henke on 22/1/2022 at 11:30
Finished replaying Batman: Arkham Knight. When I played it on release it just felt like a really solid conclusion to Rocksteady's Batman trilogy, think I appreciated it a lot more after some distance. The way you transition between on-foot/gliding/driving/tank are so damn SLICK! That you switch between such varying movement speeds and scales and it all feels seamless. All the attention to detail is great too and I the way it involves so many story-lines and keeps it all coherent is very impressive. Just a great game!
Thirith on 23/1/2022 at 10:13
Launched Outer Wilds again after 1+ years, because I want to finally play the DLC. Tried to refamiliarise myself with the controls, which took a while. Since I didn't know where to start, I followed this satellite or craft zooming around in the skies that I didn't remember being there before. Haven't done anything else yet, but I'm looking forward to getting back into this world and starting to explore.
Mr.Duck on 24/1/2022 at 08:41
Haven't done this in a while. Let's see...
*
Astalon: Tears of the Earth (PC) - Very cool retro-inspired, pixel-art, 2D Metroidvania that has you explore ancient ruins in a post Apocalyptic ruins as three adventurers (a rogue, a warrior and a mage) that have different abilities that allow you to traverse the ruins. Combat is simple, but fun with a wide variety of enemies, some pretty fun boss battles and a lot of good ol'platforming. Highly recommended! Here's a trailer for the curious - (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V87xLFNs-EA)
*
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4) - After a few false starts, I am gritting my teeth and going all in to kick ass ten ways 'til Friday. I've beaten every FROM game since OG Demon's Souls but Sekiro (though, I want to redo Demon's and Dark Souls 1 completely solo). Currently fighting Genichiro atop Ashina Castle. I'm already able to deliver one deathblow. Second deathblow should be forthcoming soon enough.
*
GTFO (NVIDIA Shield) - Started playing this one after it came out of Early Access. Think Aliens meets Left 4 Dead and is challenging as all Hell. Horror-survival fps co-op game that oozes atmosphere and is fun to play with peeps, though you can also play solo with bots if you like the extra pain.
*
Guardians of the Galaxy (NVIDIA Shield) - Boy, this game sure does look pretty and runs butter-smooth in the NVIDIA Shield, especially since I upgraded my membership to the RTX 3080 founders membership. Really fun, single-player romp in the GotG Marvelverse, though I do feel it was a bit of a wasted opportunity not to have co-op seeing how there are, well, 5 Guardians. Oh, well....still a fun game with solid combat, a bit of exploration, and a LOT of banter between the crew (and that's not a complaint, mind you).
And that's all he wrote. Meep meep.
rachel on 24/1/2022 at 11:37
I've been slowly gaming more lately, breakups will do that to you (ha!). I inaugurated my new rig with a System Shock 2 run. That was fun, I hadn't been back on the Von Braun in literally years...
I upgraded primarily for Cyberpunk 2077, I'm going through it right now. So far it's fine, though nothing different from DXMD at first sight, but maybe that will change.
Upon completing SS2, I fired up Dishonored, which according to my old saves I hadn't played since January 2016... I was pretty flabbergasted by that, time really flies. I never finished the sequel and I'm planning to, but I wanted to revisit the first one first.
So, mix of nostalgia play and catching up with my "pending" list... All in all, 2022 is starting ok :)
Aja on 24/1/2022 at 21:16
Quote Posted by MrDuck
Currently fighting Genichiro atop Ashina Castle. I'm already able to deliver one deathblow. Second deathblow should be forthcoming soon enough..
Hell yeah; Genichiro's a bastard, but once you've got him down you'll be ready to enter the whole world of, well, even more difficult bosses. And feel free to post your trials and tribulations over in the (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149663) Sekiro thread.
Anarchic Fox on 25/1/2022 at 01:21
Quote Posted by MrDuck
Astalon: Tears of the Earth (PC) - Very cool retro-inspired, pixel-art, 2D Metroidvania that has you explore ancient ruins in a post Apocalyptic ruins...
I played that a few months ago during a big Metroidvania binge. I liked the variety of secrets held within the tower, including a secret ending. There were also some interesting-looking bonus modes. It's the closest thing I've found lately to a third
La Mulana.
Mr.Duck on 26/1/2022 at 11:22
Quote Posted by Aja
Hell yeah; Genichiro's a bastard
He is, he is, and I know there are much bigger bastards than him down the road, but that's ok. I'm patient (and stubborn). After all, I beat Bloodborne: The Old Hunters DLC on
NG+3, losing more than 60 times (each) with
Ludwig, Lawrence and Orphan (
Lady Maria took me about a dozen tries and
the Living Failures no more than five, if that many). I had to farm to restock my full supply of health potions. Twice.
I had the patience then, I have it now. These bosses are already dead—they just don't know it yet. <3 :ebil:
Quote Posted by Anarchic Fox
I played that a few months ago during a big Metroidvania binge. I liked the variety of secrets held within the tower, including a secret ending. There were also some interesting-looking bonus modes. It's the closest thing I've found lately to a third
La Mulana.
I already got the secret ending where you
immediately leave the tower with the blue warrior as soon as you start the game and the regular one. I think I own both La Mulana games, but still haven't given them a go. I should fix that.
WingedKagouti on 26/1/2022 at 17:22
I'm currently playing Eagle Island and Cat Quest II.
Eagle Island is a Metroidvania-esque roguelite platformer, what drew my attention to it was this run from AGDQ 2020:
[video=youtube;0PWclyG_N3w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PWclyG_N3w[/video]
While I haven't gotten very far into the game, I have enjoyed it so far and will very likely complete it.
Cat Quest II is surprisingly enough the sequel to Cat Quest and plays much the same. Except now you have both a cat and a dog to control, which means you can either couch co-op or just play singleplayer and swap between the two. So far it doesn't seem like there's any difference actual gameplay between the characters, but you can equip them with different types of gear and have one be a fighter and the other a mage. Overall I find the gameplay enjoyable, even if the cat/dog puns and references can be a little much at times.
Thirith on 27/1/2022 at 08:05
I've only played another hour or so of Echoes of the Eye, but damn, does this game (the main game as much as the DLC) do discovery brilliantly. I don't remember many other games I've played where I just sat there gawping at the place I'd just ended up in.
Echoes of the Eye is also slightly overwhelming, just like Outer Wilds, which I had to learn how to play so I could enjoy it. When I first played Outer Wilds, I found myself pulled into every direction at once, and as a result my explorations were unfocused and the world and the story didn't much come together to form a whole. It's only once I decided to pull one loose thread and keep pulling until I'd more or less exhausted it, and only moving on if I was either done or stuck, that things fell into place. I suspect it'll be the same with Echoes of the Eye.
Anarchic Fox on 28/1/2022 at 21:19
Quote Posted by MrDuck
I already got the secret ending where you...
There's another one, where you
find a way to cheat the demon out of claiming the mage's soul, but it's otherwise identical to the regular ending.
Quote:
I think I own both La Mulana games, but still haven't given them a go. I should fix that.
They're good, but a tad niche. The game world is swathed in dozens of overlapping puzzles, growing in complexity and/or perversity as you progress. Note-taking is recommended, as is consulting a walkthrough once you get fed up, because some of the puzzles are really obscure. Also, the platforming mechanics have some quirks you need to get used to, particularly your limited ability to change momentum in the air.
I found that the puzzles really added to the sense of exploration, and the areas have a Dark Souls-like tendency to open up new and unexpected connections as you progress.
For me, I'm slowly progressing in
Disco Elysium, and wondering whether I can figure out a place to buy a PS5 before Elden Ring comes out.