What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Mischief Maker]

Battletech just dropped tonight.

Either I really suck at the second story mission or this video still applies.

(I just lost an entire mech and pilot in one hit from a spider light mech doing a death from above).

[Immryr]

started playing silent hill 2 yesterday. i'm around 4 hours in, just did the boss fight in the hospital. so far the atmosphere in this game is definitely living up to its reputation, really creepy. the music is perfect.

i do have a couple of minor gripes though. firstly the items you pick up are tiny, hard to see and the hit detection of whether or not james will pick stuff up is pretty finickity. i almost gave up on picking up what turned out to be the third coin in the apartment building, the one after the angela knife cut scene, i tried approaching the desk from every different angle, spaming the pick up button constantly and was about to give up on it when it finally decided to pick it up.

i'm also not keen on boss fights where the boss is invincible, especially in games where ammo is pretty limited.

other than that i'm loving it so far.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Started on Yakuza 6.

@BulletMagnet: Yeah the screen tearing is noticeable. The idea was nice but I'd rather have some small load times than....this. The walking speed does also suck. I'm generally okay with the power-up system, but it's definitely a departure and it does really encourage you to try everything. I always do a crap ton in these games anyway so this probably won't effect me much. One other small annoyance is the long load times you have coming out of some of the arcade games like Hang-On and Space Harrier. Maybe those are lessened on a Pro idk.

Overall I'm really enjoying it, but it might not surpass Zero for my favorite.

[Marc]

Started on Yakuza 6.

@BulletMagnet: Yeah the screen tearing is noticeable. The idea was nice but I'd rather have some small load times than....this. The walking speed does also suck. I'm generally okay with the power-up system, but it's definitely a departure and it does really encourage you to try everything. I always do a crap ton in these games anyway so this probably won't effect me much. One other small annoyance is the long load times you have coming out of some of the arcade games like Hang-On and Space Harrier. Maybe those are lessened on a Pro idk.

Overall I'm really enjoying it, but it might not surpass Zero for my favorite.

Was looking to pick up after completing 0, but just noticed Kiwami is £10.00 on sale on PSN at the moment... but then I'd be missing the coin ops and VF5. Hmm, decisions.

[drauch]

i'm also not keen on boss fights where the boss is invincible, especially in games where ammo is pretty limited.

I woulnd't worry. It may seem that way at first, but on normal mode you'll have a ton of ammo towards the end.

[Blinge]

i almost gave up on picking up what turned out to be the third coin in the apartment building, the one after the angela knife cut scene, i tried approaching the desk from every different angle, spaming the pick up button constantly and was about to give up on it when it finally decided to pick it up.

i'm also not keen on boss fights where the boss is invincible, especially in games where ammo is pretty limited.

hahah that Angela coin is a bugger, especially as you might leave the room and end up needing it later.
"oohh.. i'm... soooorry"

you talking about the first PH? Nah, he leaves as a result of you dealing damage.

[Immryr]

i almost gave up on picking up what turned out to be the third coin in the apartment building, the one after the angela knife cut scene, i tried approaching the desk from every different angle, spaming the pick up button constantly and was about to give up on it when it finally decided to pick it up.

i'm also not keen on boss fights where the boss is invincible, especially in games where ammo is pretty limited.

hahah that Angela coin is a bugger, especially as you might leave the room and end up needing it later.
"oohh.. i'm... soooorry"

you talking about the first PH? Nah, he leaves as a result of you dealing damage.

It's definitely on a timer. I reset my game after shooting him bunch and deciding I was just wasting ammo. I just ran round the room the second time and he got bored and buggered off after a while.

[Blinge]

Might be both.

He definitely fucks off after enough damage, i should know, i've beat the game in an hour IGT..
It's possible to beat him without moving from the door, before he can hit you.

[FRO]

I got a review code for Project Xenon Valkyrie+ on PS4. It's a pretty interesting 8-bit style Rogue-like action platformer. It has solid chiptune music, and a bit of a punishing difficulty. It's fun, though, and it has an addictive quality to it.

[Immryr]

Might be both.

He definitely fucks off after enough damage, i should know, i've beat the game in an hour IGT..
It's possible to beat him without moving from the door, before he can hit you.

ah, cool. i'll remove that from my minor gripe list then

[Blinge]

Well, the game gives no indication of him being hurt and the sound of bullets richocheting off his helmet isn't encouraging either.
Trying to use that plank? lol forget it.

I think my first experience of that fight was the same as yours tbh.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Started on Yakuza 6.

@BulletMagnet: Yeah the screen tearing is noticeable. The idea was nice but I'd rather have some small load times than....this. The walking speed does also suck. I'm generally okay with the power-up system, but it's definitely a departure and it does really encourage you to try everything. I always do a crap ton in these games anyway so this probably won't effect me much. One other small annoyance is the long load times you have coming out of some of the arcade games like Hang-On and Space Harrier. Maybe those are lessened on a Pro idk.

Overall I'm really enjoying it, but it might not surpass Zero for my favorite.

Was looking to pick up after completing 0, but just noticed Kiwami is £10.00 on sale on PSN at the moment... but then I'd be missing the coin ops and VF5. Hmm, decisions.

Kiwami is definitely worth a go. It's fairly different from the original, and has tie-ins with zero. Definitely worth that sale prices. I didn't have any regrets on it at full price.

[BulletMagnet]

Overall I'm really enjoying it, but it might not surpass Zero for my favorite.

I'm a bit farther in now, and am getting more used to the game's quirks, which at least so far are thankfully non-fatal; moreover I quite like the minigame/distraction selection this time around, not too many that I'm completely uninterested in (partially because they took out most of the casino games, I guess, but it's still a pretty strong lineup IMO). Combat's a decided cut below Kiwami for me, especially since so many heat actions will only work when you're in "spend your entire bar" mode, but I should also note that one of the side stories got more laughs out of me than any other event in the series that comes to mind, so that was almost worth the price of admission on its own, heh. Still a ways to go, especially since I only just unlocked the baseball team and clan creator, so we'll see how this upcoming weekend goes.

Definitely worth that sale prices. I didn't have any regrets on it at full price.

Especially seeing as full price (in the US anyway) was only thirty clams; arguably my favorite of those I've played, though I was really miffed that I couldn't complete the skill tree because I couldn't find good enough pocket racer parts (probably via a minigame I didn't bother with) to unlock one of the final trigger events. Grr...

[Steamflogger Boss]

I'll be honest I checked a guide to optimally finish the pocket racer stuff in Kiwami.

It's too bad Kiwami 2 isn't also $30. Seems like they cut an entire area out of the game too. :/

Definitely a solid selection of mini-games in 6 so far. I'll see once I've tried everything but my favourite mini-game type thing ever in a Yakuza so far was Majima's club running thinger.

I dislike how easy it is to just run into enemies and take some damage at the start and it's hard to do anything to avoid it. On the bright side I guess that means it's easy to go eat somewhere and get more experience. It does seem like a lot of heat mode is centered on using the burst heat mode or w/e it's called.

[Sumez]

Finished up Etrian Odyssey 4, all the dragons, final stratum plus TLB and all.

Man, it's good to be back in this series, and EO4 is a fantastic game. Anyone who felt alienated by the minimalistic and repetitive nature of the first game ought to give this one at try. Aside from some good challenging spikes, it's not too hard and never requires grinding. As I mentioned earlier, the overworld part is very approachable and adds a relaxing alternative to the dungeon crawling, which all helps with making the game more approachable.

The level design is strong, but starts lacking towards the end, with some revisits to the previous stratums feeling very lazy and uninteresting - however the postgame stratum is amazingly great, and has a solid super-creepy atmosphere. I really enjoyed the final floor-wide puzzle leading up to the TLB.

[Marc]

I'll be honest I checked a guide to optimally finish the pocket racer stuff in Kiwami.

I didn't know pocket racing was a thing until after I'd finished the game, missed it altogether. Can't afford to pick up 6 for another month or so, so still debating whether to pickup Kiwami or just replay 0. I'd miss the arcade in Kiwami though.....

[Stevens]

Outrun on the 360. It never gets old, although I am considering picking up the Xbox version too.

[Immryr]

Finished silent hill 2 yesterday. It's a really great game. How hard to see the items are combined with how specific your positioning needs to be is my only little gripe with the game. I had real problems finding two of the music boxes in the hotel. I dunno if I'm just blind or if they're genuinely hard to spot but I only found the snow white one by humping every single wall I the building while spamming pick up. I had searched the room it's in on my first time through there too....

The boss fights aren't so good either, but that doesn't really bother me.

The atmosphere and story telling in the game are really, really great though.

[Sumez]

It's amazing. My primary problem with SH2 back in the days was that it really wasn't scary (compared to SH1 which is still super scary). Back then I completely failed to see the things that it did really well, and the subtle movements of the story went completely over my head >_> I guess I wasn't expecting mature shit like that from a video game in 2001.

[Immryr]

I'm not sure I can think of a game with a better, or better told story. Angela's story is genuinely harrowing and piecing it together throughout the game is what lead me to realising that

Spoiler

james had killed Mary. which pretty much blew my mind and changed how i saw the whole game.

Not sure if spoiler tags are really necessary at this point, but I didn't know till I played the game so.....

[Blinge]

Yeah i totally missed the music box in the pantry. that stumped me for a good while!
James' head actually turns to look at items though, i failed to notice at this point.

Glad you enjoyed it, Immy.

[Immryr]

i didn't notice that either

[Marc]

Yakuza Kiwami, really just more of the same, and I weep silently every time I walk past where Sega Land should be. Having played 0 first, I still prefer Majima from that game, he's kind of a dumb jackass here.

Rez area X in VR is a pretty damn special experience. Main game is impressive enough but this really makes full use of the tech. I'd also forgotten just how amazing looking stage 5 is as well.

Blaze Rush on PS4 is fulfilling me need to a Rock n Roll Racing clone quite nicely. Smooth, some neat weapons, decent tracks... not a lot to dislike really.

Topping those off with Everybody's Golf, which is my gaming equivalent of comfort food.

[EmperorIng]

Immryr, if you haven't yet, I highly recommend playing SH1 as well. It is the pinnacle of PS1-era survival horror and in some ways exceeds its sequels in impact. SH3 also in some way builds off SH2's strengths, but interestingly each main game feels very different from one another in pacing, style, themes, etc.

A few of us say this, but SH1-4 are all worth playing. SH4 slightly less so, because it is so different than the other three games, but it is still a good send-off for the original team who made the game.

[Ghegs]

Finally got use out of my SNES Classic Mini and played through Link to the Past for the first time. It felt much shorter than I thought it'd be, but overall I had a good time with it, despite running into some design choices that made me look at a walkthrough.

[TransatlanticFoe]

What got you reaching for the walkthrough?

First time around as a kid I didn't notice anything really obtuse. I got lost trying to find the path to Zora's Flippers, and had trouble with what to do with the flute until I found the random villager who gives you a vague clue. Nothing on the level of Phantasy Star's early game "to proceed, repeatedly ask for the really expensive item you can't afford", which was the sort of thing that put me off JRPGs at the time.

[EmperorIng]

I think the part that truly stumped me as a kid was the Dark World's forest dungeon, but it was so long ago that I can't remember if I looked at a primitive late 90s online guide, or if I just bumbled around until I found my way.

I do seem to remember looking at ancient fan sites to get clues telling me what to throw into fairy fountains.

[Ghegs]

The flute was one, I kept talking to the NPC but didn't realize you need to play the damn thing right in front of him. And when the single mandatory use for Quake medallion came, I didn't have it and just looked up where to get it.

[Immryr]

Immryr, if you haven't yet, I highly recommend playing SH1 as well. It is the pinnacle of PS1-era survival horror and in some ways exceeds its sequels in impact. SH3 also in some way builds off SH2's strengths, but interestingly each main game feels very different from one another in pacing, style, themes, etc.

A few of us say this, but SH1-4 are all worth playing. SH4 slightly less so, because it is so different than the other three games, but it is still a good send-off for the original team who made the game.

i've sort of played silent hill 1 before, around the time it came out. i didn't own the game but a friend of mine did and we played through it together. i don't really remember too much about it though. i just started playing it again today. i'm not far in, just in the school, and already the general enemies seem more threatening than they are in SH2.

i'll get round to playing 3 and 4 at some point too, no doubt.

[NYN]

I played around the 3rd and 4th mute hills last winter. Had been some time. Finished 4 four times for the four endings.

What I found was that I'm certainly glad that it does not work like the predecessors. At all. I dig them all, but playing 3 after 4 this time I felt strongly like a tourist who's been giving the grand tour. By that I mean the Hills survival tool kit: flashlight, radio, map to madness. Like Harry and James before. Also, the connection to the original is something I still mull over. Oh, it surely feels like a sequel, but wasn't the point of the 2nd Hill to avoid this? At least I thought so. Maybe I'm just impressed by how much distance 4 builds to the lore. Leave the cemetery grounds and try to capture the atmosphere. Done.

Of all the lost wanderes to control in the fog, feisty Heather is my fave though. Pure attitude. You go, girl! Tell those creeps a little something about themselfs.

I concur with the note on the bosses. 3 features more than the others, but they feel so mild to fight. Maybe it's just hard to design inside a horror theme.

*Found some noteworthy background.