What games are you playing now?

[greywolf00]

This is hard to answer for me, since I liked Odyssey and Origins equally and don't see that much of a difference there. However, Shadows clearly continues the Assassins versus Templars theme. Also I found the RPG-system more fun than in the predecessors. Shadows is not about explicitly meeting Isu/Gods, so it is more like Origins than like Odyssey in that regard. I assume that you may like it, if you liked Origins.

By the way I am playing Valhalla now and I would call that the weakest of the four. Shadows is much more like Origins or Odyssey than like Valhalla, I feel.

That sounds like a step back in the right direction then and I'll pick it up on a discount eventually. Thank you.

 

[JFarrell71]

Doesn’t the parry also do damage back to the enemy as part of the move? Even quite significant a few of the times, from what I remember. Whereas the dodge doesn’t at all.

Not by default. There might be a Picto that does that.

the so called "gradient parry" does, but that's something entirely different. When an enemy uses an attack that requires a gradient parry, things slow down and everything becomes gray. You can't dodge (or parry normally) during those attacks.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

Not by default. There might be a Picto that does that.

the so called "gradient parry" does, but that's something entirely different. When an enemy uses an attack that requires a gradient parry, things slow down and everything becomes gray. You can't dodge (or parry normally) during those attacks.

I'm fairly certain every now and then my parries also resulted in some damage being dealt back to the enemy. Or maybe I saw something else.
And I'm fairly certain i don't have a picto that does that, since I'm quite early into the game. Anyway, at this rate I've only been using the dodge due to my failed parries. Way too high risk currently; especially on the highest difficulty.

 

[JFarrell71]

I'm fairly certain every now and then my parries also resulted in some damage being dealt back to the enemy. Or maybe I saw something else.
And I'm fairly certain i don't have a picto that does that, since I'm quite early into the game. Anyway, at this rate I've only been using the dodge due to my failed parries. Way too high risk currently; especially on the highest difficulty.

According to the internetz, parrying "every hit in a multi-hit attack" leads to a counterattack. So you're right.

I'll stick with the low risk, low reward dodge though, haha.

 

[Philistine]

Spoiler

They killed her father. He was essentially just that. As for their fight, you've never faced that moment of telling someone something and regretting the fact that you never got the chance to take it back? And to her, the people that killed Joel weren't the people that he left to die, they were the ones that took him away.

As for the stuff about Ellie's appearance, she's buff, that's all. Not entirely sure how that's freakish. Idk bout the animations being bugged, didn't face any of those.

I've finished the game now and listened to the cast and writer's feelings about it. According to them, Ellie doesn't make logical choices - she makes choices from an emotional perspective. Also by not providing a cure for humanity in the last game she feels like she has lost her purpose and is looking for something else to give her life meaning. These two things set her upon her path, and explain why she becomes so obsessed with completing her 'mission'. What isn't explained is why she lets Abby live. Druckmann said that was "open to interpretation" [cop out], but Halley Gross said it was because Ellie had not been in a position to actually kill Abby before, Abby won out on their previous encounter...but I don't get why Ellie has no problem killing hundreds of other people so why not Abby? I mean in the earlier fight as Abby she will kill you if you let her. What's changed?

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I've finished the game now and listened to the cast and writer's feelings about it. According to them, Ellie doesn't make logical choices - she makes choices from an emotional perspective. Also by not providing a cure for humanity in the last game she feels like she has lost her purpose and is looking for something else to give her life meaning. These two things set her upon her path, and explain why she becomes so obsessed with completing her 'mission'. What isn't explained is why she lets Abby live. Druckmann said that was "open to interpretation" [cop out], but Halley Gross said it was because Ellie had not been in a position to actually kill Abby before, Abby won out on their previous encounter...but I don't get why Ellie has no problem killing hundreds of other people so why not Abby? I mean in the earlier fight as Abby she will kill you if you let her. What's changed?

Spoiler

The flashback to her final memory with Joel is the hint I took, for what's changed. (iirc they flashback to that memory with Joel on the porch right during her final fight with Abby?).
I think she's finally at her wits end and is spent emotionally, and gives in to the realization of the futility of trying to kill her. She's lost him and she's not getting him back.
It also reveals the whole reason she went on a spree was because she lost him just as she had gotten Joel back, by starting to forgive him for lying to her.

And I kinda remember feeling she was already partway feeling very reticent to kill her, especially when Ellie finds her unrecognizable as an emaciated prisoner for the slavers.
At that point I feel she was just going through the motions of enacting revenge, as she was already starting to feel bad for her and what she went through. And she attempts to do it, to kill her, but she realizes she's just done with it.
That's how I remember feeling about it anyway.

The other part, of her killing hundreds of other people, I take as just your regular video game ludo-narrative dissonance, where the gameplay part doesn't really gel perfectly with the story.

Anyway, I've played some more of Clair Obscur. It's still fun and I really like the character interactions.

 

[Philistine]

Spoiler

The flashback to her final memory with Joel is the hint I took, for what's changed. (iirc they flashback to that memory with Joel on the porch right during her final fight with Abby?).
I think she's finally at her wits end and is spent emotionally, and gives in to the realization of the futility of trying to kill her. She's lost him and she's not getting him back.
It also reveals the whole reason she went on a spree was because she lost him just as she had gotten Joel back, by starting to forgive him for lying to her.

And I kinda remember feeling she was already partway feeling very reticent to kill her, especially when Ellie finds her unrecognizable as an emaciated prisoner for the slavers.
At that point I feel she was just going through the motions of enacting revenge, as she was already starting to feel bad for her and what she went through. And she attempts to do it, to kill her, but she realizes she's just done with it.
That's how I remember feeling about it anyway.

The other part, of her killing hundreds of other people, I take as just your regular video game ludo-narrative dissonance, where the gameplay part doesn't really gel perfectly with the story.

Anyway, I've played some more of Clair Obscur. It's still fun and I really like the character interactions.

I felt ludicrous narrative dissonance for sure, because I never felt any sympathy for Joel which, ultimately, parts 1 and 2 hinge on.
The writers wanted the player to hate Abby initially, but grow to forgive her as the game progresses, but I was cheering her from the start! SHE never let me down. I would be excited to see a game with Abby as the lead, but if it's Ellie again I will probably skip it.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I felt ludicrous narrative dissonance for sure, because I never felt any sympathy for Joel which, ultimately, parts 1 and 2 hinge on.
The writers wanted the player to hate Abby initially, but grow to forgive her as the game progresses, but I was cheering her from the start! SHE never let me down. I would be excited to see a game with Abby as the lead, but if it's Ellie again I will probably skip it.

I felt all the sympathy for Joel, so I don't know what to tell you.

I love Clair Obscur. It's lovely. And some of the areas are just gorgeous.
Some of the boss fights though, insane. And I'm not sure if I'm not maximizing my damage output, or if I'm just supposed to go other places before I return to some of the optional boss fights.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924464125876281633

View: https://x.com/KFTragic/status/1924464125876281633

 

[JFarrell71]

Some of the boss fights though, insane.

I don't recall where this was (on the world map, that I remember), but I tried one optional boss and he did the longest combo I've ever seen... I lost track after dying to the second 1,200 point slam, but it was at least 8 and probably more like 10.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I don't recall where this was (on the world map, that I remember), but I tried one optional boss and he did the longest combo I've ever seen... I lost track after dying to the second 1,200 point slam, but it was at least 8 and probably more like 10.

Yeah, I guess some bosses have so much initiative/agility that they take their turn multiple times before it's your party's turn.
The most recent one that grounded me down was the Chromatic Abbest, and besides just having an insanely large health pool, it would constantly take 3-4 turns before I got one.
Technically it's quite easy to dodge its attacks, but you have to do them so many times that it's just statistics that you're gonna ultimately fumble. I think I may have maxed out at 20-30 turns before I again lost one in my party; and then it was all over.
But maybe I'll try it again, now that I have Maelle with me (and I need to go to camp and see about that cool looking necro dude, from where you find Maelle, and see if he'll also join me?)

This is the one I'm referring to.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ZjFMwZUW0

EDIT: holy hell, I only just now realized you can revive your party members? I don't think I ever access my items midfight. I wonder how rare those revive tints are.
Also, I assume when you die you reload your last save, and don't just revive, having lost your used items?

 

[JDR13]

Also, I assume when you die you reload your last save, and don't just revive, having lost your used items?

You haven't died by now? Yes, you'll respawn wherever your last save was.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

You haven't died by now?

Plenty of times, but I never considered if the game reloads your last save and world state, or if it just revives you; since I never used any resource that's not regenerated. I never used items.
I'll have to try it out and see what happens. I hope it reloads you, and not like fromsoft games where that used item is lost upon dying and being revived.

 

[greywolf00]

I don't recall where this was (on the world map, that I remember), but I tried one optional boss and he did the longest combo I've ever seen... I lost track after dying to the second 1,200 point slam, but it was at least 8 and probably more like 10.

Rock boss? More attacks in the combo the longer the fight goes I'm pretty sure.

 

[greywolf00]

Yeah, I guess some bosses have so much initiative/agility that they take their turn multiple times before it's your party's turn.
The most recent one that grounded me down was the Chromatic Abbest, and besides just having an insanely large health pool, it would constantly take 3-4 turns before I got one.
Technically it's quite easy to dodge its attacks, but you have to do them so many times that it's just statistics that you're gonna ultimately fumble. I think I may have maxed out at 20-30 turns before I again lost one in my party; and then it was all over.
But maybe I'll try it again, now that I have Maelle with me (and I need to go to camp and see about that cool looking necro dude, from where you find Maelle, and see if he'll also join me?)

This is the one I'm referring to.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ZjFMwZUW0

EDIT: holy hell, I only just now realized you can revive your party members? I don't think I ever access my items midfight. I wonder how rare those revive tints are.
Also, I assume when you die you reload your last save, and don't just revive, having lost your used items?

When your team goes down your bench members step in for a last ditch effort. I'm not sure what happens if you get wiped a second time.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

When your team goes down your bench members step in for a last ditch effort. I'm not sure what happens if you get wiped a second time.

When you have more than 3 in your characters pool? Do you get to choose which ones?

 

[greywolf00]

When you have more than 3 in your characters pool? Do you get to choose which ones?

When it happened to me I had all 6. So when the final guy from the original party went down all 3 downed characters were replaced by the remaining 3. That bought me just barely enough wiggle room to finish the fight (5 of 6 got downed).

 

[notdart]

For last of us players:

https://www.avclub.com/neill-druckmann-last-of-us-joel-cure-question

 

[Carnifex]

After completing Persona 3's expansion today, I fired up Metaphor and got about an hour past where the demo ended. It's still staying great!

 

[JDR13]

I've been playing Death Stranding. I didn't think I'd stick with it, but it's starting to grow on me.

It's a weird game, and slightly frustrating at times, but the story is just interesting enough to make me want to see what happens next.

 

[skally_wag]

I've been playing Death Stranding. I didn't think I'd stick with it, but it's starting to grow on me.

It's a weird game, and slightly frustrating at times, but the story is just interesting enough to make me want to see what happens next.

Had the same experience. Stuck with it and managed to clock up 156hrs.