What are you playing? v.10 (Red Falcon Edition)

[Wrath of Foamy]

I am helping @Wrath of Foamy pop his Diablo cherry. He seemed to like it thus far. I started a new Barb and he had a Druid but switched about half way through act one to a Rogue.

I think all the classes have their strengths and weaknesses. It's just about finding the right kit and gear.

Diablo 2 still the GOAT though.

It's very good.

My Druid is fine, playing to Tornado, but it's a bit unpredictable.

My Rogue is a lot more fun, with maxed Penetrating Shot.

 

[Hyperglide]

It's very good.

My Druid is fine, playing to Tornado, but it's a bit unpredictable.

My Rogue is a lot more fun, with maxed Penetrating Shot.

Can't wait to see your more in-depth review of it, when you get further in and more time to post.

 

[mb23100]

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2

This feels more like an update rather than a sequel to the original but this game is still pretty fun so far. Looking forward to see the tracks people come up with. I just wish they had more cars from the 90's (my childhood) although I understand 40 year olds aren't exactly their target demographic lol.

I'll probably give Diablo 4 another go once I finish Dark Souls 3. I played about an hour at launch and then refunded it. I played through D2 and 3 for the first time in anticipation for 4 and by the time it launched I was burned out of the whole isometric ARPG formula, a genre I'm not a huge fan of in the first place.

Gamepass be killing it though.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Started playing X-Com2 again, and was playing on 'Hard' but my squad has 10 health points starting out, so that'd give them a break.

But 5 hours into it, I tried reloading an autosave from a few turns back, and... it crashed the game.

I tried loading a save a few turns further back, and it also crashed the game.

I tried reloading a save from two missions back.... and it crashed the game.

So I uninstalled the entire game and hopefully when I redownload it in the future that problem will be fixed. Holy fuck, its an 8 year old game so you'd think all of the main problems would have been ironed out by now.

 

[HereticBD]

Diablo 4

Couldn't resist, despite my reservations of how it might play on Xbox One S. On that front...it runs pretty damn good. I'm shocked at how good it looks and how well it runs. Especially because it's a "live service" game, where you can experience the amazement of...a bunch of random people running around in the hub worlds. I mean seriously, what is the fucking point? This is not an MMO. Give us an offline mode.

Anyways, so far so good. The combat is a lot slower and more methodical than D3, but that was expected. The EXP is coming fast and furious though. I played it for a whole two hours, and I'm already at level 15. Love the open world and meaty side quests. The loot is interesting, albeit a bit frantic. You're constantly upgrading better pieces of the same equipment. Menu interface is a step down from D3, at least on console. Give me the wheel from D3 over this more "one by one" pick and choose shit. The skill tree is different, which is good, but I can't really judge right now. One thing that I hope they have completely done away with(still early), is the "identification" nonsense, where you have to use scrolls to identify damn near every rare or legendary item. Good riddance to that bullshit.

Anyways, I'm hooked. I'll have to see how they handle the end game to really judge how much legs it has, but I'm optimistic that all the bitching is just that. I've heard people bitch about having to start a new character for seasons, but that's been a standard in these games since the implemented them, so whatever.

Good stuff so far.

 

[HereticBD]

So I uninstalled the entire game and hopefully when I redownload it in the future that problem will be fixed. Holy fuck, its an 8 year old game so you'd think all of the main problems would have been ironed out by now.

I don't know what it is about strategy games, but they've always got these stupid issues. Them and "adventure" games always have these huge technical issues and I'll never understand why, since they're so simplistic in presentation. RDR2 can run fine on 10 year old hardware, but these fuckers have a hard time with modern rigs. It makes no sense.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I don't know what it is about strategy games, but they've always got these stupid issues. Them and "adventure" games always have these huge technical issues and I'll never understand why, since they're so simplistic in presentation. RDR2 can run fine on 10 year old hardware, but these fuckers have a hard time with modern rigs. It makes no sense.

Its more of a reflection of the quality of the developer.

Faraxis made one if the absolute best T-RPGs of all time that has amazing game design, to the point its still played 8 years later by new gamers that have heard other gamers still talk about it and still playing it, multiple of times over over the years.

Its just a complete dissapointment how its how its still a buggy mess and technical nightmare.
These types of games SHOULD BE simple, it looks like a PS3/XBox360 era game and it runs at 30FPS/1080P. How freaking hard is it to make these types of games run correctly?

BTW, I've played Gears Tactics twice all the way through, its freaking beautiful and runs like a dream at 1440P/120FPS.

Its going to get to the point that if developers aren't using a reliable engine, I'm not going to play it.

 

[HereticBD]

Its more of a reflection of the quality of the developer.

Faraxis made one if the absolute best T-RPGs of all time that has amazing game design, to the point its still played 8 years later by new gamers that have heard other gamers still talk about it and still playing it, multiple of times over over the years.

Its just a complete dissapointment how its how its still a buggy mess and technical nightmare.
These types of games SHOULD BE simple, it looks like a PS3/XBox360 era game and it runs at 30FPS/1080P. How freaking hard is it to make these types of games run correctly?

BTW, I've played Gears Tactics twice all the way through, its freaking beautiful and runs like a dream at 1440P/120FPS.

Its going to get to the point that if developers aren't using a reliable engine, I'm not going to play it.

Yeah, that's a good point with the GOW game. I had no problems with that game either. Not even a menu stutter. And that was on an Xbox One. X-Com, The Sims, Telltale games...technological nightmares for reasons unknown. Even the "Wasteland" games have these weird ass issues, like the engine can't keep up with the math or something. It's bizarre. You should be able to play these games on a potato.

 

[Uncommon Valor]

Random thought: Why do Sony games gets a pass for doing the same things that Ubisoft games get criticized for?

 

[Zer]

Started playing X-Com2 again, and was playing on 'Hard' but my squad has 10 health points starting out, so that'd give them a break.

But 5 hours into it, I tried reloading an autosave from a few turns back, and... it crashed the game.

I tried loading a save a few turns further back, and it also crashed the game.

I tried reloading a save from two missions back.... and it crashed the game.

So I uninstalled the entire game and hopefully when I redownload it in the future that problem will be fixed. Holy fuck, its an 8 year old game so you'd think all of the main problems would have been ironed out by now.

Are you playing with the War of the Chosen DLC?

Because when I played vanilla XCOM2 I had all kinds of technical issues. It crashed often and ran like complete dogshit in general, but the DLC seemed to resolve everything (As well as being really good content-wise). Although I played the vanilla game back when it was released so I'd have thought they'd have patched that shit up by now

 

[GearSolidMetal]

Are you playing with the War of the Chosen DLC?

Yup.

I played through it a year ago and had no problems. No bugs or crashes.

So weird that just now it suddenly is unable to load any save.

Because when I played vanilla XCOM2 I had all kinds of technical issues. It crashed often and ran like complete dogshit in general, but the DLC seemed to resolve everything (As well as being really good content-wise). Although I played the vanilla game back when it was released so I'd have thought they'd have patched that shit up by now

The team long ago looked at the complaints about bugs and concluded - "Meh, its good enough."

 

[deviake]

I started Aliens: Dark Descent a few days ago, really enjoying it. It's not a perfect game but it's awesome. Just finished the first mission and upgraded my dudes. Looking to get as many resources as I can so I can keep the upgrades coming.

 

[Valhoven]

Random thought: Why do Sony games gets a pass for doing the same things that Ubisoft games get criticized for?

Probably because it's an exception with Sony but the norm for Ubi; too vague a thought to speak on without example, though.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Are you playing with the War of the Chosen DLC?

Because when I played vanilla XCOM2 I had all kinds of technical issues. It crashed often and ran like complete dogshit in general, but the DLC seemed to resolve everything (As well as being really good content-wise). Although I played the vanilla game back when it was released so I'd have thought they'd have patched that shit up by now

Oh shit, you’re a mod now, Monica? Congrats! There’s a new Sheriff in town!

 

[HereticBD]

Random thought: Why do Sony games gets a pass for doing the same things that Ubisoft games get criticized for?

What in particular are you referring to?

 

[Uncommon Valor]

What in particular are you referring to?

Ghost of Tsushima. The gameplay can pretty repetitive - from constantly clearing enemy outposts to helping peasants who family has been attacked by bandits to the constant “follow the footprints” trope. Enemy wise, the game doesn’t seem to have a lot of variety. Companion side quests were well written/well done, but the side quests that didn’t focus on your companions were pretty basic. And like every Ubisoft games, there are question marks all over the map. Ghost of Tsushima may not be considered as good as it is if it was created by Ubisoft.

 

[HereticBD]

Ghost of Tsushima. The gameplay can pretty repetitive - from constantly clearing enemy outposts to helping peasants who family has been attacked by bandits to the constant “follow the footprints” trope. Enemy wise, the game doesn’t seem to have a lot of variety. Companion side quests were well written/well done, but the side quests that didn’t focus on your companions were pretty basic. And like every Ubisoft games, there are question marks all over the map. Ghost of Tsushima may not be considered as good as it is if it was created by Ubisoft.

There's a fine line for sure, as most open world games follow the same generic blueprint. I haven't played GOT, but I doubt it's as...overwhelming as UBI games can get. UBI just goes crazy with that shit. Although, I think they've been putting a bit more effort into their side quests with the newer AC games.

Personally, I can't really put my finger on why UBI games start to feel hollow after a bit, where other games don't, but it's there, and it usually creeps in at the 20 hour mark of a 100+ hour game. There's an artificial quality to them, that you don't feel in other similar games as much. It might just be because they're too easy, and you just end up going through motions, no matter how many cut scenes they implement into those bullshit missions. There's no challenge to anything, and therefore, there is no achievement felt in completing everything. UBI has a problem with not making you feel like earned anything. I think it's a balance issue that other developers understand, but they don't.

It's certainly strange, as I think their latest efforts have been good and even great, but there's still something missing that doesn't see them rise to something like "The Witcher 3", or "Red Dead Redemption 2", that implement similar elements. And neither of those games are "challenging" either, so I don't know what it really is that makes UBI games feel the way they do, but there's just something there that shouldn't be. If they ever figure out what it is, they're gonna rule the gaming sphere, because everything else is great and they crank out games like crazy. Graphics, story, animations, atmosphere...they got it all. If only they could figure out what makes their games a little boring after a while.

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

Diablo 4

Couldn't resist, despite my reservations of how it might play on Xbox One S. On that front...it runs pretty damn good. I'm shocked at how good it looks and how well it runs. Especially because it's a "live service" game, where you can experience the amazement of...a bunch of random people running around in the hub worlds. I mean seriously, what is the fucking point? This is not an MMO. Give us an offline mode.

Anyways, so far so good. The combat is a lot slower and more methodical than D3, but that was expected. The EXP is coming fast and furious though. I played it for a whole two hours, and I'm already at level 15. Love the open world and meaty side quests. The loot is interesting, albeit a bit frantic. You're constantly upgrading better pieces of the same equipment. Menu interface is a step down from D3, at least on console. Give me the wheel from D3 over this more "one by one" pick and choose shit. The skill tree is different, which is good, but I can't really judge right now. One thing that I hope they have completely done away with(still early), is the "identification" nonsense, where you have to use scrolls to identify damn near every rare or legendary item. Good riddance to that bullshit.

Anyways, I'm hooked. I'll have to see how they handle the end game to really judge how much legs it has, but I'm optimistic that all the bitching is just that. I've heard people bitch about having to start a new character for seasons, but that's been a standard in these games since the implemented them, so whatever.

Good stuff so far.

I'm a level 23 druid who has taken the earth line.

Aside from the tutorial, I haven't touched the main story yet, just a few side quests and dungeon.

I tried the druid subquest and it kicked my arse. I got through the first part of freeing the druids souls but I couldn't make a dent on the main boss.

That's my issue right now, bosses. I'm too squishy to stand upright and I'm too slow to dodge anything.

Other than that, I'm enjoying it a lot.

 

[HereticBD]

I'm a level 23 druid who has taken the earth line.

Aside from the tutorial, I haven't touched the main story yet, just a few side quests and dungeon.

I tried the druid subquest and it kicked my arse. I got through the first part of freeing the druids souls but I couldn't make a dent on the main boss.

That's my issue right now, bosses. I'm too squishy to stand upright and I'm too slow to dodge anything.

Other than that, I'm enjoying it a lot.

I usually start with the Rogue in these games, and this one's no different. I find the close combat guys a little tough to manage in the early game, since you pretty much have to tank everything and it can take a while before you get some skills to mitigate the damage you're always taking.

I'm Level 26, and have only just beat the first real campaign boss. Just been side questing like crazy. I've died a couple times in some "arena" areas, and "The Butcher" randomly showed up to kick the ever living shit out of me. I find in this game, you have to really utilize all of your skills in tough encounters, rather than lean on anything specific. I ignored using my secondary skills for the longest time before I ran into some problems. Now I've got everything meshing pretty good.

Not a big fan of the dodge command having a cool down. That fucks me up more than anything. I think a stamina bar that lets you dodge two or three times in a row would've worked better in a game like this. One little dash doesn't help all that much when the screen is literally filled with projectiles and hazards.

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

I usually start with the Rogue in these games, and this one's no different. I find the close combat guys a little tough to manage in the early game, since you pretty much have to tank everything and it can take a while before you get some skills to mitigate the damage you're always taking.

I'm Level 26, and have only just beat the first real campaign boss. Just been side questing like crazy. I've died a couple times in some "arena" areas, and "The Butcher" randomly showed up to kick the ever living shit out of me. I find in this game, you have to really utilize all of your skills in tough encounters, rather than lean on anything specific. I ignored using my secondary skills for the longest time before I ran into some problems. Now I've got everything meshing pretty good.

Not a big fan of the dodge command having a cool down. That fucks me up more than anything. I think a stamina bar that lets you dodge two or three times in a row would've worked better in a game like this. One little dash doesn't help all that much when the screen is literally filled with projectiles and hazards.

I'm right there with you on the dodge cooldown. My problem with bosses is that I don't have enough time to aim and move, so I'm whiffing shots and being caught out at the same time.

I'm considering swapping out Boulder for Hurricane. Make them pay for getting close.

I have a Rogue, played briefly with him a day or two ago with Hyperglide. I really liked Penetrating Shot.