The Gaming Thread

Discussion in 'Entertainment' started by Kratos, Jan 12, 2009.

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  1. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    I was a hardcore League player for many years, yeah. I guess addiction is a fair word for it. Still play it from time to time.

    Any XCOM players here? I love this franchise (everything from Enemy Unknown and newer, that is. Never played the oldschool stuff).
    I just did a playthrough of Enemy Within for the first time. It adds quite a lot of fun stuff to the base game, which I've rounded several times. Now I'm playing War of the Chosen, which is a huge improvement on XCOM 2, already a brilliant game in its own right. Just a couple of hours in, and I've already seen so much new and amazing stuff. Would've gotten it ages ago if I knew it was this good! After this, I'll be playing Chimera Squad.
     
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  2. Madman

    Madman Life is Sacred Contributor

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    Oh, yes. I remember using some mods that increased the squad size and enemy spawn numbers, and other mods. I trained a squad of something like 8 rangers with swords, and some other classes, then went full melee on the enemy. Fun times.
    I especially like the destructible environments. Wish more games did that.
     
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  3. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

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    I've been playing Napoleon: Total War multiplayer a lot lately. I've never had this much fun in a game, the adrenaline is actually insane. There's something so satisfying about forming up your line units and watching them blast away at each other, haha...

    "Upon my honor, sir, his fusiliers are fording the river!"
    "Quick, unlimber the twelve pound guns and give those devils a whiff of grape."

    I never rhapsodize about video games but I am ecstatic about rediscovering this one. If anyone here happens to own it, PM me.
     
  4. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    I've owned a lot of this series, but not this one yet. I absolutely love the entire total war collection. If you happen to get Warhammer Total War 3 or Medieval Total War 3 let me know. I'm excited for both.
     
  5. Chromewriter

    Chromewriter Contributor Contributor

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    Total war was awesome. I fell in Rome total war in particular because I used to watch this show called time commanders and they would have a family/group of 4 re-enact historical battles with what looked like the Rome total war engine. It looks ridiculous now, but I remember it being so cutting edge at the time haha.

     
  6. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    Oh I sure remember those models. History Channel used to use it.
     
  7. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

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    I'm actually in a multiplayer tournament for that game right now. The players in that scene are so good. I've never made it past the second round.
     
  8. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

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    Highly recommend it. Empire is fun, but I think Napoleon is definitely the better game. I'm a multiplayer guy, though, primarily (except when it comes to Shogun 2--that game is incredible for single player).
     
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  9. Chromewriter

    Chromewriter Contributor Contributor

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    I think there's a certain level of addictive personality to enjoy games like these. I used to play this total war game all the time (I had to hide it from my parents because they didn't like me playing games at all). So I'd end up playing the same game over and over. Nowadays I have a bunch of games i never play, I buy them almost like collectibles and if they don't engage me to complete I never do. But the ones I do play, man, oh, man, I end up being seriously addicted for years on end.
     
  10. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    I see y'all are talking Total War. That series is my jam! Been hooked ever since I played the first Medieval back in the early aughts, and I own almost every game and most major expansions in the series. Not much of a multiplayer guy, though I did play online a bit in Shogun 2 and somewhat more in the Warhammer games. Now and again I think about getting back in that saddle, because systematically oppressing the AI is starting to feel a little comfortable.
     
  11. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    Oppressing the AI is all fun and games until you have a random chance civil war that straight fucks your entire campaign.
     
  12. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    Yeah, the campaigns can definitely throw some curveballs your way.
     
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  13. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

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    Did any of you guys play the newer Total War games? I got the Troy one for free but it was terrible. I heard the Britain one wasn't too great either, but apparently the Three Kingdoms one is quite good. These upcoming ones look cool too, although I never got into the Medieval or Warhammer series. I have Medieval II but I haven't played it much.
     
  14. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    Both the Warhammer ones are very exciting and different, but they lack the historical feel. I've been playing Atilla recently and that one is really cool with the migrating cities. Those mini game ones I wasn't too interested on though, so I skipped Britian, Troy, and Three Kingdoms.
     
  15. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    I think the Warhammer ones are great. I was a huge fan of that setting in my teenage years, and for me this is quite literally a dream come true. I love the huge variety in factions and units. I don't mind the RPG elements, and I like some of the novel campaign mechanics. The addition of magic, flying units, monstrous creatures etc. all serve to mix up the formula. They're wonderful entries into the franchise, though I fully understand that not everyone would be into it.

    As for Three Kingdoms, it's surprisingly good. I only play it in Records Mode, which makes it more realistic and historical—my "Total War with demigods" needs are more than covered by Warhammer II. I'm not sure how I feel about what they've done with the retinue system, where each army consists of several commanders/heroes, each with their own pool of units. Definitely have mixed feelings about that one. I would have liked to see more diversity and personality from the different factions, and a few of them do offer that.
    Aside from that, they made some really great changes to the campaign, especially as far as diplomacy goes. I felt Warhammer was a bit sparse in that regard, and there's a lot more to work with here. The game also performs really, really well; I'm able to crank the settings to pretty much max, and enjoy larger battles than I can in Warhammer, all at a higher and smoother framerate. It's also good to have proper siege battles back. Overall, Three Kingdoms is one of the better TW games in recent times. I don't wanna weigh it against Warhammer, because they are so different, and both excel in different areas. I would say the last clearly superior TW game (in my opinion) was Shogun II.

    ETA: I also didn't like Troy, but I think I read somewhere that it's gotten better since launch.
     
  16. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    You're doing a good job convincing me to buy Three Kingdoms.
     
  17. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    Well, I did work in (close adjacency to people who worked with) avertising and sales :D
     
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  18. Norah Sterling

    Norah Sterling Member

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    I'm currently playing Octopath Traveler on the Switch. It came out a few years ago, but I just started it a little over a month ago. I'm surprised how much I like it! Usually it takes me some time to get into a game, but I've been playing it pretty consistently since I started. Great RPG and likable characters; the story and gameplay can be a little repetitive but honestly doesn't detract from my enjoyment.
     
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  19. Midlife Maniac

    Midlife Maniac Active Member

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    I’m glad you like it! I tried to get into the story, but just couldn’t immerse myself. The old school game play was good though
     
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  20. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    Had my eye on that, a little bit. Seems pretty retro, in a good way. Might give it a shot someday.


    I've been playing all kinds of different stuff lately. Detroit: Become Human is a game I missed on release but that I've always been interested in. It looks gorgeous, has (a) captivating and emotional story/stories, social commentary with a piquant philosophical seasoning, and is a flavor of Sci-Fi I really like. Not too far into it yet, but I'm expecting the different plots to intersect at some point. There isn't much to say about the gameplay, as it plays more like an interactive movie, but sometimes that's exactly what you want.

    After finishing the modern XCOM games, I was in the mood for more similar fare—that is, anything which combines tactical combat with strategic management, and squads/parties of dudes that can and will die, something light on narrative that I can embroider my own stories on top of. Roguelike elements optional but welcome. Wildermyth is one of those games I picked up, and it's pretty damn peculiar. It kind of... procedurally generates a story for you, based on the characters you create and the choices you make? Okay, I'm down with that. If Detroit: Become Human is a movie incarnated in video game form, then Wildermyth is certainly a playable book. That's kind of the whole framing device. It doesn't just provide the experience of reading a book, but writing one. Very interesting find, and I'm sure I'll spend lots of time with it.

    I've put everything else on hold to play Darkest Dungeon II, which recently saw an Early Access release. The original is a favorite of mine, and this is an interesting evolution of that formula. Being EA it's a little rough, such as placeholder text popping in, but I haven't seen any actual bugs or glitches yet. I'm in love with the art style and atmosphere of this, and the grueling, punishing gameplay appeals to the masocist in me.

    Also playing more League of Legends than I probably should, but at least I'm playing with friends. That counts as socializing, right?
     
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  21. EFMingo

    EFMingo A Modern Dinosaur Supporter Contributor

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    Anybody here use emulators on your phones or tablets? I've been playing Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 from the DS on my emulator as a ROM and it's been a fairly enjoyable experience so far. Like Pokémon in many ways, but has its own feel to it and a bit more worldliness to it. Not a fan of the Dragonball hairstyles, but I know that's just the artist (guess which animes he worked on...). Still, a nice time burner between jobs and on down time. I like the emulators best because you can save on literally any screen or at any time. Just ends those silly save frustrations.
     
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  22. Friedrich Kugelschreiber

    Friedrich Kugelschreiber marshmallow Contributor

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    I recently bought all the CK2 dlc, very cool. anyone play that game?
     
  23. OurJud

    OurJud Contributor Contributor

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    I once went to the trouble of installing one on my PC so I could play the original top-down GTA, but it was a pain in the arse trying Tobias mouse and keyboard.
     
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  24. Chromewriter

    Chromewriter Contributor Contributor

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    I downloaded this game called toon town, they had a soft pay wall system so I couldn't progress when I was a broke kid with no money. I just wanted to see how it's going now, but when I started playing one of the quests was to make a friend and no one online will accept friend request LOL.

    Funny I still can't progress even when it's a free server based game.
     
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  25. Night Herald

    Night Herald The Fool Contributor

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    I bought the Mass Effect Legendary Edition as a Christmas present for myself. Mass Effect is one of those big releases that I missed or skipped. This pack contains the original trilogy plus all DLC, apparently. Quite the bargain, I guess, and it is nice to get the improved graphics and stuff.

    I've been playing mostly "small" and/or "endless" games lately. By that I generally mean indie titles and sundry low budget stuff with any combination of: simple graphics, unambitious scope, reliance on procedural generation, focus on replayabilty or run-based mechanics, sandbox stuff, minimal narrative, or competitive online stuff. A few have been very beautiful and highly polished, even artistic games, although they operated with smaller scopes, relative linearity, and short runtime.

    Nothing whatsoever wrong with any of that, but I was just about good and ready for a whopping huge, snazzy, epic and cinematic adventure odyssey to really sink my teeth and brain into. Mass Effect checks a lot of boxes for me. For one thing it's the Sci-Fi cousin of my old favorite Dragon Age, so that's an immediate raised eyebrow. It seems to have deep and broad world building, tons of actual world(s) to explore, bunches of characters, and much freedom of choice. The gameplay is, I don't know, it could be fun. I expect it gets better once I'm out of the tutorial zone, unlock some skills, and start getting comfortable with how it all operates. Plus, I guess the first game might feel a bit clunky because of its age. But gameplay isn't what I'm really after here. It's about the journey.

    I'm liable to love most things centered on a spaceship and its crew. It's my not-very-secret dream to be a Space Cowboy™. And I do so adore that thing where your save carries over from game to game. I don't rightly know what it's called in industry parlance, but Dragon Age did it, and The Witcher, and I'm sure there are other examples. With there being three games, I'll be set for a good long while. I've seen some strong writing and fascinating things already. The story hook is... Okay. I guess I'll get more invested when the whys and wherefores start to get embroidered, and I have established real connections with these characters. But even now I've a powerful urge to explore this setting thoroughly and plunder its riches. I'm talking lore riches, in the main, but I'm not about to turn my nose up at some shiny loot either.

    And I've started to feel a real attraction to Sci-Fi as a genre, again. Specifically Space Opera stuff. I have the rest of the year off and then some, with only a small amount of social commitments on the calendar. I'm well stocked up on all essentials and luxuries, so I barely have to leave the house. I do wish I had played this back when it was all fresh and mysterious, before I chanced to absorb certain story and world elements (among them the ending) through osmosis, but I will conceded that this might be the optimal time for it. Or, well, one optimal slice of time, anyway. There have been others in the past, but they were usurped by other games. No regrets!
     
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