What are you playing this weekend/these days?

[JDTAY]

I bought Saviors of Sapphire Wings for Switch. There's some reason I didn't want this game before. I think maybe one Steam review claimed that you get punished for fully exploring the map, which I have a tendency to do in games of this type. This type being "Wizardry clone". I actually like how all first person grid based dungeon crawlers can either be classified as "Wizardry clone" or "Etrian Odyssey". Reminds me of how all fighting games are either "normal" or "Smash".

Anyway, I mostly like giving NIS money these days, more so than actually playing the game.

 

[MTPDA]

I recently discovered Barotrauma, an online cooperative exploration/submarine simulator. I haven't actually tried online though (only bots) as I only like to play with people I actually know for the most part due to too many bad experiences with griefing in other games.

 

[kuru]

Finished Grow Up 100%. Then had a look at Steam trading cards and saw one depicting a suit that I did not get in the game. Turns out it's an item exclusive to the Epic store D:

Edit: Finished Metro Exodus. While the rather open environment helps a great deal with immersion, I could have done with less walking and driving around. But all in all once again an amazing game. All the feels in the end. On to the DLCs!

Edit 2021-04-14: Finished the Metro DLCs. Both a bit sloppier than the main game - a few misplaced textures and minor mistakes in the subtitles - but still very good.
Also finished Runaway 3. So far I've enjoyed every title by Pendulo Studio, they have great humor. Poking fun at adventure games in general and the series itself in particular; and other 4th wall breaking shenanigans.

Edit#2 2021-04-14: I added "The Next BIG Thing" to my GOG wishlist a day ago and lo and behold - today it's off by 80 %. Thanks, Pendulo!

Edit#3 2021-04-16: Finished Wuppo. What an absolutely charming little adventure/paltformer with a dash of Metroidvania. Funny, mysterious, colorful.
And finished The Next BIG Thing. Typical high quality Pendulo adventure.

Edit#4 2021-04-18: Bought Grim Dawn despite not being that much into ARPGs. Played 11 hours straight, where did the time go!?

Edit 2021-04-21: Finished Dying Light base game. The parkour is great and works well. But it's open worldish and as such there's so much running around. And a lot of sewers and tunnels to advance the story in (civvie11 would have a blast). And the end boss fight is a series of frickin' QTEs. Reminds me of Headhunter on the DC, a bit lazy. And it's a bit shoddy to have multiplayer event messages pop up all the time, even in the boss fight. Oh well. I think there's a new one coming out, not gonna bother with it, as well as the DLCs for this one. It may be rose tinted glasses, but I liked Dead Island a lot more than Dying Light, even though it had a lot less going on. I guess this would have been a lot more fun in co-op. (Duh, most games are)

 

[matzesu]

i just finished Bioshock Remastered on Switch Lite yesterday,
the Endboss was quite easy, but the game was quite cool,

so i just begun whit Bioshock 2 on Switch Lite Yesterday,
you play as a Big Daddy, and there is a new Endboss etc
the overall Gameplay is the same, but you can now let your little sister gather adam and you have to protect them ..

 

[TeDaDeS]

I started playing Battlefield Hardline (single player), it's a bit over the top but I still enjoy it.
Especially as I have the option to arrest people instead of just shooting everyone, not completely like SWAT4 as it's still required by the game to shoot certain people and you aren't judged negatively on this.

 

[kuru]

Finished Hardline twice, I like that there's sneaking in this one. And the city maps with the vehicles can be a lot of fun in MP. Too bad I'm too slow for multiplayer shooters these days.

 

[Null]

I fancied playing something family friendly for once so I'm currently playing The Villain Simulator.

Spoiler: Safe For Everyone™

Lutim

pic.infini.fr

 

[matzesu]

Yesterday, i finished Super Mario Land DX on the GBA SP, in about a half hour,
originaly i wantet the unhacked version, but on the IPS Screen, Mario Looked too colorless, it were maybe ok on a original GB DMG, but for my Mario Projekt, i chosed this version..
Next Time will be Mario Land 2 (DX), but im not that shure which Device, I think i will play on the Pyra, because its got Bluetooth Audio and Savestates..

 

[TeDaDeS]

I finished Hardline and started (and already finished, twice) Battlefield 4 single player. It was a big story, lot's of action and some forced story between your team members. But it was entertaining.
Sometime it's a shame that you just drive by massive assets and can't have a look. Something that was a bit more possible in the much slower Hardline gameplay.

 

[ElPoco]

Still in my castlevania retrospective on the Pandora.
I skipped SotN (that I had replayed recently) Finished Circle of The Moon, the first GBA Castlevania. It's not bad but it's not very good either.
After Rondo of Blood, the change was harsh: the main character's animations lack a few frames and from the beginning I missed a dodge action that I never truly got.

The exploration part is nice: not too much backtracking or wondering where to go next. It's still quite linear though: you will generally unlock a whole new area that you'll get through linearly until you get to the boss and get something that lets you unlock the next area.
The problem is that walking through the screen isn't that interesting. Most screens are just corridors (horizontal or vertical) with enemies here and there. And most enemies aren't that interesting to fight. The bosses are okay
They also introduce a magic system with many different "spells" you unlock along the way, but the problem is that most of them aren't very useful, some spend too much MP to be something you use often and switching is a chore, so I spent most of my time using a handful of themB (except for bosses where it sometimes felt like you had to figure out which one to use).
The music is still nice, though.

After playing the older games, I get the change from linear platformers to the "metroidvania" approach: platformers where you have to "try hard" and learn the stages can get a bit repetitive (especially without save states) while here each play session let you go further. But while it was still interesting in SotN with platform sections and varied rooms, here it feels lacking in the platform/fighting department.

It's clearly a "first attempt", and if I remember correctly it gets better in the next games.

 

[matzesu]

A bit Katamari Damaci Reroll on the Switch Lite,
I came to the 7.th Mission, but now I’m stuck as the times runs out 1 Meter too early..
a funny but not that easy game

 

[Null]

Transmute! by Linker

A game about transforming!

linker.itch.io

 

[matzesu]

Super Mario Land 2 DX, 6 Golden Coins (Romhack on EverDrive GB on Retrosix Picachu IPS GBA SP)
Played a bit more yesterday, and i ended as good as all Levels, expect of the Boss Levels as every Game Over means i have to make the Boss Levels again.. , Yesterday, i also made all of the Boss Levels, expect the Space Zone, because just forgott this..
Im now on Coins and Continues Farming in the First Level of the Tree Zone, because its not that difficult so i cant lost continues, and there are about 4 Continues in this Level you can find.. , and whit a bit luck on the slot machine, its not that possible to have a Game Over ^^

Im not that good in this Game like i was in Mario Land 1, but maybe its just naturely as i played this not that often as Mario Land 1..
I got the Game a few Years ago, when i also bought my First Used GBA SP (A quite poor blue one..),
Mario Land 1 was from the Gameboy from my Sister, so i played it since about 30 Years.. ^^

 

[netcat]

You mention SML quite frequently, so I gave it a play. Indeed it was one of my first games. I like that when you die you don't go back too far. And Mario is fast enough without pressing the speed button, which makes it less stressful. Can you tell I'm not a hardcore gamer?

I have been playing Death Stranding. I decided to give it another shot despite not really understanding it at all. I guess that's the point.

 

[matzesu]

Well, Super Mario Land was maybe one of the First Games you had when you bought a Gameboy Back then, Tetris was more popular, but if i remember correctly Tetris wasnt ready when the first Gameboy where released, allthough they say that every Gameboy had Tetris in his Box..

I got a Gameboy for my First Communion, and there wasnt any Tetris in the Box..

It was a long time my only Mario Game, so i have a big connection on this game..,

It was also a Reason for me to buy a Pandora: I wantet to play Gameboy Games, and Emulation was better than not be able to play..

 

[kuru]

Finished Descent: Freespace main game and started the Silent Threat expansion. Having a hard time using a controller instead of a joystick. But the game is a lot of fun despite that.

 

[FBnil]

RedAlert 2, straight from the Browser:

Red Alert 2: Chrono Divide

An unofficial remake of the classic "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2" RTS game, playable online in the web browser.

game.chronodivide.com

It's very alpha and it broke early in the game.

 

[matzesu]

Super Mario Land 2 DX (IPS GBA SP Picachu Edition)
I finally got the Space Zone done and the fight against Tatanga ^^
Cost me some Continues but I know where to get more lives ^^
Now I would have acces to the castle of Wario, but I first need more continuous because it’s seems like it’s a bit divicult.. ^^
Seems like I can end this game this weekend ^^

 

[kuru]

Just finished Infra. This is a very interesting one. You have to survey a city's infrastructure, armed with a flashlight and a camera to take pictures of crumbling walls or defective eletrical panels. On the way there's some puzzles in which you are able to repair things. There's also documents to find and photograph. Those reveal something sinister as you progress in the story. I like the atmosphere and the fact that there's no enemies to fight, and only a handful of instances where you're on a time limit.
Also there's an ARG with messages/codes hidden ingame. And there are whole areas that you can miss, while still finishing the game. The game needs to be restarted after a few hours, because it starts stuttering. Controller input could be better, and it's way to easy getting caught on doorframes. Despite that I really enjoyed it. It humorous too and there's eastereggs. And you really have to peel your eyes if you want to find all the things and get to the bottom of the mystery.

 

[TeDaDeS]

I finished Hardline and started (and already finished, twice) Battlefield 4 single player. It was a big story, lot's of action and some forced story between your team members. But it was entertaining.
Sometime it's a shame that you just drive by massive assets and can't have a look. Something that was a bit more possible in the much slower Hardline gameplay.

Just finished Battlefield 1 and now started with Battlefield 5. Feels like I need a new GPU to run that game well at higher resolutions.