What games are you playing now?

Originally Posted by NewDArt
I disliked Half Life 2 back in 2004, and stopped playing it around halfway through. It was so obviously just one long engine demonstration with very little of what made the original Half Life interesting. Well, the original Half Life wasn't that good either, but the first couple of hours were amazing - and then it devolved into a standard shooter.

It really DOES get better in the back half, but I wasn't so enamored back in 2004 either - I found there too be way too much filler and obsession with gimmicky physics and annoying mechanics. The fact that they have kept updating the engine is cool (looks great), but the rest of it only becomes more obvious with age … I have failed to finish the last few times I started … I've made it further than I have for several years, but I dropped it this weekend.

Originally Posted by txa1265
It really DOES get better in the back half, but I wasn't so enamored back in 2004 either - I found there too be way too much filler and obsession with gimmicky physics and annoying mechanics. The fact that they have kept updating the engine is cool (looks great), but the rest of it only becomes more obvious with age … I have failed to finish the last few times I started … I've made it further than I have for several years, but I dropped it this weekend.

I got to some kind of prison section - so I'm not sure how much of the game was left. But it was really, really boring to me.

That said, I was never really a "pure shooter" fan. After System Shock, I don't understand how anyone could be - but there it is

I was planning on playing Deus Ex: MD next, but I decided I needed a break from first-person games and installed Torment: ToN instead. I haven't played any party-based games lately so it'll be a change of pace for me.

I was also tempted to start a replay of System Shock 2. I wanted to see how it holds up after playing Prey, but part of me is afraid that my nostalgia might take a beating.

Well I decided to play System Shock 2 after all. I reinstalled it with the intention of just messing with it for a little while, and now my backlog is on hold while I do a full playthrough.

I was afraid the game would feel dated since it's been close to a decade from the last time I played it. I'm happy to say that it does not. It's still just as atmospheric as I remember.

It helps that there are a few mods that update the textures. I have several installed, and it looks significantly better than vanilla.

I'm playing a Psi/melee build which I've never done before.

Getting a kick out of revisiting Morrowind on ESO with my fresh Warden. The improved visuals are very nice. Amazed I remember locations and geography.

I am still playing TW3. I just finished secondary quest… I'm getting emotionally wrecked… this game is playing with my brain lol. I'm feeling rather horrible after finishing the quest from Keira.

You can't predict what will happen next every time, that's the game's strength.
Lemme spoil something a bit. You'll save someone's life soon if not already I'm 100% sure. Later in the game that one will show real face by murdering innocents. Yea, you would feel better if you let the killer to die before, but life doesn't work that way, you simply can't know everyone's future.

Not everything in the game ends in "if I knew, I'd try doing it differently" way, so don't worry.

Anyway, there is a reason TW3 is considered a masterpiece. Except on a few sites like PCG that sold their souls to microtransactions scams. And except of course Bioshock Infinite audience. Yennefer vs Elizabeth? Okay, I'd take Triss any day over both, but they…

Originally Posted by joxer
You can't predict what will happen next every time, that's the game's strength.
Lemme spoil something a bit. You'll save someone's life soon if not already I'm 100% sure. Later in the game that one will show real face by murdering innocents. Yea, you would feel better if you let the killer to die before, but life doesn't work that way, you simply can't know everyone's future.

Not everything in the game ends in "if I knew, I'd try doing it differently" way, so don't worry.

Anyway, there is a reason TW3 is considered a masterpiece. Except on a few sites like PCG that sold their souls to microtransactions scams. And except of course Bioshock Infinite audience. Yennefer vs Elizabeth? Okay, I'd take Triss any day over both, but they…

Too realistic… lol. In a sense that you don't know whether what you think is a good decision now might end up bad later. OMG I'm so getting emotionally wrecked. This is why I prefer games where I can clearly tell good/evil choices. I agree that TW3 is brilliant but can't say I feel comfortable with my choices anymore.

Playing a lot right now. Primarily FO4 but also some Skyrim. In addition downloaded the recent build of Divine Divinity OS2 and the graphics look amazing. Also Grim Dawn (with the latest updates), Replaying Torment:ToN, Replaying Tyranny, and trying to finish POE before POE2 comes out.

Having an immense amount of fun playing Starcrawlers. It's Shadowrun meets Wizardry, with a couple dozen different factions spicing up your interactions in the game.

I saw more imagination and originality in this game in the first hour than I did in my entire Josh Sawyer PoE experience

Wasteland 2. I'm enjoying it more and more as I play it. I'm really not sure why I left it so long to give it a go, it is pretty great. The combat is particularly good. So far, there hasn't been much in the way of role-playing in conversations etc (a few opportunities to select a convo skill, but no particularly different outcomes as far as I can see) but maybe that improves as it goes on. The character development, skills, exploration etc are really well done though and I'm having a blast.

Originally Posted by azarhal
It was pretty awesome when it released in 2004…now, it's full of annoying design decisions.

Yeah Half Life 2 is a bit hit and miss, especially towards the end game. Some of the design decisions were dubious, but I really liked that the avoided cut-scenes for conversations etc and built them into the first person perspective of the game which game you a feeling (true or not) of continued control. I wish more games would take that approach rather than adding loads of cinematics.

Playing Ravenloft: Stone Prophet. Very surprised and having plenty of fun with this party based overlooked gem.

Pros:
- Open world DnD (with teleporting stones discovered during exploration like Gothic 3)
- Encourages exploration (find companions, weapons, armour, spells, etc.)
- No hand-holding, and good use of maps and compass
- Atmospheric (desert, ancient egypt, day-night cycle, plague, snakes, manscorpians, ..etc)
- well done and detailed pixel graphics (not cheap video capture stuff of the era)
- Good story and interesting NPCs
- Brilliant dungeon design and puzzles
- No level scaling
- Very intuitive UI and combat (compared to Ravenloft 1)
- Many classes, hybrids, character portraits (compared to Ravenloft 1)
- Enemies move slowly and regularly, and action pauses when selecting spells/abilities which makes combat almost RTwP and very convenient.

Only cons that I can think of are some quirks such as not telling you that you have leveled up, you have to put bags/boxes .. etc. in right hand of PC to open.

It is essentially DnD, party-based Gothic - highly recommended.

Note: suggest to pass on Ravenloft 1 - much worse UI, enemies move very quickly and combat becoming pop-a-mole struggle.

Originally Posted by SpoonFULL
Playing Ravenloft: Stone Prophet. Very surprised and having plenty of fun with this party based overlooked gem.

Pros:
- Open world DnD (with teleporting stones discovered during exploration like Gothic 3)
- Encourages exploration (find companions, weapons, armour, spells, etc.)
- No hand-holding, and good use of maps and compass
- Atmospheric (desert, ancient egypt, day-night cycle, plague, snakes, manscorpians, ..etc)
- well done and detailed pixel graphics (not cheap video capture stuff of the era)
- Good story and interesting NPCs
- Brilliant dungeon design and puzzles
- No level scaling
- Very intuitive UI and combat (compared to Ravenloft 1)
- Many classes, hybrids, character portraits (compared to Ravenloft 1)
- Enemies move slowly and regularly, and action pauses when selecting spells/abilities which makes combat almost RTwP and very convenient.

Only cons that I can think of are some quirks such as not telling you that you have leveled up, you have to put bags/boxes .. etc. in right hand of PC to open.

It is essentially DnD, party-based Gothic - highly recommended.

Note: suggest to pass on Ravenloft 1 - much worse UI, enemies move very quickly and combat becoming pop-a-mole struggle.

I've been meaning to try my hand at these - as I never played them at release. I don't remember what it was that I didn't like about them, and they seem very interesting today. Also, it's my second favorite setting of DnD!

Skip the first one? But are the stories not connected?

Originally Posted by NewDArt
Skip the first one? But are the stories not connected?

I played Strahd's possession for about a couple of hours and the story and setting is totally different from Stone Prophet. So I think that one can jump directly (and would recommend so) to Stone Prophet.

Originally Posted by SpoonFULL
I played Strahd's possession for about a couple of hours and the story and setting is totally different from Stone Prophet. So I think that one can jump directly (and would recommend so) to Stone Prophet.

Thank you - I'll check it out

Good luck Dart.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that there are no merchants in the game, and there are plenty of stuff you will find so you have to manage the inventory efficiently (make good use of bags and boxes and priorities weapons and armour).

Originally Posted by SpoonFULL
Good luck Dart.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that there are no merchants in the game, and there are plenty of stuff you will find so you have to manage the inventory efficiently (make good use of bags and boxes and priorities weapons and armour).

That doesn't bother me. If the gameplay supports it by rewarding such things - then I'll probably enjoy managing my inventory

Originally Posted by NewDArt
That doesn't bother me. If the gameplay supports it by rewarding such things - then I'll probably enjoy managing my inventory

Yeah I actually quite like inventory management in party based rpgs. And weight limits that mean you can't loot everything all the time.
Never played the Ravenloft games… The second one does sound good.

Finished HL2, still working on Fallout 4 and some other stuff … but looking for something different …

Reinstalled Mass Effect (first one) and got in a few hours - fun game, very Bioware. But since I only finished it all the way through once, worth revisiting.

Playing the latest patch of D:OS 2. Played it once before very early and this will be last play till release in Sept.