Video Games

[hemmelight]

The newer Zelda games are both fantastic (Breath of the Wild and the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.)
However, one thing that is a real "love it or hate it" that ruins those games for many players is the breakable weapons system.

If you are expecting to find a single weapon you like and use it forever, then the games will drive you nuts. Think of the weapons as ammo instead and you might be less frustrated by it. The whole idea is "think in the moment" and improvise with what you have / can get a hold of. It's all about going with the flow and not being precious about your equipment. The breakable weapons were kinda disappointing at first, but I quickly got over it and just played the game as "intended".

Another thing to consider is that Tears of the Kingdom is extremely similar to BOTW. It is a direct sequel in the same world as the previous game.
There are new powers and more things to do, but many people consider BOTW obsolete since Tears was released. If you only want to play one, then Tears is probably the better buy. It's basically got all the good stuff of BOTW and supersedes it.

 

[Mongillo19]

Should I get the two Zelda games with the voucher?

I haven't played many first party Nintendo games. I have the Mario Odyssey one which was good.

My favorite games were the top SNES games (Super Metroid, Link to the Past, SMW) and then later FPS-RPG games like Borderlands, Fallout series, etc.

That's a lot of Zelda but it's not a bad idea! I'd just make sure to pace yourself.

But with that said it looks like the new Zelda is on sale at Walmart for $53

I'd maybe snag the new Zelda and then Metroid Dread. Wouldn't even need the game vouchers if my math is correct

 

[laxu]

Another thing to consider is that Tears of the Kingdom is extremely similar to BOTW. It is a direct sequel in the same world as the previous game.
There are new powers and more things to do, but many people consider BOTW obsolete since Tears was released. If you only want to play one, then Tears is probably the better buy. It's basically got all the good stuff of BOTW and supersedes it.

I'd add that there's no real drawback to not having played BotW before TotK either. While there are some returning characters, it's not particularly important and the game can be enjoyed as its own thing. You could watch a story cut of BotW from YT before starting for example.

 

[laxu]

Now that Cyberpunk 2077 2.x update is out, I've finally started playing the game proper. I'm really enjoying it. It has got a bit of jank and bugs but overall it works well now. I'm really getting to flex my RTX 4090 by playing with full path tracing, the game looks absolutely incredible. It's perhaps not that great as a RPG, but as a story-driven action game pretty great. Side quests are also very well done.

 

[mbenigni]

Now that Cyberpunk 2077 2.x update is out, I've finally started playing the game proper. I'm really enjoying it. It has got a bit of jank and bugs but overall it works well now. I'm really getting to flex my RTX 4090 by playing with full path tracing, the game looks absolutely incredible. It's perhaps not that great as a RPG, but as a story-driven action game pretty great. Side quests are also very well done.

I started it again as well. It sure is pretty, and it runs great on PS5. But I don't know, maybe it's just a little too story-driven for me. I feel like the whole thing's on rails, like a Disney ride where you just keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. (See also: "Press X to Jason" memes.) Like one long intro. And almost impossible to lose otherwise. It's super-impressive, but I'm never entirely convinced I'm engaged as a player, or having a whole lot of fun.

Likewise, I started Baldur's Gate 3, and had to quit after deciding the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Two hours tick past (while you should have been playing guitar or washing the dishes) and all you've done is rearrange your radial menus, or had one predictable conversation, or made a riveting decision such as whether to nap right here where you're standing or go back to camp and schmooze up your sexy cleric or whatever. It just feels like a slog. What's weird is I loved this studio's preceding games (Divinity: Original Sin 1&2), which are quite similar. But where the D:OS games were stylish and zany and unpredictable, BG3 feels boring and self-serious... and it has no respect for your time. (Even the quickloads... well, they aren't.)

Prior to these AAA big budget games, I'd been playing a game I found on PS+ called Rogue Legacy 2 - a side-scrolling rogue lite. Nearly deleted it because it looked like a derivative Dead Cells/ Hollow Knight ripoff with hoaky graphics... but I stuck with it for a couple of hours and it turned out to be one of my favorite games of all time. Perfect mechanics, great ideas that just keep coming, seriously addictive game loop. Highly recommended.

Moral: you just never know where you're going to find the good ones. "Get what you pay for" is not reliably applicable.

 

[laxu]

For PC players, there's a pretty lengthy free demo version of Robocop: Rogue City on Steam. It's a fun AA game (also gorgeous!) worth a try if you love the movies like I do. They have nailed the vibe. Definitely picking it up on sale at some point.

 

[eggpl@nt]

When it’s not crashing on me, I’ve been playing Baldur’s Gate III. I like it, except for the crashing.

 

[Jarick]

I kinda want to get a Steam Deck or whatever it is next year. There's a ton of games I really want to play that aren't available on Switch but I'm not one to sit and play games on a TV. Really like the handheld.

 

[eggpl@nt]

I kinda want to get a Steam Deck or whatever it is next year. There's a ton of games I really want to play that aren't available on Switch but I'm not one to sit and play games on a TV. Really like the handheld.

The Deck fell off my radar, but the OLED version brought it back. If there are any Black Friday deals, I might jump on it.

 

[mbenigni]

Another thing to consider is that Tears of the Kingdom is extremely similar to BOTW.

I started playing a bit of TotK, along with the new Super Mario Wonder. It kind of boggles my mind that Nintendo manages to sell us the exact same game(s) over and over and over again, and somehow these persist as the hottest IP's in the industry.

I think the Zelda (non?) novelty is kind of wearing off on me. It really feels like a kid's game to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but even in my 40's I think I had more patience for the tone and the pacing than I do now.

 

[Deadpan]

I started playing a bit of TotK along with the new Super Mario Wonder. It kind of boggles my mind that Nintendo manages to sell us the exact same game(s) over and over and over again, and somehow these persist as the hottest IP's in the industry.

I think the Zelda (non?) novelty is kind of wearing off on me. It really feels like a kid's game to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but even in my 40's I think I had more patience for the tone and the pacing than I do now.

Was the photo professionally taken or Iphone. Lookin' good haha

Seriously though, I like Totk and Wonder is a crazy upgrade for me from the other side scrolling Mario games IMO. Was surprised by it.

But then we will get Spiderman 2 and all will be forgotten haha

 

[eggpl@nt]

I started playing a bit of TotK along with the new Super Mario Wonder. It kind of boggles my mind that Nintendo manages to sell us the exact same game(s) over and over and over again, and somehow these persist as the hottest IP's in the industry.

I think the Zelda (non?) novelty is kind of wearing off on me. It really feels like a kid's game to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but even in my 40's I think I had more patience for the tone and the pacing than I do now.

I’ve only ever played one Mario game (Odyssey), but I personally found BOTW and TOTK to be very different experiences. And I found both of those to be very different from Twilight Princess, Windwaker, etc.

Re: BOTW and TOTK…

Spoiler: Spoiler

I was admittedly disappointed with TOTK to see Link parachute down into the same Hyrule from BOTW, but I almost immediately felt like I was in a different place. The post-calamity feel of TOTK made the same map feel so different to me. Then there’s all the stuff in the air and the underground. And you can build absolutely bonkers stuff with the ancient tech stuff. I personally felt like TOTK built upon BOTW in a familiar but entirely different way.

 

[mbenigni]

Was the photo professionally taken or Iphone. Lookin' good haha

Seriously though, I like Totk and Wonder is a crazy upgrade for me from the other side scrolling Mario games IMO. Was surprised by it.

But then we will get Spiderman 2 and all will be forgotten haha

That is a pretty flattering picture, I have to admit.

And to be fair, I've only just started Wonder (my kid's obsessed with Animal Crossing, and it's her Switch, so...) I'm not really qualified to "review" it at this point.

I'm sure TotK is great, too. I just get so little time to play video games at this point, things with a more leisurely pace start to make me antsy. I think this is why I now gravitate toward Soulslikes: because they're intense from the minute you pick up the controller to the minute you put it down. It's ironic that they have a reputation for demanding long play sessions; I find that everything else does.

 

[mbenigni]

But then we will get Spiderman 2 and all will be forgotten haha

More "old man yelling at clouds": I've always found Peter Parker insufferable.

 

[Deadpan]

That is a pretty flattering picture, I have to admit.

And to be fair, I've only just started Wonder (my kid's obsessed with Animal Crossing, and it's her Switch, so...) I'm not really qualified to "review" it at this point.

I'm sure TotK is great, too. I just get so little time to play video games at this point, things with a more leisurely pace start to make me antsy. I think this is why I now gravitate toward Soulslikes: because they're intense from the minute you pick up the controller to the minute you put it down. It's ironic that they have a reputation for demanding long play sessions; I find that everything else does.

I have more kids than you hence more Switches unfortunately. Haha

 

[mbenigni]

I have more kids than you hence more Switches unfortunately. Haha

This is our second. The first one gathered dust (and cat hair) while she played a million hours of Minecraft on Xbox. When a friend offered to buy our Switch I asked her and she said, "Yeah, sell it"... and then proceeded to guilt trip me about it at every turn. So guess what she got for her birthday this year?

 

[hemmelight]

Incoming brain spew:

Finished Horizon 2: Electric Boogaloo a few weeks ago - the main story, anyway. Still have a few Cauldrons to do and the DLC (eventually) but I super loved it! Can't wait for the inevitable third game. Still need to play the original also.

I'm still plowing through Tears of the Kingdom slowly but surely, an hour or two here and there to keep from burning out on it.
I have a bad habit of just bouncing from one game to another unless I'm really into something, but sometimes it helps to have little tastes of a game and move on to something else before it becomes fatiguing.

I've still got to finish Hollow Knight (which I've been playing on and off for like 3 years ) but I'm now waist deep into the original Grandia. Always loved it as one of my fav JRPGs, but I never finished it back in the day.

I also have Monster Hunter World to play but it's on my PC and it now feels weird to cheat on my PS5 like that. Would feel kinda dumb to buy it twice, though. I was really turned off by the increase to PS+ prices. I only use PS+ sporadically to play online, but I tend to just play solo 99% of the time in every game so not really worth it at this point. Buuut, MH has such a multiplayer focus so I feel like my cheapskate-ness would be a hindrance to really enjoying MH fully? I could skip all that and just use the PC and it's a non-issue.

 

[mbenigni]

I did watch a really well-done recap video for the first game on YouTube, which ran through all of the characters and plot-relevant story bits from the first game chronologically and even included the comic books. I don't feel like I'm missing any context now, but I will absolutely play the first game eventually.

Hey, if it's convenient and you get a moment, I'd like to see a link to that. I played maybe half of the 1st game before burning out, and I doubt I'll go back to it, but I did hear that the story was incredible. I'd like to know what I'm missing before I consider moving on to the second game.

There's also the VR spinoff of that series, and inexplicably, I do own a PSVR2. But I have too much damned hair (and every now and then, dignity) to be strapping that thing to my head.

 

[mbenigni]

Is anyone playing early-access Starfield?

I've been really enjoying it the past couple days. Playing on an Xbox Series X, which I bought pretty much for the sole purpose of playing this and future Bethesda games.

First couple hours are a little underwhelming and I was in a ”not sure about this” stage for a bit, but then I found a couple of amazing side missions and am now all-in, love it. The biggest adjustments for me were having no VATS in the fighting and that it's a lot of medium-size areas broken up by load screens/fast travel, rather than one big world you can move around in without stopping.

Overall it is a remarkable blend of Skyrim and Fallout 4 into a sci-fi, space opera type world. Feels like an instant classic. Music is amazing too, and there is a lot of depth to the characters and stories, with great voice acting.

Anyone else playing it yet?

I played it for a couple of hours when it first hit GamePass. Gorgeous game, even on a crusty old XBox One S. Baldur's Gate 3 came out and distracted me long enough that I forgot about Starfield. Maybe now that I've decided I hate Baldur's Gate 3 lol, I should go back and give Starfield another shot.

 

[mbenigni]

Oh 100%, I've been using the gyro aim the whole time - so much more natural using the sticks and gyro in tandem. I got so used to it while playing through Breath of the Wild and now Tears of the Kingdom that any shooting via controller feels wrong without it.

Hahaha I had no idea this was an option in TotK, and the only way I could cope with the aiming was to turn the controller sensitivity down so low that it takes 5 minutes to turn around.