Octopus Overlords

Blackhawk wrote:I've also worked my way through the Metro games this year.

I really need to give these a shot. I've never played any of the Metro games. I particularly have no excuse since both Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux are on Xbox Game Pass.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:06 pm

YellowKing wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:05 am Jumped back into FFXIV after a 8 month or so absence. I was hankering for an MMO after playing the beta for NEW WORLD and signed up for WoW for a month. While I had a bit of fun there, I really started to miss the complexity of the combat in FFXIV by comparison.

I never got into the Shadowbringers content (which is universally praised for its storyline), so I felt like that would be time better spent than diddling around in Azeroth. Having a lot of fun now that I'm back acclimated to the controls and my Dancer.

I resubbed this week with the 5.3 patch. I’m regretting it a bit, as I’m still working through Dragon Age Inquisition, and there’s no way I can concentrate on two big RPGs at once. I should have waited until I finished DAI to resub.

Still, there’s lots of cool stuff to catch up on in FF XIV. The Nier dungeons are awesome, the new beast tribe stuff is neat, the new dungeons are well done, and the story remains strong.

I'm at the tail end of my latest run with FF XIV. I always enjoy it, but it eventually just loses it's shine and becomes a chore to log-in and get my money's worth. However, this stretch lasted 6-8 months I think? Finished all the Heavensward content/post-content and am into Stormblood now. Lots of classes into the 60s now, including all crafting/gathering. And I still have two months of the sub left to burn off, so I could get back into it before it ends. We'll see.

I've burned out on grindy MMO and survival games. So its back to action and adventure. Good thing Horizon Zero Dawn is out for PC now!

I've been happily grinding through progressively harder levels in Bloons TD 6. I dare not look at how many hours I've already put into it since buying it recently.

The only reason I bought it (95% user reviews, from 30K+ reviews on Steam) was
1. It was crazy cheap, like almost free I think and
2. I hoped that there was still a good core game in there, even with all the daily quest, store, and paid power-ups and heroes garbage that have been the ruin of many a game that started on Kongregate like this one.

I'm happy to report that, yes, just like with the later Kingdom Rush games, there IS kind of a way that you can play it as originally intended, in its purest (as possible) form - just ignore all the cheats and spells and bullshit. The only thing I am allowing myself to do (otherwise I really do think progressing through the higher difficulty levels would be impossible), is to add points (again, like KR) in the tech tree, which are earned very slowly. Not using "powers", nor chests, or money or whatever. Playing only on "HARD".

And as if the devs knew there was someone out there like me, they even added an option to disallow the tech tree and resulting power ups! Of course this makes the game crazy old school hard...which is EXACTLY what I wanted.

Pretty fun romp so far. I suspect my quota of watching absurdly fast cartoon balloons zip around the screen will be filled right about the time I finish the last level on expert (if that is even possible given my self-imposed rules).

I'm also retiring Civ V AGAIN (had been playing a lot of that lately again), now that I finally acquired all the expansions for Civ VI. Hopefully this time I will dig VI and it becomes my goto. I tried playing it vanilla when it first came out, and promptly uninstalled it...seemed like it needed to 'bake' for a few years.

Artifex Mundi's _Arcana: The Dark Carnival_. pretty cheesy, as expected.

this scene is straight out of early-80s-heavy-metal-album-cover territory



playing on Expert difficulty and the puzzles are so simple as to be brainless. also... you have to play through twice to get all the achievements - tha ais'nt happenen.

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:16 pm this scene is straight out of early-80s-heavy-metal-album-cover territory

You say that like it's a bad thing...

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:43 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:16 pm this scene is straight out of early-80s-heavy-metal-album-cover territory

You say that like it's a bad thing...

i just thought it was funny that it was straight out of i dunno, DIO or whatever. finished this tonight, but because i clicked tooooo many times in a row on one hidden object scene, i was blocked from getting the 'finish all hidden object scenes without using hints' achievement. so i'd have to play this thing _another two times_ in order to get them all - the other being to play the 'Monaco' card game on every single hidden object scene instead... yeah, ok, whatever

I played Fall Guys for the first time today,. My 10yo was playing and I took the controller from him after watching him fail yet again. That was fun.

I played a few matches of Fall Guys. Was terrible at it, although I made it to the second round once. I suppose it might be fun if playing with a group of friends, but haven't had much of desire to load it up again.

I've made it to the final round a few times, but have yet to win.

It wore thin pretty quickly for me (although it's still good for some sheer mindless entertainment), but the kids absolutely LOVE it. Fall Guys has replaced Minecraft during their screen time, which is something I didn't think was humanly possible.

Same here. I'm rather over it, but my 10 yr old is all about it. Plays regularly, has won crowns a half-dozen times, and collect all the outfits in the store. I'll play every once in awhile for some mindless fun, but he says it's his favorite game at the moment.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 4:02 pm Fall Guys has replaced Minecraft during their screen time, which is something I didn't think was humanly possible.

Wow!

I might have to check this one out with my own kids.

Edit: the PS4 version is free if you have PS Plus.

Well I'm not impressed with Fall Guys. It's a good concept but ruined by the horribly floaty and unresponsive controls. I feel like I have to press a button at least half a second before I want to do something. I've had more fun in Roblox to be honest. I'll see what the kids think though.

Finished a second playthrough of Dragon Age Inquisition tonight, this time with all the DLC. Descent was meh, Jaws of Hakkon was great, and Trespasser was kinda meh but wrapped up the story in a fantastic way (other than doing Iron Bull so, so dirty). Of the big high fantasy open world(ish) RPGs, I think DA:I is probably my favorite. Such a fantastic, epic game.

Finishing this marked a couple interesting firsts:

1. This is the first time I have ever completed a trilogy of games twice.
2. The 170 hours I spent in DA:I (between multiple playthroughs) is the longest amount of time I've ever put into a single RPG (non-MMO).

I kinda want to go back and replay Mass Effect 3 now, as the Bioware formula really seems to be hitting the spot at the moment. I've beaten ME1 and 2 twice, but have only been through ME3 once. However, it's not available on PS4 and rumors are that an HD remaster of the whole trilogy is planned within the next year. Debating whether to give it a run on PC now while I'm super-interested, or wait until it comes out on console (my much preferred platform). Decisions, decisions...

I finished up Last of Us 2 and man what an absolutely brutal game. It was good, maybe a bit too long, but it is a must play.

I then played the Far Cry 5 DLC Mission to Mars and finished it up in a couple of sittings. I played that one because it features Hurk on Mars hunting aliens. That's a concept that can't go wrong and it did not.

I'm now onto Ghost of Tsushima. With about 5 hours play time in I already know this is a game I will Platinum.

After getting Diablo II installed from disc, I went ahead and bought LoD from Blizzard online. Then I installed Path of Diablo, which is kind of a private server bundled with some quality of life mods and minor changes. They have ladders/seasons just like Battle.net, and include things like extra inventory space for charms, higher default stamina, etc. but nothing dramatic. There are some new skills that are apparently based on Path of Exile, but this is still 99.666% Diablo II. Their servers are also supposed to be bot/hack free, though I've heard they still exist, though less prevalent. It also comes bundled with an application that should easily let you run in full widescreen without distortion.

Obviously, gaming came a huge way in the twelve years between D2 and D3, but this still plays quite well. Sure, the gameplay is a little stale compared to the last decade's better ARPGs, and the interface has aged. But it's still very playable.

I decided to revisit Lord of the Rings Online yesterday, after being reminded of all the content you can get for free (until 8/31). LOTRO was actually one of the first MMO's I played waaaaay back in the day. Being completely unfamiliar with MMO's in general back then, I really had no idea WTF I was doing, but I found it quite fun regardless.

Trying it again 13 years later and with lots of MMO experience under my belt was interesting. While it certainly shows it's age, it has a ton of charm and personality, and I enjoyed the first few hours more than I expected to. Sure the character models look like ass, but the overall environment is actually pretty decent, and they make the most of the LOTR theme.

I highly doubt it's anything I'll stick with for the long haul, but it was kinda fun to jump into the wayback machine for a bit.

LOTRO was one of a couple of games I bought lifetime subs for. I'm glad that's no longer a thing.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 2:22 pm LOTRO was one of a couple of games I bought lifetime subs for. I'm glad that's no longer a thing.

LOTRO was the only game I ever bought a lifetime sub for and I'm glad I did. I like being able to jump back in and poke around (meaning, play my characters for a 2-8 month binge) without having to resub. And I'm happy to not feel guilty about paying for a subscription and then losing interest (looking at you FFXIV). And since the game has been around forever, I feel like I got my money's worth ages ago.

The chances of my ever feeling like I got value out of any other lifetime sub are ridiculously small.

Out of sheer curiosity, how much did a "lifetime subscription" set you back?

I had resubbed to FF XIV a few weeks ago, but didn't even get two days in before losing interest again. As much as I've loved the game over the years, it's gonna be back burner-ed until the next xpac comes out. I just can't generate any interest in the end game grind (i.e. endless dungeon finder queues) any more.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:01 pm Out of sheer curiosity, how much did a "lifetime subscription" set you back?

I have no recollection, but the internets are telling me $199.

Now I am wondering if I could get my account back. It depends what email it was attached to how hard it would be to recover. I still own my own domain, but I haven't used the email in years and it was full of spam back then.

I was monthly, but I really, really loved that game. They did a great job of bringing the fiction to life, keeping Tolkien's tone and style, and at the same time not feeling stuffy and long winded, or alienating the movie fans.

The most jarring part is the soundtrack. Doing LOTR things without the music from the LOTR films just feels...weird.

LOTRO was great. The only thing I didn't like about the game was that the combat never felt that great in terms of feeling the hits. However, I absolutely loved everything else about it. I've played off and on over the years, and have enjoyed it every time.

FFXIV is keeping me good and hooked but only because I'm looking forward to the Shadowbringers storyline so much. Should certainly get my money's worth.

Also, I got into the NEW WORLD Public Preview after having been in the beta, so I've been messing around with that. This is no longer under NDA so I can talk about it.

There's a lot I really like:

- Interesting setting which reminds me a lot of Greedfall. But that's not a bad thing, as it's unique in the MMO world.
- Combat is loads of fun (uses action combat system like The Witcher)
- Determine class by the skill choices you make and weapons you use, not locked in

I've had a lot of fun with it and will probably buy it when it comes out. That said, I don't know much about how the end game will play out other than there are large scale territorial PvP battles. That's not something I'm typically interested in, so it remains to be seen how much longevity it has. But for now I'm digging it.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:04 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:01 pm Out of sheer curiosity, how much did a "lifetime subscription" set you back?

I have no recollection, but the internets are telling me $199.

Now I am wondering if I could get my account back. It depends what email it was attached to how hard it would be to recover. I still own my own domain, but I haven't used the email in years and it was full of spam back then.

Subscription Plan
Next Billing Date: 12/31/2037 9:00:00 PM

Signup Date
3/30/2007

So I guess it was only a 30 year subscription.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:04 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:01 pm Out of sheer curiosity, how much did a "lifetime subscription" set you back?

I have no recollection, but the internets are telling me $199.

Considering how much I’ve paid monthly to play FF XIV for the better part of 6 years, I’d jump on a “lifetime” sub for $200 in a heartbeat.

I've been playing Persona 5 Royal. To say it's very Japanese would be a massive understatement. It's set in Tokyo. I certainly didn't know Shibuya from Harajuku from Akihabara. Still, I have played a lot of JRPG's. There's something familiar and comforting about each side lining up against each other in turn based combat. Then you've got the incredible mix cultural and mythological figures duking it out. Oh, look, it's Zorro fighting Thor. Captain Kidd vs. the archangel Michael. Ishtar vs. Zaou-Gongen. Sure, it's personas vs. shadows, but since you can convert shadows into personas, I'm not sure the distinction has any meaning.

There's a ton of content here. I'm well over 100 hours and have just reached the new 'Royal' content. Fortunately, I started checking guides around a third of the way through. There are so many features, activities and deadlines you can miss entirely if you don't look for them. Here are some of the things you can do during one of your two activity blocks each day:
While you're juggling all that, you have hidden deadlines coming up. Usually you're going to school and have to prepare for exams.

There might be too much content. I cannot fathom playing new game+. It's even more amazing that there are people out there who played Persona 5, new game+, Persona 5 Royal and its new game+. I've had fun, but I'm glad to be nearing the end.

The one thing about LotRO that I really disliked was the 'rent' on housing. It was mostly a fun cosmetic thing, but every time you took some time off, you'd lose your home. That sucked.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 11:26 pm The one thing about LotRO that I really disliked was the 'rent' on housing. It was mostly a fun cosmetic thing, but every time you took some time off, you'd lose your home. That sucked.

I agree. That always bugged me too. I believe there's some type of 'prestige' housing now that doesn't do the whole rent thing, but I never quite that far along to find out for sure.

Another peeve of mine about LOTRO was how the epic storyline forced grouping in the early years, in order to progress through the story. I was never a fan of forced groups. When those restrictions were eased over the years, it made things more tolerable for me.

Re: FFXIV - I still like the game; I haven't soured on it. But I find myself playing other games instead, and then resenting the sub. /shrug Oh well.

The overly aggressive way LOTRO constantly pushes their cash shop is extremely off-putting. I'm likely done after learning last night that you have to pay real money to fast travel by purchasing "fast travel tokens" through the in-game shop. Sorry, that's a big ol' deal-breaker right there.

I was looking forward to picking up the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles remaster this week, but after reading several absolutely horrible reviews, I think I'm gonna give that one a pass for now. Baffled at their implementation choices, especially the lack of local MP. I mean, the entire point of the original game was getting 4 people together in a room and hooking up your GBA's to a Gamecube for co-op. They apparently removed local co-op entirely from this remaster version, and you can only play co-op online. That's lame.

Which all means that now I need to find something new to play. Maybe I'll pick up ME3 after all, since nothing else seems to be jumping out at me right now.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:51 am The overly aggressive way LOTRO constantly pushes their cash shop is extremely off-putting. I'm likely done after learning last night that you have to pay real money to fast travel by purchasing "fast travel tokens" through the in-game shop. Sorry, that's a big ol' deal-breaker right there.

Speaking of the cash shop, based on the 1600 points for $20 exchange rate I have $781 worth of cash shop points on my account. It's a shame I don't find the game particularly entertaining anymore. I reinstalled last night and couldn't find my old characters so I started from scratch. I made it through the whole introductory quest, but wasn't impressed.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:51 am The overly aggressive way LOTRO constantly pushes their cash shop is extremely off-putting. I'm likely done after learning last night that you have to pay real money to fast travel by purchasing "fast travel tokens" through the in-game shop. Sorry, that's a big ol' deal-breaker right there.

All of that started when Sony Online Entertainment was sold and rebranded as Daybreak Game Company. I went back a few years ago, and was so turned off by their aggressive approach to F2P that I haven't been back since. Admittedly, a VIP membership now still gets you what you would have had if you'd played the game before it went F2P ($15 per month for all the bells and whistles), but their approach and attitude just made me not want to have anything to do with the company.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:16 am I made it through the whole introductory quest, but wasn't impressed.

While I was entertained by it for a couple nights, having to slowly trudge back and forth on foot across large zones with no fast travel options (unless I pay for them) while being attacked by trash mobs every 5 steps quickly grew very old very quickly.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 11:32 am

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:16 am I made it through the whole introductory quest, but wasn't impressed.

While I was entertained by it for a couple nights, having to slowly trudge back and forth on foot across large zones with no fast travel options (unless I pay for them) while being attacked by trash mobs every 5 steps quickly grew very old very quickly.

I had a mount... no training to use it, but they do exist I guess.

Picked up Control Ultimate Edition for PC. It's a game that I had tried on PS4 (via PS Now), but I was absolutely terrible at it and didn't get very far. The PC version has some difficulty sliders that make it significantly easier, which is great.

Damn, this is a seriously weird game. I think I like it, but will need to give it a bit more time to be sure. Seems like some of the puzzles are of the "glue the cell phone to the cat" variety, which always bugs me. Still, the premise is fascinating it's certainly interesting so far.

I've been putting in a lot of the new Master of Orion. Even bought an addon that gave me the extra race I'd been missing (the Terran)

Completed the new/recent Call of Cthulhu. But I wasn't very satisfied with it. I thought it would be more like the old one. I wasn't expecting more of a puzzle/adventure game. So I installed Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. I actually got it running with very little effort. That surprised me. I was expecting a lot more trouble. I was also surprised at how little I remember of the game. Guess that's a perk of growing old?

I'd forgotten how many "insta-death" type situations existed. That was a bit annoying. Especially when I had to put up with the same cutscenes over and over again. I ended up breaking out God mode a few times. Not that it helped much with some of the situations.

Still, it was fun to play it again.

Finished Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) over the weekend. It wasn't bad, but it was a bit hard to go to it straight after finishing The Last of Us 2. It was my first of the new generation of Tomb Raider games and I appreciated that a good bit of the game was actually solving environmental puzzles like in the original Tomb Raiders. Definitely was one of the better "free" games (PS Plus) I've gotten.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:22 am Finished Rise of the Tomb Raider (PS4) over the weekend. It wasn't bad, but it was a bit hard to go to it straight after finishing The Last of Us 2. It was my first of the new generation of Tomb Raider games and I appreciated that a good bit of the game was actually solving environmental puzzles like in the original Tomb Raiders. Definitely was one of the better "free" games (PS Plus) I've gotten.

All 3 of the new Tomb Raiders are good. Not as great as Last of Us 2, but what is?

Seriously fragmented weekend. I've been trying to finish up my Factorio run, but losing interest as things get huge. I got into the New World test/preview whatever it was this week and played that for a few hours, up to level 11 or 12, enough to see it was very familiar. Then I started Wasteland 3 (Yeah, I never finished 2, shut up), but my son kept begging me to play Grounded with him, so I split time on that. I think we did most of what there was to do in Grounded preview/early access. I went back to Factorio for a bit just to see if I could finish it up, or at least try out Uranium bullets (they are very nice), but I didn't build to scale for the end game grind and I didn't want to expand or wait so I bailed again and went back to Wasteland 3.

Basically Wasteland 3 was the winner of the weekend. Grounded is fun mostly for the theme, it doesn't do much interesting or new in the MP survival game space.