2018 Video Game thread

[Kyyle23]

Gamer thoughts here

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Finally finished Mafia 3. Big fan of the story. I liked how you could choose your own ending.

 

Trying to dig in to WatchDogs 2, but man, there are SOOO many buttons and controls that I am terrified to even engage in fights because I can't remember all the ways I'm supposed to get through the level/puzzle.

[Chicago White Sox]

Finally finished Mafia 3. Big fan of the story. I liked how you could choose your own ending.

 

Trying to dig in to WatchDogs 2, but man, there are SOOO many buttons and controls that I am terrified to even engage in fights because I can't remember all the ways I'm supposed to get through the level/puzzle.

Wow, I put a good 10 to 15 hours into Mafia 3 before I just gave up on it. The story was phenomenal, but the gameplay was beyond atrocious. Hopefully it was all worth it in the end.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Wow, I put a good 10 to 15 hours into Mafia 3 before I just gave up on it. The story was phenomenal, but the gameplay was beyond atrocious. Hopefully it was all worth it in the end.

 

I didn't mind the game play, it was just really repetitive. When I say I like the story I mean the characters and the overall premise. The missions were really repetitive. And I too gave up on the game many months ago, but then decided that before I start Watch Dogs 2, I wanted to finish Mafia 3, since Mafia 3 may have a tie-in with Red Dead Redemption 2.

[Steve9347]

I bought a Samsung 4k television over the holiday and then yesterday took the plunge in upgrading to a PS4 Pro. Transferring data from the PS4 to the Pro was a cinch.

[bigruss]

I haven't done any VR yet, but saw a commercial for PS4 VR with a guy playing Skyrim, and that has me intrigued. Anyone use the PS4 VR yet and have feedback?

[CrimsonWeltall]

Is Breath of the Wild just a poor man's Horizon Zero Dawn? Struggling to understand the hype here.

 

The plot premise is really really similar, but BotW's storytelling, characters, combat, graphics, sound, UI, and exploration are all far worse. Some of these design decisions (crafting to heal, weapons that break every 5 minutes, stamina system) are baffling.

 

The only area it excels so far is with the puzzle shrines.

 

I'm only like 5 hours in. Does this get better?

Edited January 5, 2018 by CrimsonWeltall

[Jenksismyhero]

Is Breath of the Wild just a poor man's Horizon Zero Dawn? Struggling to understand the hype here.

 

The plot premise is really really similar, but BotW's storytelling, characters, combat, graphics, sound, UI, and exploration are all far worse. Some of these design decisions (crafting to heal, weapons that break every 5 minutes, stamina system) are baffling.

 

The only area it excels so far is with the puzzle shrines.

 

I'm only like 5 hours in. Does this get better?

 

The world is huge. The boss fights are fun. The first 5-10 hours are rough because your weapons blow, but eventually they'll be upgraded (and yes, the decision to have weapons break sucks IMO). I'd give it a little longer and at least beat one of the bosses. Those are challenging both from a fight perspective and a puzzle perspective.

 

If you're not into just exploring and doing shrines, it's probably not going to get better for you. You don't HAVE to do those things, but that's how you get more health/stamina that makes the boss fights more manageable.

[Kyyle23]

Is Breath of the Wild just a poor man's Horizon Zero Dawn? Struggling to understand the hype here.

 

The plot premise is really really similar, but BotW's storytelling, characters, combat, graphics, sound, UI, and exploration are all far worse. Some of these design decisions (crafting to heal, weapons that break every 5 minutes, stamina system) are baffling.

 

The only area it excels so far is with the puzzle shrines.

 

I'm only like 5 hours in. Does this get better?

 

Agreed with Jenks, if you like the shrines then it gets better as Link gets stronger. I’m on to the DLC and really love it

[Southwest Sider]

The Master Sword makes it easier to deal with breaking weapons as it simply goes into a cooldown. Definitely explore areas for Korok seeds so that when you meet Hestu you can begin expanding your weapons inventory. Everyone is different, and you may not enjoy BoTW as much as I did, but from a logistic standpoint it does get better. Pick up every item you see and eventually you will have almost unlimited options for food. Stamina sucks in the beginning because you can't scale any mountain you want, but as you improve your stamina wheel, your ability to explore will be increased.

[CrimsonWeltall]

I'll definitely keep playing. I do like it, but these early frustrations were really nagging.

[Kyyle23]

I'll definitely keep playing. I do like it, but these early frustrations were really nagging.

 

when i bought my switch BOTW bundle, i got the strategy guide with it. It has been worth every penny. Im a completionist when it comes to games like that, and some things were less than obvious when it comes to finding certain shrines.

 

Also, keep an eye out for easter eggs concerning previous Zelda games. they are everywhere

[Chicago White Sox]

Is Breath of the Wild just a poor man's Horizon Zero Dawn? Struggling to understand the hype here.

 

The plot premise is really really similar, but BotW's storytelling, characters, combat, graphics, sound, UI, and exploration are all far worse. Some of these design decisions (crafting to heal, weapons that break every 5 minutes, stamina system) are baffling.

 

The only area it excels so far is with the puzzle shrines.

 

I'm only like 5 hours in. Does this get better?

You may be the first person on the planet to call the exploration in BoTW far worse than Horizon. That’s biggest single element of the game. I’m guessing you’re still in the Great Plateau, because once you leave the game opens up like none other.

[CrimsonWeltall]

You may be the first person on the planet to call the exploration in BoTW far worse than Horizon. That's biggest single element of the game. I'm guessing you're still in the Great Plateau, because once you leave the game opens up like none other.

 

I've only opened up 4-5 towers worth of maps, so I'm not far.

 

The reasons I'm not enjoying exploring much so far:

- Travel on foot is slow (thanks stamina), swimming is slow and you can drown absurdly quickly (thanks stamina), climbing is slow and tedious (thanks stamina), and I was excited to climb towers and hang-glide off to explore far, but found that hang-gliding has stamina?!? Link has the cardio of a morbidly obese man.

- Horse is much faster method of travel, but the controls are like a big boat and I often have to leave him places, which forces me to back-track long distances to get him again.

- I want to find Shrines to unlock fast-travel points but this Sheika Sensor is so goddamn annoying I want to leave it off.

- ...there's very little I've found so far that's actually interesting. In Horizon, I wanted to explore to find new equipment (which wouldn't break) and skills. I wanted to find new cool enemies. I wanted to find places that gave me more information about Aloy, the world as it is, and how it got that way. BotW's story, characters, and world are paper-thin so far, so I'm struggling to get invested.

 

I'm confident it will pick up, but they need a lot more early-game content.

Edited January 6, 2018 by CrimsonWeltall

[danman31]

Is Breath of the Wild just a poor man's Horizon Zero Dawn? Struggling to understand the hype here.

 

The plot premise is really really similar, but BotW's storytelling, characters, combat, graphics, sound, UI, and exploration are all far worse. Some of these design decisions (crafting to heal, weapons that break every 5 minutes, stamina system) are baffling.

 

The only area it excels so far is with the puzzle shrines.

 

I'm only like 5 hours in. Does this get better?

I haven't played Zelda so I won't hate on it, but I was definitely surprised at how critics compare the two games. Horizon was so much damn fun and I can't shake the feeling if Zelda wasn't a Zelda game made by Nintendo it wouldn't receive the same level of praise.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

Actually having a lot of fun playing WatchDogs 2. It's a little intimidating with the amount of controls and buttons to hit, but the environment is VERY lively and there is always s*** to do. Still not really interested in the story too much at this point, I just find myself doing side missions and races all the time.

 

One of the best aspects of the WatchDogs franchise is the ability to be really creative with missions due to the various ways to use technology for your advantage. For example, one mission had me try to steal a truck from a compound. Instead of figuring out how to get through the locked (and unpenetrable) gates, I used my hacking abilities to have a BOLO put out on one of the security people at the compound. The police were alerted to the falsified police report and they stormed the place. The guards had to open the door for the police, so I snuck in through the gate. Then, I hacked a forklift and drove in the opening of the gate so it couldn't be closed. Then I set off an explosion to make the cops think the security detail was causing trouble, a firefight ensued between police and compound security, and I simply snuck in to the truck and drove it out of the gate while everyone was distracted. I ignored all the traditional puzzles to unlock the gates and bypass security. It was pretty satisfying.

 

Long story short, it's not worth the full $60 it was before, but just like Mafia 3, it's totally worth the $25-30 you can find it for now. Driving mechanics still suck, but the cell phone "menu" and music and environment are tremendous.

[Chicago White Sox]

I haven't played Zelda so I won't hate on it, but I was definitely surprised at how critics compare the two games. Horizon was so much damn fun and I can't shake the feeling if Zelda wasn't a Zelda game made by Nintendo it wouldn't receive the same level of praise.

So you think a game that’s literally ranked as one of the best of all time only received those kudos because it’s published by Nintendo. It’s amazing how many people feel the need to hate on the game without actually playing it.

[danman31]

So you think a game that’s literally ranked as one of the best of all time only received those kudos because it’s published by Nintendo. It’s amazing how many people feel the need to hate on the game without actually playing it.

Take it easy. I didn't say it was bad, but there is a definite bias with Nintendo. It got the same boost that all Nintendo games get. The "ranked as one of the best of all time" hyperbole certainly doesn't help.

[Chicago White Sox]

Take it easy. I didn't say it was bad, but there is a definite bias with Nintendo. It got the same boost that all Nintendo games get. The "ranked as one of the best of all time" hyperbole certainly doesn't help.

Again you say all this without having actually played the game. And maybe instead of there being a bias, is it possible that Nintendo simply makes some of the best, most polished pure gameplay experiences in the industry? How have you formed this opinion that a bias exists? Do you actually play Nintendo games every now & then? I’d love to hear your thoughts on what other Nintendo games are overrated.

[Steve9347]

My complaint with Nintendo consoles is the lack of longevity and the sever lack of quality titles. However, the quality titles are indeed great.

 

Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, and if I wanted to burn my money, I’d get rah Nintendo console that releases one or two Mario games. Alas, there’s no longevity and they stop developing for the systems way too quickly.

[Chicago White Sox]

My complaint with Nintendo consoles is the lack of longevity and the sever lack of quality titles. However, the quality titles are indeed great.

 

Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, and if I wanted to burn my money, I’d get rah Nintendo console that releases one or two Mario games. Alas, there’s no longevity and they stop developing for the systems way too quickly.

I can agree with this. I do think Nintendo moving to one platform will help with the software droughts.

 

And Mario Galaxy and it’s sequel are two of the greatest games of all-time. They both definitely deserve the GOAT praise they receive.

[Bob Sacamano]

Any other Resident Evil fans in here? Is this the year we finally get the RE2 Remake? There's been rumors for it for about 15 years now (or whenever the first remake came out).

[Iwritecode]

Actually having a lot of fun playing WatchDogs 2. It's a little intimidating with the amount of controls and buttons to hit, but the environment is VERY lively and there is always s*** to do. Still not really interested in the story too much at this point, I just find myself doing side missions and races all the time.

 

One of the best aspects of the WatchDogs franchise is the ability to be really creative with missions due to the various ways to use technology for your advantage. For example, one mission had me try to steal a truck from a compound. Instead of figuring out how to get through the locked (and unpenetrable) gates, I used my hacking abilities to have a BOLO put out on one of the security people at the compound. The police were alerted to the falsified police report and they stormed the place. The guards had to open the door for the police, so I snuck in through the gate. Then, I hacked a forklift and drove in the opening of the gate so it couldn't be closed. Then I set off an explosion to make the cops think the security detail was causing trouble, a firefight ensued between police and compound security, and I simply snuck in to the truck and drove it out of the gate while everyone was distracted. I ignored all the traditional puzzles to unlock the gates and bypass security. It was pretty satisfying.

 

Long story short, it's not worth the full $60 it was before, but just like Mafia 3, it's totally worth the $25-30 you can find it for now. Driving mechanics still suck, but the cell phone "menu" and music and environment are tremendous.

 

 

This is interesting because I just tried playing WatchDogs 2 last night for the first time in months. It was really difficult at first because I've completely forgotten all the controls. I'm at a point in the game to where I've completed all the story missions, all the side missions, upgraded all my weapons and skills and have bought almost all the clothes and vehicles that the game has to offer.

 

Basically I just drove around the city a little, caused some havoc and got chased by the police. Then entered a few restricted areas and caused some more havoc, but there really wasn't any type of reward for doing any of it.

 

I found a few caches of money and went around and hacked a handful of peoples bank accounts with my phone but I've already got like half a million dollars in my account.

 

There are a few missions that apparently spawn infinitely that involve sneaking into a restricted area. You can also play them co-op. Other than that, I've discovered that I'm completely bored with the game. Although it was fun when I had stuff to do.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

This is interesting because I just tried playing WatchDogs 2 last night for the first time in months. It was really difficult at first because I've completely forgotten all the controls. I'm at a point in the game to where I've completed all the story missions, all the side missions, upgraded all my weapons and skills and have bought almost all the clothes and vehicles that the game has to offer.

 

Basically I just drove around the city a little, caused some havoc and got chased by the police. Then entered a few restricted areas and caused some more havoc, but there really wasn't any type of reward for doing any of it.

 

I found a few caches of money and went around and hacked a handful of peoples bank accounts with my phone but I've already got like half a million dollars in my account.

 

There are a few missions that apparently spawn infinitely that involve sneaking into a restricted area. You can also play them co-op. Other than that, I've discovered that I'm completely bored with the game. Although it was fun when I had stuff to do.

 

Well I mean, if you've played the game to 100%, then I guess I'm not shocked you've become bored with it. lol

 

I just remembered I also have to finish Far Cry 4 before the 5th one comes out. God damn 1st World Problems.

[Kyyle23]

https://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/01-11-2018/

 

DLC for Mario Odyssey next month. I never thought there would be the day when there would be DLC for a solo Super Mario game

 

a bunch of ports coming too. DK Tropical Freeze, Payday 2, The world ends with you, Dark Souls, Ys IIIV, Hyrule Warriors

 

Fe and Kirby look fun too