What games are you playing now?

[NewDArt]

34 hours in to my second attempt to play witcher 3 and I'm finding it very enjoyable. The first time I played it I tried to play it like skyrim and just run off and explore. I quickly lost interest though as there wasn't much interesting to find.

This time I'm playing it more linearly. I go to the journal find a quest in my level range and do it then repeat. Since quest design and production values are what the game excels at i find it a very satisfying way to play. Also seems to be a pretty logical way to play it since quests control game pacing and leveling and leveling controls character development and loot.

I learned pretty early on to play that way. I took a level 23 quest at level 9 to see if I could do it. I actually had no trouble with the quest line and helped a blacksmith who promised to forge me a super duper amazing sword ( my words not his) for my trouble. After a job well done I was at level 10 and he crafted me a level 7 sword that was weaker than a number of weapons I already had. Lesson learned play the game linearly and pay close attention to levels.

Just one more example of why I hate leveled loot in games.

I wish I had known that was the way to play the game when I first tried it. It would probably have helped my opinion of it tremendously.

In my defense, though, the game really did present itself as an open world experience - and there was no indication that it would be so terrible at precisely that.

 

[sakichop]

I wish I had known that was the way to play the game when I first tried it. It would probably have helped my opinion of it tremendously.

In my defense, though, the game really did present itself as an open world experience - and there was no indication that it would be so terrible at precisely that.

Well, I can't say it's the definitive way to play it, but it's working for me.

 

[joxer]

forge me a super duper amazing sword ( my words not his) for my trouble. After a job well done I was at level 10 and he crafted me a level 7 sword that was weaker than a number of weapons I already had. Lesson learned play the game linearly and pay close attention to levels.

Just one more example of why I hate leveled loot in games.

You're missing the point. Break that super duper sword into pieces, it's super duper - to ordinary folk. You're not playing an ordinary person.
Deconstruct everything you find. You want (green) witcher equipment - find blueprints then craft and use those. To craft, you need materials. And materials you get by spending tons of $ at merchants or by… Hey, by dismantling useless super duper equipment!

btw, "After all these years"… New dart learned to dismantle loot and craft what actually matters within ME4.

 

[Jaz]

I'm also having a bit of a nostalgia love-affair with Lands of Lore 3.

Oh man. I loved it even back then. The Throne of Chaos remembrance dungeon, the Command & Conquer crossover levels and the chance to finally get back at

Spoiler

Geron/Jeron for giving your ToC character a hard time

...

 

[KaosWarMonk]

Been playing a lot of ESO and TTS over the last few weeks. In ESO have been jumping around different characters depending on my mood doing a mix of Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, regular stuff across about 4 different characters.

As it didn't exist on the Tabletop Sim steam workshop yet, I made an Arkham Horror mod including all the available official expansions. I really enjoy making stuff in TTS, it's great software, I'd rate it as my #1 game purchase of the last year tbh.

 

[NewDArt]

Oh man. I loved it even back then. The Throne of Chaos remembrance dungeon, the Command & Conquer crossover levels and the chance to finally get back at

Spoiler

Geron/Jeron for giving your ToC character a hard time

…

I completely wrote it off back then. I was much more unforgiving of mainstream elements back in the day

But I'm genuinely surprised at how nice some of the features are. I particularly enjoy the fact that you can pick all 4 guilds - or any combination of them, and that you get unique skills tied into the guilds both in terms of theme and power. A surprisingly wide variety of spells, too.

It's also neat that you get to pick one of 4 familiars - each with their own personality, skillset and voice.

Sure there are tons of issues, including what seems like a very broken balance (game seems way too easy) - but it's still great fun and has that perfect 90s vibe.

 

[Maylander]

I'm playing PST EE. Such a good game! No idea what the EE actually enhanced though beyond zoom or resolution, but that doesn't change anything for me: I'm having a great time.

 

[Pongo]

I'm replaying Baldurs Gate for the gadzillionth time. I wasn't planning to, but I fired it up briefly and heard the opening music, got nostalgia, rolled a Beserker out of curiosity, and now somehow I'm 25hrs in. I've just cleared Durlags tower and I'm about to head back to Ulgoths Beard for that horrendous basement fight with the instadeath demon. Or I might wait and level up a bit. I currently have both Kivan and Viconia in the party so there is a lot of bickering going on.

I still forget stuff about these games so I always have fun playing them. I've never done a playthrough with an evil PC and party though... Maybe I'll do that next time.

 

[you]

Another 2 or 3 hours and i'll finally finish witcher 3; though then i have to the two dlc to play - maybe after i take a break. I hear they add another 60 hours. It isn't a bad game but like a book that never ends it has begun to get old. I have to say some of the side quests are truely amazing.

 

[txa1265]

Just finished replaying "Jade Empire" on the iPad and Divinity: Original Sin on Mac.

Now playing (ok, just starting):
- Planescape Torment EE on iPad - replay #?
- Menzoberranzan on Mac - never played this, just bough everything I didn't already own on the GoG D&D sale.

Sadly my Alienware laptop is acting up again ... and at this point I have replaced the HD and RAM modules over the last year or so ... and am coming to terms with the reality that it is a logic board issue not worth fixing. So ... time for a new one (and last month there was a great sale I missed ... ugh).

 

[NewDArt]

Just finished replaying "Jade Empire" on the iPad and Divinity: Original Sin on Mac.

No comment on how you liked them?

 

[Carnifex]

I'm about thirty hours into Final fantasy ten, and after playing through the eighth game, this one is quite the improvement. The one thing that seems very different is how linear this one is, there isn't just a huge open world for you to roam about on, but rather a set path. Sometimes you cannot even go back to a prior area. The combat is what keeps me playing these, and that isn't lacking at all in this game.

So the things I find annoying about this one would be the linear-ness, the way you are forced to play with certain set members ( although this also happened in previous games, so I should have expected it), and the numerous scenes that you are watching and not actually playing. On the menu when you start up there also seems to be another game or version, I'll be trying that one out once I finish the one I'm on.

 

[Arhu]

I'm replaying Baldurs Gate for the gadzillionth time. I wasn't planning to, but I fired it up briefly and heard the opening music, got nostalgia, rolled a Beserker out of curiosity, and now somehow I'm 25hrs in.

Almost restarted my current run-through to play as a berserker, for one reason: I'm busy reading Berserk these days. If you don't know it, you must read it. Or watch the Anime.

I finished BG recently and went straight on to Siege of Dragonspear, which I like a lot! Not sure what the general verdict was but IMO it's really well done.

 

[Pongo]

Almost restarted my current run to play a berserker, for one reason: I'm busy reading Berserk these days. If you don't know it, you must read it. Or watch the Anime.

I finished BG recently and went straight on to Siege of Dragonspear, which I like a lot! Not sure what the general verdict was but IMO it's really well done.

I don't know it, thanks for the link!
I think it's fair to say the the reaction to SoD around here was "mixed". I haven't played it yet, so I'm planning to take my Beserker through it to find out for myself. I normally go straight into BGII at that point, but I think the PC will be overexperienced after going through SoD so I might stop at that point I guess.

 

[txa1265]

No comment on how you liked them?

I suppose that is fair:
- I love D:OS - it is my 3rd fave Divinity game, but I like it more than that suggests. Looking forward to the sequel. Also - love that it plays wonderfully on my last-gen MacBook Air 11.6"
- Jade Empire - surprisingly I got through this on the iPad ... for one reason: it supports MFi controllers, and I have a nice little SteelSeries Stratus controller that works great with my iPad Pro when games support it. I tried playing without the controller ... ugh, no thanks. So, essentially I played a computer game on a mobile tablet configured to act like a computer.

I am slated to get one of the new Samsung Galaxy Book Windows things (like a MS Surface Pro 4 in terms of specs) soon, and hope to play more with that and find out how low-demand gaming works on it!

 

[NewDArt]

I suppose that is fair:
- I love D:OS - it is my 3rd fave Divinity game, but I like it more than that suggests. Looking forward to the sequel. Also - love that it plays wonderfully on my last-gen MacBook Air 11.6"
- Jade Empire - surprisingly I got through this on the iPad … for one reason: it supports MFi controllers, and I have a nice little SteelSeries Stratus controller that works great with my iPad Pro when games support it. I tried playing without the controller … ugh, no thanks. So, essentially I played a computer game on a mobile tablet configured to act like a computer.

I am slated to get one of the new Samsung Galaxy Book Windows things (like a MS Surface Pro 4 in terms of specs) soon, and hope to play more with that and find out how low-demand gaming works on it!

Thanks for the reply, even though I still don't know how you liked Jade Empire

Yeah, I considered getting it for my iPad Pro - but then I thought about all those fights.... Nahhhh.

 

[Thrasher]

Still playing ESO. Do you believe it? Sigh…. Was leveling up my alts with the event XP boosts last 4 weeks and collecting motifs from the anniversary crates by doing as many dailies on each character as I had time for.

 

[azarhal]

I think it's fair to say the the reaction to SoD around here was "mixed".

:/ I'm pretty sure I'm the only person here who actually played SoD and I liked it a lot.

 

[Pongo]

:/ I'm pretty sure I'm the only person here who actually played SoD and I liked it a lot.

I remember a few negative reactions, but fair enough. I haven't played it yet, so I'll let you know how my Beserker gets on with it when I get there.

 

[txa1265]

Thanks for the reply, even though I still don't know how you liked Jade Empire

Yeah, I considered getting it for my iPad Pro - but then I thought about all those fights…. Nahhhh.

Hahaha ... yeah, I guess my lack of talking about the game itself much shows my rather flat opinion. I mean, I've replayed KotOR and always mention loving it, same for BG2, etc. So my lack of saying anything exciting is because ... well, because I still find it a decent and serviceable game that I remembered why I only replayed once before now. And will likely not replay again any time soon - until I forget again

And definitely not worth an iOS buy ... certainly not anywhere near full price. Same for Titan Quest - which is actually worse in my opinion for failing to have MFi controller support.