It's been years since I last played Resident Evil 4 but I can't remember if it's normal to be this strapped for resources by the third act. I was fine for a while but the island is really kicking my rear.

Same experience here, every time I play.

I completed Mass Effect Andromeda yesterday. Mixed feelings on it, the first half is a bit crap but the second half gets a lot better. Voice acting was good but the actual writing not great - lots of trendy quips and sound bites as if it was written by a bunch of mid 20somethings.

The overall story is quite good although the second-in-command bad guy gets introduced and killed off in quick succession and the final chapter has you assault a doom fortress, then go do some menu based space exploration which brings the climactic pacing to a screeching halt, then back to the doom fortress to finish off the climax.

It's much better than its reputation though.

I've been playing some games to decide the next RPG to tackle:

Path of Exile
So far a really great Diablo clone, but I don't really consider these kinds of games to be "true" RPGs, so I decided to play this in addition to something else closer to what I consider to be an RPG.

I played this quite extensively years ago, but never completed it (20 hours in). I was surprised at how much of the game has changed since then... it almost feels like a new game. I'm using a Marauder this time and having a blast.

Baldur's Gate
I got addicted to this quite a while back, but started to get annoyed with the combat during Chapter 4 and stopped playing it. I picked it up again and made some progress in Chapter 4, but I really dislike Cloakwood Forest. It's a slight bump in difficulty from previous areas, which is fine, but more annoyingly it's just a bunch of walking through forest areas fighting the same groups of enemies over and over. I'd like to get this chapter over with as I suspect I'll get getting to Baldur's Gate in the next chapter, which will be a nice change of pace from the wilderness trekking.

I go back and forth on the combat in this. When it works, it's very thrilling. You can turn on party AI and blow through easier encounters quickly, and then turn off AI and micromanage your party in more difficult battles. When it doesn't work, it's frustrating and very unsatisfying. I find it very difficult to determine the areas of effect for spells, and have had no luck getting stuff like web to work well. I probably need to set aside an hour or so and just fool around with the AOE spells and figure them out.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-01-09, 12:59:

Baldur's Gate
I got addicted to this quite a while back, but started to get annoyed with the combat during Chapter 4 and stopped playing it. I picked it up again and made some progress in Chapter 4, but I really dislike Cloakwood Forest. It's a slight bump in difficulty from previous areas, which is fine, but more annoyingly it's just a bunch of walking through forest areas fighting the same groups of enemies over and over. I'd like to get this chapter over with as I suspect I'll get getting to Baldur's Gate in the next chapter, which will be a nice change of pace from the wilderness trekking.

I go back and forth on the combat in this. When it works, it's very thrilling. You can turn on party AI and blow through easier encounters quickly, and then turn off AI and micromanage your party in more difficult battles. When it doesn't work, it's frustrating and very unsatisfying. I find it very difficult to determine the areas of effect for spells, and have had no luck getting stuff like web to work well. I probably need to set aside an hour or so and just fool around with the AOE spells and figure them out.

It's funny, I played and completed Baldur's Gate for the first time in 2017. I remember having a lot of fun with it but had the same issues with combat that you're having. I imported my party into BG2, but every time I'm deciding on a next RPG, I pass up BG2. Eventually, I'll get to it, but I think it's my memories of the combat that keep pushing me away. The sad thing is, I've heard BG2 is even better than BG1, but I can't get myself to dive in.

I'm still playing Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. Now 10 hours in. I just reached the X18 Lab (the place with the floating boxes that get thrown at you and a door with a combo lock). So far I'm really enjoying it, but there are parts that aren't fleshed out well. There've been a number of times I have to look up what an icon means, or how to change ammo, etc. I still don't know what to do with the various artifacts I keep finding. Yeah, I can look it up, but the game hasn't really presented me with any relevant info other than the stats you see when you look at the items in your inventory. I can see there are slots I can drop them in to the right of the weapon slots, but the one time I messed around with this I suddenly died of radiation. 🤣. For now, I just keep collecting them and carry them around.

PS - I think it's funny that you can complete all objectives of a task, except collecting the reward, and if it's a timed task, you will FAIL that task just because you didn't collect your reward.

Knocked out a CyberRaptor in Bioforge. He woke up so I knocked him out again. If you ever encounter a CyberRaptor in real life - repeated head-kicks works well.

kolderman wrote on 2022-01-11, 18:56:

Knocked out a CyberRaptor in Bioforge. He woke up so I knocked him out again. If you ever encounter a CyberRaptor in real life - repeated head-kicks works well.

Loved Bioforge when it came out. Wish I had saved my boxed copy. I threw everything away back in those days.

I started playing Loom three versions:

1. Macintosh
2. Dos Ega with Roland MT32
3. VGA cd 256 colours

Mass Effect (PC)
I had already completed ME2 and ME3 on the PS3 many years ago, but had skipped ME1 because it hadn't been released on the PS3 at the time, and wouldn't be until the ME1-3 collection came out. I remember really enjoying ME2 (ME3 less so), but for some reason even though I've had ME1 on Steam for years, I never really played it.

I've put a few hours in, and I must say that I really like it, probably even more than ME2 so far. It's got a very different atmosphere/mood compared with ME2/3, with ME1 being like a low-mid budget 70s/80s sci-fi movie and ME2/3 being like its blockbuster sequels released 20 years later.

I also like how the game opens up after the first couple of hours. You're free to explore the galaxy, and can even land on some planets to explore. There's not much to find and the accessible portions of each planet are tiny, but it's just enough to make you feel like you are exploring space. The exploration, together with finding "treasure" (equipment upgrades, new equipment) in the combat sections makes ME1 feel a bit more like an RPG than the other games in the series.

I have some minor complaints so far. Animation is generally poor, and I have experienced some minor graphical glitches here and there. I've also noticed that a lot of the clothing textures are very low res (even with the texture LOD "bug" fixed by editing the ini file). The choices on the dialog wheel also sometimes don't really reflect what you end up actually saying. For example, I am playing as a "renegade" so I typically choose the asshole responses. When I finished a mission for the Asari consort, she rewarded me by giving me some kind of prophecy, so I answered "Is that it?" (I also know that there is this weird fetish for the Asari all through the series and I wanted to avoid it). I thought this would be taken as written, but the game assumed I meant "let's have sex" and played a little sex scene. Pretty lame.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-01-12, 00:52:

Mass Effect (PC) I had already completed ME2 and ME3 on the PS3 many years ago, but had skipped ME1 because it hadn't been relea […]
Show full quote

Mass Effect (PC)
I had already completed ME2 and ME3 on the PS3 many years ago, but had skipped ME1 because it hadn't been released on the PS3 at the time, and wouldn't be until the ME1-3 collection came out. I remember really enjoying ME2 (ME3 less so), but for some reason even though I've had ME1 on Steam for years, I never really played it.

I've put a few hours in, and I must say that I really like it, probably even more than ME2 so far. It's got a very different atmosphere/mood compared with ME2/3, with ME1 being like a low-mid budget 70s/80s sci-fi movie and ME2/3 being like its blockbuster sequels released 20 years later.

I also like how the game opens up after the first couple of hours. You're free to explore the galaxy, and can even land on some planets to explore. There's not much to find and the accessible portions of each planet are tiny, but it's just enough to make you feel like you are exploring space. The exploration, together with finding "treasure" (equipment upgrades, new equipment) in the combat sections makes ME1 feel a bit more like an RPG than the other games in the series.

I have some minor complaints so far. Animation is generally poor, and I have experienced some minor graphical glitches here and there. I've also noticed that a lot of the clothing textures are very low res (even with the texture LOD "bug" fixed by editing the ini file). The choices on the dialog wheel also sometimes don't really reflect what you end up actually saying. For example, I am playing as a "renegade" so I typically choose the asshole responses. When I finished a mission for the Asari consort, she rewarded me by giving me some kind of prophecy, so I answered "Is that it?" (I also know that there is this weird fetish for the Asari all through the series and I wanted to avoid it). I thought this would be taken as written, but the game assumed I meant "let's have sex" and played a little sex scene. Pretty lame.

I would recommend going to the legendary edition at some point, as the bugs you mentioned are fixed in it. Your saves might be cross compatible, but there would be the problem of the experience rate differential, as they made it actually possible to get to level 60 a single playthrough

BetaC wrote on 2022-01-12, 02:03:

I would recommend going to the legendary edition at some point, as the bugs you mentioned are fixed in it. Your saves might be cross compatible, but there would be the problem of the experience rate differential, as they made it actually possible to get to level 60 a single playthrough

Thanks for the recommendation, but I will stick with the original version. I'm not really into remasters and the minor graphical glitches don't really bother me much.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-01-12, 03:28:

BetaC wrote on 2022-01-12, 02:03:

I would recommend going to the legendary edition at some point, as the bugs you mentioned are fixed in it. Your saves might be cross compatible, but there would be the problem of the experience rate differential, as they made it actually possible to get to level 60 a single playthrough

Thanks for the recommendation, but I will stick with the original version. I'm not really into remasters and the minor graphical glitches don't really bother me much.

I own the original and its expansions and I refuse to play it again after finishing it once, that is how much I hate the atrocious controls. Have played the legendary version just recently and it was a much more enjoyable playthrough simply because it uses a control setup closer to ME2 and ME3.

People tend to just dismiss remasters as being nothing more than "MAH GRAPHICS" but the truth is, Bioware knew just how damn horrible ME1 was on PC, its was a direct Xbox port and it shows, the remaster should have been what they released to start with, not the nasty console port.

Even if you never own the legendary version, have a look at some playthroughs of it, you might just be surprised at how improved it is compared to the original not just in graphics but in gameplay, balancing, animations and controls.

I really don't have a problem with ME1 PC other than very minor graphical glitches. It plays fine with mouse + keyboard imo.

newtmonkey wrote on 2022-01-12, 03:28:

BetaC wrote on 2022-01-12, 02:03:

I would recommend going to the legendary edition at some point, as the bugs you mentioned are fixed in it. Your saves might be cross compatible, but there would be the problem of the experience rate differential, as they made it actually possible to get to level 60 a single playthrough

Thanks for the recommendation, but I will stick with the original version. I'm not really into remasters and the minor graphical glitches don't really bother me much.

Mass Effect is my favorite RPG series. I'm glad you're enjoying it. 😀

The Mako can be a bitch to maneuver, but it's so much fun to explore those planets. And kill tons of Geth in the process.

I enjoy ME1 the most, it really feels like a 80s SciFi movie. And an RPG. ME2 is a close second, because while there is less exploring of the same buildings on different planets, it manages to feel very epic at the end.

But, In ME2 your character sheet is.... tiny.

About the remaster it also includes all the DLCs. While that means 1 DLC for ME1 (Falling Skies, quite enjoyable), on the other hand it means a lot of additional content for ME2. That's very welcome in a game with less side quests and less exploration of bizarre planets.
For instance, Lair of the Shadow Broker is by far largest one (1,5 GB when downloaded from the Xbox 360 market place) and must play, especially if you like Liara.

The difference of tone between ME1 and ME2/3 is really there, and felt even by the characters. In ME2, if you talk to Garrus he will eventually say something like "come to think of it, I preferred blind optimism".

So now I am nearing the 100 hour mark (and probably 2/3 of the game) with Pathfinder: Kingmaker and I have to say it has gone from being a mediocre experience to moderately enjoyable. My main gripes with the game are still boring companions and a boring kitchen sink setting but the game mechanically redeemed itself. It throws a lot at you in Chapter 1, and learning the ropes of adventuring and kingdom management at the same time is a stressful experience, at times feels like a chore. But in the long run the game strikes a fine balance between making you feel like a real monarch with real duties and a badass adventurer. It's also fairly open-ended as far as I can see, with you being able to kill pretty much anyone or anything in the game, including any of your companions. The plot starts out pretty meh and kind of opens up once the world starts to make sense. World building is at fault here, the most interesting aspect of the setting (ie. the First World) is inadequately presented until you reach mid-game or so. Anyway, this has gone up from being a 5/10 game for me to a 6.5/10 at this point. I have a feeling it has a pretty good endgame (fingers crossed) and my final verdict may be even higher than this.

I can't wait to get this wrapped up and start playin some FPS games though. Pillars -> Tyranny -> Pillars 2 -> Kingmaker - I think I clocked in about 500+ hours of RPG gaming lately. Time for a break from this, Numenera and Wasteland 2 can wait 🤣.

xcomcmdr wrote on 2022-01-12, 08:11:

Mass Effect is my favorite RPG series. I'm glad you're enjoying it. :) […]
Show full quote

Mass Effect is my favorite RPG series. I'm glad you're enjoying it. 😀

The Mako can be a bitch to maneuver, but it's so much fun to explore those planets. And kill tons of Geth in the process.

I enjoy ME1 the most, it really feels like a 80s SciFi movie. And an RPG. ME2 is a close second, because while there is less exploring of the same buildings on different planets, it manages to feel very epic at the end.

But, In ME2 your character sheet is.... tiny.

About the remaster it also includes all the DLCs. While that means 1 DLC for ME1 (Falling Skies, quite enjoyable), on the other hand it means a lot of additional content for ME2. That's very welcome in a game with less side quests and less exploration of bizarre planets.
For instance, Lair of the Shadow Broker is by far largest one (1,5 GB when downloaded from the Xbox 360 market place) and must play, especially if you like Liara.

The difference of tone between ME1 and ME2/3 is really there, and felt even by the characters. In ME2, if you talk to Garrus he will eventually say something like "come to think of it, I preferred blind optimism".

Thanks, I really enjoyed ME2 back on the PS3, so I'm glad to find myself enjoying ME1 even more now! I did complete all the DLC for ME2/3, and agree that DLC added a lot to ME2.

Yakuza Like a Dragon, have never played a Yakuza game before but this first jaunt into one has been rather fun so far. I tried the English VA first but quickly switched to the Japanese VA, the English VA is pretty terrible honestly and you can tell the translation team didnt quite get some of the jokes and nuance of the Japanese version.

Not sure if Ill pick up the otehr Yakuza games but if anyone has any suggestions for what order to hit them in that would be great.

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-12, 07:26:

I own the original and its expansions and I refuse to play it again after finishing it once, that is how much I hate the atrocious controls. Have played the legendary version just recently and it was a much more enjoyable playthrough simply because it uses a control setup closer to ME2 and ME3.

I prefer the controls of ME1. It's supposed to be an RPG and the sequels felt more like an action game with a very bad sense of progression.

What I dislike is the inventory in ME1. It's one of the worst kind I've ever seen. And it doesn't help that there are thousands of junk items that teleports themselves into the player's inventory. Each item class has around half a dozen item variations and each of those variations has something like 8 levels, thus you have something like 40-ish assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, armors in all 3 weight class, etc which all feel the same. This also presents a bad sense of progression, only on a different level.

Action RPG is probably the hardest genre to make/balance. Implementing direct action elements without compromising the RPG systems is difficult. That's why I think a true RPG can only ever be turn based or real time with pause, where you 'order' your character/party members rather than directly 'control' them. When you introduce direct action elements (player skill) while the outcome is driven by stats (character skill) combat easily becomes unsatisfying/tedious/frustrating. If you eliminate stat based outcome, is that still an RPG?

Like in Daggerfall, swinging your sword and not hitting shit is unsatisfying/tedious/frustrating, eliminating stats, you get Skyrim combat, where skill level almost only governs damage output. It's more satisfying that if you swing at something, you'll hit it. Or you could have gone Dragon Age: Origins where the player is more detached from the character and as a result, performing the right action and failing won't feel bullshit, because it wasn't *you* who swung the sword, it was your character.

appiah4 wrote on 2022-01-12, 08:20:

I can't wait to get this wrapped up and start playin some FPS games though. Pillars -> Tyranny -> Pillars 2 -> Kingmaker - I think I clocked in about 500+ hours of RPG gaming lately. Time for a break from this, Numenera and Wasteland 2 can wait 🤣.

I know the feeling! Back when I played Wizardry 6 and 7 back to back, I needed a FPS break before getting onto Wiz8, so I played Wolfenstein2: TNC. Then another 150 hours on Wiz8. After that, I was so burned out on RPGs that I played three FPS games in a row, plus two DLCs:
Bioshock
Cybermage
Half-Life 2
HL2 E1
HL2 E2

I *try* to bounce back between RPG and FPS in a 1:1 ratio, but checking back on my completed games list, I see that I've played 23 RPGs to 18 FPSs. There's also several games in there with ambiguous genres.

clueless1 wrote on 2022-01-12, 11:45:

I *try* to bounce back between RPG and FPS in a 1:1 ratio, but checking back on my completed games list, I see that I've played 23 RPGs to 18 FPSs. There's also several games in there with ambiguous genres.

Same here. If I play too many games of the same type back to back, I get bored.

The only exceptions are when I'm replaying an entire series, as I recently did with the Thief games. But even then, three such games in a row is my limit. I definitively need some FPS action to break up an RPG streak, and vice versa. Throwing some classic strategy games into the mix helps too. And every once in a while, I'll go for a platformer, a space sim, or an adventure game to shake things up even further.