Absolutely seconded. My partner and I have been burning an episode every couple nights with the new soundtrack and it totally owns.
Haha I started playing Doom I & II on my Steam Deck, docked, with a keyboard and mouse awkwardly connected and I liked the experience enough to want to buy a 2.4g wireless keyboard and mouse and play more FPS games that way. Anyone have any suggestions?
Currently playing Sucker For Love: Date To Die For. I didn’t have much interest in this game when it launched, but I just learned that the main character is asexual and I am starved for representation.
Wizardry. I completely* (I think) mapped level 1. It was some touch and go, especially through a teleporter and when I entered a combat with two ghosts. I almost killed one, but they finally KOed my Fighter and we retreated back to town. I found an elevator in the dark and was afraid to go down. I found two keys.
Then I entered level 2. At first it was smooth going. I went far enough to find a bear statuette. Then, my first fight against an enemy that dealt poison resulted in the slow death of three of my party members while I backtracked (including one dying at the very last step), and for the first time I could not afford to resurrect them. (I could afford to resurrect 1, but they ashed.)
RIP my fighter, thief, and cleric. My samurai, bishop, and magic user are still fine.
I rolled up three new characters and have been doing a new circuit of level 1. I already had it mapped out, but during this circumlocution I had a mental moment where I noticed that the map must wrap for all the pieces to fit together. So I don’t just have two pieces of a map due to a teleporter; the borders wrap so that 1,20 goes to 1,1 or whatever. So whatever else happens with the lower levels, I’ll be ready for that trick.
I finished my second run of Void Stranger. It’s okay.
I think I’m done with it.
It’s hard to expand on my thoughts without spoilers, so I’ll keep it brief.
The game is an onion. Every playthrough reveals a new layer, a new chapter to the story, a new gameplay mechanic. This is neat.
An onion is not a meal. I can only eat so many onion layers. I’d like some bread or potatoes or something now.
I’m not sure what I’m going to play next, but it’s going to be something with lots of action, no need to take notes or replay segments, and no pretense.
I’ve been playing Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition. This will be my very first play though of the game.
I was a bit video game agnostic playing various games without really sticking to one. It started with the System Shock Remake which is incredible and cannot recommend enough. I wasn’t in a space to completely enjoy and get immersed by it so I’ve placed it on the back burner for now. System Shock did lead me to seek out reviews of the game which eventually lead to me discovering reviewtainment YouTuber who goes by Grimbeard.
Through that I discovered and attempted to play Dues Ex through the Mac Porting Kit with mixed results. Then I played a bit of Fallout 1 and Tactics which was a good nostalgia trip. I was super fascinated by this vague early period of PC gaming that I apparently missed out on. I was mostly a big War Craft-head when I was a kid so had massive blinders on for a lot of games.
Anyway this eventually lead me to watching a Planescape review and trying it out for myself on the Playstation. And it is brilliant. I can see why this game is seen as a spiritual predecessor to Disco Elysium. I’m not a D&D head but I find myself easily spending hours talking to NPCs because the Planes are just such a unique setting. It’s clunky as heck on consoles but it’s worth playing through.
I’m still playing through it so I’m looking forward to how it all plays out.
Also getting my butt walloped in SVF 6 Ranked but it’s super fun!
Finished off colour mode in the namco picross this morning, no assists.
I continue to enjoy picross as a sleepy time wind down. Some of my puzzle clear times will be real slow as sometimes it is too close to sleepy time and I just fall asleep with the game still running. That’s fine though, I’m not trying to speedrun picross clears, I just like the fun nonograms.
Here lately I’ve been playing the newly English translated Natsu-mon game from Millenium Kitchen since I haven’t had the chance to play one of these slower-paced, summertime games. I’m really enjoying it so far although my in game report card says I’m mostly taking it easy.
I believe some folks took issue with the full 3D aspect of the game and I think I can see why when watching gameplay of the other titles in their catalog. I feel as though the freedom makes it easier for me to avoid doing story related events, because at the default time passage setting you can burn through the day portion just running across the map.
Anyway, I’m gonna try and wrap this one up before the end of August to keep in check with the Summer theme.
Just had the singlularly sad experience of pulling up to a Neo geo cab thinking I was getting metal slug three and getting vanilla metal slug 2 :-(
Oof. I prefer X to 3, but 2 has some serious framerate problems.
X is amazing 2 is legitimately unplayable
Recently wrapped Racing Lagoon and had a really great time with it. I had thought I knew what to expect with this game–it’s an RPG, but the “character” you level is the car itself–but the narrative goes to some truly interesting and bizarre places. Talking at length about it would spoil it, honestly, but I’ll just say that the game really does a solid job of making you think it’s this really self-serious look at street racing…which it still is, and it’s pretty cheesy, but it’s truly so much more.
Also I think I’ve come to accept that 90s Squaresoft FMVs are my ideal form of cutscene.
My partner wrapped Dirge of Cerberus (liked it a lot) so while he plays Crisis Core separately and I play Super Mario World and Luigi’s Mansion separately, our new “play it together” long-term game is Chrono Cross. We’re only two hours in and man I wish I’d played this game at the time it had come out because it would have been my entire personality. Even as an ATB freak, I really appreciate the way the combat in the Chrono games is so different and innovative–and for Cross, a bit challenging to wrap my head around. Mitsuda of course nails it again with the music. And I’m very happy that we played Radical Dreamers before this because it’s a delight to see the ways in which that game is directly referenced.
Real ones always play Radical Dreamers before Chrono Cross!
I still haven’t played either, so my realness is TBD.
I started Stellar Blade today and was a little iffy about it after hearing very, very vaguely that the combat wasn’t great but I was still hoping for a decent character action game nonetheless. I’d had my eye on it since its initial reveal and was excited.
After barely an hour I decided to put it on ebay. It is one of the most clumsy, uncomfortable games I’ve ever tried to play. The combat feels awkwardly static, rigid and with barely a whiff of flair, not helped by a camera that’s zoomed in to your character to an level awkward enough that off-screen enemies are, at best, irritating.
Disappointed doesn’t quite convey my feelings towards this. It’s more akin to when I first played Devil May Cry 2.
I have been playing and thinking a lot about the Angeline Era Demo. It’s the new game by the people who made Anodyne 1 & 2 & Sephonie & Even the Ocean. It’s basically 3D Ys 1 with style. The music is great too, on constant repeat while I work.
I really think the duo team at Analgesic Productions are setting the bar for what arty, well designed, interesting indie games by a small team can be. But most importantly it just feels great to run around and bump things! Has anyone else checked it out? It might be the game I’m most excited about right now.
I cut it a little too close on a flight this morning from Minneapolis and missed my window to check a bag… so I walked around the mall of America while waiting for the next available flight and found a pizza place with Street Fighter 2, Donkey Kong and a Theater of Magic pinball one of the guys there even let me in to play before they were open.
Street Fighter 2: Chapionship Edition - Ken punched me to death. No contest. Can you adjust the game speed? It felt even faster than turbo.
Donkey Kong ate my quarters.
I paid for two credits on Theater of Magic, won a free game and got lucky with a free game. It’s a fun one, I’d seen it before and my local go-to has it, but I’ve always been a little intimidated since it looked kind of complicated. Repeatedly hitting the chained box is easy enough, but a little trickier to do safely, and sinking the ball in there to initiate different modes is really satisfying.
Side note: Airports should have arcades / pinball machines. PDX should make this happen.
I’m only aware of Stellar Blade because there is/was a lot of noise online that this game is going to “save gaming from the wokes”. People tend to pick odd videogame hills to die on.
When I watched the trailer I just filed this game under ‘visually impressive character action game that eventually goes nowhere’ so I’m glad to hear that my thoughts were justified.
Like fighting games there is an art to making character action games that a lot of studios just don’t seem to nail. I’m curious to see how that Black Myth Wukong plays out.
I was completely wrong about what I needed.
I jumped into Pizza Tower only to find I just wasn’t in the mood for non-stop, frantic action. I put it down after 3 levels. I’ll be back when I am in the mood.
Instead, I started The Thaumaturge and it is the perfect remedy to the Void Stranger blues. You get the narrative for free. You just follow your nose, walk up to it and engage! The combat is extremely sparse and far more JRPG than CRPG (I mean that in a very positive way). I’m digging the setting and the Salutors’ (read: SMT demons) designs are fantastic. Oh, and the music is pretty unique and lends a wonderful texture to the world.
I’m about 5 hours in and I’m happily following my “witcher sense” to the next part of the side quest. Such a frictionless RPG. Knowing exactly where to go next is a relief.