What Video Games Are You Currently Playing

[Boxus]

been thoroughly addicted to Loop Hero for the past week. great game, simple but deep

[Silent Member]

Supraland is fun. The art style made me think it was a game for kids,  but this is a pretty damned sweet first person puzzle/metroidvaniaish game. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Silent Member

[iococoi]

liking this..keywords: following, open world..

 

[MaartenVC]

Creative Assembly and Feral Interactive are making a Remaster of the first Rome: Total War game from 2004.
(the original runs rather poorly on modern hardware)
The remaster will release on 29 April 2021.
Owners of the original game can get a 50% discount until the end of May.
(so you can still wait buying it until the remaster is reviewed)
Rome: Total War (2004) is considered one of the best Total War games by many, next to Medieval II: Total War (2006).

[MaartenVC]

I've been playing Stellaris (2016) the last couple of days.
It's a 4X Empire Management Strategy Game set in Space / our Galaxy.
I bought it for 1€ at Humble Bundle.
(Only 5 days left until the offer ends, link: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/stellaris-discovery-bundle)
For 1€ it's a good deal, but in my opinion this game is seriously flawed...
Positives:
+ It's very addictive. You're going to want to keep playing.
+ The individual Star Systems look beautiful: the suns, planets, nebula, spaceships,... Great atmosphere.
+ There's a lot of things to manage. You're really going to want to strive for your Galactic Empire to thrive in all aspects.
+ There are tons of options when picking the characteristics of your Species and for the Galaxy you wish to play in.
+ This game is great to listen to your own music playlist in the background.
+ In Ironman mode the game forces you to think carefully about your decisions. It doesn't allow save-scumming.
Negatives:
- This game is so addictive you're going to miss dinner and sleep, not once, but maybe even multiple times over.
- The Galaxy Map looks so plain and boring. And this is where you're going to spend most of your time.
- The User Interface is a nightmare. It's not intuitive at all. I wish I could rearrange the entire thing.
- The tutorials are a joke. You're going to have to find out most things on your own.
- Contradictory there are so many possible characteristics for Species all Species just start feeling all the same.
- There's no technology tree, or at least it's hidden, kind of. Choose from a number of random techs to progress. Eh.
- When having unlocked all tech, traditions, ascension perks,... there's no purpose any more in research or unity. Dumb.
- Fleet management is more often than not a real pain to get to function properly. I asked for one ship #"!'%è§é"
- The AI of the other intelligent Species in the Galaxy is questionable to say the least. My silly federation ally...
- Don't trust the AI to manage your colonies. It will run your economy into the ground. DIY or die. lol.
- The endgame is abysmal: These Extra-dimensional Invaders will waltz through your fleet and empire. Fun.
- You only win the game by having the highest score at a certain time. Boring.
- There are no cool Victory Conditions. No Technology, Unity, Trade, or Diplomatic Victory. Why not?
I'm going to look into Endless Space 2. I have a feeling that game might be more my thing.

Edited March 26, 2021 by MaartenVC

[chenGOD]

Still a basic bitch, fallout 4 (goty edition) and fifa 20. Sony had a bunch of free games I guess I’ll get but fuck knows when I’ll find the time to play them. 

[J3FF3R00]

On 10/15/2020 at 12:17 AM, thumbass said:

Back into Playing Dead By Daylight on the Switch right now. Though it would be a fun autumn/ halloween game. Haven't really been playing any games over the past months so it's nice to be back into something again.

I just started playing this on the iPhone app. At first, I didn’t really dig it because it was too hard to play as a survivor but too unsettling to play as the killer so I put it down for a week or two. 
Now I exclusively play survivor mode and I’m completely hooked (no pun intended). I still think it’s unfair how hard it is in survivor mode (seriously unfair... I maybe escape 1/10 games and the killers just fucking slay mofos left and right) but I guess that’s what makes escaping so much more gratifying. 
It really pisses me off tho. I get put up on that meat hook almost instantly sometimes and then the whole round is shot. I wish the effects of the perks were more accurate / amplified. Also, I wish it was like Siphon Filter or Manhunt where you can hide better in shadows. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been so meticulous about making zero noise and crouch-walking in the most remote and protected areas and fuckin killers just b-line straight to me from out of fuckin nowhere. Drives me insane. 

[MaartenVC]

(*the picture above kinda misrepresents the game; the post-apocalyptic setting is correct however)

I've been playing -or at least trying to play- Kenshi (2018) the last couple of days.
"A free-roaming squad based RPG. Focusing on open-ended sandbox gameplay features rather than a linear story. Be a trader, a thief, a rebel, a warlord, an adventurer, a farmer, a slave, or just food for the cannibals. Research new equipment and craft new gear."

It's very highly rated on Steam.
I got it on sale on GOG a while back.

The game is ok, but First Impressions were not that great for me however.
- Bad optimization. Performance and loading times are not great. (luckily there are mods to fix this)
- Hard start. If you just go venture out on your own you're asking to get killed. (luckily you can trick the AI)
- No Direction. You might have a hard time figuring out what to do next. (luckily there are some tool-tips)
- Bugs. Bad AI. Jank.

I had to watch some YouTube videos to get an idea of what you're goals can be in this game.
Seems like most people play it like a Open-World Colony Management Game:
Buying Squad-Members, Researching Tech, Building a Base, Farming Crops, Mining Deposits, Processing Resources, Selling Products, Earning Money, Equipping Squad-Members, Training Squad-Members, Protecting your Base,...

In theory you could play it only with your starting character, but I can't see how you'd survive this way...
Not sure if there are actual quest-lines or story-lines in this game. So I really wouldn't describe this game as an RPG.

Now, Mods make this game quite a bit better.
There are over 700 mods for this game.
The most popular one is the Kenshi Nude Mod though...
Anyway, here's a list of the Mods I have installed right now:
- Less Foliage and Rocks (x4) (increases performance)
- Stackable Items
- Texture Options (1024 world only) (increases performance)
- Nice Map - Variations (Grid, Zones, Names, Roads)
- ShaderSSAO (change SSSAO.compositor: texture rt0 target_width_scaled 1.0 target_height_scaled 1.0 PF_A8R8G8B8)
- TSUKI (reshader) (change ReShade.ini: CurrentPresetPath= your path to TSUKI.V2.ini)
- Enhanced Shopping Economy
- Bigger Backpacks
- Sparring Mats
- Let's Talk
- Dark Vanilla UI
- Copper Ore Drills
- Trade Routes Intensified
- Simple Map Markers
- Optimization for Nvidia GPU in kenshi (increases performance)
- Moar Unique Dialogues
- Sensible Spider Range
- Reduced Weather Effects

Edited March 28, 2021 by MaartenVC

[Joyrex]

Finished Control - fantastic game; ending was a bit meh (after all the build up).

I am working on the Foundation DLC now, and trying to get the Platinum - it's fun just exploring and seeing this detailed world they built out.

[MaartenVC]

I tried out The Vagrant today.
It's an Indie Hack-n-Slash Side-Scroller.
I had only two big reasons to play it.

Spoiler

But it was just too much.
 

[Joyrex]

Just now, MaartenVC said:

I tried out The Vagrant today.
It's an Indie Hack-n-Slash Side-Scroller.
I had only two big reasons to play it.

  Reveal hidden contents

But it was just too much.
 

Were those two big reasons jiggle physics hopefully?

[Stock]

Just started Monster Hunter Rise on Switch the other day and it's really amazing. The maps is very vertical and open to the exploration, the moveset is extremely dynamic and even picking up mushrooms for boring quests is awesome. It's also the most beautiful game I've experienced on Switch since BOTW.

[MaartenVC]

12 hours ago, Joyrex said:

Were those two big reasons jiggle physics hopefully?

Boobers, but no jigglers, so that's why I had to uninstall.

[YEK]

2 hours ago, Stock said:

Just started Monster Hunter Rise on Switch the other day and it's really amazing. The maps is very vertical and open to the exploration, the moveset is extremely dynamic and even picking up mushrooms for boring quests is awesome. It's also the most beautiful game I've experienced on Switch since BOTW.

I've heard nothing but good things about this game and might pick it up even though I know nothing about the series

[chronical]

3 hours ago, Stock said:

Just started Monster Hunter Rise on Switch the other day and it's really amazing. The maps is very vertical and open to the exploration, the moveset is extremely dynamic and even picking up mushrooms for boring quests is awesome. It's also the most beautiful game I've experienced on Switch since BOTW.

I'm already 25 hours in, help me, good hunter..

[Rubin Farr]

DOOM 1,2 & 3 are getting a physical collection release for PS4 & Switch:

https://gamerant.com/doom-classics-collection-physical-release-limited-run-games/

[Enthusiast]

Tony Hawk at 120fps is legit

[chronical]

37 minutes ago, Enthusiast said:

Tony Hawk at 120fps is legit

bought a Samsung Odyssey G7 this year, have yet to own hardware that can push more than 60. I take it that's on PS5?

This monitor does 240hz too, but that's too much for consoles still 

[ambermonk]

Cyberpunk 2077 just patched to ver 1.2 with a 28 GB Steam update. This is the biggest one I've seen since launch. It's been three months since I last touched it though - not sure if I'm quite ready to dive back in yet. I still have several untouched games in my Steam library like Outer Worlds, NieR:Automata, Manifold Garden, Ghostrunner...and I never finished Control, Shovel Knight, Gato Roboto, Carrion, etc.

I did beat Fallout: New Vegas again last Sunday though. As much as I love it, it can feel overly complex at times.
 

Spoiler

Feels weird commenting in actual text again lol. I think I've been posting in nothing but memes and YT clips the last couple of weeks.

 

[chronical]

1 minute ago, ambermonke said:

Cyberpunk 2077 just patched to ver 1.2 with a 28 GB Steam update. This is the biggest one I've seen since launch. It's been three months since I last touched it though - not sure if I'm quite ready to dive back in yet. I still have several untouched games in my Steam library like Outer Worlds, NieR:Automata, Manifold Garden, Ghostrunner...and I never finished Control, Shovel Knight, Gato Roboto, Carrion, etc.

I did beat Fallout: New Vegas again last Sunday though. As much as I love it, it can feel overly complex at times.
 

  Reveal hidden contents

Feels weird commenting in actual text again lol. I think I've been posting in nothing but memes and YT clips the last couple of weeks.

 

Outer Worlds is such a beautiful game, did you see what it used to look like?

 

I downloaded Cyberpunk's patch this morning and tried it out. From what I've seen there's less jank in general––enemies are more of a challenge, cars behave better and lightning/fog has been tweaked to look more realistic. I think they tweaked the camera in cars too so you don't feel like a toddler at the wheel anymore. I hope they continue with the improvements before going into DLC territory because some things are still very odd

[Enthusiast]

1 hour ago, chronical said:

bought a Samsung Odyssey G7 this year, have yet to own hardware that can push more than 60. I take it that's on PS5?

This monitor does 240hz too, but that's too much for consoles still 

Yeah it's the PS5 upgrade. You can choose between 4k 60 fps or 1080p 120fps. This is the first time I have even seen a game run at 120fps actually. 

My kingdom for a 120fps Wipeout Omega Collection patch

[jaderpansen]

1 hour ago, chronical said:

I downloaded Cyberpunk's patch this morning and tried it out. From what I've seen there's less jank in general––enemies are more of a challenge, cars behave better and lightning/fog has been tweaked to look more realistic. I think they tweaked the camera in cars too so you don't feel like a toddler at the wheel anymore. I hope they continue with the improvements before going into DLC territory because some things are still very odd

yeah i immediately noticed more intelligent texture loading, meaning the game looks considerably better with even a slight FPS boost (playing on low, somewhat old machine). also cops and npc behaviour improvement is very apparent, appreciating the car control slider, too... alas some bugged quests from old save states remain hat way for now. just minor side missions, but still...

[Enthusiast]

Speaking of WipEout, this is pretty cool

Here's the original 

 

[usagi]

Repentance update for The Binding of Isaac is finally here. oh no...

[MaartenVC]

Batman - Arkham Asylum (2009)
A Stealth Beat 'm Up Action Game. It's one of the better superhero video games.
Steam version didn't start up for me; Epic Game Store version did though.
It's tagged on Steam as Open-World, but it's not really. Just a bit of exploration.
Positives:
+ The combat and stealth are both satisfying.
+ Graphics and art style are nice and gritty.
+ Superhero fans will like the story and the characters.
Negatives:
- A lot of the boss battles are rather tedious and forgettable.
- The gamplay-loop is not very interesting; It's rather linear and repetitive.
- The collectibles / secrets are hit and miss; There's room for improvement.
Conclusion:
So, totally worth it if you're a superhero fan.
Otherwise try out one of the more recent games; They're more open-world.

Edited March 31, 2021 by MaartenVC