[swollazn]

I recently finished control (8/10)

I enjoyed Alan Wake (made by same creators) a lot. However with control the story felt like a mess but the atmosphere makes for a great time.

The physics in this game is so satisfying, that alone makes the gameplay a 10. There were a few bugs dealing with weapon progression which has been since fixed. Otherwise, solid game I recommend for action fans.

 

[GreenBow]

Am sixteen hours into Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Slow game, maybe 7.5/10. Strange though, because while it's slow and takes masses of patience, when it rewards it feels all worth it.


Stupid, ridiculous, amount of hacking terminals. It often feels like all you do is hack. Then when you hack fails, its's permission denied - so you hit F9, again and again and again..

 

[Amish]

Green Hell 8/10
No Man's Sky 7/10
ESO 8/10
The Outer Worlds 5/10

 

[tdockweiler]

Half Life 2- 8/10

I played through this twice before and somehow it's 10x more annoying than I remember.
I haven't even gotten to the Airboat levels yet.
I actually died way more than I should and climbing ladders is more of a chore than it should be.
I always get to the top and always fall off and have to redo it all over again.
It makes me really miss Dishonored and Fallout 3. I know those came later on.
BTW Anyone love Bioshock 2 but hate the others in the series? I must be the only one.
The love the hacking, turrets, gathering sequences and a lot of things you could do in part 1.
I found it extremely hard at first, but then found I was playing it all wrong and using my guns too much.
By the end you get extremely overpowered!

Zelda: A Link to the Past - 10/10

Probably my #1 all time favorite game and I usually try to play through this every year.
Been trying to play Links Awakening (Gameboy color version) but i'm surprised how much harder it is. Haven't played it since it originally came out!

Fable 2 - 10/10

I used to be obsessed with this game when I first started it. Played through it many times and always find it fun. Only real negative is that the controls aren't as good as they could be. Feel a bit sluggish, but perfect in actual combat!
It's also extremely easy, but I don't mind.

I have so many funny memories from this game.
One of them was when I was taking my girlfriend out on a date and wanted to propose to her. I targeted the wrong women with my engagement ring and my girlfriend got mad and took off running!
I spent the next half hour trying to get her to like me enough to not run away again (let's just say the way to do this doesn't equal reality).

I also got into the bad habit of trying to impress all the locals that they liked me too much and I had tons of people hanging around my house all day and being annoying.

My wife also started complaining that she wasn't getting enough allowance for the household budget so I moved my family to a covered wagon in a pirate village!


Unrelated note. I was thinking of getting a Nintendo DS just to play all the old Castlevania DS games. Loved those!
I'm so outdated on all the portable systems that somehow I forgot the Nintendo DS couldn't play 2DS games
Hoping to play all the Dragon Quest games too despite them looking rather ugly.
The first RPG that got me hooked on them was Dragon Warrior 1 on the NES.
I eventually finished Dragon Warrior 4 and 2, but missed part 3.
It's hard to believe that Dragon Warrior 4 on the NES was like $70 on release if I remember right.
I think there were some Sega RPGS that were $80. I think it was due to the memory chip inside or whatever.

I also still miss Final Fantasy XI/Online.
The server I played on was dead so I paid money to switch to an active one but then lost interest.
For years I thought the game was just dead, but it's nowhere near that! Square Enix just hates to do server merges I guess.
A remaster for PS4 would be nice to see, but they already have FF14.
I think i've been playing FFXI since 2005 or whenever it was on the PS2 and supported dialup.
Favorite job was Beastmaster that I leveled solo and duo from 1-75 (before it was super easy to level).
Puppetmaster is really fun now, but is pretty hard to figure out without a lot of help others who play the job.
It's pretty cool soloing Shiva Prime on VD (Very Difficult) with your 2 hour.
I usually go with a Ranger build for my Automaton.

 

[sigmasix]

Disco Elysium - 9/10
RPG, lots of reading, but never played a game like this before in my many years, very high quality and clever, still thinking about it weeks later after completing it.

Kingdom Come Deliverance - 9/10
RPG, massive world in medieval days, only just started but so much to do and enjoy.

Outer Worlds - 8/10
RPG/Shooter, fun and funny game, short game play but high quality, easy to sit down and play

Postal Redux - 8/10
Isometric shooter, re-done from back in the day, lots of fun and mayhem

Kenshi - 10/10
Not sure how to class this one, pretty complicated, takes some time to get into and learn, but once you've got it not many games like this for base building and domination, check the reviews if you're keen

 

[tdockweiler]

Bioshock 2 - 9/10

I think this is now my third time trying to play through this game.
I actually prefer this to part 1 and 3 and actually can't stand those games for some reason.
I think I just like the gameplay in this one a lot more. I don't really play it for the story.
The hacking mini-games are better and there's more special abilities and upgrades. I also really like the idea of the remote hack darts etc.
Plus I find the adam extraction sequences to be fun and often kind of suspenseful. I'm not always that good at them though.
The first time I did one I died over and over. I guess it helps to use trap rivets! Duh!

The combat is kind of chaotic. It seems there is very little time for exploring because the enemies seem to always be respawning.
I feel like there is just so much to do in every level. I also make sure to do every extraction just to get more upgrades.
Early on some parts surprise you and some enemies can take off huge chunks of your health and kill you pretty fast.
Often I find myself needing to prepare for certain events and getting more medkits etc.
For example, taking down a Big Sister, Big Daddy or doing an adam extraction.
The Big Sister arrives when you rescue all the little sisters in a level.

I guess one negative is that I don't really like playing through this game using a gun. I can seem to do just fine with my drill and upgrades.
It's a lot harder though using just the drill in earlier levels. By the end you get very overpowered.
I think towards the end I used my own security bots along with the bee swarm. Freezing enemies and using the drill worked well too.


PS When I first played this game I found it too hard! Turns out that for me it's a lot easier when you use your special abilities more along with the drill.
Using the rivet gun made me a really bad player somehow. I always ran out of ammo too. Hacking everything also helps a lot.

BTW did you know you can destroy a health station and get a free medkit? I think many are not aware of this! I know I wasn't at first.
Of course this totally disables it.

 

[pikapika]

Tekken 7 - 5/10
The best part about this game is the active community and the amazing gameplay. The story mode was okay, and the ending for all the characters were comedic endings. They didn't really put much effort into the story mode or endings, I was pretty sad about that. I have been a fan of Tekken since Tekken 3, but I do not have high hopes for any improvements in the story.

 

[Orcworm]

Hollow Knight - 9/10

I picked this up only recently after putting it off for several months thinking I wasn't going to enjoy it - I was definitely wrong about that. Really a must-play for any metroidvania fans, but I'd really encourage anyone to at least try it. I found it to be one of those games you really struggle to put down once you start, until you finish it.

 

[GreenBow]

Gears 5.

Fantastic sets in Act 1. ……. Act 2 and 3, graphics took a downturn. (Not finished Act 3 yet.)

Finding it brutal at times on 3/4 level of difficulty.

Notably since Act 2 it went semi-open world. Not seen that before in Gears games. It doesn't really affect the flow, in a difference from previous linear Gears games. We only zip across the open areas to get to mission places where were engage enemies.

Disappointed by the drop in graphical fidelity, but still loving the game. Maybe 8/10 so far. I have no issue with it being a female lead in this instalment either. Might be wise to be aware some folk are downvoting it because of that.



Halo: Master Chief Collection.

Halo: Reach. Disappointing launch. Sound problems making guns sound quiet and dull, and it's affecting almost everyone. In fact all in game audio is poor for almost everyone. Sometimes music works for me OK, and music is crystal clear in the menus. … To be honest it would seem a shame to play it right now, and I intend to wait for now. They are working on the audio bug though.

Micro-stuttering, that gets worse with uncapped frame rate. It means I have actually capped it back to 60 fps to keep it more stable, but it still micro-stutters though. (I suppose that might be expected since it's a console port, but they should have fixed it.)

I'd be surprised if they put a lot of effort into fixing Reach, since the entire MCC is selling at £30. Not like they are going to be making much money from it, so why would they invest time in it. Anyway, time will tell. … Since they are adding new features to Reach too, it seems like a tall order for them.

 

[JR1911]

Red Dead Redemption 2

The game is often breathtakingly gorgeous and the world is very immersive but unfortunately actually playing it often feels like a chore with clunky controls and some questionable game design decisions. I understand that they're there to increase immersion but at least for me they also diminish the enjoyment I get from playing. The story also so far hasn't really seemed that interesting but I'm not far into it so hopefully that will change as I play more.

If I'd rate the game right now, I'd probably give it something like a 6-7/10. Hopefully that improves by the time I finish the game.

 

[tdockweiler]

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (Gameboy Advance) - 7.5/10

I have always wanted to try to get into this series. Played the SNES version for 5 minutes but never got into it.
This one is considered by many to be one of the best.
Started it up on my ancient Gameboy Advanced SP only to realize my version has no backlight!
It's nearly unplayable due to being so dim!
I actually went out and bought a $40 Nintendo DSi just for this game (and it's backlight).
Looks a LOT better!

Anyway, right now I find the game pretty tedious and somewhat annoying.
I think it's a game I could load up for a half hour every day though to play something real quick.
Right now I've barely made over $1000 and only have a few Chickens.
Have some crops, but I think I wasted my money by accidentally planting Turnips in summer.
Also found out that you can keep your Chickens outside and not have to be able to waste money on food for them (make your own fenced in area with rocks, logs etc).

I'm not sure of the point of this game, so i'll guess I'll try to make more money.
My only idea now is to get lots of Chickens, some cows and a sheep. Then make money off the wool or milk.

My character seems to be only able to last until 3pm from morning using any tool on the field or during mining.
He'll get tired, turn purple and usually end up in the hospital if I don't go and sleep.
It's kind of stupid how fast a single day passes in this game.
Then when I go mining I can only bring back 3 ores until I can afford a $5000 basket!

Gran Turismo 3 - 8/10 (only one hour into it)

I used to be addicted to part 2 and had to play this again until my copy of Gran Turismo 4 comes in.
I bought it last week on Amazon, but it was listed as "good" condition but had hundreds of scratches all over it and I had to return it.
I've actually owned a PS2 slim and it's the first time I turned it on in maybe 3 years!
Looks AWFUL with standard cables on my 37" bedroom HD TV.
Hopefully the component cables I ordered will improve things.
I know that with those you can enable 1080i widescreen mode.
I really need to get a new 4K TV (even though this won't help this game!).
I won't get anything bigger than a 50" though. I'm sure $300 these days could get something decent.
I've read that some prefer to play old PS2 games like this on a CRT! Too bad not even thrift stores seem to carry those anymore.

So far i'm liking this game, but I only have a Mazda Miata. Only won the first two races and now need to invest in some new tired and then other upgrades.

 

[tdockweiler]

Red Dead Redemption 2

The game is often breathtakingly gorgeous and the world is very immersive but unfortunately actually playing it often feels like a chore with clunky controls and some questionable game design decisions. I understand that they're there to increase immersion but at least for me they also diminish the enjoyment I get from playing. The story also so far hasn't really seemed that interesting but I'm not far into it so hopefully that will change as I play more.

If I'd rate the game right now, I'd probably give it something like a 6-7/10. Hopefully that improves by the time I finish the game.

I had this problem with the first game. Played it an hour and gave up.
I must be the only one who can't also stand Witcher 3 because of the controls.

I also find it REALLY hard to get used to the clunky controls of Dark Souls after playing Dark Souls 2 and 3 for so long.
Of course with Dark Souls 2 you have to level the annoying Adaptability stat or something seems way off.

Now the new annoyance for me is when an onscreen character moves extremely slow for no reason.
I don't want to have to hold down a button to move slightly faster (to run is OK!).

 

[Death_Block]

Green Hell 8/10
No Man's Sky 7/10
ESO 8/10
The Outer Worlds 5/10

I'm feeling the same with outer world's. Just not really feeling it. Will keep on though,it might all make sense eventually

 

[tdockweiler]

Gran Turismo 4 - 8/10

Wow, this is such a grind early on. Only 600 credits for the early races. Takes forever to do any upgrades without selling reward cars.
For fast credits I found myself using Director's Mode and going semi "AFK" just for credits.

I have a Mitsubishi Evolution GS as my starter car and I can just barely beat the first track of the Four Wheel Drive meet with Turbo upgrade 1 (and other random upgrades).
One accidental slight drive off the road and I have no chance of winning. On my actual first win the 2nd car was only .600 seconds behind me.
Yes, it took me 6 tries to get first place. I think the car's handling just isn't that good yet.

I just got Turbo 2 upgrade and should now be able to win a little more easily.

The licenses are a lot harder too or so it seems. The Laguna Seca B test took me many many tries. Maybe 8 tries. Sad, I know!
On the fast tests I usually get bronze with no problem on the first try.

PS this looks a lot better now that I bought some component cables!
It's weird how most games don't even support widescreen.
I forgot how old the PS2 really is!

 

[GreenBow]

Crowbar collective updated Black mesa to a version containing the Xen levels. Game is still in early access, but compete.