Weekend Action 2019/2/15

Thank the Maker it's Friday! It's been kind of a grueling week, to say the least. Between some issues with my bipolar, and some weird news that I got, it's been tough. But, the weekend is here now, and it's time to relax!

It now feels odd to not have a loot shooter beta/demo this weekend, after three consecutive weekends with either Anthem or The Division 2. I guess I'll have to play actual released games.

I'd like to finish Resident Evil 2 this weekend, at least one playthrough, but I'm chafing at the backtracking and fetch-quest aspects of the game a bit. I'm overall really enjoying it, but my heart sinks every time I see that I need to find six different plugs based on chess pieces, and I have no fucking clue where to go to find the rest of them. Sigh ...

... I've also been contemplating jumping back into Pathfinder: Kingmaker and finishing it off. I dearly love a lot of things about that game, and then clench my teeth at other parts. I dig the story, characters, combat, and appreciate what Owlcat intended with the kingdom management bits, but I actually get angry at how 'hardcore' this game wants to be, and I hate that the game can set you on the path toward a fail state hours before you realize it. That shit's just lame.

I don't understand the crowd that wants brutally unfair and 'hardcore' cRPGs, but I won't look down on them, either. People find their bliss in different things, and that's part of what makes games great. The diversity in gaming is fantastic.

That being said, I'm not someone that a) enjoys being punched in the teeth by a game, and b) has the time to be overly challenged. I like having to think my way through things, but I need actual clues to work with, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker fails hard in this regard at times.

When I finish the game, I think it'll be the most hours I've ever put into a game that I somewhat hated (and liked at the same time.) Dragon Quest XI will be just behind it.

Since it's Friday, I'm streaming the Witcher 3 tonight at 7PMc on my Twitch channel. It's a really fun stream, with a great crowd in chat, and I'll be making black and tans live on the stream, too. It's going to be a great time.

Otherwise, I'll be putting some time into the Elder Scrolls Online, and I might wrap up the Summerset campaign this weekend or early next week.

And that's it.

What about you? What are you playing this weekend?

- Blaine

Weekend Action - 2019/2/8

Happy Friday! Whatcha playin' this weekend?

It was a decent week, but I'm always glad for the weekend. And I'm playing some awesome stuff!

First up, The Division 2 beta is live right now! I played a little bit last night, but I'll be playing through the entirety a little today and a bunch on Saturday with my oldest son.

And it's interesting having played Anthem the past two weeks and now playing The Division 2 beta. It's hard not to compare them in this circumstance, even if I think that the similarities are superficial.

Without really getting into the idiocy of 'OMG which is better LOL,' I'll say that I really enjoy both.

The gunplay is pretty different in the two, but I really like both. Anthem feels like Mass Effect, which is great, and The Division 2 feels much more real and grounded, which I also appreciate.

The traversal in both is fun, and totally different. Anthem has the flying and floating and zipping around, which is fantastic, while I really like the cover-to-cover movement of The Division 2, too. Totally different, but each feels great in the game's context.

Also, the environments in both look and sound amazing.

Really, they scratch different itches for me, and I'm glad I'll be able to bounce between the two for a while (once they come out.)

Tonight, as usual, I'm streaming The Witcher trilogy at 7PMc on Twitch. We're eyeballs-deep in Velen in The Witcher 3, and having an absolute blast. The in-game action is wild, and the chat is a great place to shoot the shit and relax. Get yourself a six-pack or make yourself a stiff drink and come hang out. It's a great way to kick off the weekend.

If you want to get caught up on The Witcher or any game series that I've streamed, check out my YouTube channel!



Otherwise, I plan to try and tackle more Resident Evil 2 and get some more quality MMO time.

I finally got a pro-tip from my boss at work to get me un-stuck in RE2 (I haven't been able to figure out how to get back to the goddam fucking parking garage), so I'll probably start on that post-stream tonight. I'm loving RE2 so far.

MMO-wise, I'll probably focus on playing through the rest of the Summerset campaign. I hate the Altmer, but this is a great expansion.

So, how about you? What are you playing this weekend?

-Blaine

Anthem Thoughts (post-public demo)

I think Anthem has totally won me over. I had a blast this past weekend. Most of the technical issues that hampered my experience during the VIP demo were gone, and I was able to play and explore as much as I wanted.

I also got to play with my oldest son for a while, which is always a great experience. It's fun, sitting in the same room and yelling at each other while we enjoy a co-op experience, whether it be The Elder Scrolls Online or Anthem.

The flying rocks, though I'm glad that I got a sexy new mouse at PAX South that lets me adjust my DPI with a few clicks. I had to turn my DPI down for the flying and the underwater stuff. Anyway, the flying is a visceral experience, though I do kinda wish it was infinite, rather than something that had to cool down every so often.

When you combine the flying and shooting, though, it really does feel kind of like Iron Man.

The combat feels like a heavily refined and cranked-up version of Mass Effect combat, which is pure joy for me. The shooting in this feels so good. It can be tough, too. You and your squad mates have to really give some thought to who targets who, and how everyone spreads out. I also found myself using terrain as cover a lot. It's a great mix of strategy and shooting them in the goddam face.

The little bit of the story that we got for the demo was also really cool. I really enjoyed it. I won't describe any of it here, in case you're trying to avoid spoilers.

The environments in which you use your javelin are fantastic. BioWare has done an amazing job of making the outer world feel alive. Plants and animals are everywhere, and the world is beautiful. They've also done a great job of infusing the verticality inherent to the game in the worlds. It feels liberating to be able to use 360 degrees of movement not only in traversal, but in combat, as well.

Fort Tarsis ... that environment needs a lot of work. At least in the demo, it's mostly pantomiming puppets, which really smashes the immersion into the game. It's people gesticulating at each other with no audio. I really hope that this gets addressed. I want to hear chatter and conversations. I want more people to be interactive. I want BioWare to bring their known strengths to bear in this area, and at least in the demo, they haven't.

Even the overall look of Fort Tarsis is kind of 'blah.' I really don't know what happened, but that's the one part of the game that needs a lot of attention.

Overall, though, I had a blast. This is going to be a fun game. I can't wait for February 22nd.

-Blaine