General Video Game Thread

[Jaded]

@bobotron
Phantasy Star was an amazing series of games. I thought at the time that they were better than the Final Fantasy games being released on Nintendo/Super Nintendo comparatively.

[Lithium]

@jaded I agree, the Phantasy Star games were very good.

[Packrat]

@lithium I am very much in the same boat, I just cannot use a controller, I am so used to keyboard and mouse that I just flail around uselessly if I attempt to use any other control scheme.

What I have done is put my desktop on a little trolley thing which makes it super easy to roll out, unplug, then carry through into the living room if I want to plug it into my TV and play stuff on the couch or do room scale VR. Sadly this does not help with console exclusives though.

[Ganymede]

@lithium said in General Video Game Thread:

Case in point, I died, so much, playing Rise of the Tomb Raider just for missing the timing on things, it would have been /so much worse/ if I had been trying to do so on a controller.

My understanding is that Rise of the Tomb Raider was a reaction-based, puzzle-adventure game, though. Horizon Zero Dawn really isn't. Aside from leaping onto the back of a Tallneck, I don't recall any part of the game where timing was necessary to get along on terrain. I have fallen to my death a few times, but that's player error, not timing error.

Horizon Zero Dawn plays more like Mass Effect: Andromeda without the flying, and The Witcher III when it comes to dodging attacks and riding on horseback. There's a bit of "bullet time" involved as well, along with stealthy-sneak insta-kills, a la The Last of Us. Where it differs from the above is the ranged weapons, which give you several innovative ways to take down your enemies.

I like the game a lot more than Skyrim or other Elder Scroll games. I think I prefer games with more of a focus and narrative. The game is still open world, though, but there's some clear direction to follow. I'll admit that I've had to train myself on the controller, but I'm still not half-bad with the KB+M setup when I've had to use it.

[Lithium]

@ganymede Sounds good, but, I still play those games on the PC If I ever catch it on sale where I won't feel like I've wasted $50+ if the game frustrates me, I might pick it up.

Otherwise...

FF12 Redone for the PS4! Woo!

I know what's swallowing my soul!

[Bobotron]

@lithium

Don't poke the Werewolves until you're of appropriate level!

[Royal]

Horizon Zero Dawn is literally the reason I purchased a PS4.

Seriously.

I'd say it was worth it.

[Thenomain]

@royal said in General Video Game Thread:

Horizon Zero Dawn is literally the reason I purchased a PS4.

Seriously.

I'd say it was worth it.

Need to save up for Last Of Us 2, then I shall buy it for the trifecta.

[Ganymede]

On a completely different topic, I have to conclude that Final Fantasy XV was very enjoyable.

JRPG narratives hurt me on the inside. I grew up playing JRPGs, but the past 20 years or so of these games have been painful to get through. The Valkyria Chronicles were hampered by its narrative, and it's about the only thing I don't like about Persona 5. I just can't get my head into that sort of logic-jumping, deus-ex-machine writing style.

That said, there was something compelling about Final Fantasy XV. It is bittersweet, melancholy, and sad, but there was also en effervescent joie de vivre most of the time that made it a pleasure to play. Its soundtrack is sublime, and I loved Florence + The Machine's cover of "Stand by Me," which serves as the game's opening track. Still, the narrative's dialogue sacked any character depth or connection for me, which is sad.

Also, cooking and camping? Surprisingly fun as hell, and the graphics are so realistic that I started to get hungry myself (dammit).

The game itself is beautiful, and the play control (once you get used to it) is innovative and fun. The magic system is very shallow, but the game seems calculated to be more of a 3PS adventure (like Horizon Zero Dawn or The Witcher III), where magic is mostly subordinate to play.

You should give it a whirl if you can. That you can get the soundtracks for the other FF games is a charming, added bonus.

[Jaded]

@ganymede
I saw that there is going to be a PC release of Final Fantasy XV coming soon and I was hoping to see someone give a review on it.

Thanks. It has swayed my decision to pick it up or not.

[Ganymede]

@jaded

Watch this.

And this.

And if you're kind of bored, they have this full-length movie too.

It's not the best game I picked up in 2016, but it was pretty damn solid. You can easily sink 60+ hours in your first run-through, and there are some parts you can't do unless you go through a second run-though, so you've got 120+ hours of gameplay.

[Jaded]

@ganymede
Thanks! I'll check them out.

[Insomnia]

@thenomain Save up a little extra, HZD also has a DLC now too.

[Packrat]

I have been playing Kingdom Come - Deliverance.

It definitely has janky edges but is overall rather fun as well as being absolutely gorgeous.

Currently riding around on a horse I spent far too much money on in half stolen, half cheap plate armour and beating Hungarian mercenaries to death with a mace whilst keeping a longsword for cutting up bandits or stabbing people with visor lacking helmets in the face with.

EDIT: If you run into the 'Faint Hearted Knight' along the road and he challenges you to a duel, demand he stake his sword on the contest. His sword is probably the best longsword I have found in the game so far and has a base value of somewhere north of 2,500 silver, also he is terrible and easy to beat up.

[Packrat]

To follow up from the previous, there is definitely jank and a few problematic parts to Kingdom Come but overall? It is really well written and feels authentic. There are really neat little touches like people treating you differently depending upon not just your local reputation but also how you are dressed.

Rock up in Milanese plate with golden spurs and an awesome brocaded coat atop your armour? As long as it is not dirty or damaged then people are calling you my lord and that they are honoured a knight such as yourself deems them worthy of attention.

Roam in wearing bloody rags? People ask if you were attacked or what happened to your nice clothes, etc.

Also good maces are severely overpowered as soon as you are fighting people wearing armour and it is also really worth practicing to work out which stances lead to riposte counters hitting the head when timed properly, if you get it right you can immediately murder anyone lacking a visor by crushing their face.

[Arkandel]

@packrat said in General Video Game Thread:

I have been playing Kingdom Come - Deliverance.

I've been looking at it... and the one concern I had was that it required a lot of micromanagement? like I'd need to wash myself constantly or be penalized in social interactions, pay constant attention to my encumbrance or be unable to move in plate, etc.

I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment.

[Packrat]

@arkandel That mostly seems to come down to 'wash before going shopping' but there are troughs for quick washing almost everywhere urban.

You can go to a proper baths to get extra clean but frankly I have never bothered.

Encumbrance is definitely an issue until you get a horse though.

[Ghost]

I am thoroughly enjoying Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet.

A little bit Dot.Hack, a faux-mmo atmosphere, and a shitload of anime.

[Lithium]

@ghost That's the 2nd arc I believe, it got a lot of flack but I enjoyed it too. Sword Art Online is one of those love/hate anime's there's not a lot of middle ground from those that have seen it.

[Jaded]

If you're eyeing the theater this weekend and plan on seeing a movie, Annihilation is a very interesting movie.