What games are you currently playing?

[Bzzit]

The Bumble Bee boss was the worst for me. Took me like 4 hours to beat it lol

[Rayfist]

Just beat Super Metroid for the first time, can't say much other than really fucking excellent game. Having gone off Zero Mission and Samus Returns, this one has been the best by far. I can see why when people refer to the absolute pinnacle of open-ended Metroidvania games, this is the first that comes to mind. I love how the game almost encourages you in a sense to purposely sequence break and obtain items or fight bosses in a different order. Of course you do for the most part have to follow a path but you're still able to easily sequence break many parts of the game using some well timed wall jumps and other techniques. No other Metroid title I've played so far has actually done that to the extent of this game. Planet Zebes itself though was the real show for me. Having beat Zero Mission I wasn't expecting much with the return, but you can clearly see how much Zebes has aged, giving a completely new makeover to it.

I could sit here all day and just talk about what everyone else has said about the game but instead I just want to go over the minor nitpicks. I really didn't like the way Super Metroid handled missile selection compared to the GBA games. In the GBA titles you simply had to hold down R and shoot, making it so that switching mid combat requires you to hold down one button, giving you a smooth real-time transition mid combat. Whereas in Super, you have to press select to assign which missile or other type of ammunition you want to use. MANY times in my playthrough I found myself slowly switching through the missile selection mid combat and having my ass pounded by enemies. Also I found wall jumping to be super iffy. I find it very strange that you have to press opposite of the wall in order to jump off of a wall correctly. It doesn't take too long to get used to but that is not how I'm used to seeing wall jumps work in videogames. Also I kind of found the final boss fight against Mother Brain to be surprisingly lacking, when she went into her new transformation I was expecting it to be really difficult but it doesn't take too long mid-battle for scripted events to play out, and the rest of the boss fight after that is a cake walk.

Otherwise Super Metroid was a damn near flawless experience for me, glad I'm getting into the series now, these games really hold up well. Up next for me will be Fusion, the next in the timeline.

[Master]

Ah, good timing, I finally got past the roadblock which had been preventing me from beating Super, namely Ridley. Once he was beat, smooth sailing to Tourian and the end.

I think what you've said pretty much covers my thoughts, it's amazing how little direction you get in Super, yet for the most part, you still somehow manage to make your way through. I did have to consult guides in the past, thanks to me not noticing hidden passageways, though this time, I made sure I had the X-Ray visor, which made it easier to navigate. I'll probably try to get to grips with some of the techniques in my next playthrough, wall-jumping in particular is pretty nice when it comes to sequence breaking. Though as you've stated, it can be very difficult to get the timings down, and I've only really managed it a few times, and to little effect.

Fusion's going to be an interesting experience, as it's probably the most guided of the titles in the series. I find it's somewhat similar to Prime 3 and its objective system, in a way.

[Droolie]

I finished NieR: Automata yesterday. It was fantastic. I 100%d it because it was so good. Yet another game on my list of top-rated games, which are -- as expected -- mostly RPGs.

I started playing Gravity Rush 2 immediately afterwards, but it doesn't look like it'll be as fantastic as Nier was.

[Rayfist]

Ah, good timing, I finally got past the roadblock which had been preventing me from beating Super, namely Ridley. Once he was beat, smooth sailing to Tourian and the end.

You were really stuck on Ridley? I beat that boss fight on my first try, just had to make sure I was all stocked up on missiles, I usually was airborne a lot too which gave him a hard time with trying to hit me so I was able to quickly pump a lot of missiles into him.

I did have to consult guides in the past, thanks to me not noticing hidden passageways, though this time, I made sure I had the X-Ray visor, which made it easier to navigate.

I very rarely had to use guides, the X ray visor really does help get the job done but I won't lie when I say there have been many moments where I thought I've covered an entire area but might have missed one little small detail in the environment.

Fusion's going to be an interesting experience, as it's probably the most guided of the titles in the series.

Yeah I've heard it's very linear compared to other Metroid titles, might be a nice break from the more open ended ones I've been playing recently. The story really interests me though- especially since it's the last in the timeline since 2002.

[Keane]

Sonic Blania review:

Iye underrated this game, it originally struck me as kind of a safe nostalgia pander but it's definitely more than just a quick "here you still like Sonic right?" game.

The hit-and-miss nature of Sonic's level design was barely present here, rather I felt like almost every step of every level was carefully thought through: I love how many instances there are of the game trying to predict how you'll respond to a certain situation and then unexpectedly tricking you until you begin to pick up on it and now next time you see a box of rings out in the open you're carefully scanning your surrounding before proceeding - and then the game throws something new and unexpected at you. What a long way we've come since Labyrinth Zone's clueless bullshit.

The boss fights were OK, I didn't find any of them to be particular standouts but there are also weren't any I disliked. The only thing that kind of bothered me is that nearly all of the Act 1 bosses you can easily just spam into and have a single ring bounce back into you while doing it, but at least you can choose to play by the intended rules. The bonus stages I really liked, they're simple but very addictive and I wish the game had a mode to just let you play through them on their own. I did start avoiding the checkpoint stages after a while though because to play all of them you have to interrupt the main gameplay like every 3 minutes.

The only real issues I encountered were for one, the cheap deaths. Nearly all my deaths were due to getting stuck between two objects which instantly kills you and it almost always because of a simple mistake or really stupid moments like in Chemical Plant Zone where you're almost guaranteed to run straight into an instant death trap at one point.

Second issue: Titanic Monarch Zone was one of the most grueling, frustrating things I've ever played and none of the praise I have for the rest of the game applies to it. Navigating the orbs was really boring, having to wait and time each one kills the flow of the game completely. All the enemies were annoying and shittily positioned, a lot of the platforming was really tedious, and I ended up having to redo the whole zone twice because of cheap bullshitty platforms where just being 1 pixel off immediately kills you. At least the music was pretty good.

But overall I thought it was a wonderfewl game that for the classic Saynic fan is about everything you could want. I would do a little "huhWEL sonic team take NOTES ahah pleaselike and subscribe" but Sonic Forces already looks like anus.

[Ray502]

Earlier I was playing Star Wars Battlefront (Ultimate Edition) for the first time. Enjoyed it a lot. Would love to get with one of my friends who also has the game and do some multiplayer action.

I see the sequel is going to be released in November. It's on my list of possible Christmas presents.

[Dart]

I am playing perhaps the greatest platformer this year, no the greatest game this year, NO THE GREATEST GAME TO EVER EXIST IN THE WORLD, Knack 2.

Now you may be asking asking me, Dart how can Knack 2 be better than Mario Odyssey it was made by God himself Shitetsu Aunomasakaguchi Kondo the 3rd, well allow me to explain. While new games like Mario Odyssey and A Hat in time try to give you as much freedom to play as possible, Knack 2 is a 10 hour cutscene where very little game is necessary. The high I.Q. one must have to enjoy such a masterpiece rivals that of such stories as Rick and Morty with its D E P T H and C O M P L E X I T Y. Surely Sony has made a definitive mark with this game where its rivals will surely fall into obscurity.














.....What do you mean Odyssey outsold Knack 2 in 3 day?

[Ray502]

I have gotten into basketball. Because of that I've been playing NBA 2K17 as more of a test to see if I like it. Have a limited budget for Christmas presents so unfortunately I didn't get 18. I heard that microtransactions in that game have gotten out of hand in career mode though.

[Rayfist]

Super Mario Odyssey

You know that feeling you get when you're just having so much fun with a game you want it to keep going and just not end? That's how I felt after completing Odyssey, which in itself was already a lengthy game if you include the post game moons. Odyssey really blew me away, the sheer scope of each kingdom and every nook n cranny serving as a new gateway for various challenges kept the game incredibly refreshing and never feeling monotonous or repetitive.

I think the biggest draw to me was the various different aesthetics you see in each kingdom. The game just feels like one big vacation, and seeing Mario as a dwarf sized character next to the New Donk citizens really adds a new slice of lore that is up to anyone's interpretation. The Mario series was in so much need of this, that lack of personality that the recent Wii U Mario titles had is what comes to mind. I for the longest time was kind of fearful that Nintendo wasn't so much interested in revolutionizing the Mario series again and instead just wanted to play it safe. However the initial trailers for Odyssey gave me a lot of hope, and the game easily exceeded my expectations. Gameplay videos and trailers do not do this game enough justice, experiencing the game's incredibly intuitive and versatile control set is something that can only be felt by the player. Mario's move set in this game is massive, yet doesn't feel overwhelming in the slightest, and is quite easily the most satisfying Mario game to control because of this. The game constantly encourages you to find alternative ways of doing things. This isn't any type of game breaking sequence skipping type tricks, but rather you can get many moons earlier than intended with the use of incredibly skilled and well timed jumps and cap hops.

Each kingdom feels constantly refreshing and pleasing to look at. The personalities assigned to each of these kingdom's inhabitants really gives the individual kingdoms a very nice feel, it's even neater when the inhabitants start to venture outside their respective kingdoms and appear in other kingdoms during post game. Say what you will about the game, but in no way was the overall experience affected by having all these different aesthetics mish-mash into each other. Also the biggest aspect of all, the cap possession, not once hindered the gameplay or got in the way of how the game feels. Mario already has a lot of moves at his disposal but not once when posessing an enemy did I ever feel the gameplay was being 'slowed down,' or 'hindered.'

I had such a stupid grin on my face the whole way, from the first encounter with Cappy, to the New Donk Festival, to the incredible finale boss, I had a really great time and it gives me so much hope for the future of Nintendo's IP's. Breath of The Wild and Odyssey both came out this year and whether you liked or hated them, they did something very unlike recent Nintendo- they innovated on their respective IP's. That is something I hope we can keep seeing.


...Now it's time for nitpick time:
I wasn't a fan of some of the possession abilities being locked behind motion controls. The game really pushes you to use the seperate joycons which while they don't at all feel bad, I honestly would have preferred if these motion controls (which are MANDATORY for some of the moons) were assigned to buttons.

Also I can't help but feel some of the post-game moons felt like very unnecessary padding for the games very short story length. There's nothing stopping you from exploring every nook n cranny of these kingdoms before taking off to the next, however I do wish the moon requirement for visiting the next kingdom was just a bit higher, and gave more incentive for players to really explore. I'm okay with adding different types of play style for different people, but I feel like the game might be a little too short if you just rush through these kingdoms.

That's all I have really, can't say much more other than Odyssey is pretty high up on my list for games this year. This game needs to be in everyone's switch library.

[Pirez]

I'll drop this right here : Pokémon Ultra-Sun is a lazy ass game and that makes it suck balls. Gamefreak better focus on that Switch version.

[Rsandee]

I am playing perhaps the greatest platformer this year, no the greatest game this year, NO THE GREATEST GAME TO EVER EXIST IN THE WORLD, Knack 2.

Yeah.... you are DEFINITELY also a fan of videogamedunkey.

[Fifo]

Nice to see you back Rsandee

[Aaron]

Yesterday I was playing Rayman 2: The Great Escape for PC and I've finally beaten The Iron Mountains and got all four masks.

By the way, it's not the first time I played Rayman 2. In fact, I've beaten the PS1 version three times! <--- I didn't mean to brag there

[hogsy]

Trying to finish the new Prey and Super Mario Odyssey. They're sort of balancing each other out, since Prey isn't exactly a cheery game.

[Ambidextroid]

<‘s been paying Stick Fight: The Game with some friends, it's a little rough around the edges but it's incredibly fun

[Sebban]

These last months I've been playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games a lot (along with the Rayman ones too ). I wonder if anybody here actually owns them too and what you guys think of them

[Ray502]

Never tried getting the relics in the first Crash Bandicoot game and Cortex Strikes Back until a couple days ago. Got 24 gold and 3 platinum in CSB and because of finishing that last requirement I earned the platinum trophy in that game.

[Adsolution]

Some recents I've tried now for the first time:

(disclaimer: I've already written about my initial experience with Odyssey, but I'll save actually writing about it here till I've beaten the game)


Spyro 1
I love this game. I love how simple the objectives are and how quaint the level designs are. Everything is really to-the-point, and I never got bored of collecting gems. There are a couple bullshit moments here and there, but I didn't really care too much since they felt achievable and the punishment for failure was never too unreasonable, and the feeling of getting back on your feet to try again was furiously addicting. The music is unique, the graphics are beautiful, and I like how every level's lighting has a soft, sweeping gradient going on, almost making it feel like you're inside a rainbow. I lost my save data at one part three times in a row, but I didn't care, since the levels were such a blast to replay.


Spyro 2
Like in Spyro 1, I lost my save data at one part three times in a row (this time right at the beginning), but unlike in Spyro 1, I did not enjoy having to get back what I lost. They decided to throw in all these missions which are mind-numbly terrible most of the time. There's so much dialogue, so many scripted sequences, and so many gimmicks and challenges that don't play to Spyro's core set of mechanics at all. I wish I was just collecting gems again...

The graphics are better on a technical level, though aside from some areas like the pretty strikingly beautiful hub worlds, they don't have the same sense of mysticism to them as the first game, they just felt more cartoony and Earthy, like something I'd get out of any other platformer. I also kind of preferred Spyro's character in the first game more too, it was more amusing. In 2, I got bored whenever he started talking.

However, when it comes to the player's mechanics, they are vastly improved. The first game played well enough, but everything does feel a lot better over all, with a lot of really intuitive additions such as the quick-hover. I like that they also gave each different kind of gem a distinct design apart from their colour. The boss battles are also boss battles now, and good ones at that. The first game's were virtually nonexistent and I didn't really consider them bosses, but these are solid. They're some of the best bosses I've fought in a platformer.

While the second half of the game partially makes up for the shitty mission design in the first half, as a concept, I do like the first game more. The first game brought me unconditional joy, whereas this one had me teetering between feeling frustrated for more than one reason and being reasonably surprised with how good some parts were. Needless to say, I'll take the former.


Spyro 3
I haven't finished this one yet (I'm like a third of the way though?), but instantly I noticed a vast improvement over the second game. Far better missions, far better gameplay balance, far more enjoyable writing, less dialogue, and so on. The only complaint I have at the moment are that the other playable characters, while totally playable and alright from a gameplay standpoint, have some awful animations and hastily programmed mechanics which kind of take me out of the experience - this is most noticeable in Sheila's stages, and probably the least noticeable in Byrd's, whose stages I think are really fun.

Still though, it's looking to be a really good game. Will I like it more than the first? Probably not, but I think it's far better than Spyro 2.


Sonic 1
It's pretty good up until Labyrinth Zone, and from that point on it kind of wears on you. I enjoyed my time with the game though, because even though it could be downright frustrating, I never wanted to give up. Something I never realised before playing this was how great of a concept Sonic is, from the character and world design down to the gameplay, it's utterly brilliant.


Sonic CD
Wow, this was a blast! Really short game, but enjoyable to no end. I love the pinball zones, and they single-handedly make me wish I'd grown up with the series.


Sonic 2
Probably my favourite in the classic series. There's so much variety between every zone, and every zone feels so unique and creative, even in the ones containing re-used assets - they did enough to make them stand out. It's the perfect length, and whereas I might consider CD too easy, this one posed a really nice challenge. It's not hard at all, but it wasn't a mindless blitz like CD was.


Sonic 3 & Knuckles
I'm only two zones from the end, but so far, I appreciate the heck out of this game. As a platformer, it has exemplary level design, mechanics and graphics. I'm not sure if I like it more than Sonic 2 though, because while I think this is a more well-made game, I don't feel it's quite as memorable. Sonic 2 had some really crazy environments which I don't feel this game really does justice, and I'm a bit indifferent towards the first-act bosses. They're thankfully short, but I feel that a lot of them aren't very well-designed, in contrast to the rest of the game.

Objectively speaking, it's a fantastic game. I think I just personally connect with Sonic 2 more. It's really hard to say though; I'll have a better sense of judgement after I've replayed them all in the future, which is something I'll really be looking forward to!


A Hat in Time
Well, this game is way better than Yooka-Laylee, for the most part. The devs here understand the need for tight level design and worlds chalked full of activity and fun. Right off the bat you can tell, as, unlike Yooka, the game's levels are almost as tall as they are wide, which is something I love.

I haven't made it very far through the game though. I think the reason for that is that, while it's fun in its own right, for all intents and purposes, it feels as though it could've been a shovelware Wii title, albeit a pretty good one. There's nothing remotely modern or innovative about this game, and I'm sorry to say it, but even Yooka-Laylee was a more original craft. Every single thing about this game: the graphics, the gameplay, and even the character mechanics, are a mash of early-2000's platformerness with nothing to set it apart and nothing I feel it does better than the games it's taken inspiration from. In Yooka-Laylee, the one point of praise I gave it, which is very important, is that the player feels fantastic to control. Hat Kid does not. Her movement and animations all feel disconnected and cheap, which is one of the few elements of a game I absolutely cannot look past when judging it. I've reiterated this motto multiple times, but: if it's fun to just run around and jump in an empty test room, then you're already half way there. The Yooka devs forgot to make a game around that concept, and the Hat in Time devs forgot about that concept entirely, or simply didn't have the experience or skill needed to create that sort of thing.

The levels themselves are pretty good, especially when they have a more focused direction such as in the linear platforming void-areas (obviously inspired by Mario Sunshine's) which play surprisingly well. The graphics are a bit clashing, but it looks better in motion than in screenshots. The sound design is shit, with the voices having been mixed well on a technical level, but sound incredibly out-of-place in context. The character designs are okay, but often feel too random and shapeless (the mafia) or are just plain cringe-worthy, such as the British girl whose voice I cannot help but cringe at with every word that comes out of her mouth.

The game is reasonably charming (though not consistently), but it feels cheap. I would recommend giving it a try, but I'd have a hard time considering this to be the "platformer revival" people act like it should be. Is it a better game than Yooka? Absolutely, by a lot, but whereas I'd give Yooka maybe a 4/10, this wouldn't really sit much higher than a 6.5 or a 7 for me.


Destiny 2
No lie, I love shooters, they're one of my favourite genres. I also love Halo, it's one of my favourite shooters (the obvious relation being that this is Bungie's post-Halo project). Destiny 1 had a really neat idea going for it that was executed well for the most part (though I didn't play it until this year, the initial launch in 2014 was a bit of a mess), and I enjoyed it thoroughly... though on Xbox One. I had to get used to playing a shooter on a console, which went surprisingly well.

Destiny 2 improves upon the slightly awkward aesthetic of the first game and presents you with one of the most breathtaking worlds I've ever seen in a video game, ever. Every single area and setpiece in this game looks like you're staring directly at concept artwork, and coupled with the PC version's unlocked framerate, this is one of the nicest looking games I've ever seen, not to mention it performs astonishingly well on lower-end hardware.

Gameplay-wise, the first game was already solid, albeit a bit convoluted in its upgrading and customisation. Destiny 2 streamlines the process beautifully - well, 90% of the time. 10% of the time it feels as though they went a little bit too far with the streamlining. I enjoyed how much there was to upgrade for each subclass in the first game, but here, while the progression and layout is 10x better, I don't think they gave you enough to strive for in each subclass. That being said, this gives you a direct incentive to try and max out all three of your class' subclasses, which is very satisfying and addicting, and even to create three characters to max out all of nine subclasses.

The PvP in this game is some of the best I've ever played. I haven't played Overwatch - I know, that's a big one - but even if I had and I liked it more, second-place is still an admirable position to hold. I wish there were more game modes, but those are coming down the line, and what is there is very well-made. I'm never disappointed with any given map/game mode combination, only excited, so quality over quantity was obviously the initial goal here.

The campaign missions are a little bland and easy, though the campaign only really serves as an introduction to the meat of the game. When you get to the raids and strikes... there's some super elaborate gameplay and teamwork going on. While the earlier bosses in the campaigns aren't really bosses as much as they are bullet-spongey enemies (though they never have that much health so it's not gay), the harder boss battles in the co-op strikes and raids are easily the most inventive and intricate I've ever seen in a shooter. The levels leading up to them can take up to 3 hours, with the bosses themselves sometimes singlehandedly taking 30-45 minutes, moving through multiple elaborate setpieces and phases.

When it comes to gunplay, I've always thought Bungie were at the top. As far back as Halo 3, I've never used guns that felt so varied, satisfying, fun and unique, with melees so integral to victory. The sound design in this game is also incredible, which is no surprise seeing as Bungie has consistently won awards for best sound design. The soundtrack is downright magical (0:47, wow, what a beautiful composition!) and I love, love, love that a shooter decided to take this kind of route with its presentation, because it really adds something:
I'm glad I've found a game I genuinely feel motivated to go back to almost every single day - I mean, when I can, since I don't have very much free time (I'd love to go back to it every day if I could).

[Dart]

A Hat in Time
...I think the reason for that is that, while it's fun in its own right, for all intents and purposes, it feels as though it could've been a shovelware Wii title, albeit a pretty good one. There's nothing remotely modern or innovative about this game, and I'm sorry to say it, but even Yooka-Laylee was a more original craft....

I wouldn't call it shovelware so much as a really amateur B-team game. As I've already mentioned elsewhere, I think YL comes of as bland in it's originality and somewhat depressing when it's pandering to the past (Kartos and Rextro), in that regard while HiT may literally look and play like Sunshine x Psychonauts it's still pretty fun on a conceptual level, in particular I liked how worlds 2 and 3 are set up in really fun ways.

I also don't have it quoted cause it's be a waste of space imho but I had the opposite problems with controls; I played the ice, swamp, and casino areas of YL and was mostly confused by the ps4's controls (my friend also has 1 solid second of tv delay wtf) and HiT barely went 20 fps on my laptop, but it has correction controls which helped out dramatically. And although I barely put more time progress in HiT I found it far more engaging from a control standpoint, except this one segment involving the cheer leader uniform, fuck that shit.

...The graphics are a bit clashing, but it looks better in motion than in screenshots. The sound design is shit, with the voices having been mixed well on a technical level, but sound incredibly out-of-place in context. The character designs are okay, but often feel too random and shapeless (the mafia) or are just plain cringe-worthy, such as the British girl whose voice I cannot help but cringe at with every word that comes out of her mouth.

I totally agree there, the art direction is very amateur, hopefully whenever they make another game, and I suspect these guys will, they can hire more people on to make designs consistently good and textured correctly. The voice acting is downright awful, one third of the cast is really bad while others are good enough. I didn't like any of the side character voices, as well as Mustache Girl.

I think the reason HiT succeeds in a way Yooka doesn't can sort of be seen in their development cycles. HiT was from start to finish honest about what they were doing, they admitted when they were struggling with something like creating a wii u port and were all around good people, Yooka had an escalating dumpster fire for a cycle which involved them kicking out Jontron for virtue points, the PR team at the time dissing their mutual supporters for being "nazis and bigots," not giving people refunds or alternate codes for their backing of the wii u version that they never got, deleting comments and reviews and lying about it, all on top of what was a really mediocre game.