What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

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JohnErle
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by JohnErle »

W wrote:I think I'm going to get rid of The Last Guardian. The controls just don't work right at this point. Most of the game is you figuring out how to do stuff, actually getting the monster guy to do stuff mostly. And you point, saying "go here" and he just won't do what you want him to do. Then you spend like ten or fifteen extra minutes trying to do the think and nothing. You get up to get a drink or something and he finally does what you wanted.

It's just so frustrating. I still really want to finish it, but I've got a lot of other stuff to play. Hopefully they patch and I'll rebuy it later for cheaper.
I read a thing about the top games of 2016 a few days ago, and they said that was intentional for this game. The monster is supposed to have a mind of its own and doesn't always do what you want it to do, like a real pet, but I don't know how fun that would be in a game.

And after dipping into the world of modern console gaming lately, having a frustrating initial experience of figuring out the controls has been a part of every game I've tried so far. There was zero documentation in NHL 17 when I bought it, and the brief tutorials in Middle Earth: Battle Of Mordor weren't super-helpful. Maybe I'm just slow on the uptake compared to most modern gamers, but it does seem like they just throw you into the water to see if you can swim.

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W
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by W »

If controls are weird, but you can master them, fine. But how many times are you trying to figure out where to go and you finally figure out what you're supposed to do and get a sense of accomplishment?

Now imagine you're in the same boat then you figure it out but he won't jump over the bridge, so you think well, I'm wrong. Then you try another way. Then thirty minutes later you go to take a piss and he just jumps over the bridge randomly. And there's always the possibility he decides to jump back putting you at square one.

Sounds like they infused some fun in there, right?
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BanksIsDaFuture
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by BanksIsDaFuture »

LOL that game sounds awful.
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JohnErle
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by JohnErle »

I wasn't defending the game, for what it's worth, just pointing out what I'd read. I really don't think it'd be something I'd enjoy either, and neither would something as apparently open-ended as No Man's Sky. They say there's 18.6 billion planets to explore, but it's unclear what you're supposed to do on any of them. That's one reason I like NHL 17 so much: it's clear to me what the goals should be, and I know how hockey works so it's just a matter of figuring out how to make the player do what I know he's supposed to do. In Be A Pro mode I already captained my Junior team to a Memorial Cup victory, got drafted in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks (way too low, but that's a whole other story) and I'm already playing on the top line with Jonathan Toews. Middle Earth has a bunch of little quests, so you always feel like the "story" is moving forward, but the sense of accomplishment isn't really the same. It's not like you're destroying the One Ring in Mount Doom, just completing a whole bunch of arbitrary quests and killing orcs.

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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Buscemi »

Finally played a demo of Rocket League while at a Best Buy tonight. Played as the Twisted Metal truck and got an assist in the first game (lost 2-1 in overtime) and got credit for the opposing team's own goal in the second (won 2-1 in overtime). It's probably a little too fast for me though.

Also played Mario Kart 8 (I was winning but ran into a wall just feet from the finish line and ended up in fourth) and took some practice shots on an old NHL demo (got four goals in a row at one point against Lundqvist).

Meanwhile, I was looking for that Retro Genesis that's selling for $30 but couldn't find one. It doesn't have HD capability like the NES Classic (and apparently, there's going to be an updated release of that in the near future so I'm holding off) does but it does have a cartridge slot for games that aren't built in and I have an old CRT TV to hook it up to. Apparently, Mike Matei of Cinemassacre's friend found his at a Bed Bath and Beyond where they reviewed it.
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Ron Burgundy
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Ron Burgundy »

cool, i still havent tried Rocket league...

pretty keen to play Mario Kart 8 (mario kart 64 prob still my fav game of all time)

got pokemon moon for xmas, but havent started yet since my gameboy is 400km and a couple days away. Heard good things, pretty excited. Been riding around quite a bit playing pokemon go, even got stronger legs now and feeling pretty bloody fit :) !

Going through fallout4 (last xmas gift lol) survival mode steadily, about halfway in and level 61. Really enjoy it when i get a few hours to melt- but can also be extremely frustrating- cant save it unless you sleep- game glitches sometimes and loses all progress/or you die (sometimes with bad strategy, sometimes with bad A.I) and have to start mission x all over again. Though im at the level now where i can progress at a decent speed, having played through twice now, i know the story i want to go with, just not a game you can play for 10-50 mins and walk away.
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Buscemi »

Another retro game I've been playing lately: Ice Hockey on the NES. After finally figuring it out (it's weird because you have to handle one skater and the goaltender at the same time instead of one or the other), it's actually a fun though challenging game. Playing as Canada (with green sweaters, oddly, maybe they were going for that retro Vancouver Canucks look), I found Sweden a decent challenge while Poland and the US were easy (I scored nine seconds in on the US and had seven goals after the first period and eleven after two, won 12-4). But the Soviets and Czechoslovakia are hard. I finally beat the Soviets in a shootout (holding onto the puck after tying in the third period was a smart move, the computer can't shoot so well in shootouts) after a number of close losses but the Czechs are monsters with their immense size. In fact, the best strategy is to go for size over speed. Two big guys help you beat the lesser teams while three helped me in the shootout win. Would making all four skaters big help me against the Czechs' three big men?

Edit: the strategy worked. Beat the Czechs 5-3 (in a game where I was behind 3-1 at the end of the first period and tied after the second and most of the third).
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Buscemi »

Latest retro game obsession: Earthbound (aka Mother 2, a title I've never been a fan of). Pretty much, it's Twin Peaks as a video game and just as addictive. And you can tell the game influenced Pokemon (in that you often fight animals possessed by some kind of force to take out their hit points) as well as Stranger Things (yes, another thing that Stranger Things ripped off).

Even though it will never happen (since it's Nintendo), I'd love to see Jeff Nichols do a film version of Earthbound. It would probably be the first video game adaptation not to get a mountain of hate (and Jacob Tremblay could play Ness).

Edit: finished the game. They sure don't make games (or at least the majors don't) like this one anymore.
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Buscemi »

After having to reboot my phone and losing all my Disney Crossy Road progress, I thought that was a wake-up call to stop getting addicted to online casual games (don't worry, I almost never spend money).

Then I discovered Animation Throwdown: The Quest for Cards. It's a lot like your typical trading card game but you play with characters from Fox animated shows (King of the Hill, Futurama, Family Guy, American Dad, Bob's Burgers). I had never played a trading card game before but I'm having a lot of fun with it. My character is Bobby Hill (I believe the choices are Bobby, Leela, Stewie, Steve Smith, and Louise Belcher) and I've gotten a decent number of King of the Hill-themed combo moves (The Billdozer is basically a cheat code, you've won if you combine Bill with the school card).
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by W »

I played that seemingly forever ago addictively. I ended up with 10 Legendary and the rest of my deck is rare (I think, light blue). 5 Roger, 1 Blernsball, 2 Pawtucket Partriot, 1 Peter, 1 Roger's Closet. It got a bit too repetitive.

Now I've just been playing Rocket League (still), Civilization II at lunch (my favorite game of all time), and Hearthstone's new expansion. Hearthstone gets bogged down into the same few playable archetypes but then they release new stuff and/or tweak existing cards and there's a fun period of everything shifting and trying to figure out the next playable archetype. It's in the super fun period now. I opened like 80 packs and am playing the "big game" Druid if anyone understands/cares.
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Ron Burgundy
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Ron Burgundy »

I also played Animation Throwdown for about 3 days. Compared to the same developers other two games, Tyrant Unleashed and Spellstone, it sucks balls, hard. I play them other two games daily now.

Always wondered if i should try out Hearthstone. Is it free?

Recently i finished Uncharted 4 on next to the most difficult setting, it was awesome! Then went and bought the Uncharted 1,2,3 package for PS4, tried it on the hardest setting- and its A.I is just ridiculous in some spots, im probably only about 15% through the first one. I tried changing difficulty but you can only change it once you progress to the next checkpoint. Which is next to impossible! ARRRRGGGHHH! Either way, got a new job in the Gibson desert in outback WA, dry community, so will have another crack on the weekend

If i fail again, ill probably wind up re-playing FarCry 4 or Fallout 4

In other gaming news: I CANNOT WAIT FOR RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2! comes out in a couple months i think. First one was such an immersive open world experience, almost like diving into Westworld, but video game. AND what i cant wait for even more is some REAL, decent Virtual Reality, i havent had a deep look into it, but saw a doco on VR the other night, how it can possibly help people. Whether they are quadrapligic or suffering from PTSD or maybe even to put yourself in someone else shoes (like in some poor area's of the world), its going to get really cool. Hopefully in 5 years time, we can all have a sick VR station at home :)
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by W »

Hearthstone is free...ish. You get free packs at signup, unlock basic cards through play with the different classes, get a few free packs when they release a new set (like last week), get a pack each week for playing the tavern brawl (different rules each week), and can spend gold earned in quests on packs. It seems like a lot, but it's very hard to be competitive with people that do spend if you don't at all.

Don't give up on that Uncharted pack unless you go through #2. It's the best game that they released for the PS3. Drake's Fortune is very good, but I put it in last place on the Uncharted console power rankings (mobile is like a puzzle game and I never owned a Vita).

I got a Switch last month. The Switch in general becomes like second nature pretty quickly. The controls are split in two so you can really spread out and relax. Since the mid-80's you've always had to keep your hands about three inches from each other, but now you have as much room as you want. It doesn't sound like much but it really gives you the option to just chill. If they can just get their online game on point and release more games quicker they'd really have something.

I went through Breath of the Wild. There is a lot to that game. I beat it and didn't realize I wouldn't be able to go back and complete the side quests (didn't get the iconic shield or green armor). In general I like the Bethesda best for open world, but with Nintendo you know their product will actually work. I also have Mario Kart and Puyo Puyo Tetris. I'll grab Mario Odyssey when it comes out with the Best Buy preorder bonus.

Speaking of Best Buy, they have a bunch of the upcoming releases coming with a $10 credit back and 20% off if you're a member of their gaming club:
Madden
Destiny 2
FIFA
Shadow of Earth
Fractured But Whole
Assassin's Creed Origins
Mario Odyssey
Call of Duty
Star Wars: Battlefront II
Far Cry 5

I'll probably get all of those but Madden and Assassin's Creed. They're priced where they're basically free if I want to trade them in/sell them after a couple weeks. I'm most excited for South Park: TFBW. The first South Park RPG was excellent on so many levels and I don't think this one will disappoint. There's also that stand alone Uncharted that's coming out I'll probably pick up.
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Ron Burgundy
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Ron Burgundy »

W, are you getting the new NBA2k game? I think ill get it anyway, but the reviews on metacritic are either really bad or really good.I skipped last years version and think ive lost interest in FIFA.

Just waiting for FarCry 5 and Red Dead 2.

Oh, and back to playing Uncharted (1), its good just not Uncharted 4 good.
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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by Buscemi2 »

A lot of those sports games are the same every year. I bet there are whole landfills filled with nothing but Madden games you can't sell on the secondary market.
It's like what Lenin said...I am the walrus.

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Re: What are you playing RIGHT NOW... or close to now?

Post by W »

Ron Burgundy wrote:W, are you getting the new NBA2k game? I think ill get it anyway, but the reviews on metacritic are either really bad or really good.I skipped last years version and think ive lost interest in FIFA.

Just waiting for FarCry 5 and Red Dead 2.

Oh, and back to playing Uncharted (1), its good just not Uncharted 4 good.
Yeah, I got 2K. I don't know why. Force of habit maybe? I'm a little burned out on it and probably should have waited. I forgot to preorder FIFA, so I doubt I'll play it at all this year since I missed the bonus $10. I'm sure I'll get:
Mario Odyssey: Have to have SOMETHING to play on the Switch
South Park TFBW: I've been waiting for this since the last one finished. It's excellent humor and great RPG elements.
COD WWII: I'll probably run through the campaign and dump it, especially since it's WWII this year.
Star Wars Battlefront II: I'll of course give it a try.
Far Cry V: Based on how great 3 and 4 were.
Red Dead 2: I'd much rather have this that that other Rockstar title.

I may grab:
Assassin's Creed Origins: Never been a fan of the series, but may basically try it out free.
Middle Earth, Shadow of Mordor: May not have time.

Since finishing Zelda: BOTW I've played:
Splatoon 2: Cute fun shooter
2K18: They added a lot to the my player mode, a little to my team, and a new My GM mode. Mostly it's the last one with a differently designed menu except for the My Player mode.
Destiny 2: They fixed most things that were wrong with the original, but if you're a single player (not part of a clan or with no friends that play) you feel left out.
Rocket League, Hearthstone, Civ II.

Also found a copy of Phantasy Star 2 for the Genesis. Haven't popped it in yet. I'm guessing it'll be a letdown from my childhood.
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