General Video Game Thread

Ganymede · Jan 2, 2018, 7:53 PM

Persona 5 has been, so far, a fun, refreshing, interesting JRPG.

I haven't said that in a long time. Whereas FF15 wandered closer to Western sensibilities insofar as play controls and dialogue goes, Persona 5 remains unabashedly Japanese.

Gameplay is a little frustrating, but it makes sense after a while. It eschews the "open world" concept for a linear storyline, but there are a lot of mini-games and decision-making moments as you try to build your character with limited time. There are also a lot of little parts to it that make it seem more complex than it is.

Highly recommended, if you like popcorn-fun and can tolerate JRPG dialogue.

FirePuff · Jan 3, 2018, 5:39 AM

I finally, FINALLY have a Steam Controller and Link enroute.

I know there's going to be some natural delay in any streaming option, but I have a nice collection of Final Fantasy games I need to run through beginning to end.

Auspice · Jan 18, 2018, 8:51 PM

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is 50% off
This is not VR-only anymore.

I've wanted to try it for a while, but certain YouTube videos, this one in particular, have gotten me hooked into desperately wanting to try the game. I had a bit of money left in my budget due to meds costing less than expected, so I've nudged my Saturday night gaming buddies (I will share their Twitch streams if anyone's interested; I don't stream yet) into picking it up also.

Packrat · Jan 18, 2018, 11:28 PM

@auspice Thanks for that! I was not going to pay full price, having heard it runs out of content fairly quickly, but definitely wanted to give it a try.

Elite Dangerous is amazingly immersive in VR but I got to the point where I had a fully equipped Vulture with money in the bank and just sort of bounced on further content.

Auspice · Jan 18, 2018, 11:34 PM

@packrat said in General Video Game Thread:

@auspice Thanks for that! I was not going to pay full price, having heard it runs out of content fairly quickly, but definitely wanted to give it a try.

Elite Dangerous is amazingly immersive in VR but I got to the point where I had a fully equipped Vulture with money in the bank and just sort of bounced on further content.

Have you done much exploration in E:D? I find it hard to imagine 'running out' of content in Elite. There's an entire galaxy! Or joined up with a company? Joining in on wars or operations is a great way to stay involved.

But as for Bridge Crew... having a regular group of people to play with, from what I see in videos, seems to be the 'trick,' and since I play with 3-4 other people on Sat nights on a regular basis, it seems perfect for us. We have a few 4-player games we keep on rotation.

Packrat · Jan 18, 2018, 11:48 PM

@auspice No real exploration but I did not find it hugely interesting in itself, a really pretty and immersive thing to do whilst listening to podcasts? Sure! But I mostly found myself bounty hunting and pirates murdering which is starting to get a little dull.

Another stumbling block is that whilst I do not have any issues piloting using a mouse and keyboard? Trying to use the galaxy map in VR using a mouse and keyboard is some kind of horrifying impossible nightmare that obviously nobody ever tested. It is the worst thing ever.

Anyway. Bridge crew is downloaded and I will have to give it a go over the weekend.

Ortallus · Jan 18, 2018, 11:50 PM

@auspice Unfortunately I haven't played E:D since they put out the first expansion and dicked over the players who already owned the game.

Auspice · Jan 18, 2018, 11:53 PM

@packrat

I have a playlist I like to listen to while exploring. But I also just think the game is absolutely gorgeous.

I can't pilot for shit via keyboard/mouse. I had to use an XBox controller to even begin playing the game. I think I owned it for a year before I played at all. I tried the first tutorial on keyboard/mouse, spun wildly for a while, and gave up.

Eventually I'll get my dream HOTAS and kick some ass. >.>

Packrat · Jan 18, 2018, 11:56 PM

@auspice I probably cannot pilot well but I managed to get behind and murder a few Pythons so I guess I can pilot with sufficient mediocrity.

Playing in VR is just jaw dropping though, it is immersive enough that weird little things like the pilot chair having a higher back than my actual chair I am sitting in are more immersion breaking than 'I am flying a spaceship in space'.

Deleted · Jan 18, 2018, 11:57 PM

Here are a short list of 'odd' games I've bought recently on steam and have also been satisfied with my purchase.

In no particular order:

Slay the Spire (EA) - My most recent purchase. It's a deck-building single player roguelite. After the first playthrough or two you can really understand what's going on and it becomes much more skill based which I like.

Feed and Grow: Fish (EA) - You swim around. You eat things and other fish. You sometimes make babies and grow bigger and eat more other fish. It's very casual and relaxing.

They Are Billions (EA) - Very frustrating town-building/zombie-defense rts. It has a super steep learning curve, though.

Space Tyrant - Space empire builder-lite. You go into missions and have small space battles. It is not a serious game at all and seems somewhat humor-based but the game mechanics are very solid and enjoyable.

Northgard - Small-scale viking RTS. I have only played against the AI but it's still fun enough. Lots of variety and playstyles and alternate victory conditions but a bit micro intensive.

...I have a metric ton of games in my Steam library. If anyone peruses the list and wants to know if X game is any good I'd be glad to give my review of it.

Packrat · Jan 19, 2018, 12:01 AM

@admiral I can definitely confirm the fun of Northgard and They Are Billions, both really fun RTS games, I have been playing a fair bit of Northgard multiplayer with my brother and his fiancee and had a lot of fun with it. They Are Billions is singleplayer only but brutally difficult and fun.

Ortallus · Jan 19, 2018, 1:21 AM

One of my favorite underappreciated developers is Klei. Don't Starve, DS:T and their newest, Oxygen Not Included, are tons of fun.

Packrat · Jan 19, 2018, 1:21 AM

@ortallus I loved Don't Starve but have yet to give Oxygen Not Included a go. I think I am going to wait for it to leave early access.

Auspice · Jan 19, 2018, 1:27 AM

I recently got (OK: found buried in my Humble Bundle stuff from back when I was still getting the Monthlies) 'This is the Police' and it's a fun casual game to play while RPing. It's resource management with a steep curve that isn't so frustrating that I get angry.

The story is a nice touch and I think it's well-balanced. I recommend checking it out if you like the style.

Ortallus · Jan 19, 2018, 1:28 AM

@packrat said in General Video Game Thread:

@ortallus I loved Don't Starve but have yet to give Oxygen Not Included a go. I think I am going to wait for it to leave early access.

That's fair, though it's far from the standard early access game. It gets updates every 3 weeks or so, and is immensely playable and fun as it is. No real bugs that I've noticed.

Still, yeah, I understand wanting to wait, but definitely don't let this one slip your watch list.

Lithium · Jan 19, 2018, 1:40 AM

@packrat I play Don't Starve Together with my SO, we have a blast trying to fend off those wolves. And the trees, omfg the trees, just learning I needed to plant a tree to fend them off was accidental. I was killing them with torches. It was not easy. LOL.

Bobotron · Jan 19, 2018, 2:12 AM

@lithium
I love Don't Starve Together. I die a lot, but I have fun.

Meg · Jan 19, 2018, 7:34 PM

Someone recently turned me on to Deceit that is free-to-play on Steam. If you have five friends and a wish to never trust them again, you should check it out.

KDraygo · Jan 29, 2018, 4:05 AM

Is Civ 6 a good game now? From what I heard, on release it wasn't worth the money. Humblebundle is giving it away if you subscribe to them so it sounds like a pretty good deal for $12.

Ortallus · Jan 29, 2018, 4:28 AM

@kdraygo said in General Video Game Thread:

Is Civ 6 a good game now? From what I heard, on release it wasn't worth the money. Humblebundle is giving it away if you subscribe to them so it sounds like a pretty good deal for $12.

I think it's a great game, but I kind of have since it came out. Had like 400 hours on it within 2 months, I think? You only get 2 expacs with the humble bundle though, and if you intend to do much online play, you'll probably need most if not all of the others. Elsewise you can just pick them up peacemeal.

It is the lowest you will ever receive the base game, though, and the other two major games in the bundle aren't bad either.