General gaming discussion

[Boydy]

The level on the boat where they take all my fucking augmentations off me is bullshit.

[Ian]

That was released later as DLC then included as part of the main flow in the Director's Cut. That was the first one with a non-wank boss fight supposedly, before they "fixed" the other ones.

Have you noticed that you've had options in the boss fights, out of interest?

[Boydy]

That was released later as DLC then included as part of the main flow in the Director's Cut. That was the first one with a non-wank boss fight supposedly, before they "fixed" the other ones.

Have you noticed that you've had options in the boss fights, out of interest?

I was reading a bit of the old thread on the old forum and I saw you all complaining about that. I've not really noticed to be honest. I've generally been pretty well tooled up throughout as I'm always shit at stealth in games. I try it for a bit but it inevitably goes wrong and I have to shoot my way out of trouble.

So annoyed I can't hack everything now though.

[Ian]

I got around the fact that the first guy is basically a bullet sponge with the gas canisters lying around and then there was the one with the invisible bint who I just Typhoon'd whenever she got close which felt a bit cheap. I'm probably not going to replay HR now unless Mankind Divided ends up shit so I should just read up and see what options there are for the bosses since it got changed.

The issue was that for some bizarre reason they outsourced the boss fights.

[Shindig]

Why have bosses in the first place?

[Ian]

Boss fights are, generally, balls but in a game like Deus Ex they do make sense narratively and there's no reason they shouldn't work in terms of gameplay provided they cater to various approaches. Gunther Hermann in in the original, for example, catered for people who didn't actually do much shooting if you were committed to sneaking about and hacking everything. And of course in a world with those sorts of augments it makes sense that you'd have a few goons with the good shit to do your dirty work for you.

[Dark Soldier]

I know no-one here but shindig really plays it, but I've just had a gaming milestone.

I'm heavily into The Golf Club, and I play a weekly tournament thing which mirrors the real world golf tour, complete with levels, money lists etc. Worked my way up from the amateur section to the European Tour end of last year/early this year, and my goal was to make enough money to qualify for the majors next year. I've only been invited to play The Masters a year fucking early. Way ahead of schedule, on one of the hardest courses in the freaking game.

My profile complete with earnings, results history and ranking (http://www.tgctours.com/Player/Overview/28166)

The Masters Field (http://www.tgctours.com/tournament/field?tourneyDetailId=1042&Grid-sort=WgrRank-asc&Grid-page=1&Grid-pageSize=1000&Grid-group=&Grid-filter=)

My ranking is off as it goes off tournaments played, and you need a total of 40 to hit your true rank. I haven't played that many, so I'm actually around top 50-60 global.

Put a geeky smile on my face, its not an easy game and I've put so much into it to be of a pretty high level. Feels like a success. I coulda put those hours into something more meaningful, like a life skill or employment, but fuck it.

[Shindig]

That's some impressive stuff.

[ItalAussie]

I've been playing Kingdom of Loathing lately. It's surprisingly fun. Definitely on the weird scale, but surprisingly detailed for an internet flash game.

I'm skipping all the multiplayer elements though. This is a single player RPG in my books.

[Disco]

I'm very close to buying Factorio, which looks furiously complicated but brilliant fun.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Has anyone used GOG? I can't actually use the search because the name is too fucking short.

I ask because I've just spotted that Pillars of Eternity GOG keys are selling for only £3.07 on Kinguin.

[Disco]

I've used it many times.

https://www.gog.com/games?sort=bestselling&search=pillars%20of%20eternity.&page=1

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.kinguin.net/category/15604/pillars-of-eternity-hero-edition-gog-key/

£4.03 if you include buyers protection (it's from Russians so I did) and use the code TOP7COM.

Mine is downloading now.

[Raoul Duke]

GOG is legit. Used it for a bunch of stuff.

[Ian]

GOG are superb. Legit, decent prices (not compared to keys thieved in Russia or wherever, obviously), DRM free and excellent customer service.

Give them your money. All of it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They're not getting the money, the Russians are.

I had just never used GOG (or Russian key sites for it) unlike Steam.

Edit: Fucking download keeps failing. Fuck you 'Disk access problem' :mad:

[Boydy]

Finished Deus Ex now. Really enjoyed it.

Not sure what to play next though. Any suggestions? Something similar to that would be nice.

Or I'm tempted tobget GTA V on the PC. Played a bit of it in the 360 when it came out but kinda want the PC version to play through it properly and for the first person mode.

[Spammer]

Yeah GTA V is hilarious.

[Ian]

In a Batman mood after the shambles of Dawn of Justice and Arkham Knight is way beyond the price I'm prepared to risk for it being a horrible mess on my PC (I should probably just pirate it first to see if it runs and then if it does I'd happily fork over the money but I'm too lazy for that) so I've reinstalled Arkham Asylum and played an hour or so of that. Doesn't look bad for it's age and it's properly slick still. The combat in particular still feels the business.

[Shindig]

And yet Asylum's the best those games will get.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

And yet Asylum's the best those games will get.

Indeed.

I absolutely loved Asylum, was left a little disappointed with Arkham City and left Origins alone fairly swiftly.

The scarecrow missions in Asylum were stunning and the setting just worked so well.

[Ian]

I have Asylum and City about level. Asylum was certainly the slicker game for having a sharper focus but I thought they did a great job of the open world too. Origins was pretty much what you'd expect from a different studio trying to ape City and then as I said above I've still yet to play Batman Poochiemobile.

[Shindig]

I feel like Asylum did the villains better, too. With the gap between now and Dark Souls 3, I've found myself starting a new character on the first game. Again. The PC drop-rate continues to be weird. Had enough shards by Undead Parish to +5 my Battle Axe before hitting the Gargoyles. Battered the first Titanite Demon at the first attempt and landed the Catchpole. Took on the Black Knight in Darkroot and landed the Halberd. Naturally, I took this luck with me and got NOTHING from the Black Knight in Undead Burg. :moop:

Also beat Capra legit for the first time in months. I'm recording it but the bitrate makes it look a garbled mess.

[Jase]

In a Batman mood after the shambles of Dawn of Justice and Arkham Knight is way beyond the price I'm prepared to risk for it being a horrible mess on my PC (I should probably just pirate it first to see if it runs and then if it does I'd happily fork over the money but I'm too lazy for that) so I've reinstalled Arkham Asylum and played an hour or so of that. Doesn't look bad for it's age and it's properly slick still. The combat in particular still feels the business.

It's a shame the PC port was such a disaster. I played it on the PS4 and it's a cracking game, certainly better than City. Doesn't quite capture the magic of Asylum though.

[Cord]

Off the top of my head, not having played the first two for a while, I'd say Asylum > City > Knight (one word - Batmobile). I remember finding Origins perfectly competent at the time, but I'll be buggered if I can remember any of it now, and I'm not sure we count it as part of the main series anyway.

Though thinking about it, the boss fights in Asylum are pretty poo (and largely in Arkham Knight too) whereas in City they were a marked improvement and as good as they ever got, so I suspect if I replayed them now I might give the edge to City.

PS - Batmobile is a right dickhead.

[Jase]

I didn't hate the Batmobile as much as most. I mean, I understand why they included it and if large swathes of the game didn't require it I don't think people would've minded it either. That being said, the story and combat more than make up for it. Story wise I think it's a lot better than City and with better side quests (Riddler race tracks aside)

[Shindig]

Origins was notable for the homoerotic overtones they decided to slip into Batman and Joker's relationship.

[Cord]

I didn't hate the Batmobile as much as most. I mean, I understand why they included it and if large swathes of the game didn't require it I don't think people would've minded it either. That being said, the story and combat more than make up for it. Story wise I think it's a lot better than City and with better side quests (Riddler race tracks aside)

I'm very much in the anti-Batmobile camp, and sadly it does rather tarnish the game for me as Batmobile stuff felt like it took up about half of it. As you say it would have been fine as nice little side mechanic (and I actually thought the Riddler race tracks were the best use of it) and an optional way to cruise around the city, but I spent large portions of the game seething that instead of doing the fun stealth gameplay the series had perfected, I was instead on my fiftieth round of doing the Battle of the Bulge against some nob's glorified remote control cars (note to villains, if you used a single manned tank you'd have won, dickheads) or horror of horrors, doing bloody platforming sections in the car. For me it's genuinely up there as the worst addition to a series in gaming history.

It's a real shame, as I agree they nailed most other things in the game. Though I remember feeling a little short changed by the amount of side missions featuring villains rather than more tanks/faceless goons.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

My guy on Pillars:

http://i.imgur.com/Qg5vPJP.jpg

Brelmaak the drifter monk :cool:

I have a giant miniature space pig knocking about with me thanks to a bonus when I bought the game. Scenes.

[Ian]

Godlike doesn't seem to have many of it's own dialogue options, which is a bit of a shame. I went Death Godlike and then Druid for class so I can turn into a bear and gib people.

Back onto Batman, Cord makes a point about the boss fights. A number of them were "dodge when this thing charges at you so it hits a wall and then twat it a bit." Probably the game's only real flaw though.

[Shindig]

Mr Freeze was a good one in City but I'd imagine you can only do that once.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bears are bastards :moop;

[Alex]

I feel like Asylum did the villains better, too. With the gap between now and Dark Souls 3, I've found myself starting a new character on the first game. Again. The PC drop-rate continues to be weird. Had enough shards by Undead Parish to +5 my Battle Axe before hitting the Gargoyles. Battered the first Titanite Demon at the first attempt and landed the Catchpole. Took on the Black Knight in Darkroot and landed the Halberd. Naturally, I took this luck with me and got NOTHING from the Black Knight in Undead Burg. :moop:

Also beat Capra legit for the first time in months. I'm recording it but the bitrate makes it look a garbled mess.

I'm back on the first one too, Shinners. I've spent a largely anti social weekend sat in front of the television playing it. :D

I never got anywhere near finishing it the first time around and I think I've already got further than I ever got originally. I've just been to The Depths (the sewers down there are a fucking right maze, fuck that giant rat too) and beaten the boss down there, the Gaping Dragon. He's the hardest boss I've fought so far. Well, I say hardest, he actually wasn't too bad once I figured out what to do. I just died a LOT during the said figuring out process.

[Ian]

Just got to the Killer Croc bit in Asylum and thought "Fuck that on a Sunday night."

Forgot about that when we were talking flaws earlier.

[Shindig]

Its one of those bosses that's cool til you take a step back and realise you're playing a game of green light / red light. Speaking of terrible ways to spend time, I've done the Catacombs early in Dark Souls. The skeleton run. Deary me.

[Raoul Duke]

That Killer Croc bit was bobbins. Cracking game overall though.

[Disco]

I'm loving the enhanced edition of Divinity: Original Sin, it's a vast improvement, just adding full voice acting for everyone makes such a difference. Plus there's a grid based inventory and about a million things I don't know if I should be keeping, I'm in my element.

[Shindig]

Walking Dead Season One is done. Stronger cast of characters than Season Two but that had a better Kenny and Clem. Almost felt a little sour over the ex machina near the end.

[Yevrah]

Are those Telltale Walking Dead/Game of Thrones etc. games basically graphic adventures in the mould of Monkey Island Shinners?

[Shindig]

I'd say its more like they took the best aspects of Quantic Dream's work (i.e. the narrative) and then sacked off cryptic adventure game logic in favour of piss easy puzzles and QTE's designed to push things forward. Problem then becomes more about making sure the writing is on point which Walking Dead does very well and I'm told Tales from The Borderlands follows suit. Game of Thrones being the big miss.

[Raoul Duke]

I reckon QTEs might be the shittiest thing in the whole of gaming

[Shindig]

Metal Gear Solid 4's hallway of significance says fuck you.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I reckon QTEs might be the shittiest thing in the whole of gaming

Easily.

Fuck you Heavenly Sword.

[Jase]

I reckon QTEs might be the shittiest thing in the whole of gaming

They kind of work with the Telltale games though. It's when they're thrown into games that don't need them at all, like Uncharted.

[Mike]

Are those Telltale Walking Dead/Game of Thrones etc. games basically graphic adventures in the mould of Monkey Island Shinners?
The first Walking Dead game is a masterpiece. I loved it so much. The second season is good too.

Not much game in there, just a great story. Very much recommended.

[SincereTheRebel]

The first Walking Dead game is a masterpiece. I loved it so much. The second season is good too.

Not much game in there, just a great story. Very much recommended.

I agree with the Walking Dead game. Season 1 and 2 were good. The only other games that ive played like it is heavy rain, which is much more complicated and the original broken sword on PS1. Is Game of Thrones like this game format as well? If it is, ill go and pick it up later.

[Disco]

Made by the same studio in the same style as is The Wolf Among Us which is great.

[SincereTheRebel]

I wasnt aware of that. Ive just rented both of them. Niceness.

[Dark Soldier]

Enter The Gungeon is insanely good. Its a Rogue-like, ala Binding of Isaac. You pick up guns and active items, all randomly generated on each run, same as the layout etc. You die, you start again.

Its got the i-frame roll, similar to Dark Souls, and above all else its hard as fucking nails. New addiction for me, I'm yet to beat a boss on the second floor (there's 5 floors total) but its so satisfying. Bullet hell + Dark Souls roll + Isaac = Amazing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3kPMRA_JYE

About £10 on PS4, completely worth it. Of course if you hate Isaac or other rogue-likes, you'll hate this.

[Dan]

Yeah, I've been watching Northernlion play it & it looks pretty brilliant. Got my eyes on Hyper Light Drifter too, although I suspect I'll be horrendously shit at it.

I really ought to get a gaming PC together, my Mac isn't exactly the ideal platform to play on.

[Dark Soldier]

Hyper Light Drifter is also fantastic. Really, really hard though.

That and Gungeon run on any piece of shit PC though if you wanna go that route. My laptop has shite integrated graphics and neither game pushes it above 65 degrees.

[Ian]

I'm thinking of giving Gungeon a go. It looks up my alley.

[Boydy]

I tried Fallout 3 earlier which I'd bought in a Steam sale for a few quid ages ago. I died trying to get out of the vault. Fucking guards. Didn't like the combat at all. Not sure I can be arsed with it.

[Shindig]

That game got really piss at some point.

[Dan]

Hyper Light Drifter is also fantastic. Really, really hard though.

That and Gungeon run on any piece of shit PC though if you wanna go that route. My laptop has shite integrated graphics and neither game pushes it above 65 degrees.

Yeah, I hear it's really difficult, which isn't promising considering I suck at average difficulty games. It does look really good though, so I'll probably end up waiting for it to drop into a Steam sale since I don't really have any desperate need to play it right now. Gungeon will kick the shit out of me too.

[Boydy]

Currently downloading Call of Duty: Black Ops (the first one) for some shooty fun. Haven't played any CoD games since Modern Warfare 3. Was this one any good? It was only £6 anyway so it doesn't matter too much.

[Shindig]

CoDBlOps and CoDBlOps II are arguably where the series got a nice sense of direction. Then they fucked it.

[Boydy]

The PC version doesn't seem to do the quick aim assist thing when you press the left trigger and it goes to the nearest enemy. I couldn't find a setting for it and I don't want to play with the mouse and keyboard.

[Jase]

The game BAFTA's were fucking weird yet again. Fallout 4 best game? Prison Architect beating The Witcher 3? Arkham Knight best British game? Nothing quite as odd as Destiny winning Best Game like last year, but still...

[ItalAussie]

I don't understand game awards, but that may be because I've dropped off the Triple A radar.

Was Fallout 4 not excellent?

[Jase]

I don't understand game awards, but that may be because I've dropped off the Triple A radar.

Was Fallout 4 not excellent?

No, very much average and certainly not the best game of last year. That'd be The Witcher 3 or Bloodborne (which wasn't even nominated).

[Raoul Duke]

It probably is for me. I've put more hours into Fallout 4 than anything else (although I haven't played a huge amount of games this year). The Witcher was great in many ways but it was very same-y further into the game. Fantastic storyline though.

[Shindig]

I'll probably get into Witcher after Dark Souls 3. I thought I'd be pushed for time trying to re-run Dark Souls before the sequel but I've just got Gwyn, his kid and the DLC left.

[Disco]

I don't understand game awards, but that may be because I've dropped off the Triple A radar.

Was Fallout 4 not excellent?

Depends. If this was your first taste of modern Bethesda RPG's then it would seem amazing, to someone who has played others in the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series (honestly, they're basically the same these days) the newest ones are a litany of missed opportunities. Enjoyable certainly, but very much a re-treading of what has gone before without any great innovation.

[Yevrah]

Fallout 4's a weird one.

For me the base game was better than The Witcher 3 (which has pretty poor RPG elements), but I was still disappointed with it. That said, the DLC and updates have moved/are moving things in the right direction albeit they won't sort the lack of talking/too much killing in missions.

The progression and immersion is still second to none though.

[Dark Soldier]

Fallout 4 was a big, juicy bag of shite. Witcher 3 was GOTY though.

[phonics]

Immersion in what?

edit: You're all idiots anyway, Metal Gear was GOTY by about 100000000000000000000000000 miles.

[Jase]

Immersion in what?

edit: You're all idiots anyway, Metal Gear was GOTY by about 100000000000000000000000000 miles.

Nah, traded it in the other day to get Bloodborne. It's got the best gameplay of any MGS but that's not hard. Story was still utter bobbins.

[Disco]

I'm not sure it's possible to use normal descriptors when talking about the story in MGS games, it's kind of its own category all on its own. A ridiculous batshit stupid category full of terrible dialogue and badass grandpas.

[Dark Soldier]

MGS5 is the best Metal Gear because it has fuck all of the story in it.

[phonics]

MGS5 is the best Metal Gear because it has fuck all of the story in it.
Exactly. It could have been called Phantom Pain and completely unrelated to anything and it would have been the best game of last year.

[Shindig]

Its got plenty of story, its just delivered as background noise over the course of 30 hours. It doesn't have the urgency of the other games to throw everything at you with a world-ending deadline. All the while you're playing the best stealth game in a long while til Hitman gets finished.

[Shindig]

Dark Souls got dusted after 18 hours. Couldn't be arsed with Gwyndolin's teleporting and after beating Artorias and seeing Manus I just wanted to get the game finished. Gwyn went down at the 5th attempt because I forgot tanking your flasks is a viable way to win. I love how that game makes you better at ...err... that game.

[Baz]

You never sound like you actually enjoy playing Dark Souls. :D

[Shindig]

On the contrary. I flew through it and felt accomplished. Most of the bosses went down at the first attempt.

[Alex]

Dark Souls got dusted after 18 hours. Couldn't be arsed with Gwyndolin's teleporting and after beating Artorias and seeing Manus I just wanted to get the game finished. Gwyn went down at the 5th attempt because I forgot tanking your flasks is a viable way to win. I love how that game makes you better at ...err... that game.

I very nearly threw the towel in on my save earlier. In Anor Londo, the bit where you have to get past those fucking archers that shoot arrows the size of spears at you. Fucking hell.

I'm a lot more than 18 hours in as well. :moop:

[Shindig]

The annoying thing about those archers are that they respawn.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4gpOd3tOmk

If they knock you off you can sometimes manage to quit the game before you hit the ground. The game will spawn you where your feet last met solid ground. I used that last time. Anor Londo is the biggest test the game will throw at you.

[Alex]

I managed to get past them in the end, it was genuinely the biggest ball ache in the game so far though. Re-spawning at the bonfire and trudging all the way back across that bridge for about the twentieth fucking time was soul destroying.

In brighter news I beat Ornstein and Smough about an hour ago. :flex:

Solo as well. God bless the +5 Black Knight Sword, is all I'll say about that.

[Shindig]

Yup, I started a new game and I'm at that point now. Save-quit the archers at the third attempt to get through. Decided this is my achievements run due to the early going being trash. On the plus side, the Black Knight Sword did drop. I forgot how low the stat requirements were for that.

[Alex]

I've put the "lord vessel" down in that room underneath that weird snake looking thing now and he's sent me off to kill more bosses. Do I have a long way still to go Shinners? I never got anywhere near this far on it before.

I can warp between certain bonfires now too, which is useful. The fire at the Firelink Shrine doesn't work anymore though because the fire keeper has mysteriously disappeared and I've no idea how to get her to come back.

[Alex]

Oh, she hasn't disappeared. I've just been and had another look. She's dead. That solves that then. :D

[Shindig]

OR DOES IT!?

You're probably half way. Frampt should fill you in on the major players. In other shocking news, O&S at the second attempt. I no longer fear them.

[Dark Soldier]

With archers, run up, head straight right. Shield up, and the archer will eventually just fall off the ledge after attacking shield. Left archer won't hit you as you're too far away. No need for save and quit cheese.

If you want the easiest way, just parry him.

Congrats on beating Smough and Ornstein, hardest test for a first time player.

[Alex]

OR DOES IT!?

You're probably half way. Frampt should fill you in on the major players. In other shocking news, O&S at the second attempt. I no longer fear them.

Shit, I thought I was further along than that. I really want to nail it over the course of the next two nights because I've got Wednesday off work and the new one will be here by then. That seems unlikely though, given my pace so far.

Frampt did, in a fashion, fill me in on what's going on. The weird bastard. That sarcastic fucker who sits next to the bonfire at Firelink Shrine has gone now as well.


With archers, run up, head straight right. Shield up, and the archer will eventually just fall off the ledge after attacking shield. Left archer won't hit you as you're too far away. No need for save and quit cheese.

If you want the easiest way, just parry him.

Congrats on beating Smough and Ornstein, hardest test for a first time player.

That's how I got him in the end. Although I actually engaged him just enough to get him to put the bow down and then ran away so he would follow me and fall off instead of actually going toe to toe with him. :D

Smough and Ornstein were tough, one of those that gave me the initial "well that's it, there's no way I'm ever getting any further" outlook. I think I got them fifth or sixth time though, I'm happy with that.

I killed the little guy (Ornstein?) first and then just danced about the big guy for absolutely ages, just a swing at a time. Getting greedy ("I can definitely get a few more swings in here before he.....fuck") seems to be the main reason for death a lot of the time with me. Probably because things tend to get so ridiculously fucking tense I just want to end it ASAP.

I think Sif (giant wolf, giant sword in his mouth) is the one who's killed me the most so far. And looking back I'm not sure it would have even been that hard of a fight if I'd just been patient instead of rolling straight in and trying to hack him to death like some sort of bloodthirsty mad man.

[Shindig]

Its definitely a game that punishes carelessness. I don't think I'll push much further with this run as Dark Souls III got dispatched this afternoon. You've got a weapon that'll see you to the end so its just about execution.

EDIT: Okay, another huge time save on this run. Bed of Chaos on the first try

[Alex]

I've made my way through The Catacombs now, "Pinwheel" was an absolute piece of piss. I just walked up to him and hit him three times with the sword. Dead.

Tomb of the Giants though? Urgh. In the fucking dark? With shit jumping out at me left, right and centre? No. Not tonight. Fuck off.

[Dark Soldier]

You can get an item that helps there, its before TotG. If I could remember how I'd help lol. It lights it up a bit.

I get ya though, my first few runs through there was in the dark, tough as nails.

[Alex]

I have got the skull lantern (or something like that) that I picked up in The Catacombs, that does light things up a bit. But (obviously) I can only use it at the expense of my shield. So as soon as I get jumped by anything it's back to the shield, and darkness. Followed by wild flailing around in said darkness, followed by death. :moop:

[Shindig]

Use the lantern to gauge your surroundings, lock on to an enemy and let them come to you. One thing that got me about my last run through there is how short that area can be. Its just a little fiddly and disorientating. One of the areas to just get over with, really.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Decided to buy The Golf Club after watching the Masters.

Did the Black Brook course and went 21 over par. 2 Birdies, 4 pars, 6 bogeys, 5 double bogeys and one quintuple bogey (I went into the water twice :().

I did have a long putt of 21 feet though so I'm counting that as a moral victory.

[Dark Soldier]

1v1 me bro

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1v1 me bro

I went against 3 of your ghosts in that game to see just how bad I was.

It was brutal.

[Dark Soldier]

If you want any tips etc just say. There's a lot of math behind getting good.

[7om]

Has anyone seen this new game that's coming out in June: No Man's Sky? Seems quite interesting.

Looks like it's space exploration with a procedurally generated universe that contains approx 2 x 10^19 planets. Also looks like there is some combat versus the AI and a lot of discovering to do.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If you want any tips etc just say. There's a lot of math behind getting good.

That would be great, cheers.

I just played an easy course then went back to Black Brook.

http://i.imgur.com/HPpd0Qz.jpg?1

Had I not gone into the water on the 18th I'd have finished under for the back 9.

I feel fairly good at putting (50% of the time I 2 putt) but I'm not great at adjusting for the wind as well as using the right club.

[Dark Soldier]

That would be great, cheers.

This tells you the basics, use the tabs at the bottom:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aLqTCfuGEoHaUgYP5i6pa6OKMn9GP1p_C_rteWb1s8E/edit#gid=0

The 1/2/3/4 columns across the carry yardage signify 1/2/3/4 bars of loft.

There's a load more I could help with but just learn the fundamentals :)

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That looks the business, cheers.

Played 5 rounds now and I've got a handicap of 8.9. That's not too bad, is it?

[Disco]

Did I miss DS playing in the Masters tourney he got invited to take part in?

[Dark Soldier]

That looks the business, cheers.

Played 5 rounds now and I've got a handicap of 8.9. That's not too bad, is it?

8.9 is terrible. You need a + next to it for an actual handicap. 8.9 means the course is giving you a 9 shot lead essentially.


Did I miss DS playing in the Masters tourney he got invited to take part in?

I fucked it mate, didn't make cut. Course was insanely unrealistic.

[Raoul Duke]

Has anyone seen this new game that's coming out in June: No Man's Sky? Seems quite interesting.

Looks like it's space exploration with a procedurally generated universe that contains approx 2 x 10^19 planets. Also looks like there is some combat versus the AI and a lot of discovering to do.

Yeah I'm really looking forward to it. Looks like an astonishing thing (although I have reservations about how much 'game' there is).

[Ian]

Has anyone seen this new game that's coming out in June: No Man's Sky? Seems quite interesting.

Looks like it's space exploration with a procedurally generated universe that contains approx 2 x 10^19 planets. Also looks like there is some combat versus the AI and a lot of discovering to do.

Look it up on Rock Paper Shotgun, they've written loads about it. Could be ace.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Round 1 of the Q-School for TGCTours and I post a 95 :face:

The greens on the first course were proper wank.

[Shindig]

Mahow sounds about my level.

[Dan]

The latest Humbling Bundle is a Telltale collection, which sounds pretty tempting. (https://www.humblebundle.com/telltale-bundle?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=Humble_Tell_Tale_Bundle)

More games to be added as well.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdDuSPZRuB0

'Seething' doesn't even come close.

[Dark Soldier]

Round 1 of the Q-School for TGCTours and I post a 95 :face:

The greens on the first course were proper wank.

You've gone straight into Q-School?

You beautiful fucking lunatic :drool:

I'm taking a break from it for a few weeks due to Dark Souls 3, currently 101st ffs:

http://tgctours.com/Player/Overview/28166

EDIT: You smashed the fuck outta that putt :dust:

Once you learn the putter marker it gets infinitely easier.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You've gone straight into Q-School?

You beautiful fucking lunatic :drool:

I'm taking a break from it for a few weeks due to Dark Souls 3, currently 101st ffs:

http://tgctours.com/Player/Overview/28166
I didn't realise it would be this fucking hard though. Followed up my 95 with a round of 94 so some progress, although my handicap is now at 18.

Lost count how many shots I've thought were great only to then roll out of the green into the rough on these shitty greens.

[Shindig]

Putting will always be my downfall.

[Dark Soldier]

I didn't realise it would be this fucking hard though. Followed up my 95 with a round of 94 so some progress, although my handicap is now at 18.

Lost count how many shots I've thought were great only to then roll out of the green into the rough on these shitty greens.

The Q-School courses are deliberately rock fucking hard. I'd played for four months before attempting mine and came up Evens through all 6. The ones you're playing are the type I play weekly.

This putt though mate:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3rrIwDyB1M&nohtml5

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I keep fucking myself up in driving and approaching the green because when pushing the analog stick forward I lean slightly right and I never fucking adjust for it.

[Dark Soldier]

Just keep practicing, I was shanking everything at the start, now its exceptionally rare I miss the cone.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5lBseP0ERs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvFdUky-JwY


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BWeBb4orTE

When shit goes right though :drool:

Finished a round of Q-School and my handicap actually improved :cool: Went from 20 to 19.3 but still.

[Dark Soldier]

Keep at it mate and we'll play a matchplay or two when I re-download it in a couple of weeks.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

After finished Q-School horribly (the final round was going so well then I fell apart on the 11th or 12th), I was ranked 26th out of 26 to take part this month (108 over par, triple figures like a don :cool:). I decided to go back to Black Brook and see if I had actually learnt anything after the harrowing greens at Q-School.

http://i.imgur.com/WLdDsWa.jpg?1

My first round under par :cool:

Almost lost it at the 16th as I went for the green and landed in the water instead so I was fucking delighted when I saved par. Going from Q-School to this was like trying to learn to drive in a Ferrari and then rocking up in a 1.1 Corsa. Handicap goes from 19.5 to 15.7 after that too.

Edit: Just checked the full leader-board, I'm 389th out of 423. I legitimately thought that I might be the worst ever but that goes to a Canadian on +217.

[Dark Soldier]

That's the main reason I love the game, that feeling of progression. Play a few shit hard courses then go back to one you struggled on and you fuck it into submission.

The fairest, and best course on the game imo is Tarantula. Search for it, give it a go. There's plenty of tricksy drives, some tough greens and narrow fairways but if you fuck up its your fault. Will improve your game no end. Its a pro-tour course but it'll teach you many aspects of the game, such as elevation, taking a chance and tricksy putts. Your handicap will get way better playing it too after a couple rounds.

I've got a -16 or -17 on one of the days after a good few rounds of practice. Was 2nd globally last I checked.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YovXx0Y_-Hg

What a way to grab my first eagle :drool:

Previous longest putt was 21 feet too, so that shits all over it.

[Dark Soldier]

That putt man :drool:

[wullie]

I realised I never actually finished Bully/latin words so I've got that again now it's available on PS4. I was expecting the looks to be a bit rough but the way it controls is the most notable difference, nearly everything today has more weight to it and serves analog control better. We've come a long way baby.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://i.imgur.com/FyZCXb2.jpg?1

https://cdn.meme.am/images/10106270.jpg

Seasons is where it's at.

[Boydy]

I installed Skyrim this evening and had a quick go on it before the Liverpool game. I don't normally like fantasy settings much at all but I bought it in a Steam sale for about three quid. I was actually pretty impressed by the opening. The scenery is gorgeous too.

Is there an easier way to change weapons than going into the menu every time?

[Boydy]

The spiders though. Jesus. I am going to have nightmares tonight.

[Yevrah]

Yeah, you can hotkey stuff with the d pad on console so there must be a way to do the same on PC.

It's an amazing game, which I'll be playing again at some point. You should start a thread.

[Boydy]

Most people have played it already though, surely?

[Yevrah]

They have, but it might encourage people to play it/play it again if they see the thread rather than that being lost in here.

[Raoul Duke]

One of my big gaming regrets is not finishing Skyrim. I switched from PC to Mac and my laptop can't handle it. One day...

[Ian]

I played 120ish hours, never got close to finishing the main story and regret nothing. I've yet to play a Bethesda game that hasn't had me suddenly go "Nope, that's enough" after a lengthy period of really enjoying them.

[Disco]

Not finishing the main quest is nothing to be disappointed about, it's the least interesting quest arc of the game.

[Disco]

I installed Skyrim this evening and had a quick go on it before the Liverpool game. I don't normally like fantasy settings much at all but I bought it in a Steam sale for about three quid. I was actually pretty impressed by the opening. The scenery is gorgeous too.

Is there an easier way to change weapons than going into the menu every time?

It's been a while but I think you add stuff to your favorites list then assign hotkeys for stuff from there. I'll qualify that by saying I used SkyUI for so long I've forgotten if that was the same originally.

[Dark Soldier]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is happening:

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/this-is-the-map-you-ll-be-playing-in-red-dead-redemption-2-1319101?utm_content=buffer11dfa

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1208132

Really disliked the first, so meh.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The best thing about Red Dead Redemption was Liars Dice.

I lost fucking hours to that, barely played any of the story.

[Ian]

There were plenty of things I liked about Red Dead Redemption but I just didn't care enough to finish it. It had ace weather, mind.

[Shindig]

I'm playing Adam's Venture for review and its like Uncharted if it was made by a Dutch Ned Flanders.

[Boydy]

I think I'm bored/pissed off with Skyrim already. I've died about five times in that dungeon or whatever it is trying to get that Golden Claw for the bloke from the shop in the first village. I realised it's because I'm probably not a high enough level yet. I don't think I really like RPGs.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I need to go back to Skyrim.

The first time I tried to play it, my computer was so shit and laggy that I couldn't actually climb the stairs at the intro bit (I kept falling to the bottom) and I only got to the first village when I got this PC.

[Boydy]

Bought GTA V. I already have it on the Xbox 360 but I don't use that any more and I can't even plug it into my monitor as it's a really old one with no HDMI. Plus, the PC version will look better and have first person. Currently downloading. It's almost 64GB. It's taking like six hours in total. It feels like I'm back to the days of dial-up waiting for a download that takes this long.

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

Had my first game of Age of Empires 2 for what must be well over a decade last night. Wasn't sure I'd have the patience for a strategy game any more but it's as brilliant as I remember.

Must have put in a fair few hours when I was younger as I still instinctively knew some of the hot keys.

[Raoul Duke]

I loved RDR, so a sequel is right up my street. If they can get it up to the level of polish of GTAV (perhaps using the same multi-character mechanism?) that would be amazing.

[Disco]

If they use the three character thing again I really hope they actually make them different this time, otherwise what's the point?

[Yevrah]

I think I'm bored/pissed off with Skyrim already. I've died about five times in that dungeon or whatever it is trying to get that Golden Claw for the bloke from the shop in the first village. I realised it's because I'm probably not a high enough level yet. I don't think I really like RPGs.

Nah, that dungeon can be done anytime.

[Boydy]

Maybe I'm just shit at it then.

[Disco]

Bar a few 'gated' areas (access to which is guarded by higher level creatures) the game scales to your level.

[Jase]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is happening:

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/this-is-the-map-you-ll-be-playing-in-red-dead-redemption-2-1319101?utm_content=buffer11dfa

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1208132

Really disliked the first, so meh.

Yeah, Red Dead Revolver wasn't that great. Red Dead Redemption on the other hand is the best thing Rockstar have ever done.


:p

[Dark Soldier]

The poker was okay I guess.

[Ian]

Caved and got Arkham Knight off one of the key shops (fuck you, WB) and have played a few hours. I think I'll end up feeling the same way as Cord about the Poochiemobile, it's all anybody in the game ever fucking talks about (although while everybody else is caught off guard by it's appearance Riddler somehow knew and has been building race tracks....) and I really can't be arsed with perfecting the AR things for it which is a shame because it looks the business and handles well. Cord was also right about the guy who did the wet cape effects, that chap earned his pay. Every penny of it.

I think one of my favourite additions so far is the fear multi-takedowns. They feel proper Batman-y.

Lastly, just had my first encounter with the Arkham Knight.

My first thought was they were doing a Dark Knight Strikes Again thing and it was going to be Dick Grayson but now I think about it I'm pretty sure I saw Nightwing in those multi-person combat combo things so I guess it's not him.

[Yevrah]

What other sites like CD Keys are there?

As many as possible would be great.

[Ian]

www.allkeyshop.com/

Key shop price comparison, that's where I found the one for Arkham Knight. Lets you filter by editions as well, which is pretty swish.

[Yevrah]

Cheers Ian.

[phonics]

Tbh I find key websites really shitty. They're all bought with fake credit cards and the like which is why they're so cheap and then they pocket all the money. You'd be supporting the developers just as much as if you pirated it.

[Yevrah]

Is that the case even with CD Keys? I thought they were legit.

That said, I have just picked up Arse Creed Unity and Black Flag for the price of a pint each and Zoo Tycoon (for two pints) from them.

[Ian]

From what I gather they're a various mix of stuff like Phonics mentions, stuff that's potentially shadier still and then at the other companies who are cutting deals with distributors elsewhere simply to undercut the proper retailers.

[Boydy]

I just killed a cat in GTA. :(

It came running up to me and I started pressing buttons to see if I could pet it. One of those buttons turned out to be kick.

[Clunge]

Bit late to this chat, but if anyone's up for some Golf Club online, shout - would be good to have a round or two with any TTH players.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I am disastrously poor other than for about 5 minutes a round.

Finished my first tournament for TGCTours today, ended up +40 which saw me end up 97th out of 99 in the CC-E tournament.

Started well in each round but then failed miserably, it's crazy how mental the game is. I find myself pulling a Rory every few holes.

I've popped in some monstrous putts though, had my favourite yesterday from about 45 feet. Started out so wide before casually drifting back in towards the hole. It was incredible.

[Dark Soldier]

What platform you on Clunge?

Enjoying it though Mahow? Best thing I can recommend is watch the odd twitch stream of the good players. You pick up a hell of a lot. If I ever stream I'll put it in here.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What platform you on Clunge?

Enjoying it though Mahow? Best thing I can recommend is watch the odd twitch stream of the good players. You pick up a hell of a lot. If I ever stream I'll put it in here.
Yeah massively so, I think it's great.

I like it so much more than the old Tiger Woods games, this actually feels like a challenge.

[Patje]

*Adds Golf Club to wishlist*

I always love a good golf game.

[Clunge]

PS4.

And yeah, I've always loved golf games too. I find them really relaxing. Plus, they were the only games my Dad was really able to get his head around when I was growing up (three-click method on various Tiger Woods games!).

TGC is definitely the best I've come across in ages. Hope they make a sequel with more features, etc.

[Dark Soldier]

Get me added Clunge, DorkSirjur

[Disco]

Finished Divinity: Original Sin yesterday. What a game that is, tremendously enjoyable. Looks amazing, the combat is really nicely done and the writing is very good if a little flowery at times. Most of the systems (even the crafting bits) are nicely realised, there's a lot of experimentation to be had with abilities and using the four different elements to your advantage. I've heard people both praise and criticise the sense of humour (it has a silly streak half a mile wide running through it) but that's right up my street and it still managed to be serious enough for the earnest story bits. Not sure if I'll do another playthrough as I mined pretty much every aspect, it's got a lot of co-op features that would obviously be better playing with someone else so that might be an option. On the whole though, if you like your rpg's definitely give it a go (make sure it's the massively improved Enhanced Edition) as this is the best one I've played in ages.

[Clunge]

Get me added Clunge, DorkSirjur
Added.

[Ian]

It's a pity they treat it as a showcase for the Poochie so often and in ways that aren't that fun (Dear Unmanned Drone Tanks, please fuck off. xxx) because generally it's pretty swish.

I like gliding about just to gaze in wonder at the cape.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

For any golfers.

If you are using analogue stick thumb grips, take them off when swinging.

I have these:

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/erikkain/files/2012/09/kontrolfreek.jpeg

Decided to take them off as I was seething that I kept hooking my swings and instantly my swings tightened up.

[Disco]

I'm bored now I've finished Divinity, contemplating trying to get into Rome 2 or getting Factorio. Pillars of Eternity is tempting but another sprawling rpg might be a bit much, plus it's still £35 (on Steam at least).

[Ian]

Under £20 on Amazon for a hard copy, I think.

Best use of the Poochiemobile (I wish the random goons would find ANYTHING else to talk about) so far when Bats gets a dude to give him information by threatening to reverse it over his head.

[Disco]

I'm not doing physical media anymore, there isn't even a dvd drive on this computer, so I'm happy to wait for it be on sale sometime. I'll probably plump for Factorio which looks tremendously complex but appeals to my OCD.

[Ian]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/21/eve-online-world-war-bee-mittani/

I bloody love reading about EVE shit. No interest in playing it but these things are interesting to read about. Especially when you see some of the 'real world values' involved, if those are accurate (I don't really care, it spices up the yarn.)

[phonics]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/21/eve-online-world-war-bee-mittani/

I bloody love reading about EVE shit. No interest in playing it but these things are interesting to read about. Especially when you see some of the 'real world values' involved, if those are accurate (I don't really care, it spices up the yarn.)

You should get the EVE history book. It's a bit out of date but it's amazeballs

http://empiresofeve.com/

[Shindig]

No explanation needed.

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/scale_super/18/183349/2844281-the+mimic+didn%27t+kill+him.gif

[Disco]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/21/eve-online-world-war-bee-mittani/

I bloody love reading about EVE shit. No interest in playing it but these things are interesting to read about. Especially when you see some of the 'real world values' involved, if those are accurate (I don't really care, it spices up the yarn.)

I read that yesterday, one of the comments summed it up perfectly 'Eve is the greatest game I will never play'.

I do like the sound of this banker chap though, he basically just decided to start a galaxy wide war to spice up his evenings because being a DOD contractor all day wasn't scratching that 'power broker' itch quite enough.

[Disco]

Well, Rome 2 locks up every time I try to load a battle and I'm still trying to work out Factorio properly so I'm going to see how the old DayZ mod is these days. I hear good things and it can hardly be worse than Standalone.

[Disco]

Surprised at how many servers there still are with reasonable numbers of players on them. Still some people insist on sniping from tall buildings like absolute chumps, nailed two in Berezino within about half an hour then had my legs broken by a single zombie. Just like old times :cool:

[Ian]

The incessant blathering about the Poochiemobile aside I really am enjoying Arkham Knight. There is an element of "How the fuck did you get out of these situations before you had a magic tank, dickhead?" about it and the races and drone battles are excruciating. I like it as a means of travel though and I don't mind the chases.

[Dark Soldier]

Back on The Golf Club after a month. Finished -26 for this week's Euro tournament after one round of practice after the hiatus. Leader is -53 lol.

Rusty as fuck right now.

[Dark Soldier]

Playing a tournament at one of the hardest courses in The Golf Club:

https://www.twitch.tv/darksoldierm8

[Yevrah]

http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/gears-of-war/news/a792026/the-gears-of-war-4-season-pass-will-set-you-back-a-whopping-40-quid/

rofl.

http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/call-of-duty/news/a792178/it-looks-like-that-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-remake-is-actually-happening/

:alan:

[Raoul Duke]

I always thought Gears Of War was total bobbins. Never got into it.

[Yevrah]

Yep, the first was shite.

[phonics]

They're all doing the 40 quid season pass now. Battlefront doubled the normal price and now they're all doing it because people buy them like fucking cock monkeys.

[Ian]

Those two Poochiemobile fights against the Arkham Knight I just did were excruciating.

The one against the Cobra tanks and then taking the Cloudburst tank out was.... not perfect, but it was better (if slightly more drawn out) than the one against the excavator, which relies on the Batmobile's wonky controls when you go around the walls of a tunnel. I knew there was going to be a spare one but I was crossing my fingers when it appeared to get destroyed.

[Patje]

The incessant blathering about the Poochiemobile aside I really am enjoying Arkham Knight. There is an element of "How the fuck did you get out of these situations before you had a magic tank, dickhead?" about it and the races and drone battles are excruciating. I like it as a means of travel though and I don't mind the chases.

I never had any issue with the Battank. Then again, I'm one of those persons that never had any issue with the Mako in ME either.

[Disco]

They're all doing the 40 quid season pass now. Battlefront doubled the normal price and now they're all doing it because people buy them like fucking cock monkeys.

It's awful isn't it, even worse than pre-ordering which is already the domain of the mentally ill.

[Ian]

I never had any issue with the Battank. Then again, I'm one of those persons that never had any issue with the Mako in ME either.

I would say I am generally, marginally, in favour. The Riddler tracks are balls, when you have to get back to rooftops to pick up the odd trophy it's a pain in the hole, the battles against the tanks are tedious and it being the solution to so many issues is a bit rubbish.

On the plus side, the controls of it are generally spot-on and feel nice and weighty, I quite enjoy chasing down APCs and I like having the option of that or gliding and still being able to travel quick;ly.

The Mako. :sick:

[Shindig]

The Magic Circle got played today. It's a decent game about games that I warmed to a little bit after being turned off by the one-note characters. Why it needed you to build a demo at the end was beyond me, though.

[Disco]

Something about Relic and their handling of 40k never fails to give me a nerd-stiffy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9-c1EYG7wg

[Raoul Duke]

I really hope that's more DOW I than II. I loved the base-building aspect of the first game and played them to death, but the second just didn't do it for me.

[Disco]

I mostly agree, although I did enjoy some of the smaller squad based stuff in 2. Perhaps they could mix the two up and have both large and small scale engagements. Dark Crusade was the peak of the series for me, sunk many many hours into that across all the different races.

[Raoul Duke]

I loved playing as Space Marines in it. Whirlwinds :drool:

I was never that into the newer races they put into it in the later expansions as I didn't really have any knowledge of them from my time as a kid reading White Dwarf/painting models etc.

I basically just love Command & Conquer-style games.

[Baz]

I basically just love Command & Conquer-style games.Have you checked out 8-Bit Armies?

[Raoul Duke]

Have you checked out 8-Bit Armies?

Not heard of it, but seems ok. Reviews seem a bit mixed. You played it?

[Baz]

Not heard of it, but seems ok. Reviews seem a bit mixed. You played it?No, I didn't fancy it. Meant to be good though.

[Disco]

I loved playing as Space Marines in it. Whirlwinds :drool:

I was never that into the newer races they put into it in the later expansions as I didn't really have any knowledge of them from my time as a kid reading White Dwarf/painting models etc.

I basically just love Command & Conquer-style games.

Necrons and Chaos Marines were my jam, nothing quite like an indomitable horde or zombie robots marching across the map. Guard were fun too, heck they were all fun in their own ways, I hope this new one returns a little bit of that individuality and differing play styles.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7nRTF2SowQ

That looks seriously good.

Donning people on horseback :drool: My word.

[Disco]

I was not interested before. I am interested now.

Third Hard Battalion?

[Ian]

Apparently Arkham Knight adheres to the Footballing Platitudes Rule of Percentages because I have supposedly completed 117% of the game.

[Ian]

So that ending to Arkham Knight was a bit bollocks, which is a shame because it probably had the strongest main story of any of the Arkham games.

EDIT: Maybe not the strongest, but I think it's about par with Asylum. The signposting of Arkham Knight's identity and then the wonky ending weren't great but then the ending of Asylum wasn't amazing either.

[Shindig]

It can't top The Bodyguard ending of City. I fancy playing through Gears of War. Even if it's just to tear me away from Dark Souls.

[Cord]

What weren't you keen about with the ending Welbs?

I seem to remember quite liking it, though it is a bit cut-scene heavy rather than the player actually getting to do much themselves. I think I mainly like it because it's 20 blessed minutes the shithousemobile can't intrude upon.

[Ian]

A bit cut-scene heavy and

the ambiguous post-Knightfall Protocol bit with the fear toxin-y Batman thing attacking the muggers. If it's to be Rocksteady's last Batman game then just let them finish it with a clear, non cliffhanger-ish nonsense ending.

I also got bored of that Joker bit with the Batman statues pretty quickly as well which is a shame because examining what the Joker might be scared of before that was pretty swish.

When I got the season pass for cheap it included the "Arkham Episodes", one if which is Robin tracking down Two-Face with Barbare in his ear. I quite enjoyed that. The Nightwing one was good too even though it was super easy. I'd be up for them having somebody do a sequel with a non-Bruce Batman. Maybe do what they did in the comics and mix up the Batman/Robin dynamic a bit by having Dick Grayson as a somewhat less grumpy Batman and then somebody as Robin being more serious about shit.

[Patje]

Alright. We're remodeling our house, so I've decided to use this moment to get rid of my desktop. It's 9 years old, has been having trouble (slow, sometimes blue screens) for a good year now. But as I do my main gaming on the 360, ps4 and ipad, I had no real need to replace it. Having to pack it anyway now was just the right excuse I needed.

My wife also recently bought a new laptop, as her previous one locked up hard (wouldn't even boot to Windows). The thing is 1,5 year old and more than good enough. I did get it to work, formatted it and reinstalled Windows and the thing works like a charm again. So now it's mine!

Anyway, first thing I did after I prepped it was the purchase of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth + Afterbirth. I also reinstalled EU3 and I'm now looking at Vicky 2 and CK2. Regarding the latter, what expansions are a real must have?

[Disco]

Oh god there are so many, they do fall into a few groups though.

Some open up other factions/religions to play; Sword of Islam and Sons of Abraham are pretty self explanatory, Republic opens up Merchant kingdoms like Venice. Then there's map/timeline expansions like Rajas of India and Old Gods. For those it's a matter of taste as to which areas/factions you might find interesting.

Most of the rest are things like song packs, unit skins and various bits and bobs that make different factions actually look and sound different. Obviously none of these are vital but they are pretty good (the music especially). If you get a couple of expansions it might be worth getting the corresponding 'flavour' add ons as they really do ad a surprising amount.

[Raoul Duke]

There's probably a cheap 'megapack' for it now that pretty much includes everything?

[Raoul Duke]

Also - Paradox's new one is out today: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/09/stellaris-review-pc/ - Stellaris

[Patje]

I'm mostly interested in real expansions. Songs, units and such may add flavor, but that's for after. With EU3 I added those through modding.

I'm very interested in more factions/more timeline/more religious crap. Somehow I get the feeling that CK2 is going to be a money drain. :D

[Patje]

Also - Paradox's new one is out today: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/09/stellaris-review-pc/ - Stellaris

It's in my wishlist. :D

[Patje]

There's probably a cheap 'megapack' for it now that pretty much includes everything?

On Steam there is a megapack for € 145,-. That is too much. :D
I'll just have a good look at all the expansions. With EU3 I only got Napoleons Ambition and In Nomine. The other two just weren't what I want in EU. At least back then.

[Trancemeister]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBf6WBatk0

[Shindig]

Wait a minute. DarkSydePhil actually wanked on camera? THE FUCK!?

[phonics]

Shinners, I like you but you're weirdly obsessed with a quite minor youtuber. It took me multiple rounds of googling before I even found who you were talking about for a while.

[Shindig]

I like laughing at the disabled ... and I no longer find myself funny. I dunno, I kinda find how he plays games fascinating. And he did used to be more popular but his personality has rightly turned a lot of people off. Slowbeef calls him the car crash he can't look away from.

[Disco]

That's where I've heard the name, old Retsupuraes.

[wullie]

Uncharted 4 is so good looking I want to buy it flowers and chocolates.

[Ian]

So why did they render the TV trailer in the Uncharted 2 engine?

An exaggeration but in the trailer I saw the other day it didn't look anything special.

[Shindig]

Giant Bomb's Quick Look made it seem really nice. I'm still kinda done with Uncharted, though.

[wullie]

I've unlocked cartoon mode already

http://i.imgur.com/Iwgj5wJ.jpg

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://wccftech.com/uncharted-4-amazing-gameplay/

It really does look stunning.

I never completed 3 though, I'm wondering if I should buy it and finish it first though.

[wullie]

All done. It refines the previous games but doesn't stray too far so it won't convert anyone that didn't get on with the previous games. I love all the ridiculous jumpin' and shootin' and globetrottin' and wise crackin' so I was a little surprised to find I'd played it for 14 hours by the end, I don't think I've played most of my other games for that long having had them for months.

One of the things I particularly liked over the other games is the complete lack of supernatural bullshit or fantasy beasties showing up near the end, you're just against dickheads. No magic apart from everyone being able to leap across canyons by their fingernails

More poncy shots

Spoilery Easter Egg of sorts:
http://i.imgur.com/ZeRv9ag.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5SFPXhv.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/oHxXjct.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ml1xERW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xLSVbCc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZeTKbJa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NiAwxI4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MbAZ1Ri.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1CHWRgW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7we6ewn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/J17cH3p.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Om58P0x.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vWEPFYb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XaEnFTn.jpg

[Shindig]

I may get round to it although I'm wary that It'll start to outstay its welcome.

[Raoul Duke]

The Giant Bomb QL was pretty good, so I'm upgrading this to a definite. Looks like it'd be a blast.

[Pleb]

So the Doom remake is actually very good with a surprisingly good campaign so far.

I haven't tried multiplayer yet. Knowing my luck it will probably lag a lot :rosebud:

[Ian]

Doom looks fun but probably not for me given I'm not much cop at a shooter as pure as that looks.

Meanwhile:
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/17/wot-i-think-homefront-the-revolution/

I'll probably get this during a sale at some point but it's one I hope does well enough financially for them to get another crack at it, based on the review.

[Disco]

I read that Homefront review this morning and I'm oddly tempted by it.

[P_3]

I don't know why, but I've just made a start on Dark Souls. I've been sat on the character creation screen deliberating what class and what gift to take.

[Shindig]

It does not matter. Although the Knight does start with a 100% physical shield. I'm curious to see how Homefront does. I've heard no hype for it but maybe that's more down to the project being someone else's baby.

[Dark Soldier]

Got 5th on the Euro tours on The Golf Club last week. World number 90 get in lads :groove:

[P_3]

Capra/Carpa demon is a cunt. Barely had time to work out what was going on and the cunt has fucked me up with his big ass axes and pet dogs.

[Shindig]

Its like fighting an elephant in a biscuit tin. With a staircase.

[P_3]

Killed the bugger. Had to grind a bit to get enough Strength to use the Drakesword, but got there in the end. Cleared out the majority of the sewers and have come across a fog door which, messages on the ground are telling me, leads to a dragon. Fuck's sake, I'm not ready for this shit. :panda:

[7om]

Got 5th on the Euro tours on The Golf Club last week. World number 90 get in lads :groove:

Golf Club is less than $5 on PSN right now, DS. I take it you highly recommend it? Is the learning curve steep?

[Dark Soldier]

Very steep if you don't seek out knowledge aye. You can play a good round without knowing most of the mechanics and math but to get good will take months. If you want to play the odd round and score well, Rory is probably better despite it being shite. Depends how into golf games you are.

It has a real sense of progression though, and I'm free for a round or two the next couple of days.

If you do get it, this should be your first stop: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aLqTCfuGEoHaUgYP5i6pa6OKMn9GP1p_C_rteWb1s8E/edit#gid=0

[7om]

Holy shit.

Yeah not sure I have the time for that.

[Dark Soldier]

:groove: It isn't for everyone, its a golf simulator essentially. I just love me some golf videogames, despite having no interest in the real sport.

[Ian]

Like the sound of this:
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/23/duskers-review/#more-368139

[Shindig]

Suddenly got the urge to play Timesplitters 2.

[Ian]

I enjoyed Future Perfect a lot too.

A pity Crytek never got their crack at keeping the series going with TS4.

[Shindig]

They'd only ruin it.

[Shindig]

Word of advice to those looking at buying Lumo. Only purchase if you really liked those isometric puzzle games from the 80s. Eurogamer fucking love it, glossing over the fact that the perspective really works against it.

[Baz]

I've noticed DC is often playing The Banner Saga, and the sequel came out not long ago. Looked at a few screenshots and it looks okay. Anyone here played it?

[Shindig]

Timesplitters 2 has reaffirmed my belief that I can never play another FPS due to motion sickness. 2 missions to go.

[Ian]

I've noticed DC is often playing The Banner Saga, and the sequel came out not long ago. Looked at a few screenshots and it looks okay. Anyone here played it?

I have and enjoyed it a lot. The combat is occasionally a bit of a chore but I'll definitely be getting the sequel at some point.

[Disco]

I've noticed DC is often playing The Banner Saga, and the sequel came out not long ago. Looked at a few screenshots and it looks okay. Anyone here played it?

The general opinion seems to be that the story is great but the combat (while not broken or bad in any way) becomes quite repetitive.

[Dan]

I played the opening hour of it a few weeks ago, and I can see that being the case. My initial, albeit very limited, impressions were that it looks amazing and the battle system is a nice twist on turn-based combat, but it also feels a bit crowded & difficult to use during combat phases as there's so much stuff on the screen.

Will absolutely play it some more though.

[Boydy]

Finished the main storyline of GTA V yesterday. Don't think I've enjoyed a GTA game that much since Vice City.

Bought Metal Gear Solid V on Steam today for £17.49.

[phonics]

Outside of that terrible first hour and a half, I might just say it's the best game of all time. Top 5 at least.

[Boydy]

GTA or MGS?

[Disco]

Lol if it's MGS.

[Shindig]

MGSV is almost the most game anything can be, to be fair.

[Disco]

It has a story by Hideo Kojima, that immediately disqualifies it.

[Shindig]

Its Kojima under time and money constraints, though.

[Disco]

All the other games must have been under the same constraints then (with the possible exception of 3).

[phonics]

The story is bollocks but who cares, it barely even exists outside 3 cutscenes that are skippable, I fired a rocket from the side of a horse to kill an enemy I'd chased half way across Afghanistan.

Every mission is so dynamic and can be completed a million ways. It's an incredible feat of design and should be respected as so.