What are you playing 4: HD Remaster Gold Collector's Edition Thread of the Year

[GloatingSwine]

Despite the suicide mission ME2 is a forty hour prologue to ME3.

It's not even that.

The only bit of ME2 that is a prologue to ME3 is The Arrival.

ME2 is a closed loop otherwise, it does not advance the story of the trilogy at all.

[Anonymouswizard]

It's not even that.

The only bit of ME2 that is a prologue to ME3 is The Arrival.

ME2 is a closed loop otherwise, it does not advance the story of the trilogy at all.

Eh, there's about twenty minutes at the start and give at the end of the main game setting up the changed state of the galaxy which still mostly applies to ME3. Then you've got want twenty to forty hours of waffle and a short real prologue.

But yeah, at best the main plot is an attempt to justify Cerberus having access to Reaper tech in the next game, and it doesn't even perfectly work for that because of the ending decision.

[factotum]

But yeah, at best the main plot is an attempt to justify Cerberus having access to Reaper tech in the next game, and it doesn't even perfectly work for that because of the ending decision.

Oh, don't get me started on *those* clowns. Seriously, was some writer at Bioware so in love with Cerberus that they felt the need to give them superpowers and shoehorn them in everywhere? To the extent that they could build a bigger, better version of the Alliance's most advanced ship, in secret? That's like saying that <insert terrorist organisation of choice> just built a bigger, better Zumwalt-class destroyer without anyone noticing. Oh, and they're perfectly able to sail it into any major port on Earth with the flag of said terrorist organisation flying from the masthead and *nobody cares*.

[Triaxx]

I mean possibly by followed by seeing Shepard disembark and just assume he stole it if only because that's the sort of nonsense Spectre's are expected to get away with.

[Zevox]

And I managed to unlock Terrako in Age of Calamity. That was quite a few things they wanted done for it, but fortunately I had most of the stuff in my inventory already, it was usually just a matter of buying some extras at some shops, sometimes earning a few more trophies from specific enemies. The missions were only an issue for the ones that wanted a few characters I haven't kept leveled - had to spend a bunch of rupees leveling up and getting decent weapons fused for Impa, Revali, and Daruk. But it wasn't that hard once I spent all that.

The little guy certainly has an interesting play style, though I can't help but feel weird seeing a little robot shooting lasers everywhere in a Zelda game. Going by pure play style, I'd probably enjoy him a fair bit - albeit with reservations about how much his special trait encourages button mashing - but I think that element will keep him further down my preferences list. (Also, damn but his starting weapon was weak. I don't remember other new unlocks having starting weapons with stats I haven't seen since the start of the game like that. Made his training mission kind of awkward, since those level 57 enemies were taking a lot more hits than it seemed like they should.)

And I looked up how to unlock Calamity Ganon, and... wow, that's a lot of missions it wants you to do. Guess I should just basically take it as "beat all of the combat missions, his unlock one will show up eventually," eh?

BotW2, if rumors are true, will have her as a playable character for parts of the game that Link cannot do so she'll be even more central to the gameplay.

Huh. Well, that'll be a bittersweet moment, if the first non-spin-off Zelda game to actually have Zelda be playable ends up being one done in a style that I don't want to play. But oh well, I guess that's just where I'm at with the series for the forseeable future.

I meant in the main story. Not post-game.

Ah. The way you wrote it gave the impression that you meant at all, which made me wonder if maybe the option had been added in an update since you'd last played or something.

[InvisibleBison]

Recently I've been playing 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like (though technically only has 4 dimensions). I've only played against the AI so far, and found it not all that challenging, though as often as not I win by accident.

[factotum]

I've been playing around with Daggerfall Unity, and I have discovered that my laptop is truly, truly terrible at playing games. I mean, I never expected it to be a gaming powerhouse, but I kind of expected it to be able to run a Unity engine update of a game released in 1996! However, when standing in the city of Daggerfall in the snow the GPU is pegging at 100%, the CPU is at 75%, and still I'm getting crackly audio because it can't keep it running properly. For comparison, the old office PC I have attached to my living room TV as a media centre, which is a Core 2 Duo and GT710 graphics, runs the same game buttery smooth with both CPU and GPU at less than 50%.

My fault, I guess--when I bought this laptop a couple of years ago I could have spent an extra £100 to get the same model with a Ryzen 2200G, which would at least have been halfway competent as a gaming machine, but I cheapskated out.

[Yora]

I started playing Subnautica.

Died after 42 minutes.

From dehydration.
Because I couldn't find salt to make the disinfectant.

Dumbest survival death ever.

[GloatingSwine]

Oh, don't get me started on *those* clowns. Seriously, was some writer at Bioware so in love with Cerberus that they felt the need to give them superpowers and shoehorn them in everywhere? To the extent that they could build a bigger, better version of the Alliance's most advanced ship, in secret? That's like saying that <insert terrorist organisation of choice> just built a bigger, better Zumwalt-class destroyer without anyone noticing. Oh, and they're perfectly able to sail it into any major port on Earth with the flag of said terrorist organisation flying from the masthead and *nobody cares*.

And then, in game 3, despite literally every operation we ever see from them going horrlbly and expensively tits up they've still got enough resources to count as a major galactic superpower and field infinite armies of goons everywhere in the galaxy.

[Triaxx]

Bladderfish are the key to survival early in Subnautica.

[Yora]

I actually had to look that up.

Also that you get sulfur not from sulfur deposits on cave walls, but from exploding fish nests.

Since then it's going a lot better, but I'm having a hard time finding sources for heavy metal. But now that I got the two silver for my base fabricator, things are looking up.
I can build my own store house with rows of lockers. Being able to write a label for the contents on the door is amazing. I think this will be a lot of fun!

Is there recycling? I got about a dozen useless storage boxes and a bunch of empty batteries.

[DeTess]

Is there recycling? I got about a dozen useless storage boxes and a bunch of empty batteries.

You'll eventually get a battery charger to recharge the batteries. I don't think there's a way to scrap the boxes for materials though.

[IthilanorStPete]

I actually had to look that up.

Also that you get sulfur not from sulfur deposits on cave walls, but from exploding fish nests.

Since then it's going a lot better, but I'm having a hard time finding sources for heavy metal. But now that I got the two silver for my base fabricator, things are looking up.
I can build my own store house with rows of lockers. Being able to write a label for the contents on the door is amazing. I think this will be a lot of fun!

Is there recycling? I got about a dozen useless storage boxes and a bunch of empty batteries.

As DeTess said, there's a battery charger available eventually - definitely keep your empty batteries around. As for storage boxes, assuming you mean the Waterproof Lockers, there's no way to recycle them.

[factotum]

Doing more messing around with old games. Been trying to play Tomb Raider 2 with a controller, which I thought ought to be a fairly simple proposition considering the original game was a console port, right? Wrong. You can get an XBox 360 controller to work with it, sort of, but it doesn't recognise the right analogue stick or the D-Pad, and doing a forward jump (which involves pushing forward on the left stick while pressing a button) is finicky as all heck...doesn't help that the left stick left and right turn your character rather than sidestepping, which just feels totally wrong, and obviously you have no way to move the camera yourself. I need to find games that are old enough to work on a GT710 (not the most powerful graphics solution around) while still working with a modern controller!

[Ortho]

Is there recycling? I got about a dozen useless storage boxes and a bunch of empty batteries.

Of a sort. If you build something with the Habitat Builder, you can also deconstruct it and regain the materials. Everything made in the Fabricator's final, though.

I'll echo DeTess and say hold on to the batteries.

[Lord Raziere]

I finally get to play Nioh 2, and I'm having fun with it. Just started and my best weapons are fists surprisingly enough. Like you can take on things with nothing but unarmed martial arts and its actually good. I thought they'd be worse than the dual swords I have but they're actually doing work, though I had went through some analysis paralysis to get there because every option looks good, and every tree well thought out. I have a feeling that if I picked different weapons they would be just as good if I just figured out how they worked. it is Dark souls like, but its quicker and kinder in some ways, because the areas are generally small and easy to run back to. there is still the whole "do all this combat in sequence" gameplay but my movements and attacks are faster than Dark Souls so its a little more normal action game mixed in. I'm still learning the game, because as usual its a port to PC so no one bothered to change the tutorials for the buttons so a lot of it was looking up what the buttons actually did and memorizing what they mean by their button system in keyboard controls. which is kind of annoying, but what can you do?

[Anonymouswizard]

Doing more messing around with old games. Been trying to play Tomb Raider 2 with a controller, which I thought ought to be a fairly simple proposition considering the original game was a console port, right? Wrong. You can get an XBox 360 controller to work with it, sort of, but it doesn't recognise the right analogue stick or the D-Pad, and doing a forward jump (which involves pushing forward on the left stick while pressing a button) is finicky as all heck...doesn't help that the left stick left and right turn your character rather than sidestepping, which just feels totally wrong, and obviously you have no way to move the camera yourself. I need to find games that are old enough to work on a GT710 (not the most powerful graphics solution around) while still working with a modern controller!

My advice would be to use a direct input controller (modern ones are available for relatively few pounds), move with the d-pad, and is built around tank controls. I had problems playing the old games with an xinput analog stick because Lara would just make random movements.

Is sidestep walk+left/right yet? Can't remember when that got added. Might have been the first game, might have been later.

[LibraryOgre]

So, because of the terraforming thread in Mad Science, I picked up Terragenesis again. As it is a phone game, I watch a LOT of ads, which are mostly ignorable ads for other games. However, I have noticed a few trends:

1) Puzzle games have the demo played by someone not very bright. They make a lot of wrong choices.
2) Building games like to make themselves look effortless, to the point where you wonder why you'd bother to play.
3) Fighting games are big on showing you cinematics, and little gameplay.

[Anonymouswizard]

The only game on my phone is the one where they've just straight up ported a bunch of old Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, including the classic cheating everybody did (finger on previous entries in case you mess up, and if you're quick enough you can reroll the dice on checks). Thankfully advertless, you just pay a quid and a bit per book, but I've noticed tha same trends when YouTube gives ne adverts on my phone.

[Lord Raziere]

So, because of the terraforming thread in Mad Science, I picked up Terragenesis again. As it is a phone game, I watch a LOT of ads, which are mostly ignorable ads for other games. However, I have noticed a few trends:

1) Puzzle games have the demo played by someone not very bright. They make a lot of wrong choices.
2) Building games like to make themselves look effortless, to the point where you wonder why you'd bother to play.
3) Fighting games are big on showing you cinematics, and little gameplay.

Explainable:
1- puzzle games want to show they're puzzles without giving away their solutions for when you actually play it, as puzzle spoilers is actually something that can ruin puzzle game enjoyment. so someone who gets the puzzle wrong.

2-building games want you to be able to imagine what you can build with it if you work hard enough and thus show off mostly completed projects and things that actually work in practice, that and showing the actual process would be boring and not sell well, so the entire point is to sell you on the things that you might build if you figure it out

3- gameplay may not be be done if its mid-development, though it could be that game trailers are just done arbitrarily.

I looked up an academic study on game trailers for the last one trying to study why game studios haven't stopped using cinematics for more gameplayer in their trailers and my eyes are just glazing over. its like 49 pages. so. not really caring to go deeper even though I'm sure it could be enlightening. the first two are just my guesses

[PhoenixPhyre]

Explainable:
1- puzzle games want to show they're puzzles without giving away their solutions for when you actually play it, as puzzle spoilers is actually something that can ruin puzzle game enjoyment. so someone who gets the puzzle wrong.

Or they're flattering the prospective customer, who can "immediately" see the right answer. "Hey, you must be pretty good! This is a game to show how good you are at puzzles!"

At least that's the vibe I've always gotten from the FB adds for those puzzle games.

[warty goblin]

Doing more messing around with old games. Been trying to play Tomb Raider 2 with a controller, which I thought ought to be a fairly simple proposition considering the original game was a console port, right? Wrong. You can get an XBox 360 controller to work with it, sort of, but it doesn't recognise the right analogue stick or the D-Pad, and doing a forward jump (which involves pushing forward on the left stick while pressing a button) is finicky as all heck...doesn't help that the left stick left and right turn your character rather than sidestepping, which just feels totally wrong, and obviously you have no way to move the camera yourself. I need to find games that are old enough to work on a GT710 (not the most powerful graphics solution around) while still working with a modern controller!

If you're feeling like Tomb Raider, and just want a standard XBox controller to work, I recommend giving Legend a try. It works just fine with a controller, aside from a couple menu commands that seem to require a keyboard or mouse, and still plays real good after all these years. Should run on your card no problem, and graphically holds up pretty well. I mean it's not going to blow you away or anything, but for an early 360/OG XBox game, it's fairly easy on the eyes.

In other messing about with old games news, I beat Trine this evening. Really a lovely little platformer. I don't like 2D platformers as a rule, but Trine is just a joy. I think it's the shift from focusing on precise timing and jumping to a more relaxed, pseudo-open ended puzzle feel that does it for me. Most of the obstacles don't require more than very elementary platforming skill, but they often require some reasonably non-linear thinking - particularly for the more out of the way XP items and treasures.

[factotum]

Is sidestep walk+left/right yet? Can't remember when that got added. Might have been the first game, might have been later.

If you're playing with keyboard, yes, but there aren't enough spare recognised buttons on the controller to add it, and since you need to be able to turn left and right anyway (since you have no camera control there's no other way to change Lara's direction) then it's not that useful.

[oxybe]

my favourites are always the adds that have nothing to do with the game in question.

Like the one with the gardener who keeps getting put into various perilous situations in the ad and the user is moving sliding stuff to clear the path for him... but i looked into it and the game itself looks to actually be a match-3.

and of course the old Lv1 Crook > Lv50 Boss Mafia adds.

As for what mobile games i'm playing, my 2 old standards are Dragonball Dokkan, where i've failed to get the prized SSJ4 Gogeta unit i was hoping for (CURSE YOU GREED SENSOR), and Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, probably one of the more F2P friendly mobile games out there. DFFOO is currently celebrating it's 3rd year so there's lots of freebies being tossed around, and I've even managed to nab a copy of the super-ultra-mega-rare-uber weapons for Ramza, which is neat.

I've also been trying out the recently released Dragon Quest Tactics game. I doesn't have the most depth, but it's been enjoyable so far. The core conceit is that you're a human tossed into a monster-filled world, you befriend a group of friendly ones and new ones along the way as you punch and help your way through monster society in a grid-based tactics game. different monsters have stats and speeds and spells, as well as various elemental strengths and weaknesses. You level up, upgrade and equip your dudes to increase their stats. some monsters can be farmed up with dupes for bonus stats, so while you'll always only have one Green Dragon, the more you pull or find will automatically feed your existing one. it doesn't do anything particularly special, but it does have a Slime with a bandanna/scarf called Majellan.

[Rynjin]

Doing more messing around with old games. Been trying to play Tomb Raider 2 with a controller, which I thought ought to be a fairly simple proposition considering the original game was a console port, right? Wrong. You can get an XBox 360 controller to work with it, sort of, but it doesn't recognise the right analogue stick or the D-Pad, and doing a forward jump (which involves pushing forward on the left stick while pressing a button) is finicky as all heck...doesn't help that the left stick left and right turn your character rather than sidestepping, which just feels totally wrong, and obviously you have no way to move the camera yourself. I need to find games that are old enough to work on a GT710 (not the most powerful graphics solution around) while still working with a modern controller!

Try using Antimicro and making your own bindings.

[Yora]

Subnautica, Day 26.

I discovered that there is scan-able debris in some of the broken boxes scattered on the ocean floor, which I can scan to learn how to make new equipment.

I know, this is a game about discovery and exploration. But making me discover unknown game mechanics is not so fun.

[Anonymouswizard]

If you're playing with keyboard, yes, but there aren't enough spare recognised buttons on the controller to add it, and since you need to be able to turn left and right anyway (since you have no camera control there's no other way to change Lara's direction) then it's not that useful.

Oh yeah, walk's not a toggle yet. Sorry I've been playing Angel of Darkness with s controller, where sidestepping works (you got the bottom to walk, hot it again to return to rubbing, and hold it to sidestep). Been a while since I've played the older games.

I suspect most of your other issues are related to your choice of controller though. The games predate xinput, and so aren't built with it in mind. Find yourself a direct unit controller (I use an eight button Mega Drive pass, but I'm sure version with analog sticks are available) and you'll likely have get issues with movement.

Such a shame that the series ended with it's PS2 debut Okay, I enjoyed Legend and what I've played of Underworld, but to me it marks the descent of the series until it reaches the cover shooter levels of 3013.

[Cespenar]

In other messing about with old games news, I beat Trine this evening. Really a lovely little platformer. I don't like 2D platformers as a rule, but Trine is just a joy. I think it's the shift from focusing on precise timing and jumping to a more relaxed, pseudo-open ended puzzle feel that does it for me. Most of the obstacles don't require more than very elementary platforming skill, but they often require some reasonably non-linear thinking - particularly for the more out of the way XP items and treasures.

Trine is a pretty harmless and enjoyable franchise altogether. Just beat 4 recently, and sure, it doesn't add much onto the formula aside from some fancy graphics, but it's still nice open-ended puzzle fun. And puzzle games with more than one solutions are quite a rare breed, now to think about it.

[factotum]

If you're feeling like Tomb Raider, and just want a standard XBox controller to work, I recommend giving Legend a try.

I have actually played Legend and Underworld before, years ago, although I can't find Underworld in any of my game libraries now, not sure why. Legend I still have in my "Played" list on Steam, though, so may well give it a try, thanks for the idea!

Subnautica, Day 26.

I discovered that there is scan-able debris in some of the broken boxes scattered on the ocean floor, which I can scan to learn how to make new equipment.

I know, this is a game about discovery and exploration. But making me discover unknown game mechanics is not so fun.

The most annoying part I found is that some items you need to be able to build proper, functioning underwater bases--like decent power generators and the room to put them in, for instance--have to be found and scanned before you can do them.

[Triaxx]

I mean I assume if a game gives me a scanner it means scan everything. But maybe that's just having played Metroid Prime and the like.