Gaming thoughts, bite-size chewables - new orange flavor!

[Hound of Cullen]

Huh. I'd picked up (and played) "Outer Worlds" a while ago. Never bothered with the DLC. While I enjoyed it, I didn't feel the need for more.

I opened Steam this morning and the "Spacer's Choice" edition, along with both DLC is sitting in my game list. Looks like they've freely upgraded everyone who had the original. Guess I'll go muck about with the parts I haven't played.

 

[dcook32p]

Huh. I'd picked up (and played) "Outer Worlds" a while ago. Never bothered with the DLC. While I enjoyed it, I didn't feel the need for more.

I opened Steam this morning and the "Spacer's Choice" edition, along with both DLC is sitting in my game list. Looks like they've freely upgraded everyone who had the original. Guess I'll go muck about with the parts I haven't played.

One of the DLC, can't remember which one, just dragged on for me. The other one was superb. I think I liked the one with the hotel. Been a minute since I've played them.

 

[Papageno]

Whoa, reportedly there's a new Witcher 3 DLC coming, over ten years after the game released:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAKPPNWrKIo

 

[alterSchwede]

Presumably to create a smooth story transition to part four?
(and to get some more money obviously)

 

[Backstop]

So the expansion will be for PC, PS5 and Xbox X/S only. Being CDPR I hope/assume there wouldn't be nitpicks like it doesn't count if the PS5 copy you have is upgraded from a PS4 purchase.

Or, I could just pay the $10 for a PC copy anyway haha.

 

[NavyGothic]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of more The Witcher 3 - but it seems like such an odd use of resources. Notably CD Projekt is swapping from REDEngine to UE6 for The Witcher 4, specifically because building and maintaining staff expertise in their in-house engine was incredibly challenging.

On the other hand, maybe they're building out TW4 with largely new talent and the TW3/Cyberpunk vets needed work?

But heck, I guess I'm not gonna complain! Very much looking forward to both Songs of the Past and TW4.

 

[mogbert]

Finished my last triple A title and fell into the usual post game depression. Tried to dig myself out today by starting up Ghost Trick. Got through the tutorial and then saved and quit. Not sure if I'll keep playing it or not. Need another game to grab me.

 

[Chris FOM]

Finished my last triple A title and fell into the usual post game depression. Tried to dig myself out today by starting up Ghost Trick. Got through the tutorial and then saved and quit. Not sure if I'll keep playing it or not. Need another game to grab me.

I need to try Ghost Trick again, maybe third time’ll be a charm. I played it on the DS, then again on my iPad, but it never quite got its narrative hooks into me the way the Ace Attorney games did despite also being led by Shu Takumi (then again of the 10 AA games currently out I’ve only played 5, and Dual Destines also took me a couple tries).

 

[[Ars]Hellheart]

If Ghost Trick doesn't quite grasp you, it might be worth watching a playthrough for at least the dialogue/cutscenes. The story itself has some really interesting hooks and it's not something I think I'll ever forget.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo was never mentioned here, just in the Demo Thread (it has one!) and in the top 20 games of the year article. It was mentioned in one of the reviews I read for Mina the Hollower, and it's currently $10 (50% off) until the 4th. And it's...really, really good in a way that'll be entirely different from Mina. Just a bit of wandering around the map is like...oh wow, it's pulling from some old-era games in its map setup with all the rooms, and the map is friggin' huge. And it's designed to be puzzley.

 

[travisthehuman]

Quake 1/2/3 Deathmatch all in one. Open source, but those levels look exactly the same and the trailer is playing the Q2 soundtrack.

https://quetoo.org/

Took a look at it tonight.

Good:
Its all one package. Levels and weapons from all 3 games. Love that Clan Arena/Rocket Arena is baked in and its hugely customizeable.
Movement feels good. Not quite the same as any one of the games, but I suppose it is a blend of all 3
Weapon sounds are great
Super simple to get up and running, great menus

Bad:
Nobody on any of the serveres
The colors/textures are way over saturated and the color pallet is very "N64 can do colored lighting so lets color everything" (Think Doom 64 or Q2 64). It impacts visibility of other players quite a bit.
The levels have elements of original levels, but are quite a bit different in a way I'm not sure is better.
Same goes for the weapons.
Mouse sensitivity caps out super low on mouse and I don't know how to override on console (this is a problem with the Nightdive ports also)

Its a great attempt, but I'm really not sure it gains you anything over downloading any of the original games and running them on a modern source port. They still play awesome on modern hardware.

I suppose what they may be trying to do is eliminate the hassle of downloading/modding/etc. to get where you want? But Nightdive/Bethesda kinda did that already with Q1 and Q2 (if that's your thing)

 

[Apteris]

On the other hand, maybe they're building out TW4 with largely new talent and the TW3/Cyberpunk vets needed work?

I doubt that anyone over there is lacking for work, between The Witcher 4, Cyberpunk 2, supervising the The Witcher remake, and whatever else they might have cooking.

My money is on this being a labor of love.

 

[GMBigKev]

If Ghost Trick doesn't quite grasp you, it might be worth watching a playthrough for at least the dialogue/cutscenes. The story itself has some really interesting hooks and it's not something I think I'll ever forget.

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo was never mentioned here, just in the Demo Thread (it has one!) and in the top 20 games of the year article. It was mentioned in one of the reviews I read for Mina the Hollower, and it's currently $10 (50% off) until the 4th. And it's...really, really good in a way that'll be entirely different from Mina. Just a bit of wandering around the map is like...oh wow, it's pulling from some old-era games in its map setup with all the rooms, and the map is friggin' huge. And it's designed to be puzzley.

There was a great speedrun of it in AGDQ this year. Pulled off some absolutely crazy maneuvers.
(Pretty big spoilers - for things like bosses and item locations)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJfU7xZaTws

 

[Bagheera]

Metroidvania for people with terrible reflexes.

Hollow Knight was an awesome game, but getting perfectly-timed jumps made me scream. I spent 3 days stuck in a vertical chasm before finally giving up.

Nine Sols really blew me away. Starts like the ending of Under The Skin, turns into William Gibson's take on Taoism. But it also requires perfectly-timed jumps rather early in the game.

I know fast reflexes and tough jumps are a critical part of metroidvanias. However, as someone old enough to have played the original Metroid and Castlevania on the NES, my reflexes just aren't that good anymore. I want to try more sidescrolling platformers, especially those that have great stories or lore. But I don't want to get sucked into a game just to get stuck halfway through.

Can you recommend a metroidvania that's more forgiving for a Gen Xer? Something on PS5 or Switch if possible.

 

[PlasticExistence]

Metroidvania for people with terrible reflexes.

Hollow Knight was an awesome game, but getting perfectly-timed jumps made me scream. I spent 3 days stuck in a vertical chasm before finally giving up.

Nine Sols really blew me away. Starts like the ending of Under The Skin, turns into William Gibson's take on Taoism. But it also requires perfectly-timed jumps rather early in the game.

I know fast reflexes and tough jumps are a critical part of metroidvanias. However, as someone old enough to have played the original Metroid and Castlevania on the NES, my reflexes just aren't that good anymore. I want to try more sidescrolling platformers, especially those that have great stories or lore. But I don't want to get sucked into a game just to get stuck halfway through.

Can you recommend a metroidvania that's more forgiving for a Gen Xer? Something on PS5 or Switch if possible.

I enjoyed Timespinner quite a lot

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/timespinner-switch/

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0426-CUSA11926_00-TIMESPINNER00000/

 

[GMBigKev]

I enjoyed Timespinner quite a lot

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/timespinner-switch/

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0426-CUSA11926_00-TIMESPINNER00000/

That's the one I saw.

 

[PlasticExistence]

So my cranky old man opinion on Metroidvanias is that there are too many these days that just copy Hollow Knight (like how many now have the dash as a standard move?).

Having more options isn't a problem, but if you're not a big fan of HK, then you probably won't love the carbon copies either. That's me.

 

[Frosty Grin]

Having more options isn't a problem, but if you're not a big fan of HK, then you probably won't love the carbon copies either.

Depends on the reasons why you're not a fan. Can be just the art direction and the map thing, for example. Then the same combat can end up being fun for you in a different package.

 

[PlasticExistence]

Depends on the reasons why you're not a fan. Can be just the art direction and the map thing, for example. Then the same combat can end up being fun for you in a different package.

The map thing bothers me, but HK doesn't respect my time. That's the deal breaker for me.

 

[Uisce Beatha]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of more The Witcher 3 - but it seems like such an odd use of resources. Notably CD Projekt is swapping from REDEngine to UE6 for The Witcher 4, specifically because building and maintaining staff expertise in their in-house engine was incredibly challenging.

On the other hand, maybe they're building out TW4 with largely new talent and the TW3/Cyberpunk vets needed work?

But heck, I guess I'm not gonna complain! Very much looking forward to both Songs of the Past and TW4.

I've bounced off of Witcher 3 twice now (though it should be right up my alley), but based on the new DLC news, I've reinstalled it for another try. Looks pretty nice with the graphical upgrades from a little while back. Now my first task is to load up my last save from January 2020 (the Netflix show coming out made me want to give it another go back then) and figure out what the hell I was doing. And relearn the controls & systems, etc. At least until I get distracted by something else.

 

[invertedpanda]

I've bounced off of Witcher 3 twice now (though it should be right up my alley), but based on the new DLC news, I've reinstalled it for another try. Looks pretty nice with the graphical upgrades from a little while back. Now my first task is to load up my last save from January 2020 (the Netflix show coming out made me want to give it another go back then) and figure out what the hell I was doing. And relearn the controls & systems, etc. At least until I get distracted by something else.

Ditto.. Part of me wants to give it another go no, but I've got so many other games to capture my interest now (and coming up) that I probably won't.

 

[Thorvard]

Ditto.. Part of me wants to give it another go no, but I've got so many other games to capture my interest now (and coming up) that I probably won't.

Double Ditto? Tritto?

I've probably started Witcher 3 about 5-6 times. I just can't get over that hump where I feel super comfortable in the game and wanting to play more.

I've been thinking of giving it a try again but, like you said, I've got so many other games to play I don't know if I want to invest that time in it.

 

[PlasticExistence]

The combat in Witcher 3 didn't land with me, and I bounced off of it within an hour. Gameplay is king in my world.

 

[GMBigKev]

The combat in Witcher 3 didn't land with me, and I bounced off of it within an hour. Gameplay is king in my world.

Same. It's why I just didn't enjoy Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[Ryan B.]

Finished my last triple A title and fell into the usual post game depression. Tried to dig myself out today by starting up Ghost Trick. Got through the tutorial and then saved and quit. Not sure if I'll keep playing it or not. Need another game to grab me.

I need to try Ghost Trick again, maybe third time’ll be a charm. I played it on the DS, then again on my iPad, but it never quite got its narrative hooks into me the way the Ace Attorney games did despite also being led by Shu Takumi (then again of the 10 AA games currently out I’ve only played 5, and Dual Destines also took me a couple tries).

It's possible the game just isn't for you, but I would encourage you to push through for at least an hour. Why? Because I had the exact same experience. I bought the game for iOS, played the tutorial, shrugged, and set it aside for literal years. I waited so long that the version I bought stopped working on current OSes, and I had to shell out for the remaster.

BUT THEN...Once I did all of that...I found a game that I adored.

 

[MichaelC]

bounced off Witcher 3?!? did not enjoy BG3?!? The blasphemy is strong!!!111oneoneone

What you all got against 3s?

 

[Ryan B.]

Metroidvania for people with terrible reflexes.

Hollow Knight was an awesome game, but getting perfectly-timed jumps made me scream. I spent 3 days stuck in a vertical chasm before finally giving up.

Nine Sols really blew me away. Starts like the ending of Under The Skin, turns into William Gibson's take on Taoism. But it also requires perfectly-timed jumps rather early in the game.

I know fast reflexes and tough jumps are a critical part of metroidvanias. However, as someone old enough to have played the original Metroid and Castlevania on the NES, my reflexes just aren't that good anymore. I want to try more sidescrolling platformers, especially those that have great stories or lore. But I don't want to get sucked into a game just to get stuck halfway through.

Can you recommend a metroidvania that's more forgiving for a Gen Xer? Something on PS5 or Switch if possible.

The Shantae games are fun and not too difficult.

 

[GMBigKev]

bounced off Witcher 3?!? did not enjoy BG3?!? The blasphemy is strong!!!111oneoneone

What you all got against 3s?

I'm apparently Valve.

But no, it's mostly my fault for forgetting I don't like CRPGs... I forget every time I buy one. They get really good reviews, I start to play, I bounce off them immediately.

 

[richleader]

The Nintendo DS castlevanias are my favorite and they really emphasize grinding/exploring over anything else.


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2369900/Castlevania_Dominus_Collection/


I don't know how well they present on a monitor though despite being gorgeous on a tiny screen. But other than the final boss, there's no reason to be good at any of the games.

 

[Louis XVI]

bounced off Witcher 3?!? did not enjoy BG3?!? The blasphemy is strong!!!111oneoneone

What you all got against 3s?

Huh, come to think of it, I guess I generally don’t like #3s—I didn’t particularly like The Witcher 3, Balder’s Gate 3, Civilization 3, Star Control 3, Master of Orion 3, Assassin’s Creed 3, or Diablo 3.

I did, however, enjoy Grand Theft Auto 3 and Burnout 3, so I suppose there’s some hope.

 

[Diabolical]

Wing Commander 3 was brilliant.
So was Super Mario Bros 3.

Civ 3 was….. not nearly as good as Civ 4. And I don’t remember it nearly as well as Civ 2.

---

We’re going with distinct 3’s, right? Not explicitly “third game”? Has to have “3” in the name?
Man, if I wasn't going to bed right now, I’d be making a ‘The “3” Conundrum’ thread. Because this has some legs, I think.

 

[MichaelC]

I support and endorse doing this when you get up and can give it the time and thought to make the thread.

 

[Thorvard]

While Quake 3 was fine, in it's own way, it was nowhere near 1 or 2.
Dead Space 3 sucked.
Wasn't the 3rd Tomb Raider(of the recent reboot) solidly meh?
Lost Planet 3 was a big break from the first 2.

On the topic of good "3" games, Far Cry 3, Diablo 3, Resident Evil 3, Jagged Alliance 3, Rule the Waves 3 all were great.

 

[PlasticExistence]

I wish it was just entitled Quake: Arena and they'd not made it "3"

Mega Man 3 is great!

 

[Thorvard]

I remember being so let down when I first played it. It was fun, sure, but I wanted a true SP game.

 

[PlasticExistence]

I remember being so let down when I first played it. It was fun, sure, but I wanted a true SP game.

Same, though I liked Quake 4 a lot and felt they'd somewhat redeemed themselves for their numbering insanity

 

[technophile]

Saints Row 3 was excellent. Much better than 4 IMO; I never played 2, although I've read it's the pinnacle of the series. I loved BG3 but didn't like any of the Witchers. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[GMBigKev]

Saints Row 3 was excellent. Much better than 4 IMO; I never played 2, although I've read it's the pinnacle of the series. I loved BG3 but didn't like any of the Witchers. ¯\(ツ)/¯

SR2 was an excellent game. It was definitely the height of the series.

 

[Distraction]

I thought Quake III: Arena was great! But I mostly played it split screen on the Dreamcast against my wife. It was one of the few games that she really liked.

 

[Uisce Beatha]

Last time I played Baldur's Gate 3 I was still somewhere in Act 1, and that was nearly three (!!!) years ago. I fully intend to get back to it sometime though, and it's been installed on my system the entire time. I have fond memories of BG1, 2, & Throne of Bhaal (and many more D&D-based CRPGs), so I have hope that I actually will finish it. Someday.

 

[travisthehuman]

Can you recommend a metroidvania that's more forgiving for a Gen Xer? Something on PS5 or Switch if possible.

guacamelee 1&2, and Haiku are great. Guacamelee has some punishing timing parts, but only if you want to 100% the game. For a typical playthrough it can be pretty chill.