What Video Game Are You Currently Playing?

[ReaperAA]

Started playing strife for the very first time. And I am liking it so far.

[Havoc Crow]

I was planning to do so much important work this evening, and instead I spent it turning the universe into paperclips. Damn.

[droopy]

14 hours ago, JudgeDeadd said:

I was planning to do so much important work this evening, and instead I spent it turning the universe into paperclips. Damn.

Oh. My. God. Why did you do this to me? Now I can't stop playing this paperclip madness...

[Taw Tu'lki]

Playing Hexen II

[DuckReconMajor]

On 8/5/2019 at 7:29 PM, JudgeDeadd said:

I was planning to do so much important work this evening, and instead I spent it turning the universe into paperclips. Damn.

I love this game. Looks a tad bit prettier than when I played it

[Sharessa]

Been playing GTA 5 which I just got. Already think its my favorite of the series. Love the heist missions.

Also been playing Civilization 6, as usual.

[Sharessa]

Finished Heart of the Woods last night. I got a sad ending but it was 2:30 in the morning so I had to go to bed sad. Going to try to find the happy ending.

[wolfmcbeard]

Spent some time with Goldeneye and Star Fox 64 before I packed away my n64 for the big move, currently playing Crossout again and I'm not to big on the changes they made to the missions.
Also playing Pokemon Moon since I found my 3DS charger.

[vanilla_d00m]

Starcraft Brood war from blizzard entertainment, doing the single player campaign missions.

[Lila Feuer]

Death Road to Canada, just beat it a second time.

[Chow Yun Thin]

This Logitech G500 is getting on my damn nerves with the LMB double-clicking and not letting me drag and drop stuff. It seems to be a common problem with Logitech mice and in my case, it happens more during warmer temperatures. I've already opened the microswitch housing three times before to adjust it, and I really don't want to open it again for fear of cracking off the latch and rendering the button broken. Maybe a tiny strip of scotch tape can close it in that case? I really don't want to go looking for a new mouse if newer ones have the same problem.

 

I'm waiting for a rom hack of Zelda II to come out completed. Yeah, there's a beta patch of all the latest improvements on the first page and the author says it is all but done, but I'm not just keen on playing it. I'm not really a fan of being in beta testing nor Early Access, and certainly not the shenanigans of the likes of Shenmue 3 et al.. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

 

I borrowed a Nintendo Switch controller to play emulators on my computer and I rather like it. It's one of the Nintendo-endorsed-but-not-first-party wired USB controllers and is matte black with a gold D-pad and Zelda BOTW branding. No rumble, gyro, wireless connectivity nor amiibo things. It's laid out like the Xbox360 controller instead of the PS3/4 or WiiU gamepad, so my right thumb can touch the D-pad for inventory instead of moving my left thumb off its stick. D-pad is responsive without being awkward for the left thumb. Thumbstick resistance is much closer to the PS3/4 than the 360 and has a large plastic flattop with little ridges on the edges. Index fingers rest comfortably on the digital trigger buttons (never was a fan of the analog ones) and bumpers are quick to tap. I have to use XOutput to get it recognized as a generic controller and map its buttons, but it's painless enough. Great for a no-frills controller.

 

There was an old saved blurb about Killing Floor 2 here, but now is replaced with verbal diarrhea in the spoiler.

Spoiler

The devs behind KF2 are going to sell new weapons for ~10 USD each (including 5 exclusive skins) in the next update onwards. They say they cannot continue to put out the current level of free content updates (2-3 new weapons, 1 maybe 2 new maps, event-themed cosmetics and lootboxes) with the money they have. Either that or they'd have to drastically scale back the content updates. This brings back bad memories of a maligned DLC pack from the first game, which gave a powerful ranged weapon for the Berserker and too-strong-for-its-tier flare revolvers for the Firebug.

 

This isn't their first fling with controversy. They had put in cosmetic lootboxes during the game's Early Access period in late 2015, under the premise that money from the lootboxes would go to fund free content updates, though they decidedly point out there's nothing saying for how long. No doubt they were trying to get a piece of the lootbox pie pioneered by the likes of TF2 and CS:GO. The "Zed-conomy" never took off like those games, and now I guess it wasn't enough for them now if they decided to go with putting a paywall to new weapons. Interestingly enough, the paid lootboxes had no-dupe protection put on them some months back, so you could get everything in a particular lootbox including the gaudy gold-plated Precious cosmetics. As a result, the flood of cosmetics have forced prices in the Steam Market to plummet to more reasonable prices, much to the anguish of greedy sellers on Steam Market. But that seems like scant atonement in light of this coming paywall, on top of the lootboxes, direct purchases of cosmetics/characters and the Steam Market. Oh, and the publisher of KF2 announced EGS exclusivity for their upcoming shark game, but that's another 55-gallon drum of worms.

 

They are bringing up their Shared Content system as a way for paying players to share with non-payers. Previously, the system was used for crossover weapons with games you had to purchase to get. So long as the payers are in the game, non-payers can purchase the weapon in the Trader Pod. They're also toying with the idea of having certain weapons work differently based on your current Perk, and maybe mimic the DLC weapons. One possible combination was hinted in a recent trailer, by putting a .500 Magnum revolver by a Support Specialist (shotgun user) icon to create a shotgun revolver. The same trailer puts a Nailgun by a  SWAT (SMG user) icon, and I have no idea what that's about other than aping Quake 1.

 

The community's response at the moment is pretty mixed: disappointment at this turn of events but understanding of the monetary and effort cost (at least described in the PR blurb), disbelief at the high cost per weapon relative to the base game's price of 30 USD, apprehension about the future of the game and where this paywall will bring it and of course, vitriol from those against lootboxes, MTX, pay-to-win and other such predatory practices manifested in bigger games. I was expecting a lot more vitriol, but I guess that will come in time when people get word of this change.

 

The community (or at least the subreddit and Steam forums) has gotten a lot more hostile since the summer 2018 update. A lot of veterans dropped the game due to controversial additions: the Upgrade system (spend dosh on a weapon to boost damage) rebalancing weapons to account for upgrades, and the EDARs (robotic ranged enemies that stand in stark thematic contrast to the organic, mostly melee mutant clones). A lot of it was due to growing frustration from feeling the devs ignored detailed and comprehensive feedback for a long time, and concern that the Upgrade system would make players more selfish with dosh (why help a squadmate who died or just joined get kitted out and better able to survive the wave when I can waste dosh upgrading my weapon and probably not hit any damage breakpoints that matter?). Now in their place are players who seem intent on making the coop experience an unnecessarily miserable time under the banner of "I'll play however I want, even to the detriment of the team as a whole, and anyone who tells me otherwise can fuck all the way off".

 

An especially contentious point are people who play Field Medic without doing any healing at all. Even with the Medic speccing in combat skills, he isn't going to do nearly as much damage as the other 8 Perks dedicated to killing the enemies. It'd be much more preferable to choose a Perk that can apply relevant bonuses to the Medic's weapons and keep up the firepower while healing injured squadmates. Hell, the heal darts auto-track and hit when launched in the general direction of anyone needing healing, so what gives? I read an observation that 'combat' Medics who aren't healing squadmates are likely choosing the Perk for its high Armor durability, fast movement speed, and near-instant improved healing to overcome the fact that they're getting hit an awful lot. It seems they don't learn generalized skills applicable to any Perk to mitigate damage, like situational awareness, map knowledge and good places to camp or kite, enemy spawn points, killing enemies as far as terrain and accuracy allow, prioritizing hostile threats, headshots (!), reading enemy animations, sound cues and such. I also blame the Medic's progression requirements because killing enemies with the Medic's on-perk weapons nets a lot more XP than healing squadmates; it isn't as restrictive as the first game's healing-only requirement, but it sure makes for a growing number of people who ignore the purpose of being a Medic.

 

Steam says I've played nearly 1500 hours in the 2 years and 8 months I've had it. In truth, actual playtime is around 20-25% with doing daily and weekly objectives mostly. The rest was idling on the main menu for the same small pool of free cosmetics compared to the ocean of lootbox cosmetics. It's very rare that I play the game just for fun. That Vault Dosh for free cosmetics is what gets me to venture begrudgingly into Suicidal difficulty, even if it is now tolerable especially with level 25 Perks, and I was considering moving up to Hell on Earth. That damn white whale in the form of a chrome skin for the starter 9mm pistol is what keeps me going. But knowing my luck, RNGesus will just give me the finger and duplicate cosmetics. A PS4 player had that same white whale, and managed to get it as the last unique skin in that pool ONLY by a freak bug and glitching thousands of the free crates and hundreds of rerolls.

 

Now that non-cosmetic DLC is on the horizon, does continuing to play KF2 mean I implicitly endorse where the game is going? I've already dreaded reading the news blurbs about updates and fearing the game will finally cave in to the poorly-thought ideas of people who couldn't be bothered to make it fit in terms of aesthetics, gameplay, difficulty balance, unique niches in the arsenal and such. For some reason, I keep thinking of the Modern Warfare 2 PC boycott and the subsequent picture of said boycotters having thousands of hours in the game anyway. Maybe if I play through Jim Sterling's braying videos about MTX and "it's just cosmetic" for the next few days, it may dampen the siren call to play more.

 

[[McD] James]

I've already played through Cave Story a few years ago but didn't get the best ending and fairly recently started a new game with the intention of getting the best ending. Bloody hell, even for me, the final segment of the game is pissfucking brutal. 

[Lila Feuer]

11 hours ago, Chow Yun Thin said:

This Logitech G500 is getting on my damn nerves with the LMB double-clicking and not letting me drag and drop stuff.

I murdered a few mice this way playing too much Diablo.

[snapshot]

Playing Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Deceit.

[Manuel-K]

16 hours ago, Chow Yun Thin said:

This Logitech G500 is getting on my damn nerves with the LMB double-clicking and not letting me drag and drop stuff. It seems to be a common problem with Logitech mice and in my case, it happens more during warmer temperatures. I've already opened the microswitch housing three times before to adjust it, and I really don't want to open it again for fear of cracking off the latch and rendering the button broken. Maybe a tiny strip of scotch tape can close it in that case? I really don't want to go looking for a new mouse if newer ones have the same problem. 

I don't think anything other than replacing the microswitch will work. I've had the problem several times and I've ordered a small bag of them.

[Robo_Cola]

Just finished Resurrection of Evil for the first time a few days ago.  It's been the one Doom game I've never played/beaten (withholding the mobile RPGs and Maximum Doom if they count.)

 

It was a solid experience, the enemy count increase and SS was a great addition.

 

Gonna wait on Doom Eternal now....

[mariopepper]

dota 2.. really nice game for me. Didn't expect

[3saster]

Just finished a playthrough of Resident Evil 4 again, but for the first time on PC. Playing it again, it's truly staggering how much stuff there is in the game, and all of it works well together. I think I can confidently say this is the most polished game I've ever played, and is one of the few games I think doesn't just deserve classic status, it deserves masterpiece status. Everyone who considers themselves a gamer should be required to play this game at some point.

[[McD] James]

AHHHHHHHHHHH, I finally completed Cave Story. The final area was a bitch to get through, but man, what a great game. 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Ajora

[CyberDreams]

Shenmue via the re-release on Steam. Also messing with The Sims 4 via Origin. Just the base game as it was free some months ago. Shenmue is pretty fun imo although the controls are still iffy imo, and i am using an XB1 controller. I remember trying it briefly on the Dreamcast some years ago and i couldn't comprehend the controls so i said "fuck it" and just quit haha!

 

The Sims 4 is "alright". I've never played The Sims 3 on PC, only on X360 and not very much. I grew up playing the original Sims on PC though and then the console games there after (Sims Bustin' Out, Sims 2 on Xbox, some on GameBoy Advance). I started playing The Sims 2 in 2015 when it was free on Origin. Then i stopped for a few years when my account was hacked. I Got my account back last year and started playing again.

 

So i really like The Sims 1 and 2 but 4 is just kinda "meh". To many clothing styles that i just don't like and the overall art-style is just weird. I don't mind the loading screens tbh as i'm used to 'em since i don't have an SSD. Maybe with more expansion packs it would be more fun but i'm not going to pay for all of that shit just to have a little bit more fun. I will say that the build mode is pretty neat though. Easier to use then in 1/2.

[Lila Feuer]

On 8/16/2019 at 1:20 AM, 3saster said:

Just finished a playthrough of Resident Evil 4 again, but for the first time on PC. Playing it again, it's truly staggering how much stuff there is in the game, and all of it works well together. I think I can confidently say this is the most polished game I've ever played, and is one of the few games I think doesn't just deserve classic status, it deserves masterpiece status. Everyone who considers themselves a gamer should be required to play this game at some point.

The only bad thing about RE4 is the QTEs, other than that yes I agree it's a masterpiece.

Playing Devil May Cry 1 on Switch, it's been years and years but it's all coming back. Such a beautiful and awesome start to the series!

[Avoozl]

I've been playing Hexen II: Portals of Praevus after I finally managed to find the CD music for the expansion which originally seemed unobtainable.

[3saster]

3 hours ago, Lila Feuer said:

The only bad thing about RE4 is the QTEs, other than that yes I agree it's a masterpiece.

Playing Devil May Cry 1 on Switch, it's been years and years but it's all coming back. Such a beautiful and awesome start to the series!

I dont actually mind the QTEs in RE4 that much, they are much less obnoxious than later games (looking at you Bayonetta), but it was the one that started that trend of putting QTEs into games. Blame God of War for starting the trend of sticking it into everything possible :P

 

Devil May Cry 1 is excellent, and it has aged extremely well considering it's basically the very first game of its kind. Funny that you mention that game, since it was actually RE4 at one point...

[Optimus]

Ion Fury and it's great. I am over half of it, the level design is like classic duke, interconnected places, breaking walls and airducts to go through places, multiple of secrets, east eggs. And the gameplay, movement, shooting plus the amazing artwork and demoscene music, it's really good. And it's a shame the whole controversy started as it was released, it's a really good game and doesn't deserve the negativity and review bombing (regardless with which side anyone stands on the issue). We are living in a proper retro revival of indie FPS like they used to be (I played Dusk, will play Amid Evil and wait for Wrath too) where there is focus, besides what everybody remembers (violence and rip and tear, really?) to the level design and game feeling modern FPS forget.

[Avoozl]

I finally finished Hexen 2 for the first time and as the necromancer class, it took me years to bother to do this since I lost interest in the game during the Roman chapter years ago. I am glad to say that I have now finished the whole Hexen/Heretic series minus the two bonus episodes of Heretic.

[obake]

Just started Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It is excellent so far!

[[McD] James]

Free, interactive coloring book. Not sure if I'd call it a game or not, but it is relaxing. 

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1026820/Coloring_Game/

[joepallai]

Just picked up Ion Fury and am enjoying that.    

[snapshot]

Been playing so much Warframe lately, it's very good it ruined other games for me. everything about it from movement to shooting is just satisfying, and there's always stuff to do in the navigation panel and a ton of variety. also has some RPG elements to it which is nice.

[Avoozl]

I got tired of all the grind it required.