General Gaming Thread 2021

[MalaCloudy Black]

6 minutes ago, tristy said:

We've come full circle from 2000 I see.

 

[Ruki]

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a game that just does not end. Jeeze.

[Bobfoc]

I've seen a few people say it's too long.

[Draevyn]

1 hour ago, Bobfoc said:

I've seen a few people say it's too long.

Is that such a thing. I love games that are long just because you can work on them over a period of time. I guess this is also coming from a guy who has only really beaten a handful of games in his life as well so maybe it is a thing.

[Ruki]

I've started skipping collecting the side quests and collectibles completely. I've been rushing main quest arcs (3-4 hours each), and I'm still at 45 hours, with another 2-3 to go...I think?

 

There's also way too many levels ups. I'm level 205. The choices you make when you level feel so insignificant now.

[Bobfoc]

4 hours ago, Forky said:

Is that such a thing. I love games that are long just because you can work on them over a period of time. I guess this is also coming from a guy who has only really beaten a handful of games in his life as well so maybe it is a thing.

I think it can be, particularly if you're talking about games that are heavily story-driven. I think Bioshock is too long because, after a big reveal, there's a rather tedious fetch quest section before the final boss. I'd say the same thing about the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which has some great parts padded out with laborious filler. The Last of Us Part 2 also felt a bit artificially prolonged to me.

Like a film or book, certain games can outstay their welcome. I'd much rather play a three-hour game that's packed with fun than a forty-hour game that consists of twenty hours of mindless grinding or busywork.

[Draevyn]

1 minute ago, Bobfoc said:

I think it can be, particularly if you're talking about games that are heavily story-driven. I think Bioshock is too long because, after a big reveal, there's a rather tedious fetch quest section before the final boss. I'd say the same thing about the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which has some great parts padded out with laborious filler. The Last of Us Part 2 also felt a bit artificially prolonged to me.

Like a film or book, certain games can outstay their welcome. I'd much rather play a three-hour game that's packed with fun than a forty-hour game that consists of twenty hours of mindless grinding or busywork.

I play MMO's so I guess that's why I'm more partial to the grind.

[GoGo Yubari]

I get the vibe that there's a core audience of people for whom these recent Assassin's Creed games are just like... the game they buy, and for a long stretch of time it's just the only game they play, so the fact that they're just loaded to the gills with sidequests and so on even by Ubisoft game standards is a feature, not a bug.

Personally, I still have yet to start Origins, let alone Valhalla. Should probably do that this year...

[gunnar hendershow]

There's a line, but overall I love doing side quests and exploring. Problem is if the overall mechanics of them doing are just identical or the same thing every time. Even some variety, say 8 different types of side quests spread throughout, is enough. But the best games with side quests have multiple side stories that are almost games unto themselves to do.

I've not played an AC game in awhile but I've kind of gotten the vibe the side quests are less world-building as much as they are collectathons. Which runs the risk of just doing the same thing 20 times. 

[Draevyn]

3 minutes ago, damshow said:

There's a line, but overall I love doing side quests and exploring. Problem is if the overall mechanics of them doing are just identical or the same thing every time. Even some variety, say 8 different types of side quests spread throughout, is enough. But the best games with side quests have multiple side stories that are almost games unto themselves to do.

I've not played an AC game in awhile but I've kind of gotten the vibe the side quests are less world-building as much as they are collectathons. Which runs the risk of just doing the same thing 20 times. 

Yeah I do feel like they've moved away from side quests as part of an additional story and more side quests for the sake of side quests. Assassin's isn't the only offender with this but I do wish they'd go back to the side story over the collect-a-thons.

[gunnar hendershow]

57 minutes ago, Forky said:

Yeah I do feel like they've moved away from side quests as part of an additional story and more side quests for the sake of side quests. Assassin's isn't the only offender with this but I do wish they'd go back to the side story over the collect-a-thons.

I don't mind a collectathon part. Collect 100 really well hidden things is a fucking blast. But when every side quest variant boils down to that with interchangeable characters and stories? Takes the fun out 

[DavidMarrio]

On 21/02/2021 at 15:35, Ruki Returns said:

I've started skipping collecting the side quests and collectibles completely. I've been rushing main quest arcs (3-4 hours each), and I'm still at 45 hours, with another 2-3 to go...I think?

 

There's also way too many levels ups. I'm level 205. The choices you make when you level feel so insignificant now.

I finished the game in 140hours having done everything. This is also including time of taking the piss with things and messing about but yeh. I'm the type of person who tries to do everything but in the end it did start to feel too Grundy. 

Also fuck Cairns. Such an annoying side mystery with the rubbish physics some of them have. 

21 hours ago, GoGo Yubari said:

I get the vibe that there's a core audience of people for whom these recent Assassin's Creed games are just like... the game they buy, and for a long stretch of time it's just the only game they play, so the fact that they're just loaded to the gills with sidequests and so on even by Ubisoft game standards is a feature, not a bug.

Personally, I still have yet to start Origins, let alone Valhalla. Should probably do that this year...

This is the first Assassin's Creed game I've played since the Xbox 360 and tbh it is probably one of the only games I've played lately as I do tend to play the one main story game and then other games on the side which aren't as story driven. So I think you're probably spot on there 

19 hours ago, damshow said:

I don't mind a collectathon part. Collect 100 really well hidden things is a fucking blast. But when every side quest variant boils down to that with interchangeable characters and stories? Takes the fun out 

Some of the side quests were naff but I did appreciate some of them and find them a bit...funny/charming such as one with a The Prodigy reference and there's one about Worcestershire Sauce. But yeh a lot are a bit crap. 

Ubisoft pretty much follow the same pattern but change it slightly to fit the game franchise it is. Overload with a big map and side quests for the sake of it.

I miss Splinter Cell but they'd probably find a way to add microtransactions and a massive map and side quests to that  

[Ruki]

https://kotaku.com/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-delayed-past-2021-1846333086?rev=1614066466752&utm_campaign=Kotaku&utm_content=1614066534&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook

[RazorsEdge]

33 minutes ago, Ruki Returns said:

https://kotaku.com/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-delayed-past-2021-1846333086?rev=1614066466752&utm_campaign=Kotaku&utm_content=1614066534&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook

Fuck. Changing studios is huge - I wouldn't be shocked if its never released.

[apsham]

 

[OctoberRaven]

Fucking hell.....

[Bobfoc]

The recent Tony Hawk remasters are coming to Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Next-gen upgrades will cost $10 unless you own the digital deluxe version because Activision is so strapped for cash after paying no tax.

[OctoberRaven]

So it's kind of in a grey area so I won't be sharing a link here, but if anyone (probably just me and GhostMachine) remembers City of Heroes fondly, there's unofficial servers around for it now.

[lanky316]

Best MMO ever

[Your Mom]

 

It's like Christmas!