Currently Playing in 2020...

Been playing Bastion on the PC and Call of Duty: World War on the PS4.

Been quite enjoying both of them to be fair. It's my first CoD in since Advanced Warfare and the setting is really doing it for me, finding it much more enjoyable than my last CoD outing. My PS4 sounds like an aeroplane engine when I play it though and today I finally gave in and put on my headphones whilst I played... HOLY gooseberry fool does that make the game more enjoyable. I only ever used them before when my Mrs was napping in the living room so never really paid much attention to the sound quality, but it blew me away today and i'll be playing the rest of the game that way going forward without a doubt.

OrangeRKN wrote::lol:

Nearly finished the game now, have about 5 regions left and the final of the three main missions to do. Fun but 2 is definitely still the best

I've completed all but one region now, and i'm pretty sure that's the final mission.

Kerbal Space Program.

I don't know what I'm doing, I can't get parachutes to deploy consistently and none of my launches generate science and I don't know why.

Also, I don't think I'll manage to do anything more advanced than launching into a stable orbit with an onscreen keyboard, unless there's an autopilot mod or something.

Rakoon thought he could sneak in and beat my wingsuit feat scores.

This issue has now been dealt with.

Well, Goddamn ouch. With the tease of a new Test Drive Unlimited coming soon, I wanted to get onto the second game and have a play around. I forgot that this game seems to hate PCs. I don't even know what that performance was, but it was absolutely terrible to look at.

Vermilion wrote:Rakoon thought he could sneak in and beat my wingsuit feat scores.

This issue has now been dealt with.

Some of them are absolutely just "how long are you willing to spend doing this" which makes the competition increasingly drawn out

I'm still making my way through the Master Chief Collection.

I finished Halo 3 on Tuesday night. If you'd asked me before I played it if I remembered much about the campaign I would have said yes. Turns out, aside from the early earth levels and the overall Cortana storyline I really didn't remember much.

It's a good game, but I prefer Halo 1 and Halo 2 overall. The earth levels and scarab battles are the highlights of the game. However, the later levels are a real drag. The 'Cortana' level in particular is just absolutely dire. I also think they could (should) have done something diffferent with the final escape, since it just felt like poor mans Halo 1 with more unpredictable terrain for the sake of it. A good conclusion to the story, but the weakest out of the original trilogy for me.

Playing the original trilogy back-to-back made me realise that while the Flood were obviously a key part of the original trilogy, they were also the most annoying part of the games due to their design. Millions of little pod things combined with larger enemies that can jump crazy distances, one-shot you, use guns and come back to life is not fun. For me, anyway.

I hadn't played Halo Reach before and I was pretty hesistant to do so to be honest. The idea of a non-Master Chief Halo game didn't sit well with me. Well, I'm happy to admit I was completely wrong and it really is fantastic. The weapons, vehicle controls and level design/variation are all fantastic. Equipment is also implemented in a far superior way than Halo 3. If I had to be really nitpicky and point out one fault, it's that it's missing the iconic Halo music. Dont' get me wrong the soundtrack is great, I just miss the iconic themes. I think I am a couple of levels away from the end, but if it sticks the landing, then it's head and shoulders above the rest.

Opinions are gonna opinion and while I agree that the Cortana level is not among the greatest of halo levels, I still think Halo 3's campaign is head and shoulders above the rest, easily so. Reach is great but doesn't 'feel' like a Halo game at times. ODST (chronologically set between Halo 2 and 3) is a strange concept but it works, very well. ODST's own soundtrack also rivals the original trilogy with it's noire tones and it's own triumphalist orchestral highs. I like all the halo's but if pushed, for me it would be.

Halo 3>1>ODST>Reach>2>4>5

Halo 4's story is great but the promethean enemies aren't fun to fight. 5's story is a giant miss step that looks to be rectified with Infinite.

Oh yeah there is definitely not a one-size-fits-all opinion because people will put more emphasis on parts of the game that other people don't. They all have their weak sections, but I guess it's how you quantify them.

Halo 1 is a way more basic game going back to it now. However, the music and the outdoor levels are some of the best. Plus nostalgia is a huge factor. But then I conveniently forget about how frustrating it could be on those occassions where you spend 30 minutes looking for a door hidden behind a grey pillar etc. because the navigation is hit or miss. The indoor levels are also repetitive.

Halo 2 has the best mix of story and combat for me. The Arbiter levels were a bit forgettable, but the overall variety in level design and combat trumped Halo 1. Plus, to be honest, I think the fact that the graphics and sound were so good during my Anniversary playthough helps it as well.

Halo 3 probably has the best combat overall and is probably tied with 2 in terms of story, but I wasn't a fan of the last couple of levels at all. However, even though it looks way more dated than the other two (now), it definitely held it's own both because of the art direction, music and combat. I think if it had the anniversary treatment - and as much as I don't want to admit it - the 'wow' factor would probably overcome some of the more negative parts.

So if I was objectively ranking the games on all aspects just now it probably would be Halo 3 > Halo 2 > Halo 1. However, taking everything into consideration (including nostalia and flashy graphics of the Anniversary editions), I would have to say Halo 1 > Halo 2 > Halo 3. I think the fact that (unlike 1 & 2) I never played Halo 3 to death when it was current - and completely neglected the multiplayer - is a big factor too.

I actually started playing Halo 4 before I realised I should give Halo Reach a playthrough. I only played it for about 10 minutes before heading to bed, but my initial thoughts were that although it's very pretty, the fact that the grunts don't speak English was ... odd. The grenades also felt different somehow. It's also a bit odd that you are suddenly fighting elites again so suddenly without much explanation. Those are just very first impressions though.

It's sad to hear the actual Halo 5 story was a big mis-step. I'd heard people complain that the actual campaign gameplay seemed to be designed with co-op in mind, and as a result, some parts are very frustrating when playing solo (i.e. enemies similar to Hunters, but harder to kill). If the gameplay and story is a mistep - and the new one might retcon it - is it still worth playing?

Photek wrote:Opinions are gonna opinion and while I agree that the Cortana level is not among the greatest of halo levels, I still think Halo 3's campaign is head and shoulders above the rest, easily so. Reach is great but doesn't 'feel' like a Halo game at times. ODST (chronologically set between Halo 2 and 3) is a strange concept but it works, very well. ODST's own soundtrack also rivals the original trilogy with it's noire tones and it's own triumphalist orchestral highs. I like all the halo's but if pushed, for me it would be.

Halo 3>1>ODST>Reach>2>4>5

Halo 4's story is great but the promethean enemies aren't fun to fight. 5's story is a giant miss step that looks to be rectified with Infinite.

Still not played 4 or 5 so can't place them myself but otherwise I would agree with this ranking. Going on pure nostalgia and memories of the time playing it with mates I would put 1 above 3 but assessing them objectively I agree that 3 is the best

JT986M2 wrote:It's sad to hear the actual Halo 5 story was a big mis-step. I'd heard people complain that the actual campaign gameplay seemed to be designed with co-op in mind, and as a result, some parts are very frustrating when playing solo (i.e. enemies similar to Hunters, but harder to kill). If the gameplay and story is a mistep - and the new one might retcon it - is it still worth playing?

It's an interesting question tbh.

Current rumours are the main protagonist of Halo 5 (small spoiler alert - it's not the MasterChief) Locke is now dead (you switch between lock and MC like Halo 2). Also Infinite is set 2-3 years after the end of Halo 5. With all of that said, Halo 4 is the start of a 'new trilogy', so I'd say, to have any idea of what is going on and why, I'd play Halo 5. Halo 4 is vastly superior to 5 imo so you'll enjoy it and yes it's gorgeous to look at. 5, does have it's high points, you get to visit the Elite home world of Sanghelious and that level alone is among the best the entire series has to offer imo. There's also a very enjoyable set piece towards the end that I won't spoil but it's spectacular looking.

Halo 6's original campaign (and thus the original end to the trilogy) was thrown aside after the reviews and community didn't like Halo 5's story. 5's writer, and producer were also essentially fired by 343i and they rebuilt Infinite from scratch. Nobody knows what Infinite's story is, but, going by it's trailers, it's at least set in the world the end of Halo 5 sets up. Word is, Infinite will be a more intimate MC story as he traverses a single Halo (installation 07 this time) with no 'level's as such just one continuous game ala Half-life 2 or God of War with apparently a single shot used throughout (no switching camera in cutscenes, the camera will move outside your helmet during cutscene then go back in after...)

TLDR - Yes play Halo 5 to understand the story going into Infinite.

I've just realised shortening Master Chief to MC is the same abbreviation as for "main character". I see this as much more of a revelation than I should

Picked up a copy of Rock Band 3 on the DS and actually it's a pretty faithful to the Wii version, with similar menu's and venus. Whilst the gameplay has been changed up a bit seeing you swapping between instruments which is cool. Shame the tracklist is a bit on the small side, but the ones that are here are pretty great, shame there's no Walk of Life, Power of Love or Imagine from the consoles versions.

Photek wrote:

JT986M2 wrote:It's sad to hear the actual Halo 5 story was a big mis-step. I'd heard people complain that the actual campaign gameplay seemed to be designed with co-op in mind, and as a result, some parts are very frustrating when playing solo (i.e. enemies similar to Hunters, but harder to kill). If the gameplay and story is a mistep - and the new one might retcon it - is it still worth playing?

It's an interesting question tbh.

Current rumours are the main protagonist of Halo 5 (small spoiler alert - it's not the MasterChief) Locke is now dead (you switch between lock and MC like Halo 2). Also Infinite is set 2-3 years after the end of Halo 5. With all of that said, Halo 4 is the start of a 'new trilogy', so I'd say, to have any idea of what is going on and why, I'd play Halo 5. Halo 4 is vastly superior to 5 imo so you'll enjoy it and yes it's gorgeous to look at. 5, does have it's high points, you get to visit the Elite home world of Sanghelious and that level alone is among the best the entire series has to offer imo. There's also a very enjoyable set piece towards the end that I won't spoil but it's spectacular looking.

Halo 6's original campaign (and thus the original end to the trilogy) was thrown aside after the reviews and community didn't like Halo 5's story. 5's writer, and producer were also essentially fired by 343i and they rebuilt Infinite from scratch. Nobody knows what Infinite's story is, but, going by it's trailers, it's at least set in the world the end of Halo 5 sets up. Word is, Infinite will be a more intimate MC story as he traverses a single Halo (installation 07 this time) with no 'level's as such just one continuous game ala Half-life 2 or God of War with apparently a single shot used throughout (no switching camera in cutscenes, the camera will move outside your helmet during cutscene then go back in after...)

TLDR - Yes play Halo 5 to understand the story going into Infinite.

Thanks for that. I'll likely pick up Halo 5 for some Halo multiplayer antics anyway once I finish Halo 4, and just go into the campaign with low expectations that can (hopefully!) only be exceeded

Ironhide wrote:Kerbal Space Program.

I don't know what I'm doing, I can't get parachutes to deploy consistently and none of my launches generate science and I don't know why.

Also, I don't think I'll manage to do anything more advanced than launching into a stable orbit with an onscreen keyboard, unless there's an autopilot mod or something.

I managed to launch a shuttle into a stable orbit, but I had no idea how I did that. My brother was amazing at this game. He travelled far out into the solar system after a lot of trial and error.

Squinty wrote:

Ironhide wrote:Kerbal Space Program.

I don't know what I'm doing, I can't get parachutes to deploy consistently and none of my launches generate science and I don't know why.

Also, I don't think I'll manage to do anything more advanced than launching into a stable orbit with an onscreen keyboard, unless there's an autopilot mod or something.

I managed to launch a shuttle into a stable orbit, but I had no idea how I did that. My brother was amazing at this game. He travelled far out into the solar system after a lot of trial and error.

Having seen it done using an autopilot mod (mechjeb) I think that's definitely the only way I'm going to manage it, and even then it's not just a case of letting the game control itself as you still have to work out the trajectories and timing of everything.

Ironhide wrote:

Squinty wrote:

Ironhide wrote:Kerbal Space Program.

I don't know what I'm doing, I can't get parachutes to deploy consistently and none of my launches generate science and I don't know why.

Also, I don't think I'll manage to do anything more advanced than launching into a stable orbit with an onscreen keyboard, unless there's an autopilot mod or something.

I managed to launch a shuttle into a stable orbit, but I had no idea how I did that. My brother was amazing at this game. He travelled far out into the solar system after a lot of trial and error.

Having seen it done using an autopilot mod (mechjeb) I think that's definitely the only way I'm going to manage it, and even then it's not just a case of letting the game control itself as you still have to work out the trajectories and timing of everything.

The timing and trajectories were the difficult part for me, and it was probably the reason why I quit playing it. I was terrible at it.

Jenuall wrote:

Photek wrote:Opinions are gonna opinion and while I agree that the Cortana level is not among the greatest of halo levels, I still think Halo 3's campaign is head and shoulders above the rest, easily so. Reach is great but doesn't 'feel' like a Halo game at times. ODST (chronologically set between Halo 2 and 3) is a strange concept but it works, very well. ODST's own soundtrack also rivals the original trilogy with it's noire tones and it's own triumphalist orchestral highs. I like all the halo's but if pushed, for me it would be.

Halo 3>1>ODST>Reach>2>4>5

Halo 4's story is great but the promethean enemies aren't fun to fight. 5's story is a giant miss step that looks to be rectified with Infinite.

Still not played 4 or 5 so can't place them myself but otherwise I would agree with this ranking. Going on pure nostalgia and memories of the time playing it with mates I would put 1 above 3 but assessing them objectively I agree that 3 is the best

I think I'd put 1 above 3 purely because of the Cortana level. If you haven't played that on legendary you don't know what real pain is.

I think I prefer 5 to 4.

Got back into Yakuza 0, it's story is genuinely amazing and I'm loving the japanese original voices. I can't imagine playing a 'dubbed' version as it just fits with the Tokyo aesthetic. The eccentricities lend it a uniqure flare that I really love but I understand it's somewhat of a marmite feature for some.

Photek wrote:Got back into Yakuza 0, it's story is genuinely amazing and I'm loving the japanese original voices. I can't imagine playing a 'dubbed' version as it just fits with the Tokyo aesthetic. The eccentricities lend it a uniqure flare that I really love but I understand it's somewhat of a marmite feature for some.

I've no idea what they're saying in this, (no CC,) but it's a cool interview with several voice actors from 0, and it feels so weird seeing the guy who plays Kuze actually talk like that in real life. The voice is that of an overtop cartoon villain, but that's actually just how he speaks.

The guy who plays Awano looks like great fun, too.