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RenegadeMonster said:
All these posts have me debating whether or not I want to pick Elden Ring back up. I gave up on it last year because it was just too hard. I was just getting my ass handed to me over and over and didn't seem to be making any progress.
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I personally don’t find an issue with grinding a bit and leveling up. Some people will say that’s cheating. But it’s in the game and you can do what you want. Plus it helps make the game more fun. If you’re not having fun don’t play it.

if you’re dying often, that’s the game too, you will die a lot. But if you are spending hours and hours and hours on a boss or section then I would try grinding to Git Gud.
ayayrawn said:
I actually really like Dark Souls 2 because it was my addiction entry into the series, but I think most people consider it the worst one. It's linear, repetitive, and not super difficult. It's still a good time, though.
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The “not super difficult” may be why I like it so much. Each section does feel samey in layout and progress. I don’t mind the linear-ness of it though. I’d rather be shown where to go/what to do than have no idea.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
All these posts have me debating whether or not I want to pick Elden Ring back up. I gave up on it last year because it was just too hard. I was just getting my ass handed to me over and over and didn't seem to be making any progress.
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it's tough, I got so completely sucked into the game that I was completely willing to grind and practice when I would get stuck... but if I wasn't so enthralled with the game I don't think I would have had the desire to see it through as it gave me as much frustration as it did enjoyment. but that desire to see the next awe inspiring area and see the next insane boss was always pulling me in.
 
Started playing Torchlight: Infinite the other day...and like Diablo (or any endgame grind shit), the second I finish the story and begin the endgame grinding I get bored as hell.
 
LeeVing said:
Started playing Torchlight: Infinite the other day...and like Diablo (or any endgame grind shit), the second I finish the story and begin the endgame grinding I get bored as hell.
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The original Torchlight was one of the games to get my fix while waiting for Diablo 3 back in the day.
Path of Exile was another one - I played so many hours of those.
 
zomgbear said:
The original Torchlight was one of the games to get my fix while waiting for Diablo 3 back in the day.
Path of Exile was another one - I played so many hours of those.
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Yeah...I played all 3 Torchlights, but I wasn't sure how this "free" version was going to be. The story line was fine, if a bit short. I'm just not into endgame grinding...and then all the different in-game currency they have for it...it's a bit much.
 
While you guys have been grinding through Elden Ring and chasing sidequests in other games I've made the same mistake I've been essentially making since 1996: I've started playing Civ 6 again.

Every few years I fire up a Civ game, and like clockwork about a month goes by when I neglect my family, am bleary-eyed and late for work, and my dreams are structured around tech trees and unit promotions. Then I have to put it away and not look at it for a year or two for the health of my human relationships.

But right now, today, at this moment, I'm pissed that I was three turns from the end with a huge lead in culture and an exoplanet mission on it's way and the god damn Scythians snuck in and stole a "diplomatic victory" out from under me. We were allies! Did they secretly get the Cree to declare a surprise war on me? And how did they pull that off when I was suzerain of nearly all of the city-states in the game??

I may need an intervention. Although not until I turn off the diplomacy victory condition and take another swing at this...
 
I have a confession to make, guys.. I'm actually having a great time with Pokemon Scarlet. There's no excuse for a game of this caliber to look this bad, and it sometimes is shockingly so, but the gameplay really is so good. If they had spent another year and cleaned it up, this would've been the GOAT.
 
CroutonBoy said:
While you guys have been grinding through Elden Ring and chasing sidequests in other games I've made the same mistake I've been essentially making since 1996: I've started playing Civ 6 again.

Every few years I fire up a Civ game, and like clockwork about a month goes by when I neglect my family, am bleary-eyed and late for work, and my dreams are structured around tech trees and unit promotions. Then I have to put it away and not look at it for a year or two for the health of my human relationships.
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That’s me but with JRPGs
 
ayayrawn said:
I have a confession to make, guys.. I'm actually having a great time with Pokemon Scarlet. There's no excuse for a game of this caliber to look this bad, and it sometimes is shockingly so, but the gameplay really is so good. If they had spent another year and cleaned it up, this would've been the GOAT.
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I was just coming here to give an update on my experience with Scarlet so far! It hasn't been my main game and I've only been playing in bites, but I had a couple longer sessions this weekend, am about 2/3 through, and have thots:
  • I think the open world has its share of pros and cons. A big pro is the variety of tasks; I like that you're free to approach the three main storylines as you please. I think there are some hints of the sense of possibility/adventure the first couple generations excelled in, but the utter same-ness of the map is underwhelming. Towns feel empty, and I actually feel less exploring or chatting up every npc.
  • This could also be a downside of the open world: while on the page an open world sounds like a lot of fun, the stats-based backbone of combat makes the whole point moot: what freedom is there in being able to approach a high-level battle is undercut by the fact that there's no point in taking that battle on. This isn't an action-rpg where you could take on endgame from the start as long as you have the patience and coordination; you need to have enough gym badges to catch/control a pokemon capable of taking on higher level bosses.
    • At a certain point I looked up the ideal progression path; despite "open world" implying freedom, there's a clear ideal path, unless you want to struggle with some gyms and slice through others. I think the map could've reflected these ideal paths a little better; I agree it's bad when you feel like you're walking down a narrow corridor, but a 100-foot-wide corridor is just a more-confusing, lonelier corridor.
    • There's zero indication of what level a given pokemon/trainer is at. This means running into battles you're in no way prepared for, like all the time. If you're lucky or intuitive enough to travel along the intended path, you won't have issues, but if you like jumping around you'll find yourself under or overpowered a lot (truly, I don't know what's worse, jumping into a battle you can't handle, or jumping into one that isn't worth the time). At one point I was running to a level-40 gym, but all the trainers and monsters on the path were level 55+. Once I got to the town and to the path on the other side, all the trainers were around level 35, and their battles yielded little exp for my ~45 team. It's screwy.
    • All that could be solved with a topographic-style "heat map" that lets you see the general level range of different zones. Instead they make you fly blind.
  • I have mixed feelings about the automatic, unremovable exp share, as well as having access to your pokemon storage anywhere. I like that I can swap out fainted pokemon when exploring. However, I don't feel deeply invested in my team; the previous necessity of battling with pokemon you wish to level up infused a sense of personal investment, as well as forced you to actually assess which monsters you find useful in a battle.
  • Even when level-matched, battles are actually challenging. I was worried they'd have dumbed down the game a bit to appeal to youngsters, but I've been spat out of a few gyms and had to rethink my strategy, level up, and try again.
  • I quite enjoy the story after the first two hours of cutscenes; I hear the endgame story comes together quite nicely, which I'm looking forward to. That said, I kind of hate that I have a legendary pokemon within the first hour: there's less sense of progression when you already have a legendary pokemon.
  • I haven't returned to the school since the first hour or so.
Despite these gripes, overall I'm enjoying myself; while I'd say the franchise seems to struggle with the transition into 3D and would be better off embracing a top-down perspective, at it's heart it's a pokemon game, and pokemon games are fun. I love my little monster friends.
 
Bull Shannon said:
  • At a certain point I looked up the ideal progression path; despite "open world" implying freedom, there's a clear ideal path, unless you want to struggle with some gyms and slice through others. I think the map could've reflected these ideal paths a little better; I agree it's bad when you feel like you're walking down a narrow corridor, but a 100-foot-wide corridor is just a more-confusing, lonelier corridor.
  • There's zero indication of what level a given pokemon/trainer is at. This means running into battles you're in no way prepared for, like all the time. If you're lucky or intuitive enough to travel along the intended path, you won't have issues, but if you like jumping around you'll find yourself under or overpowered a lot (truly, I don't know what's worse, jumping into a battle you can't handle, or jumping into one that isn't worth the time). At one point I was running to a level-40 gym, but all the trainers and monsters on the path were level 55+. Once I got to the town and to the path on the other side, all the trainers were around level 35, and their battles yielded little exp for my ~45 team. It's screwy.
  • All that could be solved with a topographic-style "heat map" that lets you see the general level range of different zones. Instead they make you fly blind.
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oof this is not good. What's the point of open world if you can't possibly beat a trainer or clear an area at any level of experience. Games like Elden Ring, BOTW, etc, have it where you theoretically could take on the toughest enemies and beat them with zero experience or leveling. Pokemon would have to change A LOT about the fighting mechanics for an open world to work in the same ways as those two games.
 
that was a good Direct. not much upfront for me, but I've called Metroid Prime my favorite game of all time since I played it, but haven't played it since Game Cube so am excited to replay it. Zelda looks fantastic. GB coming to NSO/GBA coming to Expansion Pack is really sweet... though I still don't have Expansion Pack
 
Tillman said:
that was a good Direct. not much upfront for me, but I've called Metroid Prime my favorite game of all time since I played it, but haven't played it since Game Cube so am excited to replay it. Zelda looks fantastic. GB coming to NSO/GBA coming to Expansion Pack is really sweet... though I still don't have Expansion Pack
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Metroid Prime is probably my favorite game of all time too. Kind of bummed it wasn't the whole trilogy remastered, but I'll take it. I currently own the trilogy on Wii U, but it requires a wii mote, which I don't have anymore. Plus the new controls should make it fresh.

Pikmin 4 I think looks pretty good as well.

Certain Zelda will be great, but the 30 second teasers the last like 3 or 4 directs have me kind of annoyed lol show us why this took so long to make/why it's $70!!
 
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