Author Topic: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)  (Read 32169 times)

FLYmeatwad

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #220 on: September 02, 2018, 08:47:14 PM »
I just feel like PS4 is typically the lead/smoother running experience, but I suppose the power of the X is closer to a decent PC than a launch PS4. Hopefully I don't miss out on additional content.

Solid Blake

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #221 on: September 04, 2018, 09:07:51 AM »
I just feel like PS4 is typically the lead/smoother running experience, but I suppose the power of the X is closer to a decent PC than a launch PS4. Hopefully I don't miss out on additional content.

I don't think Sony has any exclusivity deal with Rockstar in terms of content, just certain advertising privileges. I'm sure Digital Foundry will do some digging, but you can rest assured that the Xbox One X version will be the most optimized/best looking version of RDRII (until a PC version comes along).

Oh, Spider-Man sounds good: https://www.gameinformer.com/review/spider-man/spinning-an-amazing-web

Oh, and Battlefield V open beta dropped today for pre-order folks.

Oh, and PUBG just went 1.0 for Xbox One, dropping the Sanhok map and other stuff with it.

Looks like I'll have my hands full in the next few days.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #222 on: September 04, 2018, 09:10:29 PM »
Wrote this review quite a while back but I've been so lazy about posting lately.

Life is Strange

Dontnod’s Life is Strange is a rare delight in video games: one built around a cast of relatable characters that come across as human and strong as the best stories in any medium. While the medium lacks the realism and nuance of a human performance, it’s a reminder of how far games have strived when a video game story can be as bold, moving and gripping as primetime TV or award-winning movies.

The player experiences the story thought Max (Hannah Telle), a student at the prestigious Blackwell Academy who discovers she has the ability to rewind time on the same day she reconnects with her childhood friend Chloe Price (Ashly Burch). Something is going wrong with both the town and the school and Max and Chloe team up to find the answers.

A coming of age story mixed with sci-fi tales, Life is Strange is most striking for how few punches it pulls. Issues of sex, drugs, violence, abuse, and more come up as the story unfolds and Max begins to get glimpses into the lives of the people at Blackwell Academy and the surrounding town of Arcadia Bay.

What makes Life is Strange such a compelling work of fiction is that Max responds to these insights by gaining sympathy and compassion for people who she otherwise might have mistreated or accused earlier in the game. In the moment, certain choices can be undone by rewinding time, but it’s often an episode later before Max sees that the person she thought she understood has a whole other layer to him or her that makes her realize that her assumptions about people aren’t always true.

This is what the best works of fiction often do: allow us to connect and empathize with people who are not us. Max’s journey throughout the game forces her to consider how the people around her are often victims of circumstances she did not consider before. Sometimes, she finds the choices she makes causes someone else to become a victim.

Where the game occasionally falls apart is its lack of tonal consistency and proper urgency. Max is often left with life-altering choices hanging in the balance when the actual substance of the game is talking to people. Stopping in the middle of something to have a ten minute conversation often feels out of touch with the action of a scene.

But even then, it’s hard to critique the game too much for keeping its writing at the forefront instead of action gameplay sequences. It does have a couple of brief stealth sections but the game’s strongest feature is its writing and most of the best moments in the game are spent in conversation.

All that being said, Life is Strange’s boldest moments are when it decides to be quiet. There are a number of moments when the game does not move until the player does. Max lays in her bed gazing at the ceiling or sits in a chair taking in the view. Most games don’t leave players the mechanical space to simply linger and take in the world, to reflect on how crazy everything has gone. Max will often narrate these gaps, encouraging the player to slow down and process instead of simply move onto the next twist in the story.

That’s the kind of maturity of writing and presentation that goes against the instinct of a society where every last moment is meant to be gripping and enticing. Taking time to simply soak in a moment or reflect is rare in popular stories. Life is Strange has its twists, but they work so well because the story gives itself time to reflect and absorb them. In a relentless world of TV binge-watching and movies with teasers for the next installment, it’s a refreshing change of pace.

Life is Strange strives for the best of artistic inclinations in a medium often bogged down with some of the worst tendencies to marginalize and vilify antagonists as mindless creatures to be slaughtered. Here, people are complex, human and tragic. It’s easy for any story to find the monstrous in humanity, it takes a lot to make bad people human and relatable.

Solid Blake

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #223 on: September 07, 2018, 09:15:40 AM »
Spider-Man is a heckin’ good time.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #224 on: September 07, 2018, 11:05:03 PM »
Fun so far, trying to figure out when the point is where I should just stop and do side stuff. Just caught Shocker for the first time, or what I assume is the first time, so hopefully it's coming up soon.

Solid Blake

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #225 on: September 08, 2018, 04:03:37 AM »
Fun so far, trying to figure out when the point is where I should just stop and do side stuff. Just caught Shocker for the first time, or what I assume is the first time, so hopefully it's coming up soon.

I’m picking them off as I go, but only if they’re on my way to a main quest or side mission. The research stations are the more varied/fun of the bunch, but I’m still having so much fun web-slingin’ that I could just chase pigeons all day and never complain.

FLYmeatwad

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #226 on: September 08, 2018, 09:53:02 AM »
The research stuff I've done in the lab, especially the match the lines ones, I have really liked. The upgrade arm one thus far has felt dated, but I still like it enough. I think I just got my first side mission (involving a mask and a food bank), so I think I'm starting to get to the part where the game is opening up.

Solid Blake

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #227 on: September 08, 2018, 03:26:45 PM »
Damn it. I’ve sworn off Call of Duty several times. I’ve felt duped at the promise of a new and exciting CoD experience year after year, and I’m always let down by the antiquated gameplay/engine. I was so against buying Blops IIII, especially after hearing that they’re scrapping the single player campaign. But, after listening to the guys absolutely gush over their experience with Blackout on the latest Game Informer podcast... I just pre-ordered it just to check out the beta next Friday. It sounds analogous to PUBG, but a little faster in pace, and the map sounds like it’s more 4X4, and less 8X8. The trailer looks great too. Am I falling for it again?!?!  :-\

https://youtu.be/BjiaMBk6rHk

« Last Edit: September 08, 2018, 03:29:45 PM by Solid Blake »

FLYmeatwad

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #228 on: September 10, 2018, 06:29:48 PM »
Finally got to the point where I can unlock challenge tokens.

Also, forgot to mention this before, but it's cool how direct they surface the sound options at the start of Spider-Man. I'm not sure if other games have as many options, I just have TV speakers and headphones on the rare occasion I want to use them, though I'm constantly looking for a good sound bar, but it's cool to see so many different types of sound.

However, the control options, especially in a game with so many accessibility options in that many, are shockingly limited. Really unsure why you can only invert a single axis. Each third person game is so different to me I usually like messing around with combos, but I'm still struggling with moving the camera sometimes since I can't flip left and right.

Solid Blake

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Re: What are you playing? 2018 SPECIAL EDITION (4 Seasonal DLC Packs Included)
« Reply #229 on: September 11, 2018, 09:27:33 AM »
Watching footage of the Call of Duty: Blackout, I’m somewhat more confident in my initial excitement. This looks like the first major change in a Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare. I’m a little disappointed that they’re still leaning in on the futuristic weaponry and gimmicky items from zombies, as I’d prefer more grounded weaponry. But all the battle royale tropes are here and they look super polished. I’m excited to dive in on Friday and see how it feels. After playing the unoptimized PUBG for the last 6 months, I’m just antsy to play a AAA BR game that isn’t Fortnite.

Speaking of Friday, Shadow of the Tomb Raider drops and it’s getting super mixed reviews. I’m not too excited about it, as I think both of the “of the Tomb Raider” are fine games, but lack the story/polish that I’ve become accustomed to thanks to Naughty Dog. I do like the smaller hub-like world and the Metroidvannia elements. I’m going in with lowered expectations, though I am super interested in seeing how Eidos Montreal does with the reigns.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2018, 09:29:53 AM by Solid Blake »