What's everyone playing?

[DeadLazy]

SMT V takes the cake for bizarre but thoughtful design. One boss enemy (optional boss) is a giant penis in a wheelchair, representing man uncoupled from his desire. And yes, its attacks reflect its nature.

It also liberally pulls from just about every religion or folk tradition you can think of. Toss on that a healthy dose of Buddhism and you’ve got a pretty deep pool to analyze.

It’s just weird. Fucking Sega…. You take that to any other publisher and they’ll call the police. Ubisoft is incapable of publishing or developing something like this.

 

[BOP_G_A_Pster]

Now that my movement speed is faster I've really been enjoying Prey.

 

[rastaban75]

Now that my movement speed is faster I've really been enjoying Prey.

That's the 2016 Prey, right? I really liked that game, one of the better examples of hard science fiction attempts.

Still playing Divinity: Original Sin 2, and I almost forgot how large the second Act in this game is. Large in the Larian sense where every screen you walk into is filled with details you may not even notice if you are not careful. Party is level 11 now and I developed the members in an almost pure elemental way: one is Earth+Fire, second is Air+Water, third is Water+Fire while my main is a summoner which also means mostly elementally-inclined since he can cast his summon spells on elemental surfaces and specialize them as such. The incarnate summon is now a champion, one of my favorite RPG spells for how cool it looks.

Looking forward to the summer Steam sale.

 

[Bonemeal2pointOh]

I cut sugar almost entirely out of my diet for over a year now and very low carbs so that Mt. Dew looks like death to me. I gained weight from the picture.

No booze either but never enjoyed drinking that much anyway.

Yeah, I allow myself a Coke, from time to time, but I mostly drink the store-brand equivalent to Crystal Light.

 

[DeadLazy]

Did Fromsoft nerf Shadow? I am glad to see it’s ball busting hard after ER the base game, but disappointed to hear they already may have nerfed it some.

 

[DevilDancer]

Now that my movement speed is faster I've really been enjoying Prey.

If you like the basic mechanics of the game, I can't recommend the Mooncrash DLC enough. It's a roguelite set in the same universe, and it's excellent.

 

[DevilDancer]

Well F me, MGSV runs like butter on the Deck and they even added xbox controller support, so the context cues are specific to that controller. That's important, because the controls are pretty dated and not in line with modern controls, so the context cues matter a lot.

Plus I have a save right where the game really takes off. I'm totally going to play this damn game again.

 

[IgglooV2]

Hmm, you know that is one of those games I always wanted to get into but never quite did. I kind of hate replaying the long opening intro sequence with the Bowie music and just want to get into the open world.

 

[IgglooV2]

Did Fromsoft nerf Shadow? I am glad to see it’s ball busting hard after ER the base game, but disappointed to hear they already may have nerfed it some.

They did, sorta. What seems to have happened is that in classic From Software fashion, they introduced a new mechanic that actually makes the game easier, but it was very obtuse, people don't understand it and were struggling.

The new mechanic is something called Scadutree Blessing. You can collect items called Scadutree Fragments, and the more of them you find, the more your attack is boosted and damage negated. This blessing buff only works in the new DLC area.

But it appears that many players don't understand that, so From has had to basically signpost, "find the fragments people" and point to them in somewhat uncharacteristic fashion, because people are struggling. They also are nerfing bosses because some players are saying they're just too hard.

 

[DeadLazy]

They did, sorta. What seems to have happened is that in classic From Software fashion, they introduced a new mechanic that actually makes the game easier, but it was very obtuse, people don't understand it and were struggling.

The new mechanic is something called Scadutree Blessing. You can collect items called Scadutree Fragments, and the more of them you find, the more your attack is boosted and damage negated. This blessing buff only works in the new DLC area.

But it appears that many players don't understand that, so From has had to basically signpost, "find the fragments people" and point to them in somewhat uncharacteristic fashion, because people are struggling. They also are nerfing bosses because some players are saying they're just too hard.

Not surprised a lot of 20 something “gamers” these days can’t figure it’s out.

Still, if it’s more difficult it’s tempting to me. I have a character that’s about 50% through the base game. Maybe I’ll check it out this year.

 

[IgglooV2]

I just noticed the start of the Steam sale. Any great deals? What should I buy? Hogwarts? Armored Core 6?

 

[DevilDancer]

Pacific Drive is 40% off.

AC6 is 30% off, Hogwarts 60%.

That's a good sale on Hogwarts, but I need an Xbox copy my wife can play.

 

[rastaban75]

I don't think I'm ready to jump into Infinite Wealth yet (30% off). I'll probably pick it up towards the end of the year.

If I do any Steam sale purchases, they will be very limited. Currently thinking about getting the Last Spell.

 

[IgglooV2]

Unfortunately it sounds like Pacific Drive doesn't run great on the Deck. It sounded like a cool Deck title.

 

[IgglooV2]

I've been on an Elden Ring run this weekend. I am still playing the base game, but have an interesting character going that is nearly at the point where I can play the DLC.

It's interesting because I beat a tough boss in Caelid tower basement to get this colossal sword yesterday, Godslayer's Greatsword. It's a big, long sword that looks like an ultra greatsword but swings more like a regular sword, and hits like a mack truck.


Many people say it is really a NG+ weapon because it is hard to get, and has high skill requirements, but I had a weird mix of skills that made wielding it possible. One of the cool things about this is that it is a large sword that has a dexterity scaling. Most big swords are strength based.

 

[DeadLazy]

SMT V and arcade games. I did read all the log entries and reorient myself on my FF-13 play through so I’ll finish that when I’m done with SMT V.

And you’re all dullards if you don’t make sure and get Hydro Thunder; Burnout Revenge; Midnight Club L.A. before they’re gone at the end of July.

Burnout Revenge and Hydro Thunder. They just don’t make them like that anymore. And SSX 3! I am actually bummed the Xbox classics store is shutting down but I think I got everything I wanted. I have 100 or so games off the list.

 

[OneBigClam]

I don't like anything about platforming. I find nothing to recommend it over other genres.

 

[DeadLazy]

And Infinite Wealth. But I’ve basically been in the process of playing Like a Dragon or IW for over 3 years now. I’ll probably play through IW wealth twice too.

My friend finally played LoD and he 100%’ed it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays IW right away which is extremely unusual for him. He sticks to the list 99% of the time.

 

[DeadLazy]

The First Descendant’s tutorial should be to go play Warframe. Too bad its gameplay feels decidedly mediocre. It has potential though and runs well on Xbox. But the story, presentation and gameplay all emulate Warframe but don’t do it as well.

Instead of frames you collect descendants and same upgrade system. It’s meh.

 

[DeadLazy]

*The First Descendant does do a lot of things right in terms of gameplay. I kinda like it but I don’t think I’ll play it much. It could stick around though. The story and dialog are awful though.

 

[BOP_G_A_Pster]

If you like the basic mechanics of the game, I can't recommend the Mooncrash DLC enough. It's a roguelite set in the same universe, and it's excellent.

thanks for the recommendation.

 

[IgglooV2]

I think I'm going in: I'm finally deep enough in Elden Ring I think to trigger the DLC, after bearing Radahn, a mid-game boss you have to get past to get to the right area.

I will probably start that tonight or tomorrow given the holiday.

My current build is a bit of a jack of all trades, with 20 in faith, magic, and strength in addition to my main focus on dexterity and vitality.

It works well for now, in the sense that I have a full arsenal of spells at my disposal, from magic to buffs to healing. But I will likely have to specialize in faith or magic soon, even if I mainly go dex.

 

[DeadLazy]

The First Descendant has some quality gameplay. I think its opening impression isn’t so good but while it’s not polished controls or abilities like Warframe, the actual level design and enemies are more fun to fight and explore.

Warframe happens to have a solid and epic sci-fi story, with killer presentation. Descendant tries to emulate that without shame. They improve on a lot of game design mistakes but while the art design is good, Warframe is king.

After spending few afternoons playing it, I’ll come back. I might even drop 10-20 on a season pass but that’s pointless for me over the next few weeks. I won’t play much.

And all these games are just PSO to me. Looking back, PSO introduced me to exactly this template in 2001. And that Descrndant literally just took warframe progression and put in a different skin, works for me. Because it was good progression and they made it slightly better.

 

[IgglooV2]

I read that First Descendant had a rocky launch day yesterday.

 

[DeadLazy]

I read that First Descendant had a rocky launch day yesterday.

I had no troubles until today when my session got cut short. I haven’t been in during peak hours though. I did get on right at release 1am here because I got home at like 10 till and was like fuck it.

I’ve played in Fidelity and Performance and outside of a packed hub solid performance, looks nice. If you’re going to be inspired Warframe is a good choice. I mean, no souls like outdid them here but they did improve on fundamentals and the illusion of an MMO is well done.

This one could be here for a long, long time. It’s been fun. Boss battles were a lot of fun. They’ll get nerfed though. They were hard.

 

[east1226]

Octopath Traveler II is decent, but not gripping. I am sure I will finish it. It just doesn't grab me the way the last few games did.

 

[DevilDancer]

Octopath Traveler II is decent, but not gripping. I am sure I will finish it. It just doesn't grab me the way the last few games did.

Who's in your party?

I'm rolling with Castti, Hikari, Osvald and Ochette.

Seems I like it more than you do.

 

[east1226]

I don't have all of them yet. I have only done the Eastern continent so far. I have Osvald, Tememos, Throne, and Ochette.

 

[IgglooV2]

My Elden Ring run has been fun. I am all over the place, wandering around the map, and surely missing tons of items. But I'm pretty strong since I have played this before and kind of know what I'm doing at this point.

I beat Morgott the Omen King, a pretty late boss, in the regular game last night and I think that triggered access to the mountain region where I can access the DLC. But I'm enjoying blasting some of the regular game.

I'm in the process of getting the Mimic Tear spirit ash before I head into the DLC. But I have to say that the Banished Knight Engvall spirit ash has been great for me. It's a tanky one you can get almost immediately once you begin the game, and since I am more of a DPS dex build that's slowly becoming a tank, it has been helpful. He can also be great at taking on aggro while I use a breath attack to rot bosses, etc.

 

[DevilDancer]

Sounds fun. I think that's what I'll do next after Octo 2, but I'm not starting over. Instead I will explore a bit with my current character and probably respec into a faith build, which I've never really done.

Once I feel like I'm back up to speed I'll start the DLC .

 

[IgglooV2]

Faith builds are very strong in this game, but some of the final end bosses resist holy damage, which makes faith tough for finishing NG,

I got the Mimic Tear and just beat another boss with it. It's definitely super powerful as always.

Remains an incredibly pretty game in certain areas.

 

[rastaban75]

The Last Spell: I really enjoy this little indie title. It's charming and hits the right buttons for me. Slowly getting those permanent upgrades that will make defending my little town easier.

Divinity Original Sin 2: I'm somewhere around the 40 hour mark in this playthrough. Exploring the Bloodmoon Island currently and I realize how much I have forgotten since the last time I've been there. I am considering having a look at some guide to access some of the secrets, though I have played it without any help so far.

 

[docSpock]

Aside from the annoying “kill the guy who just gave you a bunch of exposition” trope Phantom Liberty has been a lot of fun thus far.

 

[IgglooV2]

I have not started it, but I did buy the Elden Ring DLC last night. I also bought: American Truck Simulator, which is Steam Deck verified and one of the most popular games on Steam for some time. Heck, it was $1.99. Time to deliver some potatoes through Arkansas!

 

[DeadLazy]

First Descendant just keeps getting better. Now, I don’t like Las Vegas but I’d say if games were a city, Descendant reminds me of Las Vegas.

The visuals are remarkable. Runs great but I prefer fidelity with RT. UE 5 looks really good here. I like the art design but again, the actual visuals are more about UE 5 than some remarkable talent or original take the artists had. They’re good, but they aim low.

Gameplay just keeps getting better and … it’s better than Warframe. I also appreciate not having 4 hour “tutorials” which are really about the developer living out their fantasy as a movie director. Stopped playing Warframe because of the endless, mandatory story crap.

 

[east1226]

I have not started it, but I did buy the Elden Ring DLC last night. I also bought: American Truck Simulator, which is Steam Deck verified and one of the most popular games on Steam for some time. Heck, it was $1.99. Time to deliver some potatoes through Arkansas!

And people made fun of my love of Power Wash simulator

 

[rastaban75]

Don't underestimate these Truck Simulator games! They are niche titles, but their following is cult-like. Check out how persistent these stats are for Euro Truck Simulator 2:

Euro Truck Simulator 2 - Steam Charts

An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most.

steamcharts.com

 

[IgglooV2]

This is by the same people as Euro Truck, and apparently has a shit ton of DLC that people love. It's basically an open road zen game. Those games are all about making something mundane feel zen.

 

[IgglooV2]

Update: definitely don't sleep on American Truck Simulator. It's actually quite good.

Graphics are not great, but it captures a lot of the settings and the driving mechanics are pretty good. The parking is a little too hard, but thankfully they have all kinds of settings and you can play this as easy or hard as you want. I immediately turned off the traffic tickets, because that's no fun, but I kept on the trailer damage settings. Works perfectly on the Deck and the controls are generally good but I had to learn a few things, like how to turn on my damn headlights while going through San Rafael at night.

Speaking of which, that shipment of fracking fluid I took to Oakland, well, there might have been an environmental incident. Let's hope no one saw what I did.

 

[IgglooV2]

On a serious note, this game is actually good for real. There are many worse ways to spend $2, trust me.

There is a huge modding community, and you can get a lot of mods through Steam workshop so they are extremely easy to activate like with Bethesda titles. That makes it a lot livelier.

 

[-Troopa-]

I had some fun trying a truck driving simulation once. I think it was last year. The biggest thing I remember is that backing up a trailer into a tight parking space was really hard.

I'm downloading The First Descendant right now. Gonna try it with three friends tonight.

 

[IgglooV2]

It's seriously so good, for $2 I cannot recommend it enough.

 

[DevilDancer]

No thanks, I've already got my truck sim needs met.

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing Review

Just how bad is Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing? It's as bad as your mind will allow you to comprehend.

www.gamespot.com

 

[IgglooV2]

I truly like it, it is kind of a chill game. Turn up the outlaw country station on Apple music and let it roll baby.

 

[docSpock]

Looks nice, after my drive to Montreal this year I can definitely see the appeal. I’m just much more one for the skies.

 

[IgglooV2]

It's a lot less hardcore than Microsoft flight simulator. There are a lot of sliders and settings to make it more or less realistic, but it's basically a Google Maps simulator in which you drive loads from point a to point b.

My family was making fun of me Saturday morning because we went to brunch and got stuck behind a very slow-moving tree trimming truck on the way home. I pointed out that the driver appeared to be moving very deliberately because he was afraid the top crane he had would hit overhead bridges or branches, and my wife was like, "he plays that truck simulator game for 8 hours and now he's an expert!"

 

[rastaban75]

Somewhere in my imagination, a trucker pulls at a truck stop, heads to the toilet for "number 2"... and then pulls out a Steam Deck and starts playing American Truck Simulator.

 

[DeadLazy]

I got sick of Power Wash simulator pretty quick. The thought of a truck driving sim makes me sad.

 

[OneBigClam]

The thought of a truck driving sim makes me sad.

I think it sounds kind of zen. Especially for $2. I'm going to give it a try.

 

[east1226]

Plugging away at Octopath Traveler 2. It has the same flaws as the first. It does a little to try to remedy them, but, ultimately, it is still a soso RPG to me. I will finish it. It just isn't a great.