Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

[BangoSkank]

It's not really the topic so it's in hiders

My Thoughts on Brie Larson

Never really liked Brie Larson but never really hated her either. She brings a lot of it on herself by saying dumb shit and then saying stuff to try to diminish it, before saying it again. Like she's trying to gain the attention and adoration of one group by shitting on another...but then trying to placate the group she's shitting in by saying she's not shitting on them. It's an unforced error. Everyone else seems to just go along and get along but she's always got needless drama or no attention at all. Like that thing just recently about not being sure if folks want her as Captain Marvel again.

Gamewise

I want to believe Assassin's Creed Infinite is going to be great. Both of the only vaguely announced games in development sound great. One set in Japan and one, seemingly, in Germany amid a setting of witchcraft. Both sound great.

Japan I gotta assume is going to have more stealth. Ninja shit. Shuriken. Maybe some traps like Mirage looks to have. Hopefully a better parkour system. Maybe a grappling hook. Basically the Tenchu sequel I will probably never get.

German Witchcrafty one I gotta assume will have more social stealth, maybe more of like tracking and sneaky sneaky shit. Probably less assassinations but maybe more open combat. Plenty of room for the weird supernatural shit Ubisoft seem to have a massive hard on for now. I'm not a huge fan of it generally, if I wanted God of War I'd buy God of War, but fuck it I'm down for some weird creepy shit.

I also badly want Ghost of Tsushima for PC and am eagerly awaiting news to start dropping about whatever the Monster Hunter World sequel will be called. I figure I've got at least another year to wait. Likely two.

[Dark Cloud]

I recently started playing Destiny 2 and I'm happy to say I enjoy it far more than Warframe. I absolutely love the mechanics and gameplay, but I'm definitely going to switch to Hunter as I find Warlock a bit eh. I'm under the same name as I am here, Dark_Cloud on Bungie. Hope to get invested in it while I wait for Sims 4 to arrive. I like the Sims as a game I can play and put down at any time.

[Fabricant451]

It's not really the topic so it's in hiders

My Thoughts on Brie Larson

She brings a lot of it on herself by saying dumb shit and then saying stuff to try to diminish it, before saying it again. Like she's trying to gain the attention and adoration of one group by shitting on another...but then trying to placate the group she's shitting in by saying she's not shitting on them.

@BangoSkank

She's never done this, though.

Anyway, I've been replaying God of War 2018 and man I can't believe they convinced people that game was anything more than "eh it's okay" and that's generous.

[BangoSkank]

You didn't see the "I don't know does anyone want me to anymore? No seriously. I don't know." Interview?

She was asked how long she'd be playing Captain Marvel.

Oh that part. All the stuff about reviewers and who should be reviewing. And how she doesn't hate the one group. Definitely not. She's just saaaaaying.

[Dark Cloud]

@BangoSkank I saw that interview as well as the one where the other celebrities were seeming slightly annoyed by her.

[Dion]

I feel like if my experience as Capt. Marvel is people shitting on me/the character/the movie for reasons out of my control (i.e. shoddy writing) I'd probably also feel like "who even wants me to play this role anymore," but I guess that's just me.

God of War is an incredible game and I don't really know anyone that thought it was 'just OK'?

[Dark Cloud]

@Odin which God of War?

[Dion]

God of War 2018, the one Fabricant mentioned, the latest one.

[Dark Cloud]

Ohhh, that one!

[BangoSkank]

I agree about feeling that way, but that's why we don't just haphazardly vomit our feelings everywhere.

God of War 18 looks great for what it is. It's really not my cup of tea. But if you're into linear action games it's hard to deny its production value. It, Ghosts of Tsushima, Uncharted 4 (the newest one anyway), Horizon series, and TLoU2. All of those but Ghost aren't up my alley for one reason or another, but you can't deny they look polished as fuck.

[SleepingSilence]

I’ve discovered that when I’m playing a game full of secrets. One of two things will come out of my mouth on a regular basis. Either, “God, I love this game.” Or various flavors of, 2. “Fuck off. How was I supposed to know that?” (And rarely do these things mix together.)

A mood that only tends to increase the more I keep playing. Thus, the longer it goes on, the higher/lower my score will get.

So with that said, I’m at the final boss encounter of HAAK. And it would be unfair of me to simply state, much like Ender Lilies, the game provokes the latter option. (Since I don’t hate the game, and I’d argue it does many things better than that one.)

But there’s many things that I don’t like either. And the things that I do, are only getting worse through how long this game feels to play.

Because the game is certainly challenging and has plenty of content in it. With more story, lore for every monster, necessary side quests, sequence breaking flashbacks, uninteresting characters, and so much fucking dialogue to go through. That it easily takes the prize for “Most bloated plot-driven Metroidvania”.

However, I don’t know why the creators seem to hold such contempt for the player. But I feel it in so many of their game design choices.

• Almost every single room has a secret wall (likely multiple) that you’ll easily miss, a door (likely multiple) that blocks progress, fake routes that are impassable, or a pathway that you cannot go into until way later in the game. A bit TOO late into the game.
• The overall challenge is often very cheap and gimmicky. With Dark Souls Two levels of monsters in cramped/closed off spaces. One hit kill lasers. Poison gas. Gimmick platforming sections that demand precise controls. (Which this game doesn’t have. The slide is needed everywhere, and yet it only works half the time.)
• The common occurrence of monsters hitting you the second you go into the room.
• The inability to pan up or down, makes the platforming “leap of faith” a lot of the time.
• The moral options in side quests always offer you less rewards.
• The game openly mocks the player with “a git gud” rating, if you decide to use certain upgrades.
• Several secrets in the game are ‘developer notes’, in which they complain about playtesters not getting how their mechanics work.
• The game constantly takes control away from you, in order to provide you with imperfect english-translated dialogue scenes.
• With unlikeable and obnoxious character moments. Such as how the main character gripes about your customization choices. A pointless side character that condescends to you about “how you need to enter the right code, to open the coded door” every time you come across one. Another main character who blames you for doing something in the story. (Regardless of if you actually do it.) The game even has a side character questioning if you pirated their game.
• It has a random terrible trial and error (Ori And The Blind Forest-like) chase sequence. Without the pretty visual spectacle to go along with it.

---

I'd say its probably looking at a 5 out of 10.

With my only other comments, pointing out how their discord is full of people and none of them are playing HAAK. (Some are even playing other Metroidvanias instead.) And because it always happens, I found a reddit comment in response to criticism about its controls. Suggesting "There's bad controls in all games." Like my man has never played Hollow Knight before. But seriously, how is that a defense? And why do people insist on downplaying other (much better) things in order to defend something they like?

And I'm not saying I hate redditors.

Again, I don't hate redditors.

I'm just saying, I'm repeating how much I don't hate redditors. In a tone that might indicate that I in fact hate redditors.

Nnnnooooo...

Don't know why anyone would have a problem with them frankly. Seems to be out of nowhere, far as I'm concerned...

[SleepingSilence]

HAAK's final boss is a one-way to win gimmick boss and fuck that.

Unfortunately, Zapling Bygone, is another one that I'd not recommend in its current state. Because its bugs locked off (potentially) critical parts of the game for me. But I also REALLY don't like this game's appalling sense of direction. Having little to no clue what you're meant to be doing. (And someone REALLY needs to tell developers that no one liked Ori And The Blind Forest for its trial and error chase sequences.) Shame, because I do like the art design/world building comic panels. (But I'm putting this on hold until I get answers for fixing that.)

[Fabricant451]

Overwatch 1 is gone. Forever.

Overwatch 2 will not last as long as OW1 did because the entire design doc for OW2 reeks of "if we say it's free to play we can monetize the player way more than ever because long term players stop spending on loot boxes because they have everything already but now with battle passes and the promise of 'regular updates' and 'missable cosmetics' we can rake in the cash!"

The sad part is for as much as gamers cry foul, an even larger group of silent sorts will just pay for the battle passes every time anyway because ohh shiny.

Anyway I'll play it because what the fuck else am I going to play between now and Bayonetta 3

[BangoSkank]

I don't like to feel duped. I'd rather find a fun way to "grind" whatever currency to get X item than get it with a card.

At first it was because I was going to school and working and didn't have the money. At this point that's not a problem but I just can't bring myself to shell out 10-20-40-60 just so I can have a shiny doodad in a game.

GTA: Online was the closest I ever came to forking over but I resisted.

[mickilennial]

Overwatch 1 is gone. Forever.

Overwatch 2 will not last as long as OW1 did because the entire design doc for OW2 reeks of "if we say it's free to play we can monetize the player way more than ever because long term players stop spending on loot boxes because they have everything already but now with battle passes and the promise of 'regular updates' and 'missable cosmetics' we can rake in the cash!"

The sad part is for as much as gamers cry foul, an even larger group of silent sorts will just pay for the battle passes every time anyway because ohh shiny.

Anyway I'll play it because what the fuck else am I going to play between now and Bayonetta 3

@Fabricant451

Paladins won. Overwatch became Paladins.

[Dark Cloud]

Also, it's Blizzard. So yeah.

[SleepingSilence]

@Dark Cloud PM me your Destiny 2 handle. Assuming you have yet to get tired or bored of grinding in that game too. :P

I struggle to come up with reasons to want to buy an expansion for Destiny, to get real content to chew on. When they completely gutted my last purchase and nerfed all my items to the point of rendering them forever useless.

It also made me question my PC specs, when it couldn't hold a consistent framerate when things got busy.

---

Because topical.

It's just free to play Overwatch. That got rid of everyone's already paid for content.

[Carlyle]

winston overwatch is fun

Overwatch 2 will not last as long as OW1 did because the entire design doc for OW2 reeks of "if we say it's free to play we can monetize the player way more than ever because long term players stop spending on loot boxes because they have everything already but now with battle passes and the promise of 'regular updates' and 'missable cosmetics' we can rake in the cash!"

@Fabricant451

TBH i hate battle passes too but i feel like you get more bang for your buck this way. You get 80 different cosmetics (skins, charms, sprays, etc) for only $10 ($5 ish if you grind out and spend all your weekly challenge credits on it). Yeah, the fact that things get locked away forever if you don't buy the pass is dumb, but you have two months to grind out the entire thing. What really needs to be addressed is that the battle passes skins look better (plus the fact you get more things) than you would spending on a good majority of the skins that are going for like $20 bucks a pop.

It's just free to play Overwatch. That got rid of everyone's already paid for content.

@SleepingSilence

I mean, I guess, but no one complains about Blizzard boosting everyone to the 2nd latest WoW expansion whenever there's a new one. If I'm going to complain about Overwatch going F2P I might as well complain about everyone else getting essentially a free game every few years or so that I paid for myself.

That said you should still have everything you had on your account at the time (merging accounts and what not depending on platform), so it isn't like things are gone. I honestly feel like the money I originally spent years ago was converted into the fact that I have exclusive edition skins that new players won't be able to unlock because OW1 no longer exists. That and I have all the other items from the edition I bought in other games too.

Also lol @ everyone getting 10k-40k queues, mine are almost always around 500-600, with only a small few being 1k-2k.

[SleepingSilence]

I mean, I guess, but no one complains about Blizzard-

@Kuro

Imma let you finish but-

Blizzard is one of those companies that actually gets heat when its deserved. Because it got popular over a few nostalgic IP's, meant for PC gamers (the ones least willing to deal with bullshit) and it's been constantly fucking them all up. (Let alone all the other reasons the company gets shit.)

So yeah, WOW has gotten flak for a variety of reasons. Though I don't know which you're referring too. But looking it up leads to articles pointing out that Blizzard went on to ban boosting organizations. So I'd imagine someone/somewhere complained.

That said you should still have everything you had on your account at the time.

@Kuro

I said that due to everyone on twitter/social media stating the opposite. But it's apparently some widespread bug. (And not intentional design.)

I've basically never bothered with most of Blizzard's games. Overwatch, very much included. I only got into Heroes Of The Storm. (R.I.P)

Edit: I forgot Diablo games existed cuz tired. Don't judge me.

[Dark Cloud]

Also Blizzard is trash