Thirith on 16/2/2023 at 08:00
Finished Pentiment and enjoyed it a lot. The ending is pretty low-key, but this worked well for me. I also liked the more elliptic version they did of epilogues such as the ones in the Fallout series: your actions have consequences, but it's not a clear line from what you did to what happened, and you don't even know if something happened because of your actions. It subverts the common RPG "Agency and consequence über alles" power fantasy, where you and you alone can affect the world with your actions. Yes, it does have a somewhat deflating effect, and I wouldn't want this in every game, but here it worked nicely.
I then bought and downloaded Returnal, because I wanted a change of scenery and had heard so many good things about the game - but while the benchmark sequence worked just fine, I then got a black screen where the intro sequence should be, with the sound running in the background, and skipping the invisible cutscene didn't work either. I've since found a possible solution to that problem, but launching Returnal was definitely quite the anticlimax. Cantevengettheretobeginwithal, more like.
Sulphur on 16/2/2023 at 08:55
Man I would have refunded it and have the review read Returned-al.
Thirith on 16/2/2023 at 09:22
Aw man! Opportunity missed. Perhaps I can gift it to you so you can still do that!
Sulphur on 16/2/2023 at 10:38
Sure, Returnal tennis sounds like fun!
Possible franchise universe titles:
Returnal 2 Sender - a sequel and Death Stranding tie-in
Unreturnaled - Returnal, but as a Groundhog Day multiple timeline-jumping VN
Preturnal - a musical prequel, where Selene discovers she is, in fact, her own grandmother and her own daughter, and they build a homestead on Atropos and have adventures like the Swiss Family Robinson
Thirith on 16/2/2023 at 10:43
Returnalien vs Predator. A confused xenomorph finds itself in a time loop where every single day it has to go through the motions of badly-written, badly-directed fan-servicey sci-fi shlock.
Starring Bill Murray in Lost in Translation mode as the xenomorph and Andy Serkis as the ghost of H.R. Giger.
Malf on 16/2/2023 at 12:04
I got Returnal up and running in Linux, but I have to dial it down a bit to get it playable. That's okay, as I can barely tell the difference between "Epic" and "High", and the scaling doesn't seem to impact the visuals either (I'm old and my eyesight isn't what it used to be ;P).
Of course, because I'm running on Linux, that means I can't enable ray tracing, even though I have a RTX 2080 Super, but I can't say I mind. The game's still very pretty even without RT.
Even though the game recommends playing with a pad for MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT (specifically one of them newfangled PS pads), fuck that noise. This is a high-speed, high intensity shmup translated to over-the-shoulder third person. M&KB all the way.
Handy, because I'm getting towards the end of Elden Ring now, and could do with a new game to play after, and from what I've played so far, this seems to fit the bill nicely.
But yes, given the glowing review over on RPS, I'm disappointed they didn't highlight the technical issues. Being a Linux gamer running these games through Proton / Wine, I have to take the rough with the smooth, but regular Windows users are complaining about all manner of problems in the game's Steam forums, mostly stuttering. I'm wondering if that's down to the game utilising the PS5's superfast SSD, and most Windows gamers out there just having regular ones.
henke on 16/2/2023 at 19:37
I liked Returnal tho I'd had my fill of it after ~10h. Got to the 3rd boss, but just couldn't muster the energy to really go for it again. And it truly is a game where you need to wholeheartedly go for it if a run is going to be any successful.
Anyway, I just made a Let's Play of this old 2006 Thief 2 FM by Nameless Voice, check it out!
[video=youtube;Lw6fnLDp-5s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw6fnLDp-5s[/video]
Sulphur on 17/2/2023 at 04:03
Yeah, that's the thing about action roguelikes that puts me off. No save points, limited persistent progress, huge time sink unless you know every mechanic and shortcut like the back of your hand... the game needs to be pretty damn addictive/special/good to wring that kind of effort out of me, and I don't think Returnal is gonna do it for me.
EvaUnit02 on 17/2/2023 at 19:47
Quote Posted by Malf
I got Returnal up and running in Linux,
Cool, now get it running under TempleOS.
Aja on 17/2/2023 at 21:24
Guys I'm playing so many things. First the
Metroid Prime remake on Switch, which is about as perfect as you could ask for and actually a lot better than I was even hoping for. It's one of if not the best looking Switch games, and the updated control schemes -- much as I wanted to try to complete it with the original weirdo controls -- are very welcome. I've also been switching back and forth between Prime and
Metroid Dread, which I think is holding up well. It's not perfect, it's lacking some of the atmosphere of my favourite Metroids, but damn if it doesn't have the snappiest, most satisfying controls of pretty much any 2D game ever made.
Also got back in to
Elden Ring, this time as a sorcerer. It's fun being underpowered again, but I wouldn't recommend choosing sorcerer unless you like hearing PSHOO PSHOO over and over constantly. I need to find better spells!
Getting a little bored of
NFS Unbound but if you can get it on sale I heartily recommend it still.
Also making my way through
Disco Elysium. The moment where I got Lieutenant Kim to
dance with me was one of my favourite gaming experiences of all time. Code 31! Officer in need of assistance
on the dance floor!Lastly, getting near the end of
Shadow Man Remastered. It's a little absurd that this is at least the third time I've beat this game in my life. Why do I keep playing Shadow Man? I think it's a pathology; it scared me as a kid, and as an adult I need to prove to myself that I'm okay. Any adult playing it for the first time would laugh at me for saying that, given its primitive graphics; still, they included some extra gore, some of which is actually disturbing, and the music is still (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsHA1DJ_ya4) freaky and unsettling as it always was. But it's a good solid remaster with lots of quality of life improvements, recommended for fans of Turok and Tomb Raider.
