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

[cramx3]

So Counter Strike 2 is just a reskinned CSGO with no actual new maps only updated old maps?

If it was something actually new, I'd have interest.  I got tired of playing CS over 10 years ago (probably closer to 20)  I understand it's a solid competitive shooter, but it's just so stale to me.

Now this Fortnite Creative tool I keep seeing on my social media feeds looks really awesome.  I never got into fortnite, but since people are making other games (COD, Halo) in this tool, it may be something worth checking out for me.

[Dublagent66]

I usually get pre-ordered games the same day of release.  Looks like RE4 Remake isn't arriving until next Tuesday.  Ugh!!  

[Sacul]

Just got Omori, and it's such a cute and lovely game, reminds me of Earthbound. Surely that content warning at the beginning is a little joke, right haha...

OMORI is one of my favorite games of all time. It's quite an experience, I hope you enjoy!

It's quite fun so far and lovely, I'm digging it.

I've also began with Signalis, and I'm already in the second half (I think?). If you love classic survival horror, this is amazing. Great atmosphere, dark and PS1-like aesthetic visuals, cool music, and very unconventional storytelling at times. Great stuff.

[faizoff]

Decided to play Star Wars Squadrons, the game is so much fun and easy to maneuver. The Ultrawide keeps it really immersive.

https://youtu.be/_FM-qTHRJ5M

[MetalJunkie]

Just hit 100% on Spider-Man Remastered, and now I'm working on the DLC's. Great fun.

[Zantera]

As someone who has played CS on and off (more off in the last few years) but started with the first game in 2000-2001, I'm hyped for CS2.
Don't really agree with any criticisms that they need to revamp or change more, CSGO was pretty close to perfect as it was, aside from a few things like server tick which they seem to be greatly improving with this as well. There will always be new maps but the old ones will always be classic for a reason and all I really need would be Dust2, Inferno, Cache, Overpass, Mirage, Nuke and maybe the occasional Train. Of course getting a new map here or there seasonally that is fun to play is not a negative but it's really damn hard to design a great map. These maps have become great for a reason and it's hard to make a new map that's 1. unique to itself and has a different vibe than other maps 2. still is greatly balanced for both teams (this is a big challenge) 3. holds up over time and doesn't get boring after you have played it 10 times.

I'm just happy they are keeping a lot of gimmicks away from it and keeping it a pure tactical FPS shooter. It's about the individual player skill and the tactical element like the ingame economy and so on.

[ReaperKK]

Well said Zantera. My brother got into the beta and I was watching him play last night, the updates look incredibly good and I think Valve is going to nail it with this update.

[Phoenix87x]

Diablo IV beta is open.

So far I am liking what I am seeing

[ReaperKK]

I'm about to boot it up for the second time today. I've never played any of the diablo games but I'm really digging D4.

[Herrick]

I bought Diablo 3 years ago when it came out but never got even close to finishing it. I get tired of clicking all the time in these types of games.

Will Diablo 4 have gamepad support for PC?

[Dublagent66]

I usually get pre-ordered games the same day of release.  Looks like RE4 Remake isn't arriving until next Tuesday.  Ugh!!  

Only had to wait 2 days instead of 4.  Delivered yesterday.  Lovin' it so far! 

[MetalJunkie]

I'm about halfway through NG+ on Ultimate Difficulty in Spider-Man Remastered. Once I finish I'll have all the achievements.

[MetalJunkie]

Update!

[Dublagent66]

Still on my 1st play through of RE4 REmake.  Best one out of the bunch.  Been at it over a week.  Some things didn't change but a whole lot of other things did and I'm very impressed with the complete overhaul and modernized gameplay.  Capcom really out did themselves on this one.  Will be hard to top.  Started on normal difficulty.  Get used to dying...a lot!  I'm also seeing a huge amount of replay value as well.  Wouldn't be surprised if it gets game of the year.  RE2 and RE3 REmakes don't even really come close.  That's how good it is. 

[cramx3]

Wow, Call of Duty just announced their anti-cheat has been updated to include cronus detection 

Funny how just last week many of the big COD streamers said they were quitting the game...  interesting timing!

[Stadler]

Wow, Call of Duty just announced their anti-cheat has been updated to include cronus detection 

Funny how just last week many of the big COD streamers said they were quitting the game...  interesting timing!

I might have to go back to COD, then.  I just got sick of respawning and seemingly being picked off from halfway across the map within seconds.

Battlefront got like that as well. 

[cramx3]

Wow, Call of Duty just announced their anti-cheat has been updated to include cronus detection 

Funny how just last week many of the big COD streamers said they were quitting the game...  interesting timing!

I might have to go back to COD, then.  I just got sick of respawning and seemingly being picked off from halfway across the map within seconds.

Battlefront got like that as well.

That's not likely to change.  COD is just an extremely difficult game to pick up and not constantly die for a long period of time before you get the hang of things, assuming you aren't completely discouraged already.  A lot of these legacy FPS games have too many players with insane amount of hours played that the competition is incredibly difficult for new players.  COD should be putting you into lobbies with similar skill, but I just don't think it works well.  I think Fortnite does a lot better, and even PUBG, because they'll put you in lobbies with bots and not real players until you start winning.  I don't follow Fortnite closely, but I know for PUBG when I started playing again last year, it took awhile of playing with lobbies of many bots before the game adjusted due to my skill and putting me in mostly 90+% live player lobbies. 

[Chino]

Is there a lot of cheating in Battlefield 2042?

I've been playing it on PS5 and getting absolutely bitch slapped (noticing I'm being paired with a lot of PC players). I know I haven't played an online FPS on console in maybe 5 or 6 years, but I was never THIS bad. Back in the day on COD Modern Warfare, I regularly placed at the top of the boards. The majority of the time I'm dead without even seeing my opponent, and when I do, their reaction times seem off the charts. I went 1-36 on a game last night.

[cramx3]

Is there a lot of cheating in Battlefield 2042?

I've been playing it on PS5 and getting absolutely bitch slapped (noticing I'm being paired with a lot of PC players). I know I haven't played an online FPS on console in maybe 5 or 6 years, but I was never THIS bad. Back in the day on COD Modern Warfare, I regularly placed at the top of the boards. The majority of the time I'm dead without even seeing my opponent, and when I do, their reaction times seem off the charts. I went 1-36 on a game last night.

Haven't played BF2042 in a few months, but historically, no.  My understanding was the game was so hated that cheat makers didn't even bother because the interest just wasn't there (and struggled to make cheats because the game was in such bad shape).  That may have changed because the game is in a much better state with more players currently... but I kind of doubt there is a mass cheater problem in BF2042.  I actually think that game just has a bigger advantage for PC players.  In COD, the game is made for consoles and mostly played on consoles, there really isn't much of an advantage to play on PC (besides framerate, all the best players use controllers too) but in BF, I think the PC is still going to be the best way to play and where most of the playerbase is.  I think, on PS, if you turn off crossplay, you'll be unlikely to even find a match.

[Stadler]

Wow, Call of Duty just announced their anti-cheat has been updated to include cronus detection 

Funny how just last week many of the big COD streamers said they were quitting the game...  interesting timing!

I might have to go back to COD, then.  I just got sick of respawning and seemingly being picked off from halfway across the map within seconds.

Battlefront got like that as well.

That's not likely to change.  COD is just an extremely difficult game to pick up and not constantly die for a long period of time before you get the hang of things, assuming you aren't completely discouraged already.  A lot of these legacy FPS games have too many players with insane amount of hours played that the competition is incredibly difficult for new players.  COD should be putting you into lobbies with similar skill, but I just don't think it works well.  I think Fortnite does a lot better, and even PUBG, because they'll put you in lobbies with bots and not real players until you start winning.  I don't follow Fortnite closely, but I know for PUBG when I started playing again last year, it took awhile of playing with lobbies of many bots before the game adjusted due to my skill and putting me in mostly 90+% live player lobbies.

And that's part of the problem; the reality is, I'm just not that good in the grand scheme of things, and I get that.  But it is frustrating when there seems to be behavior that defies the physics of the game.  I don't mind taking a beating if it's legit. 

[cramx3]

The best players know how to use the physics of the game to their advantage, sometimes it's very difficult / impossible to tell from a cheater from a legit great player.

[ErHaO]

Considering what I have read about the scope of cheating engines, their popularity, and concurrent player numbers; I think every large match in a popular PC game will have a type of cheater. It fucking sucks and I honestly think it is impossible to really solve.

[Dublagent66]

My online multiplayer activity is pretty minimal.  Practically non-existent, except for Destiny 2.  Usually play with a fireteam of 3 or 4 people.  Hardly ever solo.  I'm more into the single player games anyway and Destiny 2 has it all.  One of the best FPS's I've ever played.

[cramx3]

Considering what I have read about the scope of cheating engines, their popularity, and concurrent player numbers; I think every large match in a popular PC game will have a type of cheater. It fucking sucks and I honestly think it is impossible to really solve.

It's a cat and mouse game. I'm not sure how to solve it, but I'd imagine the only way is if the government gets involved.  I know some gaming companies have been able to successfully get cheat providers to stop with lawsuits, but it's costly and most companies can't go this route.  I see a well known FPS gamer just yesterday said the only fix is to make cheating a crime.  I don't know, he may be right, but I don't know if it's really the governments job to get involved here. It basically sucks for the legit gamers.

[Stadler]

This is a relatively unimportant side bar to this, but it would all be moot if the games could be 100%'d without the online component.  I'm a trophy whore, and I have probably 30 games at 100%; the handful I don't fall into two categories*:  still playing them or can't complete certain trophies because of the online requirements.  It sucks.


* One exception: RE2, I have to finish the last bonus game (the 100 zombies in the convenience store) but I had an issue with the region of the game and some of the DLC content.

[Skeever]

I barely pay attention to trophies anymore, because I found that it was ruining the game for me. Mostly, I'd be sticking with games and task I wasn't really having fun with, just to get the trophy.

[ErHaO]

Considering what I have read about the scope of cheating engines, their popularity, and concurrent player numbers; I think every large match in a popular PC game will have a type of cheater. It fucking sucks and I honestly think it is impossible to really solve.

It's a cat and mouse game. I'm not sure how to solve it, but I'd imagine the only way is if the government gets involved.  I know some gaming companies have been able to successfully get cheat providers to stop with lawsuits, but it's costly and most companies can't go this route.  I see a well known FPS gamer just yesterday said the only fix is to make cheating a crime.  I don't know, he may be right, but I don't know if it's really the governments job to get involved here. It basically sucks for the legit gamers.

I think that will never happen. Even if it is a crime in, say, the USA. Why would for example a French or Dutch player care? And how would it be enforced? Hell, governments are still trying to figure out how to deal with illegal downloads (at least ours is), like 20 years after it became relevant. And keep in mind a lot of these cheaters are probably kids, which in a lot of countries means it would be even harder to enforce.

But yeah it sucks. And plenty of cheats are relatively subtle too, so you never really know.

I barely pay attention to trophies anymore, because I found that it was ruining the game for me. Mostly, I'd be sticking with games and task I wasn't really having fun with, just to get the trophy.

I like trophies, but I never ever aim at completion, as almost every game has at least a couple activities that will cost me hours of not having fun. Still, I like having an overview of my activities in games and how it compares to other players. I think Playstation is the best in this regard. Achievements and the steam thing don't really do it for me.

[Dublagent66]

I usually get as many trophies as I can.  If 100% completion proves to be a possibility, then I'll go for it.  But, in my experience, some trophies are unattainable without it becoming a project.  I normally don't have the time or patience for that.  It is what it is.  I'll take whatever I can get. 

[Skeever]

The thing I do like about trophies is seeing how many players have gotten as far as I have.

Once I start seeing that less than 50% of the playerbase have gotten the trophies I'm getting, I start feeling like everything I'm doing is a success.

It tells you interesting things about the games sometimes, too. Recently I played a game where the trophy for the 2nd boss had something like a 70% completion rate, and every boss after that showed an even more drastic drop-off. Whereas, with something like Elden Ring, only 55% of the PS players have beaten the first boss, but the drop-off as the game goes on is far more gradual.

[Stadler]

It is fascinating; I've got some where the success rate is less than 5%; I get the trophy and I sort of go back and forth between "I'm a BOSS!" (for doing what so few others have done) and "I'm a LOSER!" (for wasting my time with something so few other people are interested in).   HAHAHAHAHA.

I'm not a great gamer; I'm more of a grinder.  Diligent, patient.  But I remember playing Assassin's Creed II online, and informally playing with this guy and this girl.   And there was one trophy where you had to execute like 15 different moves or something, and one of the moves was really hard.  All the guidance and online tutorials said you needed three people to do it.  The girl was like "not wasting my time with this", so the dude and I sort of figured out that it MIGHT be possible to do it with two people.  And it took about four hours, but son of a bitch if we didn't get the move done.  It felt pretty cool to do something, however minor or inconsequential, that 12-year-olds who played for hours in their mom's basement couldn't or didn't do. .   (And for all I know the dude WAS a 12-year-old who played for hours in his mom's basement; haha.)

[XJDenton]

I used to be a completionist, but nowadays I 'm much better at stopping once the game has started to feel like work rather than fun. Because lets face it, I'm not going to be lying on my deathbed thinking "damn, I wish I had more platinum trophies on PSN". I'd much rather play another game.

[Stadler]

I used to be a completionist, but nowadays I 'm much better at stopping once the game has started to feel like work rather than fun. Because lets face it, I'm not going to be lying on my deathbed thinking "damn, I wish I had more platinum trophies on PSN". I'd much rather play another game.

Haha,  That's going to be my epitaph:  "100%".   

[Dublagent66]

Same here Doc.  I don't have a lot of gold or platinum trophies but still have a crap load because I play a crap load of games. 

[Metro]

Still on my 1st play through of RE4 REmake.  Best one out of the bunch.  Been at it over a week.  Some things didn't change but a whole lot of other things did and I'm very impressed with the complete overhaul and modernized gameplay.  Capcom really out did themselves on this one.  Will be hard to top.  Started on normal difficulty.  Get used to dying...a lot!  I'm also seeing a huge amount of replay value as well.  Wouldn't be surprised if it gets game of the year.  RE2 and RE3 REmakes don't even really come close.  That's how good it is. 

In the middle of my second playthrough right now. I played the original countless times when I was younger, and this feels just like picking up where I left off. They left out some things, like one boss on the Island, but I don't really miss it.

Also, NG+ just dropped for God of War: Ragnarok. Gotta give that another playthrough one of these days.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I got back into Satisfactory again. I can easily sink hours into that game.