Currently Playing chat thread

[Jazzem]

Baten Kaitos HD. Got the collection in a Game closing down sale.

I'm not too far into it and I've never really played a game with a card-based battle system, but thankfully it didn't take me long to understand it and click with it. It's pretty fun and I like throwing in bananas as part of a combo.

[BOR]

I'm currently playing Deliver Us Mars.

It's not too bad so far, but I think I preferred the previous one. Deliver Us The Moon.

[Kriken]

Baten Kaitos HD. Got the collection in a Game closing down sale.

I'm not too far into it and I've never really played a game with a card-based battle system, but thankfully it didn't take me long to understand it and click with it. It's pretty fun and I like throwing in bananas as part of a combo.

Funnily enough Diddy was a character I never really bothered with.

[Squinty]

Stuck on Super Mega Zero on Switch. This game is great so far. 1 bit aesthetic platformer with good level design and shmup segments. I'm on World 6.

[BOR]

I'm currently playing Deliver Us Mars.

It's not too bad so far, but I think I preferred the previous one. Deliver Us The Moon.

Completed.

I thought the narrative was strong and pretty good, but there were a couple of frustrating moments with climbing.

I expect there will be... Deliver Us The Earth as a sequel.

[Holpil]

Playing FFX...
...It leaves PS Plus in a few days

Well I failed, I couldn't finish it in time. I made it to Jecht and had a good crack at him, got him down to about mid-HP in his second phase, but then I started running through my Overdrives which damaged the Yu Pagodas. Once they came back, it through the whole flow of the fight out of whack and he got a run of 3x attacks that finished off my party.

I will probably just buy a disc copy for the sake of finishing the game. I never really did much grinding - or had much trouble with the game until this point. So it'll be a good excuse to do all of the end-game stuff and there seems to be a lot of it.

I'm also now playing Xenogears, emulated on Steam Deck. A couple of hours in, I'm very impressed with everything about it so far.

[Roonmastor]

Terra Invicta:

Imagine playing XCOM, but instead of playing as the Commander, you play as the shadowy council instead, trying to gain power and influence to aid the resistance against the alien invasion. The game has an awful UI, but once you get your head around it, this game just hooks you in with it's creeping fear, constant set backs and freeform personal objective setting. Managing your ability to defend the Earth against bringing too much attention from the overwhelming alien forces is an art. The competing earth factions vying for power in different territories trying to achieve their goals, and the veil slowly being lifted on the threat you are facing and how you may overcome it.

You play this game just as much when you aren't in front of your PC, running scenarios and schemes through your head. What is the next objective I'm setting myself, how to achieve it, how to overcome that recent setback.

I'm only halfway through my game at the moment (I'm guessing), having got this far in my first campaign and finally deciding that I was on a slow bleed to losing. But the way the game works means this playthrough has been quite different from the last one.

Strong recommend for anyone who would like an XCOM themed Grand Strategy game.

[Vermilion]

Still on the big side quest of Infinite Wealth, now i have Sujimon working for me on various projects.

[kazanova_Frankenstein]

Working my way through Pikmin 4 (seems huge and really fun but kind of lacking in any real push back - why even is there a time limit if you can take an unlimited number of days?), Harold Halibut (boring but I have played too far to stop now) and Gamedec (decent enough narrative driven CRPG).

[Zilnad]

Terra Invicta:

Imagine playing XCOM, but instead of playing as the Commander, you play as the shadowy council instead, trying to gain power and influence to aid the resistance against the alien invasion. The game has an awful UI, but once you get your head around it, this game just hooks you in with it's creeping fear, constant set backs and freeform personal objective setting. Managing your ability to defend the Earth against bringing too much attention from the overwhelming alien forces is an art. The competing earth factions vying for power in different territories trying to achieve their goals, and the veil slowly being lifted on the threat you are facing and how you may overcome it.

You play this game just as much when you aren't in front of your PC, running scenarios and schemes through your head. What is the next objective I'm setting myself, how to achieve it, how to overcome that recent setback.

I'm only halfway through my game at the moment (I'm guessing), having got this far in my first campaign and finally deciding that I was on a slow bleed to losing. But the way the game works means this playthrough has been quite different from the last one.

Strong recommend for anyone who would like an XCOM themed Grand Strategy game.

The devs were the team that made XCOM's Long War mod! It's on my list of games to go back to. Played about 7 hours on release and it seemed really great.

[Roonmastor]

That explains a lot!

[Ironhide]

Chrono Ark - possibly my new favourite deckbuilding roguelite, plays like Slay the Spire would if it was a JRPG.

[Vermilion]

40 hours into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth now, still on chapter 6 but have just completed the big side quest at last!

[Mockmaster]

Robocop
Kings quest
Lil gator game
Children of the sun
Snuffkin: Melody of Moominvalley
Facade
Harold Halibut
Roadwarden
System Shock
Animal Well
Little Kitty in Big City
An English Haunting
Crow Country
Cryptmaster
Kona
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Lorelei and the laser eyes
Indika

[Godzilla]

Monster Hunter Rise - PS5 - Finally got the armour and weapon I wanted, now to spend ages farming and crafting decorations.

Paper Mario - Switch - just started this, really charming and looks amazing.

[Knoyleo]

The Exit 8

Had this on my wishlist for a while, then saw Jacob Geller had done a video on it, so decided I had to play it now before I watched that and spoiled it.

It's fun. For what is essentially a memory game, it's also a very effective horror game. The mundane setting really lends itself to the feeling of unease you get every time you turn a corner and spot a new anomaly, that then feeds into an even more tense feeling as you round the corner yet again and can't spot an anomaly, but search in detail for one. I've had more than a few instances where I've scoured for a change, have been sure there isn't one, only to head on to discover I must have missed something. I'm yet to complete the game and make it to exit 8, so still have a few more anomalies to spot. Put about an hour in and it flew by. Looking forward to finishing this off next time round.

And complete! An excellent little game for an hour's play (Steam says 67 minutes to complete with all anomalies found) and it's impressive how tense it becomes as you get closer to your goal, worrying about winding up back at square 1. Looking forward to the sequel that's on the way.

Played and finished the follow up to this, Platform 8

It's more of a puzzle game (loosely) than the memory game that Exit 8 was, as progress isn't gated behind spotting hidden anomalies, but instead in navigating past them. As a result, a lot of anomalies are much more obvious, but also much more likely to harm you to send you back to the start. It feels like a more conventional jump scare horror game as a result, rather than the surreal creeping unease of Exit 8. When there are "hidden" anomalies, there's actually a sign on the door to progress to the next carriage that tells you not to progress until they've been found and then disappeared. In fact most have some instructions in the level that tell you what to do to progress. It feels like the maker was worried about people not necessarily understanding how to progress in a set up more complex than "turn around if something's different," and so it just instructs you throughout. Exit at least felt like it left you to discover the anomalies on your own without guidance, while this is far more guided.

All this means the game is much shorter and easier to complete. I reached the end, still with lots of anomalies unseen.

It was still enjoyable, though, and while the change in gameplay makes it feel different in style to the predecessor, it's still infinitely preferable to a repeat of the exact same game in a reskinned environment.

[Vermilion]

70 hours into Infinite Wealth, i'm on chapter 11 and i've just completed the third stage of the Honolulu underground dungeon.

[JediDragon05]

Enjoyed the TV show so bought (about £13.99 for the G.O.T.Y edition) & started Started Fallout 4.

Already poisoned myself by jumping into a river trying to get across & not realising there’s a bridge further along
Think it said I can heal with a radpac or something.

Just about to start Alien Isolation in prep for Romulus.

[Kriken]

A couple of hours into Fate/Samurai Remnant (PC). Quite liking it so far.

I like this franchise and I've been wanting an action/adventure oriented entry like this, even if this isn't quite the setting I had in mind.

It's by the devs who normally make the Dynasty Warriors games and equivalents for other series like Hyrule Warriors and Persona Strikers, which I don't have much interest in, but Fate/Samurai is more of a traditional action-rpg with with big towns you can explore and talk to NPCs, and combat mostly taking place in small areas of it as part of the story/side quests. The combat is a bit Warriors-like but with more of a focus on dodging and being tactical.

[kazanova_Frankenstein]

Close to wrapping up Astrologaster. Its so good. Some of the voice acting I have ever witnessed. I love little games like this.

Also playing Like a Dragon Ishin!, which is proving to be just as compelling as every other Yakuza game. Which is to say very.