General gaming discussion

Penn · 07-02-2022 1:19pm

I wouldn't go as far as JU. But RDR2 is definitely a hugely flawed game and those flaws are deeply embedded in the very fabric of the game that they're hard to ignore or excuse. From the controls, needless/pointless/over-convulted systems, the traversal, and the game making choices for you or forcing you into choices to suit the narrative and 'realism' at the expense of fun and player agency.

It's a good game, and I enjoyed it. But it's absolutely flawed and I have no urge to ever return to it, whereas there are many other games of its ilk that I have or would play through multiple times.

pixelburp · 07-02-2022 1:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594541#Comment_118594541

The Venn diagram of what JU and I like in games or films is tiny, yet their opinion is always expressed with enthusiasm, passion and never judgement. Never once read a single post that could be construed as judgemental or superior. Its bullshít TBH

RocketRaccoon · 07-02-2022 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594541#Comment_118594541

Mario peaking on the SNES and running on fumes since was a particularly hilarious recent take of his/hers.

johnny_ultimate · 07-02-2022 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594579#Comment_118594579

I’m glad it was hilarious, because it was a joke :)

awec · 07-02-2022 1:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118588225#Comment_118588225

In fairness it's much more difficult to make a compelling multiplayer mode for a cowboy game than a game set in the modern day, without breaking immersion. There's way less scope for content.

johnny_ultimate · 07-02-2022 1:30pm

I'm glad some people enjoyed RDR2. I played it through to the end and thought it was shite. I only ever try to give my own opinion on any given game, and don't pretend to speak for anyone else.

My own philosophy is always to engage with the game itself and not attack somebody for having a different opinion to myself. I'm sure I've erred at times, but I try my best. If I criticise or praise a game, it's never intended as an attack on people on the other side of the fence (not that fences are a binary prospect in this respect ;)).

Anyway, I've been enjoying the small-batch artisanal game I've been playing most recently... *checks notes* Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

Retr0gamer · 07-02-2022 1:38pm

Sell out...

Penn · 07-02-2022 1:42pm

...

The Raging Bile Duct · 07-02-2022 1:46pm

I don't understand how someone can hate a game and play it through to the end. I like to think my short time on this earth is a bit too precious to putting into something that I'm not enjoying and getting no reward from.

johnny_ultimate · 07-02-2022 1:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594724#Comment_118594724

I'd normally be the same! I usually drop games I don't like - hell, I often drop games I do like because they're too bloody long :P But for some reason I pushed through with RDR2 - maybe because I usually do like Rockstar games, including RDR1, or maybe just a bit of sunk cost thing after a certain point. Alas, it wasn't worth it. Lesson learned and all that.

pixelburp · 07-02-2022 1:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594724#Comment_118594724

I'd agree WRT movies or TV shows (though you for phenomena like Hate Watching), but with games I wouldn't ever rule out that Skinner Box aspect, where you keep playing so the numbers tick up a little more. God knows I've done myself in the past, sinking hours into something I derived little actual pleasure from (which was 90% of multiplayer gaming til I realised how much I hated online play, then stuck to SP in future)

SuperBowserWorld · 07-02-2022 1:55pm

I think we need a RDR2 / Animal Crossing crossover. You can just set up your own cabin, bar, river boat, doctor, hairdresser, whatever and live a virtual life in a beautifully realised virtual environment.

That is until you mistake the talk action for the shoot action. And get throw in jail. And then Dutch and the gang come to rescue you, and you have to go on the run from the law with them ...

Jordan 199 · 07-02-2022 1:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594359#Comment_118594359

Better looking wagons in RDR2 partner 😉

Retr0gamer · 07-02-2022 1:59pm

Skinner box and being slightly OCD has carried me to the end of a lot of games that were wasting my time or I didn't like. I'm being a lot better about it now as I find these games leave you burned out and not able to enjoy games for a couple of days/weeks.

07-02-2022 2:01pm

I think to say RDR2 is shite is a bit much. It's definitely overrated though.

Penn · 07-02-2022 2:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594724#Comment_118594724

One of the highlights for me of RDR2 was the narrative and story. I really did enjoy it a lot. So even though a lot of the gameplay was annoying me, I powered through to complete the story. Plus there's also the thing that you often don't know how much longer the game goes on for.

Though I had similar recently with Days Gone where I was enjoying the story but too much of the game really annoyed me to the point where I just couldn't keep playing it.

RocketRaccoon · 07-02-2022 2:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594724#Comment_118594724

Exactly my feeling on Horizon, no interest in going back to it or playing the new one due out.

awec · 07-02-2022 2:04pm

I think I got about 20% of the way through RDR2 before boredom got the better of me and I gave up. Always considered going back to it again, but the mediocre shooting / aiming system in those games always puts me off.

SuperBowserWorld · 07-02-2022 2:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594792#Comment_118594792

A couple of days is not burnout.

That's a weekend 😀😀😀

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 07-02-2022 2:42pm

Playing Pokémon Legends Arceus and I know what I'm going to be playing, eventually, but the opening chapter is doing my head in.

I forgot this is an RPG made in Japan, so it has to explain every single little thing in case I get stupid later on. The irony here is it's giving me too much info, to the point where I'm just gonna forget. I know I can just look it up in the game's menu later on so I dunno why it can't just say "For more tutorials, open up the Survey Tips menu" which is full of tutorials in text-form. Why have quests dedicated to all this ****? Ugh

I have a headache. I just wanna play the game and it's holding my hand through everything.

Retr0gamer · 07-02-2022 2:45pm

I'm hearing horror tales of the 3 hour tutorial in that game.

Has nobody learned anything from Metal Gear Revengeance's tutorial?

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 07-02-2022 2:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595003#Comment_118595003

THREE HOURS? Ah for christ's sake. I got this game around lunch time and I'm still being taught ****. I have to go to work in an hour.

Why do Japanese video game developers always have to assume you're stupid and incapable of figuring things out on your own?

Retr0gamer · 07-02-2022 3:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595013#Comment_118595013

Well nintendo used to be bad at it but have actually been really good at it the last few years. I find western games are way worse lately.

The big issue is pokemon games. Because of the young audience the Pokemon Company just presumes every game could be someone's first Pokemon game so they dumb it down. It means you get **** like Let's go Pikachu where the entire game is a tutorial for the main series or the mystery dungeon games where the main game is the tutorial and it only starts being a good rogue like in the post game.

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 07-02-2022 3:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595263#Comment_118595263

Really good by comparison, yeah, but still needs a lot of work I think. Upon quick reflection, I think it depends on the game first nowadays instead of the region necessarily.... Someone on Discord told me it's typical Game Freak/Pokémon Company thinking everyone who plays it are either young or jumping in for the first time. All games have the potential to have new players, and a lot still don't force you to sit through so many tutorials or at least have better ways of showing you the ropes early on. I would understand if Legends Arceus in particular didn't have the aforementioned Survey Tips menu, but it does, and it's plentiful to the point where it would double as the main manual of the game itself. I guess they're serving as reminders in case you don't pay attention to the tutorials. Case in point my lack of attention at this stage. 2hrs 40mins in and I'm bored oot ma gourd.

Well I'm thankful I'm only getting a half day tomorrow morning so I should have a better fun/boredom ratio by the end of the day.

pixelburp · 07-02-2022 3:44pm

It is kinda crazy that, given how codified game development has become, the tutorial still remains a very variable thing. That engaging, organic tutorial systems remain remarkable and demanding a highlight, as opposed to something boilerplate and understood. Wonder why that is. How often do we have to recommend something with a caveat to power through a shoddy introduction?

Stone Deaf 4evr · 07-02-2022 3:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118594627#Comment_118594627

how are you finding GotG? I picked it up on epic with a voucher for the handy sum of €18, while the minute to minute gameplay and controls aren't great, Indeed, the level of interaction required vs the amount of dialogue actually has me comparing it to something like a telltale game.

I do however, think the story has a real heart to it, and it handles some fairly heavy themes in a surprisingly tender way. The humor is right up my street also, but in saying that, I'm a sucker for the marvel 'snark'.

Retr0gamer · 07-02-2022 4:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595431#Comment_118595431

Funny thing is the tutorials are apparently terrible as people have been stuck for hours in the game not realising that you can destroy cracked boulders in your way by hitting them with a pokeball. This is apparently never explained to you.

Zero-Cool · 07-02-2022 4:20pm

PSA: Sifu is **** tasty!

johnny_ultimate · 07-02-2022 5:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595568#Comment_118595568

I wouldn't be a big Marvel fan (at all!) and mostly got it to test out my new PC. But it's a surprisingly solid game! The characterisation is actually pretty strong and charming, and it's fun just hearing the Guardians banter as they wander around the place ('the dog report' 😄). I think most of the voice cast acquit themselves very well compared to the film versions - Star Lord, perhaps unavoidably as the only human character, is the only one that really doesn't hit the mark for me as the voice actor is a bit too chirpy / clearly not the film version. Some of the storytelling could be quite tighter, but there's enough charm and energy to keep things interesting even when the level design is stretched.

The combat is definitely the weak point though, and quite a significant one. It's sort of overloaded with fighting systems in a way that don't really come together particularly well, and the enemies have a really bad case of bullet sponginess. There are some solid individual ideas, but the extended combat counters are a chore and only really work when you're overpowered enough later on to just blitz through them. Granted, there are some good set pieces in the midst of it, but the combat definitely feels awkward overall.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 07-02-2022 6:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118595992#Comment_118595992

Yeah, star lord occupies a weird spot thats borderline 'bill and ted' at times, but hes very sincere overall.

I do love the chatter, Its very natural, I cant remember the exact exchange, but rocket chimed in with just a single 'bootlicker' comment which was hilarious, similarly, the mocking of a later characters use of alliteration was also a standout.

Agreed with the combat, star-lords guns are weak to the point of being totally useless.

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