submitted 1 week ago by PKscope@lemmy.world to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world

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Just thought I could get a discussion thread going. What is everyone playing lately?

I just finished playing Metal Gear Solid Delta, it was great! I decided to play through the series finally after years of watching video essays on the game, and I'm glad I did! I played Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Subsistence through emulation (4k HD for the win!) It was a great experience and I can see why the series is so highly venerated. It holds up remarkably well, and the long cut scenes were really enjoyable. I thought it would be annoying, but I actually found myself looking forward to them. Delta was like jumping forward in time 30 years, but still extremely fun. I'm glad they stayed so close to the source material so I could just play the new release instead of booting up Snake Eater through emulation.

Now if I could just play IV without a PS3, that would be awesome. I might have to try emulation on that, but from what I read, the experience isn't great.

Regardless, now I'm replaying Max Payne 3. This game IS SO FREAKING GOOD. I had forgotten how good it is. The noir narration is just amazing. The gameplay is tight as a snare drum. The art style and visuals are still amazing even when compared to modern games. Rockstar really knocked this game out of the park. I still haven't played Max Payne 1 or 2, and maybe I should. Also, I found out that one of the bands I've recently discovered and have been listening to like crazy, Health, did the score for Max Payne 3. The music is fantastic. If you haven't played it, I highly recommend giving it a go.

Other than those games, I plan to play through The Last of Us 1 for the first time soon. Not sure how "retro" it is, but I think it is borderline given the original release date and hardware. Looking forward to trying it for the first time. I've never had Sony consoles, so I've missed out on a ton of first-party Sony games over the years. Trying to make up for that by playing modern PC releases and through emulation.

So yeah, what do ya'll have going on right now? What do you recommend playing and why?

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[-] mrfriki@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

The Amiga version of Alien Breed 2. Bitch is hard as nails in a coffin. In comparison the Alien Breed trilogy on PC on hardest difficulty is a walk in the park.

[-] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Cyberpunk 2077. Felt like a good moment to buy it as its finished. It's basically modernized skyrim and I love that.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Probably my favorite game and game world of all time. Though, to be honest, I'm having difficulty in relating it to Skyrim. Then again, I was never big into Skyrim. I always got bored half way through the game and never finished it. Probably just a setting thing. I really like sci-fi and less into fantasy.

Did you get Phantom Liberty? If not, I highly recommend it. It's ridiculously good. I'm on my 5th or 6th playthrough and still finding new things and details I missed previously. The world is ridiculously dense.

[-] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I'm running Phantom liberty right now! I'm liking it quite a bit. I'm at the part where you gotta get into the big hotel.

[-] lath@piefed.social 2 points 6 days ago

Mount and Blade Warband with conversion mods. All the different settings are interesting and each mod has its own specialty that makes it stand out.

[-] HouseWolf@pawb.social 2 points 6 days ago

Started playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 again after being disappointed by the "remaster" which was just a THPS 3 and 4 map-pack without all the maps and a premium price tag...

Kinda did it backwards since I actually replayed THPS4 again after they announced the original single player mode wouldn't be in 3+4 >.>

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I had some fun messing around with that remake they recently did. I unlocked all the levels in three and got most of the challenges done. I'm more of a Skate guy to be honest. Skate 2 and Skate 3 are all-time greats for me. The new skate game that is free to play is the biggest piece of shit I've ever played. It makes me so mad every time I think about it. Been waiting on that game for like a decade and they absolutely shit all over it and us. They absolutely ruined it.

No I'm not upset at all about it I always have steam coming out of my ears.

[-] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Dude! I was so fucking surprised at how well Max Payne 3 still holds up. Better than most shooters nowadays.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's unreal. Just the feel of the game is amazing. Modern gaming is great and all, but something about that 6th/7th generation just hits. It was like the perfect mix of player-focused design and modern tech. There's a lot of games with amazing potential nowadays, but they are ruined by silly design choices like always-online implementation or micro-transactions. The games from the 6th and 7th generations are just so feature-rich and laden with game modes and statistics tracking that it's disheartening to see how far we've regressed in those areas in modern games, seemingly all in pursuit of making the walls have 5% more fidelity than before.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

3 was great on it's own merits as a game, but the noir elements were ratched way down compared to the first and second.

Max Payne 2 was... I dunno... damn well perfect for what it was supposed to be in the era it was developed with the technology of the time.

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[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

Balatro till I've beat it

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I've been on a Balatro kick lately too! My nightly routine is to play Mad Skills MX 2 and do all my versus races against my friends, and then boot up Balatro till I fall asleep. Good stuff. I'm working through doing all the red stakes challenges right now. I'm on the Telescope? deck. I think that's the name of it.

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[-] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 7 points 1 week ago

Max Payne 1&2 still hold up I think. The upshot of using comic book style slideshow sequences instead of cutscenes is that it's aged really well. Story, mood and atmosphere is great in both and I think the gameplay is still pretty decent. Keep in mind 1&2 were Remedy games while 3 was Rockstar, so they will feel noticeably different for better or worse. Most Max Payne fans will say it like: Max Payne 3 is a great game, it's just not a great Max Payne game. It doesn't have that Remedy touch, it isn't good at the things that made the first two so special. Amazing 3rd person gunplay though.

Speaking of, there is a Remedy-themed Humble Bundle online right now with their whole catalogue minus Firebreak for like 30 bucks. Not a bad way to get your hands on MP 1&2. Pretty remarkable value, although with the two caveats that Alan Wake 2 is (1) only playable through Epic and (2) coming to PS+ next month if you have that platform and service.

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[-] cdzero@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago

Playing the original God of War for the first time via the PS3 collection. I'm also chipping away at Mario Picross 2 (Gameboy) on my Retroid Pocket 4.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

The God of War series is on my list of "to play" games. I've played about 2 hours worth of the first modern GoW game, but nothing else. I'm going to start on the old ps2 games and work my way through.

[-] cdzero@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

As far as PS2 games go, it's very playable by today's standards. Controls are a bit funky but easy enough to adapt to.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Glad to hear that! I'll have to move it up the list so I can get to it. Thanks for the recommendation!

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[-] anton2492@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Hey friend, cheers for the thread. I'm strangely happy and relieved to have found something chill enough to engage with in the midst of all the crazy political drama around the place.

I'm glad you're enjoying Max Payne 3. I liked it too, though It had to grow on me, especially after having played MP1 and MP2. The first one especially blew me away even when I played it for the first time back in 2008 - its combination of beautiful, prosaic noir writing, the modern incorporation of Norse mythology, and innovative (for the time) gameplay, among other traits, continues to make it stand out amongst the rest.

If you get to play it, I'd highly recommend checking out the PCGamingWiki page for the fixes to help it work better in general and on modern systems.

Currently, I'm playing RoboCop: Rogue City and Schedule I. Playing on both sides of the law by the looks of it, haha.

Rogue City is a great experience as far as faithfully adapting the dystopian, mega-corporatised, hyper-violent world of RoboCop to the gaming screen;
Schedule I has you build a drug empire through a surprisingly addictive (heh) gameplay loop of producing and distributing different types of drugs (I found myself staying up til 4AM while crafting all-new marijuana strains with kickass names like the Ninja Witch).

I've also been revisiting old PS2 games on PCSX2 emulator. Currently replaying:

WWE games - Here Comes the Pain, and SvR'06/07 (peak of the franchise, imo)
Dog's Life - the adorable yet disturbing, fantastically scored, janky GTA-flavoured canine adventure still entertains.

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[-] Addv4@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Finished up "my friend Pedro" a couple of weeks ago (absolutely recommend if you haven't played it, especially with a high refresh rate screen), played control for a bit (interesting beginning, but the more you play the more confusing/boring I found it), and been revisiting doom eternal since I just upgraded my PC about a month ago. I was planning to play it through with the dlc expansions, then maybe try cyberpunk after. Also been intermittently playing "golf with your friends" when I have game night, pretty fun to play with friends and doesn't take too much effort.

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[-] weirdo_from_space@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I can't stop playing Enter the Gungeon, this is a cry for help. /hj

Also I decided to try Flashback again (Genesis version). This game always seemed really cool but I never progressed far on it since it's so unlike anything else from the era. Kind of surprising more indies don't take a crack at this formula.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I've never heard of Flashback before. That game looks sick! I'm huge into sci-fi and cyberpunk stuff, so I think that might be right up my alley. Thanks for the suggestion!

[-] Caveman@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago

Max Payne 3 is an an amazing. If you like slowmo bullet time stuff you might enjoy"My Friend Pedro"

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I've seen My Friend Pedro a couple times in various places. Maybe I should give it a shot. Thanks for the tip!

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Finally picked up Hades II now that it's been officially released and I can enjoy it with all its polish. Already got 30 hours in and can't wait to spend more time tonight. The music is just constantly stuck in my head now.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I've been playing OG Hades for a few days through GamePass. I started it a long time ago but never got very far. I really dig the game and its music and writing, so I'm going to give it the ol' college try to at least make it out of the underworld once. Game is hard, yo!

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

It gets easier as you learn how to use the boons and weapons and other fifty dimensions of stats to optimize or adjust your build and play for your goals / whatever challenges get presented to you. Your character gets stronger as you acquire buffs the more you play, so the real trick is to just keep playing (as long as you're having fun). I seem to recall there being a bit of a hump at the start before the ball really got rolling; the sequel seems to have leveled this out a bit better, perfecting the already well-made formula.

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[-] weirdo_from_space@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

"Time Cannot Be Stopped" might be the greatest game over chant of all time.

[-] HC4L@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Megabonk and Balatro. And I've just finished Max Payne 3! Really liked it!

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[-] allidoislietomyself@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Resident Evil 7. The last game I played was RE5 and I really didn't enjoy it. It's been years but I played the remake of RE2 when it came out and loved it. Picked up 7 and 8 during a recent steam sale. So far RE 7 is shaping up to be one of my favorites in the series.

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[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

When the Xbox is free, Borderlands 4. (Just finished the main story and going back to grab up all them side quests)

Otherwise, my wife and I take turns beating each other at Tetris & Dr Mario.

[-] PKscope@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

My fiancé is a Borderlands fan. She really digs the Tiny Tina stuff because she's a huge D&D nerd. I'll have to let her try Borderlands 4 at some point.

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I have to lead with 4 is MUCH better than 3.

It wasn't a BL2 level of story, but with all the QoL advancements since then, it's probably more fun to play than 2 would be today.

And I would love to see some Bunkers & Badasses in this one!

[-] mrnarwall@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I'm playing through hollow Knight for the first time! I have always enjoyed Metroid and most of Castlevania, and with the silk song hype I felt it was time. I have no idea how far along I am, I don't suspect very far based on how full my inventory screen is. And I'm using the strategy of "re explore old areas once you learn a new move", which is working okay, but I'm getting a little annoyed by how much back tracking I'm doing. I want to find the map for the jellyfish area, but I can't get past this black barrier.

There are fun optional platforming areas that remind me of Celeste. Now if I only I had unlimited tries like she did. And the boss battles are challenging and punishing in a way that reminds me of elden ring - everyone has a pattern, and they will hurt you if you are too greedy with your attacks.

Overall I recommend it if you enjoy Metroidvanias

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[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Finally playing Silent Hill 2, which is scary as heck. (Try playing it with the sound off and your controller vibration on for a bit.)

Still playing Noita a lot.

Also DMing weekly campaigns on Neverwinter Nights.

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[-] arararagi@ani.social 3 points 1 week ago

Azure Dreams, PS1 and GBC, I was really surprised how good both versions were when deciding which to play so I'm playing both.

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[-] LazyPotato@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

I'm playing Chrono Trigger on my Miyoo Mini and I'm planning to finish it and play Mother 3 (since I finished Earthbound some time ago and really loved it). Also honorable mention when I need a quick time kill: Catrap (GB) and Apotris

I absolutely do recommend playing Earthbound if you still haven't because this really is a story with a soul and I'm astonished that I haven't heard about it before. Also btw this game has an S-tier manual, google it.

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