All Things Videogame Related: EXTREME VS!!

[Tking22]

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, I read the first three books in grade school growing up and I've seen and enjoyed all the movies, so am in no way attached to nor do I nostalgia super hard for HP, but Hogwarts Legacy is a ton of fun. I get there's a lot of controversy and discussion over JK and her views and comments, outside of that the game itself is fantastic, like god damn, it's just fun.

The world is immaculately recreated, there's love and detail in every corner of the honestly quite massive Hogwarts Castle, the combat is fun, the game is gorgeous, it's just a well-made AAA Potter game like the devs intended to make. I'm playing on Series X in balanced mode, I'm waiting to see what Digital Foundry thinks, balanced mode is only available on TVs with HDMI 2.1 capabilities, I think the frames go beyond 60fps some of the time, it's hard to tell, there's five graphics options available on my TV and most people only have access to and discuss two of them. I'm sitting here at work watching the clock, it's slow and I want to jump back in, there's a lot of content, and it's all pretty fun, all the mechanics and systems compliment each other really well.

Highly recommended for hardcore and casual Potter fans, it's a great game. 

[Chronocidal]

3 hours ago, snakerbot said:

This got me thinking that I haven't played a lightsaber-'em-up more modern than Jedi Academy. What's considered the pinnacle of video game lightsaber combat these days?

The only other games that even come to mind there would be Force Unleashed, or Jedi Survivor, and I haven't played either, but I think those are both primarily single-player.  If you're looking for pvp-style shenanigans like the old online matches from Jedi Outcast/Academy, I don't know if there's been anything new since that point.

[Old_Nash_II]

 

Ok Link, get the Vampire Killer and kill Dracula

[mikeszekely]

I feel like there was a ton of big announcements at the Nintendo Direct, but the highlights for me are Metroid Prime Remaster today, Kirby at the end of the month, Zelda in May, and Gameboy and GBA coming to Switch.

[Chronocidal]

I hadn't even considered buying a console in about five or six years at this point, but I will say a Nintendo was always the most likely one, just because everything else eventually winds up on PC.  And to think I was actually just considering replaying Metroid Prime..  

[mikeszekely]

45 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I hadn't even considered buying a console in about five or six years at this point, but I will say a Nintendo was always the most likely one, just because everything else eventually winds up on PC.  And to think I was actually just considering replaying Metroid Prime..  

Ever since the PS4 and Xbox One went x86 I gather it's been a lot easier to port to PC.  Heck, even Sony's doing it now.  I might well and truly be done with PlayStation hardware, and I really only keep an Xbox around because GamePass Ultimate works on PC and console, and cloud saves make switching between them pretty seamless.

But Nintendo... they've got the best 1st-party franchises, and a lot of them have been going since I was a kid.  I've owned every Nintendo console since the original NES, and I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.

[Chronocidal]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Ever since the PS4 and Xbox One went x86 I gather it's been a lot easier to port to PC.  Heck, even Sony's doing it now.  I might well and truly be done with PlayStation hardware, and I really only keep an Xbox around because GamePass Ultimate works on PC and console, and cloud saves make switching between them pretty seamless.

But Nintendo... they've got the best 1st-party franchises, and a lot of them have been going since I was a kid.  I've owned every Nintendo console since the original NES, and I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.

Yeah, they're really the final holdout that keeps coming up with reasons to own a console at all (sort of, at least).  I did skip the Wii-U, but I went the extra steps to grab a Wii that ran Gamecube discs, so I could keep playing those.  I've held out on the Switch, because I was just so much busier with PC stuff, but I'm debating whether it would be worth it to get a Switch now.. or wait and see what Nintendo's next big move will be, and whether they flub things with backwards compatibility.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Chronocidal

[TangledThorns]

Last console I bought was a Nintendo Wii for my the wife (then girlfriend) so long ago. I have young children and so far hadn't felt the need to buy a console as they love playing on their tablets. As my daughter gets older she has expressed more of an interest in her own laptop for gaming which I may buy for her later this year as a Christmas present.

[Tking22]

I'm all console gaming all the way, it's just so simple and easy to jump in. PS5 and Switch for exclusives, Series X for everything else, like people with good PCs ask why bother with an Xbox I'm at the point of why bother with a PC when I have a Series X. I don't even have a computer anymore, desktop, laptop, I just use my phone for anything I would need a PC for. 

[mikeszekely]

11 hours ago, Tking22 said:

I'm all console gaming all the way, it's just so simple and easy to jump in. PS5 and Switch for exclusives, Series X for everything else, like people with good PCs ask why bother with an Xbox I'm at the point of why bother with a PC when I have a Series X. I don't even have a computer anymore, desktop, laptop, I just use my phone for anything I would need a PC for. 

That strikes me as such an unusual take, but honestly, I think I'm just old, and I expect that your scenario is going to be more and more common.  I mean, basically nobody I know owns a desktop computer anymore unless they use it for gaming.  And my wife, (who's on her phone so often she had a toilet paper holder installed in the downstairs bathroom with a little shelf for you to set your phone down on when you while you wipe) does the majority of her internet life on her phone.  She only turns on her laptop these days when she wants to do banking, since she keeps all sorts of financial stuff in Excel.  My daughter's going to be 8 this year, and she's a pro with an iPad but hasn't shown any interest in anything with a keyboard.

That said I've grown to prefer PC gaming, personally.  My computer desk is a more personal space where I can get away when I need a break from the world, and it's a far better platform for game preservation.

I'm definitely not anti-console, though.  Like I said, I've owned pretty much every Nintendo console and handheld, and I'm going through a phase where I'm super nostalgic for the NES.  I've owned every generation of PlayStation, although now that Sony's bringing their 1st-party stuff to PC a PlayStation console isn't as necessary as it used to be for exclusives.  And I've owned every generation of Xbox, and I have to say, while I barely touched the Xbox One I'm actually getting decent use out of the Series X.  Game Pass is a real game changer, and I mentioned before that Microsoft's cloud makes alternating between playing on PC and playing on the console super easy.

Speaking of Game Pass, I saw they added SD Gundam: Battle Alliance.  I'd actually bought the game already on Steam, as I'm a Gundam fan, and I don't regret it.  But if you have Game Pass it's definitely worth checking out.  It's pretty easy to pick up, and not exactly the deepest game.  I've heard it referred to as an action RPG, and I don't know that I'd agree.  Yeah, your pilot levels up and learns new passive skills you can equip.  And yeah, your mobile suit has stats that you can increase by spending capital.  And yes, you can get plans for new mobile suits that'll have you grinding the same level multiple times until you can build said mobile suit.  But that's kind of it.  It's mostly running through levels, attacking with a primary ranged attack, primary melee attack, and two special attacks.  The story is nothing amazing, but it is set up in a way that you get to play through missions from lots of different Gundam shows, not strictly One Year War or Cosmic Era or whatever.

[Dynaman]

On 2/8/2023 at 2:14 PM, snakerbot said:

This got me thinking that I haven't played a lightsaber-'em-up more modern than Jedi Academy. What's considered the pinnacle of video game lightsaber combat these days?

If you like VR (or want to try it).  The Vader Immortal games are all about lightsaber fighting.  The game itself is very short but nice, the Lightsaber jodo is good fun that lasts as long as you find it interesting (kind of like old school videogames where you fight wave after waver of enemies, bots in this case)

[mikeszekely]

So about that Metroid Prime Remastered...

Yeah, if you have a Switch you 100% should buy it.  If you don't have a Switch you should strongly consider buying one to play Metroid Prime Remastered.  It's everything that made the original one of the best games of that console generation- superb level design, an excellent soundtrack, the way they delivered that "alone on an alien world" atmosphere.  But then they went and polished up the graphics and presented it in a modern 16:9 format, and new accessibility options.  But, best of all, there's the new control scheme.  It's easy to forget if you haven't played the original in awhile, but the controls were a tad awkward.  Even more so with a modern controller that doesn't have a giant A button nestled smack in the middle of a little B button and little bean-shaped X and Y buttons.  While Remastered still lets you use the Classic controls, if you like, or even Prime 3's Wiimote motion controls, the new control scheme is the way to go, as it ditches the original's single-stick controls for the now-standard twin stick FPS controls.

Oh, and for those like myself disappointed that only the first game was Remastered, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that sources say the other two are definitely coming to Switch, and they'll probably have the new twin stick controls.  The bad news is that they apparently will NOT have the graphics overhaul that the first game got.  I gotta be honest, while new graphics would be super I'll be happy enough to play them on a modern console with improved controls.

[davidwhangchoi]

52 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

So about that Metroid Prime Remastered...

Yeah, if you have a Switch you 100% should buy it.  If you don't have a Switch you should strongly consider buying one to play Metroid Prime Remastered.  It's everything that made the original one of the best games of that console generation- superb level design, an excellent soundtrack, the way they delivered that "alone on an alien world" atmosphere.  But then they went and polished up the graphics and presented it in a modern 16:9 format, and new accessibility options.  But, best of all, there's the new control scheme.  It's easy to forget if you haven't played the original in awhile, but the controls were a tad awkward.  Even more so with a modern controller that doesn't have a giant A button nestled smack in the middle of a little B button and little bean-shaped X and Y buttons.  While Remastered still lets you use the Classic controls, if you like, or even Prime 3's Wiimote motion controls, the new control scheme is the way to go, as it ditches the original's single-stick controls for the now-standard twin stick FPS controls.

Oh, and for those like myself disappointed that only the first game was Remastered, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that sources say the other two are definitely coming to Switch, and they'll probably have the new twin stick controls.  The bad news is that they apparently will NOT have the graphics overhaul that the first game got.  I gotta be honest, while new graphics would be super I'll be happy enough to play them on a modern console with improved controls.

waiting for my hardcopy

[JB0]

I saw one of the original development team posted about this. Said they completely screwed up the colored lighting on the doors(which he spent a lot of time getting just right), but other than that it was fantastic.

 

Personally, I liked the original game's controls. But I'm seriously considering this for the improved textures and lighting. And I'm really glad they seem to have avoided any urge for revisionism or major "improvement", as it's rare that an oldschool Metroid fan gets a win these days and Prime was as close to perfect as the technology of the time allowed.

[Scyla]

4 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

So about that Metroid Prime Remastered...

Yeah, if you have a Switch you 100% should buy it.  If you don't have a Switch you should strongly consider buying one to play Metroid Prime Remastered.  It's everything that made the original one of the best games of that console generation- superb level design, an excellent soundtrack, the way they delivered that "alone on an alien world" atmosphere.  But then they went and polished up the graphics and presented it in a modern 16:9 format, and new accessibility options.  But, best of all, there's the new control scheme.  It's easy to forget if you haven't played the original in awhile, but the controls were a tad awkward.  Even more so with a modern controller that doesn't have a giant A button nestled smack in the middle of a little B button and little bean-shaped X and Y buttons.  While Remastered still lets you use the Classic controls, if you like, or even Prime 3's Wiimote motion controls, the new control scheme is the way to go, as it ditches the original's single-stick controls for the now-standard twin stick FPS controls.

Oh, and for those like myself disappointed that only the first game was Remastered, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that sources say the other two are definitely coming to Switch, and they'll probably have the new twin stick controls.  The bad news is that they apparently will NOT have the graphics overhaul that the first game got.  I gotta be honest, while new graphics would be super I'll be happy enough to play them on a modern console with improved controls.

I wonder if I should get it? I still have my Game Cube with the original version of Metroid Prime…. hm…

I would be more interested in a Metroid Prime 2 remaster (since I never was able to beat the final boss) and I think it would benefit from better graphics. If I remember correctly some of the areas were hard to get a good read on the surroundings (and that underwater boss was horrible).

What I am most interested is part three since I never owned a Wii or a Wii U.

I guess I have to buy all the remasters to show Nintendo that there is interest in the sequels and the franchise in general.

[snakerbot]

6 hours ago, JB0 said:

Personally, I liked the original game's controls.

Me too. I thought MP3's Wiimote controls weren't bad, per say, but they felt way less precise than the GCN controls. I don't know how I'd feel playing this with twin-stick controls. I have one of those HD texture mods and the widescreen hack for Dolphin, and a GCN-USB adapter, so I don't know how interested I am in remastered.

[mikeszekely]

If you've played and replayed Metroid Prime dozens of times but have eschewed console shooters otherwise I guess you might find the change a bit jarring.  But if you've played other shooters on consoles (and for me not even recently, as I prefer to play on PC with a mouse and keyboard) the new controls are far more intuitive.

[Scyla]

As someone who almost never played an FPS game on a console I thought that the Metroid Prime controls were better suited for consoles than the Playstation X-Box approach with two sticks (and aim assist). 
But the controls might only suit a game if you build the rest of the experience around it. 
That said, the Ing Emperor really stressed my index finger…

 

[sh9000]

 

 

[mikeszekely]

35 minutes ago, Scyla said:

As someone who almost never played an FPS game on a console I thought that the Metroid Prime controls were better suited for consoles than the Playstation X-Box approach with two sticks (and aim assist). 
But the controls might only suit a game if you build the rest of the experience around it. 
That said, the Ing Emperor really stressed my index finger…

 

Well, you still have the lock-on from the original, and you can still dash sideways while locked on.  The main advantages of the twin stick layout is that you don't have to be locked on to strafe, easier free-look/aim, and an easier time turning while moving.  For me it hasn't made combat hugely different, but traversal and platforming is much more fluid.

[Chronocidal]

I'm seriously considering a Switch at this point, though I might wait and see what the next upgrade is for it.  I've almost completely abandoned consoles at this point.

What I suspect is going on with the Prime re-releases though is that they're building the re-masters in the same engine they're prepping for Prime 4.  If that's the case, I wouldn't expect the other two games to look any worse than the first game's remaster.. though remastering three games' worth of assets is a steep task.

Personally though, I think I would actually really like to play Prime 3 without the motion controls.  I loved 1 and 2, and I have the Prime Trilogy for the Wii, but I'll say one thing about playing Prime 3:  No other game has ever made my hand hurt that much.  It's not that the controls are particularly bad, the aiming with the Wii remote was great.. but the Wii controller is NOT a shooter peripheral.  The angle I had to hold my wrist at to consistently aim at a screen at eye-level was miserable to hold for long play sessions.

I would have loved to play all of those games with motion controls, but only if I could use a customized/rebuilt wii-mote with an angled sensor so I could aim naturally.

For better or worse, the motion controls for the Switch aren't up to the task though.  Without the sensor bar for precise tracking, people are saying they just can't aim well enough to be useful.

 

[JB0]

6 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

If you've played and replayed Metroid Prime dozens of times but have eschewed console shooters otherwise I guess you might find the change a bit jarring.  But if you've played other shooters on consoles (and for me not even recently, as I prefer to play on PC with a mouse and keyboard) the new controls are far more intuitive.

I've played console FPS games before and since. I always thought Prime's controls were an interesting solution to the reduced precision of thumbsticks.

(I say this as someone who generally prefers gamepad to keyboard&mouse or keyboard&trackball for PC FPS. The latter solutions are more precise, but less fun.)

 

I do grant that a game kind of has to be constructed with that control scheme in mind, you can't just bolt it on later and expect it to work well.

[azrael]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm seriously considering a Switch at this point, though I might wait and see what the next upgrade is for it.  I've almost completely abandoned consoles at this point.

You could be waiting a while then. No one knows when the Switch will reach EOL and when Nintendo will launch its next console. If you decide on the Switch, I would get the Switch OLED.

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I would have loved to play all of those games with motion controls, but only if I could use a customized/rebuilt wii-mote with an angled sensor so I could aim naturally.

'Don't think we'll ever go back to that. Portable gaming means no need to have another sensor, unless they can build it in to the console. Until that day comes, you will get approximate-controlling.

[Chronocidal]

1 minute ago, azrael said:

'Don't think we'll ever go back to that. Portable gaming means no need to have another sensor, unless they can build it in to the console. Until that day comes, you will get approximate-controlling.

I'm not even worried about getting something new, I'm just tempted to hack up an original Wii-mote and transfer the components into a controller body more conducive to FPS games.  I'd gladly play the entire Prime trilogy that way if the controller didn't have me speed-running carpal tunnel.

Good point about the console though, and yeah, I might hunt for a good deal on the OLED Switch.  I'm just struggling to justify it for one or two games.

[JB0]

23 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm not even worried about getting something new, I'm just tempted to hack up an original Wii-mote and transfer the components into a controller body more conducive to FPS games.  I'd gladly play the entire Prime trilogy that way if the controller didn't have me speed-running carpal tunnel.

Good point about the console though, and yeah, I might hunt for a good deal on the OLED Switch.  I'm just struggling to justify it for one or two games.

If you can find a Nyko "Action Pak" at this point in time, that might do what you want already. It's a Nyko Wand(Wiimote) packaged with a pistol grip that interfaces electronically rather than a mechanical linkage. The pistol trigger is a mirror of the Wiimote trigger, and the "hammer" works as the A button(maybe useful?).

[snakerbot]

Yeah the difficult part would definitely be having access to all the buttons. If I remember correctly for MP3, you need A (jump), B (fire), + (switch visors), - (hypermode), and D-Pad down (missiles). My first thought was the Nerf Switch Shot, but that just gives you B. I wonder if it might be easier to just mount the sensor bar somewhere else, way away from the monitor so you could hold the wiimote at a more ergonomic angle.

[JB0]

9 minutes ago, snakerbot said:

I wonder if it might be easier to just mount the sensor bar somewhere else, way away from the monitor so you could hold the wiimote at a more ergonomic angle.

Definitely easier, but where's the fun in that?

 

You could also mount a mirror to the front of the Wiimote to create an angled view.

 

 

I confess I couldn't remember the Prime 3 controls to save my life.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, none of the "guns" for the Wii ever worked that well.  I don't think it ever got enough traction with the FPS market to really get anyone invested enough in improving the situation.

I'd be happy with a DIY kit, and I've seriously considered just hacking up a wii remote and making this myself.  All it needs is the sensor angled down about 30 degrees.  This would solve all of the issues I ever had with playing Prime 3.  Honestly, I never understood why it wasn't designed this way in the first place. 

They would have been a whole lot better off just using TNG phasers as a pattern.  No one wants to sit with their wrist overextended to aim directly at the screen for a long period of time.

[azrael]

2 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm not even worried about getting something new, I'm just tempted to hack up an original Wii-mote and transfer the components into a controller body more conducive to FPS games.  I'd gladly play the entire Prime trilogy that way if the controller didn't have me speed-running carpal tunnel.

I understand, but portable gaming doesn't allow for much variation vs at-home console gaming. Nintendo's compromise for that was the Pro Controller. The Switch, Steam Deck, Ayaneo, all share similar designs because that setup works best for portable gaming. The Switch is a portable unit 1st, at-home console 2nd, so it has to satisfy #1 first (no external sensor, very un-ergonomic controllers).

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, I definitely don't expect that to be ever done for the Switch.  For context, I still have an old Gamecube-compatible Wii that I'd play it on.  

[mikeszekely]

4 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm just struggling to justify it for one or two games.

Why so few?  Metroid Prime Remastered (with 2 and 3 reportedly on the way), Metroid Prime 4, and Metroid Dread is five, and that's assuming you only care about Metroid.  I had a blast with Breath of the Wild and can't wait for Tears of the Kingdom (and I say that as someone who generally doesn't care for the 3D Zelda games), and Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario Bros U Delxue are all good times if you like Mario.  Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Yoshi's Crafted World were both chill, fun times.  If you like Omega Force's Warriors games the Switch has Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as exclusives that I loved.  And if you like JRPGs for some reason Shin Megami Tensei V is Switch-exclusive (though I really hope it gets a PC port).  And those are just some Switch exclusives I personally like, which doesn't even count stuff like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Pokemon, Splatoon, Xenoblade, or Animal Crossing.

[Chronocidal]

Mostly it's that I just don't play console games anymore.  This is one of those rare remasters that makes me want to jump on it, but it's entirely for nostalgia, and I don't have a ton of interest in anything else.  I know there are definitely plenty of good ones to pick up if I do get one, I'm just not sure I would make the time to play them. I've got too many hobbies already.  

I thought I'd do that with a 3DS years ago, and grabbed the Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64 updates.. and then it just gathered dust while I did stuff on the computer.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Chronocidal

[TangledThorns]

GOTHAM KNIGHTS is on sale at STEAM. Anybody here actually played it and think its worth buying?

[mikeszekely]

59 minutes ago, TangledThorns said:

GOTHAM KNIGHTS is on sale at STEAM. Anybody here actually played it and think its worth buying?

I bought it on the Christmas sale, but haven't actually played it yet. My friend liked it... but he like The Avengers, too, so what does he know?

[Tking22]

1 hour ago, TangledThorns said:

GOTHAM KNIGHTS is on sale at STEAM. Anybody here actually played it and think its worth buying?

What's the price? I wouldn't pay one dollar above $20 for it, it's repetitive as hell and quite shallow, lots of "busy" grindy content and there's only a handful of actual boss battles, which are grindy and mostly unfun.