[V1] What are you currently playing?

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bandokanon said:
SaGa was one of my first handheld games tbh, and my second jrpg (before I knew what rpgs even were). I always loved that game. Good to see it getting some appreciation!

Meanwhile I've been a bit crazy, bought an entire SNES (NOT the 'classic'-- the real thing) along with Paladin's Quest (aka Lennus) and a fan-translated copy of Lennus 2, which is still on its way. So I'm replaying a physical copy of Paladin's Quest and it feels real good. EDIT: When my hand is agreeable at least
(PS: Had to open up the controller and clean its gutties because the start and select buttons weren't working. No idea how it managed to get THAT dirty on the inside, but it did!)
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SaGa really doesn't get the love it deserves in the West. I never played Lennus all the way through. When I tried it when I was younger, its graphics didn't appeal to me. But it's cool to see someone restoring the original hardware experience.
 
mothcorrupteth said:
I do also have Alpha Sapphire, have played a little of it, and like it (though not as much as OG Gold). I would LOVE to go back to the GBA days and do plan on buying FireRed and a back-compat DSi, but the OG Sapphire etc. feel like too much of a hassle to preserve given their use of save batteries. FireRed uses flash memory, so it will never require maintenance. So if I do ever try OG Gen. 3, I'm going to do it on emulator where I can benefit from practicing my German and Spanish with the PAL versions. But then, of course, I can't transfer unless I can find some way to save to flash memory on a non-issue cart. Not that transferring matters anymore, given the Gen. 8 news. If you can't just keep going and going into the future, then what's even the point?
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Yeah I get what you mean. I suppose Ruby/Sapphire are redundant now because of OmegaRuby/Alpha Sapphire unless you want something really specific. Gen 4 I'd say is the new starting point especially as, I think at least, every Pokemon is available in that generation upto that point (I.e. you can complete the dex between just HG, SS, D, P and Pl without the need of transfer from the previous gen). Still, emulating Emerald is always a good thing to do at least once.

Yes the gen 8 news is rather dissapointing, sadly. However they can still be sent upto gen 7, and using Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transfer, so can Pokemon from the Virtual Console versions of OG Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal! With Gen 7 being on a new console and the unfortunate news about gen 8's 'limitations', I expect gen 7 to still be quite popular for a while coming. Heck, even the next VGC 2020 will be Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon based and not Sword and Shield. A first time I beleive in that the VGC hasn't switched to the latest games straight away.
 
Metal Gear Solid 1

Yes, number 1. The very first installment in all its wonderful, jaggy, somewhat cumbersome PS1 polygonal glory.

As someone whose exposure to the Metal Gear Solid franchise was limited to only the memes and my justified ramblings about whether the character Quiet is peak Kojima ingrained misogyny made manifest, I decided it was about time I give this stealth series a shot. Granted, my only real experience with stealth games has been Deus Ex Human Revolution and the handful of times that Assassin's Creed remembered it was supposed to be about a hooded bloke discreetly sticking his blade into unsuspecting targets' lungs - plus in franchises such as Far Cry and Borderlands, my favourite tool is a sniper rifle with a suppressor.

Suffice to say, I wouldn't be able to comfortably dispatch foes with a quick donk of a knife or wobbly headshots using a quiet sniper rifle from a mile away in Metal Gear Solid 1, so this has so far been an interesting experience. I think this game's true villain right now is its controls scheme. Granted, it's an old PS1 game and utterly lacks the modern conveniences we comfortably take for granted, but good lord, getting used to it and quickly rummaging through it on the fly has been a mountain of its own to climb. I think my favourite woops moment as a result of my addled brain still attempting to acclimatise itself to the controls system was when I snuck up to a soldier serenely emptying his bladder at the urinals, only to accidentally slap a C4 explosive on his back instead of quietly taking him out unarmed. I bet not even the cruelest of war criminals would entertain a grisly execution that depraved and unnecessary.

I'm still somewhat enjoying it though, except for that loud klaxon alarm sound when an enemy or camera sees me. Metal Gear Solid's trying to kill me before I even reach the end.
 
I've recently been playing:

Final Fantasy 8 Remaster (PS4) - This is probably the best version of the game, if only for the speed up. Drawing is so much quicker and more tolerable lol. Still love this game a tonne :).

Luigi's Mansion 2 - I wanted to finish this in time for Luigi's Mansion 3 (Halloween) and I've done that so happy times. I still don't think it's as good as the original (not even close), due to all the generic ghosts and overused samey cutscenes. It's ok though. Better than quite a few janky horror games out there.

Man of Medan - I'm playing this as we speak and while I've only played the prologue, it's pretty good. You can see why the price was low-ish though, since the graphics are pretty bad by today's standards and the controls when you move around are awful. Still, I'll get back to it and see what the main section of the game has to offer.

Fire Emblem: Three Emblems - I've only played about 5 hours of this but I'm loving how addictive it is. I only stopped to play other games that I wanted to beat first lol. Anyways, I went for the house with the most twats (Black Eagle) since I thought it would be most interesting. So far though, they all seem innocent enough. No murders! What's going on? :lew:
 
Sprout said:
I've recently been playing:



Fire Emblem: Three Emblems - I've only played about 5 hours of this but I'm loving how addictive it is. I only stopped to play other games that I wanted to beat first lol. Anyways, I went for the house with the most twats (Black Eagle) since I thought it would be most interesting. So far though, they all seem innocent enough. No murders! What's going on? :lew:
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I'm all over this currently, though on hard mode it's exactly that ^_^

I try to play 1 story driven title and 1 multiplayer game at a time, so fifa's my other current choice.

I think next I'm going back to FF7 as I would like to play through again before the new release next year. This will probably end up being on my Switch
 
I've been trying to get some spare time around, as I want to play the original version of VII before the REMAKE too, but my gaming calendar is so booked right now I might be able to squeeze it in January at best... but that is cutting it close...
 
Final Fantasy X - HD Remaster (PS4) - Finally finished up with the main story and vast majority of side-quests of Final Fantasy XV a few weeks ago. Still have the DLC's and the higher end side-quests left to do. Taking a break from it for a while though to play the remaster of FFX! I haven't really touched this game (the PS2 version) in over 6 years at least so its nice to revisit. Currently just leaving Macalania Woods and making my way to Macalania Temple. They did a fantastic job at remastering the game graphics-wise and the newer arranged soundtrack, whilst sometimes being lacklustre compared to the originals, is brilliant overall. The voice acting is still cringe in parts. I.E. the notorious laughing scene in Luca and that gawd-awful "AIIIIIIIGGGHHH" or whatever the fuck it was I recently had the displeasure of re-experiencing back in Guadosalam.

Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled (PS4) - Yep, still going at it! I only really play atm for the Wumpa Coin bonuses and occationally take a crack at the Time Trials as yet to actually unlock Dr. N Tropy which I am currently about halfway through doing. About 13 Legendary Skins and a whole bunch of Sticker Packs left to obtain until I've completely cleared out the Pit Stop store. Since the latest update, the weekend bonus now applies to all game modes, so thats when I mainly do all of that grindy stuff now and play other games during the week. The 5th GP starts next week so will be on it alot more during the week for at least a couple of weeks when it does.

The Last of Us - Remaster (PS4) - Avalible on PS+ this month so thought I'd give it a go as I've heard many good things over the years. Always been one of those games I've always wanted to play on the PS3 but never got around to it. Still quite early into the game (only just been introduced to Ellie) but have enjoyed what I have played so far. Leaving CTR:NF mainly to the weekends means I can play more of this during the week alongside FFX Remaster and FFXV when I go back to it.

Final Fantasy: Record Keeper (Android) - Recently found out this was still alive so thought I'd dive back into it for the first time in years since an unfortunate alcoholic incident laid my iPhone 4S to rest. They have updated and added alot since I last played but seem to be catching back up fairly quickly. Nice little nostalgic mobile game to spend small amounts of time on whilst on the move, if somewhat repetitive.
 
Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)

Just finished obtaining the platinum trophy - SoTC is a stunning & breathtaking work of art.

Bluepoint have done an exceptional job at rebuilding the game using the core mechanics; SoTC was undeniably ahead of its time back in 2006 and the 2018 remake does very well to cement itself as current generation title. Graphically, the SoTC remake isn't the best current generation title available, but it certainly holds its own and doesn't look out of place - or even look like a rebuild of a Playstation 2 title. The lighting, and particularly the forest lighting, is phenomenal.

Mechanically, the game is much less clunky than I remembered it to be back in 2006, and even the 2011 PS3 remaster - given that the remake only rebuilds the graphic assets and doesn't touch the core gameplay from 2006 (I believe) - it may be a smoother frame rate that makes the game feel better and in line with current generation titles. There are still minor flaws such as the camera rotation against Pelagia and balance/grip against Gaius, but other than that, there were no minor or major gameplay issues that affected the gameplay.

That said, in spite of everything, it isn't a game for everyone. It isn't a game that is jam-packed with action - in fact, quite the opposite - and in that respect, for a lot of people the game can be seen as repetitive and boring, but, the beauty of the game comes from being able to appreciate it as art. A beautifully sad masterpiece.
 
I finished the first Luigi's Mansion for Gamecube about a week or two ago. I hadn't ever played it before and was surprised that I actually enjoyed this game, so I may borrow the new one from my brother later on.

I'm in-between games at the moment so I've been playing Stardew Valley here & there, mostly when I've got some free time - usually at night. I'm a bit late to the scene but I'm enjoying it a lot. So far I'm courting the town drunk because I'm a classy lady.
 
Reading some of the first few pages of this thread is so nostalgic.
Currently playing new Cod Modern Warfare, and League of Legends
 
About a couple of hours ago, I was playing Pro Pinball: Fantastic Journey for the PS1. Not a lot of people know about the Pro Pinball series, but it was essentially a series of pinball simulation games for the PC/PS1 with photo-realistic graphics. I decided to give it a spin in the wake of us getting an HDMI adapter for our PS2, and it was very fun to revisit an old favorite of mine. :-)
 
The Last Guardian (PS4)

A really, really heavy game - considering it can be completed within five hours, I would definitely recommend a playthrough in multiple sitings.

Gameplay:
It is entirely puzzle orientated with enemies thrown in, but your character 'the boy' has very little interaction other than being able to knock them over. The main part of combat is focused around Trico, your griffin-esque beast companion that defends and does the fighting for you. Trico can be a bit of a pain to command and in all honesty, I'm not sure whether it's intentional or not. Part-way through the game you are informed of being able to actually command Trico and he does become more responsive as the game progresses - this would make perfect sense if it was intentional as with any pet, they will become more responsive the more you bond with them over time (this would be a really neat little piece of unique gameplay) but it could also be just clunky gameplay; as the game is very vague with these things (very much like Shadow of the Colossus) it's difficult to understand the intention. The camera for the most part is solid, but at times it can be a little difficult to move around and almost gets 'stuck' when it hits an angle it doesn't like.

I think there are definitely points in the game in which Trico's path finding logic suffers from development problems; for the most part it's solid, but at times when you need him to jump from one point to another to progress the game, it can be a pain getting him to do so. I think a large part of the problem is having such large creature moving around often relatively small areas. On one hand I think it's the development issues Japan Studio suffered for the best part of a decade and Sony insisting the game had to be released within a certain timescale, so it may not have been entirely polished. On the other hand, I am of the understanding that ICO also suffered similar problems - so did Shadow of the Colossus originally, but this was rectified in the Bluepoint remake, so maybe the studio is simply happy with the imperfections

Storyline:
The game shares a lot of similarities with Shadow of the Colossus in that it starts off with absolutely no context other than 'the boy' and Trico in the same room, very much like Shadow of the Colossus with 'the boy' and Agro, and that over time your companionship grows. The backstory never gets overly deep, but you do get flashbacks as to how you came about Trico and how you ended up at the start of the game - the last third of the game is where the story really accelerates and glows. At this point you are already emotionally invested and care about Trico, almost as if he was your own pet, and takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions - at times, heartbreaking - the ending is beautifully written.

Graphics:
Japan Studio games have always been visual work of arts and The Last Guardian is no exception; the lighting is absolutely beautiful. It won't appeal to everyone as it isn't centred around hyper-realistic-console-maximising-8K-based graphics, but I'm certain that anyone who can appreciate the art of game development will love the graphics.

Music:
One of the greatest soundtracks of this console generation. Potentially my favourite of all time.

The game overall is a solid 8.5 out of 10. I think it shares similarities to Shadow of the Colossus in that it definitely is not a game that is going to appeal to the masses which showed in the poor sales overall; it's a niche game that is heavily based on being a work of art rather than an out-and-out game. The heavily puzzle based element also takes a little while to get into (my recent playthrough was actually the second time I started the game) which suffered gameplay issues from constantly stifled development - but there are many aspects that do make it a beautiful game and worth investing the time in.

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I am currently playing Darksiders II for Wii U. My friend let me borrow his Wii U for a couple of days, so I decided to play Darksiders II to learn about the story of the game. I just finished completing Tears of the Mountain dungeon. Now i'm on my way back to talk to Alya and continue the story.
 
I currently play Cell to Singularity, a very nice steam idle game
I also have started some Stardew Valley and I have Pokemon Sword that waits for plenty of hours of playing
I'm also thinking about playing a new FF6 game.
I also have plenty of work :)
 
Finishing post game stuff on Pokemon Sword Shield tonight. Been tinkering in MineCraft a tiny bit since my brother started to play again. I guess I just like therapeutically mining for diamonds.

Once Sword Shield is officially done (tonight!) I'm going to boot up FF7 so that I can hopefully casually play and beat it by the time the remake drops. Haven't played Stardew in a short while and would hopefully like to play some soon with the newest update that dropped.

Weeeeee'll see~

Edit: Shield* - Apparently I was really tired last night.
 
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I am currently playing Digimon World Dusk for the Nintendo 3DS. I've been enjoying playing this game every single minute at night time. Digimon was one of my favorite cartoon back in the days when I was a teenager. My Favorite Digimon were Wargreymon, Imperialmon, Metalgarurumon, Myotismon, Piedmon, Angelmon and Seraphimon. I have also played two Digimon games for the original PlayStation, which I can't remember the title of this two games.

One of this two games I enjoy playing a lot because you can obtain your favorite digimon to add to your party and see their evolution while playing. That is the best part of the game. I managed to obtain two of my three favorite digimon which where Wargreymon and Imperialmon. I was pleased with having this two as part of my team since they both are my top favorite out of all of the digimons. I wish I can play this game again on a emulator if I can remember the name of it. Then I can re-enjoy playing the game once again like I did back in the days.
 
The Last of Us Remastered + Left Behind (DLC)

Played the game previously on PS3 and then as soon as the remastered version came out for PS4, so started the trophy cleanup a couple of weeks ago: survivor mode, collectibles (a chore in any game), multiplayer and the Left Behind DLC. Absolutely phenomenal game; completely worth the time in preparation for The Last of Us 2.

First time I've played multiplayer consistently in a a couple of years - The Last of Us multiplayer is definitely a sink or swim online experience. It was actually quite nice to play multiplayer matches that require teamwork and strategic thinking, rather than approaching it all guns blazing; given that most people travel in pairs at minimum and often as a squad, anyone that goes rogue is dead within seconds. It's also a different experience in that, due to multiplayer being generally slow paced, if you do end up on the wrong end of a firefight, you can more often than not drop back and regroup. Took a few games to get into the swing of things since I started multiplayer first... then realised I couldn't actually remember any of the controls. :dead:

Single player is probably my most favourite gaming storylines of all time. It's devastatingly hard hitting from the very beginning and is relentless throughout the whole game - portraying humanity at its absolute worst in the face of extinction. Following Joel & Ellie was tough, a young girl who wants nothing more than to be loved and for Joel to be a father figure vs. Joel, who has never come to terms with the loss of his daughter. The last 'gameplay' scene carrying Ellie from the hospital was particularly poignant - the story starts with Joel trying to carry Sarah to safety but unable to do so, and ends with Joel carrying Ellie to safety and finally sees her as a daughter

Whilst the hardest non-DLC mode, survivor difficulty is the way to play the game. Resources and bullets are at an absolute minimum so EVERY corner and drawer needs to be checked to maximise returns. It also means the majority of enemies you are forced to stealth kill or hide you way out of an area; it truly becomes a survival game.

The Left Behind DLC was short but sweet. Half of the DLC focused on Ellie taking caring of Joel during winter using the usual The Last of Us gameplay aspects - the ability to turn hunters and the infected against each other was a nice implementation. The other half was more akin to a 'walking simulator' and focused on Ellie's relationship with Riley.

Absolutely outstanding game.

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Just recently, I was playing Final Fantasy X! I've gotten pretty far in it,
to the point where you have to fight Seymour for the second-to-last time,
but sadly I've kind of bailed out because I was getting too frustrated with the battles as a result of the characters not being leveled up enough. I clearly should've better grasped the whole concept of "level-grinding" before I even started the game, lol! 😅 Anyway, at that point, playing the game just became more of a chore for me than something actually fun. Who knows, maybe I'll try to pick it back up again at some point...idk. 😶
 
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