I'm playing Read Dead Redemption 2 for the first time, it's a really good game
I got the Resident Evil bundle from Humble and decided to finally give RE2make and RE3make a go. But before that, I replayed the original games on my PS1. The last time was quite a few years back... I remember learning English by playing RE3, lol.
Short review of each under spoiler (although they are very much spoiler-free)
spoiler
RE2 was a lot more... Boring than I remembered. Rooms are static, encounters are scripted, zombies are not really aggressive, and ammo is everywhere. I remembered pretty much nothing of the game outside of the main gist of the story and a few puzzle solutions, so it was an almost blind run. However, I still finished all scenarios with the item box overflowing with ammo and herbs, and I only died once at the beginning of the first scenario while I was still getting accustomed to the controls.
Despite the criticisms, it was still fun. The story was better than I remembered! At least Claire A + Leon B, which is more intertwined and definitely better written. Leon A + Claire B is a lot more straightforward, features fewer interactions between the cast members, and even has a glaring continuity error. Gameplay is pretty straightforward, fairly predictable, not many jumpscares - and it’s difficult to be frightened when you have enough ammo to clean the entire RPD station twice and keep some spare - but I had fun throughout.
The “zapping system,” as it’s called by the fans (basically the actions in the A scenario carrying forward in the B scenario), is greatly exaggerated. I can only remember three instances of choices carrying forward (using the cord in the eastern or western wing, leaving the machine gun or the item pack or both to the B character, and registering both characters’ fingerprints to open the secret door in the lab). In addition, the two A scenarios and the two B scenarios do pretty much the same thing and fight through the same rooms with slightly different item placement and enemy encounters. I honestly don’t think there’s enough “meat” to justify playing both scenarios with both characters unless you’re an RE fan and want to see everything the title has to offer. For the others, I’d recommend playing Claire A + Leon B and calling it a day.
Each scenario took about 2 hours to finish, so it took me 8 hours to complete all four scenarios and 100% the game.
RE3, on the other hand… Holy shit. Zombies RUN, Nemesis RUNS, and there’s a lot of randomization involved in how items and enemies spawn to always keep you on your toes. Sometimes it’s zombies, sometimes dogs, crows, or hunters - and maybe there’s the Nemesis thrown into the mix as well! The rooms are a lot more dynamic as well: while traversing the same rooms back and forth in search of the key items necessary to go forward, zombies keep pouring in, smashing windows, car doors, and even respawning after being killed. Compared to RE2, where a "cleared" room would stay safe until the end of the game, RE3 always makes a point in reminding you that the dead are in control of the city, not you.
There’s a decent amount of choices scattered throughout the game that alter how the events unfold, but as with the scenarios in RE2, I don’t think that the changes warrant a second playthrough unless you are a diehard RE fan. Fighting the Nemesis at the RPD entrance allows you to retrieve the STARS card earlier than intended; finding Carlos in the Restaurant or in the Press Office triggers a different Nemesis encounter; and the ending of the Clock Tower and Dead Factory is slightly different depending on your choices. There are other choices as well (some are spelled out by the game, while others are triggered depending on which location you go to first), but for the most part, it's just a slightly different cutscene and that's it.
Where the game shines, however, is the freedom of choice that the player is given. You can choose the order in which you explore different locations to retrieve key items; you can craft different ammo (and even specialize in one, giving you the ability to craft improved ammo for a specific weapon if you so wish); you can run from the Nemesis or fight it for additional rewards; and with the randomized enemy spawns and placement, even dying and reloading feels like a fresh experience. The improved controls (including a quick 180 turn and a tricky dodge mechanic) are the cherry on top.
The story wasn’t as interesting as RE2’s, in my opinion. Although I enjoyed the characters, the Ada-Sherry-Annette dynamic from the previous game was more fascinating than whatever the deal was with Nicholai. Despite that, I appreciated the throwbacks to RE1 (although I would’ve loved to see more in the RPD; Jill enters the police department, grabs the lockpick, gets out, never interacting with anyone or reacting to anything, which was a bit disappointing) and the additional insight into Umbrella.
My time count at the end of the game was 7 and a half hours, slightly shorter than the complete RE2 experience, but much longer than each individual scenario (and as I said, most of the scenarios involve passing through the same rooms and solving the same puzzles, so there’s a lot of repetition involved).
Overall, I’d give RE2 a 7.5/10 and RE3 an 8/10. Both were very much enjoyable and I’d still recommend them to modern players. Tank controls and fixed cameras may take a short while to grow accustomed to, but the entire game is masterfully built around them and they add to the experience, instead of detracting from it. Listening to the sounds and noises to check which enemies are in play becomes second nature, and before you notice it, you are completely engrossed in the game.
Just picked up Dave the Diver on sale and am loving it.
Edit to remove a game newer than 12 months! :-p
Playing Yakuza 3. I've basically played one each year starting from Yakuza 0 and I'm really enjoying the pace. I find I get a bit tired of the game around 3/4 in, so I don't think I could handle playing them back-to-back.
Aside from that, I've been playing:
- Cities Skylines II - performance seems to largely be fixed, so I finally broke down a bought it; will probably play it some more during the holiday season
- Dragon Age: Origins - I usually burn out on RPGs, so hopefully this one sticks, because it looks interesting
I'm also playing through a bunch of games I've owned for a while, such as some random point and click games (Syberia, Agatha Chrisie games, etc) and some random platformers. I'm basically forcing myself to finish two games I already have before getting more, and I've found some fun gems.
I'm enjoying Control. It's pretty good fun to play, but the story has really grabbed me.
Hope sequel will be as good as first one
On the Deck, Skyrim with mods and specifically beyond Skyrim Bruma. I have figured out how to install mods and you can sink a lot of hours in good ol' Skyrim.
I also play Life is Strange: True Colours on the Deck.
Additionally the farmer was replaced is a fun little Python like game where you need to write Python like code to automate the manual labor on your farm. But this I play on the desktop.
Started playing Factorio again with a friend, been fun so far. Just today I played Tooth and Tail again which is really cool, as well as Skullgirls Second Encore which I'm not great at but is still fun.
Been playing for the first time Disco Elysium, but also have Kingdom Come:Deliverance and Titanfall 2 (Although I played it already 6 years ago) installed on my PC after getting them on deep sale recently.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 (from 2010)
It's still very much playable in multiplayer! If you happen to have a copy - via "Project Rome" you litterally just have to drop one file from them into the game folder and boom - you got a working server browser again! I forgot how incredible the sound design in this game is.
Aw man I forgot about the sound design. I am tempted to try this.
BattleBit Remastered
I'm not sure if it counts for patient gaming but it's super lightweight and so damn fun.
I just soft modded my old PS2 so I could boot game backups from a network share. So I'm playing Gran Turismo 3, NFS underground 2, Tony hawk's Pro skater 4, NBA street vol. 2, and GTA: San Andreas. Basically everything and anything my teenage self loved at the time.
DOOM (2016). I originally got it when it came out, I wasn't very patient then, but largely played multiplayer. I've been playing the campaign this time around and I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Persona 5 Royale. Its my first time playing a persona game and also my first JRPG. Currently 20 hours in. The lawyer woman is really funny.
HyperRogue. The lack of statted items means less time thinking andore time playing. Same complaint as many rogue likes though, it lacks a save and quit. I don't care if it makes save scumming possible, it's shitty to force people to finish a game in one sitting.
TerraFirmaGreg mod pack for Microsoft Minecraft Java Edition.
Based and gregpilled. TerraFirmaCraft and Gregtech in one pack sounds rather sadistic. I'll have to keep my eye on that one.
I've been playing Pokemon Go, started back when it came out after niantic killed their other game I was playing to make pokemon go. (Not bitter at all)
Played a few weeks gave up.
Now I'm 30 and was out running and thought hey why not do this at the same time.
I've been enjoying Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It's got just the right level of compulsivity to keep me playing without destroying my life. Pretty relaxing, to be honest, although I don't think "easy" mode is actually easy!
Hitman 3 freelancer mode. The ultimate James Bond simulator.
It's incredible, feels like such a perfect addition to an already excellent game.
What's the deal with the Hitman 3 DLC? Which version do I need to buy if I already own Hitman 1 and Hitman 2?
Stardew, trying to get that 100% thingy
Replaying Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but this time no save scumming and on the Steam Deck. It's really good, but the slight vibe of sexism bugs me.
Also playing the excellent Tactical Breach Wizards.
I'm playing Pacific Drive right now. Its pretty fun and spooky
🤣 it's a 20 year old MMO called Wurm Online. The pacing and skill depth is pretty amazing for an older more patient audience.
Divinity original sin 2. It is not as good as I was expecting it to be. I keep getting bored and fustrated even if I really want to like it.
Getting back into ACC after taking the summer off. Still my favorite racing game.
Just got a surface duo i will use for nintendo ds emulation, so when i get my new gamepad and stylus in the mail later this week i will pick up and start an old ds game i have never played. But i havent decided yet so im not really answering your question.....
If you like JRPGs and haven't played it, Radiant Historia would be a great choice.
Thanks for the rec!
Just installed Word of Goo 2
It's really good, much recommend.
Oxygen Not Included. it's taken over my brain.
It helpedel me understand thermodynamics intuitively the way Kerbal Space Program helped me understand orbital mechanics.
I got myself mildly addicted to Mindustry. Wiping out enemy bases can be pretty satisfying.
I'm addicted to Mindustry, and I wouldn't say it's mild lol. Started playing it a few months ago, absolutely love it
Pokémon Emerald, and PixelJunk monsters.
Starter playing "To the moon"
Great game so far, but I wish there was controller support and it could be fullscreen instead of a small box. It makes playing on the 32" TV difficult
Atomicrops. It's a solid rogue-lite farming game that is a lot of fun to just pop into and make a run.
Recently finished my first playthrough of Dragon's Dogma 2 and started a new one playing Rogue this time. Lots of fun and reminds me of old-school RPGs similar to Fable
Returned to my 3DS and playing Etrian Odyssey 4. That series is great for party based dungeon crawls, with a good amount of choices for how you want to build your party.
Oddly enough I've been playing High on Life on the Steamdeck. I give it a solid 6/10.
The art style is cool and the characters aren't as annoying as I thought they would be, but damn is it shallow.
All levels are basically the same but the gunplay and movement are nice enough to keep me around. I just play it while watching TV with my girlfriend. Nice mix of a wave shooter and platforming. It really reminds me of Doom in a way
Just got the this new game called Knack. Heard of it?
I've started on X4, and love it!
High on life. Terrible, boring gameplay. I think I'll drop it.
I tried playing Bahamut Lagoon, a Japan only SNES TRPG, but had to stop due to some technical issues with the unofficial translation. The little bit I did manage to play (prologue and the first scene after that) was interesting enough so I'll definitely try again, I just need to get back to my PC so I can research what's wrong with it.
To keep with the theme I started Jeanne d'Arc, the PSP TRPG, instead. I like the art style, animated cutscenes and gameplay. Not a huge fan of the fantastical elements but they're not a dealbreaker either. I'm not sure what to think about the story just yet - I like it for the most part but there are some things that make me a bit wary since they might potentially turn into tropes I'm not going to be happy with. It's a "wait and see" for now since I'm still pretty early on. It's good so far.
