OT: Cole's OT Boutique: Beep Beep

[Shrimper]

So I ****ed around FarCry 5 for a while and...wow I suck at first-person games not named Bioshock.

Too many wolverines; not realistic.

I've learnt the hard way that I cannot grapple. Well, from place to place at least. Trying to do it on the Bridge of Tears.

Also, I wish they'd let you do Third Person when driving, find it so hard in first person.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

People play online?

Yeah. Right there with you on that.

I used to play quite a bit online years ago. The whole community seemed to start turning toxic. I left and never went back.

I've never been super jazzed about playing with other people online, anyway. I much prefer the old days of being able to punch my buddy in the arm right there in the same room, as opposed to having to endure the great unwashed masses generally finding ways to lower my opinion of humanity even more. I wish co-op split screen wasn't so scarce/non-existent these days. I think the Borderlands games were my last foray into multi player fun.

And yeah... there are further pitfalls, anymore. You CAN avoid pay to play stuff but that model creeps further into "the norm" every cycle, it seems. I'm certainly not down with supporting that garbage in any way, shape, form or fashion. It's a black mark on the industry and lazy, besides. Unfortunately, Battlefield aside, there is barely any pushback so it will become more and more prevalent. What really gets me is what Ogre touched on, though. People are so wrapped up in online only trash that well crafted single player games with a rich story and experience are like... going extinct. Too bad that's my favorite way to enjoy a game. Some of us just don't WANT to have to get online and rely on other people to craft our gaming experience. Because other people suck.

 

[Deport Ogie]

Right there with you. Give me an engaging single player campaign over online content any damn day. Partially because people who game online are in fact, generally terrible but also because I just don't have the time to dedicate to gaming anymore so I am typically not that good at it. I still want to enjoy an immersive story but I want to do it on my own time where no one other than myself gets to laugh at how terrible I am.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Online forced multi-player is the second worst thing about gaming.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Right there with you. Give me an engaging single player campaign over online content any damn day. Partially because people who game online are in fact, generally terrible but also because I just don't have the time to dedicate to gaming anymore so I am typically not that good at it. I still want to enjoy an immersive story but I want to do it on my own time where no one other than myself gets to laugh at how terrible I am.

That's a really good point, too. I'm sure my reflexes have slowed a bit... I'm no longer in my 20s, after all. But mostly I'm not a half-hobo college student with reams of time on my hands, anymore. I get to play games in 2-3 hour chunks, if I'm lucky. And most of my free time I'd rather be playing an instrument, frankly.

When it comes to the "Runny Shooty Game XIV: The Shootening" genre... you pretty much have to be an early adopter and sink whole days into them if you have any hope of keeping up. Really for any online oriented genre. Otherwise you're just kind of a burden and will be (frequently) told as much -- real fun.

That's the other thing -- being an early adopter. Not for me. Games are too uneven anymore to pay full price. Not to mention the other 3/4 of the game that comes out via DLC over the course of a year or more. I'm a value shopper. So that more or less puts me in the "don't bother" category with most online oriented titles.

Online forced multi-player is the second worst thing about gaming.

And the first?

 

[Ogrezilla]

I wish co-op split screen wasn't so scarce/non-existent these days.

That I agree with. Couch multiplayer shouldn't be eliminated just because online multiplayer exists.

What really gets me is what Ogre touched on, though. People are so wrapped up in online only trash that well crafted single player games with a rich story and experience are like... going extinct.

I think extinct is a stretch, unless you like shooters. Those have almost all moved towards online focus. Hopefully Doom and the newest Wolfenstein doing well will spark a bit of a comeback there. But in most other genres, there are still a ton of great single player games coming out every year. So much that I have a ridiculous backlog of games I own but haven't played and a huge wishlist of games I still want to buy. There are certainly some franchises that have moved more towards online than I would prefer though. In general though, I have a hard time believing anyone has trouble finding a good single player game to play. 2017 was honestly one of the best years in a long time in terms of quantity and quality of top end single player games. Again, unless you like shooters. And even then, Wolfenstein 2 and Prey are both very good. And Resident Evil 7, though I don't know if that falls in the same category really.

That's the other thing -- being an early adopter. Not for me. Games are too uneven anymore to pay full price. Not to mention the other 3/4 of the game that comes out via DLC over the course of a year or more. I'm a value shopper. So that more or less puts me in the "don't bother" category with most online oriented titles.

I'm definitely a wait to buy later guy. Between bugs, updates, price decreases, and my ridiculous backlog of games, I really don't see much reason to buy single player games on release. And usually the best games end up with a version including the DLC anymore. In theory I don't have an issue with DLC. So long as you shipped a complete game that I feel satisfied with, I don't mind either skipping or paying a bit more for some bonus content. But don't put the real end of the game behind DLC. I think Bioshock Infinite is the last game I bought DLC for.

 

[Shrimper]

Speaking of games. Rollercoaster Tycoon is 19 years old last week..

 

[Ogrezilla]

Speaking of games. Rollercoaster Tycoon is 19 years old last week..

that will always be one of my favorite games. Anyone here get in to Planet Coaster? I've been considering it since it came out, but any time I've tried a new sim game I've just wanted to go back and load up RTC instead.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I DO like shooters. Or DID.

But I can't completely put the evil of what I perceive as the downfall of masterful single player games entirely on online gaming. I think it factors in... devs are just much more oriented towards that because that's where the easy money is.

But stuff like Fallout 4 going for a dumbed down dialogue system when the original games were very much about dialogue and mood. ME: Andromeda being... well... being Andromeda after the general brilliance that was ME. I just feel like devs take less chances, anymore. And so many quality studios get bought up by these ratshit, empty suit giants like EA and Activision only to be chewed up, sucked dry and spit out.

I still enjoy a lot of single player games. But most are small independent titles. I guess I should kinda limit my bitching to "AAA" titles. Independent stuff is maybe as strong as it's ever been.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I DO like shooters. Or DID.

But I can't completely put the evil of what I perceive as the downfall of masterful single player games entirely on online gaming. I think it factors in... devs are just much more oriented towards that because that's where the easy money is.

But stuff like Fallout 4 going for a dumbed down dialogue system when the original games were very much about dialogue and mood. ME: Andromeda being... well... being Andromeda after the general brilliance that was ME. I just feel like devs take less chances, anymore. And so many quality studios get bought up by these rat****, empty suit giants like EA and Activision only to be chewed up, sucked dry and spit out.

I still enjoy a lot of single player games. But most are small independent titles. I guess I should kinda limit my *****ing to "AAA" titles. Independent stuff is maybe as strong as it's ever been.

this is probably the biggest problem for gaming right now. Dragon Age 3 also dropped the ball similar to Andromeda imo. A lot of franchises are nosediving. It's a lot of new original games standing out now.

Also, as an unabashed fanboy, Nintendo is killing it so far this generation. Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are some of the best single player games I have played in a long long time. And Mario+Rabbids was really damn good too. I just picked up the Bayonetta double pack.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

My VP hired her son to work for me this Summer... without telling me first.

I can handle it, but I will be stuck with my VP's kid on my team + with the CTO's daughter.

I better reduce the number of swear words I say by minute

 

[Empoleon8771]

Speaking of games. Rollercoaster Tycoon is 19 years old last week..

My grandma once called it "Rolly Coasty ITunes" when I was like 10, so naturally, I still call it that

It's only $6 on steam, that's a deal definitely worth buying. Then again, I also bought Shovel Knight for the switch last night, so I should probably beat that game before buying a new one.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Yeah... I've kinda stayed out of Nintendo's realm for a while, now. Since the 64, really. I guess infinite Mario titles just doesn't much rev my engines. But it sure seems like their new batch of titles is killing it. So I might have to turn my attention that way. If for nothing else than Breath of the Wild. Which looks very much like something I'd dig.

 

[Deport Ogie]

Ever since I got old and have like, real bills and kids stuff, I admit that I watch LP's on youtube a lot more than I used to. There are games (mostly indie, like Celeste for example) that I read wonderful things about but I just don't have time/funds/hardware to get into. So I watch other people play it which I used to think was kind of dumb but now get into. The trick is to find the lesser known LP'ers who aren't complete idiots.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah... I've kinda stayed out of Nintendo's realm for a while, now. Since the 64, really. I guess infinite Mario titles just doesn't much rev my engines. But it sure seems like their new batch of titles is killing it. So I might have to turn my attention that way. If for nothing else than Breath of the Wild. Which looks very much like something I'd dig.

My honest opinion is that the switch is the best console to come out in the 21st century. I honestly believe that. It's only going to get better when more games come out, but the lineup of games on the switch is already strong.

On the switch, you now have Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, FIFA, Skyrim, Splatoon (which people apparently like for some reason), Rocket League, Sonic Mania, Shovel Knight, Mario Kart, NBA 2K18, Minecraft, Dark Souls, Payday 2....the list goes on. The games on the switch are competitive with the XBox or Playstation. You're also going to add Smash Bros and at least 1 new Pokemon game (I have a hunch that a Kanto remake is going to be the first Switch pokemon game) for sure, and with the success of a bunch of 3rd party game companies on the switch, you'll see even more 3rd party games coming out. I think Madden 2019 is a possibility for the switch.

I currently have 8 games for the switch, and with games I know are coming out or have a hunch are coming out, I expect that to get to 12 or 13 by the end of 2018.

 

[KIRK]

My VP hired her son to work for me this Summer... without telling me first.

I can handle it, but I will be stuck with my VP's kid on my team + with the CTO's daughter.

I better reduce the number of swear words I say by minute

Swear words are the least of your problems . . .

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Hmm. Yeah... might have to look into a Switch. General consensus, even among those like me who have stayed away a while, is overwhelmingly good.

Plus I gotta get savvy at some of these titles if I have any hope of beating my friends' kids and nieces and nephews anytime soon. I've been getting hammered by them at video games any time I try. And I just can't let that fly.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Swear words are the least of your problems . . .

I guess being as dumb as Letang is my biggest problem.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Dude... come on. You shouldn't be so brutal on yourself.

I notice you creating complete sentences with punctuation and everything. That's already an indication you have a leg up on ol' Tanger. Do you triple clutch your empties when you toss 'em only to smash your buddy in the leg, or something? I dig self-deprecating humor but don't get too crazy, here.

 

[KIRK]

I guess being as dumb as Letang is my biggest problem.

I guess it's a Quebecois thing, oui?

 

[Clare2904]

My VP hired her son to work for me this Summer... without telling me first.

I can handle it, but I will be stuck with my VP's kid on my team + with the CTO's daughter.

I better reduce the number of swear words I say by minute

You need a new job babe

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

My grandma once called it "Rolly Coasty ITunes" when I was like 10, so naturally, I still call it that

That's awesome.

 

[KIRK]

You need a new job babe

Methinks you have a few suggestions for @Scandale du Jour . . .

 

[Shrimper]

My grandma once called it "Rolly Coasty ITunes" when I was like 10, so naturally, I still call it that

It's only $6 on steam, that's a deal definitely worth buying. Then again, I also bought Shovel Knight for the switch last night, so I should probably beat that game before buying a new one.

Damn, that's tempting...

Might have to do it to rekindle my love for it.

Did any of you guys play Theme Hospital?

 

[Clare2904]

Methinks you have a few suggestions for @Scandale du Jour . . .

All I want is a happy man, and enough money for hockey, holidays, fancy clothes, a big house and to be retired.

No pressure @Scandale du Jour