What Games are you playing 2016?

[Cotigo]

no

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Got Metal Gear Solid 5 because my army is called the Diamond Dogs and one of my codenames is The Man Who Sold the World.

It is very good, and the large environment makes sneaking around much more fun than in games where you are in a hallway maze, because that invariably turns into playing a waiting game.  In this it's all about movement.  Also you can finally crawl beneath large trucks like you should be able to do in every game with large trucks.

Plus you can do this

[Captain K]

Hunie Pop:  I have had sex with everyone.  I am Rand al Thor.

Blade and Soul:  Headstart went smoothly, got to level 40.  Now closing in on 45, gonna start working on crafting alts.

[The Duck]

I think I'm addicted to another incremental game. I weaned myself off Clicker Heroes and Time Clickers but this one is called Trimps and it's insidious and all about making numbers go higher with different resources that you can use to buy to make other numbers get bigger. I play only in the background and I have a script to automate some shit but I have already spent too much time on it.  What I ended up doing to stop the others was to hack my save to get stuff and then the veneer just washes out. I probably need to stop.

Long Live the Queen - I picked this up and was a little surprised that it was pretty decent. You have no idea what the fuck is going on at first which is a little befitting since that's likely how you would feel in this situation. But quickly, you learn that this is less about role playing but more about min maxing based on your mood and about the best ways to accomplish a long term goal. Some aspects don't make much intuitive sense and require a lot of trial and error, like having magic gated off by... knowledge of accounting? So there are ways to bumrush things and get that kind of thing early on but only after a few failed runs and knowledge of events where you will want to pass a certain check. Failure can be really abrupt in some cases (rar I am some rando who is going to kill you oh you don't have archery you're so dead), and I've only done one full playthrough so maybe some things make more sense if you pass certain checks earlier. My kingdom was pretty badly destroyed in my first playthrough so I dedicated a lot of my resources in my next to stop that (lots of navy and magic) which ended up working out. I haven't seen many of the marriages or other possibilities yet but am looking forward to messing around a bit more.

The writing is a little spare and awkward at times. Like, the father is the most nonchalant king/father in the world. Maybe that's part of his characterization but he seems perhaps a little too too disengaged with everything (is he depressed?).

Rogue Legacy - played this a bit on the vita with my power out. I had dabbled with this a little but but finally beat this. It's really fun and goofy with some creative traits for your ancestors (I like hypochondriac). You can grind a lot to get progress but it seems like there's a really straightforward way to build things which makes the game generally easy. I really enjoyed it but am unsure whether I'll do much more. By the same developers as the illustrious Don't Shit Your Pants.

[SnowFire]

Long Live the Queen - I picked this up and was a little surprised that it was pretty decent. You have no idea what the fuck is going on at first which is a little befitting since that's likely how you would feel in this situation. But quickly, you learn that this is less about role playing but more about min maxing based on your mood and about the best ways to accomplish a long term goal. Some aspects don't make much intuitive sense and require a lot of trial and error, like having magic gated off by... knowledge of accounting?

The writing is a little spare and awkward at times. Like, the father is the most nonchalant king/father in the world. Maybe that's part of his characterization but he seems perhaps a little too too disengaged with everything (is he depressed?).

For whatever it's worth, there are three separate ways into the vault; accounting is just one way in.   

Elodie's father being weirdly absent a lot is awkward, yes.  Notably there's a reason why the idea of a "regent" exists: it's bad practice to entrust the fate of the kingdom to someone not of age, and since she's uncrowned, Dad should by all rights really be doing a lot more governing, and possibly stepping in and overruling Elodie on some of her potential bad decisions.  BUT!  That would reduce the influence of the player, and it's fun to make your own damn mistakes.  I do agree it takes away something, but I can understand why.

That said, if you want to see Elodie's dad in action, try doing a run where you refuse to become a Lumen.  It's interesting.

[Dark Holy Elf]

I definitely got strong depression vibes from the dad.

There is some definite trial and error but it's made better by the fact that (a) the game does tell you what check you've failed, so you aren't totally blind, and (b) there's always more than one way to accomplish things (e.g. getting magic is important, but there are a variety of ways to pass the game without doing so). Fun little game, anyway.


Hyule Warriors - I completed the entire Twilight map at last, beat all squares and got all the skulltulas. There is one thing that I haven't done (besides heart upgrades because who cares), which is getting Ganondorf's joke weapon, which involves getting an A rank with Ganondorf on a quite difficult stage (and Ganondorf is still a bad character despite the improvements). I probably won't do that any time soon. Putting the game down for a bit again, now over 200 hours played, but will no doubt pick it up again because I still haven't gotten around to the Termina map.

Super Mario Maker - Birthday present. Seems fun, this is a game which would have literally been the best thing ever in the world for me 20-25 years ago. Unfortunately I'm a different person now so it won't be that... but it's still great. I'm a bit annoyed that you start out with relatively few tools but it does make you learn the ones you have, so it's probably a pretty valid decision.

Splatoon - Is fun.

[The Duck]

My first failed playthrough I did see what happened there. It's striking since it was the first time he did anything of his own initiative or saying "as you wish."

I do like the systems here and would like to see different scenarios or something along the lines of a year two. While I like that you can essentially map out what will happen in a given playthrough, I can see how running through the same events could get a little stale even if your longterms goals are completely different on different playthroughs.

If the game didn't tell you what the checks were it would be completely byzantine, holy shit. That would hearken back to some old text adventure shit where some hidden values for traits or relationship values or whatever are there but never revealed and I think there is something to a game where that kind of thing comes into play, but this works because everything is mostly transparent.

[Dark Holy Elf]

I think there's an option to turn off the notifications of checks passed/failed if you really hate yourself.

[The Duck]

Thinking on it, I do think there is room for something like this where you have to figure out how to accomplish things by repeatedly failing (Dark Souls of princess simulators if I were wankier) and that is certainly a big portion of what is going on here but putting everything out there for you to see is more respectful of your time.     The weeks are really breezy and make it really easy to repeat things and experiment if you want. I do like that component.

[Grefter]

My understanding is that little feedback is more classic Princess Maker VN style?

[Fenrir]

I didn't know the guys who made Rogue Galaxy also made Don't Shit Your Pants. Both excellent.

Darkest Dungeon:
This is Verdelet: The game. How can the narrator find so many different bleak things to say?
I don't quite understand everything going on here, but I know I had a run where all my characters were super stressed, and thus they kept provoking each other, further even more raising their own and everybody else's stress. I had one of them try to confess his sins and he went all "MY SINS ARE TOO TERRIBLE" and his stress went even higher. Then one of my characters caught syphilis? Yet another character is now banned from the local church.
Great stuff.

Nuclear Throne: Finally beat Mom, who's one hell of a boss. Then I met the Super Crystal and also won. Then the technomancer and I won yet again? I reached NG++ and just went to meet the uber optional boss for the first time and murder her. End.
This is very unusual for NT but I had a completely overpowered build: Steroids with two Lightning Hammers and all the right mutations and crowns. He became Thor.
There was one area where there was so much going on that the game slowed down to literally 1 frame per 3 seconds. Vita patch plz.

[SnowFire]

My first failed playthrough I did see what happened there. It's striking since it was the first time he did anything of his own initiative or saying "as you wish."

I do like the systems here and would like to see different scenarios or something along the lines of a year two. While I like that you can essentially map out what will happen in a given playthrough, I can see how running through the same events could get a little stale even if your longterms goals are completely different on different playthroughs.

If the game didn't tell you what the checks were it would be completely byzantine, holy shit. That would hearken back to some old text adventure shit where some hidden values for traits or relationship values or whatever are there but never revealed and I think there is something to a game where that kind of thing comes into play, but this works because everything is mostly transparent.

Slight spoiler (of a path I never even personally took): It is actually possible for dad to actually win the duel!  Setting this up is kinda obscure though.  Also, if Dad doesn't win the duel, this can possibly intersect interestingly with another super spoiler plot thread.  Elodie has a potential decision the next week if that thread is activated, but if her mood is depressed, she can't pick one option, for reasons that make good & proper sense in context.  Dad dying gives Depression +10 so you either need him to win or else solve the matter yourself if you want the option.

[Grefter]

Dank Souls - I didn't play any more, but I did want to cry about my brother's run some more.

He has Lost Izalith and Gwyn left.  I bought him DS2.  He has Dragon's Dogma which I think he will really dig (I am playing it now as well).

his computer melted

[Fudozukushi]

My computer is basically in the process of melting so I can totally empathize with that.

[AndrewRogue]

Having fun with both LoL and HotS. Adept Bots in HotS can no longer realistically oppose us unless we choose support champs and our AI decides it hates life.

Made it up to Castle Cainhurst in Bloodborne, but then decided fuck that I want a Cannon. So found out I missed a whole section of the Forbidden Woods. Failed to kill the Shadows of Yharnam like a dozen times (sorry Alex) before succeeding.

I am struggling a bit with enemies right now because they kill me REALLY fast and I don't quite kill them that fast.

[SnowFire]

Rando-comment from someone mostly out of HotS scene: I was pleasantly surprised when playing with Mr. Rogue & LadyDoor that HotS seems to have gotten rid of gating talents behind leveling a champion.  I get what they were trying to do here but it was really frustrating and dumb to be told there are all these cool skills your champ might have, but you gotta play 3-4 games first.  Per champion.  lolno, that was part of why I gave up before, glad to see it's gone.

[AndrewRogue]

They seriously used to gate that?

[SnowFire]

Yeah, you'd only have access to the first 2 talents per-tier at L1, first 3 talents at L2, first 4 at L3, and all talents at L4.  So you'd never have an empty talent level, but you're stuck with the "easier" talents until you've put a little time in.  Ultimates had something similar (e.g. you MUST take Triple Tap as a low level Nova, you only get the orbital nuke at L3/4 or something.).

It wouldn't be so bad if it was for first-time players of the game, and hitting some overall amount of total character level removes this, but doing it per-champ is just silly.

[Sierra]

I played Long Live the Queen a couple years ago, got a couple ending paths but only really remember the one where I achieved world peace through the power of song, at which point I concluded I'd got what I paid for and called it a day. It's neat but my antipathy for the visual novel format limited the mileage I could get out of trying to find different routes.

Made it up to Castle Cainhurst in Bloodborne, but then decided fuck that I want a Cannon. So found out I missed a whole section of the Forbidden Woods. Failed to kill the Shadows of Yharnam like a dozen times (sorry Alex) before succeeding.

I am struggling a bit with enemies right now because they kill me REALLY fast and I don't quite kill them that fast.

What's your VIT at? HP is the closest thing BB has to a god stat, because healing is percentage-based. 30 is a good goal to shoot for by the end of the main game (50 is pretty much mandatory if you're crazy stupid masochistic completionist enough to clear the chalice gauntlet; DLC also expects you to come in with hefty numbers). For the second part, yeah, Bloodborne bosses like HP. I probably don't have to point out that weapon upgrades are majorly important? You should easily have the materials to get something +6 by now (maybe +7 if you were thorough about looting the forest and Cainhurst--incidentally, good luck with the Cainhurst boss, he's a huge bastard). The Yahar'gul jail is loaded with twin shards, if you blundered into it through incompetence like I did actually found the place.

The cannon's cool, but you're never gonna get more than like three shots out of it even abusing blood bullets so, you know, timing. It's also pretty much the only reason bone marrow ash exists.

[Fudozukushi]

Talent-gating went through three different phases.  First: Started out as a low account level, like 10 or something.  Second: Was having the heroics and two separate talent levels tied to every individual hero level.  Third: Just added back level 30 account unlocking everything.  Fourth gets rid of it entirely.

[Dark Holy Elf]

I played Long Live the Queen a couple years ago, got a couple ending paths but only really remember the one where I achieved world peace through the power of song, at which point I concluded I'd got what I paid for and called it a day. It's neat but my antipathy for the visual novel format limited the mileage I could get out of trying to find different routes.

Your antipathy for the visual novel format must be strong indeed if it kept you from tracking down more of the lesbian pairing options.

[Sierra]

I don't think I even found any!

[AndrewRogue]

What's your VIT at? HP is the closest thing BB has to a god stat, because healing is percentage-based. 30 is a good goal to shoot for by the end of the main game (50 is pretty much mandatory if you're crazy stupid masochistic completionist enough to clear the chalice gauntlet; DLC also expects you to come in with hefty numbers).

12. >_> I got biased by Dark Souls' 2 completely ineffectual defensive stats, so I haven't touched it. Whoops?

For the second part, yeah, Bloodborne bosses like HP. I probably don't have to point out that weapon upgrades are majorly important? You should easily have the materials to get something +6 by now (maybe +7 if you were thorough about looting the forest and Cainhurst--incidentally, good luck with the Cainhurst boss, he's a huge bastard). The Yahar'gul jail is loaded with twin shards, if you blundered into it through incompetence like I did actually found the place.

Yeah, I have +7 Kirkhammer. Also a +6 Cannon. I hit like something approaching a truck. I just also get hit like a plate of glass.

Oh right. I should run a boss tally, rough death count, and the rough order. Let's see if I remember.

Cleric Beast (0)
Father Gascoigne (12)
Vicar Amelia (1,000,000)
Witch of Hemwick (1)
Amygdala (10)
Darkbeast Paarl (5)
Blood Starved Beast (0)
Shadow of Yharnam (12)

[Fenrir]

Darkest Dungeon:

I upgraded a few buildings, got some nice weapons for my mainish characters. I felt pretty good.

A strange item in the dungeon invited me to use a torch on it... IF I DARED. Of course I did, and this summoned an eldtrich monstrosity. The fight didn't go too badly, but it kept summoning tentacles. In the end, the beast died, but one of my guys had succombed and the team was so distraught at that point that they couldn't even finish the tentacles. One of my guys lost all hope and had a heart attack. Seeing this, another had a heart attack too. Then another. Entire team wiped out.

Humiliated, I ran to town and sent my B team to the dungeon. My main knight, the strongest character I had, read apparently extremely disturbing books lying around at the very beginning, then spent the next battles in a fetal position until he, too, died of a heart attack. I ran away, and the entire team suffered heavy stress penalties and I didn't have any money to make them relieve stress by going to the tavern or church.

I welcomed newcomers and had them go to the dungeon. I mixed them with my stressed out, but stronger, characters.
Alas, more deaths, and more failure, and still no money. All is lost. All is lost.

I am so desperate that I am welcoming newcomers, sending them to dungeons with no resources, then dismissing them, because the entire dungeon trip has stressed them out so much and I just can't afford to spend money on them.
Because my stronger characters are also stressed out and also suffer from the rabies and I want to help those instead.

Yeah I like this game

[Grefter]

Dragon's Dogma - So.  I have no idea how the fuck you are meant to play this game.  Like... it plays pretty good and its fun!  I just have no idea on how you are intended to actually approach it.  I spent most of my time so far running around, filling up my inventory, getting no where near where I wanted to go and then running into either a cool fight with a Cyclops or getting OHKOed by some dude with a big fuck off hammer.

Then I progressed the plot and locked myself out of a quest with a character that I had ACTUALLY been trying to get to before.  Googling says it locks you out of a part of an area with the only way to get an item.

I guess I will restart?  I kind of wasn't really liking some of the mechanics in the Mystic Knight anyway.  It feels like it would be a run class to play, but holy shit locking yourself in to a Shield buff spell because you are still Blocking when you meant to try and stab something is pretty painful.

A little miffed there wasn't something more solid pick for shielding up than that.  The advanced class being 2 handers only is kinda sad times.

So far, it feels less like Dark Souls through the lens of a more traditional studio like I expected and more like Ultima 7.  Especially with the janky autosave system.  It barely ever saves, but you can save whenever you want, so you are better off approaching it like an old DOS game with 1 save slot.