What games are you playing now?

Yes, that's a good game, to be sure, I had a lot of fun with it.. but that was a loooooooooong time ago... really old game!

JDR13 said:

So after finally putting my new gaming rig together

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Specs?
I know don't tell me. 2 SLI titans, 32 Gb RAM, 1TB SSD, the most expensive i7 and motherboard that exists on the market. Oh and new monitor with g-sync module builtin!

JDR13 said:

I can't understand why I never played this game back in the day. I would almost put it on the same level as Duke Nukem 3D. Definitely a classic.

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^
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This!

Not sure what happened with the game in terms of falling through the cracks for me as well. Very much enjoying it now though.

And for me it is ironic that you are discovering this while building an uber-rig ... because for me it is a reminder of just how unimportant and over-rated super-graphics are compared to so many other things about a game.

joxer said:

Specs?
I know don't tell me. 2 SLI titans, 32 Gb RAM, 1TB SSD, the most expensive i7 and motherboard that exists on the market. Oh and new monitor with g-sync module builtin!

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Not quite . - i7 4790K, Z97 mobo, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD.

Sticking with my GTX 770 OC until the 980 Ti is released.

txa1265 said:

And for me it is ironic that you are discovering this while building an uber-rig … because for me it is a reminder of just how unimportant and over-rated super-graphics are compared to so many other things about a game.

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Yeah, I couldn't wait to start playing the new Wolfenstein with maxed settings - as well as Far Cry 4 and Watchdogs. Those will have to wait a bit longer though.

JDR13 said:

Sticking with my GTX 770 OC until the 980 Ti is released.

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Blasphemy!!!

But I bet 770 on it's default tact will run TW3 on ultra/ubersampling so... Until some new unoptimized game like Wolfenstein 50Gb appears...

The new Wolfenstein is a really good game. I'm sure you'll like it. I finished it a few weeks ago and was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality experience it offered. They really nailed the 1960s Nazi utopia. The game has a dense atmosphere, great characters and voice acting, competent shooter gameplay, you name it… it doesn't really have any glaring weaknesses except maybe the absence of a quick save and the poor placement of a couple checkpoints towards the end of the game (especially the final bossfight checkpoint which they should have put right at the beginning of the encounter).

My (hopeless ) operation backlog elimination continues and except for Wolfenstein TNO, I have actually managed to finish a few more games these past few weeks and months since Risen 3 in August, namely The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (meh), F.E.A.R 3 (better than I thought it would be), Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls (in fact replayed all five acts… this is now finally a true Diablo and worth playing), SiN Episodes Emergence (blast from the past… not too bad), and Medal of Honor (the new-ish one set in Afghanistan… meh).

I've given up on Alice Madness Returns as there was a fight I couldn't get past and with the retarded checkpoint system I gave up after a dozen or so tries. My backlog is way too long to waste time on crap like that. Also given up on Alan Wake. Story and premise seemed interesting but the gameplay ruined it for me. Poor consolish controls, too. No, thanks.
Also played and abandoned Ace Combat Assault Horizon (got that very cheap on a sale) but it's a horrible console port.
Furthermore in the played&abandoned camp: Armed Assault 2. Might be decent in multiplayer or for people who wax all nostalgic about their own army times but for me as a civi single player gamer this was fairly disappointing. Quit after three or four missions in.
And finally I played and abandoned Condemned Criminal Origins. The pure melee gameplay got old after a few hours, especially because the "weapons" (pipes, crowbars, axes) were less than exciting. Also had major performance issues at some point in spite of a high end PC where the engine would stutter and the sound crackled like mad driving me nuts. Thanks again, consoles -not. That's when I uninstalled.

Currently playing mostly the original Assassin's Creed which was a close candidate for rage quitting due to the shitty console port and controls but I want to play through the entire series so I'm sticking with it (I'm close to the end I believe after cursing like a sailor every five minutes).
Also got installed and playing in rather short bursts whenever I can find the time: Elite Dangerous (turned out great but you need to be willing to invest some time&effort to get started), Doom 3 BFG, and Quake 4.

That's it for now. Next up is Assassin's Creed 2 or maybe I'll try to finally finish Doom 3 BFG or Quake 4 for a change of scenery. And then I'll continue working my way down in Steam probably. It is not a coincidence that many of the games above start with an 'A'. I actually once decided to work through my backlog in alphabetical order. Only 25 letters to go!

Moriendor said:

The new Wolfenstein is a really good game. I'm sure you'll like it. I finished it a few weeks ago and was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality experience it offered. They really nailed the 1960s Nazi utopia. The game has a dense atmosphere, great characters and voice acting, competent shooter gameplay, you name it… it doesn't really have any glaring weaknesses except maybe the absence of a quick save and the poor placement of a couple checkpoints towards the end of the game (especially the final bossfight checkpoint which they should have put right at the beginning of the encounter).

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Wolfenstein will probably be the next game I play, and I'm really looking forward to it. I played through the first 2 levels and came away feeling pretty good about it.

As far as glaring weaknesses though, I have to mention the lack of anti-aliasing. I know that's probably not a big deal to most people, and the game still looks great on high settings, but it bugs the shit out of me. I don't understand why developers continue to release major titles without AA. It should be a mandatory graphics option in this era.

Moriendor said:

Currently playing mostly the original Assassin's Creed which was a close candidate for rage quitting due to the shitty console port and controls but I want to play through the entire series so I'm sticking with it (I'm close to the end I believe after cursing like a sailor every five minutes).

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I'm the same way when it comes to wanting to play through a series in order. That said, the AC series is one where I would actually recommend skipping the first few games. I gave up on AC 1 and will never go back. It was one of the most repetitive games I've ever played. I played a little of AC 2 and that didn't seem much better.

I really like what I've played of AC IV: Black Flag though, and that's on my list of games I want to play soon. Screw the background story.. it's retarded anyways.

JDR13 said:

As far as glaring weaknesses though, I have to mention the lack of anti-aliasing.

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Oh, I didn't remember that then but it's true... that's definitely a negative as well.

I'm the same way when it comes to wanting to play through a series in order. That said, the AC series is one where I would actually recommend skipping the first few games. I gave up on AC 1 and will never go back. It was one of the most repetitive games I've ever played. I played a little of AC 2 and that didn't seem much better.

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Hmmm we'll see. I'm on the last assassination in part 1 so I'll finish that one for sure. It was definitely very repetitive. I only did the necessary bits on the last few assassination missions and none of the optional (saving the citizens etc.) stuff anymore. Just did the view points, a couple interrogations/pickpocketing until the objective said to return to the bureau leader and then went straight for the kill. Still quite a bit of a drag...
I've read that part deux is supposed to be much better but if what you say is true then I won't make it through the second part. Part 1 had me want to smash my mouse and keyboard so many times due to the shitty inaccurate consolish controls that I don't think I could take another game of that kind or else I will smash something for sure .

Don't even think of capturing all those flags…. Ugh…The most boring thing ever devised for a "game".

EDIT: key adjective "boring" was missing. Thanks typing corrector...

Thrasher said:

Don't even think of capturing all those flags…. Ugh…The most thing ever devised for a "game".

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You mean the collectible flags, right? Nah. When I started the game, I paid attention to them and picked up every single one I could find but then when I found out that they are only related to an achievement that works exclusively on the Xbox 360 and not on PC (or only as a 'local' achievement), I quickly chose to forget that these flags even exist .

Yay. Glad to see that our common sense can prevail over OCD tendencies.

I'm playing Divinity: Original Sin. I had burned myself out beta-testing this so I'm finally in the mood to finish it. It still feels unfinished to me after all this time, and looking at a recent post from Larian, they agree. The game just isn't balanced well but is still a lot of fun to play through, even in this state. I'm glad that they're building more games with this engine, as it has a lot of potential. Character models need a ton of work. I don't get that either as DKS had great character models.

crpgnut said:

I had burned myself out beta-testing

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You shoud stop betatest everything!
Last couple of years IIRC you betatested 10 titles. Do it like me, betatest just one or two. More than that is a fun killer especially past few years where actual release versions are still full of bugs.

I ran up against a wall in Gothic 2 + NotR. I'm in chapter 4, playing as a Magician, and I reached the first dragon, the Ice Dragon. He is almost immune to my spells and I can't stand a chance against him in close combat. I already had to grind the Mines for experience and in case of the mage, this involved a lot of kiting and mana potions. The only thing left to do is to grind more, but now it's 15 skill points for 5 main attribute points.

I think going with the warrior would have made the game easier. As a mage, I still had to invest in to fighting because enemies constantly got close to me. Or maybe I just really messed up my character. I chose Lightning and Summon Golem from the 4th Circle, but it still takes 150 mana to just cast 5 lightning bolts and then I'm swarmed with enemies. The Golem spell seems to be completely useless.

Lightning Storms wipe all dragons (and just about everything else as well). It's practically easy mode.

@The Walkin' Dude: Just get one of those summon a demon scrolls. Check your inventory or buy one in town... there is a limited number available for purchase per chapter IIRC. It's like a fire&forget missile. Summon the demon, wait a minute -> dead dragon. Works all the way up to the final boss. You don't even need to get your own hands dirty .

You could also try one of the less powerful summoning scrolls if you have one on you like the skeleton summon scroll. You will have to do some fighting as well then but it will be tons easier. When back in town make sure to stock up on the high level summoning scrolls if you want an "easy mode" or.... I just noticed you're playing a mage, well, then pick up the corresponding rune ASAP .

Ah damn, still need to finish my G2 + NOTR playthrough... Need to stop gamehopping ...

OK, finished Assassin's Creed Part 1 (well, sort of). I took a shortcut near the end by rage quitting, uninstalling and watching the ending on YouTube .
Enough is enough… the shitty controls and consolitis culminated in a very unfair fight towards the end. Then after several retries I finally came close to beating the fight but because of being locked on an enemy, I somehow glitched into one of the two lame artificial blue borders right at the moment when I was about to kill the last templar and turn onto Robert de Sable.
Fuck that shit. The game had more than tested my patience and tolerance up to that point…. I just could not take it anymore. What a horrible game (at least on the PC).

So now I'm playing Assassin's Creed 2, set in the 15th century Tuscany, and it's like a night&day difference compared to part 1.
AC2 is (mostly) great fun so far. A few of the consolitis issues of the first part are still there, unfortunately, but it's overall a lot more responsive with much more accurate controls and much, much, much improved and more diverse gameplay.
The first hour or two are a bit of a drag because the game starts with an extensive tutorial of sorts. You have to run one fedex errand after another for starters but once you get past that point, the game opens up and the story takes over.

There is a lot of content in that game (and totally different challenges/collectibles/mini games from part 1, too) and I almost feel a bit bad for focusing nearly exclusively on the story. I've been skipping quite a bit of the fun optional content like collecting codex pieces for no one less than Leonardo Da Vinci (well, got him a few but not pushing it…).

I'm 12 hours in and near the end of Venice. With the exception of a few frustrating moments reminiscent of AC1, I've been loving every minute of the game so far. From a quality point of view, it's really playing in a whole different ballpark than AC1.

I have no idea what the reviewers were smoking who got AC1 to average at 79/100 on Metacritic while AC2 is 86/100. The 86/100 for AC2 is well deserved (give or take… OK… rather take …. -5 points or so) but AC1 should be at about HALF that score MAX in my opinion.
Looking forward to finishing part 2 and I hope it doesn't deteriorate towards the end. Next stop AC Brotherhood.
I'm doing this… the entire series, at least up to Black Flag (Unity is too expensive and buggy still).

And I'm in the last quarter of Xulima.

The game can (and should) be described like this:

1st quarter - challenge over challenge, yeah baby, bring it on!
2nd quarter - grind, grind, grind, omg, more grind?!
3rd quarter - grind, grind, grind, I'm this close to ragequit this crap!
4th quarter - masterpiece!

Did I say 5-6? Well… It will actually be 6 or 7. Still need to see the end. They saved the best parts for last, not a bad idea, but hell, the grinding parts could have been less chore…
I'll need probably 10-15 hours to finish it. One big map left, 1 titan to kill, 1 witch to kill, 2 temples to clear, then I'll write in finished thread.

I've moved on from Strife and started playing Wolfenstein: TNO. I'm liking it so far except for the outrageously bad auto-save system.

After finishing the first chapter, I realized I missed some hidden collectibles that I wanted to find. No problem, right? I'll just go back a few checkpoints and get them...

Wrong. You can't select individual checkpoint saves. The only option is to replay an entire chapter from the beginning. Are you f*cking kidding me?