2022-2024 Video Games Thread

[NobodyHere]

This will go over well...

https://www.pcgamer.com/school-shoot...-condemnation/

But I bet the controversial subject alone will help drive sales to the game and get it plenty of publicity.

[mckerney]

Rest in Peace my Dearest Love
John @Totalbiscuit Bain
July 8, 1984 - May 24, 2018 pic.twitter.com/hg9ytHsItJ

— Genna Bain (@GennaBain) May 24, 2018

[JonInMiddleGA]

Rest In Peace TB
#FuckCancer

https://kotaku.com/game-critic-total...ied-1826310517

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

A couple more hours into SoD2 and it feels very micro manage-y.

Not yet sure whether that's going to be a plus (quite possible) or a minus (if it gets much moreso).

And the physics, oh dear. Cars are SERIOUSLY touchy. I think the physics of them might be worse than SoD1, though watching vehicles sloooooowly sidestep their way off of obstacles via, like, "graphical creep" is wonky amusement I guess.

I never played SoD1 but am thinking about buying this as the bugs get worked out.

How is re-playability?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Rest In Peace TB
#FuckCancer

https://kotaku.com/game-critic-total...ied-1826310517

Fuck Cancer! RIP TB..

[Thomkal]

very sad to hear about TB's death. Think I will go load some random game and swear at in his honor

[NobodyHere]

I don't who the guy is at all but it is kind of disconcerting that a guy one year younger than me dies of cancer.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I never played SoD1 but am thinking about buying this as the bugs get worked out.

How is re-playability?

At this point I think it's probably good for at least three plays (one for each starting map). From there, completionists could go around again to make sure they finish with each of the "Leader" types (there are ... four? of those maybe?)

The design also lends itself to future DLC so presumably there's some more play time to be had that way as well.

[Dantooine98]

Far Cry 5's first bit of post-launch DLC, Hours of Darkness, will be coming to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on June 5th, Ubisoft has announced.

I like the teaser!

Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness Teaser Trailer | UbisoftÂ*[NA] - YouTube

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

At this point I think it's probably good for at least three plays (one for each starting map). From there, completionists could go around again to make sure they finish with each of the "Leader" types (there are ... four? of those maybe?)

The design also lends itself to future DLC so presumably there's some more play time to be had that way as well.

Is the world pretty open? Are you able to wander about, not do the main story line and still keep things interesting?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Is the world pretty open? Are you able to wander about, not do the main story line and still keep things interesting?

Yeah, I'd call it open, within the confines of the borders of each map at least.

I'm on Day 9 or Day 10 (game tracks that day/night cycle), that probably equates to something like 15-20 hours of game play (maybe?). I've yet to have any main storyline stuff come into play, literally no more than a couple of random radio messages that sort of hint at the existence of such a thing.

It's been all about just trying to survive & find supplies as a constant task. I've noticed tougher enemies starting to appear, and larger herds appearing more frequently, so I know I'm "progressing" in that sense but otherwise I'm that far in with no particular push toward the main story.

My expectation is that the difficulty will be ratcheted up steadily to nudge (or shove) you in the main story direction.

My kid is about 3-5 days (in-game) farther along and has had only a little more 'main story' stuff take place His character knows about the existence of a macguffin that my character hasn't heard about yet basically. That difference is probably not time-based, but rather based on the fact he's taken out 4-5 plague hearts while I've only taken out 2 so far.

As for the wandering around aspect of it, the game is divided into 3 roughly equal sized maps. (Hills, Plateau, and Valley, I think it is). I've seen roughly half my map, he's seen closer to 2/3rd to 3/4ths of his map. We've not cleared more than maybe 10-15% of the locations we're aware of, and those can repopulate as roaming hordes spread across the map. And I just unlocked the ability to move between maps (costs you Influence, which is the in-game currency for trade, claiming buildings & outposts, etc) but have no reason or desire to think about looking at another map to this point, I've barely touched the one I started on.

Hope that helps.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Hope that helps.

Yes, that was great. Thank you.

Keep us updated on how you both are progressing and how you (dis)like it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Yes, that was great. Thank you.

Keep us updated on how you both are progressing and how you (dis)like it.

On the dislikes, I'll note that I haven't had a major (like big black polygons major) glitch since the one in the first hour or so I saw. Clipping is a definite thing & vehicles are still subject to visual oddities, collision detection & physics have some weird moments. I did, however, hit a glitch after switching being characters. (There's you and an optional follower from your group, you can switch between them, although maybe only once per outing?) I switched up for scavenging / load management purposes & the game got lost on where the centering should be. Both characters were INside the same building but my camera angle was like overhead drone angle ... OUTside. So I was trying to find the door, in the dark, without being able to see either character's p.o.v. I ultimately punted & used their "go back" function & backtracked in time like 2 mins, which luckily did throw me back into a proper p.o.v.

The thing I'm sorta not loving atm is that I am starting to feel like it may be ramping up the numbers of enemies in order to shove me down the main story path a little. It's not X-Com degree of punishment (yet) but it's reached the point of being a serious challenge to get a character out of a situation. I've had one character die so far but I feel like every single outing carries a significant risk of death. That'd be okay if I wasn't getting a nagging feeling that it's a situation being created intentionally (by multiplying the numbers) just to form my path somewhat. Not ready to swear that's the case -- maybe I just suck at the game -- but I'm suspicious of that being so.

[JonInMiddleGA]

State of Decay 2 note: these people make Preston Garvey sound downright self-sufficient by comparison.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

State of Decay 2 note: these people make Preston Garvey sound downright self-sufficient by comparison.

So they are whiny and always need your character to do something for them I assume?

I saw a youtube of SOD2 gameplay, the graphics look much better than FO4. Would you agree?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

So they are whiny and always need your character to do something for them I assume?

We need to be doing X, we should go do Y, we need resource X, Y, or Z. Whine, whine, whine. The freaky part of it is that you switch between characters routinely, at will, so one minute you're annoyed by a particularly bitchy demanding voice, the next minute you're playing as that character hearing your previous one bitch & moan.

I saw a youtube of SOD2 gameplay, the graphics look much better than FO4. Would you agree?

I posed this question to my son, who had basically the same answer I started to give: it's such a different visual feel that neither of us thought of it as better/worse, just ... different.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Since I'm just sharing as we go on SoD2, I'll throw this out. My son is roughly 2x as far along as me in-game, I'm at like Day 9, he's somewhere around Day 16-17 or something. His comment -- which I guessed correctly before he finished making it -- was that he didn't feel like the main story (whatever it is) was moving hardly at all. That "there's nothing really going on except killing plague hearts & helping NPCs".

That might not be problematic to him -- and certainly not to me -- if the base-building aspect was more robust. But it's simply not. You have limited building slots available, meaning you don't have much to do with your base except constantly chase basic supplies (lumber/materials, ammunition, food, meds) in fetch quests or stumbling around the map.

He's at double my playing time and that has led to him learning about the existence of the game's apparent mcguffin & meeting one named character (i.e. someone connected to the main storyline) more than me.

And to this point there's not been enough clues to how to move the story for him to know whether he is supposed to be changing maps in order to progress or if there's simply a time element / kill count to wait out or what.

I don't dislike the game, but after some hours the limitations do feel like they're becoming kind of apparent. It's nowhere near "AAA title" material and a times it feels like those limitations are kind of obvious.

[Edward64]

Thanks for the detailed update. Keep them coming.

TBH, when I get stuck and not sure how to progress (e.g. most recently on New Vegas), I google on it and figure out what I'm supposed to do.

I get into zombies stories & movies and SOD2 sounds like my type of game.

[Edward64]

Another zombie game to be on the look out for ...

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201...r/#more-547867

... new World War Z video game is shaping up. Between a teaser trailer and a bunch of pre-prod art, this had all the looks of a project that might never see the light of day. Well, today we have a gameplay trailer that seems to really get both the action and the themes of the story, and that’s much more than I’d been hoping for.


The game is primarily a four player co-op title, which looks to be using the same locations as the book and film. You’ll be bouncing from Jerusalem to New York as you set traps and alter the environment before you and your team are over-run by the horde. Today’s trailer reveal focuses on Moscow, and sees your team defending docks and the interior of an ornate mansion, as well as the subways. The zombies start to pile up organically and overcome obstacles just like you’d hope for in a WWZ adaptation. The focus on stories in the different survivor zones already feels like the game’s developers are taking all the right cues.

Those devs are, incidentally, Saber Interactive. You might know them from Timeshift or Inversion or Quake Champions. This seems both well within their wheelhouse and exactly the kind of IP that could do great things with a team known for taking chances.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks for the detailed update. Keep them coming.

TBH, when I get stuck and not sure how to progress (e.g. most recently on New Vegas), I google on it and figure out what I'm supposed to do.

I get into zombies stories & movies and SOD2 sounds like my type of game.

Yeah, we're not bashful (well, especially me) about googling past a sticky spot but we're both trying to avoid that here 'cause ... well, cause the plot feels pretty thin as it is & spoilering anything for ourselves even accidentally would thin it even further.

[Izulde]

I'm nerding out over Detroit: Become Human. Played a couple hours this morning before work, and it's everything you expect from a Quantic Dream production (which in my case is a great thing - David Cage is one of my favorite developers of all time). Love the way they handled progression tracking in this one - never quite seen it done like that before.

[bhlloy]

How the hell did I not realize there was a new Quantic Dream game coming out? Now to see if I can get Amazon now to deliver this evening. I sense a cough coming on...

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

very sad to hear about TB's death. Think I will go load some random game and swear at in his honor

Genna had the first podcast since TB's death. Nice to see she is going to follow in his footsteps:


The Co-Optional Podcast Ep. 217 TotalBiscuit Memorial Edition [strong language] - May 31st, 2018 - YouTube

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

How the hell did I not realize there was a new Quantic Dream game coming out? Now to see if I can get Amazon now to deliver this evening. I sense a cough coming on...

It's taking up all my time, and there was already one thing I'd want to do differently so I'll probably play through a second time, which I rarely do because of how emotionally intense these games are.

[Izulde]

V.V. salty about my ending. Fortunately it allows you to jump in at various chapter points and not have to replay the whole game over.

[General Mike]

Lego DC Super-Villains looks interesting

[djsatu]

Picking up Vampyr today and can't wait to dive into it.

[Dantooine98]

looks very interesting

Originally Posted by djsatu

Picking up Vampyr today and can't wait to dive into it.

[djsatu]

Originally Posted by Dantooine98

looks very interesting

So far i'm having a blast, and it has totally surpassed my expectations and then some. Story is awesome, game is awesome. Could be a sleeper pick for the year. I'm totally hooked! Love when small studios put out quality games.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Izulde

V.V. salty about my ending. Fortunately it allows you to jump in at various chapter points and not have to replay the whole game over.

I had a question about how this works - I tried to do what the game suggests to jump in and out and change the timeline and it didn't really work. Do you need to play the entire game from the place you are restarting to get the "benefits" of what you changed?

Spoiler

I got Connor deactivated, so went back and replayed some of the scenes so I knew at least the existence of Jericho before the Last Change scene, but still didn't get any different result.

[mckerney]

Madden will be back in PC again with Madden 19.

[rjolley]

Madden on the PC? Count me in.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by djsatu

So far i'm having a blast, and it has totally surpassed my expectations and then some. Story is awesome, game is awesome. Could be a sleeper pick for the year. I'm totally hooked! Love when small studios put out quality games.

Reviews are super critical of the "clunky" action combat. Is it that bad?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Madden will be back in PC again with Madden 19.

That is great. Hope its a full port and not stripped down.

Oh, how good is the drafting & coach mode in the latest Madden?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

I had a question about how this works - I tried to do what the game suggests to jump in and out and change the timeline and it didn't really work. Do you need to play the entire game from the place you are restarting to get the "benefits" of what you changed?

What happens is that you jump in at a checkpoint, and you have to select to save your game. I'm not sure if you have to play through the rest of the game. I started at the latest checkpoint possible and played through the rest to unlock a different ending for one branch (and ironically ended up with a different sequence in the other branch that I wasn't going for).

Spoiler

Though I'm going to have to go back even earlier because I sacrificed Marcus at the march

[djsatu]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Reviews are super critical of the "clunky" action combat. Is it that bad?

I wasn't too fond about the combat within the first hour or so, but once I knew what I was doing by locking on and off, It got much more enjoyable. Camera will take a little getting used to when you have 2 or more opponents coming at you. Once you get better weapons and abilities, it's way better. Combat is one of my favorite aspects of the game. Don't let that deter you from this great game. Just get it, play it, and enjoy it.

[NobodyHere]

Anthem will not have offline play

Well my interest is officially gone. Looks like EA didn't learn anything from their SimCity debacle.

[JonInMiddleGA]

This might just be the least interesting E3 in history for me.

-- I'm over legal drinking age, I don't give a shit about"battle royale" modes
-- I don't want comical sjw rewritings of history.
-- I don't want anything "always online"

You'd almost think I watched EA's presentation.

[Critch]

Going with Jon's grumpy old gamer theme, I'm sick of the pixel graphics trend. Make games pretty.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Kingdom Hearts coming to XBox is a nice get IMO. Not gamechanging, but nice.

The XBox reveals are heavily skewed into 2019 though

[JonInMiddleGA]

One thing I'd praise XBox presentation for is the focus on GAMES.

It's been worth the watch, even if there hasn't been much that excited me personally, it was a solid watch
edit to add: And the CD Projekt Red intro was lit

[JonInMiddleGA]

Rest in peace fallout

The last story was so bad that apparently that they decided to not even bother this time.

Damn you Todd Howard, damn you all to hell

[JonInMiddleGA]

Starfield confirmed, no release date, no real info
Elder Scrolls VI confirmed, no released date, even less info (just a quick fly-in screen)

[sabotai]

"Fallout 76 is an online-only..."

Pass.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Starfield confirmed, no release date, no real info
Elder Scrolls VI confirmed, no released date, even less info (just a quick fly-in screen)

not thrilled with the lack of info on these two especially Starfield. Hopefully we get more before the next decade.

[NobodyHere]

Tales of Vesperia is coming to consoles/PC outside the Xbox 360. Best news I've heard yet. I'm a big fan of the Tales games.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I think perhaps the most ... illustrative thing I can say about my response to Bethesda's E3 is this:

I won't post what I said in the Batcave, specifically what I may have wished on Todd, his offspring, and his offspring's offspring.

For those familiar with what I have zero qualms about saying here ...

[Maple Leafs]

If I'm reading the coverage right, the fact that we only got a 30-second teaser for Elder Scrolls suggests it won't come out until 2020 or so at the earliest.

Bethesda makes great products but their development process is broken.

[NobodyHere]

Report: Microsoft's Next Console Is Codenamed Scarlet

[mckerney]

Yakuza 0 on PC, $20 with 10% off preorder discount.

Save 10% on Yakuza 0 on Steam