[Tiste Simeon]

You're selling it to me Cause! It didn't inspire me when I first saw the adverts because I'm not so good at archery in games but that sounds good fun...

[Malankazooie]

Horizon Zero Dawn has probably the best story ever incorporated into a video game, if you haven't played it yet, you owe it to yourself to not only play it, but play it to completion.

And don't fret about the archery. The controls are buttery smooth and feel fantastic. There are moments, once you've upgraded your gear, that you'll experience in game action and walk away from encounters you just overcame with your jaw on the floor, never having such experiences in a video game before. (note - wear brown pants, because you're gonna shit yourself a few times).

It's not a game that you can just plow through though. There are areas and missions that you will legitimately have to observe and think about strategy. Don''t by-pass the hunting grounds, they are there to give you knowledge.

Again, to emphasize it. Play HZD for the story and finish it. You'll be blown away.

[Serenity]

Fighting my first Thunderjaw in HZD remains one of my favourite gaming moments of this generation. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once. I had to put the controller down to wait for my heart to stop racing. At that point I didn't know that there were many more moments like that still to come. Another plus point for it, I thought, was that the open world wasn't large for the sake of being large - it's comparatively compact and gorgeous and the size of it seemed just about right to me, and there was still plenty to do. It wasn't all perfect, for sure, but it didn't overstay its welcome like some open world games do. And as others have said, the way the story develops and the way the revelations are handled is very good indeed.

[Serenity]

So Dishonored is pretty excellent. I'm much, much further into it now than I got the first time around (just did the bridge mission) and really enjoying it.

[Malankazooie]

I really enjoyed Dishonored. Another one of those games I played to completion via the check out a game and keep as long as you want rental option from Blockbuster Video (damn I wish that was still an option).

Anyway, I thought the supernatural abilities you gained as you played through Dishonored were some of the most unique skills to be employed in any video game I've played. I haven't played Dishonored 2 yet though. It was received with too much of a tepid response for me purchase it. I want to eventually play it though.

[Serenity]

Malankazooie, on 29 June 2018 - 08:00 PM, said:

Anyway, I thought the supernatural abilities you gained as you played through Dishonored were some of the most unique skills to be employed in any video game I've played.

I actually feel quite overpowered now - they're so much fun to use. Just did the Lady Boyle mission, now heading back to Dunwall Tower.

[Tiste Simeon]

Malankazooie, on 29 June 2018 - 08:00 PM, said:

I really enjoyed Dishonored. Another one of those games I played to completion via the check out a game and keep as long as you want rental option from Blockbuster Video (damn I wish that was still an option).

Anyway, I thought the supernatural abilities you gained as you played through Dishonored were some of the most unique skills to be employed in any video game I've played. I haven't played Dishonored 2 yet though. It was received with too much of a tepid response for me purchase it. I want to eventually play it though.

I think for me D2 was so meh. Sure it has a lot more of the same of what made D1 so great but that's the problem. It was more of the same. Nothing seemed new or fresh or interesting to my mind. I got through it all but it almost became a slog to finish...

[Aptorian]

Played a lot more Horizon ZD.

My opinion of the game is actually cooling a bit. Maybe I've just been playing too much in the starting areas.

I only just got to Meridian now. But I feel like the strong start is sort of being overshadowed by one fetch quest or go here quest after another with little actual plot development or proper character interaction.

At the start I was impressed by the Elder Scrolls or Witcher like camps and villages I was discovering but there's very little depth there beyond 1-2 NPCs you can talk to and get a quest from. It somehow doesn't feel like enough. It feels staged instead of lived in.

On the other hand, now that I've moved to the bigger map areas, I am facing some really tough robots. Accidentally ran into a Thunder lizard and that thing fucked me up good.

I think I am going to avoid side content for a while and try to mainline the story quests.

This post has been edited by Alternative Goose: 30 June 2018 - 03:59 PM

[Malankazooie]

The side quests and fetch content all tie nicely into the story. You should especially go for the Vantage Points and the Banuk Figurines. Also, try not to fast travel if you can avoid it. Override one of those horse like machines and book around the world on it. It makes the experience so much more immersive and will probably mute any fetch and repeat tedium you may be experiencing. I will say about the side quests / fetch quests. As open world games go, they all include them to some degree (usually so you can get xp to level your character so you can be at the proper power level to take on near end game bosses), but HZD does it in such a way that makes it more satisfying and a not boring rinse and repeat task (i.e. AC Origins).

I do agree somewhat about the bandit camps. They could have given them a little more variety. I wasn't so bothered that only a few NPCs had more interaction or relevant communication though. Having to approach everyone only to have them repeat a stock phrase over and over again gets tiresome (a la "I used to be an adventurer like you a, then I took an arrow in the knee")

[Silencer]

I really enjoyed HZD when I played it but now looking back its biggest strength was being really well made and having a good story and interesting setting. That's nothing to scoff at but it's also not as amazing as a lot of people talk it up about. I guess it's very similar to TLOU in that regard - nothing actually ground breaking in that game (which I also really enjoyed) but it was just really well done, as a sort of pinnacle in the genre amidst a lot of mediocre games. But with HZD you do have to commit to it to get the most out of it. People who just dip their toe into that game tended not to think too highly of it. Mainline that shit! XD


Meanwhile I've been playing 7 Days to Die. Its been fantastic, though I only really recommend it in coop with a friend or two. The building mechanics and stuff take some getting used to, and the harvesting of resources can get tedious, but unlike most of the other big 3d survival games, having the time pressure and evolving enemy variety every 7th night is quite a good mechanic to keep things interesting. Though as usual the hunger and thirst meters run down like you're some sort of food and water powered nuclear reactor, rather than a human body. And food doesn't give you nearly enough return on investment per item of food eaten, either. Really wish games like this and Ark could get their meter mechanics sorted out.
But it's good zombie survival fun with some good creativity and enough to keep you playing for a while.

[Serenity]

Finished the main story of Dishonored. What a great game. I got the high chaos ending, of course. Right up until the last two missions I was at low chaos but then it caught up with me.

I'm going to play the Knife of Dunwall and Brigmore Witches DLC before moving on to Dishonored 2, but I might play something else first.

[Tiste Simeon]

I just watched the other endings on YouTube. There was no way I was ever getting anything other than high chaos...

[Serenity]

Tiste Simeon, on 05 July 2018 - 06:45 PM, said:

I just watched the other endings on YouTube. There was no way I was ever getting anything other than high chaos...

Ha, yeah I must have a look myself. One thing I did quickly realise - in fact have always known - is that, once I got spotted, I am rubbish at the combat. Inevitably I would freeze time, run around killing as many as I could, then blink out of there. I'm crap at first person games

[Serenity]

Just played the first hour or two of Prey. I've only just made it to Morgan's office and it's already made me jump out of my skin about a dozen times

[Morgoth]

Serenity, on 08 July 2018 - 06:55 PM, said:

Just played the first hour or two of Prey. I've only just made it to Morgan's office and it's already made me jump out of my skin about a dozen times

I loved that game. The atmosphere and the station itself. The level design. The abilities. It's all awesome

[Serenity]

Morgoth, on 09 July 2018 - 06:42 AM, said:

Serenity, on 08 July 2018 - 06:55 PM, said:

Just played the first hour or two of Prey. I've only just made it to Morgan's office and it's already made me jump out of my skin about a dozen times

I loved that game. The atmosphere and the station itself. The level design. The abilities. It's all awesome

It's great so far. I'm still puzzling over which upgrade path to go down, so I'm hoarding the neuromods at the moment, apart from getting the one that improves health kits. I finished up last night by doing the first bit outside the station, which was fun

[Mentalist]

Took a bit of a break from Alpha Protocol yesterday to play some more Wings of Liberty.

Picked up the second artifact, but the Terrazine mission is tricky on Hard difficulty. May require a re-think.

[Blend]

Mentalist, on 09 July 2018 - 01:06 PM, said:

Took a bit of a break from Alpha Protocol yesterday to play some more Wings of Liberty.

Picked up the second artifact, but the Terrazine mission is tricky on Hard difficulty. May require a re-think.

I play SCII almost religiously! My COOP commanders (I have them all unlocked) are all maxed out, and I'm like level 60 or so Mastery. Love love love that game! And yes, the further into each story mode you get, the tricker the hard mode missions are. Often you just have to get better at rushing things - i.e. figure out exactly how many SCVs you need before you have to build a Supply Depot, then a Barracks, then Refineries, etc. Sometimes it's better to wait to be able to build something rather than making more SCVs. Anyway, all three SCII games are lots of fun!

[Mentalist]

I played WoL campaign on Normal back when it came out, but this is a new install, on my gaming PC (rather than my laptop), and I intend to be more casual about it (while playing on Hard... if that makes sense). Especially given it's summer, I can usually muster enough of an attention span to get one mission done and then tinker with the new unit in the armory, unlocking upgrades. Trying to do more, I get impatient, which doesn't really work on Hard,

Once I'm done with WoL, HoS and LoV will be new, uncharted territory for me.

Edit: and just to prove how inconsistent I am: last night I finished the Terrazine mission, did the train robbery, grabbed the 3rd artifact in "The Dig" (siege tanks + a giant laser drill FTW!) AND unlocked Zeratul's crystal and did the first crystal mission.

The game can suck you in when it gets good.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 10 July 2018 - 12:04 PM

[Tapper]

Playing some Slay the Spire for the first time in months (last time was before Ascension was unlocked, I think). Took the Silent all the way on the first playthrough with a very restricted deck list (focusing on card draw through Backflip and Acrobatics)