What Game Are You Currently Playing?

[Foxbat]

I'm still not sure how to deal with the monsters in Dredge apart from running away.

Took me a while to realise that in the Stellar basin, you need to complete the researcher’s tasks before you can get a method of avoiding the tentacled monstrosity. Once you have the machine in place, it makes it quite a bit easier to avoid the monster and get the relic.

Still downloading Fallout 4.

As for tactical ancients, I just don’t have the space (for any miniatures). I do, however, have Field of Glory 2. Perhaps not as tactile as ancients miniatures but a good digital substitute

 

[Bugg]

5:30 - wish I'd thought of that

 

[Foxbat]

Played a little Fallout 4 today.

I’ve more or less just started and I’m out of the vault and on my way to investigate Concord. I think I prefer the UI used in Fallout 3 but that’s a minor quibble. The game looks very promising and, having played all the previous Fallouts, this really does feel like I’m visiting an old friend

 

[Bugg]

 

[Bugg]

I've been looking forward to this game for so long and it's finally out next week. I still haven't decided whether to get it for PC or Switch, though

 

[Foxbat]

I’m a bit annoyed with Fallout 4. It seems to be a good game but it has its problems. The user interface is awful. The other main problem it has is the lack of a manual. I spent an hour trying to figure out how to use a grenade. The most logical thing to do (as far as I’m concerned) is to go to the keyboard control mapping menu and find out which key binding is in play. Nothing there about a grenade. Eventually, I gave up and went searching on the internet. One person said it was in the melee menu (since when was throwing a grenade a melee action?). I eventually tracked it down to the ‘alt’ button. Now, I need to find out how to select a molotov cocktail. It’s simply ridiculous that I have to go searching because a software developer either can’t be arsed are just doesn’t care if its customers are not getting the information needed. The simple question is - if they can’t be arsed then why should I bother buying their product?

It wouldn’t be so bad if the game was a pile of crap but it seems to be pretty good so far.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I've been looking forward to this game for so long and it's finally out next week. I still haven't decided whether to get it for PC or Switch, though

Buy a Steam Deck, Bugg. I dont think I have even looked at my Switch since I bought mine.

I am thinking of playing Baldur's Gate 1&2 as I havent played them before. The cost of Baldur's Gate 3 should also have plummeted by the time I have completed them. I am just concerned they will be too dated.

 

[Foxbat]

Buy a Steam Deck, Bugg. I dont think I have even looked at my Switch since I bought mine.

I am thinking of playing Baldur's Gate 1&2 as I havent played them before. The cost of Baldur's Gate 3 should also have plummeted by the time I have completed them. I am just concerned they will be too dated.

I think you’ll enjoy BG 1 and 2. I never finished either but both are big enough that the distance I got within both games made me feel like I got my money’s worth. I really enjoyed both but I found the prologue of BG2 a bit tedious. If you enjoy isometric RPGs, you’ll definitely enjoy these.

Graphically, they may look a little dated but they still play very well and I think this type of game doesn’t need top notch graphics. I still play XCOM Apocalypse and that looked like a dog’s dinner when it was first released. There are graphically enhanced versions of BG 1 and 2 for sale so perhaps you might be better checking those out. I think those are available at GOG.com

You should pick up both at a budget price, which is always a bonus.

As for me, I’ve decided to give BG3 a miss. I just can’t be bothered waiting eight or nine hours for it to download (made worse by not having the best connection speed).

Ironic that in the days of CD/DVD games, I could go into Edinburgh, buy the game and be back home in less than half the time it would take to download.

Of course, if it ever goes on sale for a budget price of -say- a couple of quid, I might be persuaded to change my mind.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Yeah you simply cannot buy a new game anymore without having to download it. This is is something I am only coming to terms with now.

 

[Bugg]

Buy a Steam Deck, Bugg. I dont think I have even looked at my Switch since I bought mine.

I am thinking of playing Baldur's Gate 1&2 as I havent played them before. The cost of Baldur's Gate 3 should also have plummeted by the time I have completed them. I am just concerned they will be too dated.

I pre-ordered a Steam Deck back in the day but cancelled it after I bought my new PC. I don't want to end up not using the PC for the very function I bought it for, so it's all good.

I started playing BG 1 again last week. I don't know why. I have this weird thing where, when I'm playing a game I'm really (really) enjoying like BG 3, I start yearning to play other games like it. BG 1 and 2 are dated for sure, even the enhanced editions. It was fun to dip back into it but I doubt I'll continue. FWIW, BG 3's story is not connected to the first two, there are just some references to old characters.

If you're looking for an alternative to BG I highly, highly recommend Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, if you haven't played it before. I actually prefer it to BG 3. It has an epic story, the characters are far more interesting, and it is much, much more involved (some would say overwhelming) on a mechanics level.

It doesn't have the voice acting or shiny graphics of BG 3 but I love how it looks. It's very atmospheric, and the music is amazing. Most importantly, unlike BG 3, you can switch between turn-based and real-time-with-pause combat, which means you can blast through the easier battles but then take your time with the more difficult ones. Plus there are multitudes of options that allow you to tailor the game to your needs, both gameplay and difficulty-wise.

 

[Foxbat]

I'm currently playing Wierd Worlds - Return To Infinite Space.
It's a sort of rogue style space game that you can play a game through in about thirty minutes. It has fairly simple graphics and mechanics and doesn't cost the earth. Good if you just want to play something that won't tax your brain too much.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I pre-ordered a Steam Deck back in the day but cancelled it after I bought my new PC. I don't want to end up not using the PC for the very function I bought it for, so it's all good.

I started playing BG 1 again last week. I don't know why. I have this weird thing where, when I'm playing a game I'm really (really) enjoying like BG 3, I start yearning to play other games like it. BG 1 and 2 are dated for sure, even the enhanced editions. It was fun to dip back into it but I doubt I'll continue. FWIW, BG 3's story is not connected to the first two, there are just some references to old characters.

If you're looking for an alternative to BG I highly, highly recommend Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, if you haven't played it before. I actually prefer it to BG 3. It has an epic story, the characters are far more interesting, and it is much, much more involved (some would say overwhelming) on a mechanics level.

It doesn't have the voice acting or shiny graphics of BG 3 but I love how it looks. It's very atmospheric, and the music is amazing. Most importantly, unlike BG 3, you can switch between turn-based and real-time-with-pause combat, which means you can blast through the easier battles but then take your time with the more difficult ones. Plus there are multitudes of options that allow you to tailor the game to your needs, both gameplay and difficulty-wise.

The Steam Deck can be frustrating for certain types of games but it is still the best handheld gaming device on the market.

Appreciate the BG1 feedback and the recommendation of Pathfinder - I will check it out now.

 

[Toby Frost]

Fallout 5 was very strange. When driving around, doing little missions, raiding bases and the like it's a lot of fun. However, the writers don't seem to have figured out how to progress the story except by removing player control and forcing your hand, over and over again. I reached the end and my idiot character walked into yet another trap designed to move the plot on. Not only that, but all my allies suddenly attacked me because of poison gas. For a game that often takes itself very seriously, this was absolutely stupid. It was also the last straw and I deleted it.

 

[RDArmstrong]

I've been really getting into VR recently. The feeling of presence is pretty incredible like you're actually there. Never thought that would be possible in my lifetime.
Asgard's Wrath and Half Life Alyx were amazing. Played Fallout 4 with mods in VR and that was just wow. Wasn't even a fan of Fallout 4 without VR really. It was just okay at best.

 

[Toby Frost]

Fallout 5 was very strange

This should be "Farcry 5". Fallout 4, on the other hand, is brilliant.

I played some Thief 2 last night. It's a classic game in its own right, but there is a selection of really good fan missions online, at "Cheap Thief Missions". It's entirely legit, and the better ones are as good as the missions that come with the original game.

I also started up a hidden object puzzle game, called Grim Legends 3 (rubbish title), which I bought a long while ago while ill. I know very little about hidden object games, but it was a very well-made game with some good puzzles. I remember buying the earlier two in the series and thinking that they were nowhere near as good.

 

[Foxbat]

I have now collected four artefacts in Dredge. Apparently there are five in total. I, therefore fear I may be nearing the end of the game. This is unusual in itself because I am notoriously bad at completing games. I’m not sure how much replay value Dredge might have but I already feel that I’ve got my money’s worth and enjoyed it immensely (and, let’s face it, I might still fail to finish it). Maybe I can just go fishing now and then if I do complete.

It has encouraged me to learn more about the deeper parts of the oceans.

List of Hadal Zone Animals

The hadal zone of the ocean begins miles underwater. Extreme pressure, low light levels and cold temperatures make life at these depths difficult. Despite these conditions, life has found a way to adapt and survive. The animals that live at these depths are known as hadal zone animals.

sciencing.com

Abyssal creatures - Iberdrola

After centuries of research, the species that populate the Earth are well known, at least those that are within our reach. Because there are others, present in remote and practically inaccessible places, which are largely unknown. These include those found in the deep sea.

www.iberdrola.com

 

[Foxbat]

Dredge has become one of only a few PC games I've actually completed. The ending was...interesting. I did a little searching and, apparently I got the 'bad ending'. This is the most common end to the game that most players will reach. There is, however, another way to end the game so maybe there is a little replayability in it after all.

Either way, I really enjoyed this relatively short game. In its favour, there was no point where I felt it had become a dreary grind to get through so maybe it was the perfect length for a game of this type.

Perhaps I should reverse an old quotation from Stalin and just say that quality has a quantity of its own

 

[Rodders]

I just bought Hogwarts Legacy. Not sure when i'm going to play it as i'd like another run through of Horizon Zero Dawn and perhaps finish the Mad Max game.

 

[Foxbat]

I’ve been making a little progress in Fallout 4. I’m sure the human opponents (raiders etc) are tougher and more cunning than they were in New Vegas/F3.

Landscape is beautiful (as beautiful as a post-apocalyptic wasteland can be). One thing that bothers me: the map seems to be a bit on the small side. Maybe it’s my imagination but it really doesn’t feel very big. It’s the game of the year edition so I’m hoping the included DLCs will open up the land a bit.

I was surprised to run into a deathclaw so early in the game (Lexington) but at least it was an equal opportunities monster and dished out as much punishment on the raiders I was fighting.

I managed to get power armour in Lexington. I read an article saying there was no power armour in Lexington so here’s where it is. It’s on the roof of the building where some folk are holed up fighting off raiders. You have to agree to help them to get access to the roof. There’s a crashed helicopter with the power armour inside. Trouble is I only had one power core for it and it has run out so I’ve had to grab some raider armour until I get more power. I’ve died multiple times so I’m saving often. Starting to get to grips with the UI. I still don’t like it but at least I think I’ve learned most of it.

Quite an engrossing game

 

[Venusian Broon]

I’ve been making a little progress in Fallout 4. I’m sure the human opponents (raiders etc) are tougher and more cunning than they were in New Vegas/F3.

Landscape is beautiful (as beautiful as a post-apocalyptic wasteland can be). One thing that bothers me: the map seems to be a bit on the small side. Maybe it’s my imagination but it really doesn’t feel very big. It’s the game of the year edition so I’m hoping the included DLCs will open up the land a bit.

I was surprised to run into a deathclaw so early in the game (Lexington) but at least it was an equal opportunities monster and dished out as much punishment on the raiders I was fighting.

I managed to get power armour in Lexington. I read an article saying there was no power armour in Lexington so here’s where it is. It’s on the roof of the building where some folk are holed up fighting off raiders. You have to agree to help them to get access to the roof. There’s a crashed helicopter with the power armour inside. Trouble is I only had one power core for it and it has run out so I’ve had to grab some raider armour until I get more power. I’ve died multiple times so I’m saving often. Starting to get to grips with the UI. I still don’t like it but at least I think I’ve learned most of it.

Quite an engrossing game

What difficulty are you playing on?

I prefer survival - it makes the early game really tense, because you really need to find water, food and beds and, although some may find this 'busy work' and a bit of a pain for saving - you can only save the game via sleep - I think it really adds to the full wasteland experience. Okay and your stims and HP recovery is slowed over time and you are a bit of a glass cannon against nasty bad guys, and a few other debuffs.

Anyway enjoy it whatever level you are on, the Fallout 4 map is really packed with all sort of goodies that reward exploration, every time I've played a new game, I've always managed to stumble on a things in areas I thought I had fully explored in previous runs.