A positive thread about what you're currently playing

Replaying Alan Wake and it's dlcs but this time on pc. It still looks pretty damn good, especially the environments.

The best thing going on with the pc version however is if you play with m&k the camera doesn't automatically switch to the left or right side. It's now relegated to being a toggle instead and playing without it going to the left and right of the character is such a relief. It may be minor but that always bugged me to no end.

Currently hooked on Slime Rancher. Something relaxing about it but at the same time it can be pretty crazy when you get into later areas of the game. Also reminds me of old ZX Spectrum games I played where the absence of a map meant a better memory was required to navigate. The game has a lovely vibe about it too - great soundtrack and a lot of heart and soul missing from a majority of games out there. I recommend this!

Prey turned out to be excellent. I was one of those who were instantly put off by the demo, but after having finished the game a couple of days ago, I think it's one of the best experiences I've had this generation. I enjoyed its unique take on a dystopian setting and the ways in which it tackles familiar themes of personal identity and morality. It also has a lot of the same strengths as Arkane's latest games: technical issues aside, it's an incredibly well-designed game. Enemy encounters are meaningful and the progression system is not only consequential, but it's deeply gratifying: it basically gives you the tools to come up with more elegant solutions to problems you faced earlier. I rarely ever do this nowadays, but I'm planning on playing through the game again on a higher difficulty and I can't wait!

As much as I was let down by it at launch, Fallout 4 of all things. The patches on PS4 have gone a very long way towards ironing out the performance issues. I didn't even notice slowdown in the Corvega Plant, which was notorious for it at launch. More than anything, I'm just enjoying a game I can sink some time into while I wait for Uncharted :)

Man, the way people talk about Gravity Rush 2 in here makes me want to play those games pretty bad. It seems like it'd be right up my alley.

Been playing Steamworld Heist and it has got its grip on me. I really enjoy games that make me think through my actions and reward gameplans, which this one is all about. Missions can go sideways very quickly and can also turn around for the better, when you pull off something cool. Progression system and mission design is great. A lot of unexpected aspects of the game surprised me. I particularly enjoy deciding who to bring on my team and how to kit them out. Every character has a unique set of abilities and really tailors to a specific playstyle. Such a great game that I am absolutely enjoying.

Never mentioned it before I finished it but Train Valley scratches the same itch that Overcooked does. I tried to get into Cook, Serve, Delicious but it just wasn't the same. It felt grindy. On the other hand, Train Valley challenges my task/time management in a fun way. Not only do I have to manage the train schedules but I also have to solve the best way to build the tracks. On top of that, the order of how the stations spawn as the level progresses varies every time, with a portion of the stations being considered for the starters. It's a very very well made game that can be picked up cheap, and I highly recommend all fans of Overcooked pick it up. One of my favorite games I've played this year.

Playing a ton of Ghost Recon Wildlands and it's fascinating how much playing it co-op does for that game. While playing solo with some AI dudes can be pretty effective, the game is so bland on it's own like that. But with someone or some people in co-op the game really shows it's colors. Between combat scenarios being a lot more fun and less paint-by-the-numbers, you could also just land on a cliff and do base jumping just for laughs and other nonsense activities.

Also, just getting into Dying Light and it sort of has me questioning why I didn't buy it sooner, real fun game. Also a game that is most fun with someone else, but certainly functional by yourself.

I'm currently going through I Am Setsuna on the Switch, and I'm really enjoying the game, the terrain may be a little one note, but the combat is fun and most importantly the story really grabs me, mostly the story each town has to tell, some genuine heartfelt moments so far

I'm currently playing Persona 5 and so far, I'm loving it! It's just so well-crafted in every way. I'm not too deep in the game's story just yet, so I can't necessarily share much about that yet -- however, the gameplay and just the game's world as a whole is simply fantastic.

Slime Rancher is legit.

In my seeming quest to eternally avoid finishing Persona 4, I started Kirby Planet Robobot this morning, and it's great. The robot suit fits right in thanks to it using Copy Abilities, the level design feels as open as Triple Deluxe, and the first boss had a surprising amount of phases. I think I'm gonna love this one too ^_^

Finally beat Persona 5 over the weekend at 104 hours. Loved it quite a lot. So much in fact now when I think back about everything I went through I feel sad. I'm already missing it.

Started in earnest on an XCOM 2 play through. I got the PS4 digital deluxe version when it was on sale and have kept putting off playing it for some reason. Turns out I still love XCOM. I have reached a mission with the 2nd Ruler type unit and think my squad might be donezo so I've gotta decide now if I'm determined to save scum through it or load back to the mission select and forego it entirely. As of now I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and seeing just how much it hurts my overall operation because that's ultimately the most thrilling part about these games.

Also been playing into Horizon: Zero Dawn. Absolutely gorgeous game even on a PS4 reg and an outdated monitor. Some really interesting world building happening up front that helps give some added flavor to an already very styyyylish setting.

Been playing Baldurs Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. Was a little nervous at first, considering the reception it got, but I've enjoyed the game quite a bit. There are some weird mistakes they make from time to time (for instance it doesn't appear as if I can have my side arc with a character if they aren't part of my immediate party), but they do a great job in others (lots of smaller encounters and experiences that are dependent on the characters in your party). Otherwise, I'm enjoying the main narrative, and the combat encounters and dungeons have been varied and entertaining. I'd like it if there were more side areas (Baldurs Gate games are open-world, after all), so in that way it feels a little confining at times, but what's available is good. Most of my issues with the game are problems I had with the originals. The reputation system is still crap (makes trying to keep Viconia in the group a pain in the ass. I've taken to using the console to lower my reputation in order to keep her so I don't have to go around murdering innocents to keep my rep below 19), and the Infinity Engine is definitely showing it's age in a lot of ways.

I can't speak for the technical issues people had with it at launch, but I think this game got a bad rap. Lot of people comparing it to their nostalgia-inflated memories of the originals, I imagine. Nothing new there, I suppose. It's a good game, and playing it has made me really excited to replay BG2 after I finish it. I'd like to see Beamdog take another shot; maybe with the Icewind Dale series instead; the structure of SoD is more akin to ID than BG.

Exquisite Corps has prompted me to delve into X-Com: Enemy Within and... hot damn I have forgotten how to play this game and my troops are paying for it. Still a great game and when you arse-pull a win with some risky tactics it feels amazing.

Sonic Mania is great so far. It flirts with my nostalgia but runs rings around it. It basically looks and feels exactly how I remember the original trilogy, but then adds a level of presentation and stuff that wasn't there, like a number of new shields that give sonic a new move if you press the jump button while in the air.

Also finished Horizon Zero Dawn, at last. I don't think it deserves five stars, but it was still pretty fun. There is prooobably gonna be a sequel, and if they change a few key elements I could see it being a real juggernaut. This one was flawed, but still excellent in certain areas.

Currently playing through Trails of Cold Steel. I don't know if I'm actually enjoying the game, but honestly, after years of playing very demanding games in terms of execution and attention required, it feels good to just sit back and play a good old JRPG that lets your brain mellow out. The fact that it took inspiration from Persona helps, as well, as those were basically the only JRPGs I've enjoyed past my 20s.

I wish it was a little more like Persona in the writing department. It still plays it a little too straight.

Playing Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. I didn't know anything about this one except that it was made by Daedalic Entertainment which is a great developer of point & click adventure games. I had no idea it was based on a popular series of books. They seem to have taken some inspiration from the Telltale school of modern adventure games, in that there are some action based sequences of having to hit the button at the right time in order to do certain stuff, not necessarily QTE's. Dialogue trees also have a timer on them and letting it run out makes you stay silent just like modern Telltale. There is still the classic style of adventure puzzle solving of finding and using items on certain objects etc. The story is intriguing and the artstyle is pleasant. Choices also seem to matter from what I've played so far. I don't want to get ahead of myself though in case it concludes like a Telltale game. Recommended for any adventure game fan. Also has gamepad support which is nice. Hopefully Part 2 and 3 are not too far off. This one from what I've read is 6 hours long on its own though, so a decent chunk of gameplay.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

It starts really slowly with stealth being highly encouraged in the first 2 hours but it picks up when stealth becomes optional. Doom kinda overshadowed the shooting of Wolfenstein: The New Order and I had totally forgotten, it's actually really fun. Also, I wasn't sure how id Tech was going to pan out last gen but it's really shining this gen.

I'm playing two games right now Lone Echo VR Oculus game and Heavy Rain for the first time on PS4. Lone Echo is probably the best space game for VR the immersion is incredible we come along ways from Adrift which was really stale. VR games are getting better and I'm looking forward to future VR games. Now on to Heavy Rain I really like these types of games although David Cage's writing and characters always feel weird but I'm really liking the atmosphere and detail of this game.

Guild Wars 2 and Paragon are my two at the moment!!!!

I'm playing Rez Infinite on PC and holy shit, I get it now. I get why people love Rez so much. I always appreciated it from afar but looking at the gameplay I never got what was so special about it. I guess it's one of those games you really have to sit down with and play for yourself, because man it's fantastic. It's quickly becoming one of my all time favorite games.

Currently trying to 100% Hollow Knight, if you've played it and you've gotten to the Trial of the Fool (optional area), you know how frustrating my life currently is. My gaming sessions consist of attempting the trial three times, getting frustrated, then playing No Man's Sky to cool down. NMS is really cool now, btw. Coming from someone who bounced off of it immediately upon release.

Dusted off my 3DS to play Majora's Mask, about 10 hours in and really enjoying it. The time resetting was frustrating at first but remembering the inverted song of time alleviated that and now I'm having a blast. Staying well away from guides and it just seems like I'm always discovering new things to do and still moving the main story along at a good pace. It's weird too!

Also playing a bit of Sonic Mania on PS4. I'm not crazy about the gameplay but the music, aesthetica and boss fights are delicious. Always exciting to see what will happen next.

@octopusrocketmark: Haha yep. I'm still on the third and final trial, haven't touched the game for months though because I got so frustrated with it. Planning to go back to it soon, but man that part is hard.

@boonsong: It's honestly harder than the "true" final boss. Which was also very hard, but doable.

I am on a mission to bulldoze through my 150 game backlog. Over the week I've beaten:

• Singularity, which was dope. It drip-feeds you new weapons and time powers at such a clever rate that you're almost never bored. It's an extremely well-crafted and fun game with a decent story. Thought-provoking enough to at least clip the heels of BioShock, too.
• Jump Jet Rex which was a nice, fun platformer with a unique feel. Great sense of speed once you get going, and he's a cute little guy. Would've been regarded well as a game mascot back in the day.
• Q.U.B.E. A Portal-esque puzzler with a small but interesting plot about truth vs. lies, the nature of decisions, etc. I figured the puzzles all out myself which I felt good about; I feel I've improved at the genre.
• Pony Island, probably one of the coolest little games ever. Cute, dark, grimy and addictive. Short and sweet too.
• Mega Man 3 & 4. Decent. Not very memorable compared to the first two.
• Thumper. I hold it up there with Rez, Vib Ribbon, Rock Band, all the great rhythm games. Constantly kicks you in the chest, and it got so challenging in the last two stages, my god. I was one with that scarab and that acid-tripped-out landscape and that skull-crunching percussion in wacky time signatures. What a game.
• Deadlight. Great comic style and classic Prince of Persia gameplay, but I found it quite boring to be honest, and the writing was iffy. A lot of the crew shits on Dead Nation when it crops up, but I thought the writing in that was so cool and Carpenter-esque. It's the better written of the two and would've made for a more gripping adventure.
• Ducktales. Got a lukewarm response, the remaster, but I genuinely had fun with it. I liked the look and feel and sound all in all. Too challenging in some spots, but it's decent.

Next up for me to finish is Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP (amazing so far), Space Channel 5 pt. 2 (dope), and LEGO Star Wars: Complete SAGA (very cute).

@brunothethird: wow nice going!

Playing Diablo III on console with my nephew. Really fun. Had only dabbled some but at this point it is very polished. I got it for pretty cheap so also felt cool with spending money on the Necromancer and I am really enjoying playing that class, which is super versatile and not just pet focused. The game plays really well and the class design is very good for most of the classes. I know I'm real late to the party but it's been fun.

I also have been playing a Norsca campaign in Total Warhammer, since I preordered the sequel. The faction is actually great and has a pretty interesting campaign structure. Having a lot of fun with it. Like with the Orcs, you get are all focused on raiding but you don't feel quite as stretched thin as the Orcs do for me, relying on getting Waaghs. You don't need to capture and hold hardly any areas on the map so it's quite different and cool. I really enjoy the Dwarfs (even though they are kind of straightforward) but otherwise this is my second favorite faction to play as probably. They avoid the parts that make the Orcs annoying for me.

Playing the Witcher 3 on PC. I am having an absolute blast!

I've discovered that Duskers is a great "in-between games" game.

Can't really marathon this thing, but, personally, a fantastic pallet cleanser.

• IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad/Moscow/Kuban (Always have a few flight sims going to keep me sane)
• Cliffs of Dover with the Team Fusion patch (See above, also there's some great new things happening with this game and Team Fusion, def check it out)
• Hellblade (Only put about 45min in and loved it, really excited to see where this goes)
• The Long Dark (Been trying to set aside time to try the new story mode, really enjoy the style of survival this game has, best in the genre IMHO)
• Prey (Time, like with every other game is the only thing keeping me away from this, have a handful of hours in and have really enjoyed it all so far)

@brunothethird: Well, I salute you sir for that kind of commitment.

Decided to get back into WoW and I've missed out on a lot

@darkeyehails: Thank you for your support on this most serious of endeavors. o7

@chuck_schwarz: Thanks man. Mr. Drippy rules.

I use a website called steamchecklist to keep track of my backlog. It's neat. Anyone who is overwhelmed by their unfinished list might find it helpful.

Got through West of Loathing. It's awesome how well they translated mechanics from Kingdom of Loathing into a regular video game. Muscle/Mysticality/Moxie works like it does in KoL, stomach/liver/spleen and effects were tweaked, but feel reminiscent of KoL's systems, and of course the humor is as silly as ever. My favorite gag is the way the narrator reels with disgust any time you fish through spittoons for items. An easy ride, but a very fun one.

If you don't have the DLC's, I can't recommend them enough. Sunk 150hrs into that game playing through all of it with my wife, what an unforgettable experience.

Prey is pretty good on PC! It doesn't have the immediate story hooks that System Shock 2 did, but I like the hub, go-anywhere design a bit more than Dishonored 2.

Playing Uncharted The Lost Legacy and I think it's my favourite Uncharted game. The tighter pacing due to the shorter run time stop parts of it dragging on unlike 4. Also despite some reservations about the choice of protagonist (I always though Chloe was kind of an asshole) i'm really loving the paring of Chloe and Nadine in this.

This game really was not on my radar until the reviews came out so it might be my personal front runner for best surprise this year.

Dead Cells is the least early-access Early Access game I've ever played. Mind you, I haven't played a lot, but holy crap, this game is already so very much worth the $8 or $9 bucks I spent on it during a sale. It has its hooks in me the same way Rogue Legacy did.

Still love Titanfall 2. Maybe clocked in around 20+ days on it? Its still a sublime blend of retro and modern shooter design methodologies. It really is a different game after you stop playing it like CoD and start playing the floor is lava with as much wall running and slide hopping as possible. I don't know how I even had fun with it before getting good at the movement.

Pyre is another imaginative, fantastical adventure from Supergiant. Exquisite in every way, really, like everything this miracle company has produced. One of those games I don't want to beat, because then it will be over : (

Oh gosh there's so much I'm alternating between playing and its all good!

I've really been getting back into Heroes of the Storm, and I'm just enjoying being able to play a game in a genre that always felt so obtuse and arcane, and do well in it. Or at least well enough to scrape some wins. It doesn't hurt that I haven't really had any toxic players spewing off nuclear hate either. Maybe I'm lucky in that aspect though?

I just beat Lone Echo today super impressed by it. It may be my game of the year it gives me high hopes for the future of VR games.

I'm playing Agents of Mayhem I'm having quite a bit of fun figuring out all the special abilities and status effects. Also Just running around the place taking bases and stealing cars. its almost a perfect podcast game.

@brunothethird: awesome work! I recently purchased a handful of PS3 games and have enjoyed them all.

Dead Space 2: this game starts right off with the brutality. Lighting, pacing and the sound all melt together wonderfully to make the rooms and corridors even more horrifying. Fun stuff.

Darkness 2: The darkness powers fluidly rip through enemies and the gun fire feels solid. The heavy shadow comic book style visuals look great too.

Max Payne 3: Played it and loved it when it first came out but played again on hard and hot damn does this game not fuck around. You die instantly if the enemies catch you slipping. This forced me to git gud and has been very challenging and rewarding since. Probably my favorite gun feel of any third person shooter.

I've been playing through the Elder Scrolls series recently. Played 40 hours of Morrowind on PC with only the bugfixes mods, the rest was vanilla and I enjoyed it greatly, did some side quests and the main story. It's still a great game and I really liked it. It was a mostly blind playthrough. Originally I played Morrowind when i was like 7-8 years old around it's release so I didn't remember anything.

Now I'm playing Oblivion, also with only bugfixes mods. As someone who has spent around 500 hours in Skyrim, I'm loving Oblivion. It's definitely less outdated gameplay wise (at least bethesda's gameplay-wise) and much closer to Skyrim. Originally it was the same situation as with Morrowind and I played Oblivion on release but I was a kid so I don't remember much & i'm going like 99,9% fresh.

I really like playing or replaying series of games, especially during summer and this time the choice was TES. After Oblivion I'm probably going to replay Skyrim for the X-th time and have a blast.

Aside from that, I've been playing Wolfenstein New Order on PS4. OMG this game is awesome. I'm having a ton of fun and it's really good. I like the fact that people actually speak their own languages.

On a whim fired up Halo 5: Guardians and played some co-op Warzone - I had an absolutely great time with a team that ran through the round in only a few minutes. Made me think I'll get a few more rounds of that in, and reminded me that it's really a good game by most all of my standards. I also fired up my Xbox One for the first time in a long time as a result and remembered that I actually really like that console, I just haven't had much reason to get on there. I love what MS is doing with cross play and play anywhere, and as mentioned on this weeks Bombcast, I think they're doing the best they can with the hand their dealt (Jeff said something along the lines of 'playing the hand the best they possibly can') and I really look forward to how the X does.

I also played a bit of the COD WWII Beta, and really like the chances Sledgehammer is taking - definitely going to get more time in that and looking forward to see how it comes out after being off the bandwagon for the last 2 titles.

I've been tired lately, so the only thing I've played is an occasional game of Street Fighter V.There are still more complete experiences out there, but as long as there aren't anyone out there doing the Street Fighter style of fighting game better than them, I can see myself coming back to it. I tried playing a bit more Juri, and while she's pretty fun I am absolutely terrible with her. Man, I wish Birdie wasn't my best character. He's like the second ugliest after Abigail, though he has a certain charm.

Finally back to Persona 4, and on track to finish it after beating Robobot (True Arena took me a week to beat. The pain!! Definitely my favorite Kirby game I've played though ^_^).

So no new games to report, but I did wanna draw attention to one aspect of Persona that I loved. After Nanako gets kidnapped and Dojima gets put in the hospital, the music and feel of the whole house changes, and it hit me hard. It's honestly the saddest a game has managed to make me feel in quite a while, and it made me realize how attached I've become to the whole cast of this game. It's gonna be a while before I'm able to move on to Persona 5 because it simply wouldn't feel right to jump into another experience like this with a new group of people.

It's also made me twice as spurned on to hurry up and save her! GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU PRICK!!!

Thanks to Exquisite Corps. I started a new game of Enemy Unknown. I only played this game for the first time earlier this year, and I was pretty bad at it. I never finished a whole campaign but started three different ones, normal being the hardest difficulty, and gave up on them at different points.

I've learned a lot from comments on the Corps. videos and some forum posts, so I've been way more successful on my Normal Ironman mode run I'm currently doing. This game is balanced so great. I love how tense it is both during a mission and while deciding how to allocate your funds in the meta game.