So, what're you playing?

[Job601]

I have been playing crosscode, which was on sale on Steam a few weeks ago.  It's a pixel-art jrpg set inside an MMO but despite all that is fast-paced and fun, with combat taking a backseat to the many good, mostly optional puzzles, which revolve around discovering routes across high ground and throwing bouncing balls to hit switches.  This is a game which gets all the little details of its interface and complexity level right, so that it never wastes your time.  Games that let me have fun without wasting my time are a priority these days.

[Cyrrex]

I am playing Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (1). In my neverending search for JRPG to love I had somehow missed this until I think Trippy reminded me of its existence. I bought it with very little expectations and now I am officially a fan, of the game and the whole series (which spans across 14 games). I will probably expand on this in the future as I am tempted to write a proper review. It definitely shares some traits with the Persona games in the school life and relationship development aspects, and that's a huge bonus to me. The game is massive, big world, immense cast of characters in a universe built across more than ten games so full to the brim of callbacks and cameos, and an overall direction that has pushed me to seek out other Takayuki Kusano's games as he and I clearly like a lot of the same things.
So far (50 hours in), this is rising fast in my personal all time JRPG rankings.

I am very much looking to eventually get into Cold Steel, but I am still up to my tits in Trails of Sky.  The Second Chapter is already 50 hours, and it feels like there is at least half a dozen hours left.  And then I have the 3rd chapter already purchased, so I imagine I should get through that one, too.

Fucking great games.  Nostalgia might have me placing FF above this series overall, but I don't think that will last.  Especially if Cold Steel improves on things in meaningful ways.

[Jeff Kelly]

Picross S3. Obsessively. I've already solved probably more than 200 puzzles.
It's like number based crack

[Rasix]

PoE and Dragon's Dogma: DA on Switch for when my son is hogging the PC.

[Draegan]

I'm still playing Auto Chess. Which one of you mother fuckers hooked me on this game?

[Mosesandstick]

Was playing FFVI and gave up halfway. Think I might be at a point where I never play another FF again.

Started Pillars of Eternity and enjoying it so far, but part of me did think I playing a 20 year old game, and not in a good way.

[Kail]

I have been playing crosscode, which was on sale on Steam a few weeks ago.  It's a pixel-art jrpg set inside an MMO but despite all that is fast-paced and fun, with combat taking a backseat to the many good, mostly optional puzzles, which revolve around discovering routes across high ground and throwing bouncing balls to hit switches.  This is a game which gets all the little details of its interface and complexity level right, so that it never wastes your time.  Games that let me have fun without wasting my time are a priority these days.

Hmm, I gave up on it in the first dungeon because I had the exact opposite experience.  Graphics and music were spot on, but the gameplay was getting tedious fast.  Enemies were all taking tons of hits and because there's no jump button or anything the whole parkour aspect was just "follow this really convoluted path for two minutes to get the treasure chest which probably just has some mostly useless food items in it". Gave up in the first dungeon with the puzzles seeming like they were getting more and more finicky.  Does it get better later?  It's one of those games I wanted to like, but just started to dread starting up.

Just finished Katana Zero, and I really enjoyed it.  It's like a mashup of Hotline Miami and Ninja Gaiden, kind of.  Basically a 2d platformer take on the "murder everyone in the room" type game where everyone (including you) dies with one hit.  It's pretty short, though, I finished it in 5 hours and I'm terrible at it.  In addition to the combat, it's got a pretty interesting conversation system, I thought, where there's a timer counting down and you either have the option of interrupting the speaking character if you respond before they're done, or waiting until they're done to select a response to whatever they're saying.  Maybe a bit expensive depending on your budget for a game you can finish in an afternoon, but pretty fun while it lasts in my opinion.

[HaemishM]

I think I've burned out on MTG: Arena - the new expansion, War of the Spark, has just upped the power level to super-mega retard. Every pack has a planeswalker, which means every game is now a chore of waiting for six overpowered annoying planeswalker abilities a turn. Fuck a bunch of this shit.

I've now topped 100 hours in Football Manager 2018, and am on the cusp of taking Accrington Stanley from the 4th division of English football into the 2nd division if I can win my next 3 games. Back-to-back promotions with a financially-strapped team would be a pretty mean feat but I think I can do it. Meanwhile, I'm about halfway through level 14 in the Division 2, playing mainly solo because my RL buddies got the game a few weeks before me and have leveled to Tier 5 status. I might actually catch up before they get burnt out on the game but I'm not optimistic.

[schild]

overpowered

no

but yes to it taking forever now, that much is obvious

[Sky]

The Browns have won their 8th straight superbowl! I wish I had turned off AI drafts and trading a long time ago, though. The second string is coming along nicely, but most of my 90+ guys are in their 30s now....

I also took advantage of a PS4 sale to rebuy Darkest Dungeon and Sleeping Dogs. DD is a bit clunky with the console interface, but it works well enough. Sleeping Dogs seemed to run a bit choppier than on the PC, which is odd. Might try it again, forcing 1080p. I remember having a good time with the light kung fu stuff, played melee for most of it the first time.

[Falconeer]

I have been playing crosscode, which was on sale on Steam a few weeks ago.  It's a pixel-art jrpg set inside an MMO but despite all that is fast-paced and fun, with combat taking a backseat to the many good, mostly optional puzzles, which revolve around discovering routes across high ground and throwing bouncing balls to hit switches.  This is a game which gets all the little details of its interface and complexity level right, so that it never wastes your time.  Games that let me have fun without wasting my time are a priority these days.

Hmm, I gave up on it in the first dungeon because I had the exact opposite experience.  Graphics and music were spot on, but the gameplay was getting tedious fast.  Enemies were all taking tons of hits and because there's no jump button or anything the whole parkour aspect was just "follow this really convoluted path for two minutes to get the treasure chest which probably just has some mostly useless food items in it". Gave up in the first dungeon with the puzzles seeming like they were getting more and more finicky.  Does it get better later?  It's one of those games I wanted to like, but just started to dread starting up.

Kail's experience echoes mine.

[Druzil]

Recently finished a 100% play through of the FFX HD remaster which includes the dark aeons and penance which I had never done before.  I love the new 2x/4x speed setting they are including in all more recent Final Fantasy releases.  There is something kind of relaxing about grinding out levels on 4x speed while watching/listening to something else in the background.

Started up Yakuza 0.  So far it's really entertaining but I'm only a few hours in.  I wish save points were more common.

I've also been casually playing Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as my current phone game.  It's pretty good but like most of the mobile FF games they want you to play 40 hours a week or drop thousands to keep up.  Hard to say how long I'll stick with once I make it through all of the older content but so far it's been a few months which is longer than I stick with most of the mobile gacha games.

[Falconeer]

I love the new 2x/4x speed setting they are including in all more recent Final Fantasy releases.  There is something kind of relaxing about grinding out levels on 4x speed while watching/listening to something else in the background.

Yes! I love that! It allows me to play videogames and listen to hours and hours of different podcasts at the same time. I've gotten to the point that if I am really into what I am listening, I stay in a certain area to grind some more instead of leaving the dungeon and get the next story snippet, as it would clash with whatever I am listening to. So relaxing and fulfilling.

[Job601]

I have been playing crosscode, which was on sale on Steam a few weeks ago.  It's a pixel-art jrpg set inside an MMO but despite all that is fast-paced and fun, with combat taking a backseat to the many good, mostly optional puzzles, which revolve around discovering routes across high ground and throwing bouncing balls to hit switches.  This is a game which gets all the little details of its interface and complexity level right, so that it never wastes your time.  Games that let me have fun without wasting my time are a priority these days.

Hmm, I gave up on it in the first dungeon because I had the exact opposite experience.  Graphics and music were spot on, but the gameplay was getting tedious fast.  Enemies were all taking tons of hits and because there's no jump button or anything the whole parkour aspect was just "follow this really convoluted path for two minutes to get the treasure chest which probably just has some mostly useless food items in it". Gave up in the first dungeon with the puzzles seeming like they were getting more and more finicky.  Does it get better later?  It's one of those games I wanted to like, but just started to dread starting up.

No, we're clearly playing the same game.  I just enjoyed looking for paths through the environment and the difficulty of the puzzles was pitched right for me.  I will say that the combat gets faster and faster as the game goes on and you get more abilities, and eventually there's very little fighting you have to do except in the dungeons, but it's fair to say that if you don't enjoy following those convoluted paths you won't like the game.

[Khaldun]

Stellaris. I feel as if the game has really really hit an island of beautiful stability and balance.

[Teleku]

Yeah, its been hilarious watching them basically remake the entire game over and over, throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks.  Even if the first two years of this game were basically an extended beta test, they've managed to really create something awesome out of it.  Honestly, I'm just amazed they aren't selling more story packs.  Seems like it would be pretty cheap to pay some people to write 100 new events at a time.

[Jeff Kelly]

Paradox fans pretty much expect it and are pretty OK with this. The general recommendation when Paradox release a new game is: "well this game will probably be fun but unbalanced and a bit broken in the first year but will be supported for the next five and will eventually be balanced and finished"

[Teleku]

Well sure, but there has been nothing to this extreme before Stellaris.  This is because it was a totally new thing they were attempting, unlike previous Clausewitz engine games.  They REALLY revamped the entire game.  Like multiple times.  Like, as in, game play between from launch and several patches as totally changed multiple times.  This was totally new territory for them.  They usually are just trying to iterate or adapt previous game systems, so they had to just run through creative destruction hardcore as the player base ripped their game system to shreds.

More on point with what you are saying, Imperator: Rome has just launched, and super excited about it.  But reviews give me enough sense that its pretty uncomplete at this point.  They are trying to combine the best systems of Crusader Kings, Europa Universals, and Victoria all into one, and not doing it very well by all accounts (but also still fun from many accounts).  If I can make it just one more month, then I'll be transfer between posts.  Meaning 2 months in the US without my PC, then 2-3 months in Myanmar without my PC as I wait for my shipment of goods to come.  Hopefully in that time they patch it enough to smooth the rough edges, because I'll buy the fuck out of it then.   

If they attack it with the same zeal as Stellaris, they'll have an amazing game.

[schild]

Paradox makes garbage until it's not garbage. Every game is a coinflip on whether or not they'll get to the "not garbage" portion of development.

I'm a fan, but I accept their faults.

[Jeff Kelly]

Yeah but the fans are usually hoping that it will end up more like EU:4 and not like one of the worse Paradox titles.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'm about 30 Picross puzzles and the corresponding clip picross puzzles away from fully completing it. My Switch claims that I've already spent 60 hours on it.

[schild]

Picross S3 is very good.

[Jeff Kelly]

How do you like color Picross, Schild? I liked it a lot even if it felt a bit too easy.
Also the Mega Picross Puzzles have improved a lot compared to S2

[schild]

Color picross is fine, I guess. I do not like mega picross at all.

[Reg]

Speaking of Paradox, Surviving Mars is coming out with a Terraforming expansion next week that I expect will revive my interest in the game.

[Mandella]

Speaking of Paradox, Surviving Mars is coming out with a Terraforming expansion next week that I expect will revive my interest in the game.

The bad reviews have been keeping me away from Surviving Mars. Have things settled down a bit after release? The concept of the game sounds just my thing, but apparently the execution was not up to par...

[Reg]

I haven't read any of the formal reviews. I like it and the game like all Paradox games has changed immensely since release.

[Shannow]

Strategic Command World at War. It's a global ww2 game, some elements of Panzer General and fairly complicated. I thought we used to have a thread for strategy games but can't find it.

If you want a decent simulation of ww2 this is pretty good, complex without being World in Flames stupid, a passable AI and runs on my potato laptop. 40 bucks on Steam.

[Bunk]

Finally successfully beat the end boss on all three classes in Slay the Spire. On Ascension 1. Can't imagine what its like on the high ones.

[schild]

Finally successfully beat the end boss on all three classes in Slay the Spire. On Ascension 1. Can't imagine what its like on the high ones.

it's incrementally harder

[Mandella]

Fired up Darkest Dungeon again, after, of all things, stumbling upon Felicia Day's livestream of the game from years ago.

I *will* reach the "end" this time, I'm sure of it.

(And I set it to Radiant mode to up the odds a bit.)

[Soulflame]

I have entirely too much attachment to my characters for something like XCom or Darkest Dungeon.  The idea of disposable characters is just so counter to my usual style of play.

[Rasix]

Playing the Flashback event for Synthesis in PoE. I wish the game was 100% like this all of the time, except I'd be OK with forever yanking out the Synthesis and Betrayal mechanics. There's just so much crap going on at all times. It does kind of suck not having the several exalts worth of currency and leveling uniques, but I just did the regular event, so it wasn't like it was impossible to put this build together. Did a Rain of Arrows/HoA occultist. Doesn't really come fully online until you complete Merciless Labs. Then you actually have some AoE clear to go with the insane single target.

Also, more Dragon's Dogma on the Switch. Bolide is hilarious.

[Mandella]

I have entirely too much attachment to my characters for something like XCom or Darkest Dungeon.  The idea of disposable characters is just so counter to my usual style of play.

If you set the difficulty down XCOM (at least the new one) isn't so bad. It's kinda like Game of Thrones -- even with the high death rate early on you can still have original characters at the endgame.

Darkest Dungeon, however, is a flippin' meatgrinder even on Radiant. The ones that aren't dead might as well be.

[Falconeer]

True, at normal difficulty in XCom your characters only die in the first few missions. After that, everyone is a killing machine and the game doesn't throw enough curve balls at you. If you use mods or raise the difficulty then it's another story, but at Normal people don't really die.