What games are you playing now?

Dying Light is the best of the modern zombie games, but I got bored with it pretty quickly. But it was ahead of its time in terms of the engine - at release. Still a very pretty game.

A good engine can make a good game positively joyful. I was so impressed with my recent playthrough of Infamous for the PS3. And I couldn't even play 10 minutes of Prototype.

Level 14 - Witcher 3.

Igni is still auto-win for the most part even on Death March, but I don't mind. Can't help it - I love that spell

Finished Bloody Baron quest with the same sad outcome as last time. I keep wanting to try something different, but I can't because it would go against my RP persona.

Also, killed Keira Metz again - and reloaded again to let her live. That manipulative bitch has something about her that won't let me stay comfortable killing her

Still, felt good to refuse her by shoving my integrity in her face

Anyway - good times.

Finally had a fight that wasn't auto-win. Jenny O' the Woods

Igni was no help - and it was quite the dodge match. But I got her after a few tries.

Hope to see more of that kind of fight!

There are lots more of those fights and quite a few where oils and such make all the difference in the world.

I restarted Battle Brothers. I feel the combat in Expeditions Vikings lacking and I had played through over 25 hours of it before stopping previously, so I doubt I will end up finishing it.

Battle Brothers has this interesting thing in terms of progression, where you certainly feel stronger after a few levels and better equipment, but yet your mercenaries can still die at any point.

I am playing on not-so-honest ironman (I give myself one reload per battle) at beginner difficulty and it's kicking my ass. I finally beat the undead scourge late game crisis.
I feel like Veteran must be hell on ironman. I think I may retry another one, but I really think this game would have been amazing with mod support.
It's a shame the studio didn't implement it.

I wonder what they're working on now.

Still playing Dishonored 2 and enjoying how you go about each mission differently. I'm going to try different playthrough's with both Emily & Corvo to see whats different.

At the same time my RTS itch has been acting up so I might play some Total War Saga - Thrones of Britannia or another game that is not an RPG. Tough decision actually.

Yai, found a mod that makes mini-map a toggle in W3.

Moar immershun!

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
Finally had a fight that wasn't auto-win. Jenny O' the Woods

Igni was no help - and it was quite the dodge match. But I got her after a few tries.

Hope to see more of that kind of fight!

Was that the one where…



I do seem to recall it being a tough fight even if I'm not correctly remembering the details. I had quite a few tough fights though since I chose not to use the Witcher gear sets.

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
Yai, found a mod that makes mini-map a toggle in W3.

Nice… I'm taking notes for my next playthrough.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Was that the one where…

Spoiler – …..

She's turned into a wraith because she was murdered, and you need to do something to break the curse. Were the remains of her mortal body near a campfire?

I do seem to recall it being a tough fight even if I'm not correctly remembering the details. I had quite a few tough fights though since I chose not to use the Witcher gear sets.

The Witcher sets are definitely good - but it's really the Igni sign + Igni skills + Medium Armor + the Medium Armor regen skill that make most of the difference.

Also, the Blood & Wine expansion added new "general" skills - and one of them makes you regenerate health for 20 minutes after eating food, which is a pretty sick skill in this game.

I can't help myself when it comes to obvious choices

That said, for this fight - I had a full Griffin set on top of the rest, and it was still quite hard.

But it's ok - I don't find combat very challenging in most RPGs. W3 Death March is no different from Skyrim or Fallout 4 on max difficulty once you've gotten past the initial stages.

Gothic, Risen and Elex are harder - generally - but once the power curve breaks, it REALLY breaks.

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
Yai, found a mod that makes mini-map a toggle in W3.

Moar immershun!

Why do you need a toggle you can turn it off in the options? (well on PC you can at least, no idea about consoles).

Originally Posted by azarhal
Why do you need a toggle you can turn it off in the options? (well on PC you can at least, no idea about consoles).

To be able to toggle it on/off on the fly.

Igni, meh. Selfdischarging Yrden is the king against wraiths.

I'm playing a little of "for the king" for the first time. Not sure if i like it or not; I think I like some aspect but the controls could use a lot of work.

Finally got to the Lemon battle in Shining Force two, this is the place that I know when I hit it, I'm rapidly approaching the end. With a little luck I may even complete the journey this week!

Originally Posted by azarhal
Why do you need a toggle you can turn it off in the options? (well on PC you can at least, no idea about consoles).

As JDR said, it's because I prefer a minimal HUD for immersion - but I don't find the game very playable without the minimap when it comes to objectives. So, I need to be able to see it on occasion.

Part of that is because it takes too long to pull up the actual map - and I'm an absolute moron when it comes to finding my way around.

There's a mod called FriendlyHUD which seems ideal, because there's an option of a clean HUD with the objectives only showing when you use "Witcher Senses" - but it's a bitch to install, because of the utterly stupid GOTY non-GOTY issues.

So, I'll have to make do.

Overall, it's a minor thing. I just really enjoy immersing myself as much as possible - and I wish CDPR had designed the game a little more for the core audience, and a little less for the mainstream.

But then again, there's a reason it became such a huge hit - so I can't exactly blame them.

Also, I'm certainly happy it's not as obtuse as the first Witcher was

Originally Posted by lostforever
Mind giving quick summary about the game and why you are enjoying it please? Also would like to know what it has which many of the high-profile RPG doesn't have.

Anyway I have to say, the game garbed my attention due to the odd name!

Sure thing, so there's my mini-opinion on Octopath Traveler:

The professional bias:
* First of all, this is a jPRG done by professionals. So no half-assed RPGMaker nonsense here. It is so refreshing to play something complete like this after so many lame indie attempts.
* Next, it has production values. Sure, this is olde-schoole, but at least they have tried to spicen up things with this "HD-2D" gimmick. When the effect works, it is wonderful. When it is not, it still looks very decent.
* Then, the game is big. I have finished it clocking about 60+ hours. You've got your money's worth.

The gamer bias:
* It plays eminently. Simple and easy to use menus, fast execution, you name it. Also, character "jobs" (=classes) are played very differently.
* It is old, but still feels fresh. If you have played a jRPG, you'll feel right at home (comfy shoe effect) -- but the game has a neat twist on the formula, making even the dreaded random battles somewhat interesting. Now that's a big feat.
* It is hard. Not unfairly hard, but boss battles definitely a highlight. You have to be very careful what you do, and *gasp!* you need to think once in a while about the perfect strategy. I had the same awe as with FF-XII 's amazing boss battles: hard, exhaustive, and fair.

The sentimental bias:
* It has heart and soul (pt 1). As with all classic Japanese roleplayers, it is not the story that matters, but the emotions it provokes. The story and writing may be on the simpler side (personally, I thank for it -- take that, Bioware/Obsidian/Larian!!!!) , but the overall beats and themes are eternal, and the pacing is excellent. Also, due to the diverse cast, at least one character will be your favourite.
* It has heart and soul (pt 2). I'd constantly felt that the dev team has created a love letter to a genre they taken to the heart. A small, focused team, where *everyone* loves what they did, the perfect medium to deliver the message, and ultimately, the player resonating to this passion. Yes, this is an extremely rare feeling I haven't experienced for a loong time (especially when playing those spectacular, but ultimately heartless AAA-monsters from Ubi and EA)

So, this is it. If you have a Switch, there is a free demo, worth a try. If you like it, the full game won't let you down.

Still playing Antharion. I found a curious new weapon today.

Originally Posted by duerer
Sure thing, so there's my mini-opinion on Octopath Traveler:

The professional bias:
* First of all, this is a jPRG done by professionals. So no half-assed RPGMaker nonsense here. It is so refreshing to play something complete like this after so many lame indie attempts.
* Next, it has production values. Sure, this is olde-schoole, but at least they have tried to spicen up things with this "HD-2D" gimmick. When the effect works, it is wonderful. When it is not, it still looks very decent.
* Then, the game is big. I have finished it clocking about 60+ hours. You've got your money's worth.

The gamer bias:
* It plays eminently. Simple and easy to use menus, fast execution, you name it. Also, character "jobs" (=classes) are played very differently.
* It is old, but still feels fresh. If you have played a jRPG, you'll feel right at home (comfy shoe effect) -- but the game has a neat twist on the formula, making even the dreaded random battles somewhat interesting. Now that's a big feat.
* It is hard. Not unfairly hard, but boss battles definitely a highlight. You have to be very careful what you do, and *gasp!* you need to think once in a while about the perfect strategy. I had the same awe as with FF-XII 's amazing boss battles: hard, exhaustive, and fair.

The sentimental bias:
* It has heart and soul (pt 1). As with all classic Japanese roleplayers, it is not the story that matters, but the emotions it provokes. The story and writing may be on the simpler side (personally, I thank for it -- take that, Bioware/Obsidian/Larian!!!!) , but the overall beats and themes are eternal, and the pacing is excellent. Also, due to the diverse cast, at least one character will be your favourite.
* It has heart and soul (pt 2). I'd constantly felt that the dev team has created a love letter to a genre they taken to the heart. A small, focused team, where *everyone* loves what they did, the perfect medium to deliver the message, and ultimately, the player resonating to this passion. Yes, this is an extremely rare feeling I haven't experienced for a loong time (especially when playing those spectacular, but ultimately heartless AAA-monsters from Ubi and EA)

So, this is it. If you have a Switch, there is a free demo, worth a try. If you like it, the full game won't let you down.

Thanks for the mini review! I do have switch and due to the heat wave I am hardly putting my PC on so I will check out the demo which I didn't know about.