General gaming discussion

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I play on standard and do get through them fairly quickly.

This one took just over a week.

I do plough hours in each session though and I probably make decisions too quickly as I'm new to the game so I don't know all the inner workings and at times just click things.

[Lofty]

Civ 7 reviews seem to suggest it has been oversimplified :moop:

[Pepe]

The way of our days.

[Mike]

I'm a couple hours into Avowed. Seems cool so far, if a little wordie. Having you team up with a guy who shares a voice with Mass Effects Garris has had me grinning. What a voice!

[wullie]

Having remembered that I'd bought EA WRC and uninstalled itafter being hugely underwhelmed, I reinstalled it recently and I don't know if they've patched it to buggery or it's just that I've not gone to it straight after WRC 9, 10 and Generations but for whatever reason I'm really enjoying it now. The horrible tearing seems to have been sorted and outside of fairly shabby snow and water effects it all looks great, and it feels much better now as well.

Still trails the Kylotonn in a few areas like customisation and not having the shorter rally cross stages at all but I'm happy to be back in the mix with it again.

[Magic]

I'm a couple hours into Avowed. Seems cool so far, if a little wordie. Having you team up with a guy who shares a voice with Mass Effects Garris has had me grinning. What a voice!

I'm loving it. Don't care for the story, mind. I've no idea what's going on but I love the combat, visuals and just exploring.

[Magic]

Finished Avowed. Had great fun but wouldn't touch it again.

Now hooked on Balatro.

[Magic]

Finished Avowed. Had great fun but wouldn't touch it again.

Now hooked on Balatro.

Is nobody else playing this?? It's a mental illness for me at this point. I actually played it straight (lol) for 9 hours without eating anything.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I still play on and off but I'm no longer addicted as I once was.

It's an amazing game.

Still trying to 100% it. I've done all challenges now, missing one legendary joker and I've still got a lot of stakes on most decks to do.

[Shindig]

I've wishlisted it but I'm probably only going to pull the trigger when it's £3 or something.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You don't have Gamepass?

They added it about a month ago.

[Shindig]

Nah, I don't fancy adding another subscription to my life.

[Pepe]

I've been meaning to try Balatro but never get to it.

[Dark Soldier]

The First Berserker: Khazan is on its way to being my favourite Soulslike after Elden Ring. God damn its so good.

[Yevrah]

Is it full open World like Elden Ring DS?

[Dark Soldier]

Is it full open World like Elden Ring DS?

Nope. Hub world post boss one, then you go to areas. Bosses are bastard hard, great challenge. Three weapons, but skill trees for each. I'm running greatsword and relying on perfect blocks, which chip away at an enemies stamina, then when stamina depleted, you can crit. You don't upgrade weapons, just get higher level drops.

No shields at all. Combat is genuinely some of the best I've ever experienced in a game, it all feels fair. Plenty of secrets, shortcuts etc to find. Its a very stripped back, pure soulslike and refreshing for it.

[Dark Soldier]

Its not a game you can outlevel really. You can against mobs, but against bosses they hit like a truck, are relentless and rely on skill/timing/learning patterns.

[Yevrah]

If I have to "git gud" rather than use the world and levelling system around me to progress then it's probably not for me. Will give it a bash when it's on GamePass mind.

[Shindig]

I may grab it when my backpay comes next month. I don't think we got offered a code for it.

[Dark Soldier]

If I have to "git gud" rather than use the world and levelling system around me to progress then it's probably not for me. Will give it a bash when it's on GamePass mind.

Yeah its why I added the second post, I remember you finishing Elden Ring level 650 or summat.

[Yevrah]

Cheeky fucker. :D It was the late 100s.

I have also beaten it without summons, although not Malenia.

[randomlegend]

Nope. Hub world post boss one, then you go to areas. Bosses are bastard hard, great challenge. Three weapons, but skill trees for each. I'm running greatsword and relying on perfect blocks, which chip away at an enemies stamina, then when stamina depleted, you can crit. You don't upgrade weapons, just get higher level drops.

No shields at all. Combat is genuinely some of the best I've ever experienced in a game, it all feels fair. Plenty of secrets, shortcuts etc to find. Its a very stripped back, pure soulslike and refreshing for it.

Have you played Monster Hunter World?

[Dark Soldier]

Yes its trash.

[randomlegend]

Yes its trash.

How far into it did you get?

[Dark Soldier]

3/4 fights, hate the hub world, hate the overt weebness, hate the collecting resources and the combat has fuck all feedback of worth.

[randomlegend]

Ah yeah it doesn't really come into it's own until later in the story or really even post-story/endgame.

The endgame fights are the most satisfying experiences I've ever had in gaming once you finally beat them.

Pretty sure it would grow on you, but I can understand not wanting to commit that sort of time to something you're not jiving with.

[Pepe]

Switch 2 coming in June. I'm ok with the $450 price tag, but $80 for games is going to be rough.

[Magic]

Switch 2 coming in June. I'm ok with the $450 price tag, but $80 for games is going to be rough.

What will the price be after the tariffs start in a few hours lol.

[Pepe]

$4500000000000

[Shindig]

Well, that's getting murdered by pirates within the first month.

[Dark Soldier]

I'll wait for emulation.

[Shindig]

Catching up with it now. I did not expect that From Software reveal. Hope that's not an exclusive for long.

[Magic]

Just started the Outer Wilds 1. Seems interesting.

[Dark Soldier]

Catching up with it now. I did not expect that From Software reveal. Hope that's not an exclusive for long.

Its exclusively MP so nobody cares anymore.

[Shindig]

Well, that's a relief.

[Magic]

$4500000000000

You missed off a few 0s.

[Baz]

I'm still loving WoW Classic.

Tonight my guild cleared the latest raid (Blackwing Lair). Took us nearly three hours lol but I got one of the best weapons in the game.

Look how bloody cool I look (https://atlasforge.gg/wow-classic/armory/eu/spineshatter/bbaz)!

https://i.imgur.com/8GP0xTk.png

[Pepe]

You missed off a few 0s.

That's for the games. The price for the console cannot be computed in 64-bit architectures.

[Gray Fox]

I'm still loving WoW Classic.

Tonight my guild cleared the latest raid (Blackwing Lair). Took us nearly three hours lol but I got one of the best weapons in the game.

Look how bloody cool I look (https://atlasforge.gg/wow-classic/armory/eu/spineshatter/bbaz)!

https://i.imgur.com/8GP0xTk.png

I do like when you go past that point in the game where your armour is horribly mismatched but it's just the best thing you have and get into the point where sets make you look badass.


I've seen that The Division 2 has had a bit of a resurgence lately and even some DLC, some 6 years after release. I remember enjoying that game a fair bit and wouldn't mind dipping back in, but I think when I played I was on Xbox One. I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be disappointing, but is there a chance my stuff would be able to be carried over to me now on the blue team?

I'm not sure I'd want to start from the beginning again.

[Dark Soldier]

Switch 2 reordered anyway. With pro controller and Mario Kart. Let's go.

[Disco]

Now watch Nintendo prepare for launch by making about a dozen consoles.

[Gray Fox]

Word is they've been producing them in quite healthy numbers in the background since the end of last year, in order to make sure there's plenty of supply at launch, so they can catch up and have healthy stock for Christmas.

[Pepe]

I plan to get it. Might pre-order if I can do it from Walmart or something, otherwise I'll just wait until I can walk into a store and grab one. Not particularly excited about Mario kart, but I'll most likely end up getting it .

[Shindig]

Decided to make myself a little shopping list of Switch games now the Switch 2 is two months (That's soon!) away. Limited myself to first party and there's probably half a dozen I'm after.

The way Nintendo's stuff holds value is a pain in the arse. Bayonetta 2 and 3 will be the easiest for me to pick up.

[Dark Soldier]

Murica getting absolutely 'fuck youed' by Nintendo fucking love it

[Gray Fox]

They're gonna cost about $600 just for the console over there at this rate.

[Disco]

https://i.imgur.com/zggdDQ4.jpeg

[Magic]

South of Midnight anyone?

I finished Outer Wilds and am on to Borderlands 3, which is pretty fun if not incredibly annoying. The map view sucks and it's really bad to navigate to waypoints between areas/worlds.

[Magic]

Fuck BL3. Rage quit and uninstalled. The beauty of game pass. :drool:

[Dark Soldier]

Skill issue.

[Mike]

Anyone playing Blue Prince?

[wullie]

I tried it and wanted to like it but it's not for me. The premise is great but I don't have the patience for the repetition and the note-taking it seems to demand.

[Magic]

Not overly enjoying these linear games. I didn't like Last of Us, Resident Evil etc. Give me free roam!

[phonics]

Anyone playing Blue Prince?

It was a fun way to find out I'm colour blind.

[Shindig]

The First Berserker: Khazan is on its way to being my favourite Soulslike after Elden Ring. God damn its so good.

I've installed the demo but barely touched it. I wound up replaying Sekiro instead. I've been watching people stream it and it seems very parry-centric. Leads to a lot of standing still rather than moving around the arena.

I'll get round to it eventually.

[Dark Soldier]

Nah, I've never parried once. Brink guard and brink dodge. Its the same as any Souls though, there's parry in it and if you get good at it you barely need to move.

[Shindig]

Aye, I did prefer the dodge and could time that much better than the parry. My intention is to get comfortable with the demo before diving into the full game. One thing I don't like is how huge the boss health bars look. It looks like death by a thousand cuts but I could just be watching some absolute scrubs.

[Magic]

Tried Sea of Thieves, hated it.

Really enjoying Darktide though, gamepass is ace.

[Dark Soldier]

Aye, I did prefer the dodge and could time that much better than the parry. My intention is to get comfortable with the demo before diving into the full game. One thing I don't like is how huge the boss health bars look. It looks like death by a thousand cuts but I could just be watching some absolute scrubs.

Some are big, tbf. But quite a few don't seem to engage with the stamina system. You break a bosses or enemies stamina down to zero, they exhaust (can also happen to you) which allows you to do some extra hits + a brutal attack for big damage. You can also get skills where perfect guard and/or perfect dodge cause damage etc. Its set-up really well. I've had bosses I've done in 2/3 goes, but one of em took me nearly 30 attempts. All armours bar lowest rarity have gear set bonuses too, like + to stamina damage, + to health regen, all kinds of stuff. Full set + linked weapon can give 5 or more bonuses.

[AyDee]

A couple of hours into South of Midnight and it's a lovely game so far. Piece of piss compared to the Soulslike games above but has been just a fun experience so far. Apparently only a dozen hours or so too, which is refreshing.

In an ideal world I'll finish this and then give finishing Indiana Jones another shot (bit bored boating around in Asia atm).

Then probably a toss up between Blue Prince and Clair Obscur, the latter definitely being my most anticipated game this year.

[Dan]

Just started Blue Prince as well. Still figuring it out but it does seem like one of those puzzle games I’m going end up admitting defeat on because I can’t think obscurely enough to pick up on the conceptual stuff that solves everything.

Still, it’s a step away from FM. Maybe I’ll actually play some proper games for a bit now.

[Shindig]

Sekiro's on ice again. Was going for the Purification ending for all the bosses but missed a crucial eavesdropping conversation. All this after spending an hour figuring out the Owl fight. :moop:

[Pepe]

Finally beat the heart in Slay the Spire. :cool:

Did it with the Defect (pretty much the only character I play). A combination of Torii and Tungsten Rod made it much easier work than I thought it would be.

[hfswjyr]

Nice, what ascension?

Slay the Spire II coming out sometime this year.

[Pepe]

Ascension 1, I think. Never really paid attention. Are the others harder?

[Pepe]

Just learned that there are 20 different ascensions. GTFO.

[hfswjyr]

Oh dear...

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:lol:

[Shindig]

Lords of the Fallen (the newer one) had a big 2.0 patch that added a load of challenge modifiers. Over time they've also made the game TRIVIAL.

[Dan]

Just started Blue Prince as well. Still figuring it out but it does seem like one of those puzzle games I’m going end up admitting defeat on because I can’t think obscurely enough to pick up on the conceptual stuff that solves everything.

Nope, just finished the main part of the game. Still got a fair few bits that I haven’t solved, but they do a good job of sprinkling the clues across various rooms so even the most abstract puzzles make sense once you’ve found the right rooms.

Really enjoyed it once I got past the initial few days of confusion, and it does have that ‘one more day’ kinda pull, so I can see why it’s getting GOTY talk, although I don’t think I’d go quite as far as saying it’s a 10/10 game.

[Pepe]

Ronaldo is alright in COTW.

[Dark Soldier]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is ridiculously good.

[Pepe]

Giving it a go later.

[Dark Soldier]

Best tip is parry right as the attack literally hits you.

[Yevrah]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is ridiculously good.

I have heard many good things too.

What sort of game is it?

[Dark Soldier]

I have heard many good things too.

What sort of game is it?

Turn based JRPG style, by a French studio. I've never been a fan of turn based but the added dodge/parry mechanic in this is unreal, really well thought out, the game looks incredible, the story is far away from cringe. Hitting a perfect parry into a counter feels great.

[Pepe]

Yeah, it's good alright. Like the music. The walking around is a bit clunky. I am doing alright with the dodge/parry, but I still don't quite get when to press A during attacks. I do like the having something to do during battles beyond clicking 'Attack' over and over.

[phonics]

I've been enjoying it. I cannot parry for shit though.

[Pepe]

Game's got me hooked. Good stuff.

[Dark Soldier]

Yeah its ridiculously good for a smaller dev team's first game. I've taken 3 days off work just to play it.

[Pepe]

:D

I worked from home yesterday. Not a lot of work got done.

[Dan]

I’ve played it for a few hours the last couple of evenings as well. I’m in the Phonics school of not being able to parry anything, but I do like the blend of styles you get from the combat.

Pictos/Lumina system looks like it could get absurd in both good & bad ways and the jumping is lol, but it looks & sounds great, the story & characters seem solid so far & it sounds like it’s not a 150hr experience either, which is a nice change for an RPG.

[Dark Soldier]

I'm about 17 hours in now, there's so much little cool side shit in this, the combat is superb. Gonna be an all-timer for me if it carries on like this.