Unified Vidya Games thread

[Cramulus]

I've been on a terrible Bloodstained jag... it's created by the guy who made Symphony of the Night, and is kind of a love letter to that game. I think I've beaten SotN like seven times, so I HAD to get Bloodstained as soon as it was on sale. Love that metroidvania genre.

I thought I had posted this already...

I hope you played Blasphemous. If you like that whole SotN thing, you need to play it. Also it wipes its blood soaked, caned and lashed ass with Bloodstained, and I say this with all love for Bloodstained.

Igarashi just doesn’t have the derangement to do the shit that the Blasphemous devs did. Plain and simple.

People will tell you it’s a “Souls like.” Those people are idiots. It’s Symphony of the Night style gameplay and (for lack of a better example) Metroid Fusion style world layout but with Super Metroid progression and more early game freedom of direction than any non-open world game I have ever played — gifted with rabies and a bad attitude entirely separate from the rabies. And one-of-a-kind worldbuilding and art direction. And surprisingly quality voice work for an indie pixel game.

I would /murder/ for a sequel
Play it.

oh this looks cool as fuck

I love the pixel art

Will put this on the list--thanks!

[Cramulus]

Yooo Altered -- Blasphemous is delicious, thank you for the reccomendation.

The style of pixel art + martyr porn is insane


(^that's not an enemy... they help you)

I got up to the quest where the guy who is nailed to a tree by arrows asks you to find oil so that he can experience the pain of being burned alive like a holy person .. had to put the controller down -- like, what is this crazy game? Everybody is real psyched to be tortured to death. It's so twisted, I love it.

[altered]

It’s my favorite Castlevania/Bloodborne game. It’s so.. Catholic.

And no problem! Glad you enjoy it.

[chaotic neutral observer]

I've started playing Control.  I'm on mission 4, or thereabouts.

Things:

I love the architectural style.  Exposed concrete; straight lines; large open spaces.  I also like the 1970s-era aesthetic of the technology.

I'm making a point of searching for the random notes and tapes left all over, since they add a lot to the atmosphere.  I think I understand why Alaska is not to be mentioned in letters of condolence, but I haven't found any clues as to why No. 2 pencils are proscribed.

"Threshold Kids". 

This game makes effective use of environmental sound to induces a sense of dread.  It reminds me a bit of Oxenfree, in that regard.

Dr. Darling is professional, personable, charismatic, and is the type of person who would successfully be able to bridge the scientific/engineering side with the management/political side.  If you weren't paying close attention to the subject of his research, you might not even realize he was a mad scientist.

Shooters aren't really my bailiwick, but I'm managing.  (I ripped a drinking fountain off the wall with my mind and killed someone with it.)

[altered]

You’re barely even out of the front half. Mission 4 is what, Maintenance? Research? That’s still early yet. (Also, Maintenance is excellent.)

The game has a way of getting you thinking you can parse it around then.

You can not. Mission 6 onward will show you what-for.

I cannot wait for the DLC, honestly.

I still eagerly await you beating the Ashtray Maze, my friend.

[Faust]

Can anyone tell me if controls logo (the triangle with the lines) is a magic eye. I can see distortions which to me imply there is something in there but I could never get magic eye pictures to work

[PopeTom]

I ripped a drinking fountain off the wall with my mind and killed someone with it.

This is the only back of the box quote Control needs.

[altered]

I ripped a drinking fountain off the wall with my mind and killed someone with it.

This is the only back of the box quote Control needs.

Not true! Don’t forget that you don’t actually do it with your mind, you do it with REDACTED.

Honestly, though, I feel like you might need to have something about how an upside down extradimensional pyramid hired you to upper management through shortwave radio static. That part still sends me into the void when I think about it too hard.

[chaotic neutral observer]

I still eagerly await you beating the Ashtray Maze, my friend.

I just did.

That.  Was.  Awesome.

[altered]

It is one of the best moments in video games. And I know you liked that fucking song. I mean, everyone did, but I know you in particular did.

[Cain]

So I watched the West Skyrim reveal trailer and livestream. Vampires, bleh, called it. As soon as those Nightfall crates were datamined, I knew we were getting a vampire DLC. And Q4 is gonna be The Reach, bleh.

On the plus side, they've at least indicated it won't be anything to do with Harkon or family, so there is that. Vampires sound like they're going to get balance changed from being boring passive buff machines to something requiring a little more work, which is sorely needed. Vampire Lord ultimate transformation has also been hinted at.

Antiquities could legitimately be good and a solid source of additional lore to the game. Why is Labyrinthian a public dungeon and not a Trial? Nobody knows. Having a significant portion of the DLC take place underground, specifically in Blackreach, is interesting, but there is a kind of logic in vampires making Blackreach their home. No sunlight, it's hard to get into...

[Cramulus]

Splurging at the end of the PS4 holiday sale, I picked up Divinity II and Witcher III. Haven't played any of the games in the serieseses leading up to these.

Divinity II feels like a spiritual successor of Baldur's Gate (which is nice, cause it's made by the company making BGIII). My friend suggested it to me, saying, "Hey, you like RPGs with a fucking shitload of stuff in them, right?" and jesus christ, he's right -- the combat is more complicated than D&D. It's a turn-based system where a lot of the abilities affect the terrain around you. One spell throws a boulder and leaves a 5 meter wide oil slick on the ground. Use your next action to hit a guy with a flaming dagger, and BOOM, the whole slick lights up, setting a portion of the battlefield on fire. Oh but if your other mage is a water-and-ice based spellcaster, that's a bad synergy, because being on fire makes people WARM, which buffs them against ICE damage, and the hailstorm spell will put out the fire. So there's a lot of things to think about, a lot of different strategies and plans you can come up with. Very tactical, very customizable. Every problem has 3 different ways of solving it. Lots of dialog options, and all the text is voice acted.

Witcher III seems good too, I haven't played nearly as much of it. Does the TV show spoil the video game or vice versa? I've watched one episode of the TV show and it was pretty good but (being unfamilliar with the franchise) I can't really tell if it crosses the same material.

[Faust]

I think the Game actually does the narrative a bit better then the TV show (its not bad but it's less consistent then the game)
I played the game first and I am glad I did, but I suppose it shouldn't matter

[chaotic neutral observer]

Witcher III seems good too, I haven't played nearly as much of it. Does the TV show spoil the video game or vice versa? I've watched one episode of the TV show and it was pretty good but (being unfamilliar with the franchise) I can't really tell if it crosses the same material.

The events of the first season of the TV show take place before the Witcher 3 video game. (I played the game first, and don't feel that it really spoiled much, but that was a while ago.)

I haven't played Witcher 2, or much of TW1, so I can't speak as to the amount of overlap with the TV show there.

I'd suggest finishing the TV show before continuing with the game, but you're going to be dealing with a time gap (and missing information) regardless.

I don't claim expertise on the franchise, so if spoilers are a really big deal, maybe get a second opinion?

[Cain]

I think it spoils the first book in the series more than anything, but I also happen to think the TV series is better than the book, so I'm not too fussed about it.