Currently Playing in 2021

Zilnad wrote:

Jenuall wrote:I'm playing too many games at the moment. Or more accurately I'm not really playing any of them but dipping in and out and not really properly enjoying or appreciating any of them.

I don't seem to be able to find anything that really grabs me at the moment

Have you tried stepping away from video games for a week and enjoying other hobbies? You might get a yearning for something in particular if you have a bit of a break.

Yeah I've been thinking about doing this, I've taken that approach in the past and it has been useful.

I think my biggest problem is the old sunk cost fallacy - I've got myself to the point where I have given hours of my time to a whole selection of games and feel some weight of expectation to finish them off otherwise that commitment will have been "wasted". I just need to cut some of the games I've got on the go loose and accept that it's okay to ditch them rather than stick it out when it's not really doing it for me!

I suffer with that a bit. For example, I've had my fill of Persona 5 (about 90 hours) but I'm going to push on for another 20 hours to see the ending just so I can mentally process it as finished.

I have really enjoyed it but the relief I'm going to feel when it's done and I can play other games is going to be immense.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD: PS4

Man, playing this in 2021 sure is a thing.

Just started a New Game+ on Arkham Knight. I had forgotten just how polished and fun this series was. Playing on NG+, the combat is a bit of a step up which is nice. Plus I had 100% the original game before the DLC came out, so I've got extra missions to play through which is nice.

It really makes me wish we'd had another Rocksteady game since though, it's been so long. I know that in general we moan about game franchises getting milked, but I'd take a new Arkham game every 4/5 years no question.

Playing Persona 5 Royal with the plan to finish it before Strikers comes out.

I completed the OG Persona 5 when it came out, so this is feeling a bit repetitive and less exciting, but still enjoying it. I'm about to face the 5th palace.

Playing Strider 2013. I must have got this via a Humble Bundle. Good game so far. The plot is barebones, and I kinda like that. Action is snappy and it runs well on my crap pc.

Still going with Cyber Shadow but can't say I'm enjoying. Compared to the fluidity of The Messenger, this is so so slow and fiddly.

It doesn't help that the game has limited itself to two buttons with added directional inputs, so with the Pro Controller d-pad, it's all too common to down-strike your way to doom.

I am really brute forcing my way through each checkpoint with 10-20 deaths every time. My hands ache.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XSX) - this game is absolutely fantastic. About 5 hours in and it just gets better and better. The animation is brilliant, art style is just story is heartfelt and the feeling of control is spot on. The only bit I didn't like was a chase sequence which I had to repeat thrifty billion times. I didn't play a huge amount of Ori 1 so maybe its the same with regards abilities but I've haven't played a platformer as good as this since Guacamelee.

Resident Evil 3

This time on Nightmare difficulty. The added zombies are a fun change but Nemesis is now just an annoying twat. I think I'll only play this difficulty the once for the trophy.

The Outer Worlds

Started this today. I'm only two hours in so it hasn't quite sucked me in yet but I'm hoping it will. I'm really enjoying the writing and the dialogue game but the combat and stealth feel a bit gooseberry fool and the game looks like absolute arse.

Desperados 3. It’s really good, but I am terrible at strategy / tactics games. Will persevered, but I feel this is taking me 10 times longer to progress than it should. Story and VA seem top notch, and it’s relief that the quick load and save is so quick. I do wish there was a button to just quick load your most recent save though, going in to the menu so frequently is a bit frustrating.

Rex Kramer wrote:Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XSX) - this game is absolutely fantastic. About 5 hours in and it just gets better and better. The animation is brilliant, art style is just story is heartfelt and the feeling of control is spot on. The only bit I didn't like was a chase sequence which I had to repeat thrifty billion times. I didn't play a huge amount of Ori 1 so maybe its the same with regards abilities but I've haven't played a platformer as good as this since Guacamelee.

Just started this today. Coming off a few unimpressive hours of Bloodstained and a load of brow-beating Cyber Shadow, this is a world apart. So fluid, so rewarding, so beautiful. I haven't been this absorbed in a game in a long time.

Hotline Miami 2
Hmm. Quite close to giving up on this I think. The music's fantastic, and the core gameplay is still enjoyable, but there are lots of things that drag it down and make it tedious to play. Mainly it's the fact that the levels are so big. I just don't have the time or patience for it. Completing one floor might take 10, 20, 30 attempts, and then there's another floor after that, and then another floor, with no option to save in between. Generally I hate re-doing stuff I've already done in a game, but I recognise that's part of the mechanics of Hotline Miami with its trial and error gameplay and learning how the levels are laid out and the best approach. But when they're so long, and you're constantly restarting and retrying, and you're getting shot by people off-screen, and a dog comes flying out of nowhere and kills you instantly, and you can't pick up ammo for some reason without switching guns...it's just saps all the fun. If I could save between floors, or the levels were shorter, I wouldn't mind, but sadly that's not the case. The plot's a mess too - I've got no idea what's going on. And the graphics are still ugly as hell.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
It's so good. A few more gripes have reared their heads, but 95% of what's here is very good, and some aspects of it are excellent. On several occasions now I've been absorbed in the game for 3-5 hours at a time. Looking forward to playing some more of it tonight.

Lotus wrote:Hotline Miami 2
Hmm. Quite close to giving up on this I think. The music's fantastic, and the core gameplay is still enjoyable, but there are lots of things that drag it down and make it tedious to play. Mainly it's the fact that the levels are so big. I just don't have the time or patience for it. Completing one floor might take 10, 20, 30 attempts, and then there's another floor after that, and then another floor, with no option to save in between. Generally I hate re-doing stuff I've already done in a game, but I recognise that's part of the mechanics of Hotline Miami with its trial and error gameplay and learning how the levels are laid out and the best approach. But when they're so long, and you're constantly restarting and retrying, and you're getting shot by people off-screen, and a dog comes flying out of nowhere and kills you instantly, and you can't pick up ammo for some reason without switching guns...it's just saps all the fun. If I could save between floors, or the levels were shorter, I wouldn't mind, but sadly that's not the case. The plot's a mess too - I've got no idea what's going on. And the graphics are still ugly as hell.

Finished this recently, and at one point, yeah, I almost gave up. The levels are too damn big. It's like they didn't listen about the complaints regarding the first one. The plot is kind of a mess. I had to watch a Youtube video to make sense of it. It's all out of sequence to be clever, but it's completely non decipherable if you aren't really (really) paying attention to the dates events happen. I enjoyed it overall saying that. And the music is amazing.

And yeah Deus Ex HR on a stealth hacker playthrough is just

Playing through Shadowrun Returns. I like it. Never really played anything in this genre before.

Finally got round to starting Age of Calamity.

Oh my, I love it. The gameplay is simple but addictive and satisfying and the return to BOTW's Hyrule and characters is so nice

Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night. Started a new save and at currently 99.30%. It's s bit obtuse in its route through the main game but it's a fantastic experience. Much harder than I remembered.

I finished Onimusha this afternoon and started plying Dragon’s Crown which I picked up in the current PSN sale. Seems fun thus far and it looks bloody lovely but I hear it can get a bit repetitive as it progresses as you revisit the same locations quite a lot.

Squinty wrote:

Lotus wrote:Hotline Miami 2
Hmm. Quite close to giving up on this I think. The music's fantastic, and the core gameplay is still enjoyable, but there are lots of things that drag it down and make it tedious to play. Mainly it's the fact that the levels are so big. I just don't have the time or patience for it. Completing one floor might take 10, 20, 30 attempts, and then there's another floor after that, and then another floor, with no option to save in between. Generally I hate re-doing stuff I've already done in a game, but I recognise that's part of the mechanics of Hotline Miami with its trial and error gameplay and learning how the levels are laid out and the best approach. But when they're so long, and you're constantly restarting and retrying, and you're getting shot by people off-screen, and a dog comes flying out of nowhere and kills you instantly, and you can't pick up ammo for some reason without switching guns...it's just saps all the fun. If I could save between floors, or the levels were shorter, I wouldn't mind, but sadly that's not the case. The plot's a mess too - I've got no idea what's going on. And the graphics are still ugly as hell.

Finished this recently, and at one point, yeah, I almost gave up. The levels are too damn big. It's like they didn't listen about the complaints regarding the first one. The plot is kind of a mess. I had to watch a Youtube video to make sense of it. It's all out of sequence to be clever, but it's completely non decipherable if you aren't really (really) paying attention to the dates events happen. I enjoyed it overall saying that. And the music is amazing.

I might look online to see if there are tips on how to get through the level I'm stuck on, otherwise I'll probably call it a day. Don't have the time and patience for gooseberry fool like this these days.

Squinty wrote:Playing through Shadowrun Returns. I like it. Never really played anything in this genre before.

What's it like? I have it in my Steam library but am yet to get around to it.

Shadowrun Returns gets a big recommendation from me. And you should listen to me because I also gave up on Hotline Miami 2

Shadowrun Returns is one game I've always meant to clear from my backlog and never found the time

Cumberdanes wrote:I finished Onimusha this afternoon and started plying Dragon’s Crown which I picked up in the current PSN sale. Seems fun thus far and it looks bloody lovely but I hear it can get a bit repetitive as it progresses as you revisit the same locations quite a lot.

Ooh, interested to hear how you get on, as I was considering getting Dragon's Crown myself. I loved Muramasa, so this (and Odin Sphere) have been on my wishlist for a while.