OT: Video Game Computers/Gadgets/Gizmos Thread

[glenn]

Huge Persona 5 fan, but Strikers hasn’t clicked for me. Still close to the beginning, but the combat isn’t that much fun and the jail area is dull. The story parts are okay, but obviously don’t have the same interactivity of the original. Bought it on Switch because I though it would be cool too have a P5 game in handheld mode, but it looks like trash, even when docked. Maybe I’ll get the hang of it at some point.

[ClassicJack]

I started Spider-Man on PS4 but stopped early after I decided to hunt for a PS5. This game is super fun. I was kinda meh on it for PS4 but it's got me locked in on the 5. Can't wait to start Miles Morales.

[Siefer]

I saw some mention of Sekiro this week. I need to give that another shot at some point. I really wasn't ready for the rock/paper/scissor combat when I first played it and I bounced hard after 8 or so hours.

Maybe halfway through my Bloodborne replay and if there's one criticism I can lay at FromSoftware it's that their SoulsBorne stories are total non-sensical crap to the point of not even remotely caring to follow along with anything outside of the combat and collecting.

Oh whoa, dude, I think you're very wrong about From's stories. They're telling them in a fairly novel way though, with fractured info, and tons of stuff happening in the negative space. I adore it.

There are some cool moments, but the lore is doled out in such a way that you can miss a ton and not understand what the hell is going on without guides. Did you ever play Simon's Quest? FromSoftware makes modern AAA versions of that.

Hmm, I've never heard of Simon's Quest. I really enjoy the almost archeological hunt for story and context,. Someone wrote a ~70 page treatment of the Bloodborne story a few years back, just from piecing together all the tidbits. That kinda thing is just very much my jam, but I understand it's a pretty niche thing.

[crkone]

Oh whoa, dude, I think you're very wrong about From's stories. They're telling them in a fairly novel way though, with fractured info, and tons of stuff happening in the negative space. I adore it.

There are some cool moments, but the lore is doled out in such a way that you can miss a ton and not understand what the hell is going on without guides. Did you ever play Simon's Quest? FromSoftware makes modern AAA versions of that.

Hmm, I've never heard of Simon's Quest. I really enjoy the almost archeological hunt for story and context,. Someone wrote a ~70 page treatment of the Bloodborne story a few years back, just from piecing together all the tidbits. That kinda thing is just very much my jam, but I understand it's a pretty niche thing.

Me over here waiting on the next edition of The Lusty Argonian Maid...

[jschligs]

After a few of you mentioned the depth of Stardew and how you used guides I decided to jump back in and actually look stuff up.

Holy hell does it become easier/more fun when you actually know what you're doing. I have all sorts of upgraded sprinklers, I've gone way deeper in the mine than ever before, my tools are better, I'm completing tasks. I've been missing out haha

[jmuelly]

After a few of you mentioned the depth of Stardew and how you used guides I decided to jump back in and actually look stuff up.

Holy hell does it become easier/more fun when you actually know what you're doing. I have all sorts of upgraded sprinklers, I've gone way deeper in the mine than ever before, my tools are better, I'm completing tasks. I've been missing out haha

I always wanted to like this game I just had no clue what I was doing and felt I was approaching it all wrong. I may need to look into this, anything specifically you found to be of best use?

[jschligs]

After a few of you mentioned the depth of Stardew and how you used guides I decided to jump back in and actually look stuff up.

Holy hell does it become easier/more fun when you actually know what you're doing. I have all sorts of upgraded sprinklers, I've gone way deeper in the mine than ever before, my tools are better, I'm completing tasks. I've been missing out haha

I always wanted to like this game I just had no clue what I was doing and felt I was approaching it all wrong. I may need to look into this, anything specifically you found to be of best use?

That’s exactly how I felt. I had this crap farm that felt stupid and I was going nowhere. Once I realized a couple tips and tricks it opened right up. For instance, I picked the worst map to start out with haha. This helped me the most:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.polygon.com/platform/amp/guides/22214976/stardew-valley-beginners-tips-tricks

And I’m sure a lot of folks on here have good info.

[ReasonablySober]

Almost to the end of Bloodborne but I'm taking a break. "Littlewood" looks like a breezy little Stardew-like and it just came to Switch. Gonna check it out.

[thrice123]

Anyone doing fanduel?

Sent from my SM-N960U using RealGM mobile app

[ReasonablySober]

Almost to the end of Bloodborne but I'm taking a break. "Littlewood" looks like a breezy little Stardew-like and it just came to Switch. Gonna check it out.

Couple hours in and I'm really impressed. I really like that there's no clock. You have a set amount of energy and as long as you don't run out, you can take all the time you want. I've put up seven or so buildings/houses, set up a place to sell stuff, learned how to cook a recipe, done a good amount of fishing, traveled to some caverns for more exotic materials, and built a small farming plot. You can do everything so quickly and without issue that it makes going from one day to the next (one more day...) really seamless.

I think it's $12 on Steam if that's where you prefer to play, but this has actually gotten me playing my Switch. I recommend.

[Siefer]

Finished P5R last night - 125 hours. I thought the third semester dragged a bit (especially the palace), but the ending sequence was strong, and I especially liked the changes to the end.

Spoiler:

I've seen some people complain about the new ending, but I think the original ending, and Royal's ending each suite their respective games nicely. Royal, especially in the third semester, really wants to grapple with trauma and what it means to move on, and the more complete fracturing of the group (except for the protag and Makoto - they'll be together forever) hits that bittersweet mark nicely. Special shout out to Robbie Daymond for crushing it as Akechi.

[ReasonablySober]

The Outriders demo is fun. Game has potential.

[jschligs]

Played Valhiem with some friends yesterday. Can 100% see why people like it. Very similar to Minecraft IMO but has its differences too. If I had the time I would totally play more.

[ReasonablySober]

The Outriders demo is fun. Game has potential.

Okay, a few hours in and, seriously, this is really freaking good. I like that your powers aren't on a reset that takes forever and that they feel legit powerful. You can replay missions to farm gear and XP. Story seems cool if not morally ambiguous. Matchmaking is kinda broken so far in a bad way. Skill tree is massive. Love that any progress you make in the demo carries over to the main game. The World Tier difficulty system is basically Diablo III and works great.

I'm all but positive I'll play the whole demo with each of the four classes. Game is great.

[MikeIsGood]

Man, I really want to like P5S - the characters, the world, the style, the story. But it's basically an ARPG without any loot. Which even with good mechanics just doesn't feel good to me. I'm not sure I'm done with it, but I'm having a hard time slogging through it and picked up something else today.

Hopped into PoE for a bit, but realized I'm mentally checked-out for the season. Checked out Remnant: From Ashes, and it's not for me. Felt super clunky and unresponsive. I started playing D3 for a bit for the first time in a couple years, but not sure I'll stick with it. So, not sure what's up next. Ready for MH: Rise I think.

[Siefer]

Man, I really want to like P5S - the characters, the world, the style, the story. But it's basically an ARPG without any loot. Which even with good mechanics just doesn't feel good to me. I'm not sure I'm done with it, but I'm having a hard time slogging through it and picked up something else today.

Hopped into PoE for a bit, but realized I'm mentally checked-out for the season. Checked out Remnant: From Ashes, and it's not for me. Felt super clunky and unresponsive. I started playing D3 for a bit for the first time in a couple years, but not sure I'll stick with it. So, not sure what's up next. Ready for MH: Rise I think.

It's built on the same engine as Dynasty Warriors, which I've never really synced with. I'll eventually check it out, but yeah, also not sure how I'll take to the gameplay. I'm going to start poking through Robotics;Notes as my Switch "bed time" game. Steins;Gate is an all-timer, and I've heard that the Notes visual novel is much better than the anime.

[MikeIsGood]

Man, I really want to like P5S - the characters, the world, the style, the story. But it's basically an ARPG without any loot. Which even with good mechanics just doesn't feel good to me. I'm not sure I'm done with it, but I'm having a hard time slogging through it and picked up something else today.

Hopped into PoE for a bit, but realized I'm mentally checked-out for the season. Checked out Remnant: From Ashes, and it's not for me. Felt super clunky and unresponsive. I started playing D3 for a bit for the first time in a couple years, but not sure I'll stick with it. So, not sure what's up next. Ready for MH: Rise I think.

It's built on the same engine as Dynasty Warriors, which I've never really synced with. I'll eventually check it out, but yeah, also not sure how I'll take to the gameplay. I'm going to start poking through Robotics;Notes as my Switch "bed time" game. Steins;Gate is an all-timer, and I've heard that the Notes visual novel is much better than the anime.

I had really liked what I played of Age of Calamity (the latest Zelda entry), but maybe the issue is if you try to go past a 20h experience. Zelda's characters also seemed to fight quite different from each other; the P5 team do fight differently, but it all somehow feels more similar.

Still glad I got the Steelbook, it's so pretty Maybe I'll try to go back little by little so that I can still get the story.

[Sauce Boss]

Man, I really want to like P5S - the characters, the world, the style, the story. But it's basically an ARPG without any loot. Which even with good mechanics just doesn't feel good to me. I'm not sure I'm done with it, but I'm having a hard time slogging through it and picked up something else today.

Hopped into PoE for a bit, but realized I'm mentally checked-out for the season. Checked out Remnant: From Ashes, and it's not for me. Felt super clunky and unresponsive. I started playing D3 for a bit for the first time in a couple years, but not sure I'll stick with it. So, not sure what's up next. Ready for MH: Rise I think.

It's built on the same engine as Dynasty Warriors, which I've never really synced with. I'll eventually check it out, but yeah, also not sure how I'll take to the gameplay. I'm going to start poking through Robotics;Notes as my Switch "bed time" game. Steins;Gate is an all-timer, and I've heard that the Notes visual novel is much better than the anime.

I had really liked what I played of Age of Calamity (the latest Zelda entry), but maybe the issue is if you try to go past a 20h experience. Zelda's characters also seemed to fight quite different from each other; the P5 team do fight differently, but it all somehow feels more similar.

Still glad I got the Steelbook, it's so pretty Maybe I'll try to go back little by little so that I can still get the story.

Musou games just aren’t for me at all, so I applaud you for getting as far as you have between Calamity and Strikers. I’m terrible at this, but just let it go if it’s not appealing. Nothing worse than slogging through a game, a book, a TV series, etc... that you’re not enjoying to say you completed it.

[ReasonablySober]

Anyone play Sea of Thieves? Looks like it could be fun.

[tydett]

Squarely back on the Escape from Tarkov train. It hurts because I am so bad, but there's something to be said about a game that produces highs (and lows) like this one does.