Video Games: Gears of Borderlands

[Werthead]

6 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

The popularity of Apex nose dived after the initial hype passed. It isn't a great example.

I'm on solid footing here. The last EA game I bought was Bejeweled maybe six years ago.

Nosedived? As of the last figures, the game was still getting 8-10 million players a week. That's only poor in comparison to Fortnite.

In critical terms, Apex Legends is probably the best-received battle royale so far (at least until last month's loot crate fiasco), although in overall popularity terms it's not going to put a dent in Fortnite. It's massively more popular than PLUKBAT though (about twenty times at the moment).

[Werthead]

In more productive news, Freespace 2 is free at GoG for the next two days. The best space shooter of all time, with an outstanding modding scene (which has an outstanding BSG mod and the original Freespace and expansion modded into the sequel's engine, not to mention huge graphic enhancements), it's well worth nothing. It's actually been free elsewhere for ages, as the developers released the source code open-source a decade back, but getting it on GoG is extremely convenient.

[RumHam]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:28 PM, Caligula_K3 said:

A Link to the Past, now available through the new Switch SNES online app, has replaced my FF XII playtime. It's been maybe about ten years since I last played this, and goddamn is it a great game. 

This guy recreated the entire overworld in Dragon Quest Builders II. 

 

[Rhom]

1 hour ago, RumHam said:

This guy recreated the entire overworld in Dragon Quest Builders II. 

 

 

[Rhom]

I just now heard about the "classic mode" on the Final Fantasy VII remake!

Quote

In previous demos, players have been using the game’s standard combat system where they fill the ATB gauge by attacking enemies, then deplete it to use skills and items. In Classic Mode, regular attacks and movement are all done automatically, letting players treat it like a more straightforward command-based system.

I still don't like the fact they are breaking the game up into pieces, but this definitely appeals to me!

[Caligula_K3]

2 hours ago, RumHam said:

This guy recreated the entire overworld in Dragon Quest Builders II. 

 

Cool! That's really impressive.

I finished it - can't say it's my favourite Zelda game, just because I love many of the 3D ones so much and it's a bit too much dungeoning for me, but it's definitely a phenomenal game.  

Trying to decide what to play next... I hear Imperator Rome just got a big update, so I might try to get back into that. Or maybe replay a nice Bioware RPG like Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age: Inquisition.  

[Jace, Extat]

Just now, Caligula_K3 said:

Cool! That's really impressive.

I finished it - can't say it's my favourite Zelda game, just because I love many of the 3D ones so much and it's a bit too much dungeoning for me, but it's definitely a phenomenal game.  

Trying to decide what to play next... I hear Imperator Rome just got a big update, so I might try to get back into that. Or maybe replay a nice Bioware RPG like Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age: Inquisition.  

You talking about the Pompey update for Imperator? I haven't played it in several months.

[Caligula_K3]

Just now, Jace, Basilissa said:

You talking about the Pompey update for Imperator? I haven't played it in several months.

I think there's an even bigger one that just came out called Cicero. I also haven't played it for months, but I hear this one with Pompey makes a lot of major changes to the game (like no more monarch points) which have made it much stronger. And then there's supposed to be another one coming out at the end of the year that will add a lot of flavor to each nation, which I'm really looking forward to. 

[A True Kaniggit]

I’ll check Imperator. I’ve considered starting a new one lately. Just been waiting for improvements. Japan just crushed my Chinese play through in HOI IV anyways. 

Edit: Yeah. It looks like the Cicero update to Imperator came out Tuesday. I’m gonna wait for the inevitable hotfix before I start a new play through though. So Democratic China shall get another shot.

Edit 2: looking at the notes, it looks like they’ve started the process of making the different empires more unique, which is good.

Also added the ability to create new cities and build them up.

 

[The Anti-Targ]

Launch date for TLOU pt 2 has me pretty excited. Though I imagine everyone was predicting Feb 2020.

The game also introduces a brand new stealth mechanic thanks to a new environmental feature, we don't just have chest-high walls to stealth around, we now have arse-high grass^(TM). 

Before anyone who's on high doses of serious pills replies: yes I know crawl-about-grass is far from a new thing in games. 

[A True Kaniggit]

Though it will be fun to pop out of the long grass as Ellie and beat someone to death with a bat. If Ellie hasn’t gained this skill between the games I will be very disappointed. 

[The Anti-Targ]

Now that we have long grass as a feature of open world / stealth games I want a new mechanic to be introduced: bodily functions. I want characters to have pee and poop meters that measures the urgency with which you need to pee and poop. The idea being that when the need arises you can find a patch of long grass and do your business in relative privacy. And of course those with stand up capability can always use a nearby tree, for #1s at least.

And of course you need to remember where you went, lest you crawl through it as some later time. And there's always the danger that some other character (or their dog...did I say there are dogs in TLOU 2?) made the same use of the long grass, so that's a hazard to be aware of.

Of course your body has a natural mechanism to shut off urgency signals for bodily functions in high stress situations. So when you are crawling around trying to deal with enemies who want to kill you, a game should not be flashing an alert that you need to immediately pop a squat or you will soil yourself. Though once the immediate threat is over, you'll probably have about 5 minutes before you get a code brown alert.

[Fez]

I'll check out Imperator eventually. I got scared off by how middling it sounded at launch, so if there's been major changes and more coming that sounds good to me.

Meantime, I'm still playing Gears 5, Greedfall, and FFXIV. So I'll be busy for a long time. I'm curious about Code Vein, and how much it lives up to the "anime Dark Souls" moniker some people have given it; the reviews seemed pretty divided. 

[Caligula_K3]

Mass Effect 2 won out. I'm so excited to replay this game, chillax with Mordin, and kick people out windows. Renegade for life.

As for Imperator... I had fun with it when it first came out and don't regret buying it. But it definitely was the weakest Paradox game I've played- and the Roman Republic/Hellenistic period is my favourite historical time period! Waiting till this or the next update was probably a good move.

[Jace, Extat]

6 minutes ago, Caligula_K3 said:

Mass Effect 2 won out. I'm so excited to replay this game, chillax with Moridin, and kick people out windows. Renegade for life.

"Look at you. Once you stood first among the Servants. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the High Seat. Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion. Now look at you! A pitiful, shattered wretch. But it is not enough. You humbled me in the Hall of Servants. You defeated me at the Gates of Paaran Disen. But I am the greater, now. I will not let you die without knowing that. When you die, your last thought will be the full knowledge of your defeat, of how complete and utter it is. If I let you die at all."

[Caligula_K3]

1 minute ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

"Look at you. Once you stood first among the Servants. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the High Seat. Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion. Now look at you! A pitiful, shattered wretch. But it is not enough. You humbled me in the Hall of Servants. You defeated me at the Gates of Paaran Disen. But I am the greater, now. I will not let you die without knowing that. When you die, your last thought will be the full knowledge of your defeat, of how complete and utter it is. If I let you die at all."

Haha, I definitely mixed up the spelling of those two characters. I'll take the very model of a scientist Salarian over reincarnated Forsaken bad boy.

[Jace, Extat]

1 minute ago, Caligula_K3 said:

Haha, I definitely mixed up the spelling of those two characters. I'll take the very model of a scientist Salarian over reincarnated Forsaken bad boy.

Damn! I was hoping to get to explain that one! Good catch on the reference.

[briantw]

1 hour ago, Caligula_K3 said:

As for Imperator... I had fun with it when it first came out and don't regret buying it. But it definitely was the weakest Paradox game I've played- and the Roman Republic/Hellenistic period is my favourite historical time period! Waiting till this or the next update was probably a good move.

Imperator is included in the Xbox game pass for PC in case anyone wants to try it without paying full price.  I'm going through the original Gears of War remaster right now, but definitely planning to check out Imperator after that.  And the Gears games are like six hours each, so shouldn't take long.

[A True Kaniggit]

1 hour ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

Damn! I was hoping to get to explain that one! Good catch on the reference.

“Stares drunkenly at this post”

Ha! As if you could slide a WoT reference into this forum without anyone knowing.

Do you think so little of us?

....... Actually, no. Don’t answer that question.

 

 

HoI IV going good right now. With a little luck the West Pacific Treaty Organization shall become a reality. 

[briantw]

On 9/24/2019 at 2:37 AM, Denvek said:

Untitled Goose Game is great fun

Glad you posted this, because I don't really open my Epic app very often and otherwise might have missed this one.  Watched the trailer and it was an instant buy for me.  I've heard it's not very long, but I've only played about twenty minutes and it is really fun.  Love the art design, the music (when it appears), and the honk sound effect.