Let's Talk About Games

I haven't stopped playing Overwatch since it came out, still getting on with friends 2 or 3 nights a week and putting in a few hours (and I'm still awful lol). I also still log on to Battlefield 1943 from time to time to get in a few matches.

I also collect retro games so there is a good bit of time there. If anything I've struggled to find new games that I'd want to play more than something older and cheaper. I just picked up Dark Messiah for like 2 bucks and its amazing, hard to justify a $60-70 purchase when you can find deals like that on older but still great games.

I saw a lot of the playtime goes to still updated online games like Fortnite and Apex, but I wonder if part of it is that as time goes on there is a bigger pool of games to play. Sure there will always be cutting edge graphics and gameplay, but many people wouldnt be able to tell which indie dropped in 2010 and which dropped in 2024.

Monday! The long weekend is nearly over and if you're anything like our house you've eaten nothing but meat, potatoes and chocolate. And maybe, just maybe you've managed to find some time over the last seven days to play some videogames!

Let us know what you've been playing over the last seven days.

Hello, Good morning and welcome to another fine edition of What We're Playing; our weekly round up everything that's kept us glued (or not) to our TV screens, desktop monitors, portable displays and whatever else you crazy kids are playing games on these days.

So, what have you been playing over the last seven days?

As a beloved cult classic franchise, XCOM has been around a long time and seen many forms of gameplay. While I eagerly await XCOM3 with a fervor that would put half-life 3 to shame, I'd love to hear your thoughts, stories and future hopes for the franchise. Spoiler warning, obviously.

My personal favorite is probably XCOM2, if only for the sheer number of mods that allow me to customize a single character for hours (only for them to die on their first mission) and completely overhaul the challenges and theme of the game.

I started with the XCOM reboot, which was such a delightfully crunchy little game full of steroid abusers wearing armor made out of hastily repurposed fridges. I would later look at a retrospective of the series and appreciate that the reboot simplified inventory management and condensed the base building down to just one base, which meant you could enjoy the strategy side of things without it wearing out its welcome. Just a fondly remembered game experience all around.

The DLC for XCOM was very welcome as well, adding new toys to play with but only letting you have them if you got off your ass and stopped over watching every turn. It was a good change that forced me to be aggressive in order to get a giant stompy mechsuit or a team full of go-go-gadget soldiers. It definitely refreshed the game for a playthrough or three.

Then came XCOM2, which turned the formula on its head and left me stunned that I canonically lost the last game. This inversion of not responding to random strikes all over the globe but /being the one doing them?/ I was SO in. Even on launch the game was a blast but they came out with some seriously solid DLC.

War of the Chosen is the closest I've seen to the universally praised (and regrettably copyrighted) Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor since that game came out, and they adapted it quite well to the style of the game. It rebalanced a few things, added new toys to play with, and gave you just another chance to have a massive wrench thrown into your plans to train up your all-rookie backup squad.

XCOM ~~2.5~~ ~~episode 1~~ Chimera squad. Honestly? I liked it. I think it should stay a side project, a spin-off I can happily say is part of the XCOM family but it isn't required reading to understand the rest of the franchise nor is it a massive experience you can't miss on its own merit. It's good for when you're itching for a change but still want some XCOM. Can't complain.

I love this series, one day I'll go back and try the OG if I can ever get over the controls. Until then I'll just stay here enjoying good company. So, what are your thoughts and experiences with the franchise (pre or post reboot)? Any legendary tales to share?

Congratulations to the team and the community as a whole for this pretty amazing achievement.

Turns out the one level that the group was having trouble with was originally uploaded using something called a TAS, which renders it null and void, so they didn't actually have to beat that one to finish them all.

**Edited title. Making sure that the word 'level' doesn't fit. Have a good day. *

Podcast, word of mouth, magazines, ~~Reddit~~ Lemmy?

I'm thinking games that have traditionally been in one genre, but that you'd love to see take a complete 180.

Mario + Rabbids, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor and the newly announced Callisto Protocol roguelite.

Maybe you'd like to see a Mario platformer in the style of Cuphead or Meat Boy. Maybe it's a new take on Zelda...by combining it with a turn based RPG.

Let's have some fun and see what we can mash together.

I've got a bit of a system.

I'll add games into my 'To-do' list/Group on whatever system I happen to be playing on. Then eventually get around to spending half an hour with it. If I enjoy it, I'll keep playing until it's done or I've decided I've had my fill.

If I've decided I'm enjoying it, but don't have the time or that I'm not in the right headspace for it, the game moves into my 'I'm not done with you' list/group; and I'll eventually find the time for these games... eventually. Games like Hollow Knight and Outer Wilds have come out of this group, and I've enjoyed them greatly.

If I don't enjoy that half an hour, I usually ditch the game entirely and it gets thrown into the metaphorical trash bin, never to be heard from again.

Why half an hour? Well, I don't have much time so the idea of spending 3-4 hours of time to see if a game is worth my time is..kinda impossible for me. The thirty minutes gives me a little time to evaluate if I'm interested in continuing, whilst also forcing me to actually play some of these games.

What's your system?

Like a photograph issued from Buckingham Palace, the weekend is gone, and it's time to regale us with tales of what you've been playing over the last few days. And more importantly, do you think it's any good?

Okay so work with me a little here. You've just been tasked with recommending a game to someone who's got very little experience with gaming.

Maybe they're a kid who's just starting out, or maybe they've just never had much interest in videogames.

What one game are you giving to them to show what videogames can be

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/3976697

Uhhh...

...Idk.

Morrowind is an Open-World Fantasy RPG, the third entry in the mainline Elder Scrolls series. Popular and well received on release, going on to sell more than 4 million copies. Nowadays it is often seen as clunky and difficult to get into, but those who put in the work are rewarded with one of the best games of all time.

I love this game, but I didn't always. Skyrim has been my favorite game since I first played it a decade ago, so of course I wanted to play the previous games in the series. But everything in Morrowind went against my natural instincts. Quests felt confusing, fog is everywhere, and despite being open world you are usually pushed to travel through narrow trenches. There are guards in the main city, who once offended, will NEVER forgive you. What ended up working for me was a full focus on the main quest. Once I'd defeated the evil powers of Dagoth I felt like Vvardenfell was truly mine.

I wouldn't feel right making a post about TES 3 without mentioning the alienness of everything. Most other Elder Scrolls games are pretty close to the standard fantasy setting. Morrowind is not. Everything is bug or crab like, the palletes are dismal, and the people are strange and just as hostile as the environment. You really feel like you exploring a foreign land. Its something I hope they recapture in the next TES game (if it ever comes out)

What I love about Bethesda RPGs is that they are first person, and focused on completing well written quests. We are starting to see this genre take off, and some good prospects are releasing soon. But the selection is still limited. If you enjoy this style of gameplay its worth learning the jank to experience the wonder.

Howdy all! Just finished another shift diggin' for gold, and me beard is itchin' for a new vein to explore. What ~~mines~~ games have you been ~~spelunkin~~ playin' this week? Found any diamonds in the rough? Let's swap some nuggets of wisdom in the comments below!

As their name suggests, forever (or evergreen) games are games that don’t have a finale or culmination, as in “The End”. These games have a very high replayability factor (meaning we enjoy playing them over and over again).

Forever games are also timeless. We can pick up these games anytime , be it the day they were released, or a few years later, and play them for months or years. We can even stop playing for a while, pick them up again years later, and they’d still be fun and relevant.

Source for quote

Yay!

Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for joining this lil' community to talk about video games. I'm surprised by how well it's going so far and I've enjoyed having, and reading some really good conversations about games.

So yeah. Thank you for posting, commenting and just being here, and here's to the next 200.

The latest reports are that Sony is getting ready to launch a pro version of the PS5 in the coming year or so. With the PS4 Pro i felt like the extra power made sense; The 4 was a relatively underpowered console when it launched, and the extra juice made sense for players who wanted more bang for their buck.

A potential PS5 Pro doesn't seem to have the same 'value-add'. For many the console has only just become readily available, and with the long-tail the PS4 has had, some would argue we've still not seen the best of what the base model can do.

Thoughts? Are sony overestimating the market for a PS5 2.0? Am I wrong for thinking this is a simple cash-grab? Would you buy an upgraded PS5?

Growing up in the nineties, I rented (or my parents did) a lot of videogames. Namely for the PS1 and the Nintendo 64.

The village rental store would also be the place I effectively traded in games I didn't want anymore (they also let you buy their older games).

What games did you used to rent when you were younger, and did you have any go-to games that you remember fondly?

Monday. Bit rubbish isn't it? Oh well, at least the sun's out.

What games have you been playing over the last seven days?

Aside from a better name that SwitchU?

I loaded up on my Switch for the first time in what feels like a year, and as much as I loved it, it feels as old as it is. What do you want to see from Nintendo with regards to their next console? What launch lineup would you like to see? And do you think we'll see them reinvent the wheel with regards to the hybrid console, or will we just get a more powerful console?

A few years ago I messed up my shoulder pretty bad from work. I had to see a few different doctors and go to physical therapy. The situation made me feel very depressed and low energy. I spent a lot of time just sitting on the couch and feeling sorry for myself.

While browsing Reddit I came across a game called "Brawl Quest" (not to be confused with "Brawl Stars"). It was an easy to play beat'em up and I could play it one handed. I ended up putting a ton of time into it and learned a lot about Filipino culture (country of the devs.) Just having something I could do and be good at while only having to use my uninjured arm really lifted my spirits and helped motivate me to get up and do things. I put a ton of hours into the game over the course of a few weeks, maxing out several characters and beating all of the content the game had to offer. I really think it helped me get healthy faster, both physically and mentally.

Just curious to hear if anyone here has similar stories.

I've been using GGapp to track my game playing for the last few years. Anyone else track their games, and if so, what service do you use?

A new week doth commence, and with it, the chronicle of our digital exploits! Upon the illuminated screen, I have ventured into fantastical realms and embarked upon valiant quests. Though I cannot boast of jousting tournaments or fire-breathing dragons, mine adversaries have been no less formidable - cunning puzzles and pixelated foes.

What manner of digital tapestry have you woven, I ask?!

What have you been playing over the last seven days?

I've got a few so I'll kick us off.

Outer Wilds

I listen to this one an awful lot, and from start to finish, which is pretty rare for me when it comes to soundtracks. The song '14.3 Billion Years' still gets me even today and the games main theme is one or the more memorable bits of gaming music I've ever encountered.

Return of the Obra Dinn

Atmosphere. The music goes an awful long way to setting a games atmosphere and this soundtrack is no different. I can't necessarily listen to this on repeat like Outer Wilds, but when I do listen to it I'm immediately catapulted back to being on that damn ship.

Tearaway

This one is just disgustingly charming in a way that only a game for a Media Molecule game could be.

We've all got them, gaming pet-peeves. Maybe it's the unskippable cutscene, or the poorly placed checkpoint that means you've got to sit through the aforementioned cutscene once again. Maybe it's the end-game boss with a surprise second health-bar, or the random difficulty spike that doesn't feel fair.

What's on your videogame sh*t list?

It's Monday morning, and that can only mean one thing. Yup, time to ~~work on that get-rich-quick scheme you've been cooking up~~ talk about the games you've been playing over the last seven days.

I'll kick us off with...Hollow Knight

Yeah, this is literally the only game I've played all week. It's absolutely dominating my free time in a way that very few games do and every single time I think about taking an evening off it draws me back in. I'm absolutely loving it.

That said, I'm starting to wonder if I have the sheer ability to get through the game. I'm not all that good at the combat, and unlike games like Elden Ring or Sekiro there's only so much I can do to mitigate my own failings by increasing my health gauge or improving at one specific part of combat. In short, I've got to git gud.