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Post by uiruki on Mar 12, 2024 16:52:20 GMT
For whatever reason they got outrage Youtuber Yongyea to do Kiryu, and I think just about everyone agrees he was completely miscast, especially given how iconic Takaya Kuroda's performances as Kiryu are.
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Post by peacemaker on Mar 12, 2024 17:44:46 GMT
Dark Souls Remastered (PC) Sadly on another bad note there's Miyazaki's punishment fetish. This seems to be considered an essential part of the Souls experience, Miyazaki himself said it's intended to be a masochist experience (and I believe he was only half joking), and it's probably the main thing that I don't like about this series. I'm not masochist apparently, I do get a kick out of a good challenge, but I don't get a kick out of being punished and tortured. In the end, even when facing brutal challenges, I play games to have fun, not to be inflicted pain for no reason. The thing I hated most were the boss runbacks which Miyazaki seemingly has an unhealthy obsession with. It was ok a few times, but as I went on it just kept getting more egregious and insufferable, hitting an absolute low with Bed of Chaos which is just cheap instadeath followed by a 2 or 3 minute runback over and over again. And for Seath, stealing your money and humanities and giving you another 3-minute runback wasn't enough, so he also puts curse on you so you respawn with half health. Dude. Stop. Thankfully most bosses didn't pose much of a challenge so I could beat them in 1-3 attempts, if they were on the level of Elden Ring bosses I'd probably have abandoned the game. I'm so grateful that Elden Ring toned down the whole punishment thing, one of the main reasons I love that game so much and like Dark Souls considerably less. There was some reddit thread I stumbled across some months ago, which was by some person who finished it, but still wasn't much of a fan and there was this interesting comment by a developer of some undisclosed Soulsbourne game. He apparently watched a bunch of streams of his game and was shocked how extremely different the skill level of the various people was, with some of them basically breezing through it while being more or less impossible for others.
To be frank, 1-3 attempts for most bosses doesn't sound bad at all. Even on my second attempt, where I felt I was playing significantly better I never beat most of the bosses even in Undead Burg. The boss down the stairs from the Blacksmith was placed conveniently enough that I managed to defeat it and get to Darkroot Garden. I gave up on the game after realizing that it would always stay like this: Run through an area to figure out how the local monsters work, then repeat as often as required to learn the patterns of some boss. And I can guarantee you, it was most definitely more than 1-3 times on average
I'm not covinced that this is good design as it punishes people that aren't very good at it more and forces them into more repetition, so that the overall experience will likely be much worse for them, and that's not just about frustration with the difficulty, but also about wasting time and eventually letting the sense of wonder, the fascination about the world, disappear.
And let's not talk about the quality of the PC port* or the refusal to even mention, much less explain, something as basic as weapon attribute scaling.
*Prepare to die edition, not Remastered.
If all the bosses are defeated first try then it is no where near as much of a satisfying experience. Of course we don’t want to be doing it ten times or more but the best memories comes from defeating something that seemed impossible an hour earlier. The best improvement they made wasn’t in boss design, it was to remove most of the bs run backs to the boss room. There’s just no need whatsoever to have players have to navigate multiple enemies and platforms amongst other hazards just to get back to the point where you can fight the boss that just killed you for the fifth time. Also boss cutscenes need to only trigger first time so you are not also trying to skip scenes to get the battle underway again.
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hicksy
Junior Member
I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Mar 12, 2024 18:44:48 GMT
Life Is Strange: True Colours (PS5)
Not as good as the original but for me as good as LIS2 for different reasons. It is the least experimental of the 3 games but the relationships between the characters are very developed.
7/10 for me
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apollo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,493
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Post by apollo on Mar 12, 2024 19:01:41 GMT
The english dub for Like A Dragon/Yakuza 7 is actually decent, the talentless hack who did Kiryu Kazama's english dub does his own voice for his character in persona 3 reload, just mashed through his awful "acting" Fuck him and his friends at sega he keep putting him into games
Star wars fallen order
Finally completed it, got distracted by other games and didn't help the maps can be quite annoying to travel about early on and having to get back to your ship. But its good SW game and good take on the souls like (without being hard as other games in the genre) There was fart unleashed games on the 360 and ps3 but they are were quite meh. Jedi knight games were amazing (had loads of mods for the 2nd game back in the day) Overall I enjoyed it, it still runs a bit janky and hope they fixed the sequel now (which might be on gamepass in a couple of months (as its while be 12 months in april)
8/10
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Post by Hanimalle on Mar 12, 2024 19:06:28 GMT
Jade Empire
I've thoroughly enjoyed my fourth playthrough of this game. The reveal near the end is still an impactful moment, thanks in no small part to the music, which is ingrained in me at this point, even though it had been years since last I played Jade Empire.
As others have commented on the what are you playing topic, it really is such a shame that we will likely never see a sequel for this, though, to be fair, these days I'm not so sure BioWare would be capable of not disappointing me in some way...
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lukasz
New Member
Meat popsicle
Posts: 640
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Post by lukasz on Mar 12, 2024 22:37:26 GMT
Jade empire. So unique at the time. Shame it wasn't more popular.
I have beaten Nox again
As a wizard.
Last time it was in march 2009. What a wonderful game.
Played it a lot in early 2000s. But got nostalgic and needed to play a game where I can pause or stop playing after 2 minutes only. Or 2h. And where I don't need to think much.
So chose
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Post by peacemaker on Mar 13, 2024 1:02:32 GMT
Jade EmpireI've thoroughly enjoyed my fourth playthrough of this game. The reveal near the end is still an impactful moment, thanks in no small part to the music, which is ingrained in me at this point, even though it had been years since last I played Jade Empire. As others have commented on the what are you playing topic, it really is such a shame that we will likely never see a sequel for this, though, to be fair, these days I'm not so sure BioWare would be capable of not disappointing me in some way... Oh wow I’d forgotten about this gem. I loved it back in the day and remember loving the soundtrack.
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Post by monkman5000 on Mar 13, 2024 9:36:24 GMT
The Last Of Us Part Two (remastered)
Simply a masterpiece, as someone said a couple of pages ago. The story, the acting, the gameplay, the presentation, it's all 10/10. Hard to know what to play after that.
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Post by richyroo on Mar 13, 2024 10:37:30 GMT
monkman5000Perhaps something with bright colours and joyous music. A pallete cleanser.
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mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,543
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Post by mrpon on Mar 13, 2024 10:50:03 GMT
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nazo
Junior Member
Posts: 1,233
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Post by nazo on Mar 15, 2024 13:37:12 GMT
Rise of the Tom Raider (PS4)
Pretty much how I remember the first of the remakes being, basically Uncharted with added busywork. Enjoyable but outstayed its welcome by quite a bit. The story got pretty ludicrous with basically a whole private army trying to kill one girl. Lara herself too earnest and whiny to be really likable and there was some toe-curling dialogue.
7/10
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Post by richyroo on Mar 15, 2024 13:52:43 GMT
nazoLara gets worse in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It is my biggest complaint of the Survivor trilogy, just how unlikable she is. It tarnishes what it essentially a really well made set of games.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2024 14:29:30 GMT
At least Jonah calls her out on it in Shadow. He was a bit too keen in the first two. One of my biggest complaints of Rise in particular is that they set up what could be an interesting angle of Lara struggling with PTSD over the events of the first one, then just immediately drops it once the player gets control.
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wunty
Full Member
Pastry Forward
Posts: 6,388
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Post by wunty on Mar 15, 2024 15:04:27 GMT
I thought Shadow was actually the worst of the trilogy by far in terms of Lara being an unlikeable killing machine. I'm also very surprosed that the whole "I am one of you look I wear tribal costume" section got approved. My fav probably is the first of the remake trilogy. It's great. I mean, it has it's problems but less so than the two that followed.
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Ulythium
Full Member
Lily-livered
Posts: 6,783
Member is Online
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Post by Ulythium on Mar 15, 2024 15:07:44 GMT
I also liked Shadow the least, with Rise being my favourite and TR2013 being in the middle.
Can't help but wonder what Shadow would've been like if Crystal Dynamics had been allowed to finish the remake trilogy before starting work on Marvel's Avengers.
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cubby
Full Member
doesn't get subtext
Posts: 6,112
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Post by cubby on Mar 15, 2024 15:39:01 GMT
Somewhere in the wilderness an aunt allison can be heard screaming
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Tomo
Junior Member
Posts: 3,255
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Post by Tomo on Mar 16, 2024 0:12:55 GMT
Strange Horticulture - 7.5/10
Decent plant detective type game. Flicking through the enormous plant guide book was growing a bit tiresome towards the end. So many plants to flick through. Any longer and it would've outstayed its welcome. Otherwise, some good puzzling and interesting story.
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mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,543
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Post by mrpon on Mar 16, 2024 7:48:54 GMT
Heavy Rain (PS4)
Clunky, glitchy & juddery but man what a game. That aside, top notch production values and tense soundtrack. Facials still looking stunning today.
8/10
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Post by dfunked on Mar 16, 2024 7:53:14 GMT
I do like a good facial...
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Post by RadicalRex on Mar 17, 2024 6:23:33 GMT
Dark Souls Turbo 3 (PC)
For context, this concludes my playthrough of the DS trilogy after playing Elden Ring. I'd already heard that it's a faster paced action game than the previous games (in large part thanks to Bloodborne's influence), that it's pretty linear in comparison, and that it has much more consistent quality, especially when it comes to boss fights. People recommend Elden Ring players to try DS3 first because its action is very similar, so I expected to like this more than the first two games. I thought I wouldn't mind the linearity because linear games can be just as fun.
All those things are true and I especially appreciated the consistent quality, at least in this aspect it even trumps Elden Ring. And yes, it is good. Surprisingly though, for me personally its proximity to Elden Ring turned out not a boon, but a curse. It clearly has tighter action than DS1&2, but those games were different enough to ER that I enjoyed them as a different, slower, more oldschool experience.
DS3 on the other hand felt similar to ER, only that ER does everything better with a myriad of gameplay and QoL improvements. Thus, during most of my playthrough I just felt like I'd rather be playing ER now, something that didn't happen during the previous games. And the linearity didn't help, I missed the more open-ended nature of the other games more than expected.
So while I'd say that in terms of action and polish this is "objectively" the best DS game, it was so unfortunately squished between the earlier games and ER that it turned out to be the least interesting to me. I was having fun, I never hated it, but I was also never excited about it, instead it left me somewhat indifferent. And so I found it the least memorable of the games, I think I've already forgotten half of it.
Again, no question it's good, but ironically this is the DS game that I'm most certain I will never return to. Because what's the point if I have Elden Ring?
8/10
DLC 1: Ashes of Ariandel
Great letdown after the main game for me. One lacklustre region and two bosses that are far worse than any in the main game. Before anyone protests, to me it was a fucking 3-phase boss fight with 3 annoying phases. Fuck. That. There wasn't a single moment of fun in this DLC and the only positive thing I can say about it is that there wasn't more of it. I'm miffed that I actually paid extra for this.
4/10
DLC 2: The Ringed City
Another major disappointment. The levels were ok-ish but again nothing that I got excited about, they were structurally fine but I didn't like the annoying hazards and enemy designs. The two supposedly ultimate bosses were disappointing because difficulty was mostly achieved not through a more challenging moveset but through giving them planet-sized health bars, and I hate that sort of game design. I honestly don't understand what everyone loves about Gael, I just found him uninteresting and tedious.
The only boss fight I kinda liked was Demon Prince, a rare example of a duo fight done right, and I like the gimmick that which you kill first decides the nature of the second phase. Sadly, the second phase is let down by another ginormous health bar, turning an enjoyable fight into a tiresome one.
5/10
So now I've played 5 Souls DLCs and found 3 of them significantly worse than their base games. I am genuinely concerned about the Elden Ring DLC now.
Be that as it may, after spending several months playing Elden Ring and 3 Dark Souls games back to back, I think it's time for a break. I think I could use something more chill for a change.
...Sekiro is on sale /o\
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ekz
New Member
O_o
Posts: 688
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Post by ekz on Mar 17, 2024 8:17:21 GMT
Do it Rex
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Tomo
Junior Member
Posts: 3,255
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Post by Tomo on Mar 17, 2024 8:23:35 GMT
DS1, 2 and 3 in less than a month?! Wow.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Mar 18, 2024 13:41:44 GMT
I finished a very small walking sim, Museum of Monoliths, which is based on a hub that allows access to a variety of dark and abstract vignettes. There are some monoliths in most of these maps, which allow the player to adjust the soundtrack they will be hearing while spending some minutes in each of these.
Quite enjoyed it and it absolutely didn't overstay its welcome. A bit simple of course, aside from just being very abstract, but with strong, at times disturbing atmosphere.
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Post by richyroo on Mar 18, 2024 16:39:41 GMT
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Both played on Series X through backwards compatibility. Thoroughly enjoyed them both.
These games are from a time when companies still made single player, linear, finely crafted experiences. No open world bloat here. Both games are only about 6 hours long each, but they were a great 6 hours each.
I have Ghost Recon Future Soldier to play as well which I bought on PC in the Steam Sale for about £3. I have never played this one before so I am really looking forward to it. This one is from the same era and I hear it's the last one they made before the series went open world.
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Vortex
Full Member
Harvey Weinstein's Tattered Penis
is apparently a mangina.
Posts: 5,244
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Post by Vortex on Mar 18, 2024 16:49:22 GMT
I did enjoy GRAW 1&2 (& R6V1&2). Happy times.
The constant requirement for open world is bollocks and I really wish companies would remember that self-contained games really can work well.
/old
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,169
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Post by malek86 on Mar 18, 2024 19:15:04 GMT
Gylt (PC)
I played this thanks to a Stadia trial a few years ago, but picked it up for real in a humble bundle last month. It's a nice stealth lite with some action thrown in. Silent Hill-like in nature, though apparently not as dark... but it does deal with some heavy issues.
I'll say the exploration does get repetitive after a while, but luckily it's not such a long game. Expect around 7-8 hours even if you are trying to get everything. By the final section, however, it still gets quite long in the tooth and I just wanted it to be over. The story is somewhat haphazard too, with lots of semi-relevant world building that is only explained in logs and never really impacts the game proper.
I also want to say the voice acting feels very out of place at times. The protagonist is supposed to be 11, not 30.
Solid enough, anyway. It is good looking and quite lightweight to boot, with even my laptop churning out a stable 60fps at 900p, medium settings and FSR Quality. No surprise that it got a Switch port too. Still a little weird, given that the Stadia hardware was comparable to a current gen console, you'd think they would have wanted something to show it off. But then the game does have a budget feel to it at times, especially the cutscenes.
7/10
Finished just in time for Alone in the Dark.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Mar 19, 2024 6:59:42 GMT
So 32GB of Ram aren't really recommended?
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Post by Nitrous on Mar 19, 2024 9:27:48 GMT
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
Both played on Series X through backwards compatibility. Thoroughly enjoyed them both.
These games are from a time when companies still made single player, linear, finely crafted experiences. No open world bloat here. Both games are only about 6 hours long each, but they were a great 6 hours each.
I have Ghost Recon Future Soldier to play as well which I bought on PC in the Steam Sale for about £3. I have never played this one before so I am really looking forward to it. This one is from the same era and I hear it's the last one they made before the series went open world.
It took me some time to like GRAW but eventually I got the hang of how to play it and really enjoyed it. Seems to recall a section in which a helicopter was either waiting or had crashed and it basically involved having to defend the position till the mission ended. Might have been in the 2nd game. Future soldier is also really good.
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Duffman5
Junior Member
big cook, little cook welcome to our cafe
Posts: 1,332
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Post by Duffman5 on Mar 19, 2024 14:32:52 GMT
Iki Island (Ghost of Tsushima directors cut) main story dlc.
Absolutely brilliant just like the main game. I think it took me around 6 hours, still have lots of sides and activities to do. It fleshed out more of Jin's (I love Jin) backstory and added a few new things into the mix. The new area was a thing of beauty, I mean just how good looking is this game. I think other than Gears 6 news I am most excited for Got2 info. 10/10
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,169
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Post by malek86 on Mar 19, 2024 16:46:37 GMT
So 32GB of Ram aren't really recommended? Heh, never even noticed that. My CPU and RAM barely meet minimum requirements, and the GPU is actually below a 1060... but yeah, stable 60fps and all. It even ran great in 1080p, but I wanted to be sure the GPU didn't throttle. Still, 900p was perfect all the time. I know these sys reqs tend to be overblown, but still feels a bit excessive.
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