Gaming thoughts, bite-size chewables - new orange flavor!

[Apteris]

That can't be from a LAN party, there are not nearly enough gamers duct-taped to the ceiling.

---

In a recent outburst of tidying-up-fever, I have uninstalled all games from my PC except for two: Far Cry 6, which I'm currently playing, and The Witcher, which I started anew 18 months ago so I can play it with the benefit of now having read the books.

I'm pretty happy with my decision so far. I'm making progress on the games I have, rather than staring at the Steam screen wondering what to pick.

 

[Diabolical]

Just finished up Halo Wars - Definitive Edition. That was, in fact, a game.

Anyway! I played the demo for Metal: Hellsinger. I love the idea, and it looks awesome and fun and controls well and everything. But I am a stereotypical white guy who can not find a rhythm to save his life, so I SUUUUUCK at this game . Oh well! It will be an awesome experience for someone, just not for me.

I think it's time to get back into and finish up Shovel Knight.

 

[U-99]

And you look at Japan where sex is both openly marketed in advertising for maid cafes and similar places but only in a conceptual form.

What maid cafes are you going to? The two I visited (once as a right of passage, and once to give one) were both G rated.

 

[Deleted member 4603]

And you look at Japan where sex is both openly marketed in advertising for maid cafes and similar places but only in a conceptual form.

What maid cafes are you going to? The two I visited (once as a right of passage, and once to give one) were both G rated.

Yeah, the ones showcased on Pornhub only exist on Pornhub

 

[Happysin]

That's not true, you can get them in Thailand as well.

 

[Tom Foolery]

And you look at Japan where sex is both openly marketed in advertising for maid cafes and similar places but only in a conceptual form.

What maid cafes are you going to? The two I visited (once as a right of passage, and once to give one) were both G rated.

Yeah, the ones showcased on Pornhub only exist on Pornhub

Now, after work, I will have to look up "maid café" on Google.

This is what I mean, if you have the filters/guardrails on, you miss so much.

 

[Deleted member 4603]

I mean, for truly unsafe searches, you can just skip google and go to the source...

:eyebrow:

 

[Diabolical]

Oh man, that was anticlimactic. I’m just done with Shovel Knight. Booted up the fourth and final campaign, and it’s the SAME levels again, with slight variations to work with King Knight’s mechanics. Which I don’t like. So seeing as how this is the same game for a fourth time in a row and I feel I got my money’s worth out of it, I uninstalled and decided to move on, calling Shovel Knight good and done.

To SMW. And I very rapidly concluded that unless I’m playing on original hardware instead of via emulation, this isn’t going to happen. Ah well. I’m generally not a good enough 2D platformer player to really get into Kaizo SMW, which was the whole point of the exercise. So I’ll watch others play it instead, which is just fine.

So, perusing the library, I thought about starting up Terraria, but…. I want something shootery and really not complicated. Spotted Rage 2, which was a free pickup earlier this year or late last year. Job done.

 

[Paladin]

And you look at Japan where sex is both openly marketed in advertising for maid cafes and similar places but only in a conceptual form.

What maid cafes are you going to? The two I visited (once as a right of passage, and once to give one) were both G rated.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. They use the concept of sexuality as a factor in their marketing. They don't sell sex, they use sex to sell. The ideation of attractive young women in a stylized uniform acting in a subservient manner is pretty obviously targeted that way. The cafe doesn't actual provide any sexual services or even approach the level of sexuality at a Hooters, for example, but it's obviously associated to the concept of sexuality. Of course, that is one of the most 'light weight' examples. If you walk into the right neighborhoods, there are people outside certain clubs or bars just straight up offering escorts, girlfriend experiences, etc. But yeah, there is still a strong social stigma about it in general society. Same as almost anywhere.

 

[Jehos]

there isn't a culture on Earth where going into the details of sexual congress in public conversation is common

Oh you sweet summer child.

 

[pauli]

/// OFFICIAL MODERATION NOTICE ///

---

Whatever this discussion is, it's not random gaming thoughts. Take it elsewhere.

 

[Paladin]

It's about the amount of sexual content in games in different cultures and the relative openness in marketing of those games.

Anyway...

I've gone back to playing Black Mesa. It's sooo good. First time I have played Half Life in years and it has been long enough that I remember enough to feel nostalgic about it but have forgotten enough detail to enjoy it almost as new. It's delicious.

 

[onkeljonas]

I just finished Transistor, and can't quite decide what to play next. Something that plays well on a steam deck, isn't too twitchy, has a narrative or at least a beginning and end so you can 'finish' the game (unlike the racing and 4X games that aren't really capturing me).

I've played so few games the last decade, that there are plenty to choose from... Any suggestions?

 

[Diabolical]

I just finished Transistor, and can't quite decide what to play next. Something that plays well on a steam deck, isn't too twitchy, has a narrative or at least a beginning and end so you can 'finish' the game (unlike the racing and 4X games that aren't really capturing me).

I've played so few games the last decade, that there are plenty to choose from... Any suggestions?

CrossCode. Try the demo first, but it seems like it would be a great fit for the SteamDeck.
Fair warning - I dropped 60+ hours into the main game. I found it to be a good game not only for long play sessions, but also for little 15 minute blips; this short/long play session dual viability is much more rare than it sounds.

 

[Artichoke Sap]

I just finished Transistor, and can't quite decide what to play next. Something that plays well on a steam deck, isn't too twitchy, has a narrative or at least a beginning and end so you can 'finish' the game (unlike the racing and 4X games that aren't really capturing me).

I've played so few games the last decade, that there are plenty to choose from... Any suggestions?

Into The Breach? It's quite replayable, but is fun enough to keep trying until you get good enough at it to beat it with at least one crew. And then you'll be done, or you'll be hooked, and try it with a different crew. Certainly is the farthest from "twitchy" as a game can get.

 

[Papageno]

Also bouncing games. I can't be abused by Tarkov any more right now.

With the Gotham Knights news, finally revisiting Batman Arkaham Origins. Is the combat less smooth than previous titles or am I just rusty? Feel like I'm always hitting something just off to break my combos.

It is less smooth. Also weirdly buggy sometimes. Like you'll totally think a fight is over and some dude runs up to you out of nowhere. Also sometimes you'll have to interact with the last dude left and the game won't prompt you to do it.

 

[Happysin]

I just finished Transistor, and can't quite decide what to play next. Something that plays well on a steam deck, isn't too twitchy, has a narrative or at least a beginning and end so you can 'finish' the game (unlike the racing and 4X games that aren't really capturing me).

I've played so few games the last decade, that there are plenty to choose from... Any suggestions?

Into The Breach? It's quite replayable, but is fun enough to keep trying until you get good enough at it to beat it with at least one crew. And then you'll be done, or you'll be hooked, and try it with a different crew. Certainly is the farthest from "twitchy" as a game can get.

I've tried so hard to like Into the Breach, but I can only barely get past the first island, and every time I think I make progress, my only leveled pilot is killed. I have no idea how to advance.

I would say Hades is a natural transition from Transistor. It's the same fundamental idea, but so much better in every way. It's the perfect Deck game.

 

[Nekojin]

I just finished Transistor, and can't quite decide what to play next. Something that plays well on a steam deck, isn't too twitchy, has a narrative or at least a beginning and end so you can 'finish' the game (unlike the racing and 4X games that aren't really capturing me).

I've played so few games the last decade, that there are plenty to choose from... Any suggestions?

Into The Breach? It's quite replayable, but is fun enough to keep trying until you get good enough at it to beat it with at least one crew. And then you'll be done, or you'll be hooked, and try it with a different crew. Certainly is the farthest from "twitchy" as a game can get.

I've tried so hard to like Into the Breach, but I can only barely get past the first island, and every time I think I make progress, my only leveled pilot is killed. I have no idea how to advance.

I would say Hades is a natural transition from Transistor. It's the same fundamental idea, but so much better in every way. It's the perfect Deck game.

I played Into The Breach when it first came out. I loved FTL so much, that I bought ITB without hesitation. And... it fell flat for me. I tried... according to Steam I tried for 3.3 hours. And it just didn't gel for me. Tutorial, several runs with different crew... and it still didn't work for me. *shrug*

 

[malor]

To SMW. And I very rapidly concluded that unless I’m playing on original hardware instead of via emulation, this isn’t going to happen. Ah well. I’m generally not a good enough 2D platformer player to really get into Kaizo SMW, which was the whole point of the exercise. So I’ll watch others play it instead, which is just fine.

If it's the latency that's bothering you, running an FPGA emulator connected to a CRT will give you results nearly identical to the original hardware. The Mister FPGA system, which takes some study to learn and set up, adds about four scanlines of latency when its scaler is engaged, and when driving a CRT, I believe that the scaler is optional. (it's required when driving an HDMI monitor, AFAIK.) (edit to add: four scanlines is the smallest possible latency with the scaler, but it's in a mode that passes framerates exactly. Not all monitors like, for instance, trying to sync to arcade Donkey Kong's 60.6Hz signal. There are slower 1-lag-frame and 2-lag-frames scaler modes, which will display on practically any HDMI monitor, but then you're losing much of the reason to go FPGA in the first place.)

All the FPGA emulators are expensive -- the Mister is $350 to $400 for a basic kit with the fundamentals -- but the Mister in particular will emulate a *lot* of old systems. They just recently added the PS1, and they're trying to do the Saturn, although they're not sure they can manage it. That's about as far as the Mister will go... you might see other, older things added, but probably nothing newer or more capable than the Saturn. Even the Saturn may not happen.

BTW, FPGA is not magic. It's still emulation. But they can often get very close to the timings of the original. I was watching a looped demo of Ridge Racer on the PS1 versus the Mister's PS1, and as far as I could tell with my amateur eyes, they had bit-for-bit identical outputs.

 

[Diabolical]

To SMW. And I very rapidly concluded that unless I’m playing on original hardware instead of via emulation, this isn’t going to happen. Ah well. I’m generally not a good enough 2D platformer player to really get into Kaizo SMW, which was the whole point of the exercise. So I’ll watch others play it instead, which is just fine.

If it's the latency that's bothering you, running an FPGA emulator connected to a CRT will give you results nearly identical to the original hardware. The Mister FPGA system, which takes some study to learn and set up, adds about four scanlines of latency when its scaler is engaged, and when driving a CRT, I believe that the scaler is optional. (it's required when driving an HDMI monitor, AFAIK.) (edit to add: four scanlines is the smallest possible latency with the scaler, but it's in a mode that passes framerates exactly. Not all monitors like, for instance, trying to sync to arcade Donkey Kong's 60.6Hz signal. There are slower 1-lag-frame and 2-lag-frames scaler modes, which will display on practically any HDMI monitor, but then you're losing much of the reason to go FPGA in the first place.)

All the FPGA emulators are expensive -- the Mister is $350 to $400 for a basic kit with the fundamentals -- but the Mister in particular will emulate a *lot* of old systems. They just recently added the PS1, and they're trying to do the Saturn, although they're not sure they can manage it. That's about as far as the Mister will go... you might see other, older things added, but probably nothing newer or more capable than the Saturn. Even the Saturn may not happen.

BTW, FPGA is not magic. It's still emulation. But they can often get very close to the timings of the original. I was watching a looped demo of Ridge Racer on the PS1 versus the Mister's PS1, and as far as I could tell with my amateur eyes, they had bit-for-bit identical outputs.

Part of the 'original hardware' statement is playing on a CRT. I have a very small apartment, and I am not going to buy a CRT to very occasionally do classic games. And if I did, I wouldn't bother with emulation. I'd be getting original hardware.

This is all fine. Just that it requires a level of monetary investment (and space investment) that I have zero interest in pursuing.

 

[Frosty Grin]

I would say Hades is a natural transition from Transistor. It's the same fundamental idea, but so much better in every way. It's the perfect Deck game.

It doesn't quite have an end though.

 

[necklessone]

While you can still play, Hades absolutely has a narrative end.

 

[onkeljonas]

While you can still play, Hades absolutely has a narrative end.

The trailer I watched gave me the impression that it didn't. I'm usually not fond of the rogue lite gameplay loop. Replays aren't really my thing.

Is there a feeling of playing the same part several times, or is it a very different experience after dying?

 

[sword_9mm]

So my hate for Doom Eternal grows.

Into a level it glitched and I couldn't punch move a box to get to the next area. Have to reload the level and replay through like an hour of crap to see if the glitch is still there.

I think I might be done with this game. I'm going back to Doom 64 on the Switch.

Now just gotta sell it.

 

[Happysin]

While you can still play, Hades absolutely has a narrative end.

The trailer I watched gave me the impression that it didn't. I'm usually not fond of the rogue lite gameplay loop. Replays aren't really my thing.

Is there a feeling of playing the same part several times, or is it a very different experience after dying?

It is a Roguelite in that you are constantly trying to escape. However, the story evolves with you, because every time you "die", you're not resetting anything, you're sent back to Hades, where your father mocks you for failing again. As you get better and progress further, you see a whole story open up that has both a false end, and a real end after that. I'd say the story does a great job of hitting good emotional points.

That said, if you don't like the gameplay loop of "try to get out of Hell again", then it's likely not going to sustain you enough to get through the story. I personally took a long break after getting the false end, and only picked it back up and finished it when I got my Deck.

 

[onkeljonas]

While you can still play, Hades absolutely has a narrative end.

The trailer I watched gave me the impression that it didn't. I'm usually not fond of the rogue lite gameplay loop. Replays aren't really my thing.

Is there a feeling of playing the same part several times, or is it a very different experience after dying?

It is a Roguelite in that you are constantly trying to escape. However, the story evolves with you, because every time you "die", you're not resetting anything, you're sent back to Hades, where your father mocks you for failing again. As you get better and progress further, you see a whole story open up that has both a false end, and a real end after that. I'd say the story does a great job of hitting good emotional points.

That said, if you don't like the gameplay loop of "try to get out of Hell again", then it's likely not going to sustain you enough to get through the story. I personally took a long break after getting the false end, and only picked it back up and finished it when I got my Deck.

That's definitely not my kind of gameplay loop, but I like their brand of art and storytelling, so I think Hades will go on the wishlist and I'll grab it in an inevitable sale.

Right now my ten year old is schooling me in Brawlhalla... He magnanimously informed me that I could choose fewer and easier opponents, then promptly increased the difficulty and maxed the opponent count when I passed it to him. I've always had a tendency to button mash in fighting games. He calmly destroyed every opponent, no mashing in sight.
Damn if it doesn't put a smile on my face even if it does make me feel old

 

[Happysin]

Growing up with button mashers has definitely given me the wrong instincts with a lot of modern fighting games.

Makes me wish someone would make a sequel to Bushido Blade with modern sensibilities. I loved that game, and it was great fun with a lot of people over. Everyone got a turn in fairly rapid order.

 

[krimhorn]

That's definitely not my kind of gameplay loop, but I like their brand of art and storytelling, so I think Hades will go on the wishlist and I'll grab it in an inevitable sale.

Hades was the first roguelike since, probably, Rogue Legacy (there was one or two smaller ones between them that I "finished" but nothing that really stuck with me) that I was really able to get into. The combination of an evolving story between runs and the fact that, at their longest for a complete finish runs are 40 minutes, meant I was able to do a few partial runs, get more story and then get a really good run to cap off the session. If it wasn't for the fact that the third area is just such a slog and bullet-sponge grind I'd probably play it a bit more but I'm always dreading having a good feeling run hit the wall of that third area's poor encounter design.

 

[Frosty Grin]

Yeah, Hades is the kind of roguelike that provides the experience that's close enough to the experience you get from conventional, linear storyline games. Just not the first choice when you specifically want something with a beginning and an end.

 

[onkeljonas]

I don't know if I really have much of an excuse for button mashing - the arcade brawlers I grew up on were Golden Axe and Turtles, both of which required some timing (although they didn't exactly punish mashing). And the fighting game I really got into was Tekken which definitely doesn't reward button mashing if your opponent is even mildly competent.

Hades does sound compelling, and like the kind of thing Supergiant could pull off to my liking.

 

[Interactive Civilian]

While you can still play, Hades absolutely has a narrative end.

The trailer I watched gave me the impression that it didn't. I'm usually not fond of the rogue lite gameplay loop. Replays aren't really my thing.

Is there a feeling of playing the same part several times, or is it a very different experience after dying?

Others have pointed it out, but it's worth reiterating: Hades did a BRILLIANT job of making deaths part of the gameplay loop and story advancement, such that, if you were good enough to somehow fight your way all the way through the game on your first run, you'd probably miss out on so much of what makes the story and characters so great.

Also, it is perhaps the best take on Greek mythology and the behaviors and attitudes of the Greek pantheon that has ever been made. The characterizations of the various deities and other entities are perfect!

Also, the game play itself is tight and clean, the art style is beautiful (as one would expect from Supergiant), the soundtrack is good, the voice acting is *chef's kiss*, etc.

Your loops through the underworld don't feel like replays, IMHO. Until you get to the end of the story (after which, you can keep playing, if you want) each loop, even successful runs in which you escape from the underworld, feels like you are advancing the story rather than replaying the levels.

It really is brilliant how well they pulled it off. If you liked Transistor and/or Bastion, then you'll most likely enjoy Hades.

 

[Robotank]

Hades's "god mode" was a wonderful change to the formula for my playstyle as well. I want to progress the game consistently, but I'm not patient enough to 'get good' when I hit a wall. God Mode gives you 20% damage resistance and increases by 2% each time you die without finishing a run up to 80% (I think it goes down when you do finish?).

Depending on what you want from the game that type of handholding might feel bad, but for me it was absolutely the thing that allowed me to stay with the game for so long without getting stuck and quitting.

 

[onkeljonas]

Thanks a lot people
Here I was trying to hold out for a sale :facepalm:

 

[Mister E. Meat]

Thanks a lot people
Here I was trying to hold out for a sale :facepalm:

Here you go - https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/hades-switch/

$15 on Switch right now and you can link your account across platforms if you decide to get it somewhere else too. It's a perfect Switch game for me due to the bite sized chunks.

 

[Ecmaster76]

(I think it goes down when you do finish?).

Nope, my only quibble. You can turn it off but it always remembers its previous value and wont ever go back down IIRC

 

[onkeljonas]

Thanks a lot people
Here I was trying to hold out for a sale :facepalm:

Here you go - https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/hades-switch/

$15 on Switch right now and you can link your account across platforms if you decide to get it somewhere else too. It's a perfect Switch game for me due to the bite sized chunks.

That's nice, but I don't have a switch (won't get one either, in my hands it's an ergonomic disaster).
It's going to be Steam for my deck.

Edit: And apparently it's on sale on Steam as well. There goes my excuses

 

[Nekojin]

Thanks a lot people
Here I was trying to hold out for a sale :facepalm:

Here you go - https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/hades-switch/

$15 on Switch right now and you can link your account across platforms if you decide to get it somewhere else too. It's a perfect Switch game for me due to the bite sized chunks.

That's nice, but I don't have a switch (won't get one either, in my hands it's an ergonomic disaster).

1.) Treat the Switch like a console, not a portable.
2.) dock it and connect it to a TV with HDMI.
3.) Get a Pro controller or a Gamecube controller (and adapter), whichever fits your hands better.

All of this makes the Switch a FAR more enjoyable system, IMO.

 

[Diabolical]

Thanks a lot people
Here I was trying to hold out for a sale :facepalm:

Here you go - https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/hades-switch/

$15 on Switch right now and you can link your account across platforms if you decide to get it somewhere else too. It's a perfect Switch game for me due to the bite sized chunks.

That's nice, but I don't have a switch (won't get one either, in my hands it's an ergonomic disaster).

1.) Treat the Switch like a console, not a portable.
2.) dock it and connect it to a TV with HDMI.
3.) Get a Pro controller or a Gamecube controller (and adapter), whichever fits your hands better.

All of this makes the Switch a FAR more enjoyable system, IMO.

All of this. My Switch only becomes a portable when I travel, otherwise it's docked and pro-controller all day.

Also, onkeljonas, give CrossCode a look. I think it was flown past in all of the (admittedly well earned) Hades love on the last page, but it is also a phenomenal game.

 

[CPX]

What the...

Sins of a Solar Empire 2, is that you?!

 

[Happysin]

What the...

Sins of a Solar Empire 2, is that you?!

Chalk that up to games I didn't expect, but will be watching with great interest.