WHAT PLAY YOU!? Version 3.0

[Gus Mears]

I'm playing the Medium at the moment. Gameplay is nothing spectacular, but it's got a great plot that hits a number of my main interests - former states of the USSR and ghosts. Anyone with a PS Plus subscription can get it through that. Psychological thriller and anybody who enjoys things like Heavy Rain would probably be a fan.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

Currently having quite the contrast - started Stardew Valley and Dark Souls 2 simultaneously. Stardew Valley is lovely and chill and I've somehow apparently lost 28 hours to it already doing nothing more than pottering around my wee farm and catching some fish. A seemingly simple game that is far more than the sum of its parts. Can't see myself ever getting 100% in it given the sheer number of items and things to do but it's such a wholesome little world to spend some time in after a long day.

Dark Souls 2 is pretty much the opposite and is tough as nails. Only done Forest of Fallen Giants, Heide's Tower of Flame and No Man's Wharf but I'm finding it so hard and that's from a guy who has the Platinum in Dark Souls 1. The "normal" enemies seem to swarm you and some of the are very tough like those sleeping knights in the Tower of Flame. Taking a battering but still rather enjoying it, although the mechanic where every death takes away more of your potential health bar is a tad piss taking given much of the point of Dark Souls is to die 4 billion times. 

[Keith Houchen]

55 minutes ago, SpiritOfTheForest said:

I've somehow apparently lost 28 hours to it already doing nothing more than pottering around my wee farm and catching some fish

Christ. Bet they were jumping straight into the pan if that’s what they have to swim around in. 

[Merzbow]

Dark Souls 2 were pushing co-op with that death mechanic, other than human effigies to reverse the hollowing it's finishing a multiplayer session helping someone out.

[CleetusVanDamme]

Done with Ragnarok. The story came together fine at the end, but what a bloated, needlessly overlong experience. I was sick of it through large portions of the second half, and that's with me skipping most of the side stuff from the part I came in here to complain about onwards. There's only so many hundreds of times you can hear a companion shout "look out, he's behind you!" etc before you question why don't you just zoom the camera out and let me see all the people I'm fighting? Because it might stop it looking like an identikit Souls game? Because it might ruin the wanky one-shot camera gimmick? One of the biggest gaming disappointments ever. The first dozen or so hours were so good, too.

Starting up Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me now, prepare for my biannual "It's no Until Dawn" synopsis. If it can pick up where House of Ashes left off I expect I'll like it more than The Quarry, and for half the price. Should get it done easily in a couple of nights so I'm ready to inject The Callisto Protocol straight into my veins on Friday. Even if it ends up just being the Evil Within to Dead Space's Resi 4, I'm good with that, I fucking love Dead Space (and Resi 4!).

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by CleetusVanDamme

[Onyx2]

17 minutes ago, CleetusVanDamme said:

One of the biggest gaming disappointments ever

But TIME magazine called it game of the year!

I'm not surprised at the disappointment. The original was so drab and pedestrian with desperately average combat. I don't get the hype. 

[Cousin Jim Bob]

3 hours ago, RalphyV2 said:

Sounds right up my street, pottering about aimlessly not really doing much is what I enjoy doing and am good at, count me in

 

It is a fantastic game Ralphy. It was all done by one guy as well which makes the whole thing even more bonkers.

It is not really doing very little type of game though it really pushes you early to plant, grow, water and sell vegetables, setup your farm for animals, go fishing/hit up dungeons, talk to and build relationships with townfolk etc. It is done at a slow pace but there is a million things to do once it gets rolling.

[The Gaffer]

53 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

But TIME magazine called it game of the year!

I'm not surprised at the disappointment. The original was so drab and pedestrian with desperately average combat. I don't get the hype. 

Yep. God of War is the epitome of the triple a blockbuster-on-rails genre to me. 

Linearity isn't the problem as such, it's just the way it's pulled off. Halo and Metal Gear Solid are examples of linear games but there's all sorts of mini sandboxes in them full of bizarre, charming atmospheres.

God of War just feels like forwarding action with your thumb. Thing gave me a fucking migraine. I'd take most Ubisoft open world games over it, warts and all. 

To be fair "Amazing arcade basher" is still a noble thing to achieve. I guees it just wasn't for me so the almost instant status it got as one of the greatest first party titles of all time was lost on me. 

[SpiritOfTheForest]

4 hours ago, RalphyV2 said:

Sounds right up my street, pottering about aimlessly not really doing much is what I enjoy doing and am good at, count me in

You'll enjoy it for sure then. There are no deadlines and it's impossible to fail the game. You do everything at your own pace and as you want it. Prefer to go fishing today? Grand. Feel like going to fight some monsters in the mines? Go for it. Talk to the townsfolk? On you go then. Once you've tended your crops or animals for the day, whatever you do is up to you! Definitely recommended if you're looking for a more chilled experience.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

Edit: Double post.

Edited November 29, 2022 by SpiritOfTheForest

[Gus Mears]

1 hour ago, Onyx2 said:

But TIME magazine called it game of the year!

I'm not surprised at the disappointment. The original was so drab and pedestrian with desperately average combat. I don't get the hype. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this. Was bored stiff throughout, not a patch on its original namesake from PS2.

[textonly]

4 hours ago, RalphyV2 said:

Sounds right up my street, pottering about aimlessly not really doing much is what I enjoy doing and am good at, count me in

Actually, Ralphy, having read some of your posts in other threads, I'll share this. A few years back I was receiving/engaging in a whole host of mental health treatments. Lots of therapy and loads of group sessions exploring all kinds of ways to de-stress and get my head straight. It was an important and necessary process for me - definitely long overdue - but also extremely stressful and frustrating. I'd try mindfulness, guided meditations, things as simple as colouring-in and countless other methods suggested to me, and I'd invariably get down because all these things that seemed to help everyone else couldn't help me. The one thing I found that actually allowed me to chill out and relax during that extremely stressful period was Stardew Valley. It's a gem of a game, so sweet and low stakes. I literally have no idea if there's any sort of endgame or what "completing it" would look like, but I sunk hundreds of hours into quietly tending my farm and it's probably one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had gaming. Obviously it might not be the same for you, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. 

[Keith Houchen]

55 minutes ago, textonly said:

Actually, Ralphy, having read some of your posts in other threads, I'll share this. A few years back I was receiving/engaging in a whole host of mental health treatments. Lots of therapy and loads of group sessions exploring all kinds of ways to de-stress and get my head straight. It was an important and necessary process for me - definitely long overdue - but also extremely stressful and frustrating. I'd try mindfulness, guided meditations, things as simple as colouring-in and countless other methods suggested to me, and I'd invariably get down because all these things that seemed to help everyone else couldn't help me. The one thing I found that actually allowed me to chill out and relax during that extremely stressful period was Stardew Valley. It's a gem of a game, so sweet and low stakes. I literally have no idea if there's any sort of endgame or what "completing it" would look like, but I sunk hundreds of hours into quietly tending my farm and it's probably one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had gaming. Obviously it might not be the same for you, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. 

Do you know, Farming Sim did this for me. I really felt it was bringing order to chaos, the routine of it all without consequence was a wonderful way to help clear the fog. I’d turned off all the stuff that could mess up the crops and just planted, fertilised, harvested, and sold. Rinse and repeat. 

[stumobir]

3 hours ago, CleetusVanDamme said:

Done with Ragnarok. The story came together fine at the end, but what a bloated, needlessly overlong experience. I was sick of it through large portions of the second half, and that's with me skipping most of the side stuff from the part I came in here to complain about onwards. There's only so many hundreds of times you can hear a companion shout "look out, he's behind you!" etc before you question why don't you just zoom the camera out and let me see all the people I'm fighting? Because it might stop it looking like an identikit Souls game? Because it might ruin the wanky one-shot camera gimmick? One of the biggest gaming disappointments ever. The first dozen or so hours were so good, too.

 

Aye, I’ve given up at the Angrboda bit, which isn’t nearly as far in to the game as I thought it was. It’s just so bloody tedious. Such a shame because I loved the others and had been looking forward to this all year. I’ll probably go back to it at some point over Christmas but if doesn’t improve again then I can’t see me finishing it. No idea how it’s been reviewed so well, I think the Guardian called it a masterpiece ffs. 

[Onyx2]

4 hours ago, Gay as FOOK said:

To be fair "Amazing arcade basher" is still a noble thing to achieve. 

 

3 hours ago, Gus Mears said:

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this. Was bored stiff throughout, not a patch on its original namesake from PS2.

The PS2 God of Wars were unashamed button mashing hack 'em ups, with great set pieces and merciless gameplay. These new ones are big hulking walk' em ups. Not even close to the spirit.