What are you playing this weekend/these days?


Duke Nukem Forever also had super high expectations, while most people just want to play some Duke without waiting a decade or more.
On the other hand, Ubisoft title series, where people just don't bother with the next title anymore.
 
Actually I think the PS3 has kinda bad, mushy graphics.
Nearly 20 year old video game system, and you're likely upscaling a 720p game so of course it would look horrible on a modern display.. I have mine hitched to an older DLP projector that scales well with lower resolution systems.
 
Nearly 20 year old video game system, and you're likely upscaling a 720p game so of course it would look horrible on a modern display.. I have mine hitched to an older DLP projector that scales well with lower resolution systems.
I don't think it's the fact that it's upscaled but the nature of the upscaling. To me PS3 upscaling smooths unaesthetically and my TV's 720p is fake and mushy. Because most people are pixel averse these days, is my theory.

And I just learned how to deactivate deflicker filter on my Wii and now certain games, namely Twilight Princess, look sharper. Lovely big, sharp pixels via OSSC. With a pinch of scan-line emulation. Yum.

Btw I ordered a component cable for my PS3 so I can use OSSC to upscale (line-double). I'll tell you how it goes.
 
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Recently won a game of Midwinter (with bombers and mortars disabled) and I confirm my appreciation. It's really well designed. For example I've realised that the "ice-age" world isn't just a pretext to have untextured white floor everywhere and a more oppressive atmosphere. It makes travelling more interesting: base movement is skiing rather than walking so you have to be careful of not exhausting yourself climbing uphill or going too fast downhill and you regularly have to turn left or right to optimise your path, same when driving a vehicle. The food/sleep mechanisms lead to decisions between trying to go further or playing it safe, etc. Even the combat that I initially found difficult and unrewarding is actually fine once you get used to it (at least in a vehicle, sniping might be a good option from high ground or when facing supply vehicles, or maybe for the bombers and spotter planes but most of my attempts to use it were failures) and routing enemy units with a single character (especially the 11 years old girl) feels epic.

In the end I had a character glide all the way to the enemy HQ and blow it up (with a few hours detour to gather some dynamites from a shop because I forgot to ensure he had some). On the one hand it feels like it could be possible to do this from the start and 'speedrun' the game but on the other hand it might not be that easy (I've tried it with three different good gliders and was only able to do it properly (with a perfect landing right inside the settlement) with one of them) and it's possible that the other characters who sabotaged buildings and held-off enemy units slowed down the enemy advance enough to give time to the character who destroyed the HQ.

I've also recently finished Rise of the Golden Idol, it's more of The Case of the Golden Idol with some small changes/improvements and it's still good.
 
Was testplaying lots of games on the Anbernic RG CUBE (Android),
Got an adiction for the OTR (an Free to Play Driving Simulator) , but also did play 2 Levels on Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast Emulator Reicast.. Did only a few minutes in this game bevor to show that its runs fine on the Pyra, but did not play much.. didnd even beat this Tutorial Endboss on the first Level .. , the Second Level was an Beach Themed 3D Sonic Run and Jump Level, its a bit confusing but in the End you did rescue Tales ^^

I think on Weekend i will start and finish Super Mario Land DX (the Patch 2,0) i have an Tradition that i finish this Game first on an Device that can Run it .. (Gameboy, GBC, GBA GBASP, Analoque Pocket, Pandora, GPD Win1,5 , Steamdeck, Pyra, DS whit Flashcard, 3DS whit the Game from the E-Shop, Anbernic RG35SP , GPD Win Mini.. and now Anbernic RG Cube..) ..
Cant Remember i did this also back then on the Sony Xperia Play ..
 
 
TerraTech

This is an interesting game where you constantly upgrade a vehicle with pieces of enemy vehicles.
You can construct a vehicle in almost every kind of shape you want and with the weapons/gadgets where you want, the only limit is the physic.
There are a lot of upgrades, the world is big, and there are a lot of missions.

But I'm not so much in this kind of construction games... so after the third time my vehicle was almost destroyed and I had to reconstruct it piece by piece, I just quit.


Wizard of Legends

It's a simple roguelite game heavily centered on fast combat skills.
The gameplay is responsive and there are a lot of different type of magic, from melee to area, from charged to defensive, etc... It's a joy to play, it's possible to find the preferred combo.
The music and graphic, even if somehow different, reminds to me Chrono Trigger ... there are also familiar names in it, like one of the bosses is called "Zeal", and also how the dungeons are presented ...
You choose 4 types of magic skills to use, from four elements, a bonus upgrade of some sort, a cape, and that's it, you are ready to battle... and die...
The random dungeons are small, but full of enemies with different kind of combat skills, also you can find more magic skills or bonuses that will stay there only during the current run.
There is a boss fight every two dungeons and it will be of the same type of magic of them... you should beat 3 bosses to go to the last level... but I'm just lucky to reach the first... and die...
The bosses have indeed recognizable attack patterns, but are so damn fast and covers so much area/distance that is needed a really great eyes-hand coordination to survive to them.

This game is perfect... if it wasn't for the impossibly level of difficulty (that can't be changed)... damn... I can't really see me finishing the game... and that's bad, because I really like what they made.

I played a lot of "difficult" games like this, but all of them had a lot of persistent upgrades that made the game easier at some point... this game has them too, but in this case, not only them are really underpowered, there are always the same restrictions in what you can wear, just 4 skills, a bonus and a cape, despite how much things you have unlocked.
 
Finished HL2 + episodes 1, 2. The latter ends in a cliffhanger - meh. The German translation is bad, was apparently done without knowing any context. Didn't like the voice acting that much either. Enjoyed the music quite a lot OTOH. There's not much, but when it happens, it's great.
 
I listen to Portal 2s soundtrack a lot. Nice and dystopian. Perfect vibe for work.


And I've been playing Einhänder, PS1 shooter, on retropi. Absolutely beautiful upscaled 2x. Gorgeous big polygons. Lovely game overall.
 
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Whit the Anbernic RGCUBE (The Android Version, not the H700 Series which was called the same but got much less power and an Linux based Custom OS) , I did test play a lot in the last few Weeks, so I want write every Game but:

Off the Road Driving Simulator:
Its an cool Openworld Arcade Simulator thing whit lots of Cars, Trucks, Planes, Boats and even Helicopters to Drive (or Fly) , its an Free To Play Android Game so also lots of Real Cash stuff, an "Card Booster System" where you can get in best case new cars but its also Cash Based: You can find the boosters on the Map but you have to wait some time until you can open them, or you can use Coins you find on the Map to unlock them, or you can buy Coins whit Real World Money... but you can also Farm Coins by making Jobs ..

Farming Simulator 24:
Also an Mobile Version, its got some Downgrades from the PC Version: You can't build Farm Buildings, you don't have the Job System,..
But its much better than the last Mobile Version they even did sell for the Switch where you did not even had the Option to Leave your Traktor ..
But as whit other Mobile Games there are some Pay to Win Options but they are Optional..

To the Emulator Games:
Super Mario Land DX (2.0 Patch)
Did use the Emu EX Alpha GBC.EMU, did run fine (I mean its just Gameboy), I did defeat Tatanga whitouth loosing an One Up at this Part of the Game.. seems like I have 35 Years experience ...

Dragonquest Monster Joker 1
On the Drastic DS Emulator:
Did play also fine, was discovering the first Island, defeat a few Monsters, and did level up enough to play a bit around whit the Monster Sympiose Feature .. ,

These where the Games I did play Serious, other where just for test purposes, some emulators got some nice features: You can use the Touchscreen on NES Games per example on Lightgun Games like Duck Hunt, Unlike on the much more powerful Handhelds like the GPD Win Mini or the Steamdeck, you can use the Touchscreen for 3DS and DS, etc .. , its Power is enough to play some of the more important PS2 Games like the GTAs , whyle some others don't work that good, and Gamecube is a Mixed experience..
The 3DS Emulator is also quite Mixed: Its even runs Mario Kart 7 whiteout much Issues, while Pilot Wings Resort only got about 15 fps ..
PSP is also fine for most things, but Motorstorm Arctic Edge is much too slow, while Chilli Con Carnage plays quite well ..
The other Stuff like PS1, Dreamcast, etc runs as expected quite fine..

So in conclusion, nice Handheld, sure you can play this stuff also on Steamdeck or GPD Win Mini (there even Farming Simulator 25), but for these Emulator Games its much more pleasant to Hold its much lighter, its got the Screen between the Controlls which makes much more sense for DS Emulation, and the Controllers work for me quite phantasmic: DPAD feels just right for Gameboy Stuff, Nubs are working fine even though they don't have that much travel than on an Real Gamepad, Shoulderbuttons are also fine .. and its not that noisy than the Anbernic SP Buttons..
And its nice that its also got all the Android Tablet Features: Search for PSP Cheat File Online, Play Music via Youtube Music (Apple Music will not work as its a "Cracket Android Version" ) watch Youtube if you need this on the 4 Inch Screen etc .. its got Bluetooth for AirPods, and Wifi .. and everything on an Handheld which is only that big as an Original GBA..
 
Some days ago I watched a TV Serie of short movies about videogames, it is called "Secret Level", I didn't know most of the games in it, and one Episode, called "Sifu", got my interest because seemed like from a game of martial arts combat...
well... yesterday the Epic Store, released "Sifu" for FREE !!
It's a really cool gift for the new year.

Sifu

The story is about a life dedicated to vengeance, and that's it, it's a combat game, you need nothing more.
I'm just scratching the surface of the game, but I like what I did for now, there is a way to use the surroundings in a strategic way, to separate enemies or to get some improvised weapons, there are many moves to counter different attacks and the combat is developed in a way that it is "visually" most of the time an "arm wrestling" before being able to get an open for the real hit.
The main character is absolutely not a tank, and is easy to lose even with a single adversary, so the entire game needs skills and perfect timings to survive groups of enemies... happened once that my character died in a single hit to the head that came from a bottle launched by a distant enemy...
The particularity of the game is how death is managed... the main character has a medallion that can resurrect for a limited number of times, and every time this happens the protagonist becomes older... you need to finish the entire game with at least one life (obviously), but the age is persistent, so if you die too many times in the previous chapters, finishing the game could become very difficult...
Personally, before saving, I'm redoing the chapters until I'm able to finish them without die.
If I have to find bad things to say about the game, maybe I miss a "flow" of combat, it has not animations of movements for every single position, so sometimes seems like to play with old beat'em ups... also I'm not so into the graphic style, it's a little squared ... but considering the complexity of the combat system I can understand that the engine needs a less complex graphic.



Wizard of Legends

Update:
WTF !!! I beat the first BOSS ... TWICE !!!
But still I feel so impossibly far from finishing it ...
 
Finished HL2 + episodes 1, 2. The latter ends in a cliffhanger - meh. The German translation is bad, was apparently done without knowing any context. Didn't like the voice acting that much either. Enjoyed the music quite a lot OTOH. There's not much, but when it happens, it's great.
This year Valve would release something 'new'. I would guess probably a console + controller, since the SteamDeck is still okay for now. And they still have a project for a modular VR headset (Deckard).
But there is a rumor they are also internally testing (friends & family) a project named 'HLX' which is rumored to be 'HL3' (but I'm not so sure about that, but still 'HL3 confirmed!").
So who knows, you might be able to play a new HL game this year...

Although in reality I expect Valve to rework a game after play-testing like they did in the past which can delay a game for 1 year easily. So I don't see them delaying any hardware releases for this purpose.
Except if the game would be like HL Alyx which would require the hardware they are going to release.

Sifu

The story is about a life dedicated to vengeance, and that's it, it's a combat game, you need nothing more.
I'm just scratching the surface of the game, but I like what I did for now, there is a way to use the surroundings in a strategic way, to separate enemies or to get some improvised weapons, there are many moves to counter different attacks and the combat is developed in a way that it is "visually" most of the time an "arm wrestling" before being able to get an open for the real hit.
The main character is absolutely not a tank, and is easy to lose even with a single adversary, so the entire game needs skills and perfect timings to survive groups of enemies... happened once that my character died in a single hit to the head that came from a bottle launched by a distant enemy...
The particularity of the game is how death is managed... the main character has a medallion that can resurrect for a limited number of times, and every time this happens the protagonist becomes older... you need to finish the entire game with at least one life (obviously), but the age is persistent, so if you die too many times in the previous chapters, finishing the game could become very difficult...
Personally, before saving, I'm redoing the chapters until I'm able to finish them without die.
If I have to find bad things to say about the game, maybe I miss a "flow" of combat, it has not animations of movements for every single position, so sometimes seems like to play with old beat'em ups... also I'm not so into the graphic style, it's a little squared ... but considering the complexity of the combat system I can understand that the engine needs a less complex graphic.
I never started with this game as I know it as a "too complex", just like those precision platform games, which isn't always what I'm looking for in a game. Mostly because I can't guarantee I have enough play-time to finish the game in a single period of time without losing the skills which are required to actually complete the game.
 
I know it as a "too complex"
I read a lot of reviews that told the same, but I'm not sure what kind of gamers wrote them ... at least at the default difficulty (the middle one), I didn't find it so complex, there are listed more unlockable moves but in the intro tutorial you already see all the possible attacks you can receive and how to counter them, but all are avoidable with just a step back in the game.

I can compare this game with other types of combat games, in order of difficulty from easier to harder:

  1. Mad Max, Batman Arkham Serie, Middle-Earth Serie, are all free flow combat games that have simple controls, and I find them easy to learn but hard to master... but the "easy to learn" is just enough to make you finish the game, you just need to evade, counter and attack, three buttons pressed just once per move.
  2. The Witcher 3, do I have to explain ?
  3. Sifu, has simple moves that are already effective if correctly timed, then there are more "complex" moves, but them are not so complex, it's like UP,DOWN,FAST PUNCH or UP,DOWN,POWERFUL PUNCH, etc... not so different from the first "Street Fighters II".
  4. Kingdome Come: Deliverance, the combat system is so complex for me that most of the time I just run away, or at least I use a shield ...
  5. The Surge (I read it is considered a Souls-Like, but I never played a DarkSouls game...), it has a different combat move in every single button of the gamepad, the evasion is not "just" an evasion, you must time correctly the direction or if you are lowering or jumping, because every single attack must be evaded in the exactly right way... I don't even speak about the attack patterns ... I never beat the first Boss in two years of tries, and the first time I played, the first "lowest level" enemy killed me for like ten times.
 
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For whatever reason Sifu reminds me of God Hand and Old Boy.

YT embed of God Hand review:


Edit: Apparently I am not alone.

Old Boy Corridor Fight Scene:


Sifu recreation:
 
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I didn't remember to tell an important thing about the combat system of Sifu, when you do a finish move, no other enemy will attack you until the cinematic is finished, and this makes the game a lot easier when inside a group of enemies... you just need to concentrate fast on one of them at a time.
 
I've been playing my new MiSTER Pi, just testing it really for Saturn & N64, the consoles I intend to use it for, as well as SNES for which a SNAC (low latency controller adapter) was bundled. Goldeneye 007, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Daytona USA, Pariodius, Star Fox 64, Perfect Dark, Super Mario World. Everything is snappier and crisper. The music and sound effects are as I remember. Star Fox in particular really plays the way it should, feels excellent and is therefor easier and more fun. I didn't even touch the arcade games but did run update_all.sh.. Deluxe retro gaming. We should all have MiSTERs.
 
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