What games are you playing now?

Sticking to my schedule for playing one AAA, one oldie, and one indie at once, it is time for
Fates of Ort (Switch, also on PC)

Despite I always call it Fart for some reason, this one looks to be a fun indie romp.
For the uninitiated Fa(o)rt has:
- simultaneous moves combat
- free-flow open world with lots of side quests (author promises lots of c&c as well)
- original health-based magic system (no mana pool!)
- quirky lore

I'm about three hours in, and despite some mild annoyances (magic seems to be more tedious than melee combat so far), this game looks to be a good diversion.
 
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I went through my back log looking for something of interest, an item that's been out for a bit and might be safe to play, I landed on Legrand Legacy. So far I'm enjoying the story, I've only played maybe two hours and I'm currently wandering around somewhat lost in a desert. One thing I'm not pleased about are the timed responses one must perform for attacks and defences, yet for now I'm attempting to be tolerant.
 
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Pathfinder: Kingmaker's stats for completion of the next main questline after the Stag Lord is a healthy 36.8%, which is only a drop of about 13% of players, which is quite good retention considering the game gets so much more confusing and 'irritating' after the empire management game comes into play.

It'll be interesting to see how the stats work on from here.
 
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Peril on Gorgon. I returned to Outer Worlds and created a new character to play through again w/ DLC. Unfortunately, the game really doesn't lend itself well to replays in my opinion. There are really only two distinct paths for you to follow (and one requiring you to be an outright jerk doesn't help matters); there is also little morally grey choice in this game.

Anyway, continued playing simply to experience the DLC. Gorgon is an ok story, but the exposition is overdone to such a degree that I quickly grew bored. It's as if Obsidian took the premise for a Fallout vault and extrapolated it from 30 minutes to 10 hours - but without any extra substance to warrant the length.

  • The gun/ammo-centric world exploration still feels woefully shallow.
  • The difficulty is still a snooze-fest!
  • Partway through, I was surprised to realize I hit level cap (36). The game's basic story, pointless exploration (wow, another ammo crate!), and trivial combat difficulty were already testing my patience to stick with the game without having any promise of further character 'growth' taken from me. I have my doubts I'll even go through the second DLC, Murder on Eridanos.

I often find myself being an apologist for Obsidian, but not this time; I was greatly underwhelmed.
 
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Okay, that does it. Tried out Cris Tales (XSX), but got so upset by it, I downloaded Outward (XSX, also on PC/PS) on rage. Go figure.

Now then. I've heard lots of negative stuff about this game, but I've also heard player stories borderline obsessive -- so I am genuinely curious how this game fares.
After a meaty 20 minutes playtime (yup, that' right, 20 minutes), I dunno yet of course. . . Will it be something awful, or will it be a true diamond in the rough worth pouring some playtime into?
 
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"grand strategy" games (like the paradox titles) have always eluded my interest.

I want to like them, i know there's some gold there. I try to play them, I'm interested in the subject, but I just cannot get into the minutae of tax rates and religious conversion type stuff. There's just so many factors that I get analysis paralysis, and just turns into a headache to play.
Also, at the end of the day, I want a good fight, and the combat is definitely not anything to write home about on this style of game.

Maybe, like Turn-Based Strategy, I'm turning a corner as I get older. I'm actually enjoying Aggressors: Ancient Rome.
It seems like it's a bit lighter on the little fiddly bits, and I can actually play the game and get some enjoyment out of it.
 
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I'm working hard on deciding what to play during my upcoming vacation.

It's probably going to be CP2077 (If 1.3 hits) - as mods have more or less fixed my biggest issues with the game. There's still a few lingering bugs that I know I won't be able to deal with, so it really depends on what's fixed in 1.3. I'd say there's a decent chance it's going to fix at least some of them.

If not, then I intend to go all-in on Red Dead Redemption 2 - which I've never really found the time for until now. It's the kind of game I know I must have weeks off to enjoy - as it's very much an immersive kind of game where you need a specific mindset.

Elex 2 would have been the perfect game, but I don't think it'll be out before my vacation. In fact, I'm sure it won't.

Other than that, I'm dabbling with ESO (still, by far, the best of the modern MMOs out there) - and a bit of this and that.

I'm going to try and finish Watch Dogs 2 and Dead Space 3 - but I'm really feeling it right now.
 
Playing Vampire the masquerade redemption and enjoying every bit of it. The beginning (love story with yays and nays) gives a very wrong impression of how deep and enjoyable this crpg is. Also its actually a party based rpg, with real-time with pause combat in 3rd person perspective (similar to dragon age origins).

It has many of the vampire masquerade families with detailed lore and companions. Level design is excellent (areas open up as you go through missions). Plenty of varied weapons, discipline powers (for you character and companions) and magic (and there are shops too!). Variety of (strong) enemies that require careful strategy and use of companions. Many choices and consequences (some in dialogue and more in actions). Good companions AI. Excellent writing and voice overs.

Very pleasantly surprised!
 
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I just finished a heavily modded run through Baldur's Gate EET. Trying to figure out what to play next. My backlog is huge due to missing games when I was younger and not really playing the last 4 years much:

1) Pillars of Eternity - I've twice started, got maybe 20 hours in and then life got in the way and I dropped it. Loved it both times and I'll definitely play through it at sometime
2) NWN OC - Another one I've started a few times and dropped. I have a lot of mods downloaded as well, but figured I'd run through the OC and expansions first
3) Arcanum - Love the setting, but never played it
4) Fallout - same as above
5) Ultima VII p2 - Years ago, I started replaying the Utimas, got all the way to U7 before life got in the way. I've never actually finished U8.
6) Ultima VI Project Mod - I got a long way in this before getting stuck in one of the dungeons and then life got in the way. Kind of want to run through it again
7) KOTOR - another one I've started but not gotten far.
8) Witcher - another one I've started but not gotten far (see a pattern yet?)
 
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blatantninja said:
I just finished a heavily modded run through Baldur's Gate EET. Trying to figure out what to play next. My backlog is huge due to missing games when I was younger and not really playing the last 4 years much:

1) Pillars of Eternity - I've twice started, got maybe 20 hours in and then life got in the way and I dropped it. Loved it both times and I'll definitely play through it at sometime
2) NWN OC - Another one I've started a few times and dropped. I have a lot of mods downloaded as well, but figured I'd run through the OC and expansions first
3) Arcanum - Love the setting, but never played it
4) Fallout - same as above
5) Ultima VII p2 - Years ago, I started replaying the Utimas, got all the way to U7 before life got in the way. I've never actually finished U8.
6) Ultima VI Project Mod - I got a long way in this before getting stuck in one of the dungeons and then life got in the way. Kind of want to run through it again
7) KOTOR - another one I've started but not gotten far.
8) Witcher - another one I've started but not gotten far (see a pattern yet?)
Click to expand...

They're all pretty good, to be honest.

I would say the two last ones you mention are probably the most different - so perhaps they'd be good for some variety?

I often find myself looking for similar games to what I've just completed - only to later discover that I've sort of burned myself out on a particular style without realizing it.

KotOR ranks among my very favorite - and I think it's a far superior experience to Witcher, personally - but they're both well worth playing, imo.
 
I also grabbed Pathfinder: Kingmaker during that last steam sale and have been having an absolute blast. I went ahead and turned the difficulty down to normal, set it so that my dead teammates would auto-res after combat end, and put the kingdom management stuff to easy. It’s got just enough challenge to be enjoyable without being overly punishing. I played PoE and the divinity games, which were good, but this game is striking an rpg enjoyment level I really haven’t had since the Balders Gate games. Looking forward to finishing it and digging into the sequel later this year
 
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Heckle, you're in for a great time, and perhaps now you won't run into any game crashing issues or subsequent updates that might derail your play. The story and exploration are both really high with the game.
 
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Mostly just demos this week. I played Vagrus: The Riven Realms, Archquest, and Monomyth so far.

DArtagnan said:
I'm going to try and finish Watch Dogs 2 and Dead Space 3 - but I'm really feeling it right now.
Click to expand...

I'll be curious to see what you think those if you get around to them. I only played a little of Watch Dogs 2, but I couldn't connect with the protagonist at all and didn't find it very enjoyable. Dead Space 3 was a big letdown compared to the previous games, but it does have some moments.
 
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JDR13 said:
I'll be curious to see what you think those if you get around to them. I only played a little of Watch Dogs 2, but I couldn't connect with the protagonist at all and didn't find it very enjoyable. Dead Space 3 was a big letdown compared to the previous games, but it does have some moments.
Click to expand...

I agree about Watch Dogs 2 and the protagonist. Not just him, but the entire vibe of these "woke" hipster-hackers is a thing that's not really designed for me, I guess.

On the other hand, I can clearly see some things have improved from Watch Dogs - including the city itself and the driving. The gameplay in general seems more refined and pleasant.

As for Dead Space 3 - I've played around 1/3 of it a couple of times - both in co-op.

I was never that impressed, and it's obviously NOT on the same level as the past two games.

But since I'm not a die-hard fan of Dead Space - I have an easier time not expecting too much.

But, truly, it's going to be for the story more than anything else. I just want to have this over and done with - so I know what there is to know about the universe :)

I'm hoping the remake will be a success - so we'll finally get a true sequel that actually improves upon the formula.

If not, then we always have Callisto protocol to hope for :)
 
DArtagnan said:
But, truly, it's going to be for the story more than anything else.
Click to expand...

Ouch

DArtagnan said:
If not, then we always have Callisto protocol to hope for :)
Click to expand...

I'm intrigued by that one. I'd be paying attention anyways just for the fact that it's sci-fi horror, but one of the co-creators of Dead space leading the project makes it even more interesting.
 
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JDR13 said:
Ouch
Click to expand...

Thanks for modifying my expectations - which were already low :)

I'm intrigued by that one. I'd be paying attention anyways just for the fact that it's sci-fi horror, but one of the co-creators of Dead space leading the project makes it more interesting.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's the lead guy from Dead Space (1, not 2) - who seems very passionate about taking it forward. So, we have good reason to be hopeful, I think :)

Of course, I'm more into sci-fi horror in "true" immersive sims, so I'm expecting even more from Ken Levine's upcoming game - but I'm worried since we've heard nothing about it in ages.
 
blatantninja said:
I just finished a heavily modded run through Baldur's Gate EET. Trying to figure out what to play next. My backlog is huge due to missing games when I was younger and not really playing the last 4 years much:

1) Pillars of Eternity - I've twice started, got maybe 20 hours in and then life got in the way and I dropped it. Loved it both times and I'll definitely play through it at sometime
2) NWN OC - Another one I've started a few times and dropped. I have a lot of mods downloaded as well, but figured I'd run through the OC and expansions first
3) Arcanum - Love the setting, but never played it
4) Fallout - same as above
5) Ultima VII p2 - Years ago, I started replaying the Utimas, got all the way to U7 before life got in the way. I've never actually finished U8.
6) Ultima VI Project Mod - I got a long way in this before getting stuck in one of the dungeons and then life got in the way. Kind of want to run through it again
7) KOTOR - another one I've started but not gotten far.
8) Witcher - another one I've started but not gotten far (see a pattern yet?)
Click to expand...

Both Pillars games are very good, and since you already know you like playing at least the first one, this a good and safe choice.

Imo many of the others are missable. Arcanum has terrible gameplay. Nice setting, as you say, but that's about it. It has roleplaying choices only when it specifically decides they should be there… much of the time you either have no choices, or you do but if you don't choose "correctly" you're going to make enemies of entire towns.

I love the Witcher series, but I love the first by far the least. I'd skip ahead to #2 or #3 if I were you. Kind of the same thing with NWN OC. It's the least essential NWN ever made, and that includes the two add-ons for the first game, the second game and its add-ons, and much of the fan made stuff for the first game.

KOTOR is maybe still worth it. It's been ages since I've played it. I love Ultima VII part one… Ultima VII part 2 is much less compelling and full of repetitive exposition, but I suppose still worth it if you enjoy part 1.
 
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Playing Greedfall at the moment. I like the setting, the story and dialog are pretty interesting. But I find battles pretty dull. My char is a level 15 swordman and most fight are just too easy / boring.
 
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