Author Topic: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?  (Read 781544 times)

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1700 on: April 20, 2021, 02:47:59 AM »
I am doing a Bannerlord run with the new sandbox mode. Should have switched off deaths I think. It's such an arrrg if one of your companions dies after a big battle.

End of the week I will be doing Caster of Magic, a sort of improved (or so they say) of the original Master of Magic. I have done their mod for the MoM, some parts good, some less, let's see. Bigger maps and more than 4 sorcerers sound good anyway. 

dignam

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1701 on: April 20, 2021, 01:23:47 PM »
Dipped back into StarCraft 2, as I tend to do from time to time.  Man, when it first came out I thought I was pretty decent, generally placed Platinum on the ladder.  I consider my skills much better than they were back then but now I am, at best, a high Silver or low Gold player.  Everyone on the ladder is so. freaking. good. at this game.  It's gotta be the most competitive game I own.

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1702 on: April 20, 2021, 02:01:32 PM »
Ratchet and Clank - Chef's kiss.

The Messenger - Put it down after activating 3 lasers, I think. A little too obtuse for me, but I'll probably go back once or twice.

Subnautica - I wish there was a little more guidance for the player. I've got the start of a base crafted, but I don't really see the point of building it out. I can't figure out how to upgrade my gear or read the scanner room map. I did find a mountain with some alien tech but like whatever. If I was in this situation in real life I'd just fish and chill in the pod.

Baba is You - Great idea but the game needed a much more experienced designer. The difficulty ramp is much too steep to stick with this one.

I tried to play the Messenger but couldnt get into it. I did play Cyber Shadow (we got a review code), its from Yacht Club Games and while its pretty challenging I enjoy it.

Yeah I booted it up and played another 10 mins or so and realized I was at the point where I just trying to brute force everything, which isn't fun, and that the world isn't interesting enough to make up for that. Glad I didn't pay for it.

I did really enjoy Remnant: From the Ashes with a friend. It's pretty hohum in single player, but it's an excellent co-op experience, which PS4 seems to lack? Very difficult at times, especially if your partner isn't at the same skill-level, but we managed to make it to the final boss. Gotta watch for a sale on Borderlands, I think it seems similar but less hard and maybe a more interesting world.

E.T.

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1703 on: April 21, 2021, 06:32:07 AM »
Yeah I booted it up and played another 10 mins or so and realized I was at the point where I just trying to brute force everything, which isn't fun, and that the world isn't interesting enough to make up for that. Glad I didn't pay for it.

I did really enjoy Remnant: From the Ashes with a friend. It's pretty hohum in single player, but it's an excellent co-op experience, which PS4 seems to lack? Very difficult at times, especially if your partner isn't at the same skill-level, but we managed to make it to the final boss. Gotta watch for a sale on Borderlands, I think it seems similar but less hard and maybe a more interesting world.

Borderlands is definitely fun to play with a friend. My partner and I have played through all the borderlands games, it can get a little repetitive but it's still fun. If you're playing on PC the borderlands titles usually have great discounts during Steam sales. I think the summer sale will probably be in June. I wish there were more good co-op games.

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1704 on: April 21, 2021, 09:26:00 AM »
Yeah I booted it up and played another 10 mins or so and realized I was at the point where I just trying to brute force everything, which isn't fun, and that the world isn't interesting enough to make up for that. Glad I didn't pay for it.

I did really enjoy Remnant: From the Ashes with a friend. It's pretty hohum in single player, but it's an excellent co-op experience, which PS4 seems to lack? Very difficult at times, especially if your partner isn't at the same skill-level, but we managed to make it to the final boss. Gotta watch for a sale on Borderlands, I think it seems similar but less hard and maybe a more interesting world.

Borderlands is definitely fun to play with a friend. My partner and I have played through all the borderlands games, it can get a little repetitive but it's still fun. If you're playing on PC the borderlands titles usually have great discounts during Steam sales. I think the summer sale will probably be in June. I wish there were more good co-op games.

If we were going to play just one, which do you recommend? Borderlands 2?

grantmeaname

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1705 on: April 21, 2021, 11:14:37 AM »
1 or 2. 1 is hysterical and great fun, 2 is prettier but a bit 'more of the same'. Pre-sequel sucks and 3 took my 2016 PC's lunch money then shut it in a locker.

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1706 on: April 21, 2021, 12:11:02 PM »
1 or 2. 1 is hysterical and great fun, 2 is prettier but a bit 'more of the same'. Pre-sequel sucks and 3 took my 2016 PC's lunch money then shut it in a locker.

Sounds like 2 then. Legendary Edition is $20 right now, will see if buddy can commit more time away from Verdansk.

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1707 on: April 21, 2021, 12:13:29 PM »
Yeah, 1 or 2. 1 was probably the 'best'. The others may be not as good or more of the same but there just aren't enough good co-op games out there so we had fun playing through them anyways.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1708 on: April 21, 2021, 09:30:18 PM »
Two things I'm playing in general right now:

- Dorfromantik -- it almost isn't a game. It is an adorable little zen tile-laying game. Sure, there is scoring and sure, there is getting more tiles, but it is very calming. Except when you misplace a tile because you misclicked and there's no undo button. Indie; inexpensive ($10).

- Path of Exile -- friends were moving there from being done with shadowlands in wow, so I went with. Free to play so far, although I'll probably pay for some more storage when it goes on sale soon... and maybe pants. I'd like some pants.

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1709 on: April 23, 2021, 03:58:13 AM »
Path of Exile has been free of charge for it's whole existance, and it works really well for f2p players.
I just had somehting about PoE2 in my stream though. Seems they are making a second game, so maybe not put in too much money. I don't know anything about it though, it could still be 3 years to release. 

dcheesi

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1710 on: April 23, 2021, 10:12:17 AM »
I am doing a Bannerlord run with the new sandbox mode. Should have switched off deaths I think. It's such an arrrg if one of your companions dies after a big battle.

End of the week I will be doing Caster of Magic, a sort of improved (or so they say) of the original Master of Magic. I have done their mod for the MoM, some parts good, some less, let's see. Bigger maps and more than 4 sorcerers sound good anyway.
Oh wow, I used to love MoM back in the day! I'm not as much of a strategy gamer these days, but I might just have to give this one a shot!

Barbaebigode

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1711 on: April 23, 2021, 10:41:20 AM »
Playing Age of Empires 2, after about 20 years, but now with my son. It's still cool.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1712 on: April 23, 2021, 10:04:57 PM »
Path of Exile has been free of charge for it's whole existance, and it works really well for f2p players.
I just had somehting about PoE2 in my stream though. Seems they are making a second game, so maybe not put in too much money. I don't know anything about it though, it could still be 3 years to release.

It is somehow an expansion to the existing game with a separate campaign, but both the old poe1 and new poe2 players will end up in the same end-game. Or something? The discussion was a little odd.

By "free to play so far" I meant more I hadn't run into any "you have to pay money to realistically progress in the game because we put in artificial limits" but storage is pretty close. I don't have an issue paying developers -- I am a developer (not games, but) and I like getting paid. I'd just prefer to feel it is fair and not exploitative. Which poe mostly is... although the $25 they feel justifies a few pixels of costume is... stupid. Lucky as a mustachian I don't care about status and so can ignore that... although I would still like some pants.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1713 on: April 24, 2021, 01:56:52 PM »
Five hours into God of War, and I don't get the praise. Well, actually I think I do, because it seems very much like a game for "gamers" with style masquerading as substance. But so far, I can't imagine this game holding up over time. The story is nonsense (There's only one way up this mountain? Can't you just go around whatever this roadblock is? I've seen you punch through a boulder dude). The main character wooden and unlikable and the others are just constantly spewing exposition. I mean, I appreciate the help but don't tell me this is a masterpiece of a narrative. Then there is the world, which feels wholly artificial as it's completely empty, confusing to navigate (yeah it's pretty, but everything looks the same), and especially because of how limited the main character is in terms of where he can go and what he can do. I keep losing momentum because while extremely linear (not necessarily a bad thing) the game is somehow a collect-a-thon. And then there's the combat, which has been frustrating because I've clearly been thrown into the deep end without adequate prep. How do parrys work exactly? Is the disorientating camera intentional? Am I supposed to want to read every new bestiary entry, because guys I really don't.

Guess I'm a hater.

onecoolcat

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1714 on: April 24, 2021, 09:28:31 PM »
Finished Ghost of Tsushima.  It is an absolute masterpiece of a game.  Very emotional story, very fun gameplay, and loaded with breathtaking visuals.

I'm starting NieR: Automata now.  I have heard great things about it.

RWD

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1715 on: April 24, 2021, 09:54:17 PM »
Playing Age of Empires 2, after about 20 years, but now with my son. It's still cool.
Some games will never go out of style.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1716 on: April 25, 2021, 03:44:14 PM »
Five hours into God of War, and I don't get the praise. Well, actually I think I do, because it seems very much like a game for "gamers" with style masquerading as substance. But so far, I can't imagine this game holding up over time. The story is nonsense (There's only one way up this mountain? Can't you just go around whatever this roadblock is? I've seen you punch through a boulder dude). The main character wooden and unlikable and the others are just constantly spewing exposition. I mean, I appreciate the help but don't tell me this is a masterpiece of a narrative. Then there is the world, which feels wholly artificial as it's completely empty, confusing to navigate (yeah it's pretty, but everything looks the same), and especially because of how limited the main character is in terms of where he can go and what he can do. I keep losing momentum because while extremely linear (not necessarily a bad thing) the game is somehow a collect-a-thon. And then there's the combat, which has been frustrating because I've clearly been thrown into the deep end without adequate prep. How do parrys work exactly? Is the disorientating camera intentional? Am I supposed to want to read every new bestiary entry, because guys I really don't.

Guess I'm a hater.

My position has evolved. I now believe God of War is a very good game with a very bad beginning.

beee

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1717 on: April 26, 2021, 12:42:55 PM »
Five hours into God of War, and I don't get the praise. Well, actually I think I do, because it seems very much like a game for "gamers" with style masquerading as substance. But so far, I can't imagine this game holding up over time. The story is nonsense (There's only one way up this mountain? Can't you just go around whatever this roadblock is? I've seen you punch through a boulder dude). The main character wooden and unlikable and the others are just constantly spewing exposition. I mean, I appreciate the help but don't tell me this is a masterpiece of a narrative. Then there is the world, which feels wholly artificial as it's completely empty, confusing to navigate (yeah it's pretty, but everything looks the same), and especially because of how limited the main character is in terms of where he can go and what he can do. I keep losing momentum because while extremely linear (not necessarily a bad thing) the game is somehow a collect-a-thon. And then there's the combat, which has been frustrating because I've clearly been thrown into the deep end without adequate prep. How do parrys work exactly? Is the disorientating camera intentional? Am I supposed to want to read every new bestiary entry, because guys I really don't.

Guess I'm a hater.

My position has evolved. I now believe God of War is a very good game with a very bad beginning.

Have you played GoW 1, 2, 3? If not, then you miss a lot of story. At least, check out the lore behind God of war. Kratos is very different in the new game.

Arbitrage

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1718 on: April 26, 2021, 08:43:51 PM »
Playing Dark Souls 3...again.  I've never really played much with strength-based builds (including in prior DS games), so I decided to give it a go.  Still just an incredible game (and occasionally incredibly frustrating).  I was expecting multiplayer to be completely dead, but there are still people out there.  Perhaps not much if you're looking for random co-op partners, but you still reliably get invaded in the right areas and level ranges.  I imagine that it might not work so well in the other direction, but I haven't tried much this time around.

onecoolcat

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1719 on: April 27, 2021, 09:52:11 PM »
Playing Dark Souls 3...again.  I've never really played much with strength-based builds (including in prior DS games), so I decided to give it a go.  Still just an incredible game (and occasionally incredibly frustrating).  I was expecting multiplayer to be completely dead, but there are still people out there.  Perhaps not much if you're looking for random co-op partners, but you still reliably get invaded in the right areas and level ranges.  I imagine that it might not work so well in the other direction, but I haven't tried much this time around.

Dark Souls 1 still has a PVP and co-op community as well.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1720 on: April 28, 2021, 03:48:43 PM »
Have you played GoW 1, 2, 3? If not, then you miss a lot of story. At least, check out the lore behind God of war. Kratos is very different in the new game.

I haven't. I can see why so many people hold the game in high regard. It's super impressive technically, the combat can feel really good, the setting and acting are great, etc. But in the end, it's a bit of a dud for me. The highlight was the area around the frost giant. That whole section was incredible, I think because of the scale of the thing but also because a lot of it was in the open air. After that section, I was very excited for the rest of the game and was already planning on getting the sequel. But everything after that was disappointing--more caves, more generic enemies, more bad story(telling), and endless chests of collectables to be ignored because the game hasn't taught me to use the upgrade system. Actually, my biggest complaint is that the game doesn't explain its systems well at all. How do I level up? No idea. Why does some of my armor not show up for upgrades? No idea. Why do mid-tier enhancements sometimes give more benefit than high-tier enhancements? No idea. Does new armor make old armor obsolete or do I keep armors and switch between them depending on enemies? Guess what, no idea because the game doesn't explain it.

I felt compelled to finish it, scattering my giant wife's ashes on Giant Mountain, but I'm not sure why. I guess I hoped it would swing again back toward impressive and fun, but it never really did. I'll grab the sequel when it's free. Final score 7/10

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1721 on: June 21, 2021, 08:18:07 AM »
Since nobody asked, here's my list of 10/10 games. The Nintendo bias is partly because I've mostly had Nintendo systems (owned all except Wii and Wii U), with only three from Sega (Genesis, Dreamcast, and Game Gear) and one each from Microsoft (360) and Sony (PS4). But still, I can't think of any games I missed out on that might have made the cut. Maybe Halo, but I did play Halo 3 and ODST back in the day and neither was my cup of tea. If there is a game that is missing, it's because it is a 9 :D

Super Mario Bros. (NES)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (NES)
Tetris (GB)
Civilization 2 (PC)
Super Mario World (SNES)
Goldeneye 007 (N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Metroid Prime (GC)
Bioshock (360)
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (360)
Portal (360)
Team Fortress 2 (360)
Call of Duty: Warzone (PS4)
Return of the Obra Dinn (SW)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (SW)

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1722 on: June 23, 2021, 09:13:20 PM »
I might have loaded up retroarch and I might have ripped my Final Fantasy Tactics CD.

It is ... nice in some ways. Very slow text scene ("L I T T L E  M O N E Y" anyone?) -- just hit the space bar for turbo mode.

DS has picked up playing some Rayman on the switch again.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1723 on: July 07, 2021, 06:15:04 PM »
I gave Celeste a second go after bouncing off of it really quickly last winter (played maybe 20 minutes) and really, really loved it this time around. Super tight controls, perfect difficulty level (though I haven't touched any of the extra levels...probably won't because the joy con d-pad is not ideal), and good integration of mechanics, story, themes, etc. This is a 9 or 9.5 for me.

I've been craving a Zelda experience and am thinking of picking up Skyward Sword at launch since Nintendo games rarely ever go on sale anyway. Is there any way to hack eshop points? Best I can think of is to buy them off Amazon for the 5% back.

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1724 on: July 08, 2021, 06:05:17 AM »
I got a great deal on the original Oculus Quest for the kid.  I gotta admit that it's really cool.  And the games are a bit cheaper than the Switch games.  He's played through the Vader Immortal series a couple of times over now though, so they aren't good for hours and hours of playtime.

chesebert

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1725 on: July 08, 2021, 06:35:21 AM »
Finished Ghost of Tsushima.  It is an absolute masterpiece of a game.  Very emotional story, very fun gameplay, and loaded with breathtaking visuals.

I'm starting NieR: Automata now.  I have heard great things about it.
Keep piling on the master pieces. Try Horizon Zero Dawn if you haven’t played it yet.

RWD

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1726 on: July 08, 2021, 07:11:07 AM »
I gave Celeste a second go after bouncing off of it really quickly last winter (played maybe 20 minutes) and really, really loved it this time around. Super tight controls, perfect difficulty level (though I haven't touched any of the extra levels...probably won't because the joy con d-pad is not ideal), and good integration of mechanics, story, themes, etc. This is a 9 or 9.5 for me.
I'm glad you gave it another chance! Celeste is one of my all time favorite games. I've beaten all the B-sides, C-sides, and chapter 9 twice (or more). I've also got all the normal strawberries, the moon berry, and a good chunk of golden strawberries.

But being able to trust your d-pad is critical for the harder levels. They are not forgiving of slightly incorrect inputs. A very large percentage of my failures were because my dash direction was 45 degrees off.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1727 on: July 09, 2021, 01:36:51 PM »
I gave Celeste a second go after bouncing off of it really quickly last winter (played maybe 20 minutes) and really, really loved it this time around. Super tight controls, perfect difficulty level (though I haven't touched any of the extra levels...probably won't because the joy con d-pad is not ideal), and good integration of mechanics, story, themes, etc. This is a 9 or 9.5 for me.
I'm glad you gave it another chance! Celeste is one of my all time favorite games. I've beaten all the B-sides, C-sides, and chapter 9 twice (or more). I've also got all the normal strawberries, the moon berry, and a good chunk of golden strawberries.

But being able to trust your d-pad is critical for the harder levels. They are not forgiving of slightly incorrect inputs. A very large percentage of my failures were because my dash direction was 45 degrees off.

Yeah my Pro Controller has a wonky d-pad and the joy con just has those 4 buttons, so I think I'll save myself the frustration. But I should be able to get all the strawberries and the crystals or whatever, though I'll need to look up their locations/solutions. Still, excellent, excellent game.

onecoolcat

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1728 on: July 09, 2021, 09:57:20 PM »
Finished Ghost of Tsushima.  It is an absolute masterpiece of a game.  Very emotional story, very fun gameplay, and loaded with breathtaking visuals.

I'm starting NieR: Automata now.  I have heard great things about it.
Keep piling on the master pieces. Try Horizon Zero Dawn if you haven’t played it yet.

I've been meaning to play Horizon Zero Dawn!  I enjoyed Nier: Automata is indeed a masterpeice; I enjoyed it way more than I expected.  The original soundtracks was superb.  I played Resident Evil Village after Nier.  I liked it but it was just ok really.  I am currently playing Legend of Dragoon (I haven't played it in 20 years) on my PS Vita and The Evil Within on my PS4.  I'm not really feeling either right now; especially The Evil Within.  It is so clunky.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1729 on: July 09, 2021, 10:41:28 PM »
I got a great deal on the original Oculus Quest for the kid.  I gotta admit that it's really cool.  And the games are a bit cheaper than the Switch games.  He's played through the Vader Immortal series a couple of times over now though, so they aren't good for hours and hours of playtime.

Two words: Beat Saber

Music selection is more limited on the quest though, which sucks (read: it is more complex to sideload additional songs/maps).

Edit: We got a quest early during the pandemic lockdowns for beat saber. We also got an index (I wanted the index but the 8 week shipping estimate wouldn't budge). I then re-bought beat saber on steam and I regret precisely $0 of the dollars I've spent on beat saber, or the vr gear. The game is that good*, and being able to get a workout while having fun is icing on the cake.

*: Okay the game is that good. Some of their user interface on the other hand... could use to crib from rock band or guitar hero a lot more. Like the song picker.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2021, 10:44:40 PM by AccidentialMustache »

Sugaree

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1730 on: July 12, 2021, 02:42:56 PM »
I got a great deal on the original Oculus Quest for the kid.  I gotta admit that it's really cool.  And the games are a bit cheaper than the Switch games.  He's played through the Vader Immortal series a couple of times over now though, so they aren't good for hours and hours of playtime.

Two words: Beat Saber

Music selection is more limited on the quest though, which sucks (read: it is more complex to sideload additional songs/maps).

Edit: We got a quest early during the pandemic lockdowns for beat saber. We also got an index (I wanted the index but the 8 week shipping estimate wouldn't budge). I then re-bought beat saber on steam and I regret precisely $0 of the dollars I've spent on beat saber, or the vr gear. The game is that good*, and being able to get a workout while having fun is icing on the cake.

*: Okay the game is that good. Some of their user interface on the other hand... could use to crib from rock band or guitar hero a lot more. Like the song picker.

I've been eyeballing this one.  I've been enjoying Moss, but the kiddo for whom I bought it for hasn't loved it. 

sixwings

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1731 on: July 13, 2021, 02:17:42 PM »
Playing Age of Empires 2, after about 20 years, but now with my son. It's still cool.
Some games will never go out of style.

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is amazing. Campaigns are awesome and the competitive scene is growing and really quite supportive and wholesome. I play ranked and am doing the campaigns. Super fun!

For RTS, I prefer it way more over starcraft.

turketron

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1732 on: July 13, 2021, 04:16:35 PM »
Jumping on the 20-year-old game bandwagon, I picked up Morrowind for $5 during the Steam summer sale, throw some mods and higher texture packs in there and it's quite playable. I was like 15 when it first came out and played the hell out of it then, and it's just as good as I remembered it. Fairly clunky at times compared to Oblivion and Skyrim but super engaging!

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1733 on: July 14, 2021, 08:24:24 AM »
Jumping on the 20-year-old game bandwagon, I picked up Morrowind for $5 during the Steam summer sale, throw some mods and higher texture packs in there and it's quite playable. I was like 15 when it first came out and played the hell out of it then, and it's just as good as I remembered it. Fairly clunky at times compared to Oblivion and Skyrim but super engaging!
Best music.

You can sometimes get Elder Scrolls Online for 10€. It keeps relativly close to a 1 person RPG, has more modern graphics, starts in Morrowind but is a lot larger.

Not that this really matters. I think I never "finished" an Elder Scrolls game.

And Skyrim (SE) with graphic mods and a few select improvements isn't bad either. Tall Trees is a must have imho.
Thinking about it, I should play again, it always feels a lot cooler in the summer heat.


salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1734 on: July 24, 2021, 10:27:11 AM »
I'm at the end of Skyward Sword, having put about 50 hours into it. It's been a journey of highs and lows. The first 2 - 3 hours were quite boring and occasionally miserable (e.g., loftwing race), though I think this was impacted by me trying to make a go of the motion controls. They really didn't work for me, and while the button controls aren't perfect, they are definitely good enough.

The first time through the surface areas was fine. The forest was a little underwhelming but I liked the other two, especially their look and music. Actually, I can't remember if it was when I started having to backtrack through these areas that I fell in love with the game or if it was when I was finishing the desert area for the first time.

But around that time, I had the controls mostly down, I was feeling the Zelda charm 100%, and was really starting to enjoy the puzzles, especially the time stone stuff. Flying feels great, I like the combat a lot (even though it is simple and breaks down when multiple enemies come at you), the characters are charming, and there has been a huge emphasis on puzzles, even if they've mostly been easy. And I actually really liked the backtracking (seems like many do not)! For one, I appreciated the design of the different areas, finding them large and complex enough to require exploration but so easy to navigate and to orient myself that I always felt I knew where I was and where I was going (reminding me why I disliked God of War so much). But also, I like to feel like I've thoroughly explored the different areas in a game, so going back actually helped with this a lot. I ended the game finding everything except 3 heart pieces. Plus the new areas that open up when backtracking can be quite substantial.

There is still some unevenness that surprised me, like a few puzzles whose solution came out of nowhere. I remember one where you had to blow up a crate that blocked a path across a chasm in order to advance. Pretty standard stuff, but this was the first and only time destructible crates appeared. I remember trying to break a few of the crates in the hub town early on and when I couldn't, figured they must all be indestructible, so this solution just felt...unconsidered, I guess, for a Nintendo game. And while I appreciated the dowsing ability for the collectables, I hated having to rely on it to progress the story at certain points. It felt lazy and unfun--very God of War with the arrow pointing toward the objective. If you must collect something, the terrain should guide you in a natural way.

For me, this game went from a 2/10 to a 4/10 and eventually settled at a 9/10. Looking forward to replaying some time in the future.

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1735 on: September 23, 2021, 04:57:40 PM »
Anyone playing Psychonauts 2? I'm trying to remain strong, hoping that the price comes down on PS4 soon, but my resolve is deteriorating.

AccidentialMustache

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1736 on: September 23, 2021, 08:15:34 PM »
I have it and haven't loaded it yet. I backed it on Kickstarter. I may wait for the steam deck to bust it out.

DS kinda made off with my steam controllers for a $5 copy of Lego City Undercover and the ps3 one is a pain to get to talk to the PC.

I've been playing some FF14. I technically paid them for the expansions (they were on massive sale) but I'm still after *months* not yet done with the free content to need to apply the expansion code, because that'll trigger having to pay a monthly sub (which I probably will for a while and then quit). It has been nice to see a couple friends in game I haven't seen for a while (boo pandemic).

Arbitrage

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1737 on: September 28, 2021, 10:38:42 AM »
I've been playing Genshin Impact for the last few months.  Not in huge chunks, but enough to progress over time and experience a fair bit of the game.  It's a gacha game, designed to take advantage of "whales" who spend enormous sums on games, but you can do alright as purely Free-to-play, or receive a sizeable benefit by spending a few bucks if you're patient.  Don't know how long I'll continue to play, but the combat is entertaining enough with enough progression-based goals to keep me logging in to do the daily quests.

I also bit the bullet last month and signed up for Game Pass Ultimate - 36 months for a buck.  Figured I'd now have the time as I semi-retired in June.  Thus far I haven't played a ton due to too much outdoor fun, but more than enough to get my money's worth.  I did give Outsiders a full playthrough.  Next month, I'm looking forward to Back 4 Blood; we'll see if the old group of friends can get motivated enough to get back online more often. 

RWD

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1738 on: September 28, 2021, 11:35:57 AM »
I've been playing Genshin Impact for the last few months.  Not in huge chunks, but enough to progress over time and experience a fair bit of the game.  It's a gacha game, designed to take advantage of "whales" who spend enormous sums on games, but you can do alright as purely Free-to-play, or receive a sizeable benefit by spending a few bucks if you're patient.  Don't know how long I'll continue to play, but the combat is entertaining enough with enough progression-based goals to keep me logging in to do the daily quests.
I played this for a couple months when it first came out then dropped it when I ran out of content. I picked it up again last month since version 2.0 added a new country to explore. I've been 100% F2P and have found it reasonably enjoyable. There are a lot of problems with the combat though which is frustrating as it could be really good with just a little more polish/balance. For example, when you get frozen or stuck in a water bubble you have to mash the jump button to get out which means your character immediately jumps and you can't attack or dodge while jumping so its really easy to get re-frozen or whatever, effectively a stun-lock.

I've caught up on the main story and virtually all of the side-quests again. Since I managed to actually pull some 5-star characters (e.g. Keqing and Raiden) the game has been more enjoyable than when I was playing last year. But man this has to be the stingiest gacha game I've ever seen. You really have to spend thousands of dollars to get anywhere substantial with pulls.

LennStar

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1739 on: September 28, 2021, 12:31:11 PM »
Well, I got Raiden and the 2 other new chars earlier this month with 4 runs (4x10) and the latest 5 start with just one run, the very first card.

Luck. For once.

Fighting is a 50/50 for me. Some of the big guys take just too long to kill (or I undereqipped)

Arbitrage

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1740 on: September 28, 2021, 12:46:24 PM »

I've caught up on the main story and virtually all of the side-quests again. Since I managed to actually pull some 5-star characters (e.g. Keqing and Raiden) the game has been more enjoyable than when I was playing last year. But man this has to be the stingiest gacha game I've ever seen. You really have to spend thousands of dollars to get anywhere substantial with pulls.

I just accepted that I'm fine with improving where I'm at, building a decent team without any 5-star constellations, and rocking 4-star weapons.  It is definitely stingy if you want to be competitive, but I feel like I'm doing ok.  I spent a total of $15 on 3 Welkin Moons and turned off the tap after that.  Helped me pick up what have become my core members (Kazuha and Ayaka), and I'm not really counting on anything more.  No lucky pickups on the event banners for me, with everything pulled through pity/pity-lite, though I guess I've had a little luck on the standard.

I've actually not been playing much lately (basically just enough to do some of the events, dailies, and use up resin), so my questing has fallen way behind.  I should probably do some of that...haven't even unlocked the boss fight for Inazuma.

RWD

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1741 on: September 28, 2021, 02:44:28 PM »
I've caught up on the main story and virtually all of the side-quests again. Since I managed to actually pull some 5-star characters (e.g. Keqing and Raiden) the game has been more enjoyable than when I was playing last year. But man this has to be the stingiest gacha game I've ever seen. You really have to spend thousands of dollars to get anywhere substantial with pulls.

I just accepted that I'm fine with improving where I'm at, building a decent team without any 5-star constellations, and rocking 4-star weapons.  It is definitely stingy if you want to be competitive, but I feel like I'm doing ok.  I spent a total of $15 on 3 Welkin Moons and turned off the tap after that.  Helped me pick up what have become my core members (Kazuha and Ayaka), and I'm not really counting on anything more.  No lucky pickups on the event banners for me, with everything pulled through pity/pity-lite, though I guess I've had a little luck on the standard.

I've actually not been playing much lately (basically just enough to do some of the events, dailies, and use up resin), so my questing has fallen way behind.  I should probably do some of that...haven't even unlocked the boss fight for Inazuma.

I also have no 5-star weapons and all my 5-star characters are C0. Sure it's perfectly playable (as long as you get at least one or two actually decent characters). But it's not just the gacha pulls that are stingy. Every element in the game is time-gated and upgrades are not reversible so you can't experiment much with different characters/teams regardless of what you pull. You have to pick and choose who you're going to invest your limited resources into. I'd love to level and play around with Yanfei, Ningguang, and Beidou but without spending money I don't have enough resin. So far I've leveled eight characters to ~79 (Xingqiu, Xiangling, Sucrose, Yoimiya, Keqing, Fischl, Barbara, Chongyun) and two to ~81+ (Raiden, Lumine). I'm AR52 and I've literally only seen a gemstone drop once. And don't get me started on the artifact RNG.

There are a lot of things I like (e.g. witty dialogue) so I keep playing. But it's disappointing as the game could be a lot better with developers that actually cared about anyone other than the whales.

jojoguy

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1742 on: October 02, 2021, 12:28:54 AM »
I went ahead and bought Fallout 76 about a month ago after hearing that it is not that bad now. I am almost 90 hours in and it has been great. People more like to team up instead of attacking you because team rewards are greater bonuses.

evme

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1743 on: October 02, 2021, 02:32:55 AM »
Baba is You - Great idea but the game needed a much more experienced designer. The difficulty ramp is much too steep to stick with this one.

I loved this game, but it is very challenging and does have a steep learning curve. I admit that I had to look up solutions several times to get through it, but I really ended up loving it and even played through a second time (and it was still tough!). That said, I found an online guide that gives small hints that will help you understand the puzzles without outright giving away the solution. It made it much more enjoyable for me. 

Baba is Hint: a Spoiler-Free Guide
https://www.keyofw.com/baba-is-blog/overworld


evme

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1744 on: October 02, 2021, 02:34:08 AM »
I finally picked up RDR2 and while I am confident I'm going to lose interest as it bloats into the open world rinse and repeat mission formula, I really enjoyed the first few hours.

How much further did you proceed with RDR2? Would be curious to read your full review.

DadJokes

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1745 on: October 02, 2021, 06:30:59 AM »
I got the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, played through the whole trilogy again, as well as Andromeda.

As much as people crapped on the game, Andromeda was a pretty good game, and I'm disappointed that it won't get a sequel. A sequel to the original trilogy has been announced, instead.

JLee

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1746 on: October 02, 2021, 07:27:35 AM »
I finally picked up RDR2 and while I am confident I'm going to lose interest as it bloats into the open world rinse and repeat mission formula, I really enjoyed the first few hours.

How much further did you proceed with RDR2? Would be curious to read your full review.

I too picked up RDR2 but haven't fired it up yet - I'm hoping it provides sufficient entertainment through the winter!

evme

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1747 on: October 02, 2021, 10:41:00 PM »
I too picked up RDR2 but haven't fired it up yet - I'm hoping it provides sufficient entertainment through the winter!

It's an outstanding game, one of the best I've played. You can easily spend 100 hours on it. It's like Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in size and scope.

Roboturner

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1748 on: October 04, 2021, 01:30:01 PM »
I finally picked up RDR2 and while I am confident I'm going to lose interest as it bloats into the open world rinse and repeat mission formula, I really enjoyed the first few hours.

How much further did you proceed with RDR2? Would be curious to read your full review.

I too picked up RDR2 but haven't fired it up yet - I'm hoping it provides sufficient entertainment through the winter!


I agree with the above, I absolutely loved RDR2. Story is very well acted, and the missions aren't too repetitive all things considered. It's slow - but worked for me due to the attention to detail the devs put into it

salt cured

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Re: Mustachian video gamers - what are you PLAYING?
« Reply #1749 on: October 04, 2021, 10:01:53 PM »
I finally picked up RDR2 and while I am confident I'm going to lose interest as it bloats into the open world rinse and repeat mission formula, I really enjoyed the first few hours.

How much further did you proceed with RDR2? Would be curious to read your full review.

Not very far I confess. I definitely got out of the winter time and did a handful of missions and poked around camp. Maybe spent 6 hours total playing. Clearly an impressive game on a lot of fronts, but I think I had two issues that led to me putting it down. First, it felt much too big for me to get into the story. I've noticed that games that attempt a serious narrative but then also create a world with seemingly endless diversions and digressions don't hold my attention. These days I want my story-driven games to be 8 hours long or less and basically on rails. The other issue was that it didn't hit for me in terms of controls, which can encompass a lot of things, but in the case of RDR2 included how the character moves about the world, how intuitive the UI felt, and maybe how responsive the game is to inputs. I'm sure the controls actually are much improved from GTA IV, but it didn't feel like it in the moment. Like, don't they make you tap a button to run in this game? What the heck Rockstar. But I should (will) probably try again (seems like most people love it). Maybe I can just power through the story and then go back and fart around if I'm still into it.

Speaking of frustrating controls, I'm playing Yooka Laylee right now and while I would not recommend it to anyone, I spent many many hours in "open world" mascot platformers on the N64, and I freaking love this game. Inject the nostalgia directly into my blood.