Started playing the Talos Principle. Took a bit of tinkering to get it to work properly but now I’m loving it. Awesome puzzle game, highly recommended.
Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?
Submitted 2 days ago by BurntWits@sh.itjust.works to patientgamers@sh.itjust.works
Comments
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Blackmist@feddit.uk 14 hours ago
I think the best thing about the sequel is they took out all the puzzles that involve killing you with turrets and mines.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 7 hours ago
Oh good to know. I’ll probably really like it then. I’m loving my time in the first one so far, but the mines and turrets are very annoying.
Kuma@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The wandering village
It is a nice little recourse management game. What makes it special is that you need to do it on the back of an ancient “animal”. If you befriend (it trusts your judgement ) or tame it can you tell it what to do like where to go (so you can pick a bio), sleep, eat, run, walk and so on. I went for the befriend route, hurting it by ripping out resources from it didn’t sit well with me (but I am very curious, because you do miss out on a lot). The story is pretty simple but it is nicely paced and I do like the lore. I actually didn’t really think the main quest would be anything special so I was happily surprised.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 7 hours ago
I remember being interested in it when it was first announced, but I totally forgot about it afterwards until your comment. I’ll definitely have to give it a try sometime.
overload@sopuli.xyz 2 days ago
CP2077, nearing the end of the phantom liberty expansion
Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I’m back to playing Colin McRae Rally 04 - mostly on desktop by I also finally took the time to set it up on a Steam Deck. It runs and plays great!
I love me some old rally games.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Hey! I feel like I haven’t seen you comment in a long time, I miss your write-ups you used to do on these posts.
I’m going to have to try Rally 04, I like rally games.
Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Man, I didn’t expect people to remember me. Uhm… hi! ヾ(・ω・*)
I’ve been busy with less fun stuff for a while and when I did play games it wasn’t for long enough to warrant a post unfortunately. I’m hoping for a more permanent return soon as I’m eying to start some titles that will fit this community again.
CMR04 is great! Still holds up really well, has a nice balance between arcade and sim in its driving model, looks simple but in a readable way and has a mod for widescreen resolutions on PC. It also has no problems on Linux which is a big win for me. Probably my favourite rally game of that era.
caut_R@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Satisfactory I think almost everyone knows this game. I‘m in phase 4 and about to start producing the needed items. All I‘m gonna say is that I would‘ve gone insane if not for community-made blueprints. My biggest gripes with the game are how awful it feels to build a train track, how dumb drones are (cause otherwise everyone would ditch trains, I reckon), and that the hoverpack doesn‘t have a built-in jetpack for when you‘re out of electrical grid range. All in all, I probably prefer this kinda game to be isometric/2D, it‘s finnicky to build a big factory in 3D, although more satisfying to then see it in 3D. I know this sounds negative but that’s just cause it’s quicker to list the negatives since there‘s too many positives - I did have a good time, as my 100+ hours thus far would suggest.
Horizon Chase Turbo Putting the finishing touches on this one and, my God, get the Senna Forever DLC, it‘s the absolute best part of it! To anyone who doesn‘t know this game: It‘s an old-school racing game that runs at full 90 even on the Deck. I mean old old-school when racing games were 2D and scrolling, although this one is 3D it feels the same. It‘s nice to have a high fps racer on the Deck, so I recommend it. The aforementioned DLC gives it a 1st person camera and F1 racing, and it‘s a match made in heaven!
sadie_sorceress@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
I decided to take a break from BG3 and started playing the first Death Stranding. I’m still pretty early in the game but it’s already got me intrigued. The story is way out there and I hope it all comes together to make sense at some point.
anakin78z@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Back to playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Playing a rogue Grey Warden dwarf this run through, and I’m already loving the character.
I turned off the always on waypoints this time, which should probably be the default setting. It’s more fun to explore than to mindlessly follow the floating dot.
Looking forward to kicking some Venatori butts.
Malix@sopuli.xyz 2 days ago
it’s mostly been Soulstone Survivors
It’s pretty great “vampire survivors”-like game, with a bunch of characters, weapons for each, passive and “active” skills. I put quotes around “active” because all skills are used automatically all the time, they’re just the attacks/abilities you pick up during the run.
The game has pretty neat 3d flat shaded / “low poly” fantasy-style. Skills have varying effects on screen, anywhere from a greenish bubbling circle to massive explosions… The spell effects get REALLY obnoxious at higher levels when everything causes at minimum screensize explosion which obscures everything. Luckily there’s a setting to turn down spell visibility, I just wish it’d have some dynamic option to allow higher effects at the start of the run, and gear it down towards the end.
gcheliotis@lemmy.world 2 days ago
CP2077. Love the looks. Gameplay is fine. City is mostly backdrop yes, most of the focus seems to have been at crafting a bombastic main quest line. So far so good, just wish there were more depth to the city and its systems.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 14 hours ago
It feels like a great linear game somehow constrained by being an open world sprawlfest.
I’d genuinely recommend skipping all the fixer missions because they take ages and add very little to the experience, while also reducing the urgency of the storyline.
Make sure to play Phantom Liberty because that’s honestly better than the main game.
gcheliotis@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
Yeah early on at least it seems like one is encouraged to do side missions to get eddies. That seems to be the main motivation to me at the stage I’m in.
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
It really felt like they were pressured into making it open world or something. I’ve said before that it’s a really good, cinematic action game that is stapled to an average open world backdrop, and the two halves work more against eachother than they work together.
If you can stomach the ludonarrative dissonance and maintain your suspension of disbelief though it’s a really good game at this point.
gcheliotis@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Also surprised it’s still buggy after all this time. Nothing too serious, but still. Treating it as a flawed but pretty action adventure game with neon lights is the only way.
specialseaweed@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Fire Emblem: Three Houses. My kid and I assigned video games to each other for the summer and that’s what I got assigned. They’re playing Persona 5 Golden.
hobbsc@lemmy.sdf.org 2 days ago
Started out trying to play F.E.A.R. platinum edition and Tomb Raider GOTY edition. I just don’t like story games… TR is far more story heavy than F.E.A.R. but both have plenty of cut scenes. I also feel like maybe TR was created during the peak of quick time events because the first half hour was just mash some button repeatedly to win the movie (the game uses the word “mash”, that’s not just me). I ended up playing Dead Cells and Gradius V instead. I suppose I just like more arcadey style games.
I finally finished downloading all the digital games I had for the PS4 that had single player content and disable the network connection in order to prepare for an eventual jailbreak, so maybe I’ll play DOOM 2016 this week. Never did finish it.
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
I played F.E.A.R. just a few months ago and it’s so good man. Holds up so well. Still looks great too. Are you using the EchoPatch? I found it to be just a super solid timeless FPS that can stand on its own purely based on gameplay. Apart from the bizarrely anemic assault rifle all the weapons are so satisfying to use, and the AI still feels surprisingly good even in 2025.
Also, make sure you play the first expansion Extraction Point, it’s imo even better than the base game. Don’t play the second expansion though.
Phunter@lemmy.zip 14 hours ago
I very much remember when the ceiling ninjas show up for the first time in F.E.A.R. I physically recoiled and almost fell out of my chair.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I played TR probably back in 2018-2019 ish, I remember mostly enjoying it but nothing really stuck with me. I almost started a new playthrough yesterday actually but decided to make my way through my backlog instead.
proti@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Cosmoteer
It’s a 2D space sim where you build spaceships, manage subsystems, break up pirate ships to add parts to yours (even mid battle), with absolute freedom to do whatever and mechanics that encourage experimentation. Man, I don’t remember when a game pulled me in so bad.lath@piefed.social 2 days ago
Age of Wonders 3.
Most games tend to go the same way. I kindly and peacefully expand my empire by slaughtering mobs while the bot players destroy each other. Eventually i hold over half the map, tens of thousands in gold and stacks of armies on the borders. When the final bot unavoidably declares war on me, I overwhelm their least defended cities, tank their economy and watch it lose its armies due to lack of gold, giving me an easy win.
the16bitgamer@programming.dev 2 days ago
Links Awakening - all time favourite and is fun on switch or gameboy
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 days ago
If in-person tabletop gaming is okay here, my group is about to start one called Don’t Tell Mom & Dad, an RPG in the vein of Stranger Things. You play a bunch of kids having supernatural adventures around their town.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Sounds fun!
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Heroes of Hammerwatch: It’s a roguelike 2d isometric RPG. Haven’t played much yet but so far I haven’t found a reason to stop playing.
Gerudo@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
Death Stranding 2. I’m taking my sweet ass time with this game. Absolutely love it.
Decided to test the Warframe waters. Only about 2 hours in, it seems pretty good so far. I’m still trying to see how much grind there really is once the intro is over.
He Is Coming - I’ve been able to make it to day 3 already, but the game feels a little shallow. Not ready to drop it yet, but will see.
B0NK3RS@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Final Fantasy IX on my little Miyoo Flip. I’ve never played a FF game before and it’s my wife’s favourite so I thought why not. So far I’ve helped steal a ladder, had a concert ticket turn out to be a fake :( and stole gil from a few houses and I’ll play some more this evening. It’s also a beautiful looking game.
floo@retrolemmy.com 2 days ago
I just pleaded through Oceanhorn, and now I’m playing Oceanhorn 2. Cute little games with an interesting story and some kind of basic puzzles. But the gameplay is fun.
cloudless@piefed.social 2 days ago
Animal Crossing New Horizons (about 15 hours in)
I really enjoy the crafting, feels more involved compared to New Leaf.
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
I’m playing - but not recommending - Blasphemous this week. It is quite possibly the least fun I’ve had playing a video game. It’s a game that is specifically designed to infuriate you and waste your time, and I guess in that respect they really nailed it. If the bosses weren’t so easy I’d say playing Blasphemous feels like what people who have never played a Soulslike thinks playing Dark Souls feels like.
It’s a shame too because I want to like this game. I want to love it. The art direction is great. The music is good. The lore and world building is interesting. The level design on a macro level - the interconnected world and the way shortcuts link areas together - remind me of Dark Souls 1 in the best possible way.
It’s just an absolute chore to play. The mixture of deliberate but awful game design combined with absolutely terrible execution makes for quite the mix. You can’t make what is essentially 80% a platformer filled with instant death hazards when the controls are this clunky, movement feels this bad and hitboxes and ledge/ladder grabs are this atrocious.
Contact damage on every single enemy (with all damage in the game having knockback on you) is a lazy and unfun design choice. Enemy placement - especially projectile launching enemies - is done to maximise impact so you can’t quickly skip through areas on subsequent visits but have to slowly clear them out lest you’ll get knocked into some instant death spikes. And there is a lot of backtracking required, both for the quests (that are unsolvable without a Wiki by the way) and for retrieving your body after dying.
I’m in the final non-DLC area now but I’m very close to just calling it a day instead of succumbing to the sunk cost fallacy. I’m really not having fun and it’s taking every ounce of willpower to not just do what I want to do, which is fire up NG+ of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree.
AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I agree with all of your points about Blasphemous, good and bad. I knew the games (both Blasphemous 1 and 2) received mediocre reviews, but I still purchased both together during a sale because I really liked its art and setting.
However, when I played Blasphemous early last year, I had just got back into the platformers genre after around a long break. I had just finished Hollow Knight (just the first ending or two, I didn’t have the time or the patience to finish the other endings).
The wonderful art and interesting story did not alleviate the pains of the gameplay. Its contrast with Hollow Knight only made it worse. It was clunky, and the game seemed to (unintentionally) work against the player.
I did complete the first ending, as well as the first ending for the sequel. The mechanics of the sequel are a bit more forgiving, thankfully.
I still would not recommend the games, unless one really likes the art and setting of the games.
Also, thank you for introducing me to Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. I have bookmarked it, and hope to play it soon.
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
Yeah I got it on the summer sale because it was 90% off and I was on a Metroidvania/Soulslike-kick after Mandragora. Honestly, had I known how much platforming it had I wouldn’t have bought it even for a dollar. I’m not really a platformer guy, I’ve avoided Hollow Knight for a reason (also I’m not a god gamer and from what I understand HK is impossibly difficult).
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree on the other hand I had an absolute blast with. I love character progression and customisation and creating a build from the PoE-esque skill tree tickled my brain just right. I’m honestly torn between NG+ and doing a second playthrough with a different playstyle/build.
It also had a better balance of gameplay for my tastes than Blasphemous: the bosses were more fun and the platforming was much less frustrating. Being able to teleport to any “bonfire” from anywhere through the map was also so nice. I like when a game isn’t deliberately wasting your time.
mohab@piefed.social 2 days ago
I spent exactly 1 hour with Blasphemous before refunding it. Too much platforming for me and the combat is not exactly fun and didn't feel fresh.
Best combat in any metroidvania is F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, IMO. They're almost like character action games: launchers, on-the-fly weapon switching, dash/jump canceling… etc. Full combo systems—only thing missing is a style meter.
Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 days ago
If you thought the first hour of Blasphemous had too much platforming then hoo boy. Just wait until you see the endgame areas. I agree about the combat completely, and also the character customization and progression is very lacking which also reduces my enjoyment. Most of the character upgrades are completely useless - wow, an uppercut as a 4th attack in your attack string? You barely have enough time between dodges for two attacks, let alone 4. A charged attack that takes three years to channel? When are we supposed to have time to use this?
I’ll look into F.I.S.T., looks kinda cool. Will keep an eye on any sales. The Lost Crown is on my radar too, I recall it got rave reviews.
I really do want to recommend Mandragora though. It is more heavy on the Soulslike and ARPG than platforming, which I personally really liked. Heavy emphasis on character progression, upgrades and skill builds. Still plenty of fun Metroidvania elements with secrets and ability gated sections of earlier areas and so on. Heavily recommended!
Sv443@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Lots and lots of Vintage Story. It feels like a much more mature version of Minecraft and a combination of the best features of it and games like The Forest, even though it’s still in early access.
BurntWits@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
I’ll have to look into it. Sounds promising by your description.
Apeman42@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
I just started Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, as I make my way through the collection. I’m only about an hour in, but it seems like it might be a nice change of pace from the previous games. I am also getting huge Star Wars vibes off this one. Ven is a padawan, Terra is not yet granted the rank of Master. Eraqus reminds me of Qui-Gon a little, and Xehanort was clearly a Sith-y motherfucker even before what went down with Ansem.