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Messages - dhaabi

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1
General / Re: Games with great stories.
« on: March 26, 2024, 11:01:51 am »
Disco Elysium has one of the best game stories I've ever played.

Disco Elysium is a game I'm hoping to get around to playing sooner than later. In discussions relating to Kentucky Route Zero (which I mentioned above), it's almost always recommended as a follow-up game to play.

2
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: March 24, 2024, 01:22:50 pm »
16. Passage || Browser || 03.22.24



Passage is a game I've known about for around ten years, and I may have even played through it before. That said, it wasn't a game I had given much focused thought until now. Only after mentioning it in another topic did I stop to consider properly engaging with it.

As the title suggests, Passage is a game about the passage of time. As the man, the player will age as they travel from one side of the screen to the other, entirely across a two-dimensional plane with a narrow point-of-view at all times. Looking forward, what lies ahead looks fuzzy, and what may exist below is completely unseen. For most of the game, this isn't immediately recognizable to new players as the man's sprite design incrementally changes, noted by clothing, hair color (and eventually hair loss), player speed, and posture. As the game is played (or even when idling), the player's fixed position creeps along automatically to the right. Simply put, so much of what Passage means greatly depends on one's playthrough. But, at the end no matter what sort of action was taken, all players will die. In that moment, you're now only represented by a gravestone, with the player's trivial score that's been accumulating hanging above as if that's what validates whether one's life was well lived or not. The game's strict five-minute end is unavoidable, no matter which sort of path or paths the player takes.

While an easier, preset path exists at the player's starting position which encourages horizontal travel, players have free control to also explore along the vertical axis, ridden with obstacles barring you from moving onward. Remaining strictly along the starting path, there are no obstacles at all, and the player's journey will arguably be more uneventful when compared to exploring below. It's important to note that the player's score only increases when moving east, although treasures exist throughout the labyrinth to the south. Much can be said about this diverging choice. To me, the game suggests that new experiences are more easily made when not dwelling on the present moment and the intricacies which may accompany it. When venturing downward, the environment remains static, implying you're stuck in one moment of time as you scour all options available to you in search of some reward. While treasure may be found, not all chests offer it. When taking this path, much of your labor yields nothing aside from time taken away from your life. But, when treasure is successfully found, a large score bonus is granted, but these occurrences are momentary and, ultimately, unfulfilling.

This is perhaps the very first choice players are offered, but another is available almost immediately upon starting. A short distance away, a woman stands who, if interacted with, will follow the man for the remainder of the playthrough as their life partner, the two experiencing life together in love. With the two together, the game obviously becomes less about the man and more about the couple. With every movement, the two are bound together. Obviously, there are benefits to finding love, but the game now presents a problem for those wanting to discover what treasures life may offer in any given present moment, down below. While traversal in the south maze is still possible, not every path is now available. There will be moments when treasure is one space away, but the two of you can't reach it. There will be times when the player won't be able to move forward at all in these depths, now being required to retreat above or even backtrack entirely. Unlike before where the man was only responsible for himself, there is now someone else to consider. No longer is he only living for himself. From one perspective, some may argue that Passage implies a life in love prevents an individual from reaping life's greatest rewards. Of course, these rewards are never straightforward in achieving with some work is required, but these offerings are sometimes unable to be reached altogether, even after effort was made. However, from another perspective, there is much to gain even when choosing to constantly move forward, ignoring life's opportunities. Devoid of all obstacles, the environment along the north path is constantly changing, allowing for far more experiences to be made.

With all this said, Passage can be played in a variety of ways (as a pair, one your own, finding love early in life, idling for however long at the game's beginning which may result in finding love later in life, and so forth.) As a short five-minute experience, I played through Passage several times. To my surprise during my first playthrough, I felt something once the characters approached the opposite edge of the screen, slowly aged by time. Nearing the screen's edge but not quite there, your partner abruptly dies. Again, I felt something, much more than before. When the woman dies, life continues on with the man more than capable to move forward, although their speed dramatically decreases as they seemingly struggle with grief. If choosing, a player may even decide to stay nearby the woman's grave, as if the man couldn't overcome this loss.

In truth, there is very little to understand about the game's message, and it's quick to understand the game's symbolism. Because of this, simply reading about the game may make it seem uninteresting, but, when pausing a moment to actually understand the events unfolding while playing, there are plenty of chances to reach some sort of emotional epiphany during the experience. Available to play for free, some may find Passage worth experiencing.

3
General / Re: Games with great stories.
« on: March 23, 2024, 11:44:41 am »
Personally, I find that even the most successful of games which are deemed to have strong stories often don't. For many games, the narrative is, at minimum, engaging—it isn't really that much of a challenge to provide that much (although crafting a unique story itself is.) To me, there are three things to consider when approaching this topic: writing, storytelling, and the story itself.

As an example, a recent game often praised for its writing is The Last of Us Part II. Is its writing really all that impressive, though? No, not really. But its story and storytelling are commendable, with the former going deep into themes of loss and the moral complexities of survival while the latter structures the game's events in a way which will force players to reconsider their actions for two separate characters with conflicting motives. For other games praised like it, usually there is only one, sometimes two, of those three aforementioned aspects truly worth praising, and it's rare for a game to succeed in all three. With that said, I actually have played Nier: Automata, and I do believe it's one of those rare instances.

After glancing through my list of completed games and pondering about certain items, I think these are the three other games which succeed in story, storytelling, and writing: Kentucky Route Zero, Silent Hill 2, and The Stanley Parable. I'll also mention Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice as a game I've watched someone else play.

4
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: March 22, 2024, 01:00:37 pm »
15. Greyhill Incident || PlayStation 5 || 03.08.24



After some of the trailers were published leading up to the release of Greyhill Incident, it didn't take long for the game to catch my attention as something I'd like to eventually play. I don't claim to be knowledgeable of every game released, but it seems like games centered around alien invaders are few and far between, which was a key reason for why my interest was piqued. As a budget title, I decided to go into this experience blindly without reading anything about the game's reception.

In hindsight, the trailers reveal more about the game beyond the general subject matter and gameplay than I had originally thought, should one analyze it in some depth beyond one passing view and their short runtime. While Greyhill Incident is a survival horror game, the game lacks in a serious tone as the writing mocks alien abduction stories and those who claim being witnesses to alien life landing in rural areas. Of course, some may feel like this sort of attitude is justified to mimic real-world attitudes in what many would claim are nonsensical beliefs, but this is a fictional game that could have chose to deviate from those perspectives instead of reinforcing them. Because of this decision, the game often veers more into comedy than horror, as characters proudly don tin foil hats and actively prepare for the possible threat of an alien invasion, even prior to the game's events. These alien conspiracists boast about how the government is lying about the presence of aliens, which is a clichéd viewpoint. Meanwhile, as the story continues, these same government officials cautiously advise the public with all seriousness to gather as much tin foil as people are able to find to protect themselves from the alien invasion.

Now that the game's atmosphere established, there is little to explain about the story itself. In brief, aliens have landed in a rural community, and the player-character Ryan's son has been beamed into their ship. With some neighborly guidance in mind, Ryan creeps around the farm community to gather supplies while responding to narrative events relating to other characters, as he works toward saving his son. Constantly, it is difficult to comprehend where to go due to low visibility relating to fog. Unfortunately, when raising the game's brightness settings, the environment only worsens with fog density. At one point, Ryan describes a scene as a "UFO parking lot," but the visual scene available to players was instead a huge gray block overtaking most of the screen's space, devoid of any visible characteristics. Alongside general visibility, the lack of variety in environmental detail introduces another problem as players wander about. Each house has a mailbox, so even something as simple as a number or name printed at their side would be a small but welcomed addition. Sometimes, lanterns can be seen faraway in the distance which somewhat help in guiding a player where to go. Still, throughout most of my time playing, the experience mostly felt like a blind journey with many repeated attempts. Needless to say, there is no map system, but the game's small explorable space doesn't warrant one.

Generally, I'm unfamiliar with modern control layouts for first-person games with shooting and sprinting mechanics due to that I seldom play these types of games. Nevertheless, I've been told the controls for Greyhill Incident are poorly implemented, only made worse by players lacking customization options. While exploring, players have access to a dimly lit flashlight that serves almost no purpose in functionality. It offers the most marginal of visual improvements compared to exploring without it, whereas alien scouts are much better able to spot the player as they hide in stealth. Nearly every button relates to one specific item or action, which the game doesn't provide an adequate time preparing the player to utilize prior to the game's action, which will inevitably result in many players' repeated deaths.

As Ryan, the player is vulnerable. Armed with a baseball bat and a handgun which has only about a dozen of bullets available to find throughout the campaign, most confrontation will rely on the former which can only stun enemies. Since Ryan's slow to attack with long pauses between each swing, it's in the player's best interest to sneak to avoid any enemy detection, although this action still works against the player's success. Enemies will see you regardless but only at a closer distance, even when obscured by set pieces like tall patches of grass. Running is also an option, but the player's stamina empties quickly, and more enemies will likely be attracted to the noise. To the player's disadvantage, there is no health system. Instead, once confronted by an enemy, it's likely that the player will die, but it isn't guaranteed. An on-screen prompt will instruction the player to spam the action button, but the event is designed to almost always fail. Once confronted by any more than one enemy at the same time, there is little reason to even prolong the inevitable, as players will be stun locked. Lastly, there are a number oh hiding spots to utilize such as under a bed, inside a vehicle, or even in a barrel, but the player needs to ensure they're far away when taking this action, so hiding is seldom the preferred action due to needed distance paired with limited stamina. Despite these design choices which will result in many repeated player deaths, I think highly of the game's resource management, as there isn't enough ammo to kill each enemy and ammo being difficult to find altogether.

While I take some issue with the writing's tone, another problem is the dialogue itself. For every NPC, dialogue feels rigid and devoid of emotion. In many moments, it sounds as if a majority of the actors are reading their lines without much, if any, context to the narrative, whereas Ryan's voice actor is the one outlier. However, while Ryan does convince players that he understands the significance of the situation, the result is instead on the opposite side of the spectrum. Routinely, he'll scream into the foggy void as his otherworldly pursuers patrol the fields and streets, well within speaking distance, let alone shouting distance. In conversation, the back-and-forth as a result of the vocal performances feels unnatural. Simultaneously, characters repeatedly talk over another as lines overlap. This problem is made worse by subtitles rarely aligning to the dialogue being spoken as it progresses too fast. Related to these issues is that NPCs may only be interacted with once. While there is a brief line of objective on the pause screen, it is vague in guidance and sometimes doesn't update at all. So, should players be unable to comprehend what to do, they're regularly left to wander aimlessly.

For better or for worse, Greyhill Incident offers a middling experience, but it's a game I ultimately don't regret playing despite its issues. Even at a discounted price (or even free, for that matter), it's difficult to recommend to others to try the game unless they're interested in playing it due to its subject matter.

5
General / Re: Games you must play before you die.
« on: March 21, 2024, 12:31:51 pm »
After finding the list of the games featured in 1,001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die, it doesn't seem that interesting of a read.

It's a little difficult to discern whether the author simply didn't know about some of the more interesting game experiences created by smaller developers or if they instead did but chose to discard them in favor of modern AAA titles (evident by the approximate 550 games listed which were released during the 2000s alone.) Some of the former types of games are mentioned, like Façade, which is nice to see, but it's a small number. Meanwhile, there are plenty of franchises mentioned which are hugely over-represented, like The Legend of Zelda. Sure, these games are fantastic and well-regarded by most, but does the book need to mention twelve titles from the series? Are the differences between these games really that vast and innovate with each subsequent entry to the degree they're all worth covering? (For some yes, but overwhelmingly no.) To me, it comes across as the author only being knowledgeable about games on a general level. 1,001 is a large number, after all. Few, if any, games which were never released and localized outside of Japan are listed, which I'm sure there are plenty of games worth mentioning (as I can think of a few right now, without much thought.)

Below is only a small number of games released prior to the book's 2013 publication which easily (and to some, rightfully) could have been featured that I was able to think of:
Bad Milk
The Binding of Isaac
Catherine
D
Device 6
Digital: A Love Story
Lose/Lose
Muscle March
Passage
QWOP
Second Life
Space Funeral
Super Meat Boy
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Yume Nikki
ZZT


In the ten full years since the book's release, here are more modern games (some I've played and greatly enjoyed, some I've played which didn't resonate as much as others, and some I haven't played at all) which are notable considerations worth highlighting:
7 Days to End with You
Agar.io
Baba Is You
Dear Esther
Disco Elysium
Doki Doki Literature Club
Dreams
Dujanah
Everything
Furi
Getting over It with Bennett Foddy
Gone Home
Gris
Her Story
Hexceed
Kentucky Route Zero
Mosa Lina
Overcooked!
Papers, Please
Rain World
Ring Fit Adventure
Something Something Soup Something
The Stanley Parable
Superhot
That Dragon, Cancer
Thumper
Undertale
What Remains of Edith Finch
Who's Lisa?


6
Video Game Database Discussion / Re: dhaabi's VGC Database Work
« on: March 20, 2024, 01:07:36 pm »
Every post in the Sony PlayStation topic has been updated to include a list of item number prefixes relating to items found in each sub-category. If anyone knows of any prefixes which I may have overlooked, please inform me so that I may update these sections.

I've now submitted 15,000 database entries.

8
Video Game Database Discussion / Re: dhaabi's VGC Database Work
« on: March 19, 2024, 11:47:09 am »
May I make a recommendation. Linking to Ebay resources is fine, but for a large project you should not rely on Ebay to retain those images. Especially if you think it may be more than 1-2 months to work on a project. I have done things 2 different ways. First using a text file like you do, you can see in this post:
https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6782.msg128484.html#msg128484
Where each item on the list has a number, and that number corresponds with a number on an image file that I have saved locally.

When I did PS2 consoles, I changed to a spreadsheet, but mostly because of the many different things I was tracking that I could assign columns to. As well as use colors.
https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6782.msg132606.html#msg132606
On here, there is also an "ID" column that linked to images I had saved. This way I could easily go back and look at the pictures if I needed to compare something.

Regarding the nature of this NES work, each game can be considered its own project, meaning very little time is spent before it's completed. As I've gone about collecting research, I tend to save images during the process while overwriting them as better ones are found, so the eBay links being tracked is an ideal safety measure in the event information is lost or new information comes to light (such as a box variation becoming known which I had overlooked before, which has already occurred once.) Since each "project" is completed in a short amount of time, I've not had any issues relating to expiring links. I still have all the final images used for entries saved locally, though, in the event I'm needing to reference them again.

I'm sure there is an ideal way to collect this information in a spreadsheet, but I've found it much easier to use a text file since variances in box designs have (so far, with the five games I've studied) followed a straightforward progression of updates. In the same text file, I also maintain track of these box differences, like in the below example:


Quote
box 1 design: circle Seal, System, Bros.™, hang-tab back, Nintendo label seal (variant observed)
box 2 design: circle Seal, System, Bros.™, hang-tab back, originally shrinkwrapped
box 3 design: circle Seal, System, Bros.™, hang-tab back, Game-Pak
box 4 design: circle Seal, System, Bros.™, hang-tab back, NES P SM, Game-Pak
box 5 design: circle Seal, System™, Bros.™, hang-tab back, NES P SM, Game-Pak
box 6 design: circle Seal, System™, Bros.™, NES P SM, Game-Pak
box 7 design: circle Seal, System™, Bros.™, REV-A, NES P SM, Game-Pak
box 8 design: oval Seal™, System®, Bros.®, REV-A, NES P SM, Game-Pak
box 9 design: oval Seal®, System®, Bros.®, REV-A, NES P SM, Game-Pak


Also, there is some info on here (PS1 model prefixes) that should be present in the PS1 ID Guide.
https://www.consolemods.org/wiki/AV:Sony_model_prefixes

I'll be looking at this in the upcoming days when I have more time.

9
Video Game Database Discussion / Re: dhaabi's VGC Database Work
« on: March 19, 2024, 10:43:22 am »
Do you have a spreadsheet or been keeping any sort of connected image list for these cart variations for NES?

The Excitebike cart I own does not fit in with any of the entries on the site. The one I have has the front features of this entry:
https://vgcollect.com/item/5906
but the back features of this entry:
https://vgcollect.com/item/262021

So the main difference is that it is the same as 5906 but does not have the "1985" on the back label.

For the NES work, I've been maintaining individual text documents since I find it easier in this instance to keep track of which components are included in each individual boxed release I come across. So, taking The Legend of Zelda as an example, here is a small blurb of how that information is formatted.

Quote
box 1
1. cart 1, (missing IB) https://www.ebay.com/itm/134956452108
2. cart 1, non-serial IB, Maps and Strategies https://www.ebay.com/itm/176265158381
3. cart 1, non-serial IB, Nintendo dust sleeve https://www.ebay.com/itm/295706523363
4. cart 1, non-serial IB, Maps and Strategies, Nintendo dust sleeve, purple insert, "Free membership" https://www.ebay.com/itm/284645600934


box 2
1. cart 4, non-serial IB, Maps and Strategies, foam insert https://www.ebay.com/itm/116083623569
2. cart 4, non-serial IB, Maps and Strategies https://www.ebay.com/itm/403463408261
3. cart 4, (missing IB), Maps and Strategies, Nintendo dust sleeve https://www.ebay.com/itm/325993617328
4. cart 4, (missing IB), Nintendo dust sleeve https://www.ebay.com/itm/235427488001
5. cart 1, non-serial IB, Maps and Strategies, Nintendo dust sleeve, foam insert https://www.ebay.com/itm/256424987073


5906's previous Description information incorrectly mentioned that "1985" was present after "ⓂNintendo®." I've amended that just now. (There is no "ⓂNintendo® 1985" back cartridge label design.) There are a lot of variances to keep track of for these items, so it was just a matter of not fully updating the information for 5906 when moving onward from one entry to the next. Excitebike was the first game I started collecting research for, meaning I think I've been become better in maintaining and transcribing information now that I'm becoming more accustomed to where variances may exist.

10
https://vgcollect.com/item/68195

Correct item number is 4MY00006
I assume 4MY00010 is the Italian Variant.

https://vgcollect.com/item/83992
The front image is stock, will submit replacement

Front image submission approved. For spine information, we should treat a forced line break as a space—not as one single string nor as a hyphenated one. I rejected that Item Number field submission, along with a few others which you'll see on your Notifications page, for that reason. If that information is re-submitted with the correct formatting, they'll be approved.

11
Console release of the controller has the iconography on the touchpad, all standalone retail releases do not have the iconography on the touchpad.  They are different controllers.

https://vgcollect.com/item/109896
https://vgcollect.com/item/95683
https://vgcollect.com/item/229616

I've updated 109896 and 95683 based on edit history while also submitting a new entry for the US boxed release.

12
Speedrunning is the modern day high score list. I imagine a number of members here often frequented arcades during their prime, besting for that coveted top spot or even settling somewhere further down the column in the top 10. So, that there is a fair bit of animosity toward speedrunning is unexpected. While I'm not a part of the speedrunning community nor know of its particulars, I do know that there are all sorts of speedrun types, such as any % completion and 100% completion. While I'm sure there are plenty of records which were obtained by utilizing certain glitches or exploits to the player's advantage, I'm also sure there are many arcade-style games with a high score list which have its record holders using those same types of tactics. Both traditional high score holders and more modern speedrunning record holders, in many cases, use their expertise of a game to reach the same end goal.

That said, speedrunning in some form has long existed. Any sort of racing game is most obvious. At the same time, plenty of older 2D Mario games have a countdown which encourages swift, yet precise, gameplay, which continues to be a feature in modern games. Fighting games such as Street Fighter are another example, such as how quickly one can finish its campaign mode. Then there is the simple practice of seeing how how long one credit or player life can last. In the end, all these instances aim for the same objective: being the best by some metric.



13
General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!
« on: March 11, 2024, 11:44:09 am »
14. Tinykin || PlayStation 5 || 03.06.24



While I don't quite remember when I first heard about Tinykin prior to its release, I do remember being drawn to its presentation. It's been a game I've been hoping to be released physically on Sony consoles, but that possibility still hasn't come. So, I decided to play it through PlayStation Plus's offerings.

Introducing players to its fun, cartoon-like world, Tinykin begins with an animated short explaining how we as the player-character Milodane begin our journey, interacting with the titular alien-like Tinykin creatures along the way. Having come from a faraway galaxy to learn of his heritage, Milodane travels to the barren Earth after intercepting an old transmission of human origin. Soon after, one of two possibilities are revealed: either Milodane has been shunk to the size of a bug, or, instead, it's shown that Milodane has always been this small size. To my understanding, the details are never outright explained, although I do believe the game later on implies one reason over another. Nevertheless, upon landing on Earth, we enter a house that's expansive and full of life, having since been reclaimed by numerous bug species who have taken each room as their kingdom to call home. Each species has its own culture, including moral values and religious practices, and the game does well at characterizing its communities.

Upon immediately landing, Milodane is introduced to an old moth named Ridmi who warmly welcomes us as they're interested in the odd and unusual. Ridmi soon explains how, for many years, his lifelong goal has been to completing a device originally having belonged to the so-called god the bugs collectively worship named Arwdin, which Ridmi believes has the capability to go "beyond the House." Using the aforementioned Tinykin as tools of sorts which we shepherd around, Milodane sets off to collect needed artifacts to fully construct Ardwin's device. On our own, there is little we're able to explore, but the Tinykin allow us to easily overcome these obstacles. Numerous types of Tinykin exist each with their own unique characteristics, such as being explosive in nature and the ability to conduct electricity.

As previously mentioned, Milodane's journey takes the player all across the house, which is certainly designed for the average-sized human. But, because of our small size, this typical setting becomes anything but, as every nook and cranny throughout this now open-ended space becomes an explorable environment. By normal standards, the house is in total disarray as each room is very much now home to bug civilization, and it's enjoyable to witness the ways in which bugs have adopted human resources to their benefit. In one area, fields of farmland have been constructed out of kitchen sponges, with a waterfall towering from up above upon utilizing the kitchen sink as its source, with the water itself being directed by a pipe system constructed from a series of drinking straws. Seeing these fun and clever ways to build an in-game environment was always enjoyable, and it only takes adjusting the camera slightly or taking one small turn to discover more.

At its core, Tinykin is a 3D platformer which focuses more on environmental puzzle-solving and simple exploration than collecting materials, although the latter is certainly present. In fact, in what is perhaps a bit unexpected for the genre, but there is no combat or major conflict whatsoever. While each stage has its own goal in securing the needed artifact for Ardwin's device, it isn't as simple as finding it. Instead, a series of tasks always stands in the player's way which requires the player to carefully navigate the area which is always complete with hidden interiors such as a crawlspace, a locked refrigerator, and closed dressers and drawers. While discovering all the game's collectibles is far from necessary, doing so will require a thorough eye, as levels are massive alongside the player being given free reign to explore without any set path to follow. In general, accomplishing the main objective is straightforward to do, but the amount of side content distracts the player in a natural way which encourages further exploration.

Knowing what to expect from Tinykin's gameplay, I was not expecting for the game to feature a robust amount of optional dialogue to read from interactable NPCs. In truth, a lot of dialogue adds little to the narrative itself, but it does help bring the world to life, so I always stopped to read what characters offered to say. At the game's conclusion, I was pleasantly surprised at the narrative ending, although I wish preceding details were a little more transparent. Perhaps all the details were there and I was too focused on amassing in-game collectibles and exploring new environments without reading into the game's deeper meaning, though. Paired with the game's writing, Tinykin's art direction is fun and full of colorful, cartoon illustrations. While not novel by any means, its use of 3D environments paired with 2D character art that swivels alongside camera rotation was always a visual treat to see. In a small number of instances, there are even fully animated cartoon sequences which help elevate the expressive characters to being even more so.

To my surprise, Tinykin excels at providing an in-depth experience to the 3D platformer genre, and it would be an excellent introduction to anyone unfamiliar to this type of gameplay. There is a low skill level required, but a fulfilling experience awaits, nonetheless. It isn't overbearing with its collectibles nor do they feel tacked on, and many will naturally gravitate toward experiencing the full exploratory adventure.

14
This change was due to a community poll: https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,11879.0.html

Maybe it's just early in the morning, but I don't see anywhere in that poll that says we would move to use colons?  It's all about dashes and descriptors.

Full explanations along with examples are outlined in the topic post. I imagine that the polling options are written that way to maintain brevity.

15
General / Re: What are you playing?
« on: March 06, 2024, 12:01:49 pm »
I finished Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3 last night after about 85 hours.  This game deserves all of the accolades that have been heaped on it.  I'm aiming for a kind of Neutral Good / pragmatic scoundrel playthrough, and it's working out pretty well so far.  I love it, but hate that it is eating up so much of my time.  There's still so many other games I need to get to.

I've found myself caught in the middle of watching a let's play for Baldur's Gate 3 and am having a good time experiencing the game that way, although I've only gotten through Act 1. I don't game on PC and have been waiting for the console physical release, so I'm sure I'll play it myself one of these days, hopefully sooner than later. In late 2022, I started playing Dungeons and Dragons for the first time albeit without much regularity, so both games are helping me understand another.

The one Let's Play I've been watching is actually taking more time to get through than I am, so I'm managing to stay ahead of them, so I get to see a few differing outcomes and my own choices.  It's pretty nice.  I used to play D&D with friends, but that group sort of fell apart, but I also played other similar CRPGs, as well as the old D&D Icewind Dale titles, so it's kinda feeling like coming home in some ways.

I wish that was the order I was experiencing Baldur's Gate 3 myself, but I think I'll still enjoy it quite a bit once I do have the opportunity to play. It helps a little that who I'm watching play isn't that experienced in the genre, so I feel that any playthrough of mine would be quite different with battle and exploration alone.

I've only just started experiencing western RPG video games in the last two years or so, and it's been enjoyable. To my understanding, though, they've not been as in-depth regarding player choice and outcome, so D&D has been a lot of fun in that regard. But, even from what I've read about D&D, it isn't as complex as other tabletop RPGs, so I suppose I've only scratched the surface for that style of games. I'd love to be able to play D&D more often, but it's the typical case of everyone having conflicting schedules. Fortunately, though, despite everyone living in different parts of the world (two in United States, two in Japan, and originally two in Australia which have left the group), geography isn't an issue.

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