kyleforrester87

Probably not for most the readers here - it’s crazy how well youngsters can control games on touch screen devices and I expect some of them are probably more at home on them than a physical controller. This also serves a purpose for folks with disabilities.

I hope it’s more an optional extra, and not a replacement for traditional controllers, though, since I do generally hate touch controls.. although I can learn to get on with them (evidence being the phone I am typing this on. I am also going through a learning period on a new car that has a touch screen replacing 90% of the usual buttons and knobs.. getting there!!)

3 day weekend for me. Big bike ride tomorrow and looking at a new car on Monday.

As for gaming, still playing the brilliant Cronos New Dawn.

Also, Cast & Chill on Steam Deck… once I pick it up it is quite tough to put down. Lovely graphics and soundtrack.

I am also feeling some FFX, so may install that and see how it goes.

Ah nice one. A real staple franchise for me back in the day, even if they drove me to literal tears with the difficulty. The soundtracks are awesome. Legit, if you’d asked me what I wanted to be when I was older from the age six-nine, the answer would have been a dolphin.

It’s a weird one, I would be lying if I said my initial response wasn’t a turn off. Sequels are going to change things up, but I tend to expect, for example Dead Space 2, not something else entirely.

That said, this looks great in its own way. I’ll just be a bit less excited going in, knowing my initial expectations are not likely to be met.

@clvr nice. hopefully we get a POE3

I’m interested in anything Pillars related, looking forward to playing this eventually!

Cronos: The New Dawn. Don’t sleep on this game, it’s exceeded my expectations. Very, very good.

@J2theEzzo My feeling is it is here to stay and it can be very useful for personal development (dare I say it, even enlightening).

However, it's still in it's infancy and I do think it needs to be aggressively challenged. With that in mind, I think it's actually useful that there are people who hate it with such a passion that they are willing to be hyperbolic. With so much negative noise, it seems to me more likely that we'll land at a reasonable middle-ground with it all, even if I don't completely agree with the protesters. To that extent, I feel some guilt that I am not more vocal since I do recognise that the haters are probably going to be doing me a favour in the long run, but it's just not in me.

@J2theEzzo With the statement that most people are letting it do all the thinking for them, my feeling is you're being overly presumptuous.

Although I don't doubt it has the potential to lead to diminished quality and intelligence in some (and if I am honest, I believe I have witnessed that) through my own use I have found it has the potential to open new pathways and opportunities to explore and gain experience. In that sense, I can agree with Satya.

That said, I can also see why particular individuals and industries feel very threatened by Gen AI.

Unfortunately, this is a difficult topic to discuss rationally and without hyperbole.

@J2theEzzo I use Chat as a physiotherapist, therapist and more recently to help with some photography and, along with my own input and efforts, my life has been noticeably better as a result.

On paper it should be right up my street but I’ve tried to play it a couple of times (15 hours+ the first time) and I struggle to gel with it, the vibe just doesn’t work for me. Gets a lot of love though, so fair play. Hopefully it leads to more bigger budget games with turn based combat!

Merry Christmas all

@PerpetualBoredom Fortunately I’ve yet to be a disgruntled worker.. I have worked with a few over the years though, despite the same conditions.

Nonsense tbh, they should just ignore this and carry on. Not really interested in what a few disgruntled workers might have to say either.

@TimeDelayedGamer optic camouflage 😉

I’m playing Octopath 0 and Halo 2. Both are a lot of fun - how good is the music in Halo 2?

@TheArt OS2 has a lot of unpredictable consequences when using abilities since so many have area of effect damage and it doesn’t take much to set off an unintended chain reaction, it can be pretty annoying when you have planned an attack and it all goes wrong because of some annoying interaction. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed OS1 combat quite a bit more, as it still has those environmental interactions but it’s significantly less messy and feels more rewarding when your planning pays off.

@themightyant

👀

I do feel ChatGPT has enhanced my life this year though, although I have only used it a few times to help with anything work related. If I use it to clarify any legal questions or anything like that, I always ask it to go further and reference its source (i.e on the Gov website) and read up on it there too. It’s a useful tool!

@DennisReynolds I disagree with that somewhat, Pillars combat is great on console, in particular PoE2. I admit some classes are harder to handle than others, and it can be tough dealing with multiple party members, but with the pause function+slowing down/speeding up combat on the fly+automating party members it can be a lot of fun. There is actually a turn based option for PoE2 but it is not as good as pause/play (although, admittedly, the game was not designed around that battle system and it’s been shoe horned in afterwards!)

With a mouse and keyboard it’s also a lot easier.

It’ll be ready when it’s ready, which will be about 10 or 12 years after it first releases.

@MFTWrecks ah. Funny that - I see it from both perspectives now. I must be getting older….

@MFTWrecks where is he saying otherwise? 🤔

Looks pretty good, tbf. And people can count on the moment to moment gameplay being fun, knowing Bungie. Really could go either way, I hope it is a success for them though. Not for me though I don’t think.

OS2 starts strong but the cracks are showing by the end IMO, still a great game though, I think I’ll download this soon.

@IronCrow86 you can walk around both OS games with the control stick, from day 1 on each.

My ideal modern Tomb Raider would be something like Bloodborne/Dark Souls, I.e. minimal exposition, no map, large interlinked levels. The difference, obviously, being the inclusion of puzzles and significantly less focus on combat. I don’t really care what Lara looks or sounds like, but she looks fine in this I reckon.

Switching between characters tends to put me off. I can see why they are doing it but it is not a positive for me. I struggle to enjoy Revelations for that very reason (and others, to be fair! Although, I have stuck with it and I am on the final chapters.)

@ItsAlwaysSunnyyy BG:EE is pretty troublesome with a controller. Basically you need to make use of the pause/play feature constantly. It was designed for PC really but they have done a good job of getting it working on a controller but certain classes are harder to use than others. I have cleared it on console but I wouldn't say I got the most out of the combat system by any stretch, I just sort of made it work and cheesed my way through some encounters. Pillars of Eternity is easier to play on console IMO, and I personally love PoE 2 - they also both have pause/play combat.

BG3 combat is turn based so it's a lot more manageable on console - the same as Divinity OS1 and 2.

You're not stupid but at the same time these games are not that complicated either, there is a bit of a hump to get over with either system, I'd encourage you to try out OS1/2 or BGS3 and stick with it for a bit as they are super rewarding once it clicks. BG:EE on console is a rough intro to the genre in 2025...

I mean.. come on. I’d have played it. Better than the current option (which is effectively nothing!)

Not super hyped for a TR1 remake tbh. Between Anniversary, which was also released in HD on 360/PS3 and the recent HD remasters I have played it enough.

Expecting the worst but hoping for the best 🤞🏻

I’m on the final level of Halo - it’s a game of two halves for sure, with the earlier levels being easily the best. It’s become a bit of a frustrating gauntlet at points in the later levels with some endless mobs and cheap deaths. I’ve still enjoyed it a lot though. Looking forward to getting started on the second one.

I’m finally playing Halo, having picked up the collection in a recent sale. This game is actually really good, I can see why it was so popular at the time. I knew the combat would feel similar to Destiny, but I am surprised by how much it does.. and this was in 2001?!

As if Killzone was ever supposed to be a Halo killer 😂

8, thought I done right sh*t but feeling better about myself reading these comments ☺️

@Uromastryx yeah most of my frustration comes from Zanarkand. Appreciate the rest of them are not that long tbf. (There is one other that always trips me up too but I can’t remember which it is off the top of my head!)

I’d hop about the Destiny train a third time, I reckon! The games can be a lot of fun.

X is good, it’s a struggle to go back to though. Large parts of it are just not a lot of fun to play through. The puzzle temples in particular, yuck…

Love me some Besaid Island and Mi'ihen Highroad, though! Maybe one day I’ll play through it again…

@Northern_munkey nice one, I’ll add you soon

It's good, I am early days - I think around level 10. The problem is, I can see to really enjoy taking on the harder enemies, I am going to have to squad up, which I don't mind doing. It's just I don't know anyone else (or 2 other people, specifically) who I could team up with regularly in order to develop the necessary tactics, and I can only really play a couple of hours a week. I bet the game really shines if you have a solid group who run together regularly, though.

Still, it's fun creeping around on your own, and occasionally getting into a fire fight.

Not too surprising the way game development seems to be these days, and expectations are massive. It’ll still launch with loads of crazy problems, I am under no illusions there. I just really want it to be a hit in the same way Skyrim was (and continues to be).

@IMustardMitt you mean, free market? I agree. Regulation isn’t needed here, use your common sense when purchasing.

I need to get this set up on my Steam Deck

I renewed my PS+ last weekend to play Resi 5 and Arc Raiders, totally forgot to add AW2 to my list! Gutted 😂

Oooo how controversial! What next? EA utilising AI?

I’ve been playing Resident Evil Revelations (1), the campaign is proving quite fun! I am also playing Resident Evil 5 with a friend online, probably my 5th play through - trying professional difficulty 🫣

And some Diablo 4 😁

@IntrepidWombat I think you can pre-load if you preorder, no? Not bad really, if you want to get cracking straight away and you know you are getting it (reviews be damned!), since the game is likely to be a huge download. Also you get a skin so.. there is that.

Looking forward to this, I really enjoyed 7 but can’t get into 8. Fingers crossed it’s good!

I have been playing some Revelations 2 recently. I would like them to make a 3rd, with an even better Raid mode, of course!

All fair points but let’s not pretend the vast majority of human creative effort is any less derivative, it’s just the way she goes. The way she goes. My feeling is that for most people the bigger factors driving anti-AI sentiment are simply a loss of jobs and an ick factor associated with consuming AI media, regardless of quality.

I just love that he referred to 46 as “young”, made a 38 year old me very happy

@PuppetMaster tried restoring your licenses? (Google the process)

After my third run at it I finally got into Diablo 4 properly and finished the campaign. I was struggling to follow it previously for whatever reason and fell off. Actually enjoyed it a lot in the end. I’ll be playing some more of that, for sure - and I’ll probably get the expansion too.

Just need to finish the Diablo 2 campaign now and I have done them all!

Worst generation ever huh. Still, looking forward to playing the games I bought through it at a locked 60fps/4k! 🤞🏻