Vidya Games Thread

[God's Strongest Dragoon]

That's terrific. How does this change the fact that playstation 5 has no games and the switch is a dodgy underpowered crappy handheld and we would be much better off having a real console and a portable, separate.

Because if the rumors are true, the Switch 2 is basically the Switch 1 but with somewhere between a PS4 and PS4 Pro in terms of power, which is perfectly fine seeing as how every dev is still releasing versions of their games for the PS4. So saying that their dodgy underpowered crappy handheld is the best selling console of all time but now it's going to be able to actually play most games without dropping to single digit frames while doing basic mechanics is terrifying to Sony. Nintendo will most definitely still deliver the worst online service imaginable while still having the audacity to charge people for it. Xbox Live for the Xbox 360 is still lightyears ahead of the Switch's online experience.

I can't look back on a single online MP game I've played on the Switch and think positively about it.

 

[El Rrata]

Won't it still be ARM-based? If so, I have serious doubts Switch 2 will actually get proper 3rd party support. I also have doubts it will be much better than a Steam Deck without sacrificing battery life.

 

[Abomination]

God damn, I miss the days of the PS2. Shit's been downhill since those days ended...

 

[Security]

God damn, I miss the days of the PS2. Shit's been downhill since those days ended...

The beginning of the end, that generation.

 

[I Wanna Die]

Won't it still be ARM-based? If so, I have serious doubts Switch 2 will actually get proper 3rd party support. I also have doubts it will be much better than a Steam Deck without sacrificing battery life.

They'd have to be crazy to go for something weaker than the Steamdeck when that's already outdone in the handheld market by the Z1 extreme handhelds (which is like a 2 year old chip itself), but they're Nintendo so that will absolutely be the case.

 

[Smelliest007]

The combat was janky but you could get into the flow of it okay. The world once you got out of Velen's mudhole was great. The middle parts of the plot were good, even if everything past the point of no return was meh. Hearts of Stone was a big improvement on the base game, and Blood & Wine was peak. Both made big strides in terms of both writing and cinematography.

I finished the game, put in 60 hours, I didn't find any of the main plot or side quests compelling. Hearts of Stone was better and I was too bored of the game to play Blood & Wine.

 

[RestlessRain]

That's terrific. How does this change the fact that playstation 5 has no games and the switch is a dodgy underpowered crappy handheld and we would be much better off having a real console and a portable, separate.

I don't get why you think a dedicated Nintendo handheld console would be more powerful than what the Switch is. Nintendo handhelds were never computing or graphical powerhouses, and if it were a dedicated portable console, it would be even smaller than what it is, and consequentially less powerful. I think that's fine too - there should be a cheaper handheld console on offer. If you want a high-end portable console, get a Steam Deck instead.

 

[UberSoldat]

Angry Joe's Veilguard review. Right from the thumbnail you know this is gonna be good

 

[Zizara]

After stating that they wouldn't be adding any more content to BG3, Larian have announced 12 new subclasses to be introduced in their upcoming Patch 8.

Happy to see a lot of these being added, though some of their choices seem a bit bizzare. Hexblade Warlock for example has already had the most important bits of its kit homebrewed into Pact of the Blade specifically to enable the Charisma Bladelock build, so adding it feels a bit redundant. Even if they overhaul the Patron why not put all that work into something totally different? Tome needs attention.
Shadow Sorcerer is fine but feels a bit thematically redundant with Shadowheart, and Abberant Mind/Divine Soul Sorcerers have been begging to be added to BG3 given how well they would integrate with the plot.
Playing a full party of Druids from different Circles does seem like a fun idea though.

 

[Helkar]

PoE in general has a problem where it pretends to be a fun free game, but then makes you pay $300 for stash tabs to make the game actually playable.

Who the fuck needs $300 in tabs? Just install a loot filter, it's free.

But yes, PoE comes with a box-price, only it allows you to thoroughly(indefinitely) try it out first before committing to paying anything.

 

[RestlessRain]

The game that has taken the place of Diablo for me is Grim Dawn. Great game, lots of build options and levelling choices without being too much or too difficult to understand. Superb quality all round, would recommend if you want a game that fills the Diablo-shaped hole in your heart.

 

[CalciumAnimal]

Hexblade Warlock for example has already had the most important bits of its kit homebrewed into Pact of the Blade specifically to enable the Charisma Bladelock build,

Hexblade doubles up on bonuses for attacking a marked target and heals after and hex warrior allows you to be stupid flexible in chosen weapon if you have pact of the blade. now you can blade lock with that 40 pound culvern you looted last session when the gm was trying to find his notes on Admiral Greatcod last of his line.

Essentially this enables you to snipe targets with a ranged weapon or go into polearm builds or even seek out crits far better then a basic bladelock can.

Bladelocks:hit you with the sword

Hexlocks:can hit you with any weapon at any time effectively

 

[agility_]

because buying one system is a Win not a loss. i get people like to shit on nintendo but the switch being portable is the weirdest thing to mock it for and still it's major selling point for a lot of people.

Look I don't wish to reignite Le Console Wars, but the only (and I mean only) selling point to the switch is that JP developers have latched on to it.

The switch's portability is a selling gimmick at best and history has shown, through the gba, DS, psp, that having a separate dedicated platform for portable yields better 1) development 2) focused gameplay 3) enhanced local multiplayer (yes) and most importantly a battery life that isn't laughable. You can throw the mobile argument to my face again, and I get that, but I'm talking real games here, not legalized kid gambling like gachas.
Yes I do acknowledge that Joe Salaryman is glued to his gacha on the train home from work, and yes I am insisting that there's still room in the market for monster hunter psp and pokemon, and who knows what else.

I don't get why you think a dedicated Nintendo handheld console would be more powerful than what the Switch is. Nintendo handhelds were never computing or graphical powerhouses, and if it were a dedicated portable console, it would be even smaller than what it is, and consequentially less powerful. I think that's fine too - there should be a cheaper handheld console on offer. If you want a high-end portable console, get a Steam Deck instead.

Because I think power on a portable is a meme. If you look at the biggest portable cashcows, and you realize that local multiplayer options is what sold them, not visual acuity or surround sound, you'd see that hardware devs have lost focus and have gotten caught up in the useless graphical arms race to nowhere. It's the same thing for laptops: performance at the cost of power, or the reverse, pick one. With portables, fidelity and immersion was never the main selling point. And if your living room games console has to do everything both sitting on a table and on the go, its performance has been savagely curtailed by those same restritctions.

 

[CalciumAnimal]

Look I don't wish to reignite Le Console Wars, but the only (and I mean only) selling point to the switch is that JP developers have latched on to it.

The switch's portability is a selling gimmick at best and history has shown, through the gba, DS, psp, that having a separate dedicated platform for portable yields better 1) development 2) focused gameplay 3) enhanced local multiplayer (yes) and most importantly a battery life that isn't laughable. You can throw the mobile argument to my face again, and I get that, but I'm talking real games here, not legalized kid gambling like gachas.
Yes I do acknowledge that Joe Salaryman is glued to his gacha on the train home from work, and yes I am insisting that there's still room in the market for monster hunter psp and pokemon, and who knows what else.



Because I think power on a portable is a meme. If you look at the biggest portable cashcows, and you realize that local multiplayer options is what sold them, not visual acuity or surround sound, you'd see that hardware devs have lost focus and have gotten caught up in the useless graphical arms race to nowhere. It's the same thing for laptops: performance at the cost of power, or the reverse, pick one. With portables, fidelity and immersion was never the main selling point. And if your living room games console has to do everything both sitting on a table and on the go, its performance has been savagely curtailed by those same restritctions.

You spent way too many words saying "switch bad because all i know is mobile games" It's amazing for smaller games and indie stuff Hades plays exactly the same on it as it does on a bigger computer as an example same with Balatro

There's also the usual offerings from nintendo which your suspiciously ignoring the level based mario games are perfect for short gaming spurts between commutes or on a lunch break not everything has to be a shitty gatcha and that your laser focused on that is really suspicious.


Why not stick to the usual talking points of it's shitty specs as a machine at least then you have a leg to stand on.

You can have both Visuals while not being tied down to a over sized tv screen it's not one of the other thats what compromise is enough power for the games to be playable while retaining the advantages of portability

 

[Security]

The Switch is the only console that has a selling point, and it is "Nintendo Games." Sony and Microsoft got nothing with their lesser-PC boxes. Hell that was pretty much the case with the last generation, but is assuredly so now.

 

[UberSoldat]

The game that has taken the place of Diablo for me is Grim Dawn. Great game, lots of build options and levelling choices without being too much or too difficult to understand. Superb quality all round, would recommend if you want a game that fills the Diablo-shaped hole in your heart.

I've been dabbling into Titan Quest and have had Inquisitor Martyr on my wishlist for a little bit now. I definitely wanna get into Diablo 2 without giving Blizzard my money and it seems the only way to do that is to get a key, can't sail the seas with a buddy otherwise.

 

[CalciumAnimal]

The Switch is the only console that has a selling point, and it is "Nintendo Games." Sony and Microsoft got nothing with their lesser-PC boxes. Hell that was pretty much the case with the last generation, but is assuredly so now.

I sitll hope and pray that whatever the Switch 2 turns out to be they stick with it's gimmick and refine it.

or they could continue to let sony and microsoft sell exactly the same products until they melt into one Cronenberg monster.

 

[Twin Adder]

Spoiler: Unprompted FFXIV Sperging

Final Fantasy XIV just released its newest Ultimate Raid, Futures Rewritten Ultimate. For those unaware, FFXIV Ultimate raids are the toughest content in the game. They're mostly around 20 mins long fights with no checkpoints and all 8 players have to play absolutely perfectly and one person's mistake usually wipes the run.

Here's an example of one of things you have to do perfectly in the current fight

Every run, everyone will be assigned a random role, you will have to determine what your role is and resolve that mechanic correctly. Then move on to solving the next mechanic in this 20 min long fight and any person's mistake at any time means back to start with you.

Ultimate raiding is really just about grinding the fight over and over and over again until every mechanic is muscle memory to all 8 people and all of you can solve every possible role or combination given to you in your sleep. But I feel like most of the difficulty in Ultimate raids comes from needing to organize and schedule 8 people together. If it were a single player hard content challenge then you'd just be able to no life grind it whenever you want and stop and try again later whenever you want. But if you're playing with a static group of people then you have to respect whatever schedule all of you have agreed upon. 8 people can't just play whenever the 1 person feels like it.

I played through Ultima Weapon Ultimate (the "easiest" Ultimate raid) with a static group. We played every weekend night and it was fun when we did finally get our clear. But I was miserable those few months. Sometimes I want to spend my weekends playing FFXIV but other times I want to play a different game or touch grass or even just sleep early. The people I cleared UWU with wanted to do FRU together but I declined. They didn't take it badly and they managed to find a replacement. Now I'm watching the FRU World Race and the fight looks really really cool and I'd love to be able to play it but it's just sadly not for me.

Successfully pulling off those complicated dance moves while still performing your optimal damage rotation feels great. Watching your successful replays looks satisfying. And effortlessly completing a mechanic you used to struggle with but now you've memorized after bashing your head in it for weeks feels satisfying. Which just makes me feel worse for filtering myself off of Ultimates. I guess Savage is as far as I go. Which is actually fucking double bad for me because the next Savage tier is in March which is also when Xenoblade X DE releases aaaaaa

 

[Punished Anime Discusser]

Here's an example of one of things you have to do perfectly in the current fight

Welcome back Light Rampant Cock & Ball Torture!

 

[God's Strongest Dragoon]

After stating that they wouldn't be adding any more content to BG3, Larian have announced 12 new subclasses to be introduced in their upcoming Patch 8.

Happy to see a lot of these being added, though some of their choices seem a bit bizzare. Hexblade Warlock for example has already had the most important bits of its kit homebrewed into Pact of the Blade specifically to enable the Charisma Bladelock build, so adding it feels a bit redundant. Even if they overhaul the Patron why not put all that work into something totally different? Tome needs attention.
Shadow Sorcerer is fine but feels a bit thematically redundant with Shadowheart, and Abberant Mind/Divine Soul Sorcerers have been begging to be added to BG3 given how well they would integrate with the plot.
Playing a full party of Druids from different Circles does seem like a fun idea though.

...Larian please....just fix True Strike....it's the most garbage ability in the game