Author Topic: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)  (Read 32144 times)

Solid Blake

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2017 was a great year for games... not so much for most other things. I'm hoping 2018 is an improvement for you all.

That said, here's my Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2018:


1. Red Dead Redemption 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63h3v9QV7w


2. Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (for PS4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODWCbu_cuqk


3. Marvel's Spider-Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq02p3z3X2k


4. Days Gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n95IaELdWDU


5. Monster Hunter World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrz3zysD7cU


6. Valkyria Chronicles 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_otGpDTvbM


7. Metro Exodus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEuEOugOXcc


8. God of War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOE2BVRCUkM


9. Dreams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odfYSiTpXpo


10. Detroit: Become Human

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD1pbWCJcKQ


Most Likely 2019 Games Honorable Mentions: The Last of Us: Part II, Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima


... I'm a little worried that I'm not excited for any Nintendo games in 2018, though there is hope there are surprises like Mario + Rabbids. Okay, so... what are you playing?

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Most Anticipated Games of 2018:

1.Rising Sun



Folklore Samurai area control game with a heavy emphasis on diplomacy? Yes, please! It's like someone tapped into my brain and asked what my idea "minis on a map" game would be.

2. 7th Continent



This looks like a roguelike distilled into a board game and I want to see how it works. I know a lot of people complained that the actual writing of the story wasn't great, but I hope it's able to capture the experience of swapping stories with people about the unique situation you encountered and how you dealt with it.

3. Altiplano



If you want to play something different, I'd tell you to play Orelans, a game where you build your resources but draw them blindly from a bag. It's a super fun system, but with enough depth that you've almost always got two or three interesting choices to make. Altiplano is the followup to Orelans, but instead of boring trade in medieval France you're breeding alpacas in the Andes! Now that sounds like a fun theme.

4. Gloomhaven (Retail Release)



As legacy games become more of a thing, I think the initial sheen is going to wear off and we're going to have to deal with whether or not the systems are good. Gloomhaven looks like the core dungeon crawl combat campain I wanted out of Star Wars: Imperial Assault. The fact it's also an evolving legacy game is just the cherry on top. The only problem is going to be selling people on committing to a campaign of this.

5. Hunt for the Ring



I love War of the Ring, but it only plays two and is a beast of a game as it can easily reach 4 hours of playtime. This looks to add in more players and distill the hidden movement mechanic of War of the Ring into something I could play with my family. Unless this one ends up being a dud, I feel like this might be the hidden movement game for my collection.

6. Batman: Gotham City Chronicles



Conan looked like an interesting combat campaign system but the theme is so off-putting that I have no interest in playing it. The idea of wrapping those mechanics into a Batman game--meaning it's also something I could probably convince family and hardcore tabletop gamers to play--makes it a perfect way for me to finally experience a game I'd love to play but with a theme/aesthetic that won't make me squirm.



Going forward, I'm definitely diverting more money to board games and less to video games. I've got a hefty collection of video games I still haven't played and I think once we get past the holidays and settle into routine, video gaming will naturally happen less for me. I subscribed to Humble Monthly Bundle and figure I'll just settle for what's in there and PS+ for new games and then get whatever big releases I feel like playing physically and sell them back as soon as I finish them. I still expect to pick up an odd indie game here and there but I'm really going to cut back spending in that area.

Solid Blake

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I'll just settle for ... PS+ for new games...

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a January PS+ game... definitely check that out if you haven't already.

FLYmeatwad

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That game is good.

I bought Bury Me, My Love yesterday after hearing Abby mention it on the Beastcast and a few times on the GotY podcasts I've gotten through thus far, so have only been playing for a day, but really like the way the game is presented and keeping it on the default time progression settings.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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I'll just settle for ... PS+ for new games...

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a January PS+ game... definitely check that out if you haven't already.
I never asked for this.

FLYmeatwad

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I'll just settle for ... PS+ for new games...

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a January PS+ game... definitely check that out if you haven't already.
I never asked for this.

Batman TT Season 1 too, not as good as the second, but well worth playing.

Solid Blake

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TellTale games are bad.

Moving on, I solved that Zelda: BoTW game tape and it was... anticlimactic. I've never really been "invested" in the cyclical nature of Link fights Ganon, Link saves Zelda, rinse and repeat... but this one felt like it had no stakes at all. The voice acting performances of Zelda and the Guardians were TERRIBLE, which doesn't help. I felt somewhat accomplished but more relieved, than anything, to have finish my 90 hour game. I might go back and find some more tombs, but it doesn't really entice you to go back into Hyrule after you defeat the big baddy. I feel like I'm being overtly negative. I'm not. I think it's a great game. Just not the greatest of all time, as many people seem to believe.

In the interim, I'm playing SteamWorld Dig 2 and Tiny Metal on my Switch when I have downtime at work, and have been cycling through Battlefront 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite Battle Royale and Gran Turismo when I'm sat in front of that beautiful OLED screen. Looking forward to Monster Hunter World, as I think that might be the first "big" 2018 release to come along.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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I quite like Zelda's approach to story and how bare bones it is. I get why some people want more, but I love it being rather minimal and found for the first time I actually found Zelda a rather interesting character. I do agree the Gannon stuff is rather bad.

I've been battling a sore throat and it's been below freezing outside so I've been strictly indoors the last 3 days. The Switch is ideal for situations like this because when I get tired of sitting and want to just lie down, I can take the console and play an hour or two in bed. I've been digging into the Zelda DLC and boy is it more challenging than I expected it to be. I love how they redo the boss fights to make these tense, close experiences that are probably more like what the bosses would have been like in a more traditional Zelda where they gated what you would have for each boss. The shrines also up their game with some challenges that took a while to puzzle out. The fact that I'm still not tired with this game I think speaks to how good it is. I recognize the flaws, but I just get so much joy exploring this world, switching up weapons and item combos for different situations, and navigating the space between tasks.

Solid Blake

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I don’t watch streamers. Why watch people play videogames when you can be playing them yourself? I didn’t get it, until I stumbled upon Dr. Disrespect when looking for PUBG gameplay videos...

https://youtu.be/u5Nho8R5wb8

I enjoyed his “character,” and decided to look up more. Now I find that he’s taking a hiatus from streaming because he’s been unfaithful to his wife (multiple times, apparently)... and this is why we can’t have nice things.

Solid Blake

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Speaking of not asking for things... I forgot this dumb game is coming out soon...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kmWy2W6olQ

My only hope is that this game fails BIG TIME, and Konami switches over to a Free-To-Play strategy and they make a Battle Royale mode, but built with the MGSV mechanics... I'd probably play that.

 

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