Chatting about games

I wrote a piece on it a while back, might give you more details: https://stinger-magazine.com/article/the-force-unleashed/

Infinity: >preferred version
I forget what got adjusted, but one good bug (for speedrunning) got fixed in the PC release, which was displeasing (explaining to me why it wasn't getting used).  In exchange for that, the hilariously slow loading times (infamously so even for going IN and OUT of the different pause menu screens *hard to believe until you go through it yourself*) are normalized.  I don't think other aspects of the game are touched, so "The Glitch Unleashed" (as it is affectionately known) remains itself for the most part.  The good, the bad and the ugly are all there.  Waiting for you.  As such, you will probably want the PC version (for QoL).  However, if you do that, I cannot guarantee your version will work precisely the same as the one I contended with (PS3 *not the PS2, as that is an entirely different game*).

>highest setting available from the start
I do not believe so (nor would it be a good idea to fuck with while learning the game's basics *layout, item locations, enemy placement, etc.*).  I believe you would cap at Sith Lord (Hard).  It isn't the sort of game that adjusts enemy layout in response to the highest setting nor do they gain new moves/abilities, but the adjustments made to the baseline enemies are already plenty.  You will have to learn to contend with some serious bullshit (and give as good as you take).  Hope you like ultra long range homing missile stunlock to death while fighting a mess of defensive shits.  The game isn't afraid to kick you while you are down, either (no fucking i-frames in a lot of normally safe animations *though there are things even on the offensive side that have them*).  Tons to learn, so be prepared for trouble.  You should be no stranger to oddball design calls with these games (just look at fucking DMC with their forward/back option for evasion with i-frames being the standard jump).

Roy: >start low
Sith Warrior (Normal) should be fine.  Get a feel for the controls (especially how to pick who/what you grip and where you send them *that is perhaps the most difficult thing when starting out*).  Learn the movement (weird jump, i-frames only in side/back evasion options, how double jump is used *or not*, etc.).  Get a feel for having multi-face button inputs as grabs (outside a fucking fighting game *at least they are 1+3 and 2+4 and never fucking 2+3 or 1+4 to REALLY fuck with controller players*).  There is just...a lot of weirdness going on.

The game has explosive fucking barrels in it (Wolverine did, too).  An enviro-hazard resource that can help or hinder you (mind it well).  The AI can be manipulated to an extent thanks to their 'frightened' reactions to Grip in particular (very good to master for advanced antics).  The physics are a beast for good and for evil.  In the latter case, they can easily fuck you over to take damage (or get insta-killed through guard when something should have been blocked).  With the former, bending the metal of a door just such that you can get through (maybe by jumping) while foes cannot (aside from attacking/grabbing through them *to get cheeky*) as a retreat point if nothing else.

Air grabs?  We've got 'em, but like NG, you can only string into them (don't believe you can even land them without getting part of critical hits in *SWFU2 lets you just execute the grab in the air and touching something valid will do the move*).  Shit sucks.  Got a downed move (no executions, obliterationd, etc.) though the frequency of whiffs (especially on some terrain) might frustrate you as you familiarize with the strangeness that is this game.  There is just a lot to it.

>best SW story in vidya
I imagine KOTOR's fans would disagree.

>really unique grappler with resource management
Yes, the existence of a regenerating meter used for 'magic' (Force) that has a long ranged (eventually) multi-grab (with possible extensions) capable of moving (even tossing) all over is pretty unorthodox (and actually quite central to the game's intended way to be played *cheaply exploiting your wizard TK all damn day where able*).  It is a HnS where the 'sword' side of things KNEELS before the sorcery (that augments even your laser weeb stick *without using meter oftentimes*).  A reversal of the norm.  Unsurprisingly, this means its magic works more like Item Power in GoWIII (except you can beyond 0 units to suffer a penalty on when your mana will refill for further use *indeed, even blocking some attacks consumes this resource and lacking it will see your ass taking direct damage instead as I recall*).  Potent as grabs can be, they are often quite exposed (so careful and cheap exploiting of range or even working through terrain is advisable to avoid being slapped silly).  Hell, even the 'lock-ups' aren't necessarily safe (can exchange Force powers or saber strikes for a CS mini-game only to have outsiders beat you to death while you're stuck in the animation).

>link
I imagine I read through and spoke on that.  Infinity, if you need links and such, I can provide them.  However, you should probably make a topic for the title when the time comes (there is already one for Dead Space to that end).  I would have to seek out my talks with SBK, my own coverage, decent videos, Findlestick's Speedrun FAQ (containing some gems of use *odd that we couldn't get AKheon to do a Glitch FAQ for it*), etc.

*checks* I apparently didn't comment.  No matter, it covers basics of what to expect.  Lucky us that Purge Troopers never get to fly around even to the extent of merely jumping from place to place (for getting around in pursuit of us, but not hovering like Jumptroopers).  Having those fucks able to move to vantage points or pursue more effectively (into violation range) would have been a bit of a bother.  Enemies with protections from some of our different abilities were cute.

Too bad nobody had any 'kinetic shields' able to protect them from shit being tossed at them too quickly, eh?  Even with them, being able to position things near them would set-up Corpse Vortex (or just simple stuff like pushing them over a cliff *slow and steady style*).  And one isn't 'thinking' the game is pulling cheap tricks.  You are KNOWING it to be doing just that.  Paratus is a motherfucker (made plain in No Force Run+ where you can't even use augmented lightning saber strikes).

Nadster wrote:Has anyone ever played a game with one hand? I'm only asking because I recently had surgery.

Funny you should mention this - I bought an Azeron keypad recently, which could function as a one handed gamepad for games don't require typical right-stick functions (like camera control). I'm actually in the process of returning mine (I bought it hoping it would be a good replacement for a keyboard on PC, but I wasn't very impressed). They're quite expensive, but I think it could be a good option for players who only have functionality in one hand. I'd give it a search on Google/YouTube if you're interested.

GMG already noted it, but yeah Force Unleashed can be seriously bonkers. That game pulls no punches, especially on its hardest difficulty. Personally I'd go with the Xbox One X version, runs best. Paratus was the first 'skillcheck' of sanity for me at the time, but that entire stage can die in a fire at times. Later fights, especially in the last chapter, can be just absolutely insane. The game has no problem putting you in nigh-unwinnable situations where you have to cheese as hard as the opponent can.

> flying purgetroopers
Mother of god.

> KOTR fans would disagree
They would also be wrong.

Birdman:

>info

Well, for starters, does the expansion make any significant or noteworthy changes?

I'll ask for more detailed questions whenever I get around to playing the game.

>DQ Heroes

Oh? Never heard about those. I thought the DQ series as a whole was a typical turn-based series.

Raeng:

>Doom

I'll go with the PC version, then. Dunno how long it will take me to get a PS4/X1.

Infinity:

>RE5/6

Noted. One of the good things about RE5 is that my cousins liked it a lot, but I was stuck playing RE4, KH2 and GTA: San Andreas, because I still had a lot of fun with those games, and better graphics didn't mean anything to me. They should be up for playing RE5 again if I ask them to (but first I'd have to get a PS3).

Got in the Back 4 Blood alpha. If you haven't heard of the game it is Left 4 Dead 3 in everything but name, same developers. Very fun, but a bit rough. I loved the first two games back in the day.
Tough as balls though even on it's easiest setting. It never gives you a break like left for dead did, you just get assaulted non stop.

>expansion better?

Yes. The remaster is Dark Arisen anyway. You get the full package.

If it was way back on PS3/360 you'd have to buy the expansion. Even then it's still worth it.

It doesn't just add a new dungeon, there's another tier of upgrading, equipment that modifies skills, hard mode, speedrun mode, eternal ferrystone.

>Dragon Quest Heroes

It's what they call a 'musou' type game. It's a spinoff of those. But I find it way better than any of them. Tons of enemy variety, small cast of characters that all play differently, equipment and customizable accessories.

Roy: >pulls no punches
It sure loves to kick (read: wombo combo you to death with homing missiles) you while you are down.

>XBX version
Not aware of it. Should it quick load like PC, but be even more stable (while not losing charming bugs), that would be swell.

>skillcheck
The only check he makes is on whether or not you're trying to ignore new abilities as you get them. The other bosses (and levels) don't lean nearly so hard on the new abilities you gain as solutions to deal with them. The game doesn't even give a fuck about Lightning Shield.

>entire stage
Not a fan of the ol' junk heap and its denizens? Be grateful it wasn't styled even more after the Valley of Defilement (but with weird physics and actual platforming).

>can be insane
Certainly ill-advised to take head-on in the open (not even a great idea with a MAX'd character).

>cheese them back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ge53QaDpKQ&t=3m8s

>as hard
Harder is my way. I'll exploit the temporary lock-in option you can get by toggling near enough through surfaces to keep in hard cover, grip things and fuck up people on the other side. I'll use attacks going through walls. I'll exploit weird bugs like Lightning Grenade on explosive 'flowers' for multi-hit collisions (vastly more damage than it should do) on Rancors when tossed pointblank. I've no qualms with playing dirty (including Aerial Strike spam to lock foes down, zip across normally impossible gaps, etc.). You know me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6UZGxgtd0s&t=2m57s

>Mother of god
>god
>g
Which mother of who? You act like the thought doesn't get you hard. Give those bitches the stun of EVO troopers when their dumbass shockwave lands, too. When they grab us, just have them fucking spike is into the dirt before pulling a Hell's Flash with flamethrowers. Make these new flyers enjoy the EVO shield, too. Good luck overloading their asses. Also, they can air dunk you (and are set to find the nearest pit). Low health? Grab becomes a full-on Saibamen (suicide bomb hug). That one shouldn't be anything new to you NG fans. Make the damn carbonite into a petrification mechanic we can be insta-killed by (especially if caught in the air). Have these fuckers firing off tear gas grenades of the stuff.

Still not enough? Two or more can create a laser wall working as an insta-kill shield ahead of them. That's right, bitch. The most deadly hazard in the fucking game shy of pits. Incinerator Trooper shielding is also obvious, but this fool needs the Shadow tech (go invisible). Commander, too (call in other troops like a summoner). Pull an AT-CT by catching thrown objects and sending them back at the player (imitation force). But wait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Viz42xSxOlY&t=1m55s

Being too close to the fucker automatically starts sapping force meter as with the junk drones. They gained the ability to warp around like the junk dorks. The mere presence of it inspires others with a damage buff and anti-melee damage shield as with Felucians. That stupid OP charging slash Obi has in the DLC? You better believe it uses an energy blade for it. Can crank it up for longer reach, higher damage and even toss the blade like a projectile (Moonlight to make FROM proud). It gained Proxy holograms for going Jedi Starkiller on your ass (attacking him will heal it and harm you). Cunt will mind trick you into having fucked controller inputs (inverted, baby). The homing missile? Now it fires two at a time, but they're like THIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWzF4IjvZZw&t=59s

>would also be wrong
Wouldn't be their first time. They played KOTOR, after all.

Anyone played Dusk Diver? It's on the January sale.

Did a little research and it looks a bit repetitive on the surface but could have more to it.

It has Musou style strings, and you can summon guardians similar to CL assists. Depending on where in your string you summon them they'll do a different attack.

So it sounds like it's still the S,T type strings with an extra input for the guardians.

Still a bit too expensive for me without knowing more.

I was watching some tech videos and there's a few kinds in terms of how they get the info across.

You have commentary while playing, commentary added later (both can be or not be scripted), tect on screen or no text but a description written in the description box.

The last one is how I used to do it. But I hate that. I think commentary while playing, unscripted, suits me best. Can just say whatever thoughts come to me at the time of input.

Problem is I dont have any proper way to do this. I have a dvd recorder with a hard drive (for old consoles) but no way to do the commentary part. Well, outside of poverty means. I could use the voice recorder on my phone at the same time as playing and combine them later. But there might be a problem with background noise unless a headset with a mic can be hooked up to my phone.

To those who record and add commentary, how do you do it?

I tried all of the above at some point. Honestly, post-commentary with a script is the best but takes the most time. Unscripted live is a nightmare since it is just mumbling and watching it can feel super inefficient.

I tend to just record with whatever means I have, and then record my voice with a microphone I bought. They can go as cheap as 10 bucks. Then edit them together in After Effects though any other package will do, I'm just the most familiar with that software.

>since it is just mumbling

Which I wouldn't be doing. I feel like scripted is harder and would require a lot of rewatching to make sure what you're saying matches up. I'd end up forgetting what I was actually thinking when I took whatever action.

Unless each video was focused on a single point, then there wouldn't be as much to say. In that case scripted or unscripted would work.

I might try to find some video examples. I was watching some guy play something and you could tell he was speaking at the time of playing and explaining stuff as he went along. I think it was some Dragon Quest Heroes 2 class breakdowns. So he'd be setting up something but would sometimes make a mistake or he'd want the enemy to do something and it wouldn't for a while. That can be bad if it goes on and on and you might as well cut that part.

It will be like this.



I've seen another where you can hear the button inputs, but as long as it's not insanely loud I don't mind.

>a microphone I bought

Like a small standing one or a headset?

Once I get the right gadget I'll look at starting some CL videos.

I bought one with a stand. It requires some calibration but for 20 bucks you can already have a really good one.

Anyone see the new trailer for Mario 3D World/Bowser’s Fury? Graphically it looked like Odyssey but the levels actually have stuff in them so no way it could be like that game. Looks fucking great.

Yeah, I saw it, it looks pretty good. As you say, looks like an Odyssey kingdom, but made to work with 3D World's mechanics. I don't think it'll be a launch buy for me (I still havent played Sunshine or Galaxy HD...) but I'll get it at some point.

Really interested in it, seemed like a fun mish-mash between all the Marios in a sense.

> sunshine and Galaxy
Sunshine is really fun, but Galaxy it GOAT-tier level gaming. Highly recommend giving it a go.

>haven’t played Galaxy
Yeah, highly, highly recommend it and its sequel. Pure gaming fun and magic at its finest.

I do intend to play them, but I lost interest in Mario 64 part-way through and ended up moving on from the All-Star collection to something else. I don't think the controls in 64 have held up as well as others think they have. Still respect it for it's time, though.

While I respect it for what it did, Mario 64 has always bored me to tears, even upon release. I just don't see the appeal of the title and it put me off from trying Galaxy for ages. Galaxy though, phew. That's a fucking game.

NSMBU is excellent as well, though I seem to be in the minority on that one. It does the Galaxy/3D World style of “new ideas and creative levels every minute” really well. Luigi U is really good too.

Always wanted to play Galaxy.

I'm using my Wii U for Internet Browsing! I'm finding it charming tbh. My Chromebook charger is damaged and I can't use my old PC anymore. I bit off more than I can chew when finding a new PC. My PS2 audio cables technically still works but when I make it work it turns into monochrome. It will be great if I manage to get my new PC tomorrow. I apologize if it went off topic. The Mario topic makes me want to continue NSMU and 3D World. It makes me think of Kirby as well.

Bowser looks like he was potentially lifted from Odyssey oddly enough (similarity is to the purple dragon boss). Real curious about the extent of interaction having Bowser Jr. brings in. I would guess that he has similar functionality/thought put in of prior shoe-horned in "co-op" modes (e.g., Galaxy's, Astral Chain's).

Judging from the trailer it looks like Bowser and Mario are simply going to duke it out like Odyssey's final (non-post game) boss fight. I would be extremely surprised if Nintendo involved platforming with two giga-sized characters.

Nadster wrote:The Mario topic makes me want to continue NSMU and 3D World. It makes me think of Kirby as well.

What about Splatoon?

Not related to the current topic, but I want to know something. How difficult is Spelunky? I saw some people say that it's the most difficult game of its kind, but nowadays I find it hard to trust people about difficulty in general. Some people compare it to Dark Souls, but I know Dark Souls isn't as insane as people make it out to be. Some people say it goes beyond that.

Dark Souls is one of the easiest games ever.

Haven't tried Spelunky, but I know a few respectable players that also rank it very highly. Not necessarily as difficulty, but just as a game of sheer quality.

Yeah I think I've seen Infinity talk about it here a few times. Since both him and someone else whose opinions I mostly respect love the game, I decided to put it on my backlog. Long story short, I came across people saying that thing about the difficulty.

Spelunky 1 is not very hard if you are ok at platformers.
There are shortcuts to each world you can unlock to help you practice later levels.
Beating the game isn't that hard. Beat 4 levels and fight a boss.

There is a true ending level with a different final boss after the og final boss. That level and boss are a lot more difficult. To get that you have to do a lot of arbitrary stuff you will probably have to look up online. Sort of simon's questy.

The only experience I have with platformers are Mega Man, Mario, and Gargoyle's Quest. Not sure if anything from the first can compare to Spelunky.

I must be ass at Spelunky then as I haven't beaten it. It's a great game though, I'd totally recommend it. I don't have enough experience with the classics like Mega Man and Mario to compare them to Spelunky in terms of difficulty, but Spelunky is a challenging game and its procedurally generated levels mean that you can't just learn routes and enemy placements as they'll change with every run. In my opinion, I'd say it was the game's best feature. I think it would be less interesting if you could learn it in the same way that you can with other platformers.

Spelunky has a pretty...unusual difficulty curve. The game is divided into 4 areas and a special 5th one. You’ll die a lot when learning each area’s hazards and enemies, but after that it isn’t too bad as long as you play somewhat cautiously. So you’ll die a lot trying to learn area 1(and the game itself), eventually get good enough to clear it consistently, but start the process over when you get to the jungle. It’s sort of like an arcade game in that respect, even though it’s different because levels are procedurally generated.

Spelunky 2 is all around much harder. More traps, more enemies, stuff like poison and curse, angered NPCs track you better, etc. Of course there’s a ton of workarounds, especially if you get lucky with shops/drops, but I recommend trying the first game first. I also think 2 is the better game and is nearly perfect for what it’s going for, so the first game feels like a slight step back.

As far as what to compare the difficulty to, I don’t think any comparison really works. It’s much different than traditional action/platformers due to its wildly varied nature and emphasis on traps. There’s also not an emphasis on bosses and pure combat like Souls so that doesn’t work either. It’s really a unique experience.

Thanks for the responses. I've got a better grasp on what to expect from Spelunky 1 & 2.

To anyone who likes classic style Castlevania, give the classic mode on Ritual of the Night a try, it’s fantastic. If you would have told me a few years ago that this gen would end with three new amazing classicvania titles, I would have called you the worst liar ever.

If its anywhere CotM's quality I'll give it a try someday.

I got this Saint Seiya PS3 game out of a bargain bin today. It's the 'musou' one.

I would've bought it on release but didn't have a PS3. Then I forgot all about it.

Will give it a go when I get home and see if it's one of the good musous. The cast is small so I'm hoping more focus went into making the characters different.

Gave it a try and found it pretty average. The boss fights are really bad. Won't be touching it again.

The Playstation wrap-up is back. https://www.wrapup.playstation.com/

Number of games played 2020: 85

Top 3 games:
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise 109 hours
Dynasty Warriors 8XL 47 hours
Shadow Warrior 2 45 hours

Top genre: Action-Adventure Top Genre Hours: 254

Total hours of Gameplay: 807

Played locally: 806 Online: 1 VR:0
Days played: 228
Top Day of the week: Sunday Afternoons
Trophies Earned: 286

Gold: 24
Sliver: 50
Bronze: 212

Ahh hell I was curious so I checked mine.

Number of games played 2020: 41

Top 3 games:
theHunter Call of the Wild: 144 hours (don't judge lol)
Earth Defense Force 5: 132 hours
Nioh: 100 hours

Top Genre: Action Adventure: Genre Hours: 506 hours

Total hours of Gameplay: 1315
Hours locally: 1210. Hours online: 105. VR: 0
Days played: 229
Top Day of the Week: Wednesday nights
Trophies earned: 563

Platinum: 4
Gold: 23
Silver: 98
Bronze: 438

For me it was 403 hours played IIRC, with Death Stranding at the top followed by Zone of the Enders 2 and Nioh 2.

> call of the wild
What the hell hahaha! Fun game?

> ZoE 2
Gonna pick this up pretty soon. Should I bother with the first game?

> Call of the Wild
More relaxing then fun I'd say. Really nails weather effects and such. I don't get many opportunities to go hiking, camping, hunting, or fishing anymore so this is about the next best thing outside of youtube videos. Also to be fair, I tend to just put my character in a hunting stand and read a book or play my DS, which accounts for the stupid hours I have in the game.

My top 3 were:

Persona 5 Royal(my wife’s favorite game)
The Evil Within(shocker)
Doom Eternal

It says I played 82 different games. I must have tried a lot of things and gave up quickly.

>bother with the first ZoE
Eh. I wouldn’t. The sequel is quite literally better in every way, especially mechanically.

You don't need to play the first one imo, though for completionist sake you could always do so. The game is barely 4 hours long.

>ZoE
If I find a ps2 copy locally I'll pick it up, otherwise I won't go out of my way then.
Really looking forward to playing ZoE 2 though, I've been putting it off for too long.

If you can, get the Playstation 4 version or Playstation 3. The PS2 version is great, but extremely laggy. The Patched Playstation 3 version is a good alternative, the PS4/PC version is the best one around in terms of performance.

Number of games: 69

Top games:

Dragon Quest Builders 2 - 168 hours

Dragon Quest Heroes - 72 hours (This should be way more because when accessory building I did a lot of resets.)

Okami - 67 hours (Though I have way more on PS2)

Top genre: RPG

Top genre hours: 626

Total gameplay hours: 1211

Online hours: 1

Days played: 309

Top day: Saturday evening

Trophies earned: 629

I have both my gaming wraps up for Switch and Playstation 4.

My top 3 most played PS-4 games of 2020 are
Dragon's Crown Pro- 100 hours
Odin Sphere Liefthrasir- 54 hours
Tales of Berseria - 15 hours

and for Switch my top 5 are

Fire Emblem Three Houses
Rune Factory 4 Special
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD
Streets of Rage 4
and Kirby Star Allies.

Have any of you guys played Final Fantasy V? Some stuff SBK said about it is quite impressive for a turn-based game. You can avoid almost everything with the right setup, and you can deal quite a lot of damage even at Lv 1.

Never been this excited to try a Final Fantasy game again... ever, I believe.

I played Final Fantasy V about 20 years ago, so my memories are a little faint about all of the mechanics. But I found it to be a fantastic game. It gave a lot of freedom of choice after coming from Final Fantasy I/IV/VI/VII at the time (all of which I also loved). It can take awhile to level the right jobs at times, though...so it depends on your level of comfort with grinding certain things out. I had no plan when I started playing the game, so maybe that could help alleviate any of the potential grind that one might incur from mistakes...or grinding too early before getting certain job unlocks.

The combinations you can build for combat is excellent. The music and story was very fun as well. I'd say give it a shot. Sorry that I can't speak to the complexity of the depth of combat and jobs, but I do remember Mime being pretty darned fun at some point in the game.

Heard it's excellent. I'm planning on playing it on an emulator at some point.