The Video Game Thread

[Clarity]

I'm not a Marvel fan in the first place (I never would've guessed you were ), and the gameplay I've seen looks really scripted. I might get that when it's 15$ years from now, but I doubt I'll bite upon release.

 

The avatar I had that for a Mafia game waaaaaaaaaay back when and I guess I never changed it

 

**EDIT** and now I have

[Peppermint Rage]

It's true that these games often stick to one particular story and try to nudge the player into following the envisioned choice pattern. The more rebellious amongst us will often hate this, but I totally get it from a gameplay perspective.

 

The fact of the matter is that most of their customers will only play through the game once (this isn't the '90s anymore), and if you're going to provide lots of alternative content, most of your playerbase will never see it and it's arguably a waste of time and resources.

 

I don't mind when the plot pretty much always goes in a particular direction, hell I love tales from the borderlands, but for example if you do nothing in the early mission as the ghost thing (sorry don't remember the name) where it expects you to start destroying stuff, the npcs will literally act like you're destroying stuff even when you aren't, because that's where the plot is... there was nothing stopping them from just having nothing happen until you give into boredom and do what it wants you to do instead it just acts like you did when you didn't

[Blackman]

but for example if you do nothing in the early mission as the ghost thing (sorry don't remember the name) where it expects you to start destroying stuff, the npcs will literally act like you're destroying stuff even when you aren't, because that's where the plot is...

 

 

Oh right, I do remember that. Yeah, that's annoying. Are there many other examples? I don't recall others. I do remember Telltale AGOT, where also everything seemed to happen despite your choices. Choose who dies: A or B.

[BHK1978]

So for those that aren't aware.. GTA 5 is available FOR FREE on the Epic Store

 

I have now bought it twice (Once for the 360 and then for the XBox One) and now I am downloading it for free. Though I will say this, there is not a huge difference between the 360 and One versions.

 

I really wish they would remaster Vice City and San Andreas. Those two games hands down have the best soundtracks out of any games I have ever played.

[Peppermint Rage]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Blackman" data-cite="Blackman" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oh right, I do remember that. Yeah, that's annoying. Are there many other examples? I don't recall others. I do remember Telltale AGOT, where also everything seemed to happen despite your choices. Choose who dies: A or B.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> as a general rule with telltale, the game is going to send you down mostly the same plot regardless of your choices, you mainly get to pepper in the details, go into them knowing that and it's usually a good time. (tales works perfectly with this as the story is told by unreliable narrators.)</p>

[Blackman]

I did enjoy their games (Walking Dead/AGOT/Guardians/Wolf).

 

Talking about greatest soundtrack: the rework of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1/2 had me somewhat excited. Imo thàt's the greatest soundtrack ever.

[Clarity]

I have now bought it twice (Once for the 360 and then for the XBox One) and now I am downloading it for free. Though I will say this, there is not a huge difference between the 360 and One versions.

 

I really wish they would remaster Vice City and San Andreas. Those two games hands down have the best soundtracks out of any games I have ever played.

 

I had the 360 version and then upgraded to XB1. I grabbed the PC version to play it in first person and damn is it a lot of fun.

 

I dont know about San Andreas but a remake/remaster of Vice City would probably sell tons, but then again, why make games when you can make Shark Cards. RDR2 has the entirety of the first games map in it, and they could easily make a DLC pack with RDR1 like they did with Undead Nightmare

[The Swanton825]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Clarity" data-cite="Clarity" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I worry about September. Cyberpunk & CK3!!</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I'm so terrified Cyberpunk and CK3 are going to be back to back disappointments. They both just sound too good to be true. Especially CK3's religion overhaul.</p><p> </p><p> Also, I'm not sure who in the west outside of 90s anime weebs like me Sakura Wars is meant for but man am I glad to finally have this series back. Personally I wish they would have kept the old turn-based battle system from the old games, but I still enjoy the Dynasty Warriors-style combat this one has. The characters are also all likeable so far, the writers found a nice balance in that they feel like archetypes you'd see in anime, but still feeling like people and not the obnoxious one-note stereotypes a lot of games and anime have fallen back on in recent years.</p>

[Clarity]

I'm so terrified Cyberpunk and CK3 are going to be back to back disappointments. They both just sound too good to be true. Especially CK3's religion overhaul.

 

Cyberpunk is an interesting one.. Originally penned in for a release last month before being pushed back for polish, we've seen very little from it bar the 45 minute gameplay slice from about a year back. I feel pretty sure that its going to be a masterpiece, but the lack of anything concrete is just... interesting. I was too busy looking after a young child during the Witcher 3 buildup so dont know if this is just CDPR's norm

 

CK3's interface looks a lot more simplified that CK2 (which isn't a bad thing). I do wonder if they are potentially doing it that way for the eventual console part (ala Cities Skylines & Stellaris). Paradox have gone on record saying that want to get more games on console

[Jaysin]

<p>Just saw an article on gamerant talking about an Xbox marketplace leak revealing a remastered edition of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. </p><p> </p><p>

Probably one of the most under rated games of the last few generations.</p><p> </p><p>

Hopefully it does well enough that THQ Nordic does a sequel like they want.</p>

[Clarity]

Just saw an article on gamerant talking about an Xbox marketplace leak revealing a remastered edition of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

 

Probably one of the most under rated games of the last few generations.

 

Hopefully it does well enough that THQ Nordic does a sequel like they want.

 

I noticed that on Amazon this morning. Its got a (pending change) release date of August 18th

[The Swanton825]

Just saw an article on gamerant talking about an Xbox marketplace leak revealing a remastered edition of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

 

Probably one of the most under rated games of the last few generations.

 

Hopefully it does well enough that THQ Nordic does a sequel like they want.

 

Please let this sell well. The whole "Fateless in a world built on the whims of fate" has so much story potential that Reckoning only scratched the surface of.

[Blackman]

I always wanted to play it due to Salvatore's mark on the narrative. Not sure I own the game (you lose track of old games that sell for 1$ now), but I might wait until this remaster is out.

[BHK1978]

Just saw an article on gamerant talking about an Xbox marketplace leak revealing a remastered edition of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

 

Probably one of the most under rated games of the last few generations.

 

Hopefully it does well enough that THQ Nordic does a sequel like they want.

 

The game was so good. But my state got royally screwed by 38 Studios. Also, Curt Schilling is a scumbag so that colors my feelings about the game as well.

[VBigB]

The game was so good. But my state got royally screwed by 38 Studios. Also, Curt Schilling is a scumbag so that colors my feelings about the game as well.

 

I definitely had the game and I put a lot of hours into it but never did finish it. I remember enjoying it.

 

Well having limited options for things to do during the pandemic has allowed me to move through some of my Steam backlog. I've mostly been playing games that a typical play-through takes less than 20 hours. Since March I've gone through:

- Shadow of the Tomb Raider

- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

- Life is Strange 2

Definitely enjoyed all 3 for different reasons.

 

I'm currently starting the Dishonored series. Somehow I have the entire series but I've only ever played a couple hours of the first game. I'm also working through The Outer Worlds on the PS4.

 

I'm so terrified Cyberpunk and CK3 are going to be back to back disappointments. They both just sound too good to be true. Especially CK3's religion overhaul.

 

I rarely get on the hype train so my expectations are always tempered. I'm a little concerned about CK3 based on Imperator: Rome. Granted I only played Imperator at release and Paradox grand strategy games always evolve so I really should check it out again at some point.

[Blackman]

I played the Imperator tutorial after getting it and ended up not investing time in it. Bought solely on the CK2 credentials.

 

Also enjoyed Shadow of the Tomb Raider & Hellblade, though the gameplay of the latter wasn't exactly deep. But it was different and the presentation was nice, especially with a headphone.

 

I've just deleted my backlog entirely nowadays. The only thing on it is pretty much Pathfinder: Kingmaker. I need to bite the bullet and commit to it. I'll keep Divinity:OS2 for the month before BG3.

[VBigB]

The only thing on it is pretty much Pathfinder: Kingmaker.

 

Yet another game I started and never finished. It has lot's of nice customization as far as difficulty. Probably more than any game I've seen before. I believe I selected challenging but then brought all the modifiers to 100%. In essence I was somewhere between Normal and Challenging and I found it tough. I think that was due having not played a D&D game in a long time and not putting enough effort into my character build.

 

I believe I made it to Chapter 5 so I was pretty close to the end.

[Clarity]

I'll keep Divinity:OS2 for the month before BG3.

 

the month before.. Yeah ok.. Good luck with that

[VBigB]

Well it's definitely time for me to play some light-heated games for once because my recent playlist is a little depressing.

 

I started off with the entire telltale walking dead series. I had never played The Final Chapter and it had been years since I played season one so I decided to go through the entire saga.

 

Then I followed that up with The Last of Us/Left Behind and just finished the Last of Us Part II today. Man Last of US II was dark...probably one of the darkest stories I've played through. Anyway I ignored all the hype, didn't see any of the leaks and missed the controversy leading up to release so I went in with open eyes. Now that I'm done I do understand some of the backlash. Overall I mostly liked the game although I'm not sure if I was the creative lead that I would have gone in that direction with the series. I'm still not sure how I feel about the final 1/3 of the game but I can't really say what I mean without posting spoilers. All I can say is it just felt like one dark brutal event after another.

[BHK1978]

Well it's definitely time for me to play some light-heated games for once because my recent playlist is a little depressing.

 

I started off with the entire telltale walking dead series. I had never played The Final Chapter and it had been years since I played season one so I decided to go through the entire saga.

 

I was meaning to play through it all again as well. The thing with me is I have it split between my PC and Xbox. What I mean by that is I have seasons one, two, and Michonne on Steam and then I have seasons three and four on my Xbox. Which makes it a minor annoyance to play it over again.

 

I actually played through A New Frontier about a month ago and I found it to be enjoyable.

 

What did you think of the Final Chapter? I felt that was the weakest out of all of the episodes.

[VBigB]

I was meaning to play through it all again as well. The thing with me is I have it split between my PC and Xbox. What I mean by that is I have seasons one, two, and Michonne on Steam and then I have seasons three and four on my Xbox. Which makes it a minor annoyance to play it over again.

 

Yeah I was roughly in the same boat between PS4 & PC. I ended up buying the final chapter on PS4 to complete the series on that system. I didn’t realize that Skybound had released the Walking Dead Definitive Edition which is the entire series upgraded with the graphics of the final game or I may have gone that route. I may still get the definitive addition on Steam when the epic exclusivity ends (September/October) but I will probably wait for a sale.

 

When I said I played the entire telltale series I forgot about Michonne. I have never played that one. Does it have any tie-ins with the main series? I though it was just stand-alone which is why I never went through it.

 

What did you think of the Final Chapter? I felt that was the weakest out of all of the episodes.

 

I liked The Final Chapter but I can definitely see why people would consider it the weakest entry considering the development hell it went through and the fact that it almost didn’t get completed with the closing of TellTale Games.

 

Spoilers ahead for those who have never played it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was another game that I avoided all mention of plot so I went into the game with no pre-conceived notions about it from media/reviews. Therefore after the ending of A New Frontier I thought the final chapter would focus on Clem’s quest to re-unite with AJ. So you can imagine I was a little disappointed when I found out it was set a few years later. Then when you first meet the characters at the school for some reason I initially wasn't sold on the concept but that dissipated fairly quickly after I got to know the characters better. And obviously a little later in the second part I couldn’t help but think about Home Alone (more around the prep part as I thought the way the attack played out actually worked well).

 

So it definitely started off weak for me, but the story and characters grew on me the further into the game I went. I know the end was polarizing for some. I personally really liked the end although you have to suspend your disbelief a little more than normal for a zombie apocalypse. I thought it was brilliant how it mirrored certain events from an earlier game.

 

There are obviously a few plot holes in this entry but there was only one that really bothered me (and I’m not sure why because it is actually pretty small).

 

I can’t remember where it was but at some point Clem and AJ have a conversation where AJ mentions liking the ranch and Clem says that she misses the ranch too. However in the final flashback in the game it becomes quite evident that Clem and AJ never spent any time together at the ranch. I suspect they had two different versions at one time and when they finally settled on the plot they just forgot to remove that conversation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End Spoilers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So in conclusion it was definitely the weakest entry for me although I would probably split it in half. I found the first two chapters weak but I though the last two were actually really strong. But even though it was the weakest entry it’s still a pretty high bar as the entire series is strong in my opinion. I also really liked the improvements to the game-play (less quick-time events and a little more action).

[BHK1978]

When I said I played the entire telltale series I forgot about Michonne. I have never played that one. Does it have any tie-ins with the main series? I though it was just stand-alone which is why I never went through it.

 

I believe it was a stand-alone, but to be honest with you, I have not played it since it came out so I really do not recall much about it. I remember there was one section that annoyed the hell out of me because I kept on getting killed because of the whole button smasher thing, but that is about it. I think I was killed twenty times in a row before I finally did it right.

[Clarity]

I believe it was a stand-alone, but to be honest with you, I have not played it since it came out so I really do not recall much about it. I remember there was one section that annoyed the hell out of me because I kept on getting killed because of the whole button smasher thing, but that is about it. I think I was killed twenty times in a row before I finally did it right.

 

It doesn't link directly to any of the other games, but is meant to cover a period of her absence from the comics

[BHK1978]

<p>I have been playing Skyrim a lot recently and I had thugs sent after me. I killed all of the thugs and read the note to see who was it that sent them after me. It was someone named Marmal. </p><p> </p><p>

Now I have been playing this game off and on for nine years now and I had no clue who the hell Marmal was/is. I looked him up on the internet and he's a priest at the temple in Riften. What kind of a priest is this dude? </p><p> </p><p>

Yes, I did steal from the temple, but nobody saw me do it. You are going to tell me that a priest who did not witness me steal anything is going to hire some thugs to kill me. That is just messed up.<img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[cappyboy]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="BHK1978" data-cite="BHK1978" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="28397" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I have been playing Skyrim a lot recently and I had thugs sent after me. I killed all of the thugs and read the note to see who was it that sent them after me. It was someone named Marmal. <p> </p><p> Now I have been playing this game off and on for nine years now and I had no clue who the hell Marmal was/is. I looked him up on the internet and he's a priest at the temple in Riften. What kind of a priest is this dude? </p><p> </p><p> Yes, I did steal from the temple, but nobody saw me do it. You are going to tell me that a priest who did not witness me steal anything is going to hire some thugs to kill me. That is just messed up.<img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Been doing a good bit of the same since the pandemic began. Weaving back and forth between Oblivion and Skyrim actually. But Skyrim at the moment. So since I hadn't been to Riften yet on my current build, I made it a point to look into this priest for you. Two things to keep in mind given this bounty Maramal placed on your head.</p><p> </p><p> 1: Think about how corrupt the city of Riften is in general. The Thieves Guild. The Black-Briars. The gate guards that try to shake you down when you first arrive. Grelod The Kind at the orphanage. Riften is to Nirn as Mos Eisley is to Tattooine. A wretched hive of scum and villiany. If such a murderous priest is going to live anywhere in Skyrim, it's rather fitting he'd live in Riften.</p><p> </p><p> 2: Also think about the fact this is the same priest who is scolding any and all present at The Bee and Barb the first time you enter that inn. Meaning he's quite a bit more fanatical than the rest of Riften's clergy. Fanatics are less likely to quibble with those who'd do violence than more reasonable congregants. He probably views this bounty as a means of getting these sinners to do Mara's will for once.</p><p> </p><p> And then there's the little factor that Skyrim's sense of who should and shouldn't be able to report or witness crimes being off. I've heard tales of players been hunted down for crimes because wild animals saw what happened and that been reported to guards as a result. Sounds like you were visited on the basis of this glitched witness system.</p>