Renzatic on 4/11/2019 at 17:39
Quote Posted by Marecki
Good idea if you ask me. I have been using trackballs for almost 25 years now and even so, when a few years ago I tried a finger-operated one (mostly so that I could try and switch hands from time to time) I pretty much bounced off it.
I think the weirdest thing about it would be pressing the left mouse button with your thumb, like you're squeezing the thing. As is, I'm pretty well satisfied with my thumby roller.
Overall, I'm amazed at just how quickly I acclimated to it. I kinda preempted Thirith above, and played through Dishonored 2 to get a feel for it. Before I was even halfway through the game, I wasn't even thinking about it anymore. It felt perfectly natural, and I found myself aiming with more precision than I do with a mouse. The only negative is that you can't do those quick 180 degree turn-on-dime flips as easily. It takes two big swooshes with my thumb, rather than 1 big swish with my wrist.
Renault on 4/11/2019 at 17:44
Finally dove into Ico. There was some talk about it in the Discord channel, and it was in my list for the "sadly neglected" games thread, so I figured why not. I'm really digging it, I like the minimalist approach, the lack of dialogue, simple but challenging puzzles, etc. I also kind of like how they set up the "escort" side of the game too, where your partner seems almost indifferent to helping you. But...
The camera is bat shit crazy, nauseating at the very least, annoying as all hell at the worst. Guess I'm brushing it off as a product of the PS2 era. I really don't understand the rhyme or reason behind it, but I guess I'm getting used to it.
And although the games have very different play styles, I'm getting huge Dark Souls vibes from the world and the environments.
I'll take this opportunity too to pump the recently revised PlayStation Now service. I signed up for a year for 60 bucks, and there are some really good games available, seems like a great deal. I really like the idea of being able to fire up any game instantly, try it out, and if I don't like it, I just move on to the next thing. No waiting for downloads or installation. The streaming worked great for me too, so no issues there. The obvious downside is not having the games permanently, but I see several games on their list like Ico which are likely one timers for me - Gravity Rush, Resogun, Siren, Tearaway, and so on.
Sulphur on 4/11/2019 at 19:38
At least part of the reason you're getting Dark Souls vibes from Ico, I think - at least this is true for how I experienced both - is because both share a sense of real architectural construction in their spaces. Ico's castle is designed as an actual castle with all its scale and vastness and empty, echoing spaces that form a coherent, mentally mapped location in your mind, just as exploring a building would in reality. And much of Dark Souls' environmental design shares a similar sense of physical spaces and architecture that could actually exist, fantasy trappings notwithstanding. It's part of what makes the experience really special, that feeling of exploring a location that evokes the real world in its intricacy and interconnectedness.
demagogue on 4/11/2019 at 20:22
To me it was more like getting huge Ico vibes--really Shadow of the Collosus vibes, which if you play Ico, BTW, it's worth following up with SotC--from Dark Souls. It was clear to me DS took major inspiraion from it. It's also kind of built into that brand of open world jRPG's DNA though too.
SubJeff on 4/11/2019 at 23:16
Quote Posted by demagogue
To me it was more like getting huge Ico vibes--really Shadow of the Collosus vibes, which if you play Ico, BTW, it's worth following up with SotC--from Dark Souls.
Oh, you have to play SotC if you haven't, ICO or not. They are better as a pair, but SotC was just great. I played them on PS3.
Quote Posted by Thirith
I've been wanting to replay
Dishonored 2 for a while now, not least because of my still reasonably newish ultrawide screen. I started over the weekend and for me it's still the closest I've come to recapturing that old
Thief feeling. IMO Arkane is one of the top studios when it comes to designing interesting, believable environments, and
Dishonored's options for traversal make it very enjoyable to inhabit these spaces.
I have an ultrawide too and I feel you on the movement and traversal. It's one thing I loved in Dishonored 1, and it has the best mantling mechanic.
With the ultrawide I found the Dishonored 2 demo a little nauseating. And then the options for traversal TOO open. I always feel like I've missed something, but I have to play D2 eventually.
Thirith on 6/11/2019 at 13:45
@SubJeff:
I've not had any problems with Dishonored 2's ultrawide implementation. I wonder if it was partly the game's technical hiccoughs that made it feel nauseating. Every time I play a Dishonored game, though, I have to retrain myself that the world is as vertical as it is horizontal and that there may not be a good way of knocking everyone in a room out before I can proceed.
Apart from that, I'm about to finish Dark Souls 3. I banged my head against the wall that is the final boss a few times last night before going to bed. Having said that, I've not yet touched any of the DLC, but I'm thinking that I might give myself a bit of a break and only return to Lothric in a while.
qolelis on 6/11/2019 at 19:09
I'm playing Whispers of a Machine, a game from an old favourite genre of mine, 2D point'n'clicks, which has been enjoyable so far. The puzzles are mostly about applying real-life solutions to real-life problems, and no goat moustaches yet (although I don't mind those so much). You also get a couple of augments and devices (applied and controlled on-screen by the player (as opposed to by the player character)) to help with the investigation (you play as an agent investigating a murder or two). Last time I played I was a little stuck, but hopefully I'll figure it out next time I play. Recommended if you like the genre.
WingedKagouti on 9/11/2019 at 20:45
I finished the main story Costume Quest yesterday (EGS freebie). A cute little game about kids and halloween. I would not call it a RPG, as you have absolutely zero impact on the story or characters beyond completing the game or not.
Still, if you're in the mood for a relatively short, charming and wholesome experience, give it a go.
qolelis on 12/11/2019 at 01:20
I finished Eastshade yesterday: 18 hours and all but two quests completed. As I was leaving the island, I regretted not being allowed to say farewell to everyone before leaving. Even got a little sentimental. Then the second ending kicked in, which was a nice touch. Also got a little seasick when going by boat, because if you collide with something your boat might wobble sideways, together with the player camera.
There are over 30 quests, so there's plenty to do. Many are fetch quests, some span over the entirety of the game, and some require exploration, getting new vehicles or tools, crafting, some puzzle solving, messaging and so on. If you do all quests, you will talk to and get to know a lot of different people with different backstories.
I tried to be polite or nice to everyone, but you might still piss people off, because there are a few conflicts that you can get involved in, choosing sides. Because of this, there was one quest I chose not to take on. Now, for a second playthrough, I could go back and be a total dick to everyone just to see how far the game allows me to take that. After I had finished the game the first time, I watched someone else play and they actually got in a bit of a fistfight by consequently and repeatedly escalating a conflict whenever possible (there were plenty of chances to stop).
Renzatic on 15/11/2019 at 04:28
I bought Children of Morta for the Switch, but I can't play it yet. Stupid me didn't see that it's not releasing until the 20th, so I'm stuck here staring at the damn icon.
...makes me so mad. :mad: