LEGEND The Video Games Thread

[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.

I think especially with how the PS5's going architecturally, I think we're going to see IN GAME conversations that look like full language articulation like you see Senua (I think that's her) in the Hellblade 2 trailer.



I dunno how well Mesh shading will do with respect to facial gestures. We'll see.

They still haven't addressed that people aren't solid. We're sacks of liquid with a bone frame. As such, we're opaque. You can see that they still haven't addressed this in the Unreal Engine 5 demo at about the 5:30 mark. The young woman creates a light and shapes her hand to focus the light forward. We SHOULD be able to see some orange through her fingers, but her fingers are treated as solid and we only see some light bouncing between the small spaces of the fingers, which actually further darkens the hands.

This is a bit of an artistic take on what a very bright light would look like shone through a cow (as part of a Mercedes ad campaign)

A person can see that effect with a simple flashlight in the dark, but it occurs all the time. I mentioned the opacity of cheeks and teeth because as someone with auditory processing disorder (like listening dyslexia), I have to sort of lip read to ensure what I'm hearing is correct. Sidenote: a LOT of girls in HS liked me because I was an intent listener and wasn't constantly staring at their boobs. Not that a goodly number of them didn't have spectacular boobs, but I had to focus on their mouths since otherwise, it was hard to understand. That may be why I notice this one thing more than others, I spend a lot of time when I'm with people looking at their mouths. /shrug.

Anyway, yeah, the next gen consoles look to be pretty amazing.

The more I look into consoles, the happier I am that I didn't build that Hackintosh...even though the wife gave the green light.

 

[Mackeyser]

I can't edit, so I'll append.

As I watched a reaction video from a game engine designer, it seems that while they Unreal Engine isn't doing flesh opacity, it is doing subsurface reflection so that in some scenes, including the one at the 5:30 mark, there are moments where there is that "orange-y" tinge that would indicate light reflecting ( I guess technically, it would be refracting) through skin.

Not fully there, but still a really nice step.

 

[Mojo Ram]

NO SPOILERS but i started Last of Us 2 a few days ago. Technically it looks outstanding similar to RDR 2 but maybe even better. The mechanics of movement and combat are more fluid than the first game. One thing i especially like is the level design which is less linear than the first one. It's still a linear game but they did well to better disguise it this time.

I'm thinking i'm about halfway through.

 

[bluecoconuts]

I've also started The Last Of Us 2, I'm still a ways to go, and probably will be taking my time with it, but It's been a lot of fun so far. I'm enjoying the story, it's a more brutal game than the first one, but it's just as well done so far in my opinion.

 

[Memento]

Been busy playing the Assassin's Creed series. In Brotherhood and Revelations, I forgot how fun it was to recruit Assassins.

 

[Mackeyser]

Finally back to playing. Ended up on a two month hiatus as I couldn't really sit at my chair to game due to the migraines. Hoping to get the Botox on the 30th and that COVID doesn't cancel the appt again. I mean, I was able to do the sleep study already, so there's hope I'll not get canceled, but we'll see.

FFXIV is as fun as ever, but I'm almost itching to try a new game. Just has to be keyboard/mouse friendly.

Detroit: Becoming Human is the first one, I think. Maybe. I dunno. Coming from Mac gaming with very few choices, having all this choice is giving me that Moscow on the Hudson moment...

 

[Angry Ram]

Been busy playing the Assassin's Creed series. In Brotherhood and Revelations, I forgot how fun it was to recruit Assassins.

I played AC 2 and Brotherhood in early quarantine. Disappointed in the AC 2 gameplay, its crazy how much they improved in a year going to Brotherhood. Then I replayed Origins and the DLC.

Then I got burned out from AC so I started playing Horizon Zero Dawn again. Probably the best game I've ever played.

 

[Mojo Ram]

TLOU 2
35 hours in now

 

[quebecramfan]

I played AC 2 and Brotherhood in early quarantine. Disappointed in the AC 2 gameplay, its crazy how much they improved in a year going to Brotherhood. Then I replayed Origins and the DLC.

Then I got burned out from AC so I started playing Horizon Zero Dawn again. Probably the best game I've ever played.

As much as I think the game is so well made, I couldn't bring myself to get fully immersed in Horizon zero dawn for some reason. Not sure why...

Tried spiderman for the PS4 and that got me hooked... It's fun to zip around Manhattan with the kids watching. Great game!!

 

[Angry Ram]

As much as I think the game is so well made, I couldn't bring myself to get fully immersed in Horizon zero dawn for some reason. Not sure why...

Horizon is very, very long. A lot of grinding to level up and get shards to farm for weapon upgrades. Destroying robot dinosaurs in creating ways is fun AF tho.

Tried spiderman for the PS4 and that got me hooked... It's fun to zip around Manhattan with the kids watching. Great game!!

Spidey is fantastic, first game I platinumed. But tell me its fun after trying to get gold in the time trials. Total spider rage!

 

[Mister Sin]

I restarted RDR2 last week. In chapter 5 now. There is so much to do in this game. Its nuts.

 

[bluecoconuts]

I finished TLOU2, I very much enjoyed it.

The story isn't as strong as the first one, but I still appreciated the themes that they explored and what they were going for. I wont go any further than that for spoiler reasons, but it's a brutal game and it's exploring what happens when you feed into those more brutal tendencies, so don't be shocked.

Now, as for the gameplay mechanics, graphics, maps, layouts, etc? Loved it all. Maps are pretty easily accessible with a lot of different areas you can get into to move around, and the flip side of that means that you have more places to watch when the enemy is after you. That led to more fun encounters and should make for more replay-ability vs the first one, where it would get pretty stale in terms of the technique I used to move through the game.

I also liked how much you could tune the game settings wise. I was able to get the balance just right where the enemies were quick to attack, smart, and willing to flank around and rush me, but my allies were also aggressive and able to jump in more vs just watching me get my ass beat. I was also able to tweak the supplies drop rate so I could have enough supplies to get me through, but I would have just enough ammo to get into a sustained firefight which encouraged me to use stealth more. Speaking of stealth, you can tweak that as well to make it harder, but not impossible, which made for a very cool challenge. The ability to play around with different settings to get the game right to my liking was a nice feature, one I hope more games can implement.

Seattle is done pretty well, I was able to navigate some more open areas by the fact that I knew the layout and locations in real life and that transferred over to the game, the graphics are great of course, expect nothing less there, and they did some truly impressive stuff technologically wise in terms of character clipping (or lack there of) and object physics that got some well deserved praise.

Again, Overall, I enjoyed the game, while it wasn't as strong as the first, sequels rarely are, and the game is still very well done.

 

[SteezyEndo]

Modern warfare for now.

 

[Psycho_X]

I restarted RDR2 last week. In chapter 5 now. There is so much to do in this game. Its nuts.

Such a great game. I wish the Online version wasn't a bug infested, hackers wet dream though. Some people I play other games with had a lot of fun doing posses but we finally got fed up with all of the issues. It's frustrating because if rockstar actually took care of the game like a real mmo I would play it for the next decade it's that good.

 

[Rynie]

Dying Light 2 better come out soon. This year already sucks enough, and I've been waiting forever for this game!!

 

[bluecoconuts]

Dying Light 2 better come out soon. This year already sucks enough, and I've been waiting forever for this game!!

Delayed indefinitely and they fired their writer after a bunch of sexual misconduct stuff came out, I don't think it's getting a 2020 release date. Probably moving to next get instead.

 

[Memento]

Here's hoping that BioMutant comes out at least in December, given that I preordered it last December. Also looking at Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

 

[yrba1]

Here's hoping that BioMutant comes out at least in December, given that I preordered it last December. Also looking at Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

I would not be surprised if Cyberpunk 2077 gets delayed again

 

[Rynie]

Delayed indefinitely and they fired their writer after a bunch of sexual misconduct stuff came out, I don't think it's getting a 2020 release date. Probably moving to next get instead.

They already said it's in its final stages, which means the story is more than likely finished. They also said itll be on ps4/xbox and the new consoles.