What are you playing in quarantine? Also, MP invites here..

[$iljanus]

For the bargain price of $19.99 I'm also enjoying the father and son bonding road trip that is God of War among other games I'm playing on a rotating basis.


Restarted Battletech in career mode and haven't looked back from abandoning the story mode. Much more fun for me and I'm enjoying the Flashpoint missions. I'm playing it unmodified but perhaps in the future I'll start a new career with one of the larger mods out there.

[pr0ner]

That's one of the bonus worlds, isn't it? I know there are two worlds that don't factor into the main story and are just there as a series of challenges, but you do have to unlock them via a series of objectives. One of them is a maze full of poison, making for pretty hectic battles, making them a puzzle on how to tackle them and getting out to the next checkpoint. Those are definitely harder than most of the game. Once I realized what that world was going to be like, I tried it out a few times but never went back. That said, I do like the combat in this game. The bosses feel more like puzzles than outright difficulty, and when you beat them it's quite satisfying. I'd be in for a sequel in the same vein following on the events from this one.

Yep, Muspelheim is one of the bonus realms. It's the fire world where you go through a bunch of different arena challenges before fighting a valkyrie at the end.

For the bargain price of $19.99 I'm also enjoying the father and son bonding road trip that is God of War among other games I'm playing on a rotating basis.

How far along are you on your road trip?

[$iljanus]

For the bargain price of $19.99 I'm also enjoying the father and son bonding road trip that is God of War among other games I'm playing on a rotating basis.

How far along are you on your road trip?

Not too far. Squelched my boy’s enthusiasm after bringing down a troll by telling him he was NOT ready.

[coopasonic]

One day I shall return to God of War.... one day.

I talked my son into Dark Souls 3 based on the recent steam sale ($10) so I have gone back to that. I never got far. I LOVED Bloodborne, but the actual Souls games never really grabbed my attention. I don't remember how far I got before as I am already seeing stuff that doesn't seem familiar after just a few hours.

[Skinypupy]

One day I shall return to God of War.... one day.

Same. I bounced off it when it first came out, but I think that had more to do with the fact that I was deep into FF XIV at the time and didn't really have the mental energy to focus on anything else.

I really need to give it another shot. I've beaten all the previous games in the series, this is the only one that didn't seem to click with me. Maybe I'll grab it after I finish FF VII.

[Blackhawk]

I really want to try a souls-style game. I have two problems, though:

I have no idea where to start.
I have a low frustration tolerance.

[coopasonic]

I really want to try a souls-style game. I have two problems, though:

I have no idea where to start.
I have a low frustration tolerance.

Nioh is probably the easiest of the souls-like games in my opinion. Or possibly The Surge. Of the two I think Nioh is the better experience unless you find chopping limbs to make armor and weapons in a dystopian future a cool concept. The key to avoiding frustration is to understand and accept the mechanics. You are not dying, you are learning (painfully).

The thing that Nioh and The Surge have that the From Software games don't is an understandable story. From's Sekiro does a lot better at storytelling than anything else they've put out.

[Jag]

One day I shall return to God of War.... one day.

I talked my son into Dark Souls 3 based on the recent steam sale ($10) so I have gone back to that. I never got far. I LOVED Bloodborne, but the actual Souls games never really grabbed my attention. I don't remember how far I got before as I am already seeing stuff that doesn't seem familiar after just a few hours.

God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn are the only PS4 games I have ever finished. I don't use the PS4 much, but those games were just something else.

I have completely sworn off any Souls like games. I do like them, but my gaming time is too precious these days and I have a massive backlog. I just don't have the time or patience required to be successful at them.

[coopasonic]

Horizon Zero Dawn is the reason I bought the PS4 and it was worth it for that alone. One day I will do the expansion... probably with the PC release... even though I think I already bought the complete edition for PS4.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I really want to try a souls-style game. I have two problems, though:

I have no idea where to start.
I have a low frustration tolerance.

Nioh is probably the easiest of the souls-like games in my opinion.

I agree with this. I had an easier time with Nioh than Bloodborne or any of the Dark Souls game. That said, I got farther along in Dark Souls 3 than the previous two, so it might also be worth considering. However, all of these games will be frustrating at times. Dying and learning how to get past certain enemies/bosses is just part of the experience. For some reason, I got much less frustrated with that aspect of the game in Nioh and DS3 than I did the other games I've played (I quit Bloodborne after about two hours...).

[coopasonic]

I really want to try a souls-style game. I have two problems, though:

I have no idea where to start.
I have a low frustration tolerance.

Nioh is probably the easiest of the souls-like games in my opinion.

I agree with this. I had an easier time with Nioh than Bloodborne or any of the Dark Souls game. That said, I got farther along in Dark Souls 3 than the previous two, so it might also be worth considering. However, all of these games will be frustrating at times. Dying and learning how to get past certain enemies/bosses is just part of the experience. For some reason, I got much less frustrated with that aspect of the game in Nioh and DS3 than I did the other games I've played

One big difference with Nioh is that you are faced with one or two huge complicated maps where everything happens. The Nioh games are mission based and tend to be much smaller and more focused. There are still hidden shortcuts and confusing same-looking paths, but it isn't at the same scale as the From games or The Surge.

(I quit Bloodborne after about two hours...).

[Skinypupy]

I quit Bloodborne after about two hours...

I made it three, but...yeah.

[pr0ner]

One day I shall return to God of War.... one day.

Same. I bounced off it when it first came out, but I think that had more to do with the fact that I was deep into FF XIV at the time and didn't really have the mental energy to focus on anything else.

I really need to give it another shot. I've beaten all the previous games in the series, this is the only one that didn't seem to click with me. Maybe I'll grab it after I finish FF VII.

Definitely give God of War another shot. I think the biggest thing to remember is that it's more of an action RPG, rather than being almost pure hack and smash games like the previous God of War games.

[Blackhawk]

I really wish I could find games with the visual style of these series that didn't use the Souls gameplay model, but Souls was so popular that it effectively took over the third person (non-shooter) action genre. But damn, I just want to see some of these cool-ass looking monsters and experience the atmosphere!

Third person open world games are still a thing, but they tend to have a very different style.

[Jag]

I really wish I could find games with the visual style of these series that didn't use the Souls gameplay model, but Souls was so popular that it effectively took over the third person (non-shooter) action genre. But damn, I just want to see some of these cool-ass looking monsters and experience the atmosphere!

Third person open world games are still a thing, but they tend to have a very different style.

I agree, the size and scope of those games was incredible. I just didn't have the patience to spend the time required to progress. I got pretty far in Bloodborne until I just gave up. Got Nioh for free with PS+ but lost interest after a few hours.

[Rumpy]

Yep, Muspelheim is one of the bonus realms. It's the fire world where you go through a bunch of different arena challenges before fighting a valkyrie at the end.

Oh, so that's what's at the end? Heh, I don't know if I'd have the patience for getting through the maze and then having to fight another valkyrie.

One day I shall return to God of War.... one day.

Same. I bounced off it when it first came out, but I think that had more to do with the fact that I was deep into FF XIV at the time and didn't really have the mental energy to focus on anything else.

I really need to give it another shot. I've beaten all the previous games in the series, this is the only one that didn't seem to click with me. Maybe I'll grab it after I finish FF VII.

Definitely give God of War another shot. I think the biggest thing to remember is that it's more of an action RPG, rather than being almost pure hack and smash games like the previous God of War games.

I had never played any of the God of Wars before this one, and that said, I don't think I would have liked the previous approach quite as much as this one. The story was quite endearing.

[pr0ner]

Yep, Muspelheim is one of the bonus realms. It's the fire world where you go through a bunch of different arena challenges before fighting a valkyrie at the end.

Oh, so that's what's at the end? Heh, I don't know if I'd have the patience for getting through the maze and then having to fight another valkyrie.

I actually don't know what's at the end of the realm with all the poison and mazes. Just what's at the realm with all the fire and the arenas.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Yep, Muspelheim is one of the bonus realms. It's the fire world where you go through a bunch of different arena challenges before fighting a valkyrie at the end.

Oh, so that's what's at the end? Heh, I don't know if I'd have the patience for getting through the maze and then having to fight another valkyrie.

I actually don't know what's at the end of the realm with all the poison and mazes. Just what's at the realm with all the fire and the arenas.

There's a valkyrie at the end of that realm. But I think the main goal of that realm was to collect the (souls?) that allowed you to open the chests. I managed to open a good number of the chests before realizing I didn't want to grind the amount that would be necessary to open the really expensive chests.

[pr0ner]

Yep, Muspelheim is one of the bonus realms. It's the fire world where you go through a bunch of different arena challenges before fighting a valkyrie at the end.

Oh, so that's what's at the end? Heh, I don't know if I'd have the patience for getting through the maze and then having to fight another valkyrie.

I actually don't know what's at the end of the realm with all the poison and mazes. Just what's at the realm with all the fire and the arenas.

There's a valkyrie at the end of that realm. But I think the main goal of that realm was to collect the (souls?) that allowed you to open the chests. I managed to open a good number of the chests before realizing I didn't want to grind the amount that would be necessary to open the really expensive chests.

Ah, thanks. I thought there was just one in the fire realm.

[Sawyer]

I really want to try a souls-style game. I have two problems, though:

I have no idea where to start.
I have a low frustration tolerance.

Nioh is probably the easiest of the souls-like games in my opinion.

I agree with this. I had an easier time with Nioh than Bloodborne or any of the Dark Souls game. That said, I got farther along in Dark Souls 3 than the previous two, so it might also be worth considering. However, all of these games will be frustrating at times. Dying and learning how to get past certain enemies/bosses is just part of the experience. For some reason, I got much less frustrated with that aspect of the game in Nioh and DS3 than I did the other games I've played (I quit Bloodborne after about two hours...).

I want to throw my vote behind Nioh also as the perfect gateway to Soulslike games. My experience is similar; Nioh seems easier but hardly a cakewalk. Additionally, I also like the setting way better than DS so maybe that's a factor. I didn't finish the game, but enjoyed my time with it.

[Daehawk]

How that newest God of Annoying Kids games anyways?

[Hrothgar]

I really wish I could find games with the visual style of these series that didn't use the Souls gameplay model, but Souls was so popular that it effectively took over the third person (non-shooter) action genre. But damn, I just want to see some of these cool-ass looking monsters and experience the atmosphere!

Third person open world games are still a thing, but they tend to have a very different style.

Did you try Devil May Cry 5? There is some shooting, but mostly it's hacking and slashing cool looking demons. There's tons of atmosphere.

[coopasonic]

Another thought on the Souls-style train, Remnant: From the Ashes is 100% a Souls-like, but a team-based souls-like. If Blackhawk can get the co-op crew on it, it's a lot less frustrating with friends as you can revive each other and adopt roles. I played it mostly in a duo but also solo a lot, but I think it supports 4.

[pr0ner]

I really wish I could find games with the visual style of these series that didn't use the Souls gameplay model, but Souls was so popular that it effectively took over the third person (non-shooter) action genre. But damn, I just want to see some of these cool-ass looking monsters and experience the atmosphere!

Third person open world games are still a thing, but they tend to have a very different style.

Did you try Devil May Cry 5? There is some shooting, but mostly it's hacking and slashing cool looking demons. There's tons of atmosphere.

And pets.

[jztemple2]

With the free Parklife DLC download I've gotten sucked back into Cities: Skylines. Man, it is so easy to get lost in this game . Now I have to wait for a substantial sale on the rest of the DLC...

[hitbyambulance]

forgot i had a $10 Epic Game Store coupon. thinking of using it on the Surviving Mars: Green Mars DLC, since i got the base game for free from them?

[Blackhawk]

forgot i had a $10 Epic Game Store coupon. thinking of using it on the Surviving Mars: Green Mars DLC, since i got the base game for free from them?

Huh, so do I, and it looks like it expires in a week. Thanks for the reminder!

[LordMortis]

forgot i had a $10 Epic Game Store coupon. thinking of using it on the Surviving Mars: Green Mars DLC, since i got the base game for free from them?

I dunno how cheap it makes the game the Green Planet did enough to the game to do another playthrough.

Someone else mentioned that $10 coupon, which I still have laying around as well. I didn't think it worked on DLC. I may have to look and see if maybe one of Phoenix Point things is worth getting, which is why I signed up for Epic anyway.

Edit nope PP DLC "no coupon available"

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Well, I got bored on Saturday night and impulse-purchased Persona 5 and Valkyria Chronicles 4 for the PS4. I've only played about an hour in each so far, but my main impression is that Persona 5 is weird. I've never played any previous Persona game so maybe this game is typical for the series, but there's crazy stuff going on. But at least so far it's also been interesting, so I'm looking forward to continuing with it.

Valkyria Chronicles seems fine. I read that it was one of the better strategy games on the PS4 and was on sale for $12, so took a chance with it. I'm only part way through the first mission, though, so can't speak to it's potential yet.

[coopasonic]

Persona 5 was totally not my kind of game, but it was a rewarding experience. I also never played any of the other games. It was definitely an adjustment. I could have done without the life management part of it, but the relationships are actually important.

[Scraper]

Update

Splitting into finished during quarantine and still working on:

Finished:
Borderlands the Pre Sequel (Beat it on PS4 with Athena)
Borderlands 3 Moxxi DLC and Sir Hammerlock DLC (finished both on PS4)
Far Cry New Dawn (Beat it on PS4)
Borderlands 1 (Beat the main campaign with Lilith)
Control (I got to what I think is the final boss, wiped a couple of times, finally beat him only to have the game crash, this happened to me twice in a row. I haven't gone back and probably won't)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Finished it)


Still working on:
Fifa 20 (I'm working on both my career as a forward for the Crew and my FUT)
Zelda Link's Awakening (Playing this when my kids let go of the Switch, which isn't very often)
Far Cry 3 on PS4 (It was on sale with the Far Cry 5 expansion pass and it's the only Far Cry game I have never played)

[Skinypupy]

Random gaming thoughts this morning:

- Trying to find the next game after you finish the one you've been looking forward to for years (FF VII Remake) is a challenging endevor. I've bounced off a few already this week, hoping something will click.

- I have the weirdest relationship with No Man's Sky. I now have four separate saves of between 6-7 hours. I thoroughly enjoy the initial stages of exploring new worlds and unlocking abilities and tech, but right about the time things start to get a bit more complex, my interest absolutely vanishes. Hit that point again last night.

- FIFA 20 is driving me insane. I'm really good at moving the ball around, but I absolutely cannot finish. Every time I shoot during a game, there's no power behind the ball at all. Every shot ends up being this wimpy dribbler back to the keeper no matter what I do. I went back and tried all the shooting practice drills to see if I was doing something wrong, and I can ace nearly every one of those. I'm drilling shots into the upper 90 every time during the drills, but can't seem to replicate that during the actual games for some reason, and I have no idea why. It's so insanely frustrating to get these amazing buildups that end every single time in a flubbed shot. I just don't get it, and it's killing my interest in the game.

- Been feeling a bit of a pull to jump back into Guild Wars 2 again. I have max level toons in every race except the Charr, so maybe I'll give that one a shot. I've been put off by playing a weird cat-person, but if it opens up a different storyline, that might actually keep my interest. Tried rolling a Norn a while back, but I've been through that opening zone so many times that I lost interest pretty quickly.

- The latest Spider Man is on PS Now, maybe I'll give that another go. Tried it when it first game out and it didn't stick, but I'm not sure I really gave it a fair shot. Downloading now.

- Fired up Dead Cells for the first time in a few months last night. They must have done some significant difficulty adjustments via patch, as I ended up going for nearly an hour (my previous best was around 30 minutes). Got a full 5 zones farther than I ever had before. It's a fun game, but in a "pick up and play every once in a while" way, not a "make this my primary game" sort of way.

- Played a couple LOTR Adventure Card Game levels on Switch yesterday. I find that while I really enjoy the actual gameplay, trying to tweak an efficient deck from a bazillion card choices just doesn't interest me at all. Same reason I bounced of Magic the Gathering.

[naednek]

I finally redeemed my 3 months of Xbox Pass for the PC. With Gears of War Tactics being released and Red Dead Redemption going on PC, that was a no brainer to redeem. Throw in Gears of War 5 that I have to start I think I'm set. By signing up they gave me another free month for turning on auto pay. So I'll be busy for a while. The only game on my radar is Last of Us and Cyberpunk

[Skinypupy]

I finally redeemed my 3 months of Xbox Pass for the PC. With Gears of War Tactics being released and Red Dead Redemption going on PC, that was a no brainer to redeem. Throw in Gears of War 5 that I have to start I think I'm set. By signing up they gave me another free month for turning on auto pay. So I'll be busy for a while. The only game on my radar is Last of Us and Cyberpunk

I let my Gamepass sub expire but did PS Now (PS4's equivalent) for a year. PS Now has lots more games (including some cool legacy stuff), but Xbox's Gamepass has much better games. At least for me.

With Gears Tactics and the new Ori game, I should probably re-sub for Xbox.

[hitbyambulance]

trying to complete all the levels in Sigils of Elohim so i can add the bonus things to Talos Principle (also, i like tangram puzzles)

added Caveblazers back to the rotation

[Skinypupy]

They were both on deep discount sales, so I grabbed Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Star Wars Battlefront II. I don't expect that I'll spend a ton of extended time with either, but figured they'd be worth at least $26 of fun. Doubt I'll ever take SW BF2 online (don't have a PS+ sub and don't really plan to get one), but it might be fun running co-op with Little B 11.2. She watched me play for a bit last night and was in awe of pretty much everything.

Side note: I started the SW BF2 solo campaign, and found it incredibly distracting to have SHIVAKAMINI SOMAKANDARKRAM!! as my main character. I need a force power that allows me to Shiva-blast hapless Rebels.

[Zaxxon]

Streets of Rage 4. It's actually very well done. If you grew up on the SoR series like I did, it's friggin awesome.

And my girls like it, too. Helps that you can turn off friendly fire and use continues endlessly (at a large score penalty).

[Skinypupy]

Streets of Rage 4. It's actually very well done. If you grew up on the SoR series like I did, it's friggin awesome.

And my girls like it, too. Helps that you can turn off friendly fire and use continues endlessly (at a large score penalty).

My kids love the mini-Sega Genesis system I picked up a couple months back. Their most-played game - by far - has been SoR4.

While it was never really my jam, I’m thinking about grabbing the remake for some co-op chaos. Looks like fun.

[Zaxxon]

You mean 3? 4 is a brand-new game released this weekend.

[Skinypupy]

My bad, I thought this new version was a remake of one of the older games, not a brand new entry. Like I said, they’ve never really been my thing.

Also looks like the one they’ve been playing on the mini-Genesis is Streets of Rage 2.