Video Game Thread v. Wii4One

[The Walrus]

I tried picking up TLOU1 last night after weeks of AC:Odyssey... I got killed 7 times in 2 minutes because I forgot the controls and a clicker kept coming at me. Ugh. 

[Chino]

Very hooked on Sea of thieves atm, fun game!

Did they do any major updates?  I haven't touched that game in at least a year or two.

COD is starting to piss me off.  I encounter hackers like every other game now and it just ruins it.  Here I get shot through a wall and question why am I playing this https://twitter.com/Cramx3/status/1275170713989775360

So I am starting to get the urge to play something else. I've been following a streamer lately and was able to play GTFO with them.  Very challenging and different type of game than I am used to. They also play a lot of overwatch so I may try playing that again, but the reality is no game gets my heart pumping than a good round of a battle royale with high stakes.  Really hard to replicate that real life feeling from playing a game that isn't in the genre and it's what has gotten me hooked since PUBG came out years ago.

Just throwing it out there. Mordhau has changed a bit since we've last played. There was another good update yesterday. The invasion game mode is a hell of a lot fun, and with yesterday's update, 80 player lobbies are now a thing. It's mayhem.

[cramx3]

Yea, I don't know, I've got nothing against the game, but I'm just not terribly interested in it right now.  Actually need to install it on the new PC.  I downloaded Valorant as a game to try out but I havent actually jumped in.  I'm just way too addicted to the battle royale mode in COD still.  They definitely mess with the skill based match making under the table because for weeks I was struggling so hard and I read a lot of people complaining about the game being so much harder lately and now this week, things seem like back to normal where I can actually get kills again and getting close to actually winning a game again.  That hunt for a win is so damn addicting.

I think I'm going to try out GTFO with some friends tomorrow night again, that game really requires strategy and communication which means its absolutely terrible to play by yourself.

[Dublagent66]

The graphics are amazing and the animations look so life like, it’s scary sometimes.

Yesterday suddenly an enemy went on her knees to beg for her life (non-scripted).

Wow!  That must've been a rare occasion of timing in the game cause that's never happened to me.

I tried picking up TLOU1 last night after weeks of AC:Odyssey... I got killed 7 times in 2 minutes because I forgot the controls and a clicker kept coming at me. Ugh. 

Clickers are difficult if you don't have a Shiv for a stealth kill.  Otherwise, you have to waste bullets.  But, just like any other resource in the game, Shivs have to be used sparingly.  Thankfully, they did away with crafting Shivs in the 2nd game which pretty much gives you unlimited stealth kills, especially when it comes to clickers.  Of course there are some enemies that can't be stealth killed.

[Phoenix87x]

Picked back up Dark Souls for the first time in a long time.

Got stuck on Tomb of the Giants for months, but now I am trying it with the Sunlight maggot

[Chino]

Any good finds on the Steam summer sale? It looks like all the Planet Coaster expansions are 50% off, and Tropico 6 is marked down to $30 from $50. I might bite at those.

Edit: Noticed the had Planet Zoo on sale along with all the expansions. I bought the $75 bundle for $42 after the deals. I've wanted to try this game for a while. It's made by the same people and is basically exactly the same as Planet Coaster except you're building zoos/habitats instead of theme parks.

[ErHaO]

The graphics are amazing and the animations look so life like, it’s scary sometimes.

Yesterday suddenly an enemy went on her knees to beg for her life (non-scripted).

Wow!  That must've been a rare occasion of timing in the game cause that's never happened to me.

I tried picking up TLOU1 last night after weeks of AC:Odyssey... I got killed 7 times in 2 minutes because I forgot the controls and a clicker kept coming at me. Ugh. 

Clickers are difficult if you don't have a Shiv for a stealth kill.  Otherwise, you have to waste bullets.  But, just like any other resource in the game, Shivs have to be used sparingly.  Thankfully, they did away with crafting Shivs in the 2nd game which pretty much gives you unlimited stealth kills, especially when it comes to clickers.  Of course there are some enemies that can't be stealth killed.

You can also kill Clickers with a brick in the original, by using a three hit melee combo out of stealth. However, this will make a lot of noise. Still, this was a fave resource management move of mine in my hard playthroughs.

And yes, enemies begging for their lives is rare I think. The original also had similar instances btw, in that game sometimes (I think also very rarely) an enemy will cover their face to prepare for impact, if you don't hit them they will talk to you.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

It feels weird being that guy - the negative guy - because I rarely find myself feeling this way about games, but I must admit that the gameplay of TLOU2 is starting to wear me down a bit. I can't quite put my finger on why, but perhaps the game simply being longer has made the gameplay feel more repetitive or something. I dunno... I'm just starting to feel as though I'm playing to see what happens versus playing because I'm genuinely enjoying myself.

[Herrick]

Any good finds on the Steam summer sale? It looks like all the Planet Coaster expansions are 50% off, and Tropico 6 is marked down to $30 from $50. I might bite at those.

Edit: Noticed the had Planet Zoo on sale along with all the expansions. I bought the $75 bundle for $42 after the deals. I've wanted to try this game for a while. It's made by the same people and is basically exactly the same as Planet Coaster except you're building zoos/habitats instead of theme parks.

Doom Eternal is $30 but I'm waiting for $20 or lower. I bought Wolfenstein 2 for $12, Outlast for $3, and Fallout 76 for $20.

I played a little Fallout 76 and I'm already regretting my purchase 

[Cool Chris]

....Steam summer sale...

Ohhh thank you for reminding me! Already filling up my cart!

My 9 year old enjoyed playing through Portal (with my help) and wants me to find another game for her. She liked the puzzle/problem solving aspect of Portal and the straightforward controls, but understands she is limited on the hand-eye coordination with the keyboard/mouse and controller as she is 9 and not a regular gamer. Any thoughts?

[v_clortho]

....Steam summer sale...

Portal 2

Ohhh thank you for reminding me! Already filling up my cart!

My 9 year old enjoyed playing through Portal (with my help) and wants me to find another game for her. She liked the puzzle/problem solving aspect of Portal and the straightforward controls, but understands she is limited on the hand-eye coordination with the keyboard/mouse and controller as she is 9 and not a regular gamer. Any thoughts?

[Sacul]

The Witness, she'll prob enjoy exploring the colourful island too

[Phoenix87x]

Ohhh thank you for reminding me! Already filling up my cart!

My 9 year old enjoyed playing through Portal (with my help) and wants me to find another game for her. She liked the puzzle/problem solving aspect of Portal and the straightforward controls, but understands she is limited on the hand-eye coordination with the keyboard/mouse and controller as she is 9 and not a regular gamer. Any thoughts?

Has she ever played the Myst games?

Real myst masterpiece edition is on sale. You explore the island solving puzzles. No enemies and you can't die.

[Cool Chris]

Has she ever played the Myst games?

Real myst masterpiece edition is on sale. You explore the island solving puzzles. No enemies and you can't die.

I thought about Myst today as I bought Obduction because it was on sale. It was recommended to my by my sister who is almost 100% spot on with her recommendations for me. I played Myst in high school but don't think I got far. I am certain I never owned it so only played at a friend's house.

[Herrick]

I played Myst back in the day but it was not for young Herrick. It's not for old Herrick either.

[ErHaO]

Well, TLOU II is doing a good job at making me feel bad about my actions earlier in the game 

Where I am at now, I do get why some people are upset at the strucure/direction of this game. It is kind of a risky move from the developer but for me it is paying off. And I think this game uses the baggage of the original very well.

It feels weird being that guy - the negative guy - because I rarely find myself feeling this way about games, but I must admit that the gameplay of TLOU2 is starting to wear me down a bit. I can't quite put my finger on why, but perhaps the game simply being longer has made the gameplay feel more repetitive or something. I dunno... I'm just starting to feel as though I'm playing to see what happens versus playing because I'm genuinely enjoying myself.

I think the pacing of this one is a bit less combat and more exploring/looting/story, at least initially. The battles themselves in the first half are just a bit more calm overall than the original. For example, in the first quarter of the original you already had frequent floors with several insta-kill clickers and a good amount of runners, in this game that feels more rare initially, with entire floors just having a clicker and two runners, for example. That makes the combat initially feel a bit more trivial, as such a floor is cleared within a minute. I think I should've gone with hard (but then again, I always play the original on hard and no listening mode). For me the complaint thus far is relatively minor though, I am loving this game. And I just had a long stretch full of intense fights, I think the second half is better in that regard.

Still, I think the gameplay itself is really great, it is one of those games you can play "beatifully", as it has a great balance between responsiveness and animation quality. Diving and dodging through the crowds while making headshots feels amazing.  And the guns and melee feel great. I preffered stealth in the original, here I prefer the action approach.

[Phoenix87x]

I thought about Myst today as I bought Obduction because it was on sale. It was recommended to my by my sister who is almost 100% spot on with her recommendations for me. I played Myst in high school but don't think I got far. I am certain I never owned it so only played at a friend's house.

I hope she likes it. Its the same designer that did Myst and it scratches that itch for sure. It got very tricky on the back half though and I ended up putting it down unfortunately.

I'm just happy they did a full 3D modernized version of Myst with the Real myst game. I can still enjoy it, since there's no way I can go back to the 93 version.

[ErHaO]

I found Myst 3 as a kid to super boring, assumed it was for adults? Was I wrong as a kid?

[Phoenix87x]

I was around 12 when I started playing Myst 1, 2 and 3. I was entranced by them, but I like puzzles and exploring so they appealed to me. I could definitely see why people would find them boring though.

I would say it can be for kids as well if they are interested. At 12, I feel like I was just old enough to make progress in it. Me and friend worked through the games together and had a fun time.

[ErHaO]

Interesting. I am the type of gamer that very much enjoys exploring and puzzling though, some of the classic adventure games are my all time favourites, as well as some modern indie puzzlers (Witness, Baba is You). I think the google streetview type of traversal put me off back in the day, and my pc perhaps was a bit slow making it worse.

[The Walrus]

I love puzzles and adventure so I bought Myst III off a friend for like $10 back in middle school... I hated every second I played of it  That's just me though. Visually and conceptually I was into it but the game just wasn't fun imo.

80 hours into AC Odyssey and I keep on trucking but I still have 20 territories I have not even set foot in... feels like this game will never end. Having a blast though - I'm actually setting out to 100% it which seemed like madness a few weeks ago but here I am.

[Chino]

Is Elder Scrolls Online worth getting for $7.99?

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Is Elder Scrolls Online worth getting for $7.99?

Ehh, I always come back to it every couple years and get bored with it after about 5 hours.

As far as puzzle games go, The Talos Principle is great.

[The Walrus]

Did somebody say Talos?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajY88yV5Ay8

[Bolsters]

Is Elder Scrolls Online worth getting for $7.99?

Ehh, I always come back to it every couple years and get bored with it after about 5 hours.

Same, I've given it a few good tries over the years but just never found anything about the game to be remotely interesting.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Did somebody say Talos?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajY88yV5Ay8

Why the hell is that guy playing Skyrim in 3rd person....?

[Cool Chris]

As far as puzzle games go, The Talos Principle is great.

Forgot that was on my wishlist. Just picked up for $5.

[Chino]

As far as puzzle games go, The Talos Principle is great.

Forgot that was on my wishlist. Just picked up for $5.

Whoa. I'd never heard of that game. It looks pretty cool and all the Youtube comments I've come across are nothing but high praise. I just snagged the Gold Edition for 87% off.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I finished TLOU2 yesterday. Honestly, I want to stand up and applaud Naughty Dog for how ambitious they were in telling this story. They took genuine risks and tried certain storytelling maneuvers that I don't think I've seen before from video games, at least not from one this big. TLOU2 is one of those things that almost demands you reflect on it when it's done, and my opinion of it certainly improved once I saw the bigger picture.

This game is art. Do I feel pretentious as hell saying that? Yup. Do I understand why some people dislike the game? Absolutely. Do I think it's perfect? Nope. But I respect the hell out of it. I'm actually looking forward to playing it again in a few years.

In case anyone is interested, here's a great video on Parts 1 and 2 that is very much in line with my own thoughts (spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bat38vErWr4

[cramx3]

Mid season update dropped today for call of duty, warzone has been upped to 200 players. That's insanity. Not sure how I feel about it but looking forward to trying it. Also they finally nerfed the grau which now opens up the game for everyone to try other guns. Probably go back to the M4 

[Chino]

Mid season update dropped today for call of duty, warzone has been upped to 200 players. That's insanity. Not sure how I feel about it but looking forward to trying it. Also they finally nerfed the grau which now opens up the game for everyone to try other guns. Probably go back to the M4 

I'll play some 200 person mayhem tonight if you're around. I was playing the larger lobbies the other night and enjoyed it much more than the three-teammate LTS mode.

[cramx3]

Mid season update dropped today for call of duty, warzone has been upped to 200 players. That's insanity. Not sure how I feel about it but looking forward to trying it. Also they finally nerfed the grau which now opens up the game for everyone to try other guns. Probably go back to the M4 

I'll play some 200 person mayhem tonight if you're around. I was playing the larger lobbies the other night and enjoyed it much more than the three-teammate LTS mode.

I've done almost nothing else the last three months besides play COD in the evenings so I expect I'll be around 

[Dublagent66]

I finished TLOU2 yesterday. Honestly, I want to stand up and applaud Naughty Dog for how ambitious they were in telling this story. They took genuine risks and tried certain storytelling maneuvers that I don't think I've seen before from video games, at least not from one this big. TLOU2 is one of those things that almost demands you reflect on it when it's done, and my opinion of it certainly improved once I saw the bigger picture.

This game is art. Do I feel pretentious as hell saying that? Yup. Do I understand why some people dislike the game? Absolutely. Do I think it's perfect? Nope. But I respect the hell out of it. I'm actually looking forward to playing it again in a few years.

In case anyone is interested, here's a great video on Parts 1 and 2 that is very much in line with my own thoughts (spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bat38vErWr4

I have a feeling I'm right near the end.  I have about 45 hours logged on this initial playthrough, which is probably longer than most because I try to check every nook and cranny of each environment.  My hat's off to Naughty Dog as well.  They did an amazing job with this game in just about every aspect of it's content.  Even better than they did with the Uncharted series which is excellent in it's own right.  But, I have to say that TLOU2 is in a league all it's own at this point.  Can't say I've ever played a game/series quite like this.  They raised the bar for sure.  Quite a bit actually. 

[ErHaO]

Yeah, I think TLOU II is exceptional, finished it last night. Final stretch had me on the edge for sure and I think the ending was great. Second half overall had some great combat scenarios as well.

I am very confused at some of the hate this game is getting, was kinda worried for a Game of Thrones late series scenario or a The Last Jedi, but it is not at all that. I think the overall tone and sequence of events is tonally on point. However, I do understand that people don't like a certain aspect about halfway into the game, and that is a large part of the experience. Initially my reaction was also a bit like "what, I don't want to be doing this right now", but that feeling waned quickly and this approach paid off big time for me. Still, I recommend people going in without knowing any plot details.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Yeah, I think TLOU II is exceptional, finished it last night. Final stretch had me on the edge for sure and I think the ending was great. Second half overall had some great combat scenarios as well.

I am very confused at some of the hate this game is getting, was kinda worried for a Game of Thrones late series scenario or a The Last Jedi, but it is not at all that. I think the overall tone and sequence of events is tonally on point. However, I do understand that people don't like a certain aspect about halfway into the game, and that is a large part of the experience. Initially my reaction was also a bit like "what, I don't want to be doing this right now", but that feeling waned quickly and this approach paid off big time for me. Still, I recommend people going in without knowing any plot details.

What's interesting is that I think Naughty Dog wanted us to say "I don't want to be doing this" so that they could eventually change our minds. It obviously didn't work for some people, but I personally thought that the shift halfway through was pretty brilliant by the end.