranged one's projectiles travel (at least, not after all the Fromsoft leveling I've done since I first played this game 6 years ago). By contrast, the best fight I've had in this run so far has been against the Merciless Watchers & Chieftain on the first layer of the third chalice dungeon: The arena's small, the ranged dude in this fight has a gun and deals heavy damage with it, and you need to manage everyone to not get overwhelmed by the melee dudes or perforated by gun man. I developed a strategy of kiting the Watchers around the perimeter while I hid behind a corner pillar, doing a running R2 with the Whirligig Saw (which guarantees stagger) when one of them got close and the Chieftain had just fired, and then rolling back behind the pillar to continue kiting while making adjustments whenever one of the Watchers would stray from the edges of the arena to come straight at me. It's a tense fight since I could (did) get cornered sometimes and rolling out into the open is always a big risk.

Bloodborne enemies are overall fine. The scariest things in this game are the dogs, definitely. Especially the big, black ones (not to be confused with the werewolves; they're easy tbh). They're instantly in your face and have some long strings - I avoid fighting two at a time if possible. I'm surprised I don't remember these guys being a menace - maybe it's because they've just been in the chalice dungeons and overall everything was scary back then?

For the second half of this run, I've given myself the Holy Moonlight Sword. Seems like a fun complement to the Whirligig Saw, for damage types and swing arcs (and speed for the mace). Plus HMS is cool.

Anyway, fake Rom's kicking my ass, so I'll probably run Cainhurst to get a little more HP and then try again. Failing that then Byrgenwerth maybe. I'd like to beat chalice dungeon Rom before actual Rom.

 

[dorkimoe]

Monster train 2 on game pass. I need help though I cannot win

 

[Crayon]

Tried wing arms (old) earlier tonight and I think I like it. I'd play more now but it's time to go to bed. It's a very simple game. WW2-style dogfighting game.

A lot of these games fail where they devolve into plying in circles. The first level sent waves of enemies, starting with just slow moving targets but introducing a new thing in each wave. Eventually there were some planes where simply flying in circles wasn't working. I though back to red baron (remember?!) and did an immelman maneuver. I tried to. I did some wacky maneuver of my own but managed to get behind the enemies. So there might be something to this.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Some Forza Horizon on PS5 Pro. DualSense integration is so-so, but boy DS triggers are so much better for throttle control.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I brought this game close to when it was released, interesting concept but no replay value, which meant I eventually traded it in...

Popped in some Binary Domain after reading some heathenish comments about it not being a good game on GAF. tsk tsk.

It's so frickin' good. Came out at a great time to show that the RGG studio was no one trick pony, as well.

Bonus that the Xbox version has FPS boost and runs pretty damn flawlessly. The PC version is also often on ridiculously low sales.

Great shooting, good story and characters and a pretty robust companion trust mechanic which radically changes their fates and the ending(s) to the game.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Beat Messmer the Impaler in Shadow of the Erd Tree. Shadow Keep might be the best legacy dungeon I've played in any FromSoft Souls-game. Probably any Souls-like ever. It was fantastic. The level design, atmosphere and music was so goddamn good I had goosebumps the entire time. So many secrets, short cuts and unexpected things to happen, I was just in awe to the point I never wanted to finish it.

And Messmer was a kick ass boss. Easily the highlight of the game so far. His design and lore was so intriguing that I respecced into his build with the Impaler weapon and fire incantations. I like pyromancy in general so playing around with his gear and new spells are so much fun. The weapon art on his spear is so damn cool. Messmer and Shadow Keep is the reason I love these games and genre. It's peak video games for me.

 

[Hypereides]

DAYS GONE

Just a small update. Really dig it the more I play it. Seems like a blend of Red Dead Redemption, Sons of anarchy, MGS/Syphon filter with "zombies" thrown into the mix. Its probably one of the better built/designed open world games I've played (I don't play many OW games these days though). At a surface glance, the freakers seem like yet aother generic zombie type, but Bend gave them some additional depth to distinguish themselves enough in the details and their behaviour. I think the concept of a "horde" being an singular entity is kinda cool in itself. The game has a very good amount of variety in its occuring open world moments to keep things spicy and fresh. It makes it the more frustrating how game media dogpiled on this game for absolutely ridiculous reasons. I'm willing to bet some didn't even play it to completion. IGN's infamous 6.5/10 is an astonishing misassessment, but, then again, I'm not surprised. Also, that foreboding music when you're closing in on a horde.

It may be naive, but I'm hoping the remaster is supposed to serve as some re-appetizer and refresh people's memory to warm folks up to an impending sequel that's under dev. It definitely deserves it and they ought to bring back John Garvin and Jeff Ross at the helm again. Noshino should definitely weigh that idea seriously.

Popped in some Binary Domain after reading some heathenish comments about it not being a good game on GAF. tsk tsk.

It's so frickin' good. Came out at a great time to show that the RGG studio was no one trick pony, as well.

Bonus that the Xbox version has FPS boost and runs pretty damn flawlessly. The PC version is also often on ridiculously low sales.

Great shooting, good story and characters and a pretty robust companion trust mechanic which radically changes their fates and the ending(s) to the game.

Speaking of games deserving of a sequel; Fantastic game. Man, it still disappoints me we never got a sequel to this. It deserved one and RGG studios deserved the success.

 

[adamsapple]

I brought this game close to when it was released, interesting concept but no replay value, which meant I eventually traded it in...

I'm gonna disagree with you on the replay value thing. The game has multiple endings and combinations of characters who will be with you in the finale depending on their individual trust meters, that gives it way more replay value than most linear shooters that came out in that timeframe.

 

[Pimpollo818]

Cult of the Lamb - It didn't connect. I found it to be mostly ass. The dungeon delving was my favorite gameplay pillar, but I didn't find it as satisfying as Isaac, Undermine, or other such titles. I was mainly pulled by the game's cutesy art style, but none of the gameplay pillars satisfied me much.

Prince of Persia Lost Crown - fantastic metroidvania. I started it on the hardest mode and made the combat feel lethal like Sekiro. Platforming is a joy and I really loved my time exploring the map. I dropped it just shy of the final boss encounter. Got sidetracked, will return to finish it off.

1000x Resist - I was sold on this for its story and can confirm that it is layered and thoughtful. My only gripe is the 3D exploration feels very janky and uninspired. First person sequences are better done, as are the VR like explorations. Pleasantly surprised by this one. I think I'm 3/4s of the way through.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I'm gonna disagree with you on the replay value thing. The game has multiple endings and combinations of characters who will be with you in the finale depending on their individual trust meters, that gives it way more replay value than most linear shooters that came out in that timeframe.

Something I didn't consider looking back, but let's face it, if there was to be a Binary Domain 2, it would take the fans to bring it back....can't see it making a return anytime soon

 

[NeverYouMind]

A mod was published the other day that considerably improves the graphics quality of the game, so I took the opportunity to start it and take it out of the backlog. I've already finished DS II, DS III and Sekiro from FS, but not DS I yet.

What mod are you referring to? I can't find anything matching that description on the nexus.

 

[forsakkenSoul]

What mod are you referring to? I can't find anything matching that description on the nexus.

Dark Souls Re-Remastered Mod

Textures AI upscaled and ported from PTDE. Dynamic shadows added to whole game. Parallax Occlusion Mapping added. Baked lighting removal where needed. Fixes hundreds of bugs from the 2011 release. Aim

www.nexusmods.com

I've played it for about 4 hours so far. The graphics look great with this mod. Textures, shadows, lighting, etc. are much better.

If you have an RTX card, you can download another file (Reshade) and implement Ray Tracing in the game. As I'm still using a GTX, I haven't tested this feature yet.

 

[Gandih42]

À small indie game called "30 Birds" just released on consoles, which I've been really keen on. It's a narrative puzzle game with a gorgeous art style inspired by Persian lamps, art, carpets and culture.

So far it does not disappoint! The writing is entertaining and the world is engaging (it feels like it's based on some real world mythology).

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a gorgeous chill game.

And then I'll hopefully have time to try out Elden Ring: Nightreign this weekend, praise the rain!

 

[_Justinian_]

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

The storyline is a little silly, but grinding the various "Lives" is really addictive.

 

[EerieArcade]

Blades of Fire
Played twelve hours and it just hasn't clicked. Oh well. I think twelve hours is a reasonable amount of time before giving up a game.

Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon Demo
Like a scary Skyrim. Wanted to try this after reading the OT. Really enjoyed what I played. I think this will be my next purchase. I normally go for a bog-standard soldier or knight type build with these games, but I think I'll try some sort of dark archer.

Death Must Die
Haven't played this since last year. Quite a few new additions to the game, including a new character, zone, and an armory.

Think I'll play some Crow Country, FFX, and maybe Kingdoms of Amalur over the weekend.