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General gaming discussion

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    #15392
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    Decided to start a Dark Urge playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3. Didn't really see much of a difference aside from the occasional line by the narrator or an extra dialogue option.

    Then I went to talk to the squirrel in the Grove…

    https://youtu.be/viE-RcTtKdE?si=ui7zO0bOehwnLsy2



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    #15393
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338304#Comment_122338304

    Oh there's an even worse but coming up. My first playthrough is with dark urge as recommended by a friend and sometimes it's impossible to stop **** things from happening.

    Major spoiler here for the grove but I kind of found it funny:

    On killing the musician girl in my sleep I rolled a critical miss on how to hide the evidence and just got back into bed covered in blood with the dead body beside me. Lots of awkward questions the next morning!

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    #15394
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338710#Comment_122338710

    Not going to look at the spoiler for now, but yeah I remember last year reading about some of the things that happen. Thankfully I've forgotten most of it now so hopefully it should feel relatively fresh and unexpected when these things happen.

    The only one that popped into mind was when you first meet Gale and he's stuck in the portal.

    I saw the option to imagine cutting his hand off and remembered that by choosing to imagine it, you actually end up doing it. Decided against that option as I'm trying to play where I resist the Durge where possible.



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    #15395
    SuperBowserWorld
    Registered Users Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338304#Comment_122338304

    It's a good thing that wasn't ...

    255057-conker-s-bad-fur-day-nintendo-64-screenshot-logo-mutilation.jpg



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    #15396
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    I did say major spoiler so I'd stay well away! You'll know it when you get to it anyway, especially if you didn't go dark urge the first time!

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    #15397
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122338732#Comment_122338732

    Nah, I did an honourable goody-two-shoes with a bit of snark the first time round. I'd started a new normal playthrough as I said I was going to be a bit more rough this time and pick different things, and realised by the time I got to the Grove that I was pretty much just doing the same things again, so decided to wipe it and force myself into Dark Urge. At least now I can try to mostly act honourably, but still be forced into new situations/decisions/consequences.



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    #15398
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    There are 14 PS5 only games.

    The Virtual Boy had 22 during its lifespan

    Which was 9 months.

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    #15399
    The Raging Bile Duct
    Registered Users Posts: 2,101 ✭✭✭The Raging Bile Duct


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343533#Comment_122343533

    Completely disingenuous comparison



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    #15400
    SuperBowserWorld
    Registered Users Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    The thing is, new AAA games take years to deliver now and are a huge risk. The virtual boy had 22 games that were probably 1 man years work or less each.

    I'm doing very well out of PS5, since it's my very first PlayStation. Getting the PS4 games all polished up, bug fixed, at 60 FPS, and higher res etc. Plus the PS5 games. And Astro to look forward to.

    Still is incredible they don't do a day's work to switch The Last Guardian to 60 FPS. It runs at 60 if you install from disk and turn off updates. I.e. the original release, but then you've got game blocking bugs where you do need to upgrade to get past and then reinstall to proceed at 60FPS. And Bloodborne is still 30 FPS.



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    #15401
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343613#Comment_122343613

    Disingenuous and purposefully hyperbolic? Yes

    True? Yes

    A good look for Sony? Nope

    Still better than whatever the feck Microsoft are doing? Yes.

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    #15402
    Mr.Saturn
    Registered Users Posts: 3,935 ✭✭✭Mr.Saturn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122343613#Comment_122343613

    True, Virtual Boy's library enjoys a strong homebrew community as well.



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    #15403
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Recently I was reminded that PC gaming isn't all sunshine and flowers when I had to completely nuke my GPU drivers and reinstall as they became corrupted.

    However yesterday I experienced why PC gaming is so good.

    So initially I was excited about a ninja gaiden collection coming to PC as it's two of the finest action games ever made... And ninja gaiden 3. However Tecmo has lost the source code to ninja gaiden black and ninja gaiden 2 so what we got were the watered down PS3 sigma versions. While the sigma version of the first game is only a minor downgrade, ng2 sigma is a massive downgrade over the Xbox 360 original. While ng2 has issues and feels unfinished the saving grace is the absolute insanity of the combat with dozens of enemies attacking while gore and severed limbs fly everywhere. In sigma the absolutely outrageous gore was taken out and the amount of enemies was reduced. It's kind of terrible.

    However fans have released mods that reinstate the gore as well as a massive mod that brings the game way closer to the original ninja gaiden. Spawn rates have been increased and spawn points reintroduced and cut content has also been brought back as well as fixing boss fights that were butchers. The NG2 black mod isn't finished yet but it's still excellent and very close to being perfect.

    There's also a mod for the original ninja gaiden sigma that makes it more like the original NG black on Xbox.

    If there's one issue it's that these mods aren't the easiest to install with really bad readme files but it's worth it to get the best Ninja Gaiden experience.

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    #15404
    SuperBowserWorld
    Registered Users Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    My problem with mods and minor OCD is that I'd never get round to actually playing a game. That's what I like about consoles and especially Nintendo ones, little or no choices to make.



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    #15405
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122344283#Comment_122344283

    It's great for giving games a massive lease of life and sometimes being completely new game experiences. I mean mods gave use team based shooters and mobas.

    This mod however takes a game thats trapped on a dead console and the only version is so compromised that it's awful and makes it almost as good as the original version. I mean if you want to play ninja gaiden 2 there's no point playing the sigma version, it's only worth playing it with mods.

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    #15406
    SuperBowserWorld
    Registered Users Posts: 6,961 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122344341#Comment_122344341

    I think I'll venture back to PC games with SteamDeck 2 or if I somehow need a PC (vs a Mac) for work. But it's definitely looking like the next SD will be a sweet spot for console/PC gaming.



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    #15407
    recyclops
    Registered Users Posts: 2,429 ✭✭✭recyclops


    I'd love to get stardew valley expanded running on my steam deck but just not arsed with the rigmarole



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    #15408
    jj880
    Registered Users Posts: 4,750 ✭✭✭jj880


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122288889#Comment_122288889

    Took a chance on this. Arrived few days ago. Have to say Im well impressed for 33 euro. Feels very good. Lots of customisation and a good mobile app with it 👍

    IMG_20240705_201448.jpg

    Edit: finally getting a proper play of the mobile games that come with Netflix sub. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is much better with this.

    Post edited by jj880 on


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    #15409
    Zero-Cool
    Registered Users Posts: 29,811 ✭✭✭✭Zero-Cool


    I'm on my 2nd playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 and I've done a complete 180 on it with my feelings towards it compared to my first playthrough.

    TLDR - 1st was meh game, 2nd I absolutely love it and can't get enough. Recommend giving it a fresh playthrough since 2.0 and 2.1 patches changed so much.

    First playthrough, riddled with bugs, crashing to xmb after 30 minutes of playtime, awful NPC and Enemy AI, way too much junk loot, lifeless world,etc. But the worst part was the complete lack of side content or so i thought. I got to the point of no return main mission, looked it up and turns out i was at the end of the game. Very confused as I had no side missions, no romance missions, no Johnny missions or gigs (all things I knew were in the game). Apparently a rare bug where a bottleneck causes all side content to get stuck and relatedly sleeping,fast travelling and skipping time can force it through. I do this for a couple of hours over 3 nights and nothing. Was so annoying, i was going to uninstall the game without even finishing the main mission. I was playing something else on the 4th night and decided to switch over to CP for one last go. Fast travelled, slept, fast travelled and pop, like the flood gates opened, i was overloaded with messages, phone calls, map icons and journal entries about quests. I played through a lot and loved them but my playthrough had been soured.

    Fast forward a few years, new gen patch, DLC expansion but most importantly, 2.0 update which made some big changes. I started a new game and has truly been a completely different experience. Looks and plays great, no crashes, better driving model, better AI, better UI, better loot, better economy, better cyber/armour system, etc. ton of side stuff mixed with main missions means i can actually afford cyberware and cars now which i couldn't before as wasn't earning enough from main missions alone. I got the dlc and was looking to get straight into it asap but have found myself putting it off because of how much I'm loving the base content. The fact i still have a lot of side stuff AND the dlc makes me look forward to every session which is such a stark contrast to my first playthrough.

    Don't get me wrong, still has plenty of flaws, the city still doesn't really feel alive, i can't seem to memorise the map like other open world games but the pros most definitely outweigh the cons this time around and I can't wait to see what they do with the sequel.



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    #15410
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    Not really feeling my Dark Urge playthrough of Baldurs Gate 3. Maybe it's because it lacks the exploration and experimentation of my first playthrough, whereas here I know how to get through most areas and what to do, which NPCs are important and why. Even the rest of my party, in the first playthrough I wanted to hear everything they had to say, whereas here I find I'm forcing myself to go through their dialogue (and skip-reading most of it) just to get their quest-related options.

    Don't know if I'll continue to be honest. As much as I love the battles I'm not sure if they're good enough to pull me through the rest of the game. I might need a longer break from the game to make it feel fresher if I do play through again.



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    #15411
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,969 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    That's a problem I have with most of these open world games that can do multiple playthroughs with different character builds. What you're doing is still the same. It's why I can't do more than 1 playthrough of most games. Main quests remain mostly the same.

    If a game wants me to play it multiple times, it needs to be unique each time. Like Skyrim, half of the missions should be locked off depending on which early faction or side you take. And the story would he completely different as a result. That would make me more likely to go back. Nier Automata nearly had it right, but I couldn't get through the second playthrough to get to the unique third, because it was essentially the same as the first time. Even going back and doing an all bad playthrough isn't enough as the differences are minor.



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    #15412
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122350508#Comment_122350508

    I don't usually have that problem. I think it's more that, with Baldurs Gate 3 and Elden Ring, I scoured every inch of the map in the game, I did absolutely everything I could find or try to do, and the experience of both games just stuck with me so much. I thought since it's been nearly a year since I played BG3 that it would feel fresh again for a new playthrough but every room I go into, I know "I need to go over here, there's a switch over there, I need to say this to the NPC to get this off them".

    I think maybe I just need to give it another year. Or maybe I should respec my character to do battles differently. I went warlock first time round and went wizard this time, which is obviously similar but with some differences. Maybe I should try more of a fighter build. Might do that and play for another while, see how I feel then. At least it'll make me pay more attention to weapons, armour, proficiencies etc, which I never had to bother with first time because unless it was a staff, I just couldn't use it.



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    #15413
    johnny_ultimate
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 29,412 CMod ✭✭✭✭johnny_ultimate


    Have to say I just never have the motivation to replay a mega-long game, no matter how deep the potential variations. Massive RPGs are such huge time sinks I just don’t have it in me to go again, except maybe when many, many years have passed. Couldn’t imagine digging into BG3 again when there are so many other good games out there. I also tend to find it hard to retry a game with a completely different play style in mind as that takes too much brain rewiring 😅 There was never a question of replaying something like Elden Ring before the DLC dropped.

    My replay exception tends to be character action games like Bayonetta and Hi-Fi Rush, especially when they have difficulty modes that meaningfully test your knowledge of and skills with the mechanics. These games tend to be short enough to just push through again while having an extra gameplay layer to explore. But when it requires another 40 hour plus commitment? I think I’d need a decade’s wait minimum, and even then…



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    #15414
    DeSelby83
    Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭DeSelby83


    Anyone played The First Descendant yet? Wondering would it be a decent game to just pick up every now and again for some mindless/listen to a podcast type of game time.



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    #15415
    pixelburp
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 36,339 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122350508#Comment_122350508

    Interesting perspective there and woul broadly agree; tis why once I arrive at any ending I'll not tend to replay the game again - barring something truly open-ended like Skyrim funnily enough. It's why I absolutely abhor "secret endings" 'cos having spent all my time playing the game in what I presumed was the correct way, to then by greeted by an ending that screams "you didn't play the game right!" enrages.

    But on that idea of open-ended flexibility, I get what you mean: conceptually a barbarian character with low intelligence should reveal a completely different experience to … I dunno, a paladin or mage taking entirely different choices. Yet I think there was only one real instance of enforced pathing through the Faction plotline in Skyrim, otherwise your choices had no impact on the content accessed. Obviously properly accommodating that kind of freedom of choice would be a gigantic undertaking from a technical level, but I think ther's also a kind of allergy to close off chunks of the game to casual players - so not sure where the happy middle-ground might lie.

    Post edited by pixelburp at


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    #15416
    Penn
    Registered Users Posts: 33,610 ✭✭✭✭Penn


    Well, switching to a Fighter build in Baldur's Gate 3 may have resolved some of my issues, because it's also meant I've lost a lot of points in Charisma & Intelligence so my dice rolls are now a lot more dicey and I'm not getting the same results as the first time, thereby forcing me to approach things a bit differently.

    I suppose part of the benefit too of replaying a game like BG3 or Elden Ring is even though there's so much to do and your first playthrough could be 100+ hours, second playthrough does go a good bit quicker.

    I just couldn't be arsed playing anything new right now. Maybe because I spent so much of the last few weeks playing Elden Ring I felt "Well, that's 2022's GOTY done…. now onto 2023's!"



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    #15417
    EoinMcLovin
    Registered Users Posts: 8,977 ✭✭✭EoinMcLovin


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122351562#Comment_122351562

    Was playing it over the weekend, it's alright but way too much grinding for resources needed to unlock other characters. Also way too much loot and mods



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    #15418
    pixelburp
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 36,339 CMod ✭✭✭✭pixelburp


    I see a game a certain somebody around these parts loves, Ace Combat 7, is out this week on Switch. Kinda tempted to give it a spin, assuming it isn't a complete áss of a port, just to see if there's any truth to the hype.



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    #15419
    Unearthly
    Registered Users Posts: 8,036 ✭✭✭Unearthly


    The only game I played again twice recently was Sekiro. It was just very interesting to see how much better I got against bosses that made me suffer first time round



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    #15420
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122353720#Comment_122353720

    It genuinely is that good. I will however recommend you play it with the expert controls that control like a real fighter jet. They take a little getting used to but the game is improved massively with them and it also means you can control the plane a lot better once you do. The beginner controls really take a lot from the game.

    However I'd recommend the PS4 deluxe edition, even more so if you have a PS5. On PS5 the framerate is much better but the deluxe edition nets you a fantastic remaster of Ace Combat 5 that is only available through the deluxe edition. Definitely worth picking up on sale.

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    #15421
    Retr0gamer
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 51,287 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122353819#Comment_122353819

    I played through it twice as well to get the extra boss battles and they were well worth it. Also the game is so much easier and quicker that second time through.

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