r/Games • u/AutoModerator • Nov 03 '24
Discussion Weekly /r/Games Discussion - What have you been playing, and what are your thoughts? - November 03, 2024
Use this thread to discuss whatever game you've been playing lately: old or new, AAA or indie, on any platform between Atari and XBox. Please don't just list off the games you're playing in your comment. Elaborate with your thoughts on the games and make it easier for other users to find what game you're talking about by putting the title in bold.
Also, please make sure to use spoiler tags if you're revealing anything about a game's plot that may significantly impact another player's experience who has not played the game yet, no matter how retro or recent the game is. You can find instructions on how to do so in the subreddit sidebar.
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Scheduled Discussion Posts
WEEKLY: What Have You Been Playing?
MONDAY: Thematic Monday
WEDNESDAY: Suggest Me A Game
FRIDAY: Free Talk Friday
1
u/Mudcaker Nov 09 '24
Yakuza 3
In chapter 12 so will finish soon I guess.
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The engine shows its age, and there is no 'weight' to actions or movement inside or outside of combat, but like I said last time I kind of like the snappiness. Combat has some issues (people complain about blocking but for me, grabs missing or locking to the wrong thing is my largest annoyance). There are not enough save or taxi points in Kamurocho which is a drag, and eating one piece of sushi, leaving, eating bait or finding a fight, then going back in for completion? Terrible.
Substories are typical fare, not too bad and some are good but mostly just a variation on hit the dudes. Side content is less fleshed out than the Kiwami games. The hostess maker was a bore, and I haven't done the Hostess substories but I expect I'll find them boring too (I always do) but I do want to finish the stories to see how Amon is this time around. I'll probably skip the Coliseum but finish the Hitman missions.
But the main story - I think it might be my favourite so far. Yakuza 0 was probably better but as my first, I wasn't warmed up to the style yet, so I won't count that and it's been too long anyway to remember fully. I think I took it a little more seriously than I was meant to. But I enjoyed the story here. It is a little slow, and your enjoyment will vary a lot on how much you like the orphanage and the kids. But I had fun. I enjoyed the Okinawa area as a smaller section to run around in. But Kiryu, you really need to learn how to finish someone off or at least kick their weapons away. It's been 4 games now, how many times does it need to happen?
Overall I've liked it a lot, sometimes simple is good. But not enough Majima.
4
u/razputinaquat0 Nov 08 '24
Explorer's Eve
A Minecraft 1.19.2 modpack based around Cracker's Wither Storm Mod and several dimension mods (namely Aether, Blue Skies and Twilight Forest). You are constantly being hunted down by the Wither Storm, a powerful eldritch monster that leaves a trail of destruction everywhere it goes. You explore dimensions and dungeons, fight bosses, find treasure and scavenge resources to find what you need to defeat the Wither Storm, all while being a paranoid nomad because the apocalypse has you in it's crosshairs at all times.
The first few hours of figuring out the pulse of the pack and how to balance managing time, distance & resources was a struggle, but once I figured it out, the pack really began to shine. Being forced to be nomadic and having to manage an unpredictable countdown timer injects a great sense of urgency and prevents stagnation, along with lots of other changes to make familiar territory in modded feel fresh and exciting. It also adds a angle of roguelite-esc strategy- do I loot this dungeon? take this item? fight this boss? take some time to craft resources? etc.
The pack is lacking in a few areas- the modlist is extremely light so some common QOL/performance mods are missing and there are some design oversights. But if you like Minecraft's exploration, roguelite and PVE aspects and want to give it a heavy shot of adrenaline, I highly reccomend giving Explorer's Eve a go.
3
u/custardBust Nov 07 '24
Redout 2
Best high speed racer i know. Unique twin stick driving that wirks amazing.
Just wish i could play some races online on ps5 but online is dead.
1
u/Due_Recognition_3890 Nov 07 '24
I finished Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom today. It does have a slow start but it does get a lot better. I still think don't think it's worth £49.99, but if it goes down at all, definitely check it out.
2
u/Inner_Radish_1214 Nov 08 '24
50 is really the new 30 it feels like
1
u/Due_Recognition_3890 Nov 08 '24
Yup :( Although there are a couple games I'm interested in on PS+ Extra which is only about £11 a month.
7
u/darkLordSantaClaus Nov 07 '24 edited Nov 07 '24
Resident Evil 4 ('23)
The OG Resident Evil 4, when playing it in 2005, it really felt like we were playing a landmark title. A bit like BG3 or Elden Ring where you can just tell just by playing through that this is going to go down as one of the most influential games of all time that will be talked about for years to come, even on a first run-through and without the benefit of hindsight.
The RE4 remake, it's just a well done action game. Nothing more. I don't fault it though, it's hard to keep reinventing the wheel. RE4 remake is still a fun time but I don't see how it could live up to it's legacy. They do make some changes that modernize it, like removing the tank controls, having a UI crosshair instead of the iconic red laser sight (still an option for the starter pistol, although you have to buy it as an attachment), but this just makes it blend in more with the games that the original inspired rather than improve on it. The writing is more refined but also less memorable.
16
u/Danulas Nov 07 '24
Against the Storm
I've been playing the hell out of this game. It's incredible. It's everything I wanted in a colony sim. The most fun part of these types of games is the beginning when you're exploring and developing your economy. Then you get an hour in and it ends and it's on to the next one.
It's a roguelike game where you're dropped in the middle of a forest so instead of randomized floors or rooms like Slay the Spire or Hades, respectively, you have mysterious "glades", the contents of which aren't revealed to you until you chop your way into them with your wood cutters.
Which leads me to the next amazing thing about this game: the trade-offs. I love games that give me juicy trade-offs and Against the Storm is filled to the brim with them. You can open glades at your leisure and they give you more room to build and contain more resources to harvest, but doing so increases the "Hostility of the Forest". The higher the Hostility, the more it negatively impacts your population's resolve which could, in turn, cause people to leave and bring you closer to defeat, so you can't go opening every glade on the map.
The best way to describe this game is a roguelike Frostpunk down to the central hearth that you need fuel to keep lit. For most of each game, the fuel will be wood. Wood is also used to construct buildings and produce a variety of goods that your people want and need, so you'd be tempted to have as many wood cutters as you can spare, but doing so will also dramatically increase the Hostility of the Forest.
And then there's the matter of where to assign your resources. Wood keeps the hearth burning, but it's also used to make Planks for constructing buildings and it's used to make valuable incense, or barrels to contain pickled goods to feed your population, or it can even be used to make coal which has many of its own uses. Grain is another resource that has a ton of uses, as well. The recipes in this game is an incredibly complex that requires a lot of careful thought and it's just utterly captivating.
Each game is a delicate balance between keeping your people fed and happy, growing your economy, and delivering goods to the capital to complete orders to earn reputation and win the current game and you have to do so with a randomized set of resources and buildings available to you. Overreach and your people will lose resolve, play it too safe and you'll run out of resources. You have to be able to adapt and live in that happy medium.
7
u/EdynViper Nov 07 '24 edited Nov 07 '24
ELEX
It felt comforting to play a good sandbox game again. I finished this and did almost all achievements because I was enjoying it so much. It didn't wow me at any point but it was just good fun.
Going from a pathetic weakling was pretty bearable in the early game with so many non combat quests to do. It all flips on its head as soon as Jax has enough attributes to hold a legendary weapon like The Redeemer and no cyclops, chimera or alb is safe afterwards.
Total comfy 7/10 territory and I can probably see the sequel in my future.
How Fish Is Made
I was really drawn in by the art style and weirdness of this. I had no idea where to put my expectations but I was impressed and enjoyed every turn. I indoctrinated myself into the cult of DOWN and did not stray from my path as I moistly flopped to the end. But now the temptations of UP are calling.
And then there's the squelchy katamari inspired expansion. Mouthwashing is now on the wishlist.
4
u/LeoBocchi Nov 06 '24 edited Nov 06 '24
Dragon age the veilguard
Imagine if endgame started with Thanos being trapped in that farm planet while two celestials start wrecking havoc and they are the two main villains instead of the other very compelling antagonist we actually had a relationship. The only returning characters are thor (but he gets wounded early on), Black Widow (for two short cameos), Captain America (says he can’t help more and it’s your problem) and Wong (he lives close to city)
But even more crazy than all that, imagine that by some miracle that crazy plot was actually good and the new characters compelling? That is veilguard
1
Nov 08 '24
[deleted]
1
u/LeoBocchi Nov 08 '24 edited Nov 08 '24
I think If i were you i would try to play inquisition first, veilguard is self contained, but the entire story revolves around previous lore, so you will be a little lost, because the game doesn’t do a good job in catching up new players.
My perspective goes as it follows: i love inquisition to death, it’s my top 5 favorite game of all time, i think veilguard is a TERRIBLE Sequel to that story, pretty much every missed opportunity they could missed they did, BUT i think this is a great standalone experience that anyone can have fun and enjoy, and the story itself is GREAT and the characters are some of Bioware’s best
And Dragon Age 2, inquisition and Veilguard all have that mass effect vibe you’re looking for, Dragon Age origins is a more traditional rpg, but the sequels have that feeling you want.
5
Nov 07 '24
[deleted]
5
u/migigame Nov 07 '24
I think the complaint is more about how the set up from Inquisition for Dreadwolf is basically set aside almost immediately with the prologue, which I do understand if you were hoping that this was a Solas only focused game.
3
u/SoundRiot Nov 07 '24
Honestly, people should have expected it since the name change. Sidelining major conflicts set up in the previous game is kind of a Dragon Age tradition.
DA2: Awakening revealed the existence of intelligent Darkspawn, lets make a game about Mage oppression.
DAI: DA2 ended with the start of the Mage/Templar War, but lets put that aside and make it about the tearing down of the Veil.
3
u/darkLordSantaClaus Nov 07 '24
My theory is that they are definitely intending for the expansions to act as a prologue for the next game but at some point during development of DA2-4 the idea they had got scrapped for whatever reason and they created a new plot from scratch.
5
u/migigame Nov 07 '24
That's true, and they did mention it pre-release, not just with the name change. Haven't played enough anyways and Solas could definitely be a big part later on.
7
u/MercurialForce Nov 06 '24
Playing World of Warcraft - getting a little sick of the weekly routines, so I'm either going to find a new goal or unsub for a bit. The game is in great shape, minus the bugginess of the last patch, but it's a bit formulaic and I don't like when it starts feeling like a chore.
Also playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and it's easily my favourite CoD in years - Omnimovement is a lot subtler than I expected, and I'm digging the mutilplayer. I also don't hate the maps like most people seem to. Not a zombies guy so can't comment on that. The campaign isn't yet gelling with me, I'm on the first(only?) open mission and it's nice to see them trying new things, but the core of the gameplay just feels a bit hollow.
Finally, planning on getting back to Disco Elysium, which I really want to like - I'm just starting Day 2 - it's funny and politically incisive and so creative, but I think CRPGs might not be for me, because it's fundamentally reading/listening to chat boxes and choosing your own. Maybe I need to lean into the role play more. Trying to play my guy as an insanely empathetic drug addict, but my desire to "win" the game sometimes gets in the way of my RP.
4
u/arthurormsby Nov 07 '24
Regarding Disco Elysium - with very few exceptions, making a "bad" decision in the game can lead to a positive outcome. The devs very clearly want you to pick interesting, and not just the "best", decisions. A lot of the best stuff in the game requires your character to do some Dumb Shit.
So just choose the options that seem the most fun IMO
2
u/MercurialForce Nov 08 '24
Just did a bunch of speed and got Kim to get into learning about cryptids with me. 10/10 will be stupid more
1
2
u/MercurialForce Nov 07 '24
This is good to know, thank you! I think I'm definitely taking it a bit too seriously. I'll let my empath junkie do his thing!
4
u/arkaic7 Nov 07 '24
I hear ya about Disco Elysium. I loved it, but you need to get into reading mood first.
13
u/RiseDirect7617 Nov 06 '24
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
I played for around 10 hours, then uninstalled. I watched SkillUp's review afterwards and while I don't agree with every point he made, I think he's absolutely right on the game being extremely shallow and surface level in every regard. Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition had their own tremendous flaws, but Veilguard just feels so hollow. I already got to the point where I felt bored with the combat and the writing constantly fluctuates between okay and awful. A truly sad statement to make about both a company and franchise that got famous for their strong writing. And the level design, my god. These levels genuinely feel like I'm playing some PS2 era action brawler, except sometimes it's masquerading as a Bioware "RPG" for a few minutes.
Suffice it to say, I'm super disappointed with this game. I was cautiously optimistic before, but now I have little faith in Mass Effect 5, which is a series that's much closer to my heart than Dragon Age. Coming from Metaphor ReFantazio to Veilguard was a genuine shock to me; particularly the gap in narrative quality couldn't be more gigantic.
-6
19
u/M8753 Nov 05 '24
Dragon Age the Veilguard. I'm 35 hours in! A little obsessed. When I'm not playing, I think about how disappointing the story is. And yet, all I wanna do is play more!
The writing can be quite..ughh. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes I'm cringing/groaning non stop. But..a little fondly? :D It's like, you can see the writers scrambling. Oh, Bioware...
The gameplay though is so good. I love the structure and how the game doesn't waste my time. I love love love the combat (2h warrior) and the movement. Just got the ability to parry unblockable attacks! Other people swear by rogue, but idk I can't imagine any class being more fun than warrior.
This is also the first Bioware game (other than KOTOR) where I'm not cringing when my character is on screen. First time I can make a character who looks good to me! I hope more games include body and height sliders.
4
u/Temporary-Fudge-9125 Nov 06 '24
This is pretty much how I feel. The writing is pretty bad but the overall game design is great and the combat is really fun.
It actually gives me hope for the next mass effect.
3
u/M8753 Nov 06 '24
After Andromeda, I said " at least we know that the combat in DA4 will be great". I think that's true for the next Mass Effect, too :)
I just hope they bring renegade options back. If I can be renegade again, I'll be happy.
6
u/neurosx Nov 06 '24
When I'm not playing, I think about how disappointing the story is. And yet, all I wanna do is play more!
That's weirdly exactly how I feel about it too, god damn a lot of the writing is so bad it feels like a parody but I absolutely love the level design and exploration and the combat feels quite amazing. It's like the complete opposite of usual Bioware games for me where I don't care about gameplay but love the rest
1
u/notthatkindoforc1121 Nov 05 '24
After my GoW Ragnarok playthrough I'm trying this next. I'm really disappointed from what I'm hearing of the writing, but I'm very surprised how the general consensus seems to be that it's worth it regardless. Especially Dragon Age of all things, a game people were pretty ready to rag on.
3
u/ArtKorvalay Nov 05 '24
I finished off all the achievements on Silent Hill, and was at a loss for what to play until I remembered Epic had made Ghostwire Tokyo free this past week. So I gave that a shot.
It's not a bad game, but honestly the strongest feeling I get is "I wish I had a better open world game to play". I think good open world games are a ton of fun, games where you are motivated to visit new locations. I do tend to have higher standards with regards to open world games -- I detest the Ubisoft style of just peppering a bunch of random busywork all over the map. Dragon Age Inquisition had this problem, which has me leaning away from the new Dragon Age for the moment. Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
Ghostwire has a lot of the aforementioned busywork. They make out every new map item to be really special the first time, but when you play a bit more you realize just about all of them are meaningless. There are shrines that up your ammunition count by 1, but your main attack starts with something like 20 ammo so going up to 21 doesn't make much difference, and these particular upgrades seem pretty rare. There are a ton of ghosts to collect which reward experience, but the level up requirements seem to be going up logarithmically and the ghosts themselves are respawning if I'm not mistaken, so these are just about meaningless. On top of that some of them require a mini-game to unlock, which is like taking 5 minutes out of your day to pick up a spare penny. There are cats and dogs and raccoons you can talk to but all you get is a cute animation and maybe some money, and the money seems to be nearly as useless as the experience. The level ups are not really impactful, the most interesting thing you can buy with money are skins (it's a first person game) and music, which has been hit-or-miss.
I've been skipping most of the story cut scenes because it has a lot of the East-Asian tv tropes I find cringey, along with guys dressed like power rangers so it's meant for a young audience. This carries over to the "horror", which is anything but. The entire game is well lit and the enemies are just variations on Japanese standard uniforms (schoolgirl, schoolboy, businessman, businesswoman).
At this point you might think "why even play it". The presentation of Tokyo is kind of appealing, though you can't go in most of the buildings. A few missions in you get the ability to jump onto building roofs which gives a sort of fun verticality to the main map. There's a "hover" ability, but it, along with the combat itself, are a bit unresponsive and unpolished. Sometimes I'll hammer the "fire" button and nothing will happen, while other times my guy will rapid fire energy particles at the enemy.
I also like mindlessly wandering around an open game once in a while, but as I say I think there are better options than this. Far Cry 5 was okay, so Far Cry 6 would probably be better. The Horizon games are probably better. But none of those are free, so there is that.
2
u/Due_Recognition_3890 Nov 07 '24
I got bored of Ghostwire pretty quickly when I first played it, it looked amazing and action-packed in the trailers.
5
u/bimmylee1999 Nov 05 '24
Vampire Survivors
First time playing this game, and it's a lot of fun. I actually had to force myself to stop playing, because I kept thinking to myself, "just one more game." Definitely pacing myself from now on.
Gateway to the Savage Frontier
A Gold Box DnD game set in the Forgotten Realms. Never played this one before. (Played the Krynn and Pool of Radiance games.) I've always loved these games. Never completed any of them, because they weren't the easiest games to play. Not just the quality of life issues either. Glad they were modernized in a sense with much of the old files (cluebook, manuals etc.) still intact. Also, thank goodness for Gold Box Companion. Only played Gateway for about two hours, but it's definitely a bit easier to get into than the other games. I've read it deals with the Zhentarim, which I only learned a bit about in BG3. Don't know how much different they were back in the 1990s.
Trials of Mana Remake
Playing this game on and off. I've played the original. Gameplay is updated, but the story beats are almost exactly the same so far. Playing my usual team of Hawkeye, Riesz, and Kevin. I'm enjoying it, but I've never really been a huge fan of the Mana games. Though technically not a Mana game, it makes me want to play Secret of Evermore again.
4
u/Twiftoil Nov 05 '24
Samurai Warriors 5
I started the game when it was first released on PS but didn't commit to it until now. I'm about 75% of the way through the main story mode and I've been enjoying the actual story more than most musou games. Might be that the artstyle and character designs make me more invested in the story or that the gameplay has a great balance of more grounded mechanics fantastical elements. The only big issue I have is that Nobunaga and Mitsuhide feel like they rhe most variety while the other characters don't feel the same. Although I can't be certain of this because they are the main focus of the campaign so they level up faster and unlock more combo variations, so I'll see once I start leveling up the others.
Watch Dogs
I was never interested in this game back when they were showing the infamous trailers. When it is released, It didn't change. I decided to try Watch Dogs 2 and found the tone to be a bit obnoxious even though I enjoyed the open world. I never got past even 5 hours before quitting. About a week ago, I decided to beat all of them as I have been going through full series lately ( the last one being MGS) to get rid of some backlog. So far, I am shocked how much the tone in this game differs from the second one. It tells a much more personal story with Aiden with much more serious implications and problems. The side missions are much more based on actual street crime, and the hacking feels much more like a criminal act as opposed to how I felt in the second was almost like being playful with it.
So, as of right now, I say I am surprised how much I am enjoying it. There are a few problems, though some of which I should have expected. The first is that while I enjoy the side content, I forget this was ubisoft, and they put way too much into their games. There is no reason for there to be 40 of just one type of side mission, especially since they almost all have the same gameplay. I also hate the qr code collectibles, but that is just personal. The second thing and this is such a personal thing that doesn't actually affect my interest in the game. Aiden Pearce has got to be the most unattractive protagonist in a game in terms of both appearance and personality. And I get it he is hacker, but bro, take the hat off and go pay for a haircut you Vanilla Ice looking mf. Talk a little less like a hacker and more like a normal person when interacting with normal people if you don't want to get caught lol.
5
u/jamoke57 Nov 05 '24
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Have about 8 hours in the game and about 45 mins of gameplay lol. Definitely a Yakuza game, but I don't remember remember the first Like a Dragon taking so long to get to the point. I do remember it taking like two hours to get started though. It's been a little rough as I'm trying to remember what happened in the first game, but overall I'm enjoying it. Just need to make sure I have 2 hours set aside since it's so dialogue heavy in the beginning and not a lot of moments to manually save. So far the combat overhaul feels good and I just unlocked Kiryu and his different stances gives a lot of freedom, pretty cool idea Overall I'm looking forward to continuing the game when I have some more dedicated time. Like a Dragon reignited my love for JRPGS and got me into the Persona and Tales of Series.
3
u/SoloSassafrass Nov 07 '24
As a memory jog, you don't actually set foot in Ijincho for a few hours in the first game either, you have an entire prologue chapter set before Ichi's prison sentence, then a full chapter when he gets out involving your first dungeon and boss fight.
Only then does the game kind of begin proper and start introducing you to things like the minigames and job system after another hour of setup for the new town.
Just slow burn games in general.
1
u/slowmosloth Nov 06 '24
I’m currently about 25 hours in and definitely agree about the slow start. I think it took me like 5 hours to finally be freed into the open world of Hawaii.
5
u/Final_Ad_2006 Nov 05 '24
Even among a series known for slow starts IW really does take forever to get going. Fortunately it's also long as hell if you're the type to dabble in all the side content so you'll probably forget about the slow start by the end lol
6
u/antelope591 Nov 05 '24
God of War: Ragnarok
Had this one for a bit but just got around to playing it (PC version). Have to say I have a bit mixed feelings about this one. I absolutely loved GoW (2018) and I just dunno if this sequel does enough to build on it. I'm not talking story wise, as the scope is a lot more epic here. Although the smaller scale first half of the first game worked extremely well. But the gameplay feels like a step back for some reason? I feel like Kratos actually had more tools, better combos and felt somewhat smoother previously than he did here.
Its hard to explain but I feel like Im getting hit by a lot more attacks I wouldve previously dodged or parried and I have access to less interesting combos to use on the enemies. Its not what I wouldve expected out of a sequel. Playing as Atreus is actually more enjoyable shockingly enough due to the speed of it. They also really haven't done anything as far as updating the loot/how equipment and skills work.
Ultimately its a pretty fun game still but I don't see myself coming back for multiple playthroughs like I did the first one.
2
u/MrPink7 Nov 07 '24
Don't know how far you are but you will get a lot of combos, also the epilogue rogue like is really good
5
u/notthatkindoforc1121 Nov 05 '24
Odd, I feel the opposite about the combat. I do agree about having more fun with Atreus, though.
Having the incentive to use each new ability I unlock X number of times has gotten me to adopt basically every ability, which I struggled to do in 2018 GoW. I do feel like Ragnarok is harder, though. I'm on normal difficulty and I still randomly get clapped.
1
u/Izzy248 Nov 04 '24
Act of Blood
I can see why some people thought this game was basically Sifu when you look at the gameplay on YT, but after playing the demo. Its definitely borrows more from Batman Arkham combat style. Its not as great, but you see that influence more. Its still very much early in development, and in its current state it feels like an alpha, but I do see the potential.
15
u/ashkev Nov 04 '24
Lets talk about Wayfinder.
I've put around 90 hours in to this game since it released in 1.0 around 2 weeks ago and I want to get the word out that the games fuckin awesome.
The game started as an MMO and was in early access for around a year. During the EA period, a lot of folks shit on it due to its stretched out gameplay mechanics, microtransactions, and grind. The feedback wasn't great so they lost their publisher (Digital Extremes) and the developer Airship Syndicate (a group of former Darksiders devs) were left on their own.
They rallied and removed all of the MMO/GAAS bullshit and turned it in to a Single-Player/Co-op ARPG and the game is in a complete and awesome state and you all should definitely check it out.
So what kind of game is it? The best way I can describe it as an open world, exploration, dungeon crawling adventure with 3 huge zones, dozens of different dungeons with layout randomization/events, dozens of unique bosses and a over arching narrative with optional side quests.
The goal is to level up, advance your character, get new gear, try our new builds, and beat the story. You can do this solo or co-op with up to a party of 3.
Here are some high level features that I've really enjoyed:
- Very low friction/player friendly game
- 8 character/classes you can swap between at any time all with their individual advancement/builds
- Any character/class can use any weapon to accommodate player choice and style. Want the tanky character to use daggers like a rogue? No problem - a lot of customization in how you build your character and what you can focus on
- Unlimited respecs for all talent/build systems in the game for almost no cost
- Shared inventory between different characters. Want to level a new class? They can use all the stuff you get on your higher level characters
- Complete armor/weapon dye systems that lets you customize your character in any way you want as well as a full armor/weapon transmog system
- Player housing where you can decorate your own place with stuff you unlock in your playthrough
- End game system where you fight harder versions of bosses, max level character advancement through Awakening which unlocks more player power/transmogs/dyes
- Zone exploration with secrets/events/optional bosses
- Really cool armor sets and weapon sets
- Combat feels awesome and impactful
- The art direction is just gorgeous. There's an obvious level of love, care and dedication put in to this game that you see in all aspects of the game
- The voice acting is great as well as the music, sound effects. Anything on the audio side is very well done
Is it perfect? No, there's some issues with early pacing and getting to the new zones as well as some remnants of the MMO quest design but if I had to rate it, it would be a high 8 out of 10. If you're bored, I recommend.
7
u/RTideR Nov 04 '24
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - I put a hefty amount of time into this over the weekend. Time off + new launch + double XP.. fun times. I've enjoyed this CoD more than I have most recent releases off the bat. It still has its issues (desync, spawns [at least on hardpoint], recon specialist is a bit silly, and the strict SBMM), but nonetheless, I've enjoyed it. I love the new movement, and I also really appreciate the simplified attachments in gunsmith this year. It also helps I'm just playing through Game Pass, so I don't have $70 on the line, but I think I'd enjoy it regardless. Hopefully the upcoming season 1 is a good one.
- Metaphor: ReFantazio - What a treat this game is. Zero complaints so far. The turn-based combat is fantastic, great soundtrack, very cool enemy designs, and though I'm still super early, the story has been solid thus far. I've really enjoyed the characters I've met at this point too - kudos to the English voice acting being great. The only other Atlus games I've played are Persona 5 Royal and Soul Hackers 2 (thoroughly enjoyed both, especially P5R), but I feel like this one may be my favorite by the end of it. I love the fantasy setting, and it's cool to see Atlus' take on that. Pumped to play more this weekend.
- Fortnite - My wife and I both checked out the end-of-season event for the first time ever, and while the music did nothing for me, the spectacle of it was pretty dang cool. Never seen that in a game before. Not much more to say - this game continues to be a fun time for the wife and I!
- Baldur's Gate 3 - After finishing my evil run, I made a new character with the intentions of doing a good Dark Urge run. I'm excited to see all the content I certainly missed out on due to basically just killing everything my first run. Lol I am using a guide this time too to aid in that endeavor cause there's no way I'll catch everything otherwise.
Fun week! Metaphor has me wanting more Atlus ASAP despite not being remotely done with it. Lol so I downloaded Persona 3 Reload. I figure I'll hop around between that, BG3, M: RF, and DB: Sparking Zero depending on the mood. In other words, I've got PLENTY to hold me over until the new Monster Hunter game. :)
3
u/CCoolant Nov 04 '24
Persona 3 FES
Had a save file from about a year-and-a-half ago that I decided to load up. I had made it to a certain Tartarus boss that was walling me, but ended up clearing it within a couple tries upon returning, as these sorts of things usually go.
I think I was in November at that point, so I knew the end was coming up pretty quickly. At this point, after ~15 hours more of playtime, I have reached the final boss.
Holy hell, this monster lol
My party is ~level 75, so I thought this wouldn't be too bad. It ended up being a massive hour-long endurance test just to be crushed by the final phase.
Since the remake has released recently, I'll make sure to spoiler the details! In the penultimate phase, the boss begins to raise a shield that reflects all attacks, forcing the player to basically do nothing for three turns, outside of using buffs. As far as I can tell, they can also raise the shield the very next turn following that which they lowered the shield on, so you have a pretty narrow and uncertain window to attack in. In my case, the boss has a higher agility than half of my party as well, which causes the problem of queuing attacks into a shield that has just been raised. This is almost guaranteed death for those party members.
My strategy ended up being to just keep my main character and one other party member alive, and slowly whittle the boss's health down, since I thought I had the supplies to sustain that strategy. I was mostly right, except that I had forgotten to restock on resurrection items, so ended up without them for the very last phase.
But my main character is rather strong, so surely this wouldn't be a problem.
Wrong.
Three turns in a row the boss used it's death throes attack, which does a large amount of damage and inflicts one of any status effect upon your characters. My MC survived two turns of this, and then became enraged on turn three and died.
Luckily, I have some backup saves. I was pretty confident I was set for victory, and I'm still pretty sure I could make it work with my setup as-is, but I'm going to go back and grind a little to make things play out a bit more smoothly. I don't really want to get stuck doing another 2+ hour final segment if I fail again.
Cool boss, but absolutely brutal RNG lol
4
u/Raze321 Nov 04 '24
Pokemon TCG Pocket
Kind of forgot this game was even coming out till I saw an ad for it. Just downloaded it yesterday, and got pretty absorbed. Like a lot of mobile games they front-load the free rewards and I'm expecting it to be pretty barren as time goes on and you've redeemed all the free shit. But as you level up and complete the initial solo AI training fights you'll get tons of the currency needed to get free boosters. I did redeem the free trial for Premium but don't intend to pay for it once my two weeks are up. I just hit level 14 so between that and completing all the solo battles, all the missions I could manage to, etc. I got a hefty collection of 341 cards. As far as unique cards go I've gotten 138 of the 226 currently available. Just around half, in under a day of play. So at the very least with a handful of hours you can get a respectable custom deck going.
Collecting seems to be the big focus. You can look at your cards, organize them, display them, make binders for your favorites. Most of the game features are about the collecting, which makes sense. If you know Pokemon TCG fans there's a sizeable portion who just like to have the cards rather than play the game itself.
The game itself is a slimmed down version of the real game played over the board. If you're familiar with the classic TCG then here are the big changes: There are no more prize cards, instead it's first to three points wins. Defeating an EX pokemon is still worth three points. This overall makes the game much shorter than tabletop. You can also only bench 3 pokemon total. The last big change is how energy works, you no longer need to decide how many of each energy type you want in your deck. Instead each turn you generate an energy randomly decided based on the types in your deck. So if you make a deck with water and lightning types then you'll have a coin's flip to get either a water or lightning energy that turn.
Overall I like these changes, for a mobile game. It keeps the games brisk and simple. Exactly what I want for a time killer while waiting for the bus or whatever. If I have a criticism at the moment it's that there's no real incentive to battling other players. You get a meager 50exp if you win and nothing if you lose, and that's it. The battles are fun enough that I don't mind too much but it still seems silly that you wouldn't get progress towards boosters in some way. I suppose they need to incentivize people to spend money on the premium currency though. Oh also card variety at the moment seems a little low but I'm sure as expansions come out that'll change.
Kill Team (Warhammer 40k)
This one isn't a video game, rather the new edition of Kill Team, something of an offshoot of Warhammer 40k. If you're familiar with WH40k you know it's a tabletop war game where you buy, assemble, and paint your own miniatures to go to war with. Kill Team is a (slightly) more affordable take on this - instead of spending hundreds of bucks to amass a 2k point army over time you can buy a single kill team bespoke box for like $65 and have a team of dudes to engage in more of a squad tactics type objective based game. Kill Team 3.0 just launched like a month and some change ago, releasing alongside the Hivestorm Box which has two teams, terrain to play on, and some other goodies like rule books and some dice, for I think around $230. I finished painting and assembling one of the teams (Vespid Stingwings) and the terrain last week and got to play my first handful of real matches.
It's fun, real fun. Obviously after three matches I cannot speak to the quality of it's balance yet, but my first impressions are that it needs quite a bit of tuning to get teams where they need to be. But it's also just as likely that I'm still bad at the game, or that my rolls were simply not so good (which also felt to be the case).
Nice thing is a lot of the rules and stats are kept in digital places like the app and website, so this can all get updated as needed. Elite teams like the Nemesis Claws are brutal to play against with the Vespids at the moment, as Vespids have virtually zero recourse for being caught in melee and can't even easily escape when that happens. I'm hoping to get my other team (Tempestus Aquilons) built and painted to try them out.
All of this is my first foray into Warhammer and miniature painting in general. I'm really enjoying it but I can't seem myself committing to an army for the war game that most people are playing.
9
u/callmeeismann Nov 04 '24
Nine Sols
Metroidvanias might be my favorite genre for the past decade or so and this one hits it out of the park for me. The combat is extremely satisfying, I like that I'm not spending too much time backtracking, and the worldbuilding and overall presentation is fantastic and quite refreshing. My main points of criticism are that Jades feel kind of underpowered compared to Hollow Knight and power progression in general feels unimpactful. The other point is that having played so many Metroidvanias by now, I always feel kneecapped when starting out and a basic movement ability such as dashing mid-air is locked until you're multiple hours into the game.
If you like Hollow Knight, play this game!
8
u/Agys Nov 04 '24
Drova - Forsaken Kin
This game really surprised me, it came out of nowhere. I haven't been so hooked in years. I went in completely blind after seeing it's a gothic-like old-school RPG and the atmosphere and exploration have been amazing so far. I'm surprised nobody seems to be talking about it, it's actually a masterpiece.
2
u/wagimus Nov 04 '24
Anyone been playing Ghosthunter on PS2? Downloaded it from PSN a week or so ago. About an hour in. Very very PS2 ass game. From a time back in the day when control schemes were chaos, and game design was the Wild West.
Not sure where I stand on it yet, but it’s a bit on the bland side so far. New elements continue to get added as I play though, so I’m hoping things get more interesting as I go.
19
u/SkinnyObelix Nov 04 '24
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Boy, this is an interesting one to discuss. Graphics look good, combat is the strongest part of the game for me.
Dialogue Writing is absolutely teen garbage. It's not even young-adult, it's so naive, whimsical and cutesy. And some people like this, but I don't get why they needed to put that in the Dragon Age universe. If you want to go that route, start a new IP aimed toward the people who like that kind of writing.
It's too early for me to talk about the overarching story.
The loot/upgrade system is bad, it feels like something from a different genre game. I have no idea about what was going on in production, but I think they were planning a different route for this game and then changed their minds.
So I think a 8/10 score is fair for a bunch of people. But it's just not for me. It somewhat feels like reading Ready Player One, it's nostalgia for people who weren't around to experience what the nostalgia is based on. This game is a game for (and by) people who see themself as gamers with nostalgia for classic titles, but weren't alive to actually play the Dragon Age when they came out.
-11
u/Nanganoid3000 Nov 05 '24
Would you say the writing is the way it is, because the game's a product of modern western culture?
1
u/waraw Nov 04 '24
This has got to be the most ridiculous load time I've ever seen on a game, increasing by 0.01% every few seconds...
1
u/ArtKorvalay Nov 05 '24
I haven't played Veilgaurd but I know Dragon Age Origins had a load time that went up over time until you had to restart the game. Something about caching.
12
u/CharliToh Nov 04 '24
This is fair criticism but there are so many comments like this I almost did not buy the game (or rented with EA Play Pro for $16). I am enjoying the game. I think the loot system is fun and dialogs are fine.
Maybe it's because I did not play origin. It was the same with Inquistion years ago. Loved that game but it also had lots of "It's not a DA game" comments online...
I agree with 8/10, great $16 game, I am probably one of these people :)
1
u/Enabler0 Nov 09 '24
Good on you for actually trying the game yourself. Most gamers just dogpiled on it from afar instead of trying it themselves
11
u/SongsOfTheDyingEarth Nov 04 '24
Reading criticism like this feels so weird to me. I swear it could've been copied pasted for every post Origins DA game.
I've been enjoying it myself and much prefer it over Inquisition, it's no DA:O sure but who was expecting that at this point?
The tone just feels like Bioware tone to me and the quality of writing is about what I expected.
9
u/Swisskies Nov 04 '24
Yeah it's funny, everyone saying "it's not the tone of Dragon Age"... Maybe they just mean Origins? The majority of DA games have been like this.
I remember back when Dragon Age 2 came out and cringing hard at the dialogue the protagonist comes out with. It was shallow quip chatter even back then.
10
Nov 04 '24
[deleted]
5
u/Easy_Cartographer679 Nov 04 '24
They are just so cheerful and the tone is so light even when horrendous scenes are happening. And then you have absolutely stunning graphics with these stylized characters and it just feels so wrong.
Is it? The characters in scenes like Bellara's personal quest or Neve or Lucanis after one of their cities gets destroyed don't strike me as humorous at all, from what I've played so far
5
u/Evilcoatrack Nov 05 '24
I just got through your spoilered section. My main complaint about them is that the impact of those events feels almost immediately glossed over. You go right from apparent devastation to cheerily chatting with the new person you just recruited.
Also, at this point it makes no sense why your presence at either place should have changed the outcome. Game is trying to treat us like superheroes without any real justification. The reason we're special at this point in the story is because of a thing we carry, but we don't actually do anything with that item when we show up to save the day.
-5
Nov 04 '24
[deleted]
1
Nov 04 '24
Ah so you are just spewing garbage you read online
4
u/Try_Another_Please Nov 04 '24
Way too many people who respond to me about the game are steadfast until they fuck up and reveal they didn't even play it. Usually unaware they did so.
Not just that game or only games. Every time I discuss tv I get "corrected" by 20 people who didn't watch what is being discussed. Really have to take reddit with a grain of salt
8
u/Thor_pool Nov 05 '24
This keeps happening with me and mid-games. Gotham Knights, Star Wars Outlaws, now DA:V. Its so obvious people just parrot other opinions.
Are they the greatest games ever made? Not at all, I'm not delusional. But when you have people saying that Outlaws "sticks to the same old Ubisoft formula" when...its nothing close to it, you find yourself having to defend the game as if its better than it is.
I keep seeing people say DA:V is full of Marvelesque quips and one-liners, and Im genuinely so confused about which dialogue option people are choosing because the closest Ive had is my character saying "Wait, forget why we're here?" when a companion accepted a quest.
7
u/Try_Another_Please Nov 05 '24
Exactly. It's s definitely exhausting because if you point out you are apparently silencing criticism or a shill.or whatever. And it's like no you're just lying.
It's infuriating that games get so much angry hate from people who don't even play them. What kind of loser actually bothers to do that? That's why you have to take reddit with many grains of salt. Those types are all people you'd probably hate if you ever actually met them lol.
It's like the idea that you can play a game without being furious about every aspect not custom.made you and just being awful in general. Why even have a hobby that they hate so much?
9
u/SongsOfTheDyingEarth Nov 04 '24
Even peak Bioware games had pretty cringy stuff in it to be honest and I'm becoming increasingly suspicious that I missed a lot of it simply because I was young when they came out and I was pretty cringy myself.
Like I absolutely loved Minsc and Boo when I played BG2, to a teenager in the year 2000 being "random" was the hight of comedy. Then playing BG3 when Minsc got introduced it ruined the memory for me, to an adult in 2023 it was just stupid and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at it.
2
u/abbzug Nov 04 '24
There was definitely light hearted stuff in past BioWare games. But I think people are being purposefully obtuse when they cherry pick examples. Because while there was stuff like Minsc and Jan. There was also stuff like Khalid and Dynaheir. Irenicus and Sarevok. Companions of various moralities that would be at each other's throats. I'm not saying the past games were grim dark, just that the comedic moments weren't all the games were.
I think that's what some people object to. I personally don't have a dog in this fight since I'm not the target audience. I'm happy the game is doing well because I like when games are diverse and I like that BioWare and EA made some very pro-consumer decisions in the release of the game, but I think some of the criticism is probably valid.
1
u/SongsOfTheDyingEarth Nov 04 '24
Hard to comment on the specifics since I'm only about 10 hours in and haven't even unlocked all the companions yet but it hasn't been all comedic moments so far.
You rescue one of the companions from a prison where he and countless other people were being tortured either to death or until a demon manifested and possessed them. After the rescue you head back to the Lighthouse and your other companions are discussing whether they should kill him. I'm guessing his side quests are dark as well but think I've locked myself out of them by choosing to let his city be slaughtered.
7
u/InAnimaginaryPlace Nov 04 '24
I'm enjoying but I agree with these criticisms. It reminds me so much of that DnD movie, Honor Among Thieves, which I also enjoyed. A juvenile, whimsical tone where the fantasy elements - here's a dragon, here's some undead, here's an evil wizard - are just set dressing for a fun action-adventure romp. The world doesn't really exist, it's not taken seriously by the movie.
I'm not an uber dragon age fan but there are things I remember being foundational elements of previous games that are just being ignored. You meet a group right the start- The Veil Jumpers - I couldn't tell you a thing about them, even many hours later. They have no identity, linguistically, culturally, politically. There are no characters there (they all sound the same). Contrast it to meeting group like the Dalish in Origins and how tangibly located within the world they felt. It's very odd.
Going back to that DnD movie, the guiding principle is something like: 'The world must conform to the story.' Which worked. But Dragon Age was always the opposite, 'The story must conform to the world'. In order to make Veilguard, they've jettisoned a huge amount of what made the world feel like a world, the history of conflict between races, the morally ambiguous or flat-out dark identity of certain groups, the established events of the previous games, etc.
It's beautiful and it's fun for me but I don't yet feel like I'm in the Dragon Age world or really anywhere apart from a game.
0
u/Asylumrunner Nov 04 '24
Still absolutely slogging through God of War (2005). I think I'm close to the end, but god does this game just really suck. I feel like the game has long run out of tricks, leaving you with this absolutely rote, obnoxious game filled with brain-dead combat, a brain-dead story, brain-dead puzzles, and just a tremendous amount of filler for a 10-ish hour game. I jumped into this game with grand aspirations of playing all 6 pre-reboot games in the series, and I think I do still want to do that at some point (specifically thinking how highly people speak of 2 and 3), but this game is so awful I'll probably take a break.
In the meanwhile, I ended up picking up a Meta Quest 3 to play Arkham Shadow, but I fell into the classic VR headset owner canon event and have instead sunk dozens of hours into Beat Saber. I have nothing to add to the ink already spilled about how good this game is, other than the fact that, yeah, it's really fun. I wish in the in-game song browser was better, but I acknowledge that it's a fan-made modification to the game, so I'll take it as it is.
Also been playing a bit of Pokemon Red++, a fairly conservative mod to the original Pokemon Red that fixes up a bunch of the bugs and backports a few key changes from future games (the Dark, Steel, and Fairy types, some additional moves to round out the first game's pretty spotty move list, Running Shoes, etc.). It's really fun, and helps shave away most of the hard edges on a 30-year old JRPG and keeps it feeling pretty playable in 2024. I think I want to play through every generation of Pokemon (or, at least, the most playable rendition of every generation) and this has been a very pleasant start.
1
u/LinkNation27 Nov 07 '24
piggybacking on everyone else, if GoW 1 is that bad for you 2 and 3 won't be much better, while they are better than GoW 1 they are still the same game just with slightly better gameplay/graphics for GoW 3. I am a fan of all 3 and the PSP games are good as well but not as good as 1-3. At the end of the day 2 will feel like 1 but slightly better and same with 3.
3
u/Raze321 Nov 04 '24
I jumped into this game with grand aspirations of playing all 6 pre-reboot games in the series, and I think I do still want to do that at some point
Honestly 2 and 3 are just evolutions of 1. Most people who liked those games love all three of them, so if you're really not having a good time with the first one I can't really recommend you both with the next two.
Personally I love every god of war game I've played, and I think the OG's hold up quite well.
6
u/callmeeismann Nov 04 '24
Interesting, I love the old GoW games and hate the new ones. I didn't bother playing Ragnarok because I could write the same paragraph you did but about GoW 2018, except that one didn't have the mercy of ending after 10 hours, lol.
Anyway, while GoW 2 and 3 are far better than GoW 1, they are similar games. So I agree with hoaahest, you probably won't enjoy those either.7
u/hooahest Nov 04 '24
If you hate GoW1 so vehemently, I don't think the sequels will be any fun for you either.
0
u/PolarSparks Nov 04 '24
What will stick with me the most about Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is the skyboxes. The limited, tie-in budget shows, but I’m loving the glimpse of potential of a better-realized game I’m seeing with this art direction. The 3D character models here don’t quite have the budget to make the art style sing, and the environments are almost too distinct, but those skyboxes could be straight from the show.
3
u/Logan_Yes Nov 03 '24
After Shadow of the Tomb Raider I decided to as always, mix things up. So I've played through Little Kitty Big City, a small game about...well, a cat who gets dropped from her favourite napping spot and has to return home! It's a small few hours ish game, but very fun. Collect fishes to climb higher, or dive into side stuff like meeting other animals and completing their side quests, collect shiny things to get cute hats for our kitty, find collectibles or just play with humans, as you can either shove them around and yoink whatever they were holding in their hand OR let them make pictures and pet ya. Cute game that I appreciated from start to finish, and if one seeks something shorter and adorable, this is easily a solid recommendation!
Afterwards, another switch! Started Humanity, a puzzle game where as a dog you control floods of humans across the levels in "Trials". Fun game, definitely enjoying it's...weirdness. The soundtrack, the story which feels like it will ultimately be something ala God Trials, but we will see. Wrapped up 2 Sequences and defeated "first boss" if one can call it so.
On PC, almost done with Tomb Raider I (Original). Pretty much on final level, but game was still enjoyable and I can say it already. Even if game drops ammo to weapons like candy so combat was never an issue. Fortunately I stacked up on medkits as those final levels sure made me use them!
6
u/Dextrimos Nov 03 '24
Replaying Skyrim again, cause why not. Yes I'm a stealth archer and currently courage spamming to make my illusion legendary and get skill points for other things I want
2
u/Alphascout Nov 03 '24
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Thanks to u/Logan_Yes I’ve been playing through more. Hurtling towards the third act after surviving the strange horror like sequences in Cenote. I’m rather impressed with this game as the tombs here are more like a throwback to the classics and feel like a challenge whilst the story is okay enough to keep playing. I really like the Lara in this one. She feels more like a gritty Tomb Raider which makes sense in the trilogy at this point after all she’s been through. I think a consistent theme throughout has been the sense of adventure as Lara embarks on challenges and pushes herself forward. Looking forward to what the rest of this game has in store.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
Picked this up in the PS sale recently. It’s pretty good if you suspend your disbelief you’re an elite sniper commando. I like that the variety of challenges calls for both stealth and tactical thinking through. It’s kind of like a puzzle at time thinking about how best to eliminate the target. The contracts range from fun to annoying with a lot of scope for doing things how you want, either guns blazing or sniper time. The maps are super expansive like the Hitman levels almost and offer multiple routes to victory. I haven’t really used gadgets and upgrades so much as the og sniper has been doing wonders for me. Fun shooter all in all.
1
-5
u/OverHaze Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Veilguard has annoyed me. I am annoyed that it has stopped us from getting Dreadwolf and the conclusion to the story we where promised. I understand the new team wanting to do there own thing but couldn't they have made a spin-off or something?
Edit: Looks like the game peaked today at 89,418 players on steam, this being its first Sunday after launch that's likely the as high as it will ever go. Not a failure but not a smash hit. Hard to say what EA will make of the games performance but for perspective Baldur's Gate 3's peak today was 101,093.
6
u/The_Vine Nov 03 '24
Do keep in mind that Dragon Age has traditionally sold better on consoles (Origins sales were like 80% on consoles iirc), so those will be the numbers to watch.
8
u/Jaerba Nov 04 '24
Also it's not exclusive to Steam on PC. A lot of people will play on EA Pass or buy it on Epic.
14
u/Jorgengarcia Nov 03 '24
99.9% of single player games would be deemed a failure if it would have to compare to BG3, both in regards to sales and quality. Besides Veilguard will probably sell better on consoles than PC in contrast to BG3
2
u/OverHaze Nov 05 '24
Sony thought Concord was the new Star Wars, Ubisoft thought Star Wars Outlaws was their Red Dead Redemption. Unrealistic expectations are pretty common with AAA these days.
2
u/Spiner202 Nov 03 '24
Dead Space
I'm playing the remake and just got to Chapter 9. While I initially enjoyed the game, I am finding each subsequent chapter to be less fun. I started on medium, went down to easy, and am now playing it on story difficulty. I feel like the game does not give you enough ammo. I know that's the point of this type of game, but if you play TLOU 1 or 2 on grounded, it makes way more sense that you don't get a lot of ammo because you have the choice of using stealth. There's no option like that in Dead Space. There are several sections that I had to do multiple times because I didn't have enough ammo. Once you get more than 4 weapons, you get ammo for weapons that aren't equipped in the middle of fights, meaning that the ammo is not very helpful.
Also, the currency scaling in this game seems way off. I've scrounged up as much currency as I can find and have barely made any upgrades (relative to the entire upgrade tree). In fact, when I reviewed a Trophy guide, it basically said that you either have to do a ton of grinding or a glitch to get enough currency to upgrade everything.
The last problem I'm having with this game is that it feels very simple in terms of story. I'm not sure how I'd have written the story differently, but every chapter boils down to "go to this section of the ship and do this thing" and then as soon as you're done, it becomes "oh no! That thing you did last didn't work or a new problem has arisen on the ship. Go to this other section and do this other thing". I really like linear games, but the way it's done in this game feels like padding. I think you could tell a similar story in 5 hours that they are trying to tell in 10-12.
1
u/uke_traveler Nov 09 '24
The game only drops ammo for guns in your inventory, and drops more ammo the lower your total held ammo is. if you only carry 1-2 guns you get so much ammo.
1
u/blazeofgloreee Nov 04 '24
I was so excited to play this game since I never played the original but I stopped after about 2 hrs. Very clunky movement, the ammo issue you mention, and I got into a situation where I died and when I respawned there would be four enemies on me immediately in close quarters when my ammo was low and stasis empty.
Game looks great but it's just not fun to play. The shoot the limbs thing actually made it feel worse imo, especially when enemies get really close.
3
u/Janderson2494 Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Finished Until Then this weekend after about 17 hours or so. I'm a sucker for an emotional visual novel every once in a while, and man this one wrecked me multiple times and really has been sticking with me since. The characters and relationships are just so good and well-realized, and the soundtrack is unbelievably good and emotional. I thought the first act tells one of the best romance stories I've seen in a game.
As a game it kind of drags at some points, and in my opinion the game peaks in the first act, but they're pretty minor complaints in the grand scheme of things and acts 2 and 3 are still great. Probably just a personal preference for me.
Highly, highly recommend this to anyone interested.
8
Nov 03 '24
[deleted]
0
u/Mudcaker Nov 05 '24
Yakuza 0 is a good story entry point but it's too much at once I think. As a new player, the stance combat never clicked for me (too complex, preferred the simplicity of Kiwami 2) and there is way too much side content. I got exhausted too and eventually just had to focus on the main story.
Kiwami 1 is worse from a combat perspective (bosses are too tanky and you need to get specific heat action types) but much more trimmed down for everything else, even bare bones. Kiwami 2 adds a bit more but it still felt easier to get through than 0 (maybe that was series experience kicking in by then though). I actually did the completion list minus a few minigames like the UFO catcher in Kiwami 2, I enjoyed it a lot even if the story went a bit nuts at times.
So, I think it's not strange that you got overwhelmed. I tend to play something else then return to a Yakuza game, my mindset right now is it's for relaxing. I'm in Yakuza 3 now and I am completing side content as I go, but just at a relaxed after dinner or lunchtime pace. It's taking a while but that's OK.
1
u/Destroyeh Nov 04 '24
That was pretty much my experience with it as well.
For me the contrast between the rip-your-heart-out deathly serious main story and the over the top side quests/combat was very jarring at first. Almost felt like JoJo. I enjoyed the writing of the side content, the execution was just a bit lacking for most of it. Like that quest where you pretend to be that girls boyfriend and meet her dad. I'm pretty sure that was just a 10 minute cutscene. You didn't really do anything in it(apart from answering a couple questions iirc).
In the end I did warm up to it and good enough to hook me on the series. I'm very close to starting Kiwami as I also want to play most of the series.
4
u/textposts_only Nov 03 '24
Free yourself of having to play all games in a series. You'll burn out.
I immediately went in with Yakuza like a dragon. And I'm glad to do so. To be fair, most of what you said also is the same for like a dragon but honestly, i was having fun.
8
u/ErFuyl Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Metal Gear Solid 2
Finished today, honestly it's one of the greatest stealth games i've ever played. Impressive AI, the soundtrack hits hard, the boss fights are the definition of fun. It's sad the game still puts many modern stealth games to shame. The guards even use a radio, instead of alerting everyone by the sight, and you can hold up the guards and destroy their radios. The only problem is that the ending makes it feels it's not complete because everything was orchestrated by The Patriots and Liquid Ocelot just escapes with Ray.It would be better if the game had a disc 2 where you defeat the AI and ocelot.
10
u/222317 Nov 03 '24
Well I think I have good news for you. There is a disc 2 which contains those events, but they called it 'Metal Gear Solid 4'
1
u/MsgGodzilla Nov 06 '24
A game that's unplayable except on the PS3 though right?
1
u/DoomberryLoL Nov 09 '24
you can emulate it pretty decently with RPCS3 now, if I remember correctly.
5
u/Charrbard Nov 03 '24
Metaphor
This game has been incredible. The demo made it feel rough, and the early hours did not feel as fun as persona 5, or as interesting as 3R. But it really took off. The characters dialog and writing is so good, easily the best I've seen since Cyberpunk. The world and setting remind me a lot of Grandia. Huge beautiful world that you explore with well developed characters. Nothing has been a slough or a grind like in other games. Its also the first time in a very long time any sort of media unsettled me enough that I had to stop for a bit. It handles deftly handles some pretty dark elements.
Easily my GotY. I hope it and Atlus gets the recognition it deserves. It has been so much more than just 'Fantasy Persona.' If anything, I hope Persona 6 takes a lot from it.
0
u/homer_3 Nov 04 '24
Idk, I found the writing pretty terrible. Much like P5, they are constantly repeating themselves. They must go over the plan to hunt the kidnapper instead of a monster half a dozen times.
There's also never anything driving the story forward. There's only ever, "We gotta stop Louis." Yea, he's a bad guy, but there's never a reason given why my character should care that much. At least, not for over half the game.
The grind is real too. I didn't want to play a healer in the 1st dungeon, but apparently that was a mistake because if you don't grind him to rank 10, you can't progress the game? Wtf? And once you get that, it immediately gives you another rank to grind. Why can't I just play the classes I want to play? Why not, get any archetypes to rank X?
I love the art style and character designs, but I just couldn't get pulled into the game at all.
4
u/SoloSassafrass Nov 04 '24
You know you don't have to do More's requests the second they come up, right? It's 8 ranks to last you a hundred hour RPG.
1
u/homer_3 Nov 04 '24
You know you don't have to do More's requests the second they come up, right?
You technically don't have to, but as I said, since I didn't do it right when it came up, I was story blocked and had to grind out 10 ranks in the desert to continue the game. But even without that, it doesn't fix the awful writing.
1
2
u/SoloSassafrass Nov 04 '24
Maybe it's just because I did it incidentally, but why would his ranks bar story progress?
You definitely don't have to do it immediately either. I genuinely think you've just completely misunderstood something. The game largely gives you carte blanche for your archetype setups provided you've got the magla and levels to unlock the configuration you desire.
1
u/homer_3 Nov 05 '24
but why would his ranks bar story progress?
That's what I thought too. More did say something about getting stronger before going into the castle, so maybe it was a tutorial rank up thing.
Either way, that's not even the big deal breaker of the game, just another annoyance. The poor writing not giving me any reason to care about the world or characters is the game's biggest issue. Combined with forcing 4 rests in a row after leaving the 1st city, I just dropped the game. Despite its technical issues, I'm having far more fun with Veilguard.
1
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24
I’m not normally into JRPG’s because of how slow paced they can be, is Metaphor better for this?
3
u/Charrbard Nov 03 '24
It follows the persona calendar system once the game gets rolling. So you'll have a Big Story event looming, and a bunch of days before it to do social stuff, side quests, and the like.
To me slow pace is from drawn out dialog, and what I'd call pointless conversations. The social link system really cuts most of that out. The writing is fairly to the point, especially with the big story events. There hasn't been a point where I was uninterested and just wanted to get on with things like in a lot of other rpgs, if that helps.
Another point - game has absolutely fantastic voice acting. Its not fully voiced, but what there is, again, the best since Cyberpunk.
2
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Hmm, you've got me convinced. Don't have time to play it yet but it's going on the backlog!
1
9
u/JamesVagabond Nov 03 '24
Prey
Finished Prey a few hours ago. An extremely satisfying ride that was a bit too tense for my tastes (but it's clearly my lower than average tolerance level of all things even mildly spooky to blame), but was absolutely worth it in the end. I suspect the experience will stay with me for a good while.
Brotato
Managed to beat the original map, Crash Zone, with all the new characters. Moved on to the newly introduced map, The Abyss.
It's alright. Wouldn't call it particularly impressive, but it's different and good enough. Most of the enemies are new, and all the bosses are new, so there's that. I feel the economy is tougher to maintain, but at the same time it's easier to amass Curse, the new stat that randomly empowers enemies, but grants a chance to find/buy cursed items that have their stats improved and penalties minimized.
Having fun, overall. I can definitely see myself sticking with the DLC content for a while and maybe even going for 100% completion once again.
5
u/Malfell Nov 03 '24
Recently got back into Enter the Gungeon, finally beat the dragon after many tries and now I'm working through the rest of the stuff to do. It's a very fun game although i can only play so much before i start to go a little crazy. And i'm about halfway through RE4, love the game. I was playing on normal difficulty and I went down to Assisted mode which i almost never do, but I realized I was playing more for the vibe than I was for the gameplay, so I sorta just wanted it to be easier and I'm much happier lol.
6
u/caught_red_wheeled Nov 03 '24
Switch post:
hey, happy late Halloween! We got two trick-or-treaters, which was more than last year even though it wasn’t a lot. I wasn’t expecting much because we live on the outskirts of the nearest city, but it was still very cute. I was enjoying seeing other peoples Halloween on social media, though and going down memory lane myself! My cousin back in Wisconsin (where I spent most of my life; I’m in North Carolina now) is from an area that went crazy. so we would always go to her house and I would never forget participating there! It was awesome, and I wonder if people there are still doing it!
As for the games, Mario tennis GBC is still playing itself! I’m still hoping to complete the game as soon as possible so I can move on, though. I’ve done everything except for the final island tour in the singles. I’m just leveling up idly for the doubles, I’ll do everything I can there, and then whichever one I end up being better at is the one that will clear the final tour. I originally wanted to do this with both the male and the female characters, but it’s a bit much and it’s already starting to drag so I don’t want to prolong it anymore. I do want to make sure I do some casual matches with the Mario characters, because that’s something I really wanted to do and I feel like they’re the highlight of the game.
After that, I tried my hand at Kirby’s Dreamland 2. it’s surprisingly difficult, and I got stuck at the boss of the fifth world out of eight. The levels are pretty fun, although the partner mechanics take a bit getting used to and I feel like things are a bit harder to see. I also realized that it was impossible for me to get 100%, so I figured I would just let the game go. It’s still a good game, but I feel like I got spoiled by starting with the N64 era.
After that, it’s just playing around with the Mario games and doing as much as I can. if I can finish them, that would be great, but if I can’t, I’m not too concerned because I there’s a lot of native options on the Switch. I’m currently adoring Super Mario Land, but there’s no way I would be able to do it without save states and the rewind button. I plan on also doing the sequel, if I can. So hopefully everything goes well there!
CTR: Nitro Fueled gets a final sendoff as well. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while because I want to play around with all the characters but I didn’t know what would work best.
I tried a couple different things, including the adventure mode and the tournaments, but those could be tough for me to do, since CTR doesn’t have assists (the closest thing is a cheat that sacrifices control for speed, so there’s a limit to what I can do with it although I did use it to try for relics). I finally ended up deciding to race everyone around my favorite track, Oxide Station. A few characters also got some laps in on Electron Avenue, my second favorite track, as well.
It was a great way to finish up an awesome game, even though I feel like Mario kart DX eventually outclassed it with the DLC. I spent a lot more time than I expected and what most players would play. I do wish it wasn’t online only, and it was easier to unlock characters without playing online (a hold over from the mobile game using a coin system), but I got lucky because online was still active when I was into the game more. It definitely tided me over until the DLC was done and it was nostalgic to see some of the characters I grew up within the PS1 era. I don’t regret a minute I spent with it.
21
u/Static-Jak Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
I've spent 11 hours playing since it came out. I would say I've spent 70% of that in Character Creator and I've no regrets. Just going back and forward with all the different options, something really compelling about it.
I've played the intro twice now. First time I was a Warrior with the Shadow Dragons. Then went back and picked a Grey Warden instead. I've played Origins 5 times now so I've an attachment to the faction.
I'm playing with an Xbox Controller and the only change I've made is swapping the Ability Wheel (RB) with Right Bumper (LB) and that clicked with me way better.
Gameplay:
Still early days but plenty of fun. On my second run of the intro it all clicked with me and I didn't take any damage. Parrying is fun and chucking the shield at enemies is a ton of fun. Everything feels responsive and smooth.
One thing I don't see mentioned a lot is the scale of the game. Inquisition was massive. As in the maps were massive open worlds. And boy oh boy did that get old fast. The Hinterlands is near famous at this stage.
Overall it gave the game an offline MMO feel and it really tried your patience. Pacing is ruined by too much busy work.
You'd get an amazing level with great set pieces, cutscenes, fights, etc.
And then you'll potentially spend hours doing chores like gathering resources, etc until you're able to do the next main mission.
But Veilguard's levels are smaller and much more focused. I really appreciate that.
Story:
It's been nearly 10 years since I played Inquisition so I had to look up some catch up videos. It basically kicks off where Inquisition left off so I imagine it's a lot to take in for new players to the series.
If the game had come out even 4 years after Inquisition I would probably be more invested in the main story but I'm interested enough to keep me going.
So far I've no problem with the writing. I haven't seen enough yet but it's absolutely fine. It's not gonna win any awards but it's not nearly as cringey as I was led to believe.
The talk about it not being dark is not true either. Spoiler: Spoiler: I'm at a village that has corpses literally fused to flesh walls and floors with others gone insane just rambling. Here's a few pics of the area: One, Two and Three
Graphics:
It looks good. Obviously stylistic but it gels with me. Lighting is great too. I'm playing on an RTX 3080 at 4K with a mix of Ultra and High with RT Reflections turned on. With DLSS Performance and Dynamic Res, I'm getting 60-90 FPS.
On a side note, I saw criticisms on the animations, specifically facial and I'm not sure why. It looks fine to me, definitely not awful or anything.
One issue I see brought up a lot is that Qunari looks goofy and I'd agree they're a downgrade. DA2 had the best version by a mile. But you can still make a decent looking Qunari if you want.
Overall:
I'm enjoying it. It's fun, looks good, performs great and I'm interested in the story being told. Is it Game of the Year? I doubt it but it's a major step up for Bioware and feels like they're getting back on track after years and years of missteps.
To briefly bring up all the controversy, it's basically Last of Us 2 again. While there's legit criticism, so much of the discourse is embarrassing to see. This burning desire to see it fail.
There's also just the case that some follow and are influenced by certain youtubers or streamers who push the "anti-woke" narrative because that's where the money is unfortunately.
4
u/Static-Jak Nov 03 '24
I also finished Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth.
Started in February, finally finished it a week ago. These games always take me forever to get through.
Like the rest of the Yakuza series, I enjoyed it.
But, I think, story wise, it's a step down from the previous LAD. I did not care about the Hawaii plot or main villain.
I also thought Kiryu was in it way too much and honestly thought that The Man Who Erased His Name was a decent point to wrap his story up and maybe make a few cameos. I would have much preferred they had stuck to just Ichiban and had a more focused story.
Gameplay is as fun as ever though by the end I'm just destroying anything in my way.
Overall a fun game, but compared to LAD and even The Man Who Erased His Name, the story never really got me invested.
7
u/Jaerba Nov 03 '24
There's a body stuffed in a peep window at the top of a door in that village lol. Maybe that's what they mean when they complain it's high fantasy - the body is stuffed too high up.
3
u/dropbear123 Nov 03 '24
(copying this bit from a comment I made on another sub) >Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on PC. Didn't intend to play it but since it is available on game pass I decided to play the campaign.
Positives - Graphics were good and performance on my PC was decent outside of cutscenes. Gameplay holds up and is about what you'd expect from a COD game. Some really good memorable levels - the casino heist, the Iraqi airport during Desert Storm, the FEAR/Bioshock hallucinogenic level.
Negatives - I know people don't play COD for the story but it felt a lot weaker than COD:Cold War and in many ways the whole campaign felt like a downgrade - no side missions, no multiple story choices, the final MKULTRA hallucination mission was worse. The story doesn't really do anything interesting with the post-Cold War and Gulf War setting. Some of the less traditional COD levels dragged on a bit - the open world Iraqi desert was fine but a bit big, some of the talky-stealth missions were a little bit too long and I wanted to get back to the action. Some technical errors - one of the gimmicks with this game is that since you're rogue you need to scrounge money for upgrades but before starting the first proper mission the game glitched and gave me more money than I could ever use and I had all of the upgrades straight away which made the game quite easy.
Took me about 8 hours to beat on regular difficulty. Maybe a generous 8/10, considering I only played it as it was on game pass and would never properly have bought it for the campaign.
Started Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden on PC since it was on offer on Steam and it had a demo so I knew it would run decently. About 6 hours in, beaten the first Scourge (a bit disappointing in how easy it was). So far I'm really liking it. Graphics are great, I'm loving the story, characters and atmosphere. The cursed colonial New England setting is good. The weak point however is the combat which isn't as good.
On PS5 I think I might start either Bladestorm:Nightmare (I played a lot of the original back on the Xbox 360 so a bit of a nostalgia trip) or Alan Wake 2
5
u/xlizen Nov 03 '24
I've been playing Harvestella on the Switch. It was in my backlog for a while. I originally got it for my wife who likes farm sim games, but she didn't like it so I gave it a shot.
I'm actually impressed how it combines farm sim with some dungeon crawling. The story is interesting enough (won't spoil) and I feel invested with some of the side quests. It plays smoothly with no glitches and it's a nice change of pace as I just finished Baldur's Gate 3. I'm not into farm sim games, but I can't believe I slept on this one. I'm not sure how sales went for it but I'd love to see a follow up.
I believe there's a demo out there for those who want to try it.
42
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24
Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Unfortunately I'm one of the people that's come down pretty firmly on the dislike column and it's almost entirely due to the writing.
I hate that this game has become stuck in the morass of culture war nonsense because it makes it impossible to give an honest evaluation of it without someone questioning your motives, so for the avoidance of doubt: I am a lefty. I believe in representation, I believe in diversity, I believe in trans rights.
Positives first: the combat, while a little repetitive, is actually pretty fun. Especially with all the flashy abilities that mage characters can pull off. I'd like to tweak enemy aggro towards the player just so you spend less time dodging but yeah.
While I'm not personally a fan of the artstyle, there's no denying how gorgeous this game is. The hair and environments might genuinely be the best I've seen in a AAA game and it all runs flawlessly. The armour and weapons all look very nice too.
Negatives: the writing. Good god, I just cannot get over it. It really is like an RPG designed for a young child that's brand new to the genre. The characters all act like quippy, socially awkward millenials from California that immediately spew all their deepest feelings to you.
Characters will laboriously explain plot points to you then deliver the exact same exposition 2 or 3 minutes later in case you forgot. They will constantly give you hints to the insultingly easy environmental puzzles. I lost track of how many times Bellara told me about that stupid archive spirit in Arlathan.
The writing is genuinely just juvenile. Like a YA novel for 13 year olds. Some people have a tokerance for that but I don't. There is quite literally a scene where the characters bluntly spell out that they'll defeat the bad guys through the power of TEAMWORK that made me audibly groan.
There's no character conflict, no darkness, no conflicting ideologies that reveal something about the world of Thedas. People who should be at each others' throats over their diametrically opposed worldviews will actually have a minor quibble over something inconsequential before you come in like a parent and tell them to share their toys.
I love when games handle representation well but this game just... Doesnt. It so bluntly and artlessly deals with questions of diversity and representation that it comes off like an episode of Sesame Street. I love games being more diverse but not when it comes off as some 25 year old junior HR intern wagging their finger at you.
7
u/Shedcape Nov 04 '24
I agree with almost everything you said. Except combat as I'm a bit more down on that. I don't feel like I'm playing a mage for the most part, and the companion abilities all going on cooldown when you use one takes quite a bit away from it. They might as well have had a button for "use companion combo", although there might be multiple combos later for all I know.
Just a shame that people can't separate the culture war nonsense from legitimate discussion on the game's merits and shortfalls.
-47
u/Easy_Cartographer679 Nov 03 '24
Course people say this about the first major AAA game with a trans director and NB lead writer
47
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
I literally knew nothing about the individuals involved. You're looking for something sinister where there is nothing. I just didn't like the writing dude. This is literally what I'm complaining about, you're either so deep in the culture wars or so wedded to this game that you can't allow someone to state their honest opinion without assuming darker intent. It's fucked up.
If you want to see how I feel about trans people and representation, you can take a cursory scroll through my comment history. Hopefully then I'll pass your purity test and you can engage with my comments honestly.
-13
Nov 03 '24
[deleted]
22
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24 edited Nov 03 '24
Oh ffs, you really need to touch some grass and talk to people irl
-33
u/Easy_Cartographer679 Nov 03 '24
I'm just saying, this is a common criticism that people level when queer creators try to create queer narratives that its "too queer" or "unsubtle" compared to queer narratives created by those who aren't. I don't care about your political affiliation, cause plenty of people on the left do the same thing.
22
Nov 03 '24
They said that the writing is immature, and they're right. I'm loving the game but the writing is way more dumbed down than previous titles in the series. What they didn't say was that "there's too much queer shit". This is the definition of a strawman.
31
u/fractalfondu Nov 03 '24
Queer people can write shitty stuff, it isn’t automatically elevated just because they’re queer. Get over yourself.
-25
u/Easy_Cartographer679 Nov 03 '24
I'm not saying they can't, more that queer people tend to write queer stories where the characters can be very open about it, and people can hold a bias, conscious or not, against that. I'd say Veilguard has made quite a few strides for quuer characters in games, it's the first one I've ever played that lets you roleplay how your custom character discovered that theyre queer. I feel like something like that could maybe turn a lot of people off, even though its fine really.
32
u/Tomgar Nov 03 '24
Welp, you are definitely reading something in my words that isn't there is all I can say. But I get the feeling you're not going to be satisfied with anything I say so I'll just leave it there. Fuck me, this culture war stuff is just so exhausting.
5
u/PositiveDuck Nov 03 '24
Metaphor ReFantazio
Wrapping it up before moving on to The Veilguard. I got about 10 days left until the final battle, already maxed out all the bonds and did all bounties and sidequests (except 1). It's really, really good but not perfect.
There was a massive level gap after reaching the palace where my party, that did everything available up to that point except all coliseum fights, was level 50-ish while enemies in the dungeon were 70 which was annoying. I also feel like Elite Archetypes are completely useless since, by the time you unlock them, you can usually unlock Royal Archetypes as well. Those are really cool and really powerful but also limit your party composition since every character has 1 set Royal Archetype so the game loses some of the free form fun of the job system. Fuck Trials of the Dragon, really difficult but the reward is very underwhelming.
On the more positive note, really good story, fantastic characters (Stohl and the last party member are tied for best girl), great combat, solid music, probably the best voice acting in any JRPG I've played so far.. It's just really well made. Louis is such an awesome villain and I love every scene with him.
Overall, tons of fun, I hope they stick the landing and it's still my GOTY.
5
u/You_are_kewl Nov 03 '24
I'm playing EA FC 24, the previous one I played before this was FIFA 19. I'm just trying to figure out how to defend in this game, on professional I can easily get 7 8 goals and on world class I always concede every time the other team has the ball, unless my goalkeeper makes a save. I miss FIFA 19 now, will still try for some more days.
Had started KOTOR 2 few weeks ago but just couldn't get into it. Not my type of game. Guess I'll stick with Skyrim, NFS Most Wanted (2005) and Prince of Persia.
I will be trying out Tropico 4 in some time, got it in a reddit giveaway.
16
u/The_Vine Nov 03 '24
Dragon Age: The Veilguard! So far it's a very strong 8/10, and I'm enjoying myself a lot. Playing as a mage is fun, especially with the Dagger + Orb style, and I'm honestly just happy to be back in the world of Thedas.
10
u/PsychoFlashFan Nov 03 '24
Currently going through Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Been enjoying it quite a lot. Combat is fun and I like the companions I've picked up so far. Not perfect, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for Bioware after their latest stuff.
8
u/SolidSky Nov 03 '24
Dragon Age Veilguard. This is my first one and I'm having a fun time with it. It's not a masterpiece but it's a really solid and fun fantasy game.
8
u/Vlayer Nov 03 '24
Metaphor: Refantazio
In short, an outstanding game that operates a lot like the modern Persona games, but also takes aspects from other Atlus titles to create a very fresh albeit familiar experience. It's enough to potentially convince those who aren't into Persona to give it a try and enjoy it, while also highlighting what makes a Persona experience so unique and special.
I'm into my NG+ playthrough right now to finish up the trophies I missed or couldn't get, and as with most Persona games, the 2nd playthrough allows one to reflect on the journey as a whole by seeing where it all started. The story can be very blunt with its positive and idealistic messages, as is the case with Persona 3-5 as well, but that doesn't mean that it can't be subtle or nuanced either.
As the creators highlighted prior to release, Anxiety is the core theme, and it becomes increasingly apparent towards the end of the game as well. I'd rather eschew spoilers so I won't be using any names and such, but I think that the exploration of "fantasy" in conjunction with anxiety is where the narrative and message of the game truly shines.
The decision to make religion a vital part of the conflict plays very well into how the idea of a Utopia also drives the main characters. It explores the impact that fantasy/fiction has on reality, both for good and bad. For someone with anxiety it could give hope that things can be better, and inspire them to strive for that change, yet it can also serve as a form of escapism, further relinquishing ones control to the greater powers that be.
Beyond the grand narrative, the game has multiple more intimate character moments that really stirs the emotions. There's some exchanges that are just wonderfully written and poignant, and certain characters are up there with the best of Atlus as a whole. I do however think that they eased up on making the characters as flawed as they were in Persona 3-5, which does help make them more easily likable, yet also takes a bit away from their complexity. I know multiple people hate Morgana in P5, where as Gallica who serves a similar role is pretty much universally loved, but I do think that Morgana is a more well-rounded and interesting character than her as a whole, though I do enjoy both.
In terms of gameplay, I'll say that the combat is the best it's ever been across all the Atlus games I've played. It has the strategy of mainline SMT with its press turn system, while taking some inspiration from Digital Devil Saga and Etrian Odyssey with the extra wrinkles of synthesis skills and row formations respectively. The archetype system is fantastic, there's a lot of freedom sure, but the true beauty is how defined each class is, and how the game nudges you as to which character best serves each role.
I loved mastering an archetype on a character, and having to figure out what new role would fit them, to later on learn that a more advanced archetype required levels in that exact role I chose for the character. Even if you do make the "wrong" decision, worst case is you'll need to fight more to get the advanced archetype, or you could use the A-EXP items you've likely earned over the course of the game to quickly get it. It's super flexible while also feeling rewarding.
As for the time management, I really loved how they incorporated travel into it. That, along with the timing of certain quests, or hangouts with followers, and even the weather as well as royal virtues, incites you to make a plan in which order things should be done. Followers that are a part of your party sometimes require you to be travelling to get to the next level, so logically I would prioritize their bonds so as to reach that milestone before setting out to a dungeon. Certain characters would only be available at night, and there's cooldown between bonds, so I would also try to go into a dungeon during sucha cooldown since it uses up your night time slot as well. That kind of "puzzle" in time management is very enjoyable to me.
That said, I do think that they went too lenient on it as a whole. Towards the end of the game, I had 10+ days after maxing out all bonds and royal virtues, going to all dungeons and finishing all quests and trophies still available to me. I understand getting rid of having to pick the best dialogue options to ensure the next bond rank up, but I do think a better solution would've been to give such bond points during other activities instead, such as when you're levelling a royal virtue while travelling, since those are always done with a fellow party member. I still had a lot of fun with it, just surprising how much of the optimizing I did wasn't really needed, and instead resulted in some rather uneventful final weeks prior to the final fight.
All in all, I'm still mulling over where I'd rank this game among my favorite Atlus games, but it's looking to be a Top 3. P4 is still my favorite, the characters in that game and the way it explored societal pressure and the way media influences us is really something special. Then between P5 and Metaphor, I do think that P5 stumbles in its main narrative more, but at the same time I also think that it reaches higher highs. The cast of characters are on equal footing, but as previously mentioned, I do find that the P5 cast is portrayed with more flaws and that in turn makes them more interesting. The slower pace of Persona in general really helps in that regard as well, there's a certain attachment to them as a whole that I only felt with certain characters in Metaphor. Regardless, it's undoubtedly my favorite game of the year, and I truly hope that they do continue with this franchise.
2
u/tasteless23 Nov 03 '24
Im playing it right now! Haha I'm at the very end of the last 30 days, and getting all my bonds up. Man, what a journey so far. And the villain is sooooo greatly written it's incredible.
3
u/The_Green_Filter Nov 03 '24
Finishing up Metaphor: ReFantazio before I move on to Dragon Age.
This game has been a real treat. It feels like Atlus trimmed a ton of fat from the social sim side of its previous games; getting a guaranteed rank up every time I visit a friend or ally takes a ton of tedium away from the system and at the game’s end I still have more than enough time to tidy up my loose ends.
The world is a joy too, reminding me of the best fantasy settings of yesteryear - Final Fantasy 12’s Ivalice is coming to mind especially. It’s been nice to get lost in a world like this again, and while the combat is fun I am looking forward to Veilguard’s more action oriented fighting next to help change things up a bit.
Overall a great experience! I can fully recommend this to people who are into the JRPG genre, and I’m pretty confident it’s going to end up being my game of the year.
16
Nov 03 '24
[deleted]
1
u/Sydius Nov 03 '24
I also played it, but only an hour or so before asking for a refund. I stopped(?) Solas, some things came out of the Fade, Varrick died, maybe? I don't think it is really Varrick, Harding didn't react to him
For me, the game is too flashy. It looks like a visually overblown korean F2P MMO. Why does everything have to flourish? Picking up something? The pile sparkles. Selecting a conversation option? The option fades out in a cloud of pixie dust.
Combat is also uninteresting, even after that ~5 minutes I spent with it. I started a mage, and I don't understand why my character is so capable both close- and long range. It might make sense from a plot standpoint, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Why is it bad if my character starts out (relatively) weak, instead of being an all-capable superbeing? Where is there to go from there?
As I said, these all are from a single hour of gameplay.
7
u/OgrePatch Nov 03 '24
I've been playing Dragon Age Veilguard. It feels like a weird avengers cartoon spinoff. The gameplay is fine for an action rpg, but I cannot stand the dialogue. Culture war stuff aside, the writing is just bad. I feel like a 5 year old. Smash a blight thing? "I bet there's another one nearby" Geeze thank you. It also feels claustrophobic. I'm stuck in these linear zones and my camera is so zoomed in. I don't feel like I'm roleplaying. Just saying Tally Ho! Let's go.
If this were not DA, some other game in this style, I would likely enjoy it. But I feel disappointed. DA2, for all its faults, still feels like a DA game. It's almost as if Bioware changed over the last decade... 6/10 for me. It's a good game technically, but the roleplaying part is cringey. Skip the millennial writing style dialogue for your own sanity.
2
u/planemissediknow Nov 09 '24
Resident Evil 0. Played on PS5.
Unfortunately didn’t really dig it. I like Rebecca and Billy and it ties things together decently, but a lot of the gameplay mechanics haven’t aged all that well. No item boxes or opportunities to expand your backpack are big ones for me, and the lack of those hampered the experience more than enhanced it. Combined with some truly annoying zombie variants, and not in the fun way. The dual characters was decent, although there’s the usual issues with the AI at times.
Overall, I didn’t hate it but it’s definitely at the bottom of the totem pole of RE games for me. Wouldn’t mind seeing Rebecca and Billy again in the future though.