The Video Game Thread

[Jaysin]

So anyone playing Stardew Valley?

 

I'm enjoying it. Haven't gotten all that far into it, but it's fun.

[D-Lyrium]

I've watched it on Twitch. Don't think I'll have time for another one of those sort of games, but it looks good. Kinda like Harvest Moon meets Terraria.

[Jaysin]

I've watched it on Twitch. Don't think I'll have time for another one of those sort of games, but it looks good. Kinda like Harvest Moon meets Terraria.

 

Haven't played Terraria, but the Harvest Moon connection is definitely strong. That might be a major reason I'm enjoying it so much though. I spent a good amount of time on the original for SNES and Harvest Moon 64.

 

Haven't played Story of Seasons yet though since I don't have a 3DS.

[Rickymex]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Jaysin" data-cite="Jaysin" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Haven't played Terraria, but the Harvest Moon connection is definitely strong. That might be a major reason I'm enjoying it so much though. I spent a good amount of time on the original for SNES and Harvest Moon 64.<p> </p><p> Haven't played Story of Seasons yet though since I don't have a 3DS.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> It's probably closer to the Rune Factory branch series than straight up harvest moon. Very fun game through it kind of lacks content imo but it's apparently a very moddable game.</p>

[Celuwyn]

<p>I'm playing GTA IV: The lost and damned.</p><p>

Finally.</p>

[BHK1978]

I'm playing GTA IV: The lost and damned.

Finally.

 

I tried playing that again a couple of months ago and I just can't get into it. Which is odd because I liked it a lot when I first got it. I think once I played GTA V I could not go back to playing the older games in the series no matter how much I liked them before.

[machinesxe]

Ark....for Xbox One.

[bigtplaystew]

Ark....for Xbox One.

 

I just DLed the preview for it hoping to try it out Thursday/Fridayish when I get some time.

 

i did that with Starpoint Gemini 2 last weekend and ended up sinking a ridiculous amount of hours into it. I kind of regret getting it on xB1 and not Steam (due to the fact that the steam version is just way better with DLC and modding) but I still enjoy it very much. If no one's played it the game is a single player action RPG where you play as a capitol ship in a galaxy full of warring factions and the rest is up to you. The combat is pretty darn cool. It's one of the first games I played where combat on a 3D plane actually works, though it does take some time getting used to.

 

Anyway, yea, I love it and even though it looks like I'm finishing my time with it just two weeks later, I sunk A LOT of time into it in those two weeks.

[machinesxe]

I just DLed the preview for it hoping to try it out Thursday/Fridayish when I get some time.

 

i did that with Starpoint Gemini 2 last weekend and ended up sinking a ridiculous amount of hours into it. I kind of regret getting it on xB1 and not Steam (due to the fact that the steam version is just way better with DLC and modding) but I still enjoy it very much. If no one's played it the game is a single player action RPG where you play as a capitol ship in a galaxy full of warring factions and the rest is up to you. The combat is pretty darn cool. It's one of the first games I played where combat on a 3D plane actually works, though it does take some time getting used to.

 

Anyway, yea, I love it and even though it looks like I'm finishing my time with it just two weeks later, I sunk A LOT of time into it in those two weeks.

 

Preview is limited as it is only 1 hr of game time to play. I will say if you pick up the game, I have a dedicated server we run and are looking to expand into a few other tribes with up to another 5 players.

[Devilb0y]

Anyone playing The Division?

 

I got it free with a new graphics card I bought a few weeks ago and am really enjoying it.

[Celuwyn]

I will be soon playing EA UFC 2(with EA access) Anyone has played it ?

[smurphy1014]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Celuwyn" data-cite="Celuwyn" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I will be soon playing EA UFC 2(with EA access) Anyone has played it ?</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Played a little bit of it yesterday. Love knockout mode. Gonna dive into career mode over the weekend.</p>

[gingerdilligaf]

I am buzzing for ufc 2. Despite its faults i still play the original its a solid beat em up with mates that has lasted 18mths. Nobody mentions the event mode in reviews & this is the mode will make or break it for me.

[liontamer]

<p>Wondering if anyone else picked up the PC version of WWE 2k16. It was released Friday and I'm finding it unbearable so far. Graphics are mostly great, but this is the first in this series that I have played and these controls stink. The computer always kicks out of pins regardless of difficulty level and health meters, and I've lost several matches in which I still was green when they pinned me because there is a lag between pressing it and the meter stopping (I've learned to guess in advance, but sometimes the target moves after I had to guess and I end up way off). The counter system is also making the game very boring as I feel passive for large parts of the match (computer counters way more often that I do I've though I put the settings way down and set it to easy). </p><p> </p><p>

There are also times where I can't get back in the ring (the button to get in doesn't work), and times where I miss a move because my guy goes completely in the wrong direction in attempt to execute it. </p><p> </p><p>

The issues are so bad that I repeated the same match as lesnar against one of the vaudevillians and lost every time for 4 straight hours. When I finally won, it was because the guy chose to get counted out. It's funny it says I 've played 12 hours, but 4 of those hours I fell asleep while it was on and at least 3 of the hours I just left it on while doing something else to avoid getting overly frustrated with it</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

I'll give it time for patches and what not, but this is the first wrestling game in a long time that I thought was aweful ( I want to say the other one was attitude or something like that back on N64 or maybe even SNES). Wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or has any times on fixing game play via settings, hardware, etc (my system exceeds all specs, and aside from the video card which is only slightly above spec, the rest exceed by quite a bit. I am wondering if the Bluetooth keyboard may introduce a lag, but I no longer have a non-Bluetooth one and would thinking xbox controllers use blue tooth so it shouldn't be an issue.)</p>

[bigtplaystew]

I am buzzing for ufc 2. Despite its faults i still play the original its a solid beat em up with mates that has lasted 18mths. Nobody mentions the event mode in reviews & this is the mode will make or break it for me.

 

I still play EA UFC as well. It's a good game to play when i need to let off some steam. Looking forward to Knockout Mode

[Blackman]

I heard WWE2k16 was awful, yet something inside me still wanted to purchase the damn thing. Glad I didn't (at least: not yet).

 

I'm still contemplating whether or not to actually get a console for EA UFC 2. Given I won't do anything else with it, it'll probably not be worth it, though the game looks quite fun.

[Big Roguey]

I heard WWE2k16 was awful, yet something inside me still wanted to purchase the damn thing. Glad I didn't (at least: not yet).

 

I'm still contemplating whether or not to actually get a console for EA UFC 2. Given I won't do anything else with it, it'll probably not be worth it, though the game looks quite fun.

 

I quite like 2k16 actually. I missed out on playing 2k15 so that's probably why, the whole game is new to me and there is still some amount of novelty in getting to play as the indy dudes I grew up watching like Owens, Zayn & Samoa Joe.

[milamber]

Wondering if anyone else picked up the PC version of WWE 2k16. It was released Friday and I'm finding it unbearable so far. Graphics are mostly great, but this is the first in this series that I have played and these controls stink. The computer always kicks out of pins regardless of difficulty level and health meters, and I've lost several matches in which I still was green when they pinned me because there is a lag between pressing it and the meter stopping (I've learned to guess in advance, but sometimes the target moves after I had to guess and I end up way off). The counter system is also making the game very boring as I feel passive for large parts of the match (computer counters way more often that I do I've though I put the settings way down and set it to easy).

 

There are also times where I can't get back in the ring (the button to get in doesn't work), and times where I miss a move because my guy goes completely in the wrong direction in attempt to execute it.

 

The issues are so bad that I repeated the same match as lesnar against one of the vaudevillians and lost every time for 4 straight hours. When I finally won, it was because the guy chose to get counted out. It's funny it says I 've played 12 hours, but 4 of those hours I fell asleep while it was on and at least 3 of the hours I just left it on while doing something else to avoid getting overly frustrated with it

 

 

I'll give it time for patches and what not, but this is the first wrestling game in a long time that I thought was aweful ( I want to say the other one was attitude or something like that back on N64 or maybe even SNES). Wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or has any times on fixing game play via settings, hardware, etc (my system exceeds all specs, and aside from the video card which is only slightly above spec, the rest exceed by quite a bit. I am wondering if the Bluetooth keyboard may introduce a lag, but I no longer have a non-Bluetooth one and would thinking xbox controllers use blue tooth so it shouldn't be an issue.)

 

Not surprised because it's the first attempt at a PC version of a long standing console franchise. I'm waiting for 2K17. My expectations would be low because I've never played a wrestling game since the N64 (my last console) but I can't stand shoddy ports.

[Dawn]

Not surprised because it's the first attempt at a PC version of a long standing console franchise. I'm waiting for 2K17. My expectations would be low because I've never played a wrestling game since the N64 (my last console) but I can't stand shoddy ports.

 

2K15? That really wasn't a game, but still...

[bigtplaystew]

UFC 2 is pretty good. The fighting engine itself is a lot better, IMO. I'm especially loving how visceral and deliberate ground strikes feel. You really do feel your fighter taking every one of those huge shots. The grappling is... different. It'll take some time for me to get used to it. Submissions are way easier and seemingly more stat based now, which is good or bad depending on how you feel.

 

The game really didn't add a lot feature wise though. There's a KO Mode (no grappling... rock em sock em robots 2016!! very fun!) and that's... about it. Oh they added Ultimate Team which is TOTALLY forced and contrived in this sport. But to each their own. I will almost never touch that mode. They still didn't add those arcadey modes or create-a-tournament from the older games. And there are STILL mini games in career mode... ugh.

 

Overall, it's definitely a big improvement over the last game. The fights just feel better. They feel more real and more fun at the same time, and that's something that isn't easy to do in sports franchise. I'd say if you're interested you should at least at some point check this one out.

[D-Lyrium]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="milamber" data-cite="milamber" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Not surprised because it's the first attempt at a PC version of a long standing console franchise. I'm waiting for 2K17. My expectations would be low because I've never played a wrestling game since the N64 (my last console) but I can't stand shoddy ports.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Second attempt*. And the series is only 3 games old, so it's hardly "long-standing", though it's made by largely the same people that have screwed up WWE games forever.</p><p> </p><p> But yeah... I've played it a bit over my friends' place, it's... not great. The actual wrestling is ok, nothing seems to have been improved much from 2K15 though. I quite like the new pin system, adds an element of skill in about the only real way possible, so that you're not left guessing if you're going to kick out or not. I didn't experience the lag that liontamer was having (though I know how he feels because I *do* get that lag on PAT attempts in Madden) but it's still a fairly bleh game.</p><p> </p><p> And my god. That trademark 2K Sports Game voice acting. Why? :'( While it is pretty good that there's a dialogue system now (this has only just now been thought of in a wrestling game? In 2016?), the actual voice acting is HORRIFIC. And the pauses are SO awkward, sometimes it's actually plain funny, for all the wrong reasons.</p><p> </p><p> IMO, if you own 2K15, do not buy 2K16 unless you're a Saudi oil baron and literally wouldn't notice the money leaving your account. If you didn't buy 2K15, and you're DESPERATE for a wrestling game, buy 2K16. It's not avoid-at-all-costs terrible. Otherwise, buy UFC 2 and pretend it's wrestling.</p>

[Celuwyn]

UFC 2 is pretty good. The fighting engine itself is a lot better, IMO. I'm especially loving how visceral and deliberate ground strikes feel. You really do feel your fighter taking every one of those huge shots. The grappling is... different. It'll take some time for me to get used to it. Submissions are way easier and seemingly more stat based now, which is good or bad depending on how you feel.

 

The game really didn't add a lot feature wise though. There's a KO Mode (no grappling... rock em sock em robots 2016!! very fun!) and that's... about it. Oh they added Ultimate Team which is TOTALLY forced and contrived in this sport. But to each their own. I will almost never touch that mode. They still didn't add those arcadey modes or create-a-tournament from the older games. And there are STILL mini games in career mode... ugh.

 

Overall, it's definitely a big improvement over the last game. The fights just feel better. They feel more real and more fun at the same time, and that's something that isn't easy to do in sports franchise. I'd say if you're interested you should at least at some point check this one out.

 

Yeah I agree. KO Mode is a good addition, fun with friends ! And we have a training mode, that's great. the addition of the female career is good too ! I can break jaw with Joanna

[gingerdilligaf]

Yeah I agree. KO Mode is a good addition, fun with friends ! And we have a training mode, that's great. the addition of the female career is good too ! I can break jaw with Joanna

 

Loving the game so far. Submissions are still way too complicated & way too rare & whats with the height & reach being in cms instead of feet & inches?So glad they brought back event mode its been overlooked but i can now create my own universe even if i need a pen & paper to keep up

[D-Lyrium]

Loving the game so far. Submissions are still way too complicated & way too rare & whats with the height & reach being in cms instead of feet & inches?So glad they brought back event mode its been overlooked but i can now create my own universe even if i need a pen & paper to keep up

 

There's probably an option for that in the settings, I'm guessing it defaults to metric measurements because you're outside the US.

 

Also, I really don't find submissions to be that complicated. Move the stick in the direction the opponent is trying to escape from... simple enough concept really.

 

 

I loooove the overall 'feel' of the fighting now, though. The impact that strikes have is awesome. Although that does make submissions feel a little bit 'boring' - not because there's anything wrong with them, but just because knockouts feel SO awesome now. The actual ground game is massively improved though, with the meter that shows up to let you know what's going on. Before it felt like mostly guessing.

 

Anyone have PS4? Add me, I'll pad out your W-L records. ¬_¬ PSN is Monkeystyxx.

[bigtplaystew]

I'm on Xbone there, D, so I can't battle you to see who is worse. I agree with you though that the striking feels much more real in UFC2. It's more visceral and risky. I actually feel like I'm leaving my fighter's chin out there when I miss a big hook. I like it a lot.

 

As far as submissions being too complicated, I think the mini-game itself is simple in concept but it DOES take some practice. It's a poor system against the AI (because it either cheats or is too easy to predict... no middle ground IMO) but against other players I find it pretty damn good. I daresay the best submission system in a combat sports game? I like it better than that weird dial in WWE 2k16 anyway. It plays out like a strategic game of Simon only you have to account for each opponent's stamina. Once I learned it I was glad I did.

 

Regardless, it takes some practice, ginger. Just play in the training minigames every day until you get it, but you WILL get it. It's one of those things where when you're learning it it seems impossible as there's too much going on at once. But like anything once you do it enough you'll see that it LOOKS waaay harder than it is.

 

As far as pointers, all I can say is when I'm in the submissions, either defending or attacking, I'm looking at the center of the screen and not focusing on any one directional gauge. I get used to the red flashes meaning right stick and the blue meaning left stick. When you look at the flashes and not the actual meter/gauges I find it a bit easier. Does that make sense? Anyway, ask me anything if I can help I will. I'm certainly no pro but I feel like I have at least the striking and submission systems down reasonably well. I love the new grappling but it is a bit of an adjustment for me defensively. Sometimes I'm untouchable in the grappling game sometimes I get utterly destroyed.