Malf on 20/1/2021 at 15:57
They're selling early access to the Oxygen Not Included DLC, so I'm playing that.
There's a nifty new creature called a "Plug Slug", which eats metal ore but recharges your power grid at night if you leave a bare wire available for it to "plug" in to.
And apparently they've made getting in to space easier, but I can't see it myself. The asteroid I'm on, while abundant in Plug Slugs, seems to have no way of making textiles or plastics, so I have no way of making space suits :(
henke on 20/1/2021 at 17:09
QUBE 2 - First person puzzler. Like Portal, but without any of the charm. The story is some kinda generic sci-fi mumbojumbo about AI taking over and whatnot. Honestly I enjoyed the game more when I just tuned out the story and listened to music while doing the puzzles. The actual puzzles are solid, and your character's hand animations are great at selling the feeling of you being some kinda space wizard. It's fun, in a Talos Principle kinda way.
Bad North: Jotunn Edition - If you've always wanted to play one of those Total War games that's all about positioning your units and watching as they clash together with enemies, but the whole Total War
thang just looks too complex to bother with, then this is the game for you. Minimalist RTS that's all about positioning your units to defend small islands from attacking hordes. It's satisfying in the same way that tower defence games are, and it's all wrapped in a FTL-esque roguelite progress-structure where you move from island to island and upgrade your units inbetween.
Crumble - Fast-paced grappling-hook-focused third person platformer where you're a ball and also you HAVE a ball because the game is FUN. When I first played it, I thought "wow this is like one of those Sonic 3D games except not bad!". But then I got bored after 10 minutes. I did play a second session, and have now played the game for a total of 29 minutes. I bought this game weeks ago btw. So I dunno what to say. Technically very well put together and very fun ON PAPER, but for some reason it's not really grabbing me.
Grim Fandango - Yeah, still playing this whenever I can't sleep. I'm past Rubicava now, which someone here said was the best part of the game, but I gotta say STRONG DISAGREE. It was way too big, way too much running around all over the place, not knowing what I was doing, and I had to resort to a walkthrough like 6 times in that section. I much prefer the smaller, more focused sections that just trap you in a room and tell you to figure it out. To be fair, I'll admit that I'm absolutely playing this game THE WRONG WAY, by only dipping into it every few weeks or so. And usually when I get back to it I've forgotten everything that's happened so far, so if I gotta remember something that some character told me in order to solve a puzzle, I can't do that. I'm trapped underwater now, which I'm enjoying more than Rubicava.
Rain On Your Parade Beta - Unfortunately the developer's strict NDA prevents me from telling you that this is very good.
Quote Posted by faetal
Finished AC:Unity. Probably my second favourite after AC2.
I should play that at some point. My fave AC's have been the ones set in relatively modern times. Have fun with Syndicate, that one's my favourite in the series.
Malf on 20/1/2021 at 17:44
Quote Posted by henke
...but for some reason it's not really grabbing me...
BY THE BALLS!
*Ahem*
'scuse me, don't know wot
came over me.
Oo-er. I seem to be trapped in some kind of innuendo box.
Jason Moyer on 20/1/2021 at 19:41
Just finished replaying the main Borderlands 2 campaign. Despite the questionable level scaling (enemies gain health and damage output faster than the player does) it was pretty good. Better than I remembered. Not as cringy as I remembered. I'm on the fence about going back and trying the DLC again, because the BL2 campaign was twice as long as the BL1 campaign already, and there's just too much damn content. You can tell it came out during the beginning of the "I'm gonna give games positive reviews based on how long they are" era. Things kinda lose steam around 2/3 of the way through and I feel like it would have been a stronger game if it hadn't kept feeling like things were nearing an end and then going "and another thing!" over and over.
faetal on 21/1/2021 at 09:08
Quote Posted by henke
I should play that at some point. My fave AC's have been the ones set in relatively modern times. Have fun with Syndicate, that one's my favourite in the series.
If nothing else, it is 100% worth it for the setting. I may be biased as I've spent a fair bit of time in Paris, but it is an amazing bit of artistry.
The AC games get written off as factory line UbiMapIcon games (which they are to an extent, if you just look at the gameplay loops), but the effort they put into the places they make is astounding.
WingedKagouti on 21/1/2021 at 11:48
Quote Posted by faetal
If nothing else, it is 100% worth it for the setting. I may be biased as I've spent a fair bit of time in Paris, but it is an amazing bit of artistry.
The AC games get written off as factory line UbiMapIcon games (which they are to an extent, if you just look at the gameplay loops), but the effort they put into the places they make is astounding.
While the locations are amazingly well realized, the gameplay is very much by the numbers.
I liked exploring Victoria Era London in Syndicate, but the gameplay itself was mediocre at best (and downright atrocious in the worst parts).
faetal on 21/1/2021 at 14:47
Isn't that what I said?
Thirith on 21/1/2021 at 16:38
Quote Posted by faetal
The AC games get written off as factory line UbiMapIcon games (which they are to an extent, if you just look at the gameplay loops), but the effort they put into the places they make is astounding.
It's what makes them so frustrating to me: they get some key things right that I absolutely love, namely the sense of a real place, but then they fill these places with samey, shallow gameplay loops, and so much of it too, so I always grow sick and tired of them about 2/3 into the game - yet it's not like I can get the things they do well elsewhere. I don't think there's another franchise that I've got as much of a love-hate relationship with.
faetal on 21/1/2021 at 17:18
Same. I want to play them all because I really enjoy their aesthetic, and the gameplay isn't bad, it's just repetitive.
I'm looking forward to moving on to the newer ones as there has been something of a reboot (though the length of the games seems to be much increased, so probably I'll burn out on them anyway).
It's taken me this long to get this far through them because I get enthusiastic and try to play through them sequentially, then burn out.
I end up taking ~2 year gaps between burn out and going back, but the excitement is always there, just anonoying it comes paired with that sense of "Eh" about the extended gameplay.
Aja on 22/1/2021 at 17:06
I finished A Short Hike more or less, but I don't think I'll go back to complete it. It did get rave reviews. For me it wore its influences too visibly. There were the mechanics and visuals taken directly from Animal Crossing, but worse was the writing, which felt too much like it was trying to be Night in the Woods. Night in the Woods gets away with its jokey, this-how-millennials-talk dialogue because of its deep characterization. In A Short Hike it seemed derivative, and it grated. But it was only 45 minutes long, and the flying was fun, so whatever.
I've been also been finally playing Kentucky Route Zero. Last night I did "The Entertainment," which -- holy cow -- had all my hairs standing on end. What a brilliant, beautiful game. I don't love it unconditionally -- sometimes it is a bit plodding -- but otherwise so far it's moved me as much as any great postmodern novel. After a KRZ episode I'm always left with this unusual anxious calm, like I just woke from a deep dream. I am dumb for not playing this much sooner.