What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
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Queen Charlene
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Queen Charlene »

Vanquish is fucking amazing, one of my favorite games of all time. shit, there's even a damn scoring system!! it's even a short enough game that you can speed run it. they really nailed it with that game, only thing missing IMO is more extra mission modes. the Challenge mode is good but there's only 5 stages and they ramp up in difficulty real quick... Challenge Stage 2 is WAY harder than Challenge Stage 1. and Challenge Stage 3 is waaaaayyyyyyyyyy harder than both 1 and 2. etc... and how is there absolutely no boss rush mode?!?!

i have the PS3, 360 and PC versions, but i'm tempted to dip in on the PS4 version too.
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NYN
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Post by NYN »

Queen Charlene wrote:the Challenge mode is good but there's only 5 stages
There are six in total, for the pleasure of your information. Beat that 5, get challenged with the 6th.
Is that suffice now?
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BareKnuckleRoo
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

The best advice I can give you for Bayonetta is to go into the inventory screen (Select button) and check out the Tome of Umbran Arts under the File menu. Learn your basic combos, and also read up on Dodge Offset. Dodge Offset lets you dodge without resetting your combo and learning to use it will radically change the combat system in your favour.

You can pause any loading screen by hitting select, letting you practice combos. Disregard the ones with pauses in them (white dots where you wait a second before hitting the next button). The timing is tricky to learn if you're new to the game and all of them have equivalent combos without pauses that work just as well. The basic "bread-and-butter" beginner combo you can use throughout the game is listed at the top of every combo list for each weapon set and is universal across all sets as the fastest way to get a Wicked Weave combo.
it290 wrote:This sort of shooter isn't exactly my 'thing' and I'm still learning how to maneuver with agility and grace, but oh my gosh are the mechanics fun. Really looking forward to actually getting good at this thing.
The dodge roll has invulnerability frames, but the amount they give you is reduced if you dodge roll a bunch of times in a row or if you are overheating. You can maximize your invulnerability time and maneuverability by boost rolling: tap the boost button and as soon as you hear the sound of your thrusters, hit roll. Doing this keeps the invulnerability frames you get on the roll maximized and is a very fast way to move.

Another trick is you have two melee moves where holding the aim button during them allows you to fire while you're in midair. Get creative with those and you can shoot over cover at a distance. Also note that the boost kick is by far the best melee attack in your arsenal as it is very powerful, can be universally used regardless of the weapon currently equipped, allows followup shots in midair, and is very fast.
Queen Charlene wrote:and how is there absolutely no boss rush mode?!?!
This is sort of what the challenges are; several of the major bosses show up as fights in the 6 challenge maps you can unlock. All of them are on Normal difficulty.

My only complaint with Vanquish is the lack of a difficulty mode between Hard and God Hard. Hard is a fairly small step up from Normal, but God Hard is a massive challenge compared to Hard due not only to the vastly harder AI, but some significant mechanical changes to how your reaction time works.
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Queen Charlene
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Queen Charlene »

yeah, but i just kind of wish there was a mode where you fought *only* the bosses, no Gorgies or anything like that. it's really a very minor complaint of mine :P
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by carlbarx »

Picked up Dreams on PS4 yesterday. Had so much fun just trying things out I already got my moneys worth.

There's already shmup stuff too, like this impressive D-Darius game : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBj336owII
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BurlyHeart
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BurlyHeart »

Wow, that's pretty amazing :o

Looking forward to seeing what people come up with with more time and experience.
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Zaarock
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Zaarock »

Someone gifted me Daemon X Machina on steam and I'm really positively surprised by this game. It really is basically a new armored core game. The single player content is a little barren though, there is no S-ranking things or hard mode. All Post-game content is multiplayer focused but you can still do them alone: coop super boss fights (a lot weaker than ACV & ACVD bosses though) & a randomized dungeon level. PVP seems alright as well and is a motivation for people to gear up in those other modes even once they become trivial.

Apparently the dungeon exploration mode was added recently, so I'm hoping they add some more things over time. If the multiplayer gets more fleshed out in terms of things like team vs team battles maybe the game can live a long life similar to Armored Core Verdict Day.

Most importantly the game just controls extremely well, and whoever made it really loves the nuance of some of the armored core games. There's all kinds of small control tricks to manage boost better, slide on the ground by landing in a specific way, weapons benefiting from certain kind of movement etc. Maybe it even has more depth in immediate gameplay mechanics than the AC games because the Femto gauge and related special modes which can be switched around instantly (like a 'style switch'). But it needs to be balanced out properly for players to need to use all these available tools and weapons in PVP or challenge runs etc.

-

RE: Vanquish
From what I've heard there are still some big damage / hit detection innacuracies like when PC version is ran at 60fps [endgame SPOILER WARNING]
Curious if someone here can confirm that on PS4. Boot up that fight on on god hard, does the giant laser attack kill you or not and do the 'homing lasers' connect all hits? It's supposed to be an instant kill on Hard already.

Watching through digital foundry videos on Bayonetta and Vanquish all the ports seem OK visual/performance wise. Bayonetta keeps a stable 60fps on all systems apart from some cutscenes. Vanquish has framerate drops on base xbone and PS4, xbone X is only one with truly stable 60fps.

If it was a more accurate port than PC or had any extra features I would've been tempted to pick it up, but PC & 360 feels like enough for now. Really tempted to pick up the collection for Bayonetta though.
Regarding the PC version there are a lot more visual options like removing all motion blur, higher res shadows etc. (same for bayonetta)
As a shameless plug last month I made small mod for PC Vanquish that allows control over a 'powered up' suit state, toggling slow-motion abilities (like bayonetta infinite climax) & custom melee balance adjustment
The melee adjustment consumes gauge instead of instant overheat. Pretty broken of course but I think it's interesting to combine with slow-mo disabled.
Nobody ever did this kind of thing for years so I took a couple days to learn Cheat Engine and figure it out.

-

I had no idea what Dreams was but that Dariusburst level clone looks really amazing and makes it look like it has a ton of potential.
Last edited by Zaarock on Sat Feb 22, 2020 12:57 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Queen Charlene
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Queen Charlene »

Zaarock wrote: As a shameless plug last month I made small mod for PC Vanquish that allows control over a 'powered up' suit state, toggling slow-motion abilities (like bayonetta infinite climax) & custom melee balance adjustment
The melee adjustment consumes gauge instead of instant overheat. Pretty broken of course but I think it's interesting to combine with slow-mo disabled.
Nobody ever did this kind of thing for years so I took a couple days to learn Cheat Engine and figure it out.
holy CRAP i've been wanting something like this in the game for SO LONG, it feels like you practically read my mind!!! that melee meter adjustment is literally 100% exactly what i would have done if i had the ability (or was on the dev team lol).

(i also really like how you use the melee flips and bouncing off of solid objects to get stunt shots, i thought i was one of the only few people who knew about that trick.

man, Vanquish is too good
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it290
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by it290 »

It's worth noting that Bayonetta is available separately from Vanquish as well, so if you just want that, you're not required to pick up Vanquish.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Ajora »

I'm completely obsessed with Dark Souls right now. This is by far one of the best games I've ever played.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by it290 »

After spending some more time with Vanquish I can say that this is maybe my favorite 3D character-based shooting game ever. I feel like it does what DOOM 2016 tried to do with its variety of movement options and freeform gameplay via the rage kill system, but in an infinitely better and more liberating fashion. Boosting up to a robot, meleeing it with a flip kick and entering bullet time in midair to shotgun its face off is so incredibly satisfying, and all the moreso because the game never pigeonholes you into handling a situation in an overly prescribed fashion. You can (up to a point) make almost any loadout/tactic viable, at least in the non-God Hard difficulties. It also somehow manages to still look fantastic in 2020. Really kind of a shame that these ideas never got explored more fully in a sequel, but what we have is itself a near-perfect nugget of blistering 3D shooting arcade action, a game that just oozes *fun* on every level.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by guigui »

My exact feeling when I rolled through Vanquish when it came out : fun.

Anyone playing One Finger Death Punch 2 on the Switch ? Episode 1 was also one hell of a game on the XBLA.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Mischief Maker »

I have mixed feelings toward OFDP 2.

The biggest pro for me is it now has volume controls so I can play it while listening to the news/podcasts.

But aesthetically I don't like the shift from Shaw Bros. kung fu flick to Mortal Kombat + wackiness. Too many guns, too much time spent swinging chainsaws, the game's actually better with all the bonus skills switched off.

The genius of Leslie Nielsen's early comedies was that he was a stock hero actor playing it completely straight in absurd situations. In later films when he bugged his eyes and made goofy faces in the middle of already absurd situations he sucked.

Likewise OFDP is already goofy with the stick figures and over the top action in reaction to simple button presses, having my dude start slaughtering hundreds of enemies by breakdancing while an image of a DJ and club girls floats in the background stretches the joke past the breaking point for me.

But other than powers having similar timers and activating all at once on top of each other, my complaints are all a matter of personal taste and you could easily love it.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by lemans123 »

my non shump game right now is chameleon twist 2, i love the first game, starting to get into the second one
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Obiwanshinobi »

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is an example of Square having removed finger from its arse for the sake of making a very playable game indeed. Worthy successor of the 2003 Fire Emblem on my GBA.
Mischief Maker wrote:The genius of Leslie Nielsen's early comedies was that he was a stock hero actor playing it completely straight in absurd situations.
As a rule of thumb, the funniest comedy is played most seriously (which I guess must be most difficult to act). One recent example of a film actor understanding that is the 2010 movie Super. If I was a film producer, I would have Rainn Wilson play Orson Welles. Someone make it happen, fucking please.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BrianC »

Mischief Maker wrote: The genius of Leslie Nielsen's early comedies was that he was a stock hero actor playing it completely straight in absurd situations. In later films when he bugged his eyes and made goofy faces in the middle of already absurd situations he sucked.
I don't know if I would go as far to say he sucked (many of the later movies he was in would have sucked just as much without him), but I definitely agree he was funnier when he played it straight. This is one reason why I like Police Squad better than the Naked Gun movies. In the series, Frank Drebin was a competent cop with absurd things happening around him, unlike the movies where he was more buffoonish.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by gbaplayer »

Baldurs Gate I on Switch
So far i´m 8 hours into it and in chapter 1. I like it. First RPG of this kind for me. :)
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by XoPachi »

This game Aer.
It's.....alright?
I'm really desperate for a classic style 3D adventure game you'd have gotten on the N64, Gamecube, or PS2. I'm not really too fond of these "no conflict/enemies/tension" adventures, but I'm forced out of my comfort zone these days to get what I want sometimes. :/
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Obiwanshinobi »

XoPachi wrote:I'm really desperate for a classic style 3D adventure game you'd have gotten on the N64, Gamecube, or PS2.
As a person initially seeking mostly those in console gaming (not necessarily 3D, though) and, it would seem, gaming in general, I'd found myself deeply in crisis for the latest couple of years. Not for the lack of proper games; heck, I LIKED Dragon's Dogma, Demon's Souls and Nier on my PS3, but some drive to play the stuff was gone for a while. I just couldn't seem to get into those the way I used to.
Quite surprisingly, it's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance that finally scratched the itch. What seemed like a natural successor of the 2003 Fire Emblem to me, turned out servicing slightly different needs of mine. Gives me the sense of adventure I'd gotten from Gothic or Divine Divinity back in the day. Which, I guess, taught me another lesson not to judge things on their generic affiliation.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by XoPachi »

Obiwanshinobi wrote:As a person initially seeking mostly those in console gaming (not necessarily 3D, though) and, it would seem, gaming in general, I'd found myself deeply in crisis for the latest couple of years. Not for the lack of proper games; heck, I LIKED Dragon's Dogma, Demon's Souls and Nier on my PS3, but some drive to play the stuff was gone for a while. I just couldn't seem to get into those the way I used to.
Quite surprisingly, it's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance that finally scratched the itch. What seemed like a natural successor of the 2003 Fire Emblem to me, turned out servicing slightly different needs of mine. Gives me the sense of adventure I'd gotten from Gothic or Divine Divinity back in the day. Which, I guess, taught me another lesson not to judge things on their generic affiliation.
I've been fervently trying to get into different things that might fill the gaps I've had, but nothing quite replaces those satisfying games for me. Like really going out of my way even in genres/series I used to hate. While I have found stuff I really do like, it doesn't replace what I'm looking for sadly.

I just need that handcrafted traditional adventure. No open world or procedural generation rogue elements. No "minimalism" and lack of conflict or combat. A layered order in which to do things where gaining major upgrades/tools expand the game world as opposed to only stats or the plot advancing things. Puzzles to solve without cheesing the game, things to climb, jump on, and traverse, the occasional chest off the beaten path if your eye is keen enough. In a nice varied 3rd person world.
I'm tempted to get a PS4 Slim for that Ratchet and Clank game since that's one I haven't played.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Mischief Maker »

XoPachi wrote:I just need that handcrafted traditional adventure. No open world or procedural generation rogue elements. No "minimalism" and lack of conflict or combat. A layered order in which to do things where gaining major upgrades/tools expand the game world as opposed to only stats or the plot advancing things. Puzzles to solve without cheesing the game, things to climb, jump on, and traverse, the occasional chest off the beaten path if your eye is keen enough. In a nice varied 3rd person world.
Sounds like Crosscode is exactly the game you're looking for.

It has a demo.

Note: You MUST play with a twin stick controller, as it's designed to be played with both sticks and the shoulder buttons/triggers. It took me the longest time to get into the game because I was trying to make it work with mouse/keyboard, but that just doesn't work for this.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

All video games suck tbh.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by floralcateyes »

Mischief Maker wrote:Sounds like Crosscode is exactly the game you're looking for.

It has a demo.

Note: You MUST play with a twin stick controller, as it's designed to be played with both sticks and the shoulder buttons/triggers. It took me the longest time to get into the game because I was trying to make it work with mouse/keyboard, but that just doesn't work for this.
Actually finished the game with m+kb... because I couldn't get the game to work with my shitty dirt-cheap pad lol.

It's got a few problems: the grinding and crafting systems will probably put a few people off; be prepared to run around grinding destructible scenery if you're a completionist. And the end game combat can be very unbalanced if you do something that the game seemingly encourages you to do. The latter might have been fixed in an update though; played the release version so I wouldn't know.

But yeah, it's a pretty great adventure with lotsa yummy exploration and surprisingly good fights. Been really looking forward to replay it too; just waiting for all the updates and such to drop. Not 3d, as XoPachi seems to be seeking, but it ticks a lot of those other boxes with aplomb and is probably one of the most substantial games of its kind that I've played in the past few years.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by guigui »

Wasn't Crosscode planned to release on Switch ?
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by floralcateyes »

guigui wrote:Wasn't Crosscode planned to release on Switch ?
Yup, but they're apparently focusing on getting it on the Xbone first. It's also listed as "Available TBD" on the game's page as well.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by XoPachi »

Mischief Maker wrote: Sounds like Crosscode is exactly the game you're looking for.

It has a demo.

Note: You MUST play with a twin stick controller, as it's designed to be played with both sticks and the shoulder buttons/triggers. It took me the longest time to get into the game because I was trying to make it work with mouse/keyboard, but that just doesn't work for this.
I've beaten CrossCode like a year ago. I want something 3D though. 'A`
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Mischief Maker »

XoPachi wrote:I've beaten CrossCode like a year ago. I want something 3D though. 'A`
Have you played Ys VIII? People were disappointed that its combat wasn't the same top-tier caliber as Oath and Origin, but outside of that specific context it's a damn good 3D Action Adventure game with an above average combat system.

And while I haven't played it, I've heard good things about Hob.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

YS VIII is tier playable.
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Post by XoPachi »

Mischief Maker wrote:
Have you played Ys VIII? People were disappointed that its combat wasn't the same top-tier caliber as Oath and Origin, but outside of that specific context it's a damn good 3D Action Adventure game with an above average combat system.

And while I haven't played it, I've heard good things about Hob.
I used to love Ys and was looking at this new one. I tried Hob and got bored in an hour.
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Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Marc »

The FF VII Remake demo is pretty nice.
Shame that the option for 'classic' combat seems to be easy mode though.
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