General gaming discussion

Retr0gamer

Go to google and search for 'chocobo'

Then press the little orange Chocobo button on the bottom right.

Retr0gamer

Death stranding a tiny bit more sense now... A tiny bit:

https://twitter.com/wrathofgnon/status/1763138299085091110?t=laq4lLPWPutORXcG7Jm3-g&s=19

Mal-Adjusted

Is that the reason starship troopers discussion and analysis has blown up online the past few months?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121834766#Comment_121834766

Some right winger made the worst take ever of it and it drove people rightfully nuts.

Retr0gamer

Finally got around to the Metroid prime remake last night. It's incredible. It's very faithful to the original but the dual stick controls really suit the game and it still feels the same. It's just such a well designed game and I find it baffling that it hasn't been emulated by anyone else, probably the new God of War games come closest. It's also remarkable how good the game looks yet still runs are a rock solid 60 fps on switch. It was always a gorgeous looking game on GameCube but the modern sheen is spectacular. Just like the original every area looks and feels authored with a real attention to little details.

The game really holds up as well with spectacular boss fights, a compelling game loop, and a stunning soundtrack. The space Pirate AI is still fun to fight against.

johnny_ultimate

Booted up Balatro over the weekend.

If you value reasonable bed times, I would recommend not booting up Balatro.

Excellent game though. Rogue-like, deck builder poker is a mad concept but is wonderful in execution, and the delivery offers that ‘just one more blind’ adrenaline hit in spades (and hearts, clubs and diamonds). Delightful fun to break poker with insane combos and score multipliers.

https://youtu.be/2n9pkiuSZLU?si=3_E-9pTpdZFbXO3M

pixelburp

All due respect, I have somewhat reached a point where the words "roguelike deck builder" just makes my brain glaze over as a reflex.

Potential-Monke

Yeah, not a fan of deck builders either. Card games are meant for tables, not computers! It's actually just the waiting in general, no matter the game. Any game that makes me wait to move or attack, I don't usually like. That encompasses all turn based games, deck builders, original FF style combat, etc. They just ain't for me. So like pixelburp, when I see any of those words mentioned, I move on without reading any more.

And in my current lull of not being able to get into a game, I'm somehow getting into AC Valhalla... guess 2+ years of a break worked, helped by Mirage being... meh.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121848437#Comment_121848437

I can kind of feel the same at times, but always willing to give something a try if sources I trust say it's worth the time. Never would have given Inscryption (a roguelike deck builder) a chance but heard such great things about it that said I may as well, and I loved it. Have heard similar about Balatro and have already bought it but not started playing it yet, but really looking forward to getting into it when I get a chance.

Luna84

I hate turn based games too. Really annoying I find plus I have no idea how to play them properly due to lack of play time as I usually never play them and the ones I did try I get into one or two battles and quit as they are s**t. I made two exceptions and that was the South Park games as I'm a big South Park fan and liked the games humour but the battles were a bit annoying for me.

McFly85

Tried Balatro this evening and the hours flew by! Roguelike deck builder didn’t sound appealing but really its score-attack poker. Fast paced, easy to get into and there’s a good depth to it.

Im sure it’ll happen at some stage, but itd be perfect for mobile gaming. Definitely one to have a quick run while on the bus or whatever.

Between this and Queens Blood I’m definitely on a card game kick!

dav45

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121849970#Comment_121849970

So true. Those games are kind of annoying too.

Retr0gamer

I'm not going to take this turn based slander lying down. Some of the all time best games have been turn based. Stuff like the Persona series, Etrian Odyssey, the entire rogue like genre, X-Com, Baldur's Gate 3, etc. There's so much variety on turn based games, dismissing them entirely is akin to saying you don't like open world games or platformers. There's bad examples, honestly think the south park games arent good examples. I find turn based games offer strategy and depth you just don't get with real time games without making them stressful.

CatInABox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121856111#Comment_121856111

And that's before you get to the Civilization series..... I don't want to think about how much time I've sank into those games

pixelburp

That's interesting: I started this with my diss of deck-builders, but broadly Turn-Based games do interest me whether it's x-com, the civ games or whatnot. There's just something about the loop in deck-builders, and the saturation of them as a core mechanic that puts me off.

Penn

I think action combat gives a more immediate and consistent satisfaction, whereas turn-based ebbs and flows a lot more. It's more about being patient, setting everything up, and then can result in huge bursts of satisfaction when your plan works. I remember the discourse when Baldurs Gate 3 came out and some people online saying they wouldn't play it because it's turn based, and there should be an option for people to play it in a more action style. The trouble is the sheer scale and variety of things you can do, actions you can perform, spells you can cast, plus the fact you're controlling 4+ characters... it could never work like that or would be incredibly scaled back to the point where it practically needn't be included in the game at all.

But the scale of what you can do in that game's turn-based combat is a huge part of what makes it a joy to play. It gives you such incredible options to mess with enemies, trap them, use the environment, and really let your imagination run wild. And similar with other turn-based games. It's all about implementation. I could just never get into X-Com 2 for a variety of reasons, but one of the reasons was I just found a lot of the combat kind of dull and frustrating at times. Whereas Marvels Midnight Suns I thought was a joy to play. The first South Park I found the combat a bit bland, but when they added in the movement and grid system in the second one, I actually enjoyed it a lot more.

johnny_ultimate

The mini-narratives and memorable moments that emerged during my playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 simply would not have come from a real-time battle system. My fights with Raphael and Grym will stay with me for a very long time, just due to the sheer versatility and dynamism of the combat and the catastrophes/triumphs that emerged as a result of it.

And playing Infinite Wealth - which has cleverly refined the more rudimentary, old-school turn-based combat from its predecessor - reminds me how much more enjoyment I've gotten out of the Yakuza / LaD series now that it's moved away from its brawling system. Not the most mechanically or strategically complex turn-based game around (though adds some very fun modern wrinkles around positioning), but so much more engaging for me than the series' traditional combat.

Always worth being open to different gameplay styles. I was always frustrated by RPGs with more real-time or hybrid fighting systems, as I thought there was always an unsatisfying remove there compared to the immediacy of actual action games or the strategic possibilities of turn-based ones. But games like FF7 Remake - where combat was IMO the only unqualified triumph of the game - have happily proven me wrong, and show there's certainly space for more real-time combat in RPGs alongside classic turn-based systems.

Retr0gamer

Speaking of awesome turn based games, the new Shiren game on Switch is getting rave reviews. Hoping it's the west finally taking notice of that series.

Mr Crispy

Did any of you watch the Xbox Partner showcase yesterday? They had some interesting looking titles on display. At the risk of triggering some of you with its card mechanics, Sleight of Hand looks just like my kind of jam.

https://youtu.be/YVd4bEiiCIU?si=kfIPVoSCEs1GAWG3

And Creatures of Ava looked lovely as ****, with the story co-written by Rihanna Pratchett.

Retr0gamer

Reviews starting to come in for unicorn overlord. 88 and 87 metacritic for the PS4 and switch version respectively.

Potential-Monke

Yeah, no interest in the Sinking City, however there were a few action adventure games that take my fancy.

Unknown 9: Awakening, looks like an AC games not made by Ubisoft.

https://youtu.be/qKP4w-mlRXQ

Next up, The Alters. Crashed on an alien planet, and with a massive wheel base to operate, you create different versions of yourself based on different life decisions in order to man the base, but they all have their own motives so may not get along. Meanwhile, you need to outrun the sun. Sounds interesting at the very least!

https://youtu.be/SXaS327cjIc

Next up, The First Berseker: Khazan. Unfortunately looks like a Soulslike so probably won't be for me, but looks good. Some stunning views.

https://youtu.be/BB25RcC05wc

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess looks like an ARPG tower defence type game heavily inspired by Chinese myth.

https://youtu.be/dXOOVlWDmm4

J. Marston

Playing Cyberpunk and I notice I have a problem in open-world games. I tend to just look at the map in the corner of the screen when I'm driving, to follow the line on the map, rather than just driving and looking at the world.

I remember there was an open world game that had the arrows/directions on the road, it might have been Saints Row. Much prefer something like that.

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863464#Comment_121863464

I think Sleeping Dogs had that, i think i only looked at the Minimap for nearby collectibles. Ghost of Tsushima had an interesting take where the wind would pick up and blow in the direction you need to go. Way too many games rely too heavily on the Minimap.

Potential-Monke

Yeah, I've definitely spent more time on Cyberpunk than the likes of Vice City or San Andreas, but I know would have known those maps better than Night City.

Retr0gamer

It's nice having quality of life features like that but it's also interesting that some of the very best games of the last 10 years take those quality of life features away and make it an integral part of the game. Breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom being a good example where there's a lack of map markers so you've to explore and do some orienteering to find places of interest. Etrian Odyssey also stands out where it forgoes an automap and makes you draw your own map as you play leading to some wonderful emergent gameplay and narrative.

I remember the older GTA games came with a map of the city and you'd plan out trips and optimal routes for missions. The series lost that with the GPS.

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863534#Comment_121863534

Mafia III's was pretty good with the sign posts at the side of the road that would guide you to where you had to go. But I think they still had a minimap but I'm not 100% on that.

PixelPlayer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863464#Comment_121863464

It doesn't need anything fancy. A compass bar at the top with your marker so you can watch the world while also travelling in the correct general direction.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121863644#Comment_121863644

I always like The Getaway's genius method of it, where your cars indicator would turn on when coming up to a turn you needed to take.

Mr Crispy

Anyone unreasonably hyped for Dragon's Dogma 2 can download a tool from Capcom that will allow them to create their character in advance of the game's release later in the month.

https://www.dragonsdogma.com/2/en-uk/topics/demo/

I'd probably just wait for the actual game personally speaking but if you enjoy this sort of stuff, have at it.

McFly85

Dragons Dogma is an odd one for me, I have the first one but it’s been firmly in the backlog since I got it. It looks like the type of game I could really get into, there’s just always something else above it in my list!

And reading about the second one, it really sounds great - a real refinement of the first game.

Do I etch out time to play the first one or jump straight into this? 2024 is already looking packed enough being bang in the middle of FF7 and Shadow of the Erdtree on the way.