[Weekly - W] Now Playing

Was gonna respond yesterday, then that obviously didn't happen. Welp, trying again!

Division 2 is my gaming bread-and-butter these days. Approaching the end of the base game's campaign, and the game has constantly delivered, often getting better the more I play. Just now getting to some of the sweet customization mechanics that are going to take the game to the next level for me. Hooboy.

Dabbling in ARK with workbros when I can. Finally caught my first dinos, so that was pretty neat. Found out you can build farms and stuff in the game which also excites me. Also dabbling with a private Minecraft Realm I set up for my family members and myself. Bedrock edition being everywhere makes it easy to super casually play together/have a shared space.

Finally, not that I have enough time for the above as it is, I'm trying to get going in BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Love the brands. Love the mechanics. Have not had the time and focus to work on git'n gud.
 
Kendrik said:
Finally, not that I have enough time for the above as it is, I'm trying to get going in BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Love the brands. Love the mechanics. Have not had the time and focus to work on git'n gud.
Click to expand...
I saw that that was on sale on the Switch recently, but I skipped it because I have other fighting games that I haven't spent enough time with to feel like I got my money's worth yet; however, I'd still be interested to hear your thoughts on the game after you get more time to play it.

I already own Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for the PS3 (and have hardly touched it in the year I've owned it), but I'd consider paying the Switch Tax(TM) to have a fighting game with Persona characters that I can play on the go.
 
Tek7 said:
I saw that that was on sale on the Switch recently, but I skipped it because I have other fighting games that I haven't spent enough time with to feel like I got my money's worth yet; however, I'd still be interested to hear your thoughts on the game after you get more time to play it.

I already own Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for the PS3 (and have hardly touched it in the year I've owned it), but I'd consider paying the Switch Tax(TM) to have a fighting game with Persona characters that I can play on the go.
Click to expand...
Tell you what you probably already know, but base game does not have all the characters. You'll want Special Edition to get EVERYTHING, and that's $33.50 right now. You can bring down the cost and get LOTS OF THINGS for something closer to $17 by buying BASE ($4.80) + ADDITIONAL CHARACTER PACK ($12.40), and that gets you everything but Ver 2.0 new content (system level updates are for everyone regardless of buy-in). Character pack has all seven volumes of character releases totaling 22 characters. That pricing is pretty solid.

Ver 2.0 discount pricing is pretty small, 15% off-ish; it's $21.30 instead of the usual $25. Ver 2.0 has nine character and an expanded story. The "most bang for least buck" in me says Base + Additional Character Pack is your purchasing sweet spot, then get Ver 2.0 when it's on a 50% sale down the road.

Not sure why I decided on CAPS STYLING. I'ma blame the recently onset brain fog.

Of course, Special Edition includes all of the above and puts you in an overall better discount bracket. It also gets you out of the hassle of juggling DLC deals and gets you everything that's out. It's pretty fun stuff, and the team seems to have taken plays out of DBFZ's book by making inputs pretty simple. I'm of the impression that quarter-circle motions are the extent of difficulty as far as actual input stuff goes. Obviously, what you do with attacks/tools/vectors is where the depth is (as I strongly believe should be the case; despite my love of technical fighting games, I think input complexity is needless skill gating).

Gonna hit post reply before I launch even further into unsolicited opinions on fighting game philosophies. lol
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons. This week and next will be mostly mindless farming while doing other things. #GachaGamingLife

Making progress in Bravely Default and Persona 5 and enjoying both.

I'd gotten Steamworld Dig 2 for free on PC through Twitch Prime recently. I had played the first 30-60 minutes previously and picked it back up recently. I really enjoyed what I played, but I couldn't help but wish it was on a good sale on the Switch. A few days later, it went on sale for $8, so I bought it and I'm already almost back to where I left off on the PC version. Metroidvania + Mr. Driller on a portable gaming system? Yes, please.
 
Maining Minecraft right now on Switch. Got a private Realm set up for my two siblings and myself. Been a good time. Really easy to get sucked into exploration and/or creating stuff (must be why they call it Minecraft), even more so when I can do it on my Switch.

Haven't really been on much else lately, but have been putting a good dent into Dragon Quest XI demo on Switch too. Wanting to finish the demo (which is crazy long for a demo!) before even thinking about buying the game. Definitely hitting a lot of right notes for me, though.

Mostly just chomping at the bit for the North America PC release of Phantasy Star Online 2.
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons and Wordscapes on mobile.

Making progress in Persona 5 and Steamworld Dig 2.

Missed TF2sday this week because I felt like death warmed over. (Nope, not the 'rona. Got tested Tuesday morning. Test results came back negative Thursday.) At least @Ember and I got in a round of Sketchful with the CGA Friday night game night crew.

Stalled out on Dragon's Crown on the Vita, but picked Odin Sphere Leifthrasir back up and enjoying mashing buttons to bring the FURY OF THE VALKYRIE. Tagging @Kendrik on this paragraph because he'd be upset if I didn't.

Gave two Ubisoft mobile "Go" games (Deus Ex Go and Lara Croft Go) a shot since they were free, but wasn't really feeling either. Planning to try out Hitman Go (which was also free) then uninstall the set if the last game doesn't tickle the ol' mobile gaming fancy.

Installed and played the first 15-20 minutes of Yooka-Laylee. I missed the collect-a-thon craze during the Banjo-Kazooie era so I doubt I'll stick with it, but I got the game as a Twitch Prime freebie months ago and finally got around to checking it out. It's pretty in 1080p and colorful and I could play it in front of the kids, but there are so many (SO MANY) games to choose from that I'll probably move on soon. (Don't worry, @BananaGirl, I'm still keeping an eye out for a good sale on A Hat in Time.)
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons and Wordscapes on mobile.

100%'d Steamworld Dig 2 earlier this month. The game was a wonderful mix of Mr. Driller and Metroidvania until the optional trials which comprise the very last unlockable content in the game. SD2 handles exploration extremely well and combat satisfactorily, but lacks the tight controls required for precision platforming (like that seen in games like Celeste and Super Meat Boy). Nevertheless, I cleared the trials after a few attempts and finished the game.

I've also made it as far as completing the fourth palace in Persona 5 and the third chapter in Bravely Default. Progress has been slow and sporadic.

I'm very close to finishing Bastion (I think), after which I plan to start playing either Transistor or Yakuza 0. (I haven't decided yet. I might finish Persona 5 before I take up another long-form game like Yakuza 0.)

I also recently purchased Crystal Crisis on the Switch while it was on sale for 50% and have been unlocking characters by day and playing the occasional matches with my kids in the evening. My children don't always handle losing well, so we might shelf Crystal Crisis matches in our home until they have a chance to practice more and I make certain I understand the game's handicap system correctly.
 
Phantasy Star Online 2. There are other games, but I'm not playing them. PSO2 has been a looooong time coming for me, and I'm super happy with it being here. It delivers as expected. I mean, I've played it on multiple platforms before...but in Japanese.

I don't speak Japanese.

Getting to play in English, and that making it easier to get others to hop on too, is a big win for me.
 
I've been getting into playing Crusader Kings II lately. It's got a lot of learning curve due to massive complexity, and the gameplay is mostly in managing politics rather than having direct control over city building or battle maneuvers, so it takes a certain mood to really get into it.

Normally not really my thing because I prefer building over conquering, which in this case amounts to mostly dealing with people problems and waiting for time to pass to allocate tax monies to economic and defensive advancement if I don't want to go aggressively subjugate my neighbors. However, currently it's been useful for providing some mental/stress relief while not always being able to relax enough to enjoy my more favored games from having to maintain more awareness and involvement in real-world political issues than usual. Plus, it has a very impressive attention to historical details that makes an enjoyable supplement to reading through scholarly texts, so that's a bit of a bonus.

Mostly I've been playing the kingdom of Georgia as I like the balance of power between church and government that its Feudal Orthodoxy provides, as opposed to Catholic Feudalism or Imperial Orthodoxy where imbalances can be abused to steamroll opposition by force rather than by skill or integrity. But I'm still very much a novice, so these are just my first impressions in not yet having much experience with the game. Maybe I'll come to understand the different sides better as I progress and learn more of the dynamics and nuances.

Also, this kingdom seems (relatively) a bit of a small player surrounded by hostile or opportunistic territories, so not sure what its long-term potential will turn out to be if I don't choose to be aggressively opportunistic myself. The challenge is appealing, but I'm realistic enough to know that it may hit a wall of feasibility at some point. At any rate, it's a nice diversion for the time being.
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons and Wordscapes.

With work and home life picking up the pace, I haven't had as much time to play games, but I've been making slow progress through Bravely Default.

Unfortunately, progress in Persona 5 has stalled, in part due to my decision to finally start playing the copy of Yakuza 0 that I purchased months ago on a good sale ($6.79; it's been on sale for cheaper since, but oh well). Yakuza 0 has been a blast to play, as expected, though I find once again that I'd rather play Kiryu Kazuma than any other playable character in the series (but Majima in Y0 is still way more fun than, say, Saejima in Y5).
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons and Wordscapes.

Ever so slowly making progress in Bravely Default. I feel like I'm right on the cusp of a major plot point, which has inspired me to wait until I have a chunk of quiet time (30 minutes or more) to focus on the game. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to find 30 minutes of quiet time in a weekday.

Stalled out on Persona 5 again. It's clear that I won't be able to eke out the last section of the current Palace with the SP (equivalent to MP in other games) I have remaining, so I'll need to back out then look for another opportunity to return and finish it out.

Cleared the fourth chapter of Yakuza 0 and I'm back to playing Kiryu. But as with all M-rated games, I can only play them after the kids go to bed, after chores are done, and before I need to go to sleep myself. Most days, that window of time is teensy tiny (which is one reason it's taken me so long to get as far as I have in Persona 5).

Still enjoying the occasional Smash Ultimate and Goonya Fighters matches on the Switch with my children. <3
 
Still Puzzle & Dragons and Wordscapes. Complete all 4 pictures for Wordscapes this month earlier this week, so I'm taking a break until the new month. I'm taking a pseudo-sabbatical from PAD and just playing a few runs of a dungeon I can clear in under a minute to collect daily goodies during the current event.

I had pre-registered for the Aggrestuko mobile game and installed it after getting the notification it launched earlier this week. It's Yet Another Match-3 Game(TM), but it's Aggretsuko and it's polished for a mobile game that just launched. Beware the animated shorts you unlock every 10 levels contain language not suitable for children when Aggrestuko arrives at the karaoke bar and sings her signature death metal tracks (yes, this is a Sanrio franchise) to vent her frustrations with office life.

I'm still stalled out on Persona 5 and didn't make any progress in Yakuza 0 this week, but I did reach a major and long-awaited plot point in Bravely Default. Now I'm deciding whether to grind some job levels and take on some optional quests or forge ahead past The Point of No Return (But Not Really)(TM) and keep the story moving. My characters have been stuck with the same jobs for so long that I might toy around with some of the new jobs I picked up before moving on to the next chapter.

Still playing Smash Ultimate with my kiddos and loving it (which is good, because I have never spent this much on one game IN MY LIFE).

Played a few levels of New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on the Switch.
 
This week's question: What are you playing now?

Still doing World of Warcraft. I'm in a non-Christian guild that does in character weekly church services for the Alliance Moon-Guard server. As a gnome hunter, I don't get a lot of personal RP, so I mostly do solo stuff.

Real big on Overwatch. I play it quite often these days and even love playing it with friends. I'm pretty okay with all classes, so I love Mystery Heroes. But I'll do a Quick Play; I'll usually queue as Tank and Healer because it's easier to get yelled at if you didn't pick the right DPS character. Sometimes I'll hope into a vs. hard AI just to get my Junkrat gameplay in. He's my favorite character, but it's so hard to get him in games sometimes.

I've been doing a little bit of Diablo III Season mode on the side. Working on a Barbarian during this season. I do have Diablo III for the Switch, but the controls were a little frustrating to figure out, and I haven't tried multiplayer yet.

I've gotten a little bit into Fallout IV again. Starting fresh and taking my time to enjoy all the little details.

For a while there, I was doing Skyrim VR. It's not only cool to actually feel like you're personally exploring a dungeon, and it's great to get off my butt and get moving a bit. I'd like to get back into that.

I also have Star Trek Bridge Crew for VR, but I haven't practiced it as much as I'd like.

I am part of a weekly Dungeons and Dragons group. We use Talespire as our platform and it's pretty nice to use. Although we keep our character sheets on D&D Beyond.

On the side, I do some Star Wars: The Old Republic. Been working on a Jedi Knight Guardian - but again, solo play.

I started a little on Dungeons and Dragons online. Only played the first dungeon so far. Haven't done much beyond that.

Whenever I'm watching Critical Role on Thursday nights, I'll usually hop into Minecraft vanilla and just play a stress free world.

Those are kind of the most frequent games I've been playing.
 
Malohaut said:
Real big on Overwatch. I play it quite often these days and even love playing it with friends. I'm pretty okay with all classes, so I love Mystery Heroes. But I'll do a Quick Play; I'll usually queue as Tank and Healer because it's easier to get yelled at if you didn't pick the right DPS character. Sometimes I'll hope into a vs. hard AI just to get my Junkrat gameplay in. He's my favorite character, but it's so hard to get him in games sometimes.
Click to expand...
Yay, Overwatch!

That reminds me: @Malohaut and I played a few rounds of Overwatch this last week and I managed to score Play of the Game thanks to some very distracted enemy team members and Pharah's fantastic ult.

JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE

I keep thinking of it when I'm not at home, but at some point I'd like to upload the video of that quad kill. :>
 
I don't know that I've played anything in the last week or so? Been on side hustle in many evenings to fund projects and tool acquisition. Gotta get back on PSO2 sooner than later.
Oh! I scooped up Far Cry 5 on deep discount a week and change ago. Been able to play a little here and there. Love me some Far Cry.
 
- Still pretty lonely in World of Warcraft. Got a guild. Got a toon. Got a story. But it's a solo story. I miss RPing with people.
- Love when someone in channel says they are playing Overwatch and want company (especially Tek!!). I'll drop anything to join!
- Tried Teamfortress 2 tutorial. I may try some more bot games.
- Finished Haedrig set for Barbarian on Diablo III PC
- Pokemon Go daily - Thanks to Atown for the gifts!
- Tried the Aggretsuko puzzle game. Played it once. Haven't gotten around to continuing it.
- Trying Zelda Breath of the Wild on switch. Might be a bedside - before sleep game. we'll see
- While at work, I have the Game of Life 2 on my tablet that I play as a side distraction. Strangely enough, this minimal touch distraction helps to keep me focused at work.
 
Played a bit of Pokken Tournament DX during the free trial. Really enjoyed the game. Would love to buy it while on sale for the first time, but been blowing side-hustle money on tools and materials, so can't really justify the price. Hopefully get it next sale.

Think that's about it for the week, though. lol

Oh! Workbros spun up a new Ark server, this time doing Scorched Earth. Started the server last night, so I got on for a couple minutes after putting kiddos to bed and all that. Ark is best of times/worst of times for sure.
 
- Things have gotten a lot better socially in World of Warcraft. The week long Tournament of Ages that the server held was really great. And I joined my guild's carpball team! things are looking up!
- Overwatch has its summergames now. I love all the new skins! One week's rewards down. Time for week 2! Hit me up anyone who plays!
- Game of Life 2 is still a good, work distractor. Me and 3 bots. Make my move, and then do work as the game plays the other bots. Very relaxing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top