-
Announcements
-
The Results Are In! The Guide of the Year Awards 2022 01/31/23
Which guidewriters won this year? Take a look and give them some congratulations!
-
Dreakon13
Premium MemberEverything posted by Dreakon13
-
In hindsight maybe I'll be giving Callisto Protocol too much credit here... but having it relatively fresh in my mind and playing through Dead Space, I kind of appreciate both games approaches.
Callisto Protocol felt raw, and it's a sword that cuts both ways. That rawness gave the game a palpable atmosphere. The graphics, the gratuitous violence, the story, the combat... everything felt a little bit off. In a way, I want my horror games to feel a little bit off. That's not to say that the game didn't have its share of absolutely boneheaded or lazy creative decisions (or lack thereof) and the game should get panned for it but still... if any of it was intentional, I kinda get it.
Dead Space on the other hand, is a well oiled machine polished ten times over. It's still tense and scary, and it's more fun. Games are supposed to be fun, don't get me wrong Dead Space is a better game than Callisto Protocol... but IMO fun and horror are strange bedfellows. Too much polish, too much fun, and it starts to lessen the impact in other areas of the game (as a horror game).The only thing I would've changed about Callisto Protocol is the mindblowingly lazy and stupid decision to make all the bosses the same one hit kill guy with other enemies lurking about, otherwise I liked it quite a bit. Excited to keep going in Dead Space since I never got this far in the original before, so its all new to me from here.
-
Gaming is basically two parts understanding the games mechanics, one part reflexes. Soulsborne games always seemed terribly overwhelming to me but was surprised to see how reasonable or downright easy some of them got with just a bit of leveling, gearing and proper builds. All stuff that takes more time and research than mental or physical gifts. Sure you have these savants that beat the game in one run, naked and level 1... but for average to good gamers, it's more just a matter of sticking to it, dying a lot, and figuring out how to game the games, than it is about being excessively skilled.
-
If you don't mind them technically being PS4, Journey and ABZU come to mind. Most games published by Annapurna might be up your alley, though I haven't actually played many of them and I'm not sure which all are available on PS4/PS5. Probably worth looking into though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna_Interactive EDIT: Maybe LIMBO and Inside, as long as you don't mind the horror vibes and the occasional frustrating puzzle. Or Firewatch.
-
So I'm trying to pawn off some 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate voucher keys I accidentally bought thinking they'd stack on my sub. The catch, of course, is that it's only for new/inactive Game Pass subscriptions. If anyone that isn't currently subbed to Game Pass would be interested in a free month, let me know. Ultimate includes PC Game Pass I believe.
-
There are two types of people. People who enter a state of arrested development waiting for/expecting the world to be fair to them... or people who realize the world will always be an unfair place, and make their own luck by working hard, growing as individuals, and learning from their mistakes.
-
For literally the first time since probably early last year... I have a whole day free to do as I like.
For the time of it I spend gaming... think I should focus on The Witcher 3, Dead Space (2023), or a little of both?
Leaning towards The Witcher 3 because I'm pretty engrossed in the game now, and even though I did go pick up Dead Space yesterday I'm not super in the mood for the tense horror combat these days... but Dead Space is the shinier new toy, and it'd be a shame to let the luster wear off any as fickle as my motivation can be.
-
Hi Fi Rush kinda bugs me but I know it's just the cynical asshole in me that has a hard time enjoying nice things anymore lol. I'm not really a big fan of DMC-esque combo mashing games, and the overwhelming positivity around it on sites like Steam seem less like it's really an amazing game and more to spite "the standard" (ie. games like Last of Us, God of War, etc) because it's different and above average/actually doesn't suck. Kind of like the review bombings The Last of Us Part II got on release, except going the other way. Loving or hating something to make a point moreso than really, honestly assessing a game. That being said, it's free on Game Pass and I'm tempted to give it a try. It does seem... fun.
-
Been starting to play through The Witcher 3 this week.
I've owned it forever and tried starting it a few times but never really got anywhere. It was back when I did the trophy thing and insisted on playing on Death March difficulty, which is the worst way for someone like me to play the game.
This time around I'm on whatever the "normal" difficulty is and it's a much more enjoyable pace for me. Can tell a lot of care went into trying to make it feel like more than your typical open world RPG. Even the contracts, which would probably just be "go here, kill monster, collect reward" in any other game, have their own interesting tales to tell.
-
I haven't really watched the films, I think many years ago I tried marathoning them in a day/night with an ex but I wasn't really paying very close attention after the first few hours. Probably better to spread out over days or weeks. I could very well end up enjoying them a lot, and I've had worse reasons to try a new game.
-
I'm getting more and more mildly interested in this game lol. I'm not really a fan of Harry Potter though I have the movies and probably could watch them sometime, maybe even "marathon" them between now and the games release. The game seems fun for something a bit different than the usual RPG faire. Has there been any more word on the box art indicating "Internet Required"? From what I can tell it sounds like it's kind of a soft warning... I've seen other games do this, it has the required warning, but it's not really a hard requirement and just strongly recommended for the day one patch. But no real confirmation at this point. As a pseudo collector of physical games it's enough to steer me away... but maybe I'll get it anyways, turn my internet off for an evening, and be the guinea pig and see if it works lol.
-
You aren't wrong with that example but also kinda making my point. Negativity generates more interest than positivity. It just so happens the majority of public opinion about video games is negative.
-
Cute, you think people actually play games before having opinions on them. While I kind of agree with you, reviewers want clicks and views as much as anyone. And heaven knows the cynical, passive aggressive, commiserating internet hivemind just link YouTube videos and articles now, instead of that whole pesky "having or learning how to articulate their own thoughts" thing. So pandering to them can't hurt as long as it looks believable. I half kid... The only reason I put critic reviews above user reviews, is because they at least have to try and back up their opinions a little bit. But ultimately all reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt.
-
Looks like the kind of game I'll pick up randomly on a long rainy weekend after I've finished or gotten tired of a few other things first. From what I've seen, I think there's some genuine humor and story in there... albeit wrapped in kind of a boring open world package. Is it kind of a dumb word that overgeneralizes? Sure. But the idea of bandwagon hating meme-able games is very common these days. It's misleading at best and kind of a gross practice in general that people do for the likes.
-
Chorus is a fuckin toe tappin bop
-
These three guys
-
Put another +1 in the camp of "why doesn't blocking someone block their status updates too". Honestly it smells more like a bug than a feature. I'm guessing it's a matter of the forum being customized so much to integrate with the main site that updating the forum software or installing Invision community mods are a non-starter. Would probably have to start over from scratch with some of it.
-
I broke the only new years resolution I actually attempted today with the first episode of The Last of Us, and that was giving up soda. Had a can of soda while I watched. Was worth it.
Honestly giving up soda was just kind of an easy win. There are a few things I honestly want/need more in 2023.
One... actually get into, enjoy and finish some bigger games.
Two... exercise more.
Three... get a dog.I've done none of these so far, but 2023 is a long year.
-
I'd say Bloober was indie back when they did Layers of Fear and Observer at least They probably wouldn't be considered that anymore.
-
I never actually played it so I can't vouch for it, but Moons of Madness is also from Funcom, the same dev/publisher behind The Park. I think both games were meant to be spiritually connected to their Secret World MMORPG. I'm not sure what counts as indie these days and some might disagree with me, but I enjoyed the Bloober Team games... Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2 and Observer. Layers of Fear 2 in particular left a good impression on me, I thought it handled the narrative side of things better than the other two. If you're into survival horror games like some of those you listed, could take a look at something like Tormented Souls. Another I hadn't played, but I hear good things. Keep in mind it wears its inspirations on its sleeve, it sounds like a pretty difficult game at times, like survival horror games of old. EDIT: Got me looking at some lists now, another one I actually have played is called Observation. Weird game, different but interesting and pretty unsettling at times. I kinda liked it.
-
I think Scorn may be the worst game I've ever played... and I say that knowing I've been unfairly harsh to a lot of games recently.
I played probably half of it last year when it came out, dropped it because it was just terribly boring and pointless. Picked it back up tonight thinking it'd be an easy win (since it's a short game) and I want to pad my 2023 completed game stats... not gonna happen.
I truly don't know who this game is for.
It's a puzzle game but the puzzles span multiple rooms and you don't actually know where the puzzles are or when you're doing them most of the time.
The combat is minimal but horrendous... a melee weapon with terrible hit detection, and two charges that takes like (not kidding) 20 seconds to recharge, against enemies that take about five hits to kill and have ranged attacks so you can't even get away and wait for the recharge.
The world is gross sometimes, but mostly just grayish greenish and dull the rest of the time.
There's no story.
It's about a 6 hour run time, I'm about half done with it, and I just can't see me finishing it. My goodness.
-
Not really interested from a trophy perspective (I play mostly on my Steam Deck now anyways)... but I am caught up with the story through Endwalker and always excited to see new content getting added. I've avoided running most of the later game content and despite having a few jobs to 90 (mostly through spamming MSQ roulettes lol) I don't think I know any job/role well enough to really be more than a passenger in level 70,80,90 content. I'd love to get into it more because there's a ton I'm missing out on. Someday I'll get back into it more seriously and learn what I need to learn. I'll probably start the post-Endwalker MSQ once we see the next expansion more on the horizon. Hard to get invested in the current patch story content knowing there isn't an end yet. Love that Leap of Faith GATE in Gold Saucer is getting a new level. Looks fun! The portraits displaying at the start of duties with 6.3 is cute too. I haven't put any time into making my portrait look nice but being able to get a good look at your party-mates will add to the experience IMO, give it some character and make it feel more personal.
-
Wish I had some advice, but I have a hard time getting over the hump myself sometimes. The nice thing about video games is that even the excessively difficult ones can be a very welcome distraction from life if done right, I kinda found my groove with games like Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne despite the crap that was 2022 because those games have a very satisfying sense of progression. If I ever hit a boss or an area I was having trouble with... I throw on some music, farm some souls/blood echoes/upgrade materials/health items, level up myself and my weapons a few times... and go into the boss fight again with a VERY noticeable difference. The boss gets easier, I get stronger, there was still a few tantrums from me but I usually ended up winning and it felt good. Too many games forget there needs to be a part of its "difficulty" that eventually feels good. That isn't just being done with it.
-
To be honest, when I hit these gaming lulls/depressions, it's usually more because there's something outside of gaming that's making it hard to focus or relax. 2022 for many reasons was a nightmare that I'm just starting to wake up from... there was nothing I could do about any of it, so I just tried to grit my teeth and bear it and it's no surprise I hated almost every game I played last year and almost dreaded starting any new ones. But I also think I tend to fall into these slumps just due to general stress from work, family or life sometimes. Games now... probably more than any time in their history since the early Nintendo "we don't know what difficulty balancing means" days... are designed to be as complex, difficult, stressful and mentally taxing as humanly possible. If they aren't literally Soulslikes, toeing that line of really difficult but not impossible action adventure games, then they're trying to replicate that formula in their own respective genres by pushing mechanics to their breaking point and failing miserably more often than not IMO. They're not a means of stress relief anymore, they're a source of it. Which means for me personally, I have to clear the deck of other stresses to make room for gaming or it just doesn't work.
-
So... 2022 sucked.
Worst year of my life by far.
Family member in an accident, almost dying, several months of absolutely grueling hospital visits and feeling terribly alone emotionally... and a deluge of bad stuff resulting from that accident for a few months after. Then to cap the year off, we get hit with the worst snow storm in 20 years... then I get terribly sick for a few weeks... THEN we get hit with the worst blizzard in 50 YEARS, that kills 40 people in our community. I was finally able to leave my house yesterday for the first time in a week.
The upside here, is that at the moment... everything is pretty good. Everyone is relatively healthy and getting along again, the winter storms are over for now. I'm going over to my moms place for a delayed Christmas tomorrow, and 2023 is right around the corner. A new year, a fresh start. I need a fresh start.
My plan for 2023 is to start going into the office a few days a week... I work from home but after this year I feel like this place is haunted. Need to spend a little more time away and get a fresh perspective. Going to work on exercising a few days a week as well, and improving my diet. I think this will all help to improve my mood, and probably even help me enjoy the time I spend gaming more. 👍
-
Have this little game group on Discord where we pick games to play each month. January we're going with Death Stranding since it was free on the Epic Game Store (PC game client) the other day and it got people a bit interested.
Kinda looking forward to playing through it again. I finished it on PS4 when it was released, and attempted a PS5 playthrough not too long ago... was enjoying it but got distracted. I remember absolutely plowing through the second half of the game on that PS4 playthrough so it'll be fun revisiting it and pacing myself better.
Gonna generally do a better job in 2023 focusing on games, finishing and enjoying them more. Among other goals for 2023.
