I'm re-starting Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. I was thinking of it as GTA: Bolivia, but it's a little bit more like Freedom Fighters, which was a 3rd-person game where commanding your squad was the central gameplay mechanic.
So far I'm enjoying it a bunch. Creep-then-pop-'em stealth gameplay has pleasant suspense elements. There are a bunch of different things to collect around the map, which are used as prerequisites for unlocking the skill tree. So I'm compelled as a player to explore, undertake different mission types, and engage the game, in order to unlock a more powerful version of my character.
Started up Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. I like it!
I was glad to find the timing aspects of the combat to be extremely manageable. Normally I am frustrated by these timed-combat RPGs--I never beat Legend of Dragoon, and I finished Shadow Hearts with gritted teeth.
This is real breezy by comparison.
In general I find myself agreeing with but also sort of amused by the insanely strong reception the game has gotten. It's good! But also feels like something--as an RPG nerd--I have seen many times before. I find myself thinking about FFXIII a lot when I play.
And I definitely think they deserve some feedback for the level design. Sometimes I have to pause and scan the screen like a damn magic eye picture to figure out where to go next.
I don't like JRPGs in general, but everyone is so excited for Expedition 33 that it's got me curious.
08-21-2025, 01:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-21-2025, 01:22 AM by books.)
Fell down the Tom Clancy's Breakpoint rabbit hole the past few weeks. Holy shit this game is great; customize the shit outta the settings so its a hardcore mil-sim and its a super fun yet stressful ass game. Its Rambo. Not as good as Wildlands since I like to kill "drug dealers," but the animation and other qol totally make up for it. Too bad I dont get into these games while they're hot but only after they're on a deep discount.
Edit- reviews and general consensus says the game sucks, but they're factually wrong. Shits great.
(05-23-2025, 03:25 AM)chronovore wrote: I don't like JRPGs in general, but everyone is so excited for Expedition 33 that it's got me curious.
Don't do it. JRPGs blow and they have the reputation they have for a reason.
(08-21-2025, 01:22 AM)books wrote: Fell down the Tom Clancy's Breakpoint rabbit hole the past few weeks. Holy shit this game is great; customize the shit outta the settings so its a hardcore mil-sim and its a super fun yet stressful ass game. Its Rambo. Not as good as Wildlands since I like to kill "drug dealers," but the animation and other qol totally make up for it. Too bad I dont get into these games while they're hot but only after they're on a deep discount.
Edit- reviews and general consensus says the game sucks, but they're factually wrong. Shits great.
Those settings weren't there at release. It was basically a looter shooter at release. Immersive mode was released as an update. I think that's why it was hated.
Finally making my way through Xenoblade Chronicles 2. My gaming backlog is basically becoming just rpgs/jrpgs because they're the biggest time investment.
 1 user liked this post: Nintex
UBI loves to launch unfinished games, then update them with QoL and gameplay changes, and make the "who me?" face while people argue about if the game is good or not. It's the gamer version of gaslighting.
Silksong seems like a refined Hollow Knight so far. Basically more of the same but with a character that feels better to control.
Depending on how the rest of the game plays out it'll be another game of the year contender.
just spent 45 minutes farming beads to loot the shops, we are back my brothers
Bought an upscaler and hooked up my SNES. Playing super castlevania and Link to the Past.
(09-05-2025, 07:01 PM)HardcoreRetro wrote: Silksong seems like a refined Hollow Knight so far. Basically more of the same but with a character that feels better to control.
Depending on how the rest of the game plays out it'll be another game of the year contender.
Started this. I’m aware of the discourse about it being too hard or whatever. My assumption is they meant later on. But I’ve already passed the parts people have complained about and they weren’t too bad. And I wasn’t crazy about Hollow Knight 1 to be good at it.
I think the complaint are kind of true, just not a big deal yet. Enemies can feel spongy while you’re more fragile. The run back on deaths are unnecessarily tedious at two points (so far). Money is scarce.
(09-15-2025, 07:35 PM)Polident wrote: (09-05-2025, 07:01 PM)HardcoreRetro wrote: Silksong seems like a refined Hollow Knight so far. Basically more of the same but with a character that feels better to control.
Depending on how the rest of the game plays out it'll be another game of the year contender.
Started this. I’m aware of the discourse about it being too hard or whatever. My assumption is they meant later on. But I’ve already passed the parts people have complained about and they weren’t too bad. And I wasn’t crazy about Hollow Knight 1 to be good at it.
I think the complaint are kind of true, just not a big deal yet. Enemies can feel spongy while you’re more fragile. The run back on deaths are unnecessarily tedious at two points (so far). Money is scarce.
Okay this continues to be the case and it's getting boring. Almost everything feels like it's overstaying by at least 20%. It's not difficult as much as it gets tiring and you slip up. I can see the intention. But I'd rather it just be fun.
Yeah. Kept pushing to finish Silksong and got to Act 3 but I think I'm done. The fun moments are surrounded with the most boring tedious sections. It's gotten to where the annoying outweighs the fun.
Take this one boss that was fun on its own. But if you die, and I timed it, it's 40 seconds of nothing to get back to the room. No platforming or enemies. Then another 40 seconds of a gauntlet against scrub enemies if you're efficient. No difficulty or point to it. Locked in the room and waiting for wave after wave. They don't drop currency or ammo. Then you get to the great boss fight. It's like that over and over. The gauntlets especially are like, there's always two or three more waves than the natural end point. So many bosses stick a gauntlet before the boss fight.
If the point if endurance and having your slip up from boredom, it's accomplishing that. But the bosses themselves have been pretty easy removed from all that.
Shot the end before the battle 
(09-20-2025, 10:19 PM)Polident wrote: Yeah. Kept pushing to finish Silksong and got to Act 3 but I think I'm done. The fun moments are surrounded with the most boring tedious sections. It's gotten to where the annoying outweighs the fun.
Take this one boss that was fun on its own. But if you die, and I timed it, it's 40 seconds of nothing to get back to the room. No platforming or enemies. Then another 40 seconds of a gauntlet against scrub enemies if you're efficient. No difficulty or point to it. Locked in the room and waiting for wave after wave. They don't drop currency or ammo. Then you get to the great boss fight. It's like that over and over. The gauntlets especially are like, there's always two or three more waves than the natural end point. So many bosses stick a gauntlet before the boss fight.
If the point if endurance and having your slip up from boredom, it's accomplishing that. But the bosses themselves have been pretty easy removed from all that.
Sounds like it's the Dark Souls 2 of Hollow Knight games. 
1 user liked this post: Potato
(09-21-2025, 06:13 PM)HardcoreRetro wrote: Sounds like it's the Dark Souls 2 of Hollow Knight games. ![[Image: curiosity-curious.gif]](https://media1.tenor.com/m/wPUbkhwfiuEAAAAC/curiosity-curious.gif)
MGS3 is kinda obtuse at times.
There is a research lab, some guy is hiding somewhere. Blasted the door of the toilet with some TNT found a suit but no guy.
Major Zero says: "Why don't you ask around?"
Nigga I'm standing in a pool of blood of dead KGB agents I put to sleep, dragged into the bathroom and used as a "supressor" for the TNT blast
(09-21-2025, 06:13 PM)HardcoreRetro wrote: (09-20-2025, 10:19 PM)Polident wrote: Yeah. Kept pushing to finish Silksong and got to Act 3 but I think I'm done. The fun moments are surrounded with the most boring tedious sections. It's gotten to where the annoying outweighs the fun.
Take this one boss that was fun on its own. But if you die, and I timed it, it's 40 seconds of nothing to get back to the room. No platforming or enemies. Then another 40 seconds of a gauntlet against scrub enemies if you're efficient. No difficulty or point to it. Locked in the room and waiting for wave after wave. They don't drop currency or ammo. Then you get to the great boss fight. It's like that over and over. The gauntlets especially are like, there's always two or three more waves than the natural end point. So many bosses stick a gauntlet before the boss fight.
If the point if endurance and having your slip up from boredom, it's accomplishing that. But the bosses themselves have been pretty easy removed from all that.
Sounds like it's the Dark Souls 2 of Hollow Knight games.
I’ve seen that comparison but I never played Dark Souls 2 to understand it.
Earlier I think I whined about the currency system. From what I read, a complaint of hollow knight was having too much money? And this is an over correction?
But they throw in a very obvious farming spot fairly early on. Literally a straight path from bonfire to a device that converts currency to an item that banks currency. It’s right next to a warp point, too. So what’s the point of making everything expensive? Items start showing up for 700 beads mid game. End game highest rewards for side quests are 220 beads. There are large stretches where enemy types don’t drop currency. There is no way to organically have enough currency without spending a lot of time farming at this one spot. Again everything is 20 to 40% more than it needs to be.
To break it down for a layperson, "the Dark Souls 2 of X" means that it is by far the best entry of a given series by many leagues, representing for all intents and purposes an impossible-to-reproduce accomplishment that will endure for eternity.
(09-21-2025, 08:06 PM)Nintex wrote: MGS3 is kinda obtuse at times.
There is a research lab, some guy is hiding somewhere. Blasted the door of the toilet with some TNT found a suit but no guy.
Major Zero says: "Why don't you ask around?"
Nigga I'm standing in a pool of blood of dead KGB agents I put to sleep, dragged into the bathroom and used as a "supressor" for the TNT blast
I'm honestly not cool with you using that word.
What if he was wearing his festive black pete outfit?
1 user liked this post: Nintex
Silent Hill F does that thing where the subtitles are just the english script. Even with my limited understanding of the japanese language I keep seeing things that don't match up.
Kind of annoying.
(09-24-2025, 05:55 PM)HardcoreRetro wrote: Silent Hill F does that thing where the subtitles are just the english script. Even with my limited understanding of the japanese language I keep seeing things that don't match up.
Kind of annoying.
Kinda par for the course with localization. It's not going to be a straight translation. But I know what you mean!
Got my hands on Sonic Racing Crossworlds. Definitely is living up to the hype is getting for me.
09-30-2025, 06:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-30-2025, 07:00 PM by Alpacx.)
Bought original Hades (it was that or Spelunky 2). 10GB download?!
I'm still on a 250GB SSD 
(09-30-2025, 06:56 PM)Alpacx wrote: Bought original Hades (it was that or Spelunky 2). 10GB download?!
I'm still on a 250GB SSD
Beaten only 2 bosses... seems spamming dash is the best tactic? ... Wish I had bought Spelunky 2.
Maybe I'm just a peasant who needs to Get Gud but this game isn't living up to the hype I saw. Or maybe I need to read some guides or something.
I went into Balatro based on the megahype and that game was fucking brilliant. Hades? It's pretty good but I don't think I'll be playing it much longer.
(7 hours ago)Alpacx wrote: (09-30-2025, 06:56 PM)Alpacx wrote: Bought original Hades (it was that or Spelunky 2). 10GB download?!
I'm still on a 250GB SSD
Beaten only 2 bosses... seems spamming dash is the best tactic? ... Wish I had bought Spelunky 2.
Maybe I'm just a peasant who needs to Get Gud but this game isn't living up to the hype I saw. Or maybe I need to read some guides or something.
I went into Balatro based on the megahype and that game was fucking brilliant. Hades? It's pretty good but I don't think I'll be playing it much longer.
Hades is the kind of game where you’ll swear you’ve found the best combination of strategy, weapon, and boons, then completely change your mind on your next run. It gets better the more you play it.
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