What are you currently playing?

[Strange | 1,700]

Humor is quite often a coping mechanism. It is for me as well. But truth be told I’m worried as hell. My parents are old and in the mortality range.

Right now I’m plowing through my various Sega systems (Master, Genesis, CD) and going through my backlog. I also bought Nioh for PS4. I thought Nioh 2 looked cool, so the price was right at $15 to experience the first and see if I like the series.

[Tanooki | 4,939]

Sure it's serious for it appears around 97% of those infected.

Currently poking away at the Dragalia Lost latest event, and random DS stuff which is fun.  I was hoping I'd have a PCE CD come in the mail today, maybe monday as it's something I had 15+ years ago and can't wait to take it on again.

[ErickRPG | 42]

got Two Point Hospital (switch) in today.  Can't wait to play it a bit!

[twiztor | 851]

dove into some GameCube today.

for reference, i bought one on launch day but sold it after about a year. picked one back up about a year ago along with some of the classics (Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy) that i previously owned. So today i decided to play some games i had no experience with. 

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
fun game, but short. the clunkiness of the bongos took some getting used to, but i was able to make it to the final level. there, my inability to get precise controls down left me sunk. Switched to the standard Gamecube controller but didn't fare too much better due to terrible button configuration. Fun game, but i'd really only recommend it as a novelty.

Super Mario Sunshine
 loved Mario 64. loved Mario Galaxy. can't get in to this game. lost my first life because i fell down a slope and got trapped inside a spiked vine. a glitch in the first level? hmm....
camera is unwieldy. the FLUDD mechanics seem fine and the world seems ok too. but this game is certainly not for me. was looking forward to playing this, too. 

guess i'll stick with the classics.

[ErickRPG | 42]

There actually is a pandemic in two point hospital.  People with pans stuck on their head.

[Californication | 1,477]

DKC 1 - made ot 5th area. This game is harder than I remember. I thought two was the hard one, but having almost just finished the levels on DK2 without the extras, DK1 seems harder. 

Super Nova - Beat A, B, at boss on C and D.

Was playing Hagane but I couldn't get past the last jump on 1-4.

Streets of Rage - Last level - having trouble beating the two women. 

 

 

[ifightdragons | 234]

11 minutes ago, Californication said:

DKC 1 - made ot 5th area. This game is harder than I remember. I thought two was the hard one, but having almost just finished the levels on DK2 without the extras, DK1 seems harder. 

Super Nova - Beat A, B, at boss on C and D.

Was playing Hagane but I couldn't get past the last jump on 1-4.

Streets of Rage - Last level - having trouble beating the two women. 

This section? Seems quite hard, but doable! Try again

 

Edited March 16, 2020 by ifightdragons

[Gamegearguy | 225]

Started playing my Jaguar. I noticed on NBA Jam: TE, the same problem exists like on every other console it's on where the opponent usually makes a cross court hail Mary three point shot at the end of the quarter. Why does that happen? I know that flying around while dunking isn't realistic, but the shot making % of a full court shot should be next to nil.

[ifightdragons | 234]

22 minutes ago, Gamegearguy said:

Started playing my Jaguar. I noticed on NBA Jam: TE, the same problem exists like on every other console it's on where the opponent usually makes a cross court hail Mary three point shot at the end of the quarter. Why does that happen? I know that flying around while dunking isn't realistic, but the shot making % of a full court shot should be next to nil.

Ah man, I feel ya. Rubberbanding AI and RNG. Very prevalent in games like Street Fighter 2, numerous sports titles, and of course, Mario Kart.
It's ridicilous to just heighten the AI's probability of scoring from a cross court shot in the final seconds, but that's among many of the cheap AI programming they did back then.

Being cheesed isn't fun.

[Tanooki | 4,939]

I was playing Trace Memory, as in I pulled it out yesterday and played it until it was finished only taking a bit of a break in the latter/middle as well dinner and stuff came up.  Then I tossed in and did the first (by the in game clock) 10-15min of Hotel Dusk.  That second one is a lot more convoluted and strange than Trace Memory so I don't see it going as fast.

[CMR | 521]

All this FFVII hype has got me into playing the original again.  I'm just taking my time and enjoying it.  That's the good thing about playing through and old game.  You can just do it kind of casually without worrying about making mistakes or missing stuff.

[Sumez | 2,968]

17 hours ago, Californication said:

DKC 1 - made ot 5th area. This game is harder than I remember. I thought two was the hard one, but having almost just finished the levels on DK2 without the extras, DK1 seems harder. 

DKC2 is definitely straight up more challenging (at least a bunch of stages towards the end and the "hidden" world)

1 is generally a super easy game, but it has quite a few ridiculously unfair situations mostly related to the camera which has a tendency to not reveal enemies until they are already running into your face. That's especially egregious in the underwater stages. I don't think that makes the game "hard" per se, as you'll usually only die once at those places, and then know what to watch out for. But yeah, you'll probably die quite a few times on your first run through.

The second game is so much better in this regard.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sumez

[Californication | 1,477]

19 hours ago, ifightdragons said:

 

I usually don't use youtube when I get stuck, but I do take first hand advice. 

I'll have to wait to try again though, the Super Famicom copy I bought was in bad condition so I returned it ;(. 

[Californication | 1,477]

4 hours ago, Sumez said:

DKC2 is definitely straight up more challenging (at least a bunch of stages towards the end and the "hidden" world)

1 is generally a super easy game, but it has quite a few ridiculously unfair situations mostly related to the camera which has a tendency to not reveal enemies until they are already running into your face. That's especially egregious in the underwater stages. I don't think that makes the game "hard" per se, as you'll usually only die once at those places, and then know what to watch out for. But yeah, you'll probably die quite a few times on your first run through.

The second game is so much better in this regard.

For me DK1 feels harder because as you said the camera only shows a little bit of the screen. Since enemy placement is the same every time you can memorize and anticipate and adjust so I don't know if it is completly unfair.

DK1 has more levela before you're allowed to save. Two or three times I would have to beat say 4 levels to be allowed to save and at least one level would be difficulr and drain some lives and then I would have to play the others perfectly to pass. Or you would have four levels to save and the third or fourth level is really difficult so you would have to play through a couple easier levels just to get a shot at beating the harder level. 

Honestly I have got stuck in every section 2-5 on DK1 for a day or two where as DK2 I breezed through every section until maybe the second or third to last area.

Also, DK2 has Daisy Kong.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Californication

[Sumez | 2,968]

33 minutes ago, Californication said:

you can memorize and anticipate and adjust so I don't know if it is completly unfair.

I'd say anything that risks killing an unsuspecting player despite them taking the expected precautions is pretty unfair.
It's a vague distinction of course, because pretty much every game gets easier with practice, and very few games are beatable deathless on anyone's first attempt unless they are ridiculously easy.

But I'd make the difference at the point where a game makes me go "what the hell, there was nothing I could have done" rather than "whoa, that was unsuspected, I should have done better".

33 minutes ago, Californication said:

DK1 has more levela before you're allowed to save. Two or three times I would have to beat say 4 levels to be allowed to save and at least one level would be difficulr and drain some lives and then I would have to play the others perfectly to pass. Or you would have four levels to save and the third or fourth level is really difficult so you would have to play through a couple easier levels just to get a shot at beating the harder level. 

Despite the game managing to bother me a lot with its cheap deaths last time I played it, I don't think I ever had this issue. The game gives you a ton of extra lives, so I found that it was hard to run out.

33 minutes ago, Californication said:

Also, DK2 has Daisy Kong.

Who is that?

Edited March 17, 2020 by Sumez

[Californication | 1,477]

11 minutes ago, Sumez said:

I'd say anything that risks killing an unsuspecting player despite them taking the expected precautions is pretty unfair.
It's a vague distinction of course, because pretty much every game gets easier with practice, and very few games are beatable deathless on anyone's first attempt unless they are ridiculously easy.

But I'd make the difference at the point where a game makes me go "what the hell, there was nothing I could have done" rather than "whoa, that was unsuspected, I should have done better".

Despite the game managing to bother me a lot with its cheap deaths last time I played it, I don't think I ever had this issue. The game gives you a ton of extra lives, so I found that it was hard to run out.

Who is that?

Sry, Dixie Kong. She makes platforming so much easier. 

I am pretty sure you can speed run most of DK1. 

It's not like ghosts and goblins were everything is random. It is the exact same level every time, 

I probably like DK2 better, it's a lot nicer to look at, and the area themes are a little more fun, while DK1 is still a little rough. But so far I think DK1 is a harder game. It will be interesting tonsee whichbone has harder hidden areas to find.

 

[ErickRPG | 42]

Just got Langrisser I+II (switch) and please with it.  Going with classic art and music really does make it more nostalgic.  So I'm rotating  between Langrisser I+II, Two Point Hospital, and Black Flag.

[Calan87 | 45]

Right in the middle of Tales of Vesparia (first time playing) and its pretty damn good. Also about 10 hours into BoTW on switch. Phew what a game that one is! I usually get home and think about which one I want to play more for 30 mins then just have my wife hide them behind her back and I pick an arm 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,549]

Loving Everspace.  I spent hours on a run last night, by far the furthest I had gotten.  In fact, I nearly got to the last area.

Saw my first drone carriers... that was pretty cool.  Also had my first run-ins with the ultra long-range attacks from deep space, whatever that is.  Also came across some "ancients.". Had to tuck tail and run after realizing I was overmatched and unprepared.

Finally met my end when I was up against a huge number of enemy forces.  Managed to clear out all the fighters, but the last Corvette Mk. II was blocking my jump, and I didn't kill it before the timer forces jumped in, at which point I was totally fucked.

 

Final Fantasy X-2 is... alright.  Not super engaged.   But I will finish it.

[Sumez | 2,968]

23 hours ago, Californication said:

Sry, Dixie Kong. She makes platforming so much easier. 

I am pretty sure you can speed run most of DK1. 

It's not like ghosts and goblins were everything is random. It is the exact same level every time, 

I probably like DK2 better, it's a lot nicer to look at, and the area themes are a little more fun, while DK1 is still a little rough. But so far I think DK1 is a harder game. It will be interesting tonsee whichbone has harder hidden areas to find.

 

Lots of stuff in Ghosts n Goblins is completely predictable, including even a large part of the "randomness". It's a perfect example of a game where knowing the ins and outs of the stages is absolutely required in order to beat it, yet it never feels unfair in the way DKC1 (an otherwise much, much easier game) does.

DKC2 is absolutely a way better game. But I'd also say it's definitely harder. I don't see why you'd consider DKC1 hard at all. And I do agree Dixie Kong makes a lot of platforming easier, but it's also designed around that. I do think one mistake made in DKC2 was how the new added character is basically the same as Diddy Kong, except better, which makes having him kinda pointless. DKC3 had the better solution with Kiddie Kong, who has his own advantages over Dixie.

[zombiemicrowave | 42]

Playing Luigi's Mansion 3 with my 2 year old or as he calls it, "Luigi's Spooky House" 

[RH | 4,923]

I'm trying to get through FF X.  Don't get me wrong, it's a good game (even if the 3D motion capture is terribly dated!) but I'm also now a 38 year old working husband and father of two.  I mean, it's good but it's not pulled me into the story like the experience of Breath of the Wild, where I gladly logged around 60 hours.  This game is tougher to come back to and I really wish it had a stats-buffing cheat mode like many other re-issues of Squaresoft games.

I also just started Zelda: Link's Awakening on the Switch.  That's a been easier, slower paced title, and depending on how I'm feeling I will go between the two games.  Oh, I also picked up LEGO Worlds from Best Buy because I had the rewards points to get it nearly free.  I didn't read anything about it and I didn't realize it was a pseudo-Minecraft game.  I play that one with my kids but I'm not sure how long I can keep it up.  They only love it because within 10 minutes I was able to make a "gun that shoots chickens".  Now, all they want to do is run around and shoot chickens everywhere.

[Californication | 1,477]

1 hour ago, Sumez said:

Lots of stuff in Ghosts n Goblins is completely predictable, including even a large part of the "randomness". It's a perfect example of a game where knowing the ins and outs of the stages is absolutely required in order to beat it, yet it never feels unfair in the way DKC1 (an otherwise much, much easier game) does.

Ghosts and Goblins through Maximo is probably my favorite series of video games. So far, I've only beaten Ghosts to Glory, Demons Crest (All Endings), and I am at level 7 second run through on Super Ghouls N Ghosts, have only played gargoyles quest ll a little bit.

I think Ghosts and Goblins is the hardest of the bunch. I am not the best at it, I think I can get to level 4. But it feels like you have to make a plan and then be able to adjust it if something changes.

The reason I think it is unfair is because you can be put in situations where you can't avoid being hit. This is the first game I want to work on when my mini nt gets here.:)

Edited March 18, 2020 by Californication

[Sumez | 2,968]

I'd avoid the NES version of Ghosts n Goblins, it's really wonky, and a lot of really good ports have come out since (like in the Capcom Generation or Classics Collection discs). The NES version might put you into situations where you can't avoid getting hit, I don't know, but I wouldnt' say that ever happens on arcade, even though that game is also a little archaic at places. If you know what you're doing, you can always react to what's coming up. With exception of one enemy in one of the PCB revisions on stage 6, where two unicorns (the cyclops thing) spawn across from eachother. The best way to handle those is always to just take an intentional hit and run through one of them, picking up the armor that appears almost immediately after.

The arcade is a classic. Though both NES and arcade are definitely up there in terms of difficulty, I think the PSP game is absolutely the hardest in the series, at least in the arcade-like "Kai" revision. It's super long, and every single checkpoint takes a ton of practice and memorization to get through.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Sumez

[TDIRunner | 2,744]

Wow, that's the first time I've ever heard DKC referred to as "unfair."  I've been playing through that game since it was released and it's probably the third most completed SNES game for me (after SMW and Super Metroid).  There are definitely some challenging levels near the end, but in all of that time playing the game, I've never once died and not felt that it was my own fault.