The video game thread.

Rygar said:

Ha, I'm still playing GTA Online and the 'weighted' and clunky controls are still an annoyance.

I went back to a packed lobby yesterday to test the community and it's as bad or worse than ever.

I'm dreading Fallout 76.  I will have to play it because it's a Fallout game, but I know I will be driven off by packs of players following me around and doing dances around me like what happened in Destiny.  

I'm really enjoying RDR2.  I'm trying my best to do more exploring and side quests rather than hit the main story quests.  While there are some issues with the controls feeling a bit "heavy" or sluggish at times, i'm constantly blown away by the scope and detail of the world.
A couple things...
Is it me or does it seem like there are far less side quests/missions in this one compared to the first?  It seems like there are more "help the person in distress" quests and less actual side quests.
Before release I loved reading about how you had to maintain the health of Arthur and his horses and how crafting would be a big part of the game.  This seems less so once actually playing it.  If I sit down for a couple hours and play, I find myself only maintaining my heath bars or my horses maybe once or twice.  I mean, if i'm in a big gun battle, I tend to rely on the Tonics and food more, but I'm pretty sure I can go days to weeks within the timeframe of the game without really maintaining anything.  
Crafting so far seems pointless.  I upgrade the camp and such, but rarely do I craft anything or feel the need to.
The honor system is cool, like it was before, but it doesn't seem to affect anything really.

Anyone experienced Reclamation Day yet?

eeriepadave said:

MayDay10 said:

get him to dish us some juicy info on the next elder scrolls game

MayDay10 said:

Also, very intrigued on the new Fallout coming out.  Seems to be about a control vault, like 200 years before Fallout 3, and takes place in Virginia/West Virginia

he's actually working on Fallout 76.  not sure what he did exactly.  I'll have to ask him next time i talk to him.  Trailer looks good i suppose.  I'm not a huge gamer though so not sure what the other fallout games are like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9FGaan35s0&t

Hearing it's getting really bad reviews.

Reclamation Day is upon me.  Figured I would end up getting this sooner or later because, well ... Fallout!  That's why.  And it's probably going to be three to five years before Fallout 5 comes out so off into the wasteland I go.

Only 2-3 hours or so into it so far.  First impressions:

Loot!  Spending most of my time learning the C.A.M.P. basics, gathering resources.

Combat:  I have yet to be involved in any major conflict.  Few enemies I've just used melee on.  Took on a few protectotrons (level 5) with a machete (me level 2) and got my butt handed to me.  

Graphics:  Not nearly as bad as expected based on what I was seeing on Youtube.  Playing on xbox one x, but I don't think there is a huge difference on standard rigs.  That said, Fallout 4 was not the best looking game.  This game follows that art style and engine.  Compared to RDR2 it's not close, but that said, the world looks pretty despite Bethesda's aging engine.  This may seem minor, but for the first team Fallout has a world map that is good.  It's an actual map and not a crappy green P.I.P. boy map.  

Sound:  Great sound and atmosphere.  Feels like I'm walking in the woods of West Virginia.  

Real People:  Everyone I've come across so far has been cool.  I few have helped.  Most are probably like me just trying to figure things out.  No one being a dick so far is a huge plus.  If Bethesda did anything right, I think they made this game so it couldn't be ruined by packs of 12 year old looking to mess people up.   It still feels more like a solo game than online multiplayer.  

Bugs:  I've yet to encounter anything major yet, but I've yet to really been in an environment / battle that would put it to a test.  I think this is a game that will need a few months to iron things out based on what I'm reading.

I figure it will take 10 hours to really get a handle on this game.  So far I'm enjoying it.  The game is getting major hate because the internet is being the internet and also the concept of taking a single player game like Fallout and turning it to an online game seems sacrilegious (I'm firmly in that camp but am going in with an open mind).

I'll update more as I play it.  But so far, it is no where near as bad as the internet has made it seem.  

And now for my 2018 Game Of The Year award goes to ........

Fallout 76 4!

The disaster that is Fallout 76 made me want to try out Fallout 4 on Xbox One X and the new enhanced version has pretty much called out to me to play for the last two months.  I don't care if the game came out 5 years ago, it is damn good fun.

As for games that actually came out this year, I'm giving the award of Actual 2018 Game Of The Year to ....

Forza Horizon 4

Forza is the definition of fun.  Just racing around in cars with a smile on your face.  I can't pinpoint what changed to make me finally enjoy this series as I could never really get into its past entries.

As for the obvious choice of Red Dead Redemption 2, it is a marvelous game in every aspect, but it doesn't call out for me to be played like I thought it would.  It's a great game to just cowboy around it, but the Rock Star mission level designs may have hit a saturation point for me.  Some missions kind of feel like a chore and are frustrating (and time consuming!) to replay just because the wonky controls made you fail. 

Overall it was a good year for games.  Lots of gems out there.  Picked up a few during the holiday sales that I've yet to play.  Anyhoo, the honorable mentions:

RDR2
Divinity Sins II

I can' believe they didn't get Will Smith for the role of Sonic!