General Gaming What are you playing today?

[AbsolutSurgen]

Continuing to play Hogwart's Legacy.  The world building and production values are out of this world.  I can't imagine a Harry Potter fan not loving the experience of exploring this world.

However it suffers from some similar problems as RDR2 -- the gameplay itself is "meh".  Coming from a game like SW:JS, which had excellent combat and traversal, this game feels very poor by comparison.

[best3444]

3 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Continuing to play Hogwart's Legacy.  The world building and production values are out of this world.  I can't imagine a Harry Potter fan not loving the experience of exploring this world.

However it suffers from some similar problems as RDR2 -- the gameplay itself is "meh".  Coming from a game like SW:JS, which had excellent combat and traversal, this game feels very poor by comparison.

 

I pur 35 hours into that game. It was beautifully done but wore out its welcome nearing the end game. It's still a terrific game and I gave it a 9/10. It's a really magical game. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

I pur 35 hours into that game. It was beautifully done but wore out its welcome nearing the end game. It's still a terrific game and I gave it a 9/10. It's a really magical game. 

They did so many things right in terms of the world design -- and making the world feel magical.  It really is a joy to explore (particularly for the first few hours).

However, the loot system is a complete mess, and the combat doesn't feel like it has any depth.  IMHO, it also suffers somewhat from the AC: Unity problem of having the same copy pasted collectibles scattered over the world.

I'm still enjoying it, but IMHO, if they'd spent more time on the game design itself, they could have made something great.

[best3444]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

They did so many things right in terms of the world design -- and making the world feel magical.  It really is a joy to explore (particularly for the first few hours).

However, the loot system is a complete mess, and the combat doesn't feel like it has any depth.  IMHO, it also suffers somewhat from the AC: Unity problem of having the same copy pasted collectibles scattered over the world.

I'm still enjoying it, but IMHO, if they'd spent more time on the game design itself, they could have made something great.

 

Exactly. That's why I anticipate a pretty remarkable and inevitable sequel. They have a nice foundation and can really build upon it. 

[Dre801]

Mafia III

I'd put this one off for a long time, but since I've already played through the remake of the original and Mafia 2, I may as well get through this one.

[Dodger]

With the new AC coming out I have the itch to play some Ezio Collection

[gamer.tv]

I’ve finally had some free time since…a while, so back to RE4 Remake I go. The lab section was fun and what I’ve played of a chapter 14 (I’m very nearly at the end but my daughter woke up from her snooze, so I’ll hold off murdering a load of enemies till later). I’m quite keen to polish this off tonight so a) I can start either Elden Ring or Tears of the Kingdom b) get some work done without this as a distraction. 
 

Update: I’m (finally) at Chapter 16. Hopefully I’ll be able to complete it all tonight. 

[Biggie]

Street Fighter 6

Splatoon 3

WarZone

TotK

[best3444]

Mostly Zelda but I did start up Psychonauts 2 and I re-download Forspoken. 

[Dodger]

Witcher 3 

[best3444]

Forspoken just doesn't have enough to it to keep me playing. Frey is fine but the gameplay is very weak and not fun. It's pretty generic and a 6/10 type game. 

[Phaseknox]

I started playing Jade Empire which I’ve been meaning to play again for a long time now since I didn’t finish it back when it came out. It’s definitely showing its age visually, but the story, characters and gameplay still hold up fairly well. I’m enjoying it more now than when I originally played it, it’s like a beat-em-up RPG.

[stepee]

I’ve been playing some of a mobile game before bed, which is rare for me. Disney Spellstruck. It’s chill and I love the art style. 

[Remarkableriots]

I'm still playing Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age before starting Gotham Knights. Hopefully I'm not too far from finishing because i have 100+ hours played so far.

[TheLeon]

Diablo 4 is really getting its hooks into me. Still only on Act 2, but finding the synergy between abilities and the rhythm of using them effectively is very satisfying. 

[crispy4000]

I took a pause with ToTK for Keigh3ley.  Wanting to go back to it, but I also know Steam Next Fest is coming and I kinda want to try the FFXVI demo as well...

 

[elbobo]

Honey I Joined a Cult

 

plays a lot like a slightly less fiddly version of Prison Architect

[best3444]

Trying to beat Zelda before FF next week. Might not be possible. 

[eventide11]

Diablo 4 

[Remarkableriots]

I think I might end up having more time played post game in DQ XI because you have so much to do.

[dualhunter]

4 hours ago, Remarkableriots said:

I think I might end up having more time played post game in DQ XI because you have so much to do.

 

The post game might as well be another game but at least the story continues and it affects the characters rather than just being a bunch of chores. If I remember right, you ending up having to make 3 passes through the world between the initial story and post game. My Steam playtime was 241.4 hours, I think the in game time was more like 225 hours though with that many hours there was probably a fair bit of meal and bathroom break time while the game was still running. If a game is going to have a ton of post game content, DQ XI's way of doing it is the way to go but it's still a bit weird since if you were to stop playing after the initial ending you'd be missing half the game.

[Dodger]

Assassins creed 2. Fuck the controls have come a long way. I kind of want another modern rpg AC just with half the bloat.

[gamer.tv]

15 hours ago, Dodger said:

Assassins creed 2. Fuck the controls have come a long way. I kind of want another modern rpg AC just with half the bloat.

Mirage seems to fill that criteria. 

[stepee]

Oh man Super Punchout Wii in 3D is great 

[Remarkableriots]

Farming skill seeds in Dragon Quest XI.

[Phaseknox]

I started playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and as expected I’m really enjoying it. It’s a classic style third person action/adventure/platformer at its finest. The graphics are gorgeous, they’re colorful with impressive lighting. The gameplay is tight and responsive, and the combat is fun. There’s also more platforming than I was expecting. The music is another highlight. Utilizing the little rot creatures for light environment puzzle solving and in combat is done creatively, and adds to the overall experience.

 

It’s a fairly linear game which is fine for the most part, but there’s also no denying that I think that it would have been even better if it was an RPG which it had the potential to be. It does feel a little antiquated in its rather straight forward design structure that’s light on story, characterization and exploration. But in terms of being like a PS2/GameCube/Xbox generation linear third person action/adventure/platformer, it’s really good.

[AbsolutSurgen]

Keep moving through Hogwart's Legacy -- I'm guessing I'm about 2/3rds through.

 

Will start Aliens: Dark Descent tonight.

[HardAct]

Putting a good amount of time into Diablo 2R on my ROG Ally, and a bit of Diablo 4 on Series X

[gamer.tv]

Finished RE4, amazing game. Now deciding what to play out of God of War: Ragnarok, Elden Ring, Tears of the Kingdom…or resub to ps+?

[Dodger]

Mostly Witcher 3. Trying to think of a secondary game to play to not get burned out. Have an urge to get a new pro controller and finally get Zelda, but I never came close to finishing BOTW so not sure I want to blow $150 to play that. Maybe CyberPunk, love that game and already pre ordered the DLC because I'm dumb like that. Or maybe try to get into RE4 remake, the double Garandor room made me rage quit and I haven't gone back. Ideally, I need a shorter more linear game to go through to bounce off the 100 hour open world game, and not two hundred hour open world games to bounce off each other. 

[gamer.tv]

Tried out Elden Ring and so far, stressful but engaging. I’m not a massive souls player/fan, but I’ll give this a go. I’ve unlocked the horse and stopped there and think, despite what I’m sure most would recommend, will do some reading about what to level up/actually do so I’m not wasting my time.

[best3444]

2 hours ago, gamer.tv said:

Tried out Elden Ring and so far, stressful but engaging. I’m not a massive souls player/fan, but I’ll give this a go. I’ve unlocked the horse and stopped there and think, despite what I’m sure most would recommend, will do some reading about what to level up/actually do so I’m not wasting my time.

 

Should have gone with God of War: Ragnarok. It's a masterpiece and not frustrating like Elden Ring. 

[gamer.tv]

6 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

Should have gone with God of War: Ragnarok. It's a masterpiece and not frustrating like Elden Ring. 

I’m going with the idea that I enjoyed Dark Souls Remastered (well, I played up to the point I joined the cat cult, accidentally annoyed and subsequently killed the blacksmith) and then gave up. From reading, ER is more forgiving in a fair few ways so we’ll see. Worst case, I’ll play till I’m 

bored, stop and either sell it or come back to it. 

[stepee]

I forgot Sonic Origins Plus came out yesterday and had to download it on the ROG even though it’s 1am. Playing as Amy on Sonic1 rules so hard and this is my first time playing Origins and it appears there are new cinemas at the start of the games? Also I noticed the art style on the Game select is the same as the upcoming Sonic game. This is how you get me to buy classic collections still despite emulation being a thing that exists.

 

There’s a lot of content here now, I honestly dare Nintendo to release a retro collection half this good (yes I know the initial release of Origins had to be cleaned up!)

 

edit: I do wish it had the Sonic Jam 3D hub back to explore, then this would be perfect.
 

 

[stepee]

Okay beat Labyrinth Zone so it’s all up from here.