OT: General Video Game Discussion VIII

[Avder]

When talking computers, there's no such thing. Your rig will be out of date in 3 months.

That's why I said resistant.

The comp I built in 09 was useful for gaming all the way up until 2014 and I didn't even go top of the line when I built it. Considering how advances in computer technology have been slowing a bit, I'd say 3-5 years is almost a conservative estimate for relevance.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Might be using my tax refund to get a Switch. It has certainly piqued my interests.

 

[Minnesota]

Might be using my tax refund to get a Switch. It has certainly piqued my interests.

I've heard good things about Breath of the Wild.

 

[Avder]

Slightly annoyed that Intel decided to drop the price of the i7 6700k a week after I buy it, and amazon won't refund the 30 dollar difference.

And now I need to make another decision. Do I take advantage of the impending price reductions on 1080 cards or do I chip in a little more and go for a 1080 ti? Decisions decisions.

 

[TaLoN]

19 Days until Mass Effect Andromeda!

 

[Soldier13Fox]

Wayyyy to many games and not nearly enough time.

Picked up Torment: Tides of Numenera. So far really liking it!

 

[Engebretson]

Might be using my tax refund to get a Switch. It has certainly piqued my interests.

If you do, please put up a review on here. Breath of the Wild seems to be getting overwhelmingly positive reviews, but it seems there are mixed reviews from various tech sites on the overall experience on the Switch in general.

 

[Minnesota]

Anyone play Horizon Zero Dawn? I don't have a PS4, so I can't play... But I've heard great things.

 

[Soldier13Fox]

Anyone play Horizon Zero Dawn? I don't have a PS4, so I can't play... But I've heard great things.

It's reviewed very well everywhere. It's on my list, but haven't had a chance to even think about buying anywhere. It does sound like a really interesting and fun game, looks great too.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

If you do, please put up a review on here. Breath of the Wild seems to be getting overwhelmingly positive reviews, but it seems there are mixed reviews from various tech sites on the overall experience on the Switch in general.

Just picked up a Switch this morning from Target, so here are my early thoughts:

Not so great/neutral

- The Joycon are smaller than I expected. I mean somehow the whole console is about as big as I pictured, but the joycon are smaller, if that makes any sense.

- The dock is cheaper than i thought it'd feel, it's literally just a box with a few outgoing ports and a USB-C for the Switch. I was hoping for some sort of rails or something that makes it feel better going in and out.

- WiFi on it isn't great. I was at my family's house and my Ipad got decent wifi but the Switch couldn't pick up the signal at all.

- Really wish they would've gone with gorilla glass for the screen instead of the plastic that's on there. Feel like it's gonna scratch easy, and i'm still waiting on my tempered-glass screen protector.

- The kickstand is bad. Flimsy and way too vertical of an angle

- The ABXY layout is taking some time to get used to, after using Xbox layout for so long

- The R/L bumpers are real small

Good

- Although the joycon were smaller than I expected I actually like them quite a bit. I know some people don't like the right thumbstick but I have no complaints over it.

- The docking/undocking process is pretty seemless though, from a gameplay perspective. It's real quick to transfer from TV to switch or vice-versa.

- It's a perfect size for handheld, for me.

- The screen is surprisingly nice. It's only 720 but it looks great.

- The sound on the Switch can get pretty loud

- The Joycon grip is surprisingly comfortable

- I like the minimalist UI right now.

- I played Snipperclips with my girlfriend in tablet mode and that was a really cool moment. Hard to explain but it's really cool to just take off the Joycon, hand one to a friend and start playing a game right there.

- The joycon on/off is really satisfying.

- The face buttons feel really nice

- Battery life is as advertised. Charges pretty quickly when not in use, though.



Overall I'm liking the console. Not perfect by any means, but I think there's a lot of promise there. I've heard the Pro controller is really nice, so I might pick one up later. It was really nice to play some Zelda at home, and then be able to just bust that out at my family's house later.


Also BotW is so damn good. It's different than the other Zelda's in a lot of ways, but playing it now in my Mid-20s I feel just like I did playing Ocarina of Time for the first time. Snipperclips is real fun too, nice to have a game I can play with my GF right now.

 

[Engebretson]

^ Thanks, tgf

Everything you listed as not so great/neutral was a lot of what I read from some of the tech reviews last week. I don't remember seeing anything about the screen, but that's disappointing that it's just a plastic screen. I know that it's part of an effort to keep the cost of the unit down, but I can see that being a problem. The kickstand was a very common complaint and a lot of folks said they could easily see it breaking off with how cheaply it looks/feels.

It sounds like a lot of people bought BotW with the console right away which sounds like the right plan with so few launch titles. The game sounds pretty spectacular and if I keep reading more about how great it is, I might just have to go out and buy a Switch for myself just to play BotW. I loved Ocarina of Time and if BotW gives me the same feels, I don't even...

Thanks again!

 

[Soldier13Fox]

My friends convinced me to get Ghost Recon: Wildlands. We have had a ton of fun with Destiny and the Division, but the problem is that once the main story is completed I'm done. I have no interest replaying the same thing over and over in order to get slightly better gear. We'll see how this one goes!

 

[tomgilbertfan]

About a dozen or so hours into Breath of The Wild. I can't say enough good things about this game. It's not "perfect", I'm not a huge fan of the weapon durability thing going on, but you get so many weapons that it's hardly a problem. The tower system in the game is so good, doesn't give you waypoints or any markers, just a literal map of that area. Exploring is based on what you actually see in the world, not what your minimap tells you is there. It's so rewarding to figure out a way to climb a mountain and some of the puzzles are really satisfying to complete. Had some frame rate drops but nothing that has been too bad. It's so nice to be like "I wonder if this would work" and be rewarded for thinking about how certain things may interact.

 

[Soldier13Fox]

About a dozen or so hours into Breath of The Wild. I can't say enough good things about this game. It's not "perfect", I'm not a huge fan of the weapon durability thing going on, but you get so many weapons that it's hardly a problem. The tower system in the game is so good, doesn't give you waypoints or any markers, just a literal map of that area. Exploring is based on what you actually see in the world, not what your minimap tells you is there. It's so rewarding to figure out a way to climb a mountain and some of the puzzles are really satisfying to complete. Had some frame rate drops but nothing that has been too bad. It's so nice to be like "I wonder if this would work" and be rewarded for thinking about how certain things may interact.

I haven't been a Nintendo guy since the actual NES and SNES times (I'm old) so most likely will not be playing the game ... but I agree with the comment about the mini-map and just exploring. That's part of the reason why I love Dark/Demon Souls so much. So many cool moments when you go in blind and just experience stuff. It's also probably part of the reason why I can't finish games like the Witcher. I get mini-map fatigue chasing every little tiny side quest (that usually turn out to be super boring). I wish more games would adopt this old-school way.

 

[Sharppi]

I've stopped played everything else but CS:GO.

 

[Soldier13Fox]

I've stopped played everything else but CS:GO.

Is there a pretty steep learning curve? I've never played, people are hardcore about this game

 

[Sharppi]

Is there a pretty steep learning curve? I've never played, people are hardcore about this game

Well, I've played 3f shooters for around 18ish years now online and I'm not in the top 5% of thr playerbase in the world. Top 15-20% probably. The community is filled to the brim with now 20-30 year olds who have played now for 10+ years actively. The learning curve is somewhat steep but not the worst by all means. I only play with friends though as that makes the games enjoyable, full 5-man group ensures no cyka blyats.

 

[SupremeNachos]

Is there a pretty steep learning curve? I've never played, people are hardcore about this game

Be prepared for lots of boosters and derankers. At the highest ranks half the people are cheating.

 

[Avder]

I'm finally building this mother trucker. Video card won't be here until next week, but integrated graphics mean I can install everything else.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Since I've had a week with my Switch I wanted to post an update/extended use 'review' of it.

- I've gotten used to the controls, the L/R buttons are still small but I'm not having any trouble using them. The +/- are a little more awkward to reach, but nothing too bad.

- Battery life has actually been pretty good. I can get 3-4 hours of BotW in, at medium-ish brightness and using headphones. Snipperclips I played for about 2 hours and was somewhere around 70%.

- Wish there was an easy way to charge while playing in table-top mode. The charging port on the bottom means you've got to find a particular stand for that.

- It's so, SO nice to have a console-quality game on the go. I had to get the exhaust on my car fixed today and I didn't have to arrange a ride or anything, I just played a couple hours of Zelda in the lobby and waited for my car to be done. Then I went home and played on the TV with a seamless transition.

- I've been playing a ton in handheld mode, it's been great for my relationship, if the GF wants to watch her show It's no trouble, I just take my Switch out of the dock and keep playing. No negotiating or any stress.

It's still not a perfect device but I think I like it more now than I did when I first got it. Just wish it had some more games right now. (and I wish a 2nd controller didn't cost so much)

 

[Minnesota]

@tomgilbertfan

What's the next Switch game you're looking forward to playing? I've heard raving reviews of Zelda, but not much else...

I'm thinking about trading in my DS because it's likely in Nintendo's best interests to discontinue the console. I expect not many more games to be announced for the console as Nintendo will be pushing to have everything on the Switch. Guessing DS value will plummet...

 

[TaLoN]

8 days from Mass Effect Andromeda

 

[Soldier13Fox]

So after about a week of playing Wildlands, here is my review.

- It's a TON of fun when playing co-op with friends, preferably a full complement of 4

- It's VERY boring playing as a single player.

 

[Soldier13Fox]

8 days from Mass Effect Andromeda

I can't wait. Been trying not to read much about it so I can go in completely blind.

 

[TaLoN]

I can't wait. Been trying not to read much about it so I can go in completely blind.

I've been careful on the info I've taken in... of course I've watched all the Andromeda Initiative briefings to get that nice Pathfinder helmet etc... read up on some of the changes in gameplay etc, but anything that shows extensive mission specific details etc I've avoided.

Why would I want to see 30 minutes of a loyalty mission now? I'll wait until I'm doing the loyalty mission myself thanks!