Video Game Thread v. Series Xbox One X Series Switch S 5

[Herrick]

3 has some really engaging quests and characters in it. It is the first Fallout in the Elder Scrolls format and I thought it was fantastic back then. But New Vegas is on another level in writing and world design, I agree. A bit more of a slow burn, but it is one of those experiences that keeps getting better and rewarding. 4 has by far the best shooting gameplay and I enjoyed it a lot. Did a bit of Fallout 76 recently, it seems that game has become solid as well, after several years of development, though obviously it is still a MP experience at heart.

To be honest, I feel like I have been reading how the latest Bethesda game sucks for nearly two decades. When Oblivion came out it sucked compared to Morrowind, when Skyrim came out it sucked compared to Oblivion. Fact remains that every Bethesda game I have played have been great experiences for me (outside of the obvious technical messes they are).

Yes! I even remember the most ridiculous complaint from a hardcore Morrowind fan about Oblivion's combat being just "click click click" 

Edit: I am going to download New Vegas and the Viva New Vegas mods.

[Skeever]

I played a few hours of it but it didn't grab me the way it grabbed other people. I think the timing of the loop is a bit too punishing and I never felt like I was making significant progress. I may revisit it at some point but I'm not sure what headspace I need to be in.

This is how it was for me. It's one of those games that is really fine with letting a good portion of players miss out on any, if not all, of the special stuff it's got going for it.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm playing through Jedi Survivor right now and, to me, this is a classic case of "bigger is not always better". It's very similar to Jedi Fallen Order but they've really expanded the open-world aspect and there's way more puzzles, enemies on screen, etc. It's fun but there have been times where I felt like it was overload and a 90-minute level could have been cut down to a 45-minute level. The story is pretty sparse thus far but I've heard it picks up big time in the second half.

[Herrick]

I'm playing through Jedi Survivor right now and, to me, this is a classic case of "bigger is not always better". It's very similar to Jedi Fallen Order but they've really expanded the open-world aspect and there's way more puzzles, enemies on screen, etc. It's fun but there have been times where I felt like it was overload and a 90-minute level could have been cut down to a 45-minute level. The story is pretty sparse thus far but I've heard it picks up big time in the second half.

Is there fast travel? That was one of the annoying things about the first game.

[El Barto]

So let's figure out what game I should play next. Here's my MO: I like action-role playing games, preferably open world and non-linear. Skyrim, FO4, and Oblivion are favorites of mine, but I've pretty much worn them out. Because of my fondness for Beth, I've curtailed my options and don't really know what else is out there that's even remotely similar. I don't care about 100% completion or achievements, but I will easily spend six months playing it. Most important to me is developing and growing my character. Ideally with a variety of different directions I could choose from. Oblivion really nailed that part, I thought. Being able to build and create stuff is always nice, which is why I liked FO4 but none of the rest of the franchise. Modding is nice to have as an option, mostly to fix things that suck, but I don't need a thriving modding community. I'm not into super fast, cartoony action. I'd rather fight like Alec Guinness than Ewan McGregor. Basically, I'd rather half my time be spent developing and building so that the other half can be spent slaughtering people efficiently.

If you're not into this sort of thing we are not a match.

[cramx3]

I'd imagine Cyberpunk is in a good place right now where one can recommend it.  (I enjoyed it on release, but it was buggy). 

[El Barto]

I'd imagine Cyberpunk is in a good place right now where one can recommend it.  (I enjoyed it on release, but it was buggy).

Much character building? How much of it is centered on driving? All the vids I've seen make it seem like a different world GTA kind of thing.

[ReaperKK]

Have you played The Outer Worlds? It's a fantastic game in the style of FO3 new vegas

[Herrick]

I don't think there's really anything similar to Oblivion & Skyrim.

Cyberpunk 2077 was all right but I'd wait for a sale.

[XeRocks81]

I'm playing through Jedi Survivor right now and, to me, this is a classic case of "bigger is not always better". It's very similar to Jedi Fallen Order but they've really expanded the open-world aspect and there's way more puzzles, enemies on screen, etc. It's fun but there have been times where I felt like it was overload and a 90-minute level could have been cut down to a 45-minute level. The story is pretty sparse thus far but I've heard it picks up big time in the second half.

Is there fast travel? That was one of the annoying things about the first game.

just started this game as well and I’m enjoying the exploration so far but I’m only 4 to 5 hours in.  There is fast travel between meditation points on a planet this time,  a much needed improvement

[Herrick]

I'm playing through Jedi Survivor right now and, to me, this is a classic case of "bigger is not always better". It's very similar to Jedi Fallen Order but they've really expanded the open-world aspect and there's way more puzzles, enemies on screen, etc. It's fun but there have been times where I felt like it was overload and a 90-minute level could have been cut down to a 45-minute level. The story is pretty sparse thus far but I've heard it picks up big time in the second half.

Is there fast travel? That was one of the annoying things about the first game.

just started this game as well and I’m enjoying the exploration so far but I’m only 4 to 5 hours in.  There is fast travel between meditation points on a planet this time,  a much needed improvement

This pleases Herrick.

[cramx3]

I'd imagine Cyberpunk is in a good place right now where one can recommend it.  (I enjoyed it on release, but it was buggy).

Much character building? How much of it is centered on driving? All the vids I've seen make it seem like a different world GTA kind of thing.

Yeah, it's all about leveling up your character although there may not be as much story branching as the Bethesda games albeit there are different ways to play and choices to make.  There's a good amount of driving, it does feel like a mix of GTA (the driving and combat) and Fallout (RPG character building) in a futuristic setting. It's been awhile since I've played, and yeah, you may want to scoop it on a deal since it's not new, but I do remember it being a fun game I sank 100 hours into.

[Kwyjibo]

Have you played The Outer Worlds? It's a fantastic game in the style of FO3 new vegas

I liked that one a lot.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'd imagine Cyberpunk is in a good place right now where one can recommend it.  (I enjoyed it on release, but it was buggy).

Much character building? How much of it is centered on driving? All the vids I've seen make it seem like a different world GTA kind of thing.

Yeah, it's all about leveling up your character although there may not be as much story branching as the Bethesda games albeit there are different ways to play and choices to make.  There's a good amount of driving, it does feel like a mix of GTA (the driving and combat) and Fallout (RPG character building) in a futuristic setting. It's been awhile since I've played, and yeah, you may want to scoop it on a deal since it's not new, but I do remember it being a fun game I sank 100 hours into.

I will say that although the character customization in terms of appearance and gear is pretty sweet, and you can create some awesome-looking characters, V the character is kind of just V the character. So if you're looking for a game where you can pretend to be yourself or influence your character's personality significantly, that's one area that Cyberpunk just doesn't really have flexibility in.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm playing through Jedi Survivor right now and, to me, this is a classic case of "bigger is not always better". It's very similar to Jedi Fallen Order but they've really expanded the open-world aspect and there's way more puzzles, enemies on screen, etc. It's fun but there have been times where I felt like it was overload and a 90-minute level could have been cut down to a 45-minute level. The story is pretty sparse thus far but I've heard it picks up big time in the second half.

I finished the game over the weekend. Wow. I don't know if I've ever experienced a story that picked up so much towards the end. The first 2/3 was a very typical, video game fetch quest kind of story. The last 1/3 is when pretty much everything happens (although it does sort of "cash in" a lot of what was developed earlier). I know that scoring games is a bit lame but just to emphasize my point, I would have scored the game like a 6/10 up until the final act, which single-handedly bumped it up to like an 8.5 for me.

[Podaar]

I'm really struggling with getting into Jedi Survivor. The character animations for Cal feel off. Kind of like a marionette. The transitions between his actions are pretty bad at times, enough to throw off timing of dodges and parries. I really enjoyed the first game, but this one just isn't doing it for me.

[ErHaO]

I am loving my time with the new Zelda. I think it is way better than BotW. The world is so much more alive and this time exploration feels much more rewarding. And I love how you only have a couple of abilities but the amount of possibilities is vast (combination usage, interactions with the world/objects). And no cooldowns, so you can experiment and combine as you please. Feels like a true large scale immersive sim in that regard. I don't mind breakability of weapons/gear either, because it adds to the gameplay mechanic of making all kinds of weapons using fuse.

And I am amazed that there is zero jank. There are so many systems at play and the way you manipulate objects and the world goes far beyond BotW. Yet everything just works and I haven't glitched through a single thing despite my sorry ass inventions to solve problems.

[cramx3]

I will say, the clips make the new Zelda look really cool and fun.  I may play it at some point even though I gave up on BOTW.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I haven't played a new Zelda game in a while. Truth be told, sandbox-style games are not my cup of tea. However, Tears of the Kingdom is getting such rave reviews that I may go ahead and try it out!

[Ben_Jamin]

I am loving my time with the new Zelda. I think it is way better than BotW. The world is so much more alive and this time exploration feels much more rewarding. And I love how you only have a couple of abilities but the amount of possibilities is vast (combination usage, interactions with the world/objects). And no cooldowns, so you can experiment and combine as you please. Feels like a true large scale immersive sim in that regard. I don't mind breakability of weapons/gear either, because it adds to the gameplay mechanic of making all kinds of weapons using fuse.

And I am amazed that there is zero jank. There are so many systems at play and the way you manipulate objects and the world goes far beyond BotW. Yet everything just works and I haven't glitched through a single thing despite my sorry ass inventions to solve problems.

I just got to a stable and went to register a couple of horses. I then went to pull one out and I saw that it transferred over my registered horses from BOTW. I found that awesome and think it's great they're incorporating save data transfers from BOTW, I do wonder if this is all or if there are other things that may have possibly transferred over.

[Cool Chris]

If you're not into this sort of thing we are not a match.

It pleases me this phrase continues to live on here at dtf.org...

[Skeever]

So let's figure out what game I should play next. Here's my MO: I like action-role playing games, preferably open world and non-linear. Skyrim, FO4, and Oblivion are favorites of mine, but I've pretty much worn them out. Because of my fondness for Beth, I've curtailed my options and don't really know what else is out there that's even remotely similar. I don't care about 100% completion or achievements, but I will easily spend six months playing it. Most important to me is developing and growing my character. Ideally with a variety of different directions I could choose from. Oblivion really nailed that part, I thought. Being able to build and create stuff is always nice, which is why I liked FO4 but none of the rest of the franchise. Modding is nice to have as an option, mostly to fix things that suck, but I don't need a thriving modding community. I'm not into super fast, cartoony action. I'd rather fight like Alec Guinness than Ewan McGregor. Basically, I'd rather half my time be spent developing and building so that the other half can be spent slaughtering people efficiently.

If you're not into this sort of thing we are not a match.

I think the original Deus Ex may be a good option, obviously modded to improve visuals and some UI things. It's routinely on sale for like $.99

[Stadler]

Big fan of Deus Ex (and similar games) but if the world-building is your thing, it may be a little less than satisfactory.

[Metro]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2(PS5) gameplay reveal
https://youtu.be/XrPZSq5YXqc

[ErHaO]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2(PS5) gameplay reveal
https://youtu.be/XrPZSq5YXqc

Hmm, I will have fun with the game no doubt, but I am honestly not very impressed by what I am seeing, not sure why.

Traversal in this game will be amazing and I will enjoy the combat, hopefully I will enjoy the story/dialouge more than this trailer indicates.

[Chino]

Sony's "Project Q" looks pretty interesting!

https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/24/23736595/sony-project-q-playstation-handheld-official-showcase





If this device's only purpose is to stream games, I can't imagine it costing that much. It's basically just a Dualsense controller with a screen in the middle of it. It might be as low as $200 and in Switch Lite territory. I have very little interest in gaming on the go, but I am very interested in being able to play my PS5 at home without being limited to one TV or couch. This seems like it'd satisfy that need perfectly. I don't need the console to be portable, only the screen. I don't really have any hardware at the moment that could take advantage of the PS5's remote play feature other than my phone.

[ReaperKK]

I'm curious if the release of the steam deck and popularity of the switch gave them this idea. Streamed games only though isn't a great move IMO. I haven't played around with PS5 streaming but PS4 streaming was highly concentrated trash.

[MetalJunkie]

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2(PS5) gameplay reveal
https://youtu.be/XrPZSq5YXqc

I am so hyped for this. And more boroughs!

[XJDenton]

Generally when I want to play a portable, I'm not in a place where streaming is a good option, so these streaming devices really don't appeal to me.

[cramx3]

Generally when I want to play a portable, I'm not in a place where streaming is a good option, so these streaming devices really don't appeal to me.

Same and even with my switch, I only play it in portable mode when I'm traveling otherwise I dock it and play on the couch.  Such a product is not meant for me.

[ErHaO]

I'm curious if the release of the steam deck and popularity of the switch gave them this idea. Streamed games only though isn't a great move IMO. I haven't played around with PS5 streaming but PS4 streaming was highly concentrated trash.

Maybe the handheld market convinced them to try it again, now with a more dedicated device.

But their history with streaming is long. In 2006 you could play PS3 stuff on the PSP via remote play, later on the Playstation Phone and Vita

Back in 2014 I already had this- (my Z3 actually came with a dualshock 4):



It worked well when I tested it (back then it was a Sony phone only thing). But most PS4 games don't really work on a small screen in my opinion. The problem is it only really works when you have great internet/wifi with little interference  (in my current flat game streaming just doesn't work well, in my parental house it does).

I am willing to bet that in most cities with a lot of signals it is hard to get it working well. Wifi interference is an increasing problem and switching to 5 Ghz doesn't work anymore as many have been doing that. At least where I am. Even when download/upload speed is like 200/50 mb/s with a 11 ms ping, it just keeps sucking (PS cloud gaming, Xbox cloud gaming). I could use PS now with way less speed well in a less busy area in the past.

I don't think this product will be a success.

[Dublagent66]

Not a fan of streaming games.

[soupytwist]

Diablo 4 is so far pretty awesome.  Standard Diablo stuff with added MMO elements.

[ReaperKK]

I just started playing Diablo 4 last night and I'm loving it so far. I've never played any of the previous games and wasn't too sure I'd like this but after getting into the beta I decided to take a chance and scoop it up. What really surprises me is how interesting the story and the cgi cutscenes are.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I just started playing Diablo 4 last night and I'm loving it so far. I've never played any of the previous games and wasn't too sure I'd like this but after getting into the beta I decided to take a chance and scoop it up. What really surprises me is how interesting the story and the cgi cutscenes are.

I heard that too. Have never played a Diablo game but I might give this one a shot. Do you think it holds up well as a purely single-player experience?