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Last game played...

Started by Keef Monkey, 11 June, 2011, 09:35:35 AM

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milstar

In the pause of MK11 sessions, I started to play two games, all different by genre, gameplay, and setting.

Spintires

I played Mudrunner previously, so I went for the original game now. I would rather perhaps try Snowrunner, but that'd be after I purchase a new graphic card (in MR, I had to put the GPU slider on the half in order to get a playable frame rate). Anyway, some say Spintires is better than Mudrunner. Hm... Well, it's certainly more difficult. And the gameplay is more polished in MR. I already got frustrated in the first stage. First, the camera is a real mess. Real weird angles you've been given to work with, despite you can adjust your view with your mouse, it doesn't help entirely. Controls are exactly the same (by default) like in MR, or better to say, vice-versa. In Spintires, however, you don't get to see a control map when you're loading logs with the crane, which in addition to camera issues can be a little off-putting. But, from MR, I already knew controls by heart. But the most frustrating part is that the risk of turning over is bigger than in MR. Maybe that's realistic, I don't know. But my trucks rolled, even on the slightly steep surface, which never happened to me in MR. But, for a Spintires game, it delivers the goods. As I said, Mudrunner's gameplay is exactly the same as in Spintires, and while it doesn't offer that ad many options like in Snowrunner, Spintires manages to be an entertaining game, for all its fault. And I find the mud effects to be better than in Mudrunner. There's nothing better to see than observing deep mud trails left by your truck.

Shellshock 2: Bloodtrails

This I already finished up. I remember Shellshock 2 from some review I read, which talked in not really flattering terms about the game. That's why I hope that gentlemen from Rebellion won't take issues with my comment (if they read this), as I do it in a constructive manner. And who knows, maybe we'll get one day an improved version of Shellshock. Anyway, Shellshock 2 is fps, set during the Vietnam conflict. You're a soldier whose brother is injected with a substance that turns people into murderous zombies and you're to find your bro. On the surface, Shellshock 2 looks like a decent, average shooter, made for die-hard fps fans. I'll admit that shooting mechanics are solid, weapon reloading, etc... But everything else... It seems like developers strived to make a mediocre game, but only to fail in almost every category. Voice acting and sound effects are average, at best. But that didn't bug me. Graphically, the game looks average, even for the time it's been released (circa 2008/2009). But, graphics suffer from awful contrast. More often than not, when I am in the open, I get shot by an enemy I just can't see. It may be legitimate in real life, enemies hiding behind the bushes, but here is annoying because the game doesn't differentiate if the level takes place at night, from natural darkness and enemy who is several feet far from you. Next, maybe it's like irl, but this is not a simulation shooter. Weapon accuracy and hit detection are horrible. You have the enemy in iron sights, fire, but he seems he is bulletproof. This is frustrating when it comes to dispatching zombies. I had a shotgun, and maybe for a fifth of an inch I aimed next to the zombie's head, shoot, but the fucker just keeps going at me. What also frustrates is that you can't outrun zombies, so you can imagine what is like when several of them are at you and you want to run away to give yourself some room to turn around and blast them, especially in tight corridors. There's no option to jump, except when you're interacting with some ledge. Levels are designed in such a way that are mostly bereft of cover and finding any. Finally, I played the game on beginner difficulty because I couldn't get the first QTE, even though I pressed all buttons prompted on the screen (which I did on medium level), I always die. But that doesn't mean the game is easy. Oh, and boss fights are stupid. But at least is brief, some 4-5 hours took me to finish it. After that, a pleasant feeling when I went straight to add/remove programs.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Colin YNWA

Currently playing Asterix and Obelix XXL III - which was on sale at a very good price on the Switch Online shop. Now I'd suggest its not a particularly good game - in fact even early in it has problems and I'd suggest even as a none gamer its pretty rubbish BUT the ability to play Asterix and Obelix and smack some Roman's around more than compensates and its immense fun.

One for fans only - but if you are a fan...well wait for it to be on sale and then...

repoman

Quote from: milstar on 09 February, 2021, 08:02:12 PM
Spintires

I hated Mudrunner so much.   Churning through mud for ages, practically blowing out my right index finger trying to squeeze out a tiny bit more speed.  Getting to the target area but not having the right stuff with me.  Having to do it all again.  Falling into a stream.  Doing it all again.  Ran out of daylight.

I've never been so miserable.

UNTIL!

Here We Are Together.   This is a sequel to a game that just came out for free on PSN (Here We Are).  It's a co-op only puzzle game where you and your partner are in different places with linked puzzles.  It's a good idea.  You have to describe what you see, they explain what they see and eventually you figure out a solution.

But some of the puzzles are very obscure in the sequel or just rubbishly designed.  Played through most of it yesterday and it became an entirely frustrating and horrible experience.

Ginga Force/Natsuki Chronicles.  Two shoot 'em ups (one horizontal, one vertical) with good upgrading mechanics.  A little too difficult maybe but very good.

Heroes of Hammerwatch.  Something of a hidden gem.  A dungeon crawling looty, hacky, slashy sort of thing.  Is let down badly by a complete lack of instructions.  Has so many game mechanics in there and you'll be constantly looking at guides but when it clicks it is incredibly enjoyable.  Very grindy though (unless you can get carried by an online buddy who has gotten further) but I'm playing it with a mate and we're both liking it.

I also finished Ghost of Tsushima which was good until it completely overstayed its welcome.  The platinum trophy is very doable but I'm not crazy enough to play through it twice.  Liked it but, as with most Sony exclusives, it is 20 hours too long.

Crimsonland/Tesla Force/Tesla vs Lovecraft.  PS5 versions of games I've already beaten.  Fresh trophies though so worth replaying.  I really love this publisher though (10Tons) and was glad to replay the games.  They also redid JYDGE which I've mentioned before.  That is a fantastic game and the best (unofficial) Judge Dredd game ever.

Also replayed Maneater.  Is good but a bit repetitive.  Too easy also.

Loot Hero DX.  Literally the easiest game of all time.  Gets very good reviews because it looks nice but it is a joke of a game.  I rather damaged the Metacritic score on this one.

Redout: Space Assault.  Odd one this.  A sequel (of sorts) to a Wipeout-esque racer.  But this is an into-the-screen shooter (like Star Fox).  Takes a while to get good but by the end I really liked it.




Link Prime

A huge update (version 1.5) was just released for Stardew Valley, and I've been sucked right back in.

I have simultaneous files (with different approaches) going on the Switch and PS4 (aiming for a Platinum Trophy there) and the bloody thing is consuming my free time like a temporal dilation vortex.

If the key criteria for best game of all time was pure addictiveness this would conquer them all - placed atop the ruins of Hyrule Castle itself.

milstar

Resident Evil 5

I loved this game since it was released on PC. And I remember it very dearly then. The feeling that hasn't been lost when I decided recently to give RE5 another go. I haven't played Resident Evil in general. I did RE4, which was fun too. But I find more engrossing experience with RE5. Cool level designs, cool boss battles, graphics and the buddy-cop feel it gives you, combined with decent lenght, give hours of fun. Plus, chasing higher scores in challenges or replaying the game on the toughest difficulty with all guns upgrades. If I have to pick something I find a bit jarring, is micromanagement system, that feels like babysitting, when you are forced to exchange ammo and meds with AI. Although AI in this case does a fairly good job, I imagine the experience being even better when you are playing co-op. Unless your partner is total dud.

When I finish RE5 in full, I'll try RE6. Capcom has a thing for zombies.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Jim_Campbell

Sorry for an off-topic intrusion, but could you check your messages, please, milstar? Thanks!
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Barrington Boots

Quote from: milstar on 24 February, 2021, 03:37:33 PM
When I finish RE5 in full, I'll try RE6. Capcom has a thing for zombies.

Don't do this! RE5 is fun but RE6 is BOGUS.
You're a dark horse, Boots.

pictsy

Quote from: Barrington Boots on 24 February, 2021, 05:09:22 PM
Quote from: milstar on 24 February, 2021, 03:37:33 PM
When I finish RE5 in full, I'll try RE6. Capcom has a thing for zombies.

Don't do this! RE5 is fun but RE6 is BOGUS.

I second this.  RE6 is terrible. 

RE5 needs a friend to play with, imo.

milstar

Quote from: Barrington Boots on 24 February, 2021, 05:09:22 PM
Quote from: milstar on 24 February, 2021, 03:37:33 PM
When I finish RE5 in full, I'll try RE6. Capcom has a thing for zombies.

Don't do this! RE5 is fun but RE6 is BOGUS.

Quote from: pictsy on 24 February, 2021, 06:41:43 PM
Quote from: Barrington Boots on 24 February, 2021, 05:09:22 PM
Quote from: milstar on 24 February, 2021, 03:37:33 PM
When I finish RE5 in full, I'll try RE6. Capcom has a thing for zombies.

Don't do this! RE5 is fun but RE6 is BOGUS.

I second this.  RE6 is terrible. 

RE5 needs a friend to play with, imo.

Wow, can it be that bad? It can't be worse than Soldier of Fortune Payback, Road to Hell Retribution, Driv3r, MoH War fighter or Postal 3
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

pictsy

Quote from: milstar on 25 February, 2021, 10:05:55 AM
Wow, can it be that bad? It can't be worse than Soldier of Fortune Payback, Road to Hell Retribution, Driv3r, MoH War fighter or Postal 3

I haven't played any of those games, so I couldn't comment.  I did post my thoughts on RE5 and RE6 here after I finished them.  Figured I'd share the perspective I had when the games were more fresh in my mind.

Quote from: pictsy on 06 December, 2017, 01:01:57 PM
Last game I played to completion was Resident Evil 5.  I only got a PS3 this year as an unexpected gift from a friend and he wanted to play some co-op with me.  It was actually the second time we played through the game because I enjoyed it so much.

I'm not a big fan of the RE franchise just by virtue of never really having played any of the games.  I was aware that at the time of release RE5 had a degree of negative response, so I didn't expect anything special from the game.  After getting used to the controls I found the game to be a well crafted co-op experience.  It always felt like we were working together to accomplish our goals in the game.  This worked really well when we'd have to split up.

The story is ridiculous, but I assume that is the case with every game.  I enjoyed it well enough for its extravagance and it didn't bother me I didn't really know what had happened in previous games.

We also have started playing RE6 and that is turning out to be considerably less fun.

Quote from: pictsy on 07 December, 2017, 11:11:35 AM
Dead Space 3 is sitting on my PS3 waiting to be played after RE6.  We're powering through, hoping that the Leon campaign will at least be enjoyable.  We've started on the Jake campaign and I passionately hate it and the Sherry character.  She is next to useless, with decent portions of the games requiring me to do nothing whilst my friend runs through QTEs or whatever.  The most agency I feel I've had with her is crawling through a vent for about 10 seconds.  Useless.

We actually tried out a little of each campaigns to decide which to start with (except the additional bonus campaign).  The Chris campaign wasn't hugely better with levels designed liked cover-shooters but lacking the controls to support that style.  What we played of the Leon campaign was fun and was the best fit for the controls and mechanics.

I haven't played RE5 single player, but I can imagine it would be a chore.  So much of the design seemed geared towards playing with someone and that's certainly where I got most of my enjoyment from.  For instance, we ended up allocating roles for each of us so we were never having to split ammo between us and that led to my love of the Dragunov SVD rifle.

Quote from: pictsy on 08 December, 2017, 10:44:03 AM
Played some more RE6 yesterday and we finished the Jake campaign.  It was a total chore getting through that garbage.  We picked up the Chris campaign and immediately the game was playing better in comparison.  The generic grunt I'm playing as seems to have more agency and usefulness than Jake's companion Sherry.  It can still be annoying, but not close to the same extent.

I think there might be some pretty good elements to the game, and fun to be had.  Nevertheless, that doesn't in anyway make up for the glaring faults.

OK, so Chris' campaign ended up being an exercise in frustration.  It had one of the worst segments of the game.  The finale was probably the best of all the campaigns, but getting there wasn't worth it.

Quote from: pictsy on 08 December, 2017, 04:32:42 PM
We didn't give the Ada one a go for some reason and will probably be playing it last.  It will be really disappointing if it's the worse.  I'm not sure how much worse than playing as Sherry in Jake's campaign things could be.  My friend agreed that the Jake campaign was awful, but he definitely had more to do than me.  I felt Sherry's uselessness rubbing off on me the more I played her.

We never played Ada.  By that point we said the game was done.

Quote from: pictsy on 11 January, 2018, 08:04:33 PM
Finally finished Resident Evil 6 with my friend (we didn't get to play much over the hols).  Gah, the game is bad.  The Leon campaign turned out to have it's own frustrations and I think is marginally better than the Chris campaign.  Both are considerably better than the Jake campaign.  I really didn't enjoy it that much and any of the cool or interesting bits were over-shadowed by its failures - of which there were many.

I can only imagine how bad RE6 is playing single player because it's still a co-op game like RE5.  The big difference is RE5 was made to be a co-op game, whereas RE6 used the same mechanics to try and make as many different games as possible all mashed together into an unholy abomination.

Colin YNWA

Just started playing Civilisation VI on Switch... well that's my life over. Its bloomin' brilliant! I'm a bit rubbish at it at the moment as there's so much to learn and work how best to use but damn it the 'just one more turn' factor is massive!

I keep thinking I'll put it down but always want to just get those Builders building, or that fight fought, or that learning done. Its a fantastic game.

Professor Bear

Dear Esther - first of the walking simulators, but not the first I've played.  I expected it to be technically unimpressive, but it's fine, and doesn't outstay its welcome.  I liked the island and the atmosphere, but found the story a bit forced, and often wished that guy would shut up so I could enjoy the view in peace.

Suicide Guy - fun but problematic 3d puzzler where your aim is to escape a themed level (spaceship, farm, dragon's lair, laboratory, etc) by dying.  Some of the puzzle solutions are amusing, like flying the spaceship into a sun, but others - like flying your aircraft into a building - are definitely in "I have notes" territory.
Really enjoyable, though, even if the levels/puzzles are neither long nor difficult.

Streets of Rage 4 - OW MY FINGERS exactly what you would expect from a fourth installment in terms of gameplay, but arguably to a fault with some of the limitations on characters' movement and abilities.  I haven't really played a beat-em-up this straightforward in quite a while, so I may have been more inclined to stick with this than others will, but I thought what there is of it was well-made old-school fun.

Woolly

Super Mario 3D World / Bowser's Fury on the Switch.

Absolute bliss on both counts, and all brand new to me. I won't bother explaining it - it's Mario at his best, and an essential purchase!

milstar

Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate

I remember wanting to play this game back when it was released, being hardcore Arkham games fan. But as it turned out, I had to upgrade my PC (which actually quite took some time) to start the game. Anyway, now it was the time to tie up loose ends.
Unfortunately, BAO Blackgate turned to be a pretty mediocre 2.5D platformer. I am aware that it was unlikely that such a game would be of close quality than its big three brothers, given the scope of those but the impression is that things could have been done a little better, less rushed and, more polished.
The story is pretty generic for a Batman. An explosion occurs in Blackgate prison, forcing Batman to investigate and inevitably cross paths with his rogue gallery - Black Mask, Joker, Penguin, each taken portion of the prison for themselves.
The core gameplay mechanic is pretty familiar to those who already played previous Arkham games. Running, gliding, grappling, even free-flow combat. Combat is the first issue I had with the game. While controls and mechanics are more or less the same, somehow the combat feels less responsive and more difficult than before, even though if I was against a handful of opponents, I could barely finish the battle unscathed, as opposed to 30+ thugs I dealt with no problem. But these situations aren't often as finding guys ready to go toe-to-toe with you is pretty sparse here. Navigating the prison itself is not an easy task. While the size of Blackgate is commendably gigantic; often, the areas look uninspired, claustrophobic, and generic. Map in the game is mostly useless as the perspective you've been given fails to clearly define your, sometimes making it appear that you are in a room you need to be, when in fact you are either multiple levels above or below it. But, chances are that you won't use map often, as there are usually two ways where you can proceed further (and one of them is the way you came previously. Oh, and the game backtracks a lot. Detective and the scanning mode are also present, but they are so overused. Basically, every object that requires interaction, requires to do a scan first, which takes a few seconds. Also, if you want to collect clues that help you with the backstory, you'll probably have to constantly scan every single detail in the enormous penitentiary. Fun? No.
Boss fights add a bit more colors in often flaccid gameplay, and they require a bit of planning, or trial and error routine to figure what strategy works for each boss.
To summarize, Arkham Origins Blackgate I would recommend only to die-hard Arkham fans, who have nothing better to do during one boring, rainy afternoon.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Link Prime

Quote from: Link Prime on 17 February, 2021, 12:14:13 PM
Stardew Valley PS4 (aiming for a Platinum Trophy there)

Yeah...that's not gonna happen.
There's a sneaky trophy for beating an in-game arcade machine, more frustrating then the beach volleyball in Mario Odyssey.