What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[NYN]

Is it retro now if it feels like something from a decade ago?

I should say no. It is the connotation with the term itself, something that feels way back now given the state of tech. Youths who never experienced such ages should not have use of it. It marks them as such.
Reverse to more mature ones using flashy lingo.

How does the feature feel in 80/90 games (Deus EX/System Shock) when played now? BioShock as the latest.

[vol.2]

I should say no. It is the connotation with the term itself, something that feels way back now given the state of tech.

Agree. There is a soft cutoff in like 2010ish when graphics and gameplay reached a point to which you could find new games that continued to look and play like previous generation games. Those games coexisted with flashier, cutting edge games, but they weren't considered old anymore in the same way that previous generations did. To use an extreme example, the difference between SNES and N64 was incredibly apparent, but the gap closed a lot between Gamecube and Wii, and things continued to move in that direction, closing the gap more and more with each passing year.

The emergence of retro gaming as a hugely popular hobby also helped to muddy the waters further, as it led to the popularization of newer games that looked and played more like games from the past. Those aesthetics were not just limited to games that were explicitly created as "retro," but entered into the wider vernacular of video game style.

[jonny5]

Mr Driller G

[vol.2]

Mr Driller G

Dig Dug Core. Looks fun as hell, will check it out.

Haven't seen you around in awhile. Welcome back.

[guigui]

I think Mr DRILLER G has a sequel on modern platform in the name of Mr. DRILLER DrillLand.
I bought it at great discount once and had fun with some games, though I suck big time because I always end up getting stuck by my own digging. I think I'm playing the game too much like an action/puzzle game ala Magical Drop.

[jonny5]

I don’t like Drillland at all if I’m honest.

I tried to get into it via emulation for GameCube.I even bought it on PS5.

It’s just too busy. There is too much going on and it loses the simple perfection that was G and to a lesser extent the earlier titles. Mr Driller on gameboy color is heat too!

It’s funny it’s not a secret anymore. I remember I bought the PCB for Driller G like 15 years ago from Japan, it was under $100 shipped. Fast forward to 2026, shit was over $500 from Japan.

It’s fun to be playing again. We used to play it a lot, I was pretty good back then, not so much now. I haven’t played arcade games in about 8 years so I’m rusty. I can beat 500 but can’t perfect air it yet.

Hey vol.2. Sorry, I don’t remember you. It’s been about 8 years since I was on the forum much as well. I remember lots of names but there are lots of new ones too.

If you want to emulate it get the PS1 version, arcade version isn’t emulated

[Sima Tuna]

I tried Drill Land. I thought it was ok but the titular "Drill Land" had too many alternate modes of the core game, when what I really wanted was just the main Mr. Driller gameplay plus the original cute sprite art and poppin' music.

Like, I'm not looking for a Tower of Druaga-themed Mr. Driller. I just want Mr. Driller themed Mr Driller. That plus trying to have a story in Drill Land kinda put me off.

[jonny5]

I think the essence of what made the original Drillers great( )was their arcade like simplicity. At surface level they are very simple games where the depth comes from the skill and strategy of the player.

Drillland is a console game through and through, they tried to pack so much into it that it totally loses the simplicity. To me it plays more like a modern mobile game, which I don’t particularly enjoy. Too much going on, constant ‘things happening’, story…just too much for what should be a straight up puzzle game.

What they should do is HD up G and re-release that on modern platforms.

Mr Driller A for GBA is pretty good too

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Driller_A

[XoPachi]

Folks...

I am addicted to Deadlock.
It has big problems, obviously, because it's not done yet. But this game is that pure meth, that GLASS that Mr. White was making.

[vol.2]

Doom 3

Somehow never played this before. Well, I played maybe an hour of the game including all the intro stuff many years ago, but then I put it down and forgot it existed. This is the first time I've bothered to actually try to play through it.

It's okay. I don't like games that are hard because they are dark. It's like why am I even playing the game if I can't see anything. I got used to it, and it's not really that hard because your character can tank a lot of damage, but I'd rather it not be so dark all the time. To me, it's a case of reality being less fun than game-reality. Just make the enemies harder to see, but don't make the environments so dark I don't even know what anything looks like until after I've cleared out an area and slowly scan around with a flashlight. Whatever, I started it now so I guess I'll finish it. But it's nowhere near as fun as Doom II.

[jonny5]

Funny story…when Doom 3 came out I gave my buddy a copy not knowing he had a FPS problem and he proceeded to play it for 3 days straight and melted his graphics card.

[To Far Away Times]

Drill Land was my favorite of the bunch.

Great menus and presentation, and I liked a lot of the new modes, especially the Drindy Adventure.

Plus you still have the arcade mode.

[it290]

Doom 3

Somehow never played this before. Well, I played maybe an hour of the game including all the intro stuff many years ago, but then I put it down and forgot it existed. This is the first time I've bothered to actually try to play through it.

It's okay. I don't like games that are hard because they are dark. It's like why am I even playing the game if I can't see anything. I got used to it, and it's not really that hard because your character can tank a lot of damage, but I'd rather it not be so dark all the time. To me, it's a case of reality being less fun than game-reality. Just make the enemies harder to see, but don't make the environments so dark I don't even know what anything looks like until after I've cleared out an area and slowly scan around with a flashlight. Whatever, I started it now so I guess I'll finish it. But it's nowhere near as fun as Doom II.

It is that way because the whole thing was designed as a showcase for the engine's realtime shadows. As a game it's kind of a mess. The most popular mod on release was one that duct taped the flashlight to your gun. IIRC the newer releases of the game have this enabled by default.

[vol.2]

It is that way because the whole thing was designed as a showcase for the engine's realtime shadows. As a game it's kind of a mess. The most popular mod on release was one that duct taped the flashlight to your gun. IIRC the newer releases of the game have this enabled by default.

I took a break on Doom 3. I got about halfway through and I really wasn't enjoying it very much. Seems like they just designed the game around that one flashlight mechanic and forgot to make good levels and AI. Mess is right.


Now playing Hollow Knight. Was really enjoying it right up until the first fight with Hornet. I was finding it challenging, but fair, and then all of sudden I got stuck on that one fight for like 3 hours. Dying and finding my ghost over and over and just getting my ass handed to me.

After I beat her, I started looking in the other direction on the map, and I realized there was a bunch of stuff I could have been buying to increase my power and make the fight easier. Whoops. Anyway, first time playing the game so doing my best. Finally made it to the big city and unlocked the station there. It's holding my attention.

[Sumez]

Definitely in the Mr. Driller G > Drill Land camp as well!

I can't really put my finger on what it is - like, even obviously just comparing the main Mr. Driller mode in Drill Land, something just feels wrong to me. G feels smoother and faster, and it's easier for me to perceive the reaction patterns that make out the core puzzle

[Sumez]

This reminds me I have yet to beat about 90% of the game Baba Is You

It is curious how it seems like I can solve many fan-made Lemmings levels -- and believe me some of them are extreme hard -- but I am not able to accomodate my brain to Baba Is You. Different types of thinking certainly.

Baba Is You is my hands down favorite game to come out probably since.. Dark Souls, honestly. As far as "cerebral puzzle" games go, it's absolutely top of the line. Every puzzle presents a new way of thinking that you have to latch on to, and the game forces you to think outside of the box in entirely new ways several times throughout the adventure! There are definitely things in this game that could be spoiled, so try to do as much as you can entirely on your own.

My advice for approaching the game if some puzzles seem difficult (and some are very much so) is as follows:

1. Probably goes without saying, but if you've tried a puzzle for a while and can't make progress, go do some other puzzles that you have access to, and come back later. Maybe even *much* later. This allows you to see it with a fresh perspective, possibly allowing you to think in lanes that you had previously subconsciously ignored, or maybe even bring in knowledge of odd mechanics that you've acquired from other puzzles. The game has *SOME* mechanics that might seem ambiguous until you've tested out how the game reacts to something that feels contradictary. And *a few* puzzles actually rely on those mechanics. Those are arguably the worst in the game, but they aren't too many.

2. Sleep on it. Do something else. Return the next day. Return in a few days. Patience is king in Baba is You, it's not a game you should be in a hurry to complete.
The game had multiple puzzles that I literally solved while not even playing the game. It has an almost "tetris effect"-like influence on me, where a particular puzzle would stay with me, and some times while in bed and trying to sleep, I'd think of it, and solutions I hadn't thought of would pop up in my head, and I couldn't wait to try them the next day.
If that's not the mark of a fantastic puzzle game, I don't know what is

3. Try the analytical approach.
Something that helped me with a few puzzles was trying to go through what exactly made me stuck on it. I think actually writing it down, could potentially be a good idea. What you want to do is list *all* the reasons why you can't do what you think you need to do. For example "there is no way to make this item pushable" or so on. The more you can list, the better.
And then try to approach each of those reasons as an "assumption". Try to disprove them in every way you possibly can, and maybe even combine the above methods, and wait a day before you do so.
Always assume that you are wrong about something, because the reason you can't solve a puzzle is always because you made at least one false assumption

[Daytime Waitress]

Baba Is You...

My exposure to this, despite its popularity, was entirely limited to a trailer on launch and I'd passed it up as not really my thing.
But having someone passionate about it actually articulate what makes it worthwhile has convinced me to give it a shot - absolute gem of a post, Sumez

[To Far Away Times]

Baba is You makes me feel things I don't feel in other games. It might be the only game that makes me feel like an idiot. It is a brilliant game, but one where you have to be willing to meet it for what it is.

[vol.2]

sounds right up my alley. I play a lot of word games like crossword puzzles, and I do logic puzzles and stuff like that constantly. I'm used to feeling like an idiot

[Sumez]

My exposure to this, despite its popularity, was entirely limited to a trailer on launch and I'd passed it up as not really my thing.
But having someone passionate about it actually articulate what makes it worthwhile has convinced me to give it a shot - absolute gem of a post, Sumez

Aw <3
I hope that you play it, and feel that it lives up to the expectations I've set for you

I have met people to whom Baba wasn't their cup of tea. But in general most people I have talked to echo my feelings on the game to some extent.
If you enjoy puzzle solving, it's absolutely a must-play, and I think even if video games based on logic puzzles can feel hard to approach for you (they often do to me, mostly because it's kind of a "dry" setup, and I'm into action games), Baba still manages to be immediately appealing and good at hooking you in!

[Josh128]

Doom 3

Somehow never played this before. Well, I played maybe an hour of the game including all the intro stuff many years ago, but then I put it down and forgot it existed. This is the first time I've bothered to actually try to play through it.

It's okay. I don't like games that are hard because they are dark. It's like why am I even playing the game if I can't see anything. I got used to it, and it's not really that hard because your character can tank a lot of damage, but I'd rather it not be so dark all the time. To me, it's a case of reality being less fun than game-reality. Just make the enemies harder to see, but don't make the environments so dark I don't even know what anything looks like until after I've cleared out an area and slowly scan around with a flashlight. Whatever, I started it now so I guess I'll finish it. But it's nowhere near as fun as Doom II.

Doom 3 not that hard? I, like you, recently played through it for the first time and found it hard as fuck. I played through 2016 and Eternal with no problems, but I gave up after trying what seemed like over 100 times to complete the hell level and finally cheated through it. The difficulty eased a bit after hell and I refrained from cheating until the last level or two. I think I was playing on the default difficulty, but IMO it was too hard at that level. I enjoyed most of it outside the excruciatingly difficult parts. For reference I LOVED 2016 and Eternal.

[guigui]

My exposure to this, despite its popularity, was entirely limited to a trailer on launch and I'd passed it up as not really my thing.
But having someone passionate about it actually articulate what makes it worthwhile has convinced me to give it a shot - absolute gem of a post, Sumez

sounds right up my alley. I play a lot of word games like crossword puzzles, and I do logic puzzles and stuff like that constantly. I'm used to feeling like an idiot

I thank Sumez too for his post. All those methods for Baba Is You I tried to some extent, though not to the point of writing assumptions down. Those are about the same things I use to solve some quite hard Lemmings levels.

And if you like some puzzle games, let me insist again on NeoLemmix.
This is your old Amiga/DOS Lemmings game adapted to modern PC. Free, install easily, comes with tons of QoL improvments that you certainly craved for if you played it back in the days (fast forward, time rewind, frame by frame if you like, shadows showing where you bridges/diggers and more will go, save states)
With NeoLemmix you have access to all Lemmings levels from the official original game Lemmings and Oh No, More Lemmings!, and to thousands (litterally) of users-created levels that come in many styles, difficulty, flavors.

Quick steps if you want to try the game :
*) Download NeoLemmix free from its official site : https://www.neolemmix.com/
*) Unpack anywhere on your machine, launch NeoLemmix.exe
*) Select one of the 2 level packs available from the go :
-- Lemmings Redux : compilations of the best levels from the original games, sorted by difficulty.
-- NeoLemmix Introduction Pack : kind of enormous tutorial made by IchoTolot, one of the best solver and level designer out there. Starts from the plain basics and goes to the most advanced tricks.
Playing a mix of both may be a good idea.
*) Download toher user created levels if you want more (beware though, I'm almost only playing this game for about a year now, this is endless)
*) Enjoy !

The Lemmings forum is also populated with nice people that enjoy this niche game and give much time and devotion for it, the mood there often reminds me of our shmups community.
https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php

Dont hesitate to ask (me or the forum) for help with the NeoLemmix features or to get help for solving a level.

[vol.2]

Doom 3 not that hard? I, like you, recently played through it for the first time and found it hard as fuck. I played through 2016 and Eternal with no problems, but I gave up after trying what seemed like over 100 times to complete the hell level and finally cheated through it. The difficulty eased a bit after hell and I refrained from cheating until the last level or two. I think I was playing on the default difficulty, but IMO it was too hard at that level. I enjoyed most of it outside the excruciatingly difficult parts. For reference I LOVED 2016 and Eternal.

I haven't played 2016 or Eternal yet. So far, Doom 3 feels like not extremely hard to me. It's certainly not easy, but I find it manageable and I don't find myself starting over a lot. Maybe I will change my mind later in the game idk.

For reference, I found Master Levels of Doom II to be pretty dang hard. I also played Legacy of Rust recently and I thought there are some challenging maps there if you have played it.

I am definitely not any kind of FPS expert or anything. Absolutely not claiming to be, this was just my reaction to it.

Took a break from Doom 3 because I found it boring and have been playing Hollow Knight. I genuinely find some of the boss fights, and also some of the platforming bits of Hollow Knight to be dang hard and have kicked my ass. I spent multiple hours beating one of the bosses, and a couple hours for one of the tricky platforming spots. Jumping on stuff with the Nail is really really tricky as you have to be ridiculously precise with the height above the thing your jumping on. If you whack at it just a fraction of a mm too early or too late you eat shit and they send your ass all the way back to the beginning. If you manage to die in the process, you then have to fight your ghost when you reach it on the map, even if it's in a terribly inconvenient spot. Diabolical.

[jonny5]

I’m actually trying to get into the newer Doom on PS5 at the moment. I suck at FPS games. I put them on the easiest setting and cross my fingers.

I never actually played Doom 3. I had a pirated copy of it but my computer was too shitty to run it. Gave it to my buddy and he melted his graphics card playing it

[vol.2]

I’m actually trying to get into the newer Doom on PS5 at the moment. I suck at FPS games. I put them on the easiest setting and cross my fingers.

I never actually played Doom 3. I had a pirated copy of it but my computer was too shitty to run it. Gave it to my buddy and he melted his graphics card playing it

Must have been overclocking or something. Never heard of a melted GPU before.

My family had a PC early on because my dad ran a business and he did his own billing to save money, so he needed computer software to track all that noise. But it only got used by him like once a month, so I was able to play games on it most of the time.

I had Wolfenstein 3D before Doom, and was waiting then eagerly waiting for Doom to be released. Was hooked on single player FPS action games from an early age. I never got into the multiplayer competitive stuff though; I prefer beating maps that created like a predictable puzzle rather than just purely testing my reaction time against random encounters with strangers. I think you have to really be into the parasocial aspect of multiplayer games, and I never felt super comfortable with online ephemeral interactions. I prefer IRL any day of the week. I think a side effect of that is I never developed into a really excellent FPS player, as that more or less requires the cultivation of prowess against large groups of capable players, challenging you to perform better and better. I'm just "pretty okay" I guess.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Because I bucked up for gamepass to play the (pretty dull) Horizon: Japan, I figured I'd give Yakuza in Hawaii (the second one) a whirl since it was highly recommended on this here message board. And yeah, it's a lot of fun.

I like how it implements super-fast, mash-tastic combat instead of the standard Yakuza combat. I'm also into the fact that while other Yakuza games kinda/sorta tether themselves to some sort of reality, this one is just 100% preposterous right out of the gate, then keeps getting more preposterous

Caveat: I'm not real into them giving Goro amnesia, and basically having him act exactly like Ichiban (knucklehead with heart of gold). Really, it it wasn't for his "tee-he", all of his lines could be delivered by Ichiban

[AGermanArtist]

I need to get back to it. I'm supposedly 60% complete. I was having trouble with one of the latter ship fights. I suppose I'll have to recruit higher tier crew.

[it290]

Playing Age of Barbarian: Extended Cut. This game is janky as hell but I love it. It's every cheesy sword 'n' sorcery trope thrown into one game, with an extra dollop of gratuitous gore and nudity to boot. All the characters look like Poser models and the dialog is wonderfully ridiculous and over the top. Even has a Conan-style narrator that kicks in from time to time.

[vol.2]

Absolutely hooked on Hollow Knight. Something like 3/4 of the way through now maybe? There are still some areas that I haven't found a map for yet, but it seems like I've been most places. Still haven't found whatever makes you fly, but it's probably dropped by one of the couple bosses I haven't fought yet.

But enjoying it anyway. It feels challenging to me, but I'm also not much of a platformer honestly, so I could see it being on the easy side for a really competent player. For starters, they let you restart with one health down if you jump into spikes or acid etc. They also let you keep items when you respawn on checkpoints. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for those niceties, but I could definitely picture the type of player who would want the challenge of cold checkpoints and instadeath on environmental hazards.

My one gripe is this guy. I got locked in a loop where I was falling into spikes and when I respawned, this guy was on top of my character.