What video games did you play this week?

[wonderfly]

What video games did you play this week?
12/11/23:



New Releases this week:

GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising
(coming to Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and PC)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC
(coming to Nintendo Switch)


​

So what have you played this week?!?

 

[the_joker]

I've been playing Devil May Cry 5. So far, I like the game. I don't really understand the story, and while there was a also recap to watch, almost nothing it said meant anything to me due to the sheer number of unfamiliar proper nouns. Actually, I'm not even sure there is much of a story due to the characters generally acting like smart asses, though their interactions can be fun especially between Nero and Nico.

Its over-the-top combat is obviously the selling point, and I wonder if it might be too complicated for me. There are a lot of different moves to pull off, but I can't recall at least half of them while playing. I just unlocked Dante, and he has a crapton of different moves. So many I don't know how I'm supposed to remember them even if I want to practice. Is this how playing a fighting game feels? That's one reason I'm not interested in them. At least fighting with a motorcycle looks and feels cool.

 

[wonderfly]

What video games did you play this week?
12/18/23:



New Releases this week:

Terra Nil
(coming to Nintendo Switch)



​

So what have you played this week?!?

 

[wonderfly]

It's the week before Christmas. Video game publishers are pretty much shutting down for the holidays (no big releases until January, I would say). Still, I saw "Terra Nil" was coming out this week for the Nintendo Switch. It looks....delightful! (That is, if you're into farming sims or city builders....except this is more of a "forest builder" aka "reclaiming the Earth").




By the way, I'm still playing "Dragon's Dogma". Well, also occasionally "The Messenger". Kinda bouncing back and forth between those two.

 

[Classic Speedy]

Been playing the Doom Eternal add-ons Ancient Gods 1 & 2. My word, this game is almost TOO much action. Whenever I finish a level I'm completely exhausted, and some levels go on and on for what seems like an eternity, with wave after wave of enemies and constant multitasking required. It's undeniably fun in an adrenaline rush kind of way, but it's conversely physically draining.

 

[wonderfly]

There.....are no new video games this week. It's the holidays.

I'm just reflecting back over the last year, reflecting on any other games I played. I originally started this thread back in January, but that thread got deleted in the loss of material from November 2022 to February 2023.

I posted back then (in January) that was I was playing "Final Fantasy VII" (the old 1997 version) on my Playstation 5, and also that I was enjoying "Earth Defense Force 4.1" (you go around shooting giant bugs and giant robots). I still go back to those occasionally ("Earth Defense Force" is great for multiplayer with family). I did get farther (beyond the "Midgard" section) in Final Fantasy VII. I still haven't beaten the game though. It's on my "to do" list.

Beyond that, I spent a lot of time (during the time when the forums were down) playing "Dead Cells" - a rogue-like Castlevania-esque thing that was fun, but too hard for me. I eventually gave up on it. I think it was back in the Spring or winter of this year that I finally got around to beating "Call of Duty: WW2" (the 2017 version). That was a good ending to the story campaign.

But my favorite game that I played this year (while the forums were down) was "Stray". A post-apocalypse story of a kitty cat wandering a ruined city inhabited by robots. It was artistic, it was fun, it was a great ending.

Those were on the PS5. There was stuff I played on my Nintendo Switch that I played as well, but I think I'll leave it at that, for now.

 

[the_joker]

I've been playing Mass Effect, and so far I would say the game is very interesting. A lot of thought was put into this world, and there's also a lot to read in the codex. Admittedly, I didn't read too much of it as that would just be too much information to take in at once, and then I'd just forget almost everything I read. I'd rather learn more about the world as I play, and maybe take an occasional look at the codex. I definitely like the role-playing aspect as I have to pick how I want to deliver my statements, and a lot of the dialogue is great.

The shootouts are fine, though I wish shots would have more "impact" like in Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Sometimes, I can't tell if my shots are dealing damage, and having enemies react to them like in those mentioned games are helpful visual cues. I could look at an enemy's health bar, but too bad it's all the way at the top of the screen instead of above their head. Of course, the tech and biotic abilities as well as the teammates are what spice up the combat, and too bad the left stick isn't always accurate, so I spend a good second or two trying to pick the ability I want to use. A minor flaw, but it's a noticeable annoyance. I wonder if this game was meant more for PC.

Something that's actually throwing me off quite a bit is the animations showing the execution of an action. For example, when I switch guns, I expect it to happen immediately like in Uncharted or Tomb Raider. But no, I have to watch one gun being put away and then watch the selected gun get withdrawn. Those animations slow down the combat a little, and I'm actually not against this feature as it does require me to be more tactical when switching weapons or using an ability, or I could just move out of the way as I'm switching guns.

The worst flaw would be the UI for the inventory. Good god, it can be hard and confusing to work with. I want to see the available mods for a gun, and I end up not wanting to change anything. Too bad the circle button doesn't let me exit. Instead, I have to select the mod I want to apply, so I have to scroll to the currently used mod and then exit. There have been plenty of times where I accidentally applied a different mod without noticing as I was often rushing to exit this part of the game, and then I have to go through the trouble of installing the desired mod at a later point after I have picked up more mods. And since you also pick up plenty of items along the way, there can be a lot of scrolling to get through.

@wonderfly Should there be a thread for what we played in 2023?

 

[wonderfly]

I've been playing Mass Effect, and so far I would say the game is very interesting. A lot of thought was put into this world, and there's also a lot to read in the codex. Admittedly, I didn't read too much of it as that would just be too much information to take in at once, and then I'd just forget almost everything I read. I'd rather learn more about the world as I play, and maybe take an occasional look at the codex. I definitely like the role-playing aspect as I have to pick how I want to deliver my statements, and a lot of the dialogue is great.

Is this the "Mass Effect Legendary Edition" which collects all 3 games? I heard that version refined the combat (and some other aspects a bit), but I've also heard it's still the weakest of the 3 games (from a gameplay perspective).

@wonderfly Should there be a thread for what we played in 2023?

Eh, I think that's kinda what this thread is for. Since the forums were down, I was just using this thread to post what I else I remember playing during the period where the forums were down.

I am thinking about starting up a "What are you looking forward to playing (or getting) in 2024?" thread though....

 

[the_joker]

Is this the "Mass Effect Legendary Edition" which collects all 3 games? I heard that version refined the combat (and some other aspects a bit), but I've also heard it's still the weakest of the 3 games (from a gameplay perspective).

Yeah, I got the Legendary Edition, and I've never played the originals, so I wouldn't know or be able to discover the differences between the 2 versions. I just hope the next games make inventory management easier.

Also, I would like to criticize the lack of shoulder-switching in the game. I'd also like to be able to aim at the left side instead of being stuck to the right. The first Uncharted game released around the same time and already had that feature, and I doubt that was a novel gameplay feature. It's also a minor flaw, but it's also annoying enough for me to notice.

Eh, I think that's kinda what this thread is for. Since the forums were down, I was just using this thread to post what I else I remember playing during the period where the forums were down.

I am thinking about starting up a "What are you looking forward to playing (or getting) in 2024?" thread though....

Heh, I suppose I was kinda curious as to what other games you played. Maybe I could also post the games I played during the downtime (and 2023 in general), but that post might be too long.

I could start a thread like that since there are threads about the games we acquired in a month as well as a year, but I also want to write short comments about the games I played, so that will have to wait a little. Also, this is an ongoing thread, and our posts will get "lost", so being able to see a short summary in one thread would also be nice.

 

[wonderfly]

Yeah, I got the Legendary Edition, and I've never played the originals, so I wouldn't know or be able to discover the differences between the 2 versions. I just hope the next games make inventory management easier.

Also, I would like to criticize the lack of shoulder-switching in the game. I'd also like to be able to aim at the left side instead of being stuck to the right. The first Uncharted game released around the same time and already had that feature, and I doubt that was a novel gameplay feature. It's also a minor flaw, but it's also annoying enough for me to notice.

I own the "Legendary Edition" as well. It's on my "to do" list. Someday, eventually.

Heh, I suppose I was kinda curious as to what other games you played. Maybe I could also post the games I played during the downtime (and 2023 in general), but that post might be too long.

I could start a thread like that since there are threads about the games we acquired in a month as well as a year, but I also want to write short comments about the games I played, so that will have to wait a little. Also, this is an ongoing thread, and our posts will get "lost", so being able to see a short summary in one thread would also be nice.

You bring up a good point, in that Speedy posts a year end "Video Game Haul" thread, whereas Viper posts a monthly "what did you buy this month". Both are valid.

Feel free to start up a"what did you play in 2023?" thread. I still intend to post what I played on my Nintendo Switch this last year, maybe I'll post it in your thread.

Also, I'm leaning towards starting a new thread next week (in 2024, and in January of every year, going forward). I don't want one thread to carry on too long and get too bogged down (with older posts getting "lost", as you put it, in the back pages of a thread).

 

[Pooky]

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge for PS2

No classic, but worth a look if you're a fan of the film who enjoys games from this era. Disney missed a trick not remastering this for the Switch to go with the deluge of merchandise for the 30th anniversary this year.

 

[wonderfly]

I show there's still no new video games this week. The video game industry doesn't look like it's really going to kick back into high gear until around the middle of January.

(Also, been playing Super Mario Wonder, since I got it for Christmas).

 

[Classic Speedy]

Been making my way through Powerslave: Exhumed, a modern port of a FPS from the '90s. Even though there have been a lot of advancements in FPS since then, this has held up pretty darn well- the character and action moves fast, you can jump and look in any direction (things the original DOOM didn't have), and you gain new abilities during the game so you're always doing something different. Plus, I dig the Egyptian motif- sure is a nice break from the Hell and demon-filled imagery of Doom Eternal.

Best of all? Original physical copies of Powerslave regularly go for over $100 on eBay, whereas this version costs only $20 and you get the expected QOL improvements with it.

 

[the_joker]

Still playing Mass Effect. I don't know how far I am into the game, but I'm still enjoying it. I have done a number of the main missions as well as plenty of side missions. There's apparently a minor exploit for making money, but the process is a little tedious. At least I can buy some better armor, and I'd rather pick up stronger weapons and mods as I go.