LEGEND The Video Games Thread

[Memento]

Here's an update to my video game binging:

I recently got Fable 3 for the Xbox One. I played it all the time when I had it on the 360, so it was fun to see that it got updated. Also, I had no idea that they had a DLC that could change the appearance of your dog! So, naturally, I got a Doberman appearance. His name is Rex, and he kills enemies and digs up treasures and is a very good boy, yes, he is!

Also enjoying Mass Effect: Andromeda. Call me crazy, but I love the human squadmates in Andromeda more than the human squadmates in the original trilogy - and they're not the ones I'm planning to romance. I have absolutely no idea why so many critics panned the game; it was a welcome addition to the Mass Effect series. To this day, I'm still upset at Evil Arts and Bioware for nixing a potential sequel.

Speaking of Bioware, an online friend gave me her Dragon Age 2 game to go along with the original. I'm having fun with both of them, and have multiple playthroughs to go through.

I also got Outer Worlds, which is quite a fun game from the people who split from Bethesda. I knew that the customization was going to be amazing. I expected the combat to be clunky like it was in Oblivion and Fallout 4. It wasn't...and the squadmates are fucking cool, to boot.

Played Madden 20 as an owner thus far (as I got frustrated with the Combine throwing skills as a quarterback in the Face of the Franchise mode). I moved the Washington team to Austin, and they became the Armadillos.

I'm hoping to play NBA 2K20 when I have time. I wish that I had money to spend on upgrading the player.

I'm still waiting for Biomutant to come out. If it's anything like Fable, I'll be spending hours playing it.

As for Pokemon? Got Sword and Shield (although I haven't yet gotten the DLCs), and I am a huge fan of how they've done these games. And yes, I'd rather see a DLC than an entire new game, so there's that. I'm also playing a fair few hacks and fangames of Pokemon, which are also fun. Oh, and I got Keldeo and Shaymin, which means that I don't need anything in my non-Switch version.

 

[shovelpass]

Pretty excited to see what comes of this. Maybe this forces madden to actually try.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Pretty excited to see what comes of this. Maybe this forces madden to actually try.

I was excited until I heard "non simulation" which makes me think it wont have actual NFL type games. However, I think the first year will be laying the foundation and the second year (which is when the license is actually up) we'll see them have real football. Which is exciting, because if they have the same sort of logic/physics and the ability to actually throw a real fade pass, I'm all in.

Fuck Madden. The only reason I'm getting it this year is for the new Rams stadium.

2021/2022 may see the return of NCAA football as well, and I really hope it does. I miss NCAA, it was always the superior EA football game.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Just finished another play through of The Last of Us in prep for TLOU II coming in May.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Just finished another play through of The Last of Us in prep for TLOU II coming in May.

Did you hear that HBO is making a show about it now? They said they want to stay pretty true to the game as well, Neil Druckmann is a co creator for the series.

Ellie and Tess are already confirmed for the show, as well as a few others like Marlene and Riley. Joel probably is in it too, I’m pretty interested in how it’ll turn out.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Did you hear that HBO is making a show about it now? They said they want to stay pretty true to the game as well, Neil Druckmann is a co creator for the series.

Ellie and Tess are already confirmed for the show, as well as a few others like Marlene and Riley. Joel probably is in it too, I’m pretty interested in how it’ll turn out.

I remember rumors a few years ago. I hadn't heard about this though. Could be pretty good.

 

[-X-]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned Red Dead Redemption II in this thread, but DAMN! This game is in a class of its own. The open world map graphics are phenomenal - in every little detail too. The story is great, the Karma system is brilliant in that it affects the ending you receive, and there are more than enough side-quests and reward-based tasks to keep you busy if you stray from the story-line. I'm on my 4th play-thru right now and I'm not the least bit tired of it.

 

[Memento]

Has anyone played the first Godfather game aside from me? I mean, granted, I can't play it on an Xbox One (it's why I'm getting a refurbished 360/original/maybe both), but it's another game I enjoyed. It basically took you throughout all of the first Godfather movie, and it was awesome to see your character rise through the ranks, extort businesses, rob banks, and do hits on rival Family members.

The sequel sucked, though (and the less said about it, the better).

 

[Mojo Ram]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned Red Dead Redemption II in this thread, but DAMN! This game is in a class of its own. The open world map graphics are phenomenal - in every little detail too. The story is great, the Karma system is brilliant in that it affects the ending you receive, and there are more than enough side-quests and reward-based tasks to keep you busy if you stray from the story-line. I'm on my 4th play-thru right now and I'm not the least bit tired of it.

Seriously one of the best gaming experiences i've ever had. Many of my gamer buddies couldn't get past chapter 2 though. I kept telling them "It takes its time early on. Stick with it."

The entire first chapter is basically tutorial blended with story.
They couldn't do it. These are the same buddies who are still addicted to Fortnite and COD so that explains a lot i guess.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Has anyone played the first Godfather game aside from me?

Yep. I played it on the PS2(?) i think.

 

[Mojo Ram]

 

[-X-]

Seriously one of the best gaming experiences i've ever had. Many of my gamer buddies couldn't get past chapter 2 though. I kept telling them "It takes its time early on. Stick with it."

The entire first chapter is basically tutorial blended with story.
They couldn't do it. These are the same buddies who are still addicted to Fortnite and COD so that explains a lot i guess.

Yeah, that makes sense. COD and FN don't require much imagination. Just point and shoot. I can't get over how awesome RDR2 is in its dedication to authenticity. Even the horses' actions are authentic in every way. I grew up with horses so I know how they act, react, eat, shit, panic, get spooked, run, get winded, and show affection. These horses in this game do everything the same exact way. It's amazing. Even the details on the ground - how the paths are carved out over time with patches of grass here and there. And how the buildings in the main story evolve or disintegrate over time by the time you get to the epilogue (which is cool, but I still miss Arthur). Everything about it is phenomenal. With one exception. Keeping Arthur at the perfect weight (pre-disease). Fuck that's annoying!

 

[Memento]

RD2 is a work of art, even from the experience of someone who hasn't played it, like me. Love the realism in it.

 

[KJD_Ram]

War Zone.....Call of Duty...nuff said...

 

[Memento]

Updating!

I decided to make a new Xbox One account (Silemem, for those who are curious) and replay some games I've beaten (Fable 3, Outer Worlds, Dragon Age Origins/Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey).

I'm also planning on repurchasing a few games on Amazon: the original Mass Effect trilogy, Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War, the games in Assassin's Creed (first, AC2, AC: Brotherhood, AC: Revelations, AC3, AC: Black Flag, and AC: Origins, and preordering the new one that's coming out this year, Valhalla), and preordering Cyberpunk 2077 (which looks like a fantastic futuristic dystopian game).

 

[Mackeyser]

I finally made the switch from WoW to FFXIV. Borrowing a PS4 Pro from my eldest son's friend until the PS5 Pro comes out this Xmas season and since unlike other launches, both the PS5 and PS5 Pro will come out at the same time, I figured I'd do that.

I prefer my Mac Pro to any PC due to Mac OS X, but I'm limited to 10.13.6 and I'm absolutely NOT buying any of that iMac trash, prefer a desktop and can't remotely afford the new Mac Pros which even stripped would run $10k and a moderately equipped would run $20k, fully loaded $50k.

Apple really thinks their iMac Pros are worth a damn. Oh well.

So yeah, moving to console gaming, which became a done deal once I realized I could use my keyboard and mouse. Easy peasy.

FFXIV is very fun, LOVE the jobs and story, like the crafting. SUPER LOVE the gathering. When I feel like crap, I can just enjoy. Fishing is especially good.

Plus, now that I have a PS4 Pro, I can look at getting games like Detroit: Becoming Human, Persona 5, RDR2 and a few others. For me, it's all about interesting story. I've already clicked and shot enough for a lifetime. I got fps out of my system with those Quake and Unreal Tournament LAN parties back in the day...

My dad joke is that I'm Mono-game-ous in that I play one game at a time, but I always had a side game (Diablo to WoW, for example).

I dunno, just the idea of not having to maintain a gaming rig is freeing.

Also, eventually, I think I'll just have a console and tablet and that's it.

But yeah, made the switch. FFXIV is really fun. The ONLY issue I had was that initially, having come from the cartoony graphics of WoW, FFXIV's uncanny valley hit me kinda hard. Got over it pretty quick, but when I tried the trial, it was unsettling. Now, WoW looks weird to me... a little. Comfortable, but weird.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Next gen consoles look like they're going to be able to pull off some impressive stuff as game developers learn to take full advantage of the tech.

 

[yrba1]

Updating!

I decided to make a new Xbox One account (Silemem, for those who are curious) and replay some games I've beaten (Fable 3, Outer Worlds, Dragon Age Origins/Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Assassin's Creed Odyssey).

I'm also planning on repurchasing a few games on Amazon: the original Mass Effect trilogy, Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War, the games in Assassin's Creed (first, AC2, AC: Brotherhood, AC: Revelations, AC3, AC: Black Flag, and AC: Origins, and preordering the new one that's coming out this year, Valhalla), and preordering Cyberpunk 2077 (which looks like a fantastic futuristic dystopian game).

Nice, recommend nibbling (buying separately) through those games as I have a hard time playing a backlog if the next big release comes out; just speaking from personal experience.

 

[Memento]

Nice, recommend nibbling (buying separately) through those games as I have a hard time playing a backlog if the next big release comes out; just speaking from personal experience.

Eh, I have no problem buying a backlog. It's not like I've got anything else to do with Covid-19 running amok.

But I did use the Amazon card I got for the first Assassin's Creed (coming May 20), an Ezio digital bundle pack (AC2, Brotherhood, and Revelations), and Shadow of Mordor/War (which I'll get on my birthday.) And I've decided to go on an AC binge. I never got to finish any Assassin's Creed story in their entirety, which I'm definitely planning on doing it now. And I still have yet to get AC3 (played it, never finished it), Black Flag, and Origins (the latter two of which have been in my want-to play-but-haven't-gotten-to-it).

 

[Mackeyser]

Next gen consoles look like they're going to be able to pull off some impressive stuff as game developers learn to take full advantage of the tech.

While my work as a multimedia engineer was more focused on upsampling low rez video, I had to pay attention to how it all worked in order to know how to improve the video to convey more information.

While the Xbox Series X is focusing on Mesh Shaders (grouping junctions of triangles to smooth) versus Primitive Shaders (improving the quality of the individual triangle) on the PS5, BOTH are going to be able to do some amazing things.

Xbox will be slightly better at raytracing, which is how the light bounces off of various surfaces to mimic light in the real world (the ONE thing games never fail to get wrong even in their cinematics are human mouths because without raytracing, they can't make the skin of the cheek with enough opacity so that you can see the inside of a person's mouth. It's just a black hole...literally. Also, teeth are a little bit opaque, too, unless one has dentures.

Anyway, raytracing will be an Xbox lead, but that's about it and even then, the custom engine parts of the Unreal Engine that debuted on the PS5 will eliminate the big win to a minor victory.

Sound? PS5 all day. They have a dedicated decompression chip as well as you will be able to set up your own 3d audio profile based on YOUR EARS!!! The sound information alone of the PS5 is enough to fully saturate the 8 cores in the PS4. FPS games which rely heavily on localized sound will be BONKERS on the PS5.

Load times/asset loading: PS5 all day. The engineering they've done is nothing short of miraculous and it will take years for even the PC to catch up. It's not just an SSD...it's...well, so much more. Moreover, when Sony mentions their upper limits, they will be pushing them early on. Xbox will not ever get close to their theoretical max as a matter of architecture.

Backward compatibility: Xbox all day. It's by design. PS5 is going for significant architectural improvements which obviate total backward compatibility. So if playing that old version of GoldenEye is that important to you as is playing the latest stuff on one console, the Xbox is the way to go. PS5 will play many PS4 games out of the box, but it'll be awhile before that 4000 game threshold is met.

Anyway, the Unreal Engine will be available on both, it just debuted on the PS5.

Most of where this gen improvements are going to be seen are by far better on the PS5. That's just a matter of the science behind their architectures, HW and SW. That doesn't mean the Xbox Series X will suck. Far from it. And by combining DirectX 12 and debuting DirectX 12 Ultimate on the Series X, there should be a MUCH easier time for PC game devs to deliver games to the Xbox. If you flip between console and PC, the Xbox may be a huge win.

But yeah, that demo was amazing. What got me is that the more technical one is, the more granular you get, the BETTER that demo is.

I mean, I remember having to calculate my encode times by hand based on pixel count, color depth, frame rate, color correction and other factors. The idea that this engine can do what it does with billions of textures the size of a single pixel (some prefer to refer to them as texels, others not so much) including raytraced lighting, physics and any effects in real time at gameplay frame rates without lag?

I MEAN DAYUM!!!

You won't see a huge difference in GTA5, but with Cyberpunk 2077 or some of the new titles coming? yeah, it's finally gonna make it worth it to game on that 4k tv....