Half Life 2… The price was right!
I just reinstalled NFSU2 because of the new big expansion mod underground2.net Between this, my brother wanting to play Halo, and the new Linkin Park album coming out this week, I feel like I’m in 2004 again.
So as it turns out the original FlatOut is a very different game from it’s sequel, and is a pretty unique and complete game of its own.
Planescape: Torment
I haven’t played a lot infinity engine games and I’ve struggled with understanding what the game expects of me in terms of gameplay. Hopefully I’ll internalize that eventually but I’ve been enjoying the writing and vibes so far even if the gameplay feel a bit frustrating and a bit like a chore at the moment.
Updated my journal.
I could never figure out how to get out of the first area in that game lol. I wondered around for so long doing laps and just gave up.
Yeah the way I got out was a bit cryptic, although I think there are multiple ways. I’m shameless enough to use a walkthrough when I’ve been stuck for a while, otherwise I’d be having an even harder time.
It’s a very different game and not all story advancing actions are intuitive. Enjoy!
I’ve reinstalled Sims 3, because I wanted to play the Sims but just can’t deal with the broken cash machine that is the Sims 4. It took a decent amount of effort to get it to run, and it doesn’t run very well, but it mostly works. And… it’s so good. I forgot just how good it was.
I’m amazed at how much there is to do, and just how well my sims can take care of themselves - when playing 4 I always just made 1 or 2 sims, so that I could control their every move bc otherwise they’d be stuck doing something useless on a loop. Here I can have a family of 4 and actively play just one of them, and the rest will cook, clean, do homework, and generally look after themselves while I’m not there. It’s amazing how they had this figured out so many years ago, and regressed so horribly.
Just finished the 5 main endings of Nier Automata and enjoyed it! Wanted to see what the fuss was about (especially after seeing the meme about how doitsujin was motivated to develop DXVK to play it). Enjoyable time and I plan to get all the endings.
Next on my list is Mini Motorways and Alien Isolation :)
If you’re a sucker for side content, there’s a ton of short stories and novellas (even a musical) that the fans have translated: I just got Ending E | The Ark Wiki
Kept the setting alive for just a little longer, and added some more context to the world and characters. Massive spoilers for anyone who hasn’t beat Automata though.
Haven’t played it yet, but just got the copy of Ratchet & Clank Future Tools Of Destruction in the mail today. Looking to hopefully start at least a little bit over the weekend.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided.
Just getting started, but it’s been pretty fun so far. Not really appreciating how much it echoes the current happenings in society, though…
The dev for that game recently said if they made it now the story would have to be very different because of the echoes with current events.
That’s interesting. Do you have a link, by chance? I’d love to read more
I was off, here’s the real tea.
“If someone made Deus Ex today, it might be perceived as a documentary,” says creator Warren Spector
to avoid disappointment: It doesn’t end… it just… stops
I played it last week. It was fun. Definetly better than HR.
I’ve been playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) for the past month or so. Haven’t been this immersed in a game world in a long time. Sure it’s a bit janky at parts and gets a while getting used to, but the world is beautiful and the attention to history and realism is incredible!
Another convert! Once the game mechanics clicked with me it’s been the most immersed I ever remember being in a game.
I started playing that one a couple of years ago but found myself horribly lost on one of the introductory quests (I think the first lockpicking was what did me on?) and kinda lost interest from there. I can see the appeal though and at some point I’ll certainly circle back to it
It’s worth getting into ahead of the release of the second one in a few months time
You say that but there’s basically 0 chance I’ll buy it anytime soon because I wait for games to be down to about $20. If I really really want it I’ll snag it at $30-40 but I don’t think I’ve ever bought a title at $60
I got into Guild Wars 2 last week. I really like the fast progression, it’s the opposite to every other MMO i’ve tried that makes you grind hours for a level. I’ll reach max level pretty soon after only 10 hours or so playing
GW2 is really refreshing compared to the traditional MMOs
I was REALLY patient for this one but: Silent Hill (ps1). I tried to play it last year, ran into the creature in the alley at the very very start and immediately turned it off. Too spoopy for me. Finally decided to try again because the Silent Hill lore is just way too fascinating. Have made it through a lot farther this time (just passed the dog house now) and still going strong.
You are in for a real treat when you make it to the second game!
If you or anyone else is interested in playing more, I recommend:
- Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (aka Director’s Cut). Not a continuation of the story of the first game, but a separate story in the same universe. Generally agreed to take everything good from the first game and improve upon it. The “Restless Dreams” version has a substantial extra scenario which adds some backstory and lore, but should probably be played only after completing the main game.
- Silent Hill 3. This one does continue the story of the first game, somewhat. To be honest I remember enjoying it but not much in terms of particulars.
- Silent Hill 4: The Room. Started out as a separate game unrelated to the Silent Hill mythos, but was rewritten to become an SH game during development. This sounds like it might be a terrible cash-in, but it really is a perfect fit for the SH universe. IMO almost as strong as SH2.
- Silent Hill: 0rigins. A PSP game set as a prequel to the first game. A little light on story, and with some odd combat mechanics, but I still found it very enjoyable. I played the later PS2 port.
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. A “reimagining” of the story from the first game. It plays and feels very different to the previous games, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot.
- Silent Hill: Orphan. A series of point-and-click adventures for Java-enabled mobile phones from the 2000s. Totally different mechanics from the mainline games, but they do the atmosphere and story well if you don’t mind the slower pace of point-and-click. They run on some J2ME emulators.
- Silent Hill: Alchemilla. A free fan-game centered on the Alchemilla Hospital, but also including several other locations. First-person view with many puzzles and no combat. Very polished and really nails the atmosphere.
I played a little of Silent Hill: Homecoming but got tired of it about 1/3 of the way through (I guess). I also bought Silent Hill: Downpour but gave up on that even more quickly. I don’t recommend either of them. Things introduced in the earlier games for specific psychological reasons related to the plot - especially sexy monster nurses and Pyramid Head - tend to be regurgitated in the later games for no real reason other than “Silent Hill”, which removes their impact completely.
You forgot the greatest one of them all:
Silent Hills: Playable Teaser :>
I dunno if I just discovered them but I was playing Sexy Parodius and Harmful Park. I’m really bad at both.
I’ve been playing through factorio
For the seventh time
…I don’t have a problem
It can be considered a new game now. You can grow your factory on other planets! More! More!
Just plowed my first spaceship into the middle of an asteroid field. Thank the devs for a making a “First trip to other planet” autosave!
Landed on Vulcanus, found out there is no way to come back until I can build a new spaceport. Yahoo!
Note to self: load things for a spaceport on ship
The ship can travel without you and deliver everything you need, so not too big a deal. But still fun!
Recently I’ve been playing Airline Tycoon Deluxe, Sims 3, Battle Brothers, Kerbal Space Program and Prey.
I think the newest is Prey, from 2018.
Airline Tycoon Deluxe is from 1998 and still fun (at the beginning, eventually you just make tons of money, use it to do more of the same to make even more money and it stops being fun). It helps that it’s a 2D game and the fun is in the management mechanics rather than related to anything visual.
By the way, they all run on Linux, though I had to literally pirate the Sims 3 to get it to work even though I own the game.
I’m playing Hidden Folks (2017) on Steam Deck, to chill in the evening, it’s probably the best where’s waldo game on steam ? I don’t find the cats series at all engaging
I also reinstalled Darkest Dungeon (2016), this time for sure I will commit to it and not stop after 3 runs 🤡
I’m a big fan of Darkest Dungeon, but I’m also a chronic restarter. Building a roster of heroes is fun, but permadeath is so punishing. I have a similar problem in XCOM where you spend so long in a campaign building up your roster, then you lose your ace squad and the whole thing unravels
I really enjoyed Darkest Dungeon 2. There are some radical changes, but it still hits the core vibe and offers a more roguelike experience. Even if I fail my run in spectacular fashion, I’m able to start over on the next one. Far less frustrating than a whole new campaign
I’ve only played the demo of Darkest Dungeon 2 so no idea about the changes, I liked the cart riding segment, it’s a fun way to take breaks between battles, I’ll take a look !
It’s funny you say that, because I think the cart is what most diehard fans of the first game disliked. It replaces the dungeon crawl. I suppose the Stress system gets a significant rework, but it keeps the spirit of the original
I think it’s a big step forward though
I love Hidden Folks! Hidden Through Time is another that’s basically the same but with color.
I only ever heard about the name, sounds super fun, thanks!
There is a series of tabletop games called MicroMacro that are sort of the same idea with a similar art style if you are into that. You have to solve various mysteries by tracing sequences of events. Good fun either solo or with friends.
Oh yes ! I discovered those thanks to Shut Up And Sit Down’s review, they look super fun
