What is the last video game you played?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

29 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

Just looked it up after you mentioned it. Sounds awesome! Apparently some people didn't like the gameplay, what was your feelings on it?

It’s straightforward and a means to tell the story. Typical light attack, heavy attack, dodge, and block swordplay. It can be challenging at times but that’s because of the enemy types. It’s by no means bad. I was properly nervewrecked when I first played it because at the time no one knew the permadeath was a trick. 

[Holko 9,491]

Hellblade is awesome. Make sure to use good headphones, not speakers, the sound is about 2/3 of the experience!

[Quintus 5,399]

I think Hellblade was a GOTY for quite a lot of gamers, I've certainly been looking to play it after regularly noticing the strong word of mouth on the forums and in the comments sections online. I'll wait for it to be reduced to £4.99 though, because there's no rush.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/

 

[Jay 37,271]

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG e3 demo footage!!

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I made it to the final boss of Gato Roboto last night, which I'll probably beat tonight.  I really like this game.  The only kind of Metroidvania I enjoy are bite-sized ones (sub 10 hours).  See also Xeodrifter, a game I love.  It's why I'll probably never play Hollow Knight, even though it's a masterpiece by all accounts.  I love these exploratory action sidescrollers but they just can't hold my attention for 40+ hours.  Never forget that the urtext of the modern genre, Super Metroid, the game that codified the conventions, was a 10 hour game.

 

Gato Roboto isn't strictly a true Metroidvania with how linear it is, but it has a lot of the trappings, and I feel like I had a whole, fun experience in my time with it.  The art and sound design are excellent.

 

It's also available on PC, but I played on Switch of course.

[Jay 37,271]

Yea I'm mildly interested in that game. It looks cute!

 

One of the NXPress guys had talked about it in the last two episodes. Took him 4 hours to beat it the first time, and only 2 the second time. He said he thought the parts where you are out of the mech suit weren't as fun and went on too long.  What do you think?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

One of the NXPress guys had talked about it in the last two episodes. Took him 4 hours to beat it the first time, and only 2 the second time. He said he thought the parts where you are out of the mech suit weren't as fun and went on too long.  What do you think?

 

It's taken me 5 hours to get to the boss, but I'm probably just not as good at games as him!  There was one boss fight in particularly, an underwater one, that took me at least 20 tries to beat.  I almost walked away from the game actually.  But it improved greatly from there.  As is normal for the genre, and what I love most about these games, it actually gets easier as it goes on as you gain more abilities.  Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is one of my favorite Metroidvanias from that perspective: I felt like such a badass by the end of that one.

 

There's only one section of the game where you're out of the mech suit for extended periods, and it was actually probably my favorite part!  It made the platforming much trickier and each room becomes like a little puzzle to avoid enemies since you don't have a weapon.

[Jay 37,271]

Yea Hollow Knight is taking me longer than what people on podcasts talked about too, and I've realized I'm not not as good at games as them, probably largely because I don't get to play as often and these guys all play 40+ hours a week every week or whatever.

 

I liked the part in Metroid: Zero Mission where you lose the suit and have to crawl around as Samus exposed for a while, it was a nice challenge and a nice mixup.  

[Jay 37,271]

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG treehouse footage!!!

 

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

The Castletroid game I'm looking forward to: 

 

 

 

 

Also, I'm embarrassed to say I'm actually kind of looking forward to the new Ghost Recon game coming out.

[Jay 37,271]

Oh yea, the one where you play as the monster, I heard about that one.  Interesting.

 

Do you like/hate metroidvanias in general?  Have you played Steamworld Dig 2?

[Nick Parker 3,040]

4 hours ago, Jay said:

Oh yea, the one where you play as the monster, I heard about that one.  Interesting.

 

Do you like/hate metroidvanias in general?  Have you played Steamworld Dig 2?

 

I don't know how to say this without coming off as a pretentious or maybe even self-contradicting douche, so I'll just say it:

 

I love the idea of them, the Metroid series being some of my favorite games, and there's definitely a certain set appeal that comes from that base system of mechanics. There's a formula there.

 

Some of these ones that have really come out in the last decade seem to veer _very_ close to that territory, though, usually with this kind of buzz surrounding it: "It's an homage and a love letter to Super Metroid, but in many ways it _surpasses_ it!" I think I remember seeing that stuff a lot especially with games such as Axiom Verge. Bottom line, that attitude and trend is one I've noticed in all kinds of media, and frankly it's a trend that bothers and irritates me, so I really don't do much with anything in that vein, even if the game is probably really good.

 

I also can get cynical, especially in an age where it seems like everyone is an analytical expert on the fundamentals of ins and outs of any media, on how much people deliberately capitalize on that aforementioned formula--particularly on the indie side, if that makes sense. I mean, I know that literally every game developer needs to meticulously consider that stuff at practically every moment of development, but there's a certain...type of calculatedness that can happen that really rubs me the wrong way. (Spielberg is a great example of someone who is very manipulative, but feels very earnest and sincere about what he's doing, and almost always transcends that feeling for me.)

 

So short answer, I don't play a lot of games with that formula. The ones I've played and enjoyed are some of the post Symphony of the Night Castlevania games--aided in part by an absolutely bitchin' atmosphere and aesthetic--ans Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, one of my absolute favorites. 

 

I realize I was very roundabout, but did what I say make sense? 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The only metroidvania’s I’ve ever really played are the ones made by Drinkbox, and they’re great!

[Quintus 5,399]

Playing through Borderlands 2 again courtesy of PS+ this month (I never finished it all those years ago on the Xbox 360), it's really impressive how well it's held up, nine years later. Mind you, the 4K texture back and really superb HDR implementation make a huge difference. The art style of these games almost seems tailor made to make the most out of the tech, it's that well retrofitted to the graphics here.

 

The shoot and loot loop is still devilishly addictive as it ever was. Little wonder action games like Destiny and the Division did so well after having their groundwork laid out for them by Borderlands years before.

 

Did you ever play this KM? It'd currently free on PSN.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I’ve started that game over so many times but have never been able to finish it. It has the terrible design choice of fucking you over if you’re not the same level as your co-op players. 

[Quintus 5,399]

I have only ever played Borderlands solo, I switch the networking to offline in the game settings. Co-op was nowhere near as robust as it needed to be, but then again this is also from 2012, before Destiny made the shared world shooter genre a thing proper.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

It’s why I’m looking forward to 3 so much, because this franchise has skipped nearly an entire generation. All the open world and loot based mechanics should improve greatly. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

I’m finally playing Hollow Knight!

No idea where to go, but eh, I already like just running around aimlessly seeing what I can came across. I ran into a boss that kicked my ass at first, to a point where I assumed maybe I’m too early and weak into the game to possibly stand a chance against this chump. But with precise enough timing, I took him to the cleaners and rescued an adorable caterpillar! 

[King Mark 3,624]

yes,I finished Borderlands 1 and 2 on the xbox360

[Jay 37,271]

Yea rescuing the grubs is fun and there's a sweet reward when you rescue them all. 

 

If you head due left from where you drop in from the town, you can find the grub father! 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Just discovered a bridge constructor puzzle game with a Portal skin. Great little game that makes me pine for a Portal 3. 

[King Mark 3,624]

Just finished Outcast Second Contract .it's  actually a good games despite the outdated gameplay. The re-made HD graphics aren't as bad as I said earlier but everything else is straight out of 1999. Like your missing a piece of something to solve a puzzle and keep wondering if it's a bug, or things not spawning properly because you did things a bit out of order 

[King Mark 3,624]

ok  now another game before I finally play FFXV

 

God Eater 3.  KInd of anime Monster Hunter

 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

This game is so chill, man, 

[Jay 37,271]

Yea it can be

[Quintus 5,399]

The Nintendo system has no native screenshot feature?

[Jay 37,271]

It absolutely does. Kasey is choosing to take pictures of his TV instead. 

[Quintus 5,399]

Ah okay.

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

...oh, right. I always forget the PS4 can do that. 

[Jay 37,271]

The PS4 and the Switch both can

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

I don’t have a Switch, so who cares.  

[Jay 37,271]

Oh that's right, you're playing Hollow Knight on PS4.

[Jay 37,271]

Hey this is pretty dang cool

 

 

[Jay 37,271]

Any JWFanners playing, or planning to play, BLOODSTAINED: RITUAL OF THE NIGHT?

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

20 minutes ago, Jay said:

Any JWFanners playing, or planning to play, BLOODSTAINED: RITUAL OF THE NIGHT?

I might! I'm in no hurry to add to my "games I own and haven't played yet" list, but Bloodstained indeed sounds kewl (and I have no nostalgia, affinity or knowledge of the Castlevania games it's a successor to, I'm just here to play as a cute girl slaying demons). 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

22 minutes ago, Jay said:

Any JWFanners playing, or planning to play, BLOODSTAINED: RITUAL OF THE NIGHT?

I’ll pick it up when it’s on sale. $40 is too much for me for that type of game. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,343]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

Oh that's right, you're playing Hollow Knight on PS4.

It's the KH3 machine.

 

[Jay 37,271]

8 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I’ll pick it up when it’s on sale. $40 is too much for me for that type of game. 

 

That was kinda my thought too

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Yeah, mine as well. It's another one of those "Spiritual Successor"TM games, but at least the director was actually one of the instrumental people behind Castlevania's success, if I remember correctly. 

 

Who did the music, Michiru Yamane?

[Jay 37,271]

Yes

[Holko 9,491]

EA: They’re not loot boxes, they’re “surprise mechanics,” and they’re “quite ethical”

 

You can't make this shit up!

[Jay 37,271]

lol

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Guys help me, I'm trapped in the immersive, tens of hundreds  of hours, 100+ USD world of Kinder Eggs, Nestle Wonder Balls, and Cracker Jack prizes!...I need help.  

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I’m not opposed to loot boxes and micro transactions in general, as long as they are cosmetic and don’t alter the gameplay. How Ubisoft is now implementing them into single player games is really atrocious. Make the game so drawn out and huge to incentivize microtransactions that give you XP boosts and location maps to help you progress faster in the story. 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

3 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I’m not opposed to loot boxes and micro transactions in general, as long as they are cosmetic and don’t alter the gameplay. How Ubisoft is now implementing them into single player games is really atrocious. Make the game so drawn out and huge to incentivize microtransactions that give you XP boosts and location maps to help you progress faster in the story. 

 

 

You wouldn't know if the last Ghost Recon did that, would you? I'm looking forward to the new one coming out, but I don't want to deal with that stuff.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I don’t think Wildlands was like that; but AC Odyssey certainly is. I think it’s the biggest open world game I’ve ever seen or played. The XP drip is so low and you can’t progress in the story until you reach certain levels, forcing you to grind open world objectives until you’re a high enough level to progress. Oh what’s this? I can pay real money to earn XP faster? It’s a case where the game was intentionally made boring to monetize it further. Crazy times!

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Stop bitching, Ubisoft is providing you with a service! 

[Holko 9,491]

I 100%ed it without an additional cent and kinda like that it sends you off (on an... odyssey) to explore all those places with their own little stories, but I'm a clinical completionist, so...

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Very, _very_ seldom do I 100% a game. Usually the things you need to do that aren't enjoyable enough on their own merit, and I don't care about Achievements or costumes or crap like that. And if you do get something cool, you're already at 100%! What are you gonna do with it? 

 

I go with what I feel is satisfactory, complete the game, then end credits, emphasis on that first word. 

 

For you is it a satisfaction with knowing you've explored every inch of the game so to speak?

[Holko 9,491]

Once I own it for real and like it enough not to put it down, I usually just feel somewhat obligated to explore and experience as much as possible from what it has to offer.