Thread: BATTLETECH |OT| Kill the meat, save the metal
Rebooting Steam fixed that for me.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7140508/
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Thread: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus |OT| Amerika ist wieder großartig
Console controls could use some serious tuning. I still finished it and plan on doing the alternate timeline (on easier difficulty) just to see what changes if anything. I was dreading the officer grind, so I think I'll take the easy advice to heart, as I only have 3 more to unlock.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/1438371/
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Thread: ELEX is one of the best RPGs of 2017
I picked this up on Xbox after reading through multiple threads on it. I'm ~7 hours in at the moment, half way through level 8, playing on normal difficulty. I'm playing on an X so aside from the occasional stutter due to streaming / loading as I'm moving, the game performs well as-is. It's a weird game in that movement is rough, combat is really basic and kind of annoying (I'll circle back to that), stat allocation is pointless on its own instead acting as a restriction for weapon use and allowing purchase of skills and abilities, inventory management is mediocre at best, and there's a lot that is never explained, e.g. I have the potions skill, but I can't see anywhere that I can actually craft a potion in the UI -- I assume there's a crafting table somewhere that I have to find, much like campfires for cooking. So all that out of the way, the world is cool and fun to explore (I'm a sucker for post-disaster worlds), the factions are interesting so far (haven't dealt with the outlaws a lot yet), the interconnected nature of your actions and responses does matter in quests, the mix of easy and deadly creatures is (semi-)fun to feel out as you travel, and the jetpack is great to use. All these factors make the game a lot more compelling and interesting than I thought it would be. I recently was playing Fallout 3 again (IMO better than New Vegas and 4), and Elex has that same "yeah, it's not perfect, but does it really matter?" vibe that I love so much about Fallout 3. So back to combat - the basic timing system isn't bad, nor is the idea of stamina management, but the penalty of losing stamina on being hit along with health, means that you're doubly penalized for mistiming, which slows combat dramatically. Combat ends up not as a nice ebb and flow but this really conservative 2-3 attacks, pause to refill stamina, 2-3 attacks, pause, maybe special attack, repeat loop. On top of this you've got stunlock / juggling in the game, so when you have to fight more than one enemy at a time, if they leap and their timing is offset, you're juggled to death by multiple hits or knocked completely out of stamina, limiting your options for combat extremely. Same with grenades or any explosive - hit, knockdown, hit again, bounce, hit again, bounce, death. I'd say that PB nailed the role playing (i.e. playing a character and making meaningful decisions as that character) and world building part of Elex, but the mechanical aspects of what RPG means (to me at least) aren't great in any way shape or form. I can see why reviewers would harshly criticize it when it goes up against games with much more understandable and explainable skill systems and deeper (more varied) combat mechanics. For a small team, it's still one hell of an accomplishment to create a world this rich. Hopefully success drives more investment in refined skills and combat in the future.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/561424/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/8MOd7
Thread: Star Wars Battlefront II |OT| This Deal is Getting Worse all the Time!
Finally unlocked the IQA for the Specialist. Wow. I cracked top 5 without using a hero. That weapon is a whole lot of fun.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/2005678/
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Thread: The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt
I had the option to purchase both a Theater of Magic and Twilight Zone pins (both in kept up state) for good prices many years ago. I still regret not doing it. I eye good condition Dr. Dude pins from time to time as well. Sigh. As a game designer, I'm jealous of good Pinball machines, honestly. The blend of mechanical and game logic / system design is masterful in a well crafted table.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3719772/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/VH1c0
Thread: The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt
Totally agreed! Bad (underpowered) flippers or an unwaxed table can make pinball a very, bad experience. I'm fortunate that I worked in an arcade for a while during college years. It was a small operation where we serviced the games ourselves, including waxing tables and replacing worn components, so I got really familiar with pinball mechanics, wiring custom harnesses and JAMMA adaptors, CRT degaussing and servicing, etc. I think a lot of people that buy a pin underestimate the work that goes into upkeep, especially any of them with complicated mechanical parts - the Addam's Family Thing hand, and Chuckie's face in Funhouse were big headaches when they started acting up. Things like High Speed - both a good table (crazy when newly waxed!) and relatively simple mechanically - are always nice to find.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3726308/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/8wGpG
Thread: The Pinball (digital and physical) ERA |OT| Full Tilt
Showing my age here, but I'd love to see a pin based on "The Prisoner" I mean c'mon escaping the island missions, a white rover ball, messing up #2's constant plans to get the info in #6's head... it's all right there. Heh. Noted.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3762491/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/lllCm
Thread: Warframe: The Sacrifice |PC OT| Howl I Met Your Mother
Sniper rifle is soooooo handy to have in the Plains. Capping Grineer from a distance is so enjoyable.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/992946/
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Thread: Microsoft Studios |OT2| The Best Is Yet To Come
Panzer Dragoon game is worth playing, but yes, Orta is worth it.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9488664/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/Ar8zp
Thread: Horizon Zero Dawn : The Frozen Wilds |OT|Red Head Redemption 2
Finished the main DLC story last night and have most of the side quests completed. This is the only PS game I've earned the platinum in and likely will be the only PS game I ever platinum, until an eventual sequel. Overall, it was a great side-adventure for Aloy and added in some nice reaffirmation of what happened in the main story - now I really just want the story to move forwards instead of sideways. Only bugs I encountered were a few T-pose blinks in conversations, Aloy's fascination with selling bluegleam even in the middle of raiding the bandit camp, and weird day / night transition pops during battles. The snow (plus long nights) could make it hard to see, especially at night, even in HDR / 4K. Great game, great DLC.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/992582/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/4Aehj
Thread: Destiny 2: Warmind |OT| Mars Attacks!
After a string of poor RNG and repeats galore, I decided to hit Xur for the weekly engram and run my 3rd character through the IO public events. Expecting armor, I get Tractor Cannon from Xur, and Crimson from Cayde. After 5 Skybuner's Oaths and 3 Wardiff Coils, I was almost in tears. Now to hope the masterworks drop.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8369360/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/6FTQy