What are you playing?

[TechBuyingHavoc]

Yeah I've totally removed Paradox from my radar over time because they completely nuked Stellaris' fun into the ground at this point. Too many changes. Too many nonsense DLCs. Its just not fun starting up games that need to be relearned every time, or that constantly keep asking for money. Comparatively, I can deal with TW Warhammer DLCs, because there, the game isn't changed alongside it constantly. They just slot new stuff into what's already there, with varying success I might add, but ok.

Still, might pick up something that's actually really finished from them. Got any tips? Are the two titles mentioned done?

The joke with Paradox games is that when they are actually "done", the next one in the series has been released.

I would say that Hearts of Iron 4 is in a mature phase, upcoming DLCs are not changing much and the gameplay is dense as you would expect from a game that tries to cover all the military/industrial aspects of WWII. It was fun back in 2017 when it was not "complete", it is better now. I would consider it "done" as a experience with the current expansions although more are planned.

Crusader Kings 3 is in active development, major features are still being added. The game back in 2022 was not very good, now it is quite good with the Byzantine-focused expansion. This one is not "done" at all and major areas still need to be revamped but the future looks good.

I get why people don't like Paradox's strategy on selling its games, it is expensive and not consumer friendly. Having said that, the strategy potential is unmatched by any other developer so they dominate this niche and consumers have to pay up if they want to enjoy this niche. It is a big ask to try these games for new players if they don't know how they will like the central game loop and sadly there is no demo of these games.

Hearts of Iron 4 does have a monthly subscription but that gets pricey after a while although you could use it as a cheap trial. I am not suggesting the high seas option but it is there...

 

[Zazigalka]

Indiana Jones
I like how you can use just about anything to knock your opponents down: a spade, a shovel, a water pipe, a hammer, an iron skillet, a saucepan, a rake, a broom, a big wooden cooking spoon, a handbell, a guitar, a lyre, a violin, a candelabrum, a dustpan, any bottle of anything you find .... it's almost like I challenge at this point, find something new each time you want to knock a guard down. the list will be updated

 

[iameatingjam]

Currently speed running FF7R to refresh myself on the story before going into rebirth.

Also going to be playing the new Graces f port to pc. It was already playable on rpcs3 but I'm glad they released a native version - I love that game.

 

[Zazigalka]

Indiana Jones Vatican chapter really sucked me in. There are quite a few areas, with lots to explore, things to find and secrets to uncover. I like how it rewards you for looking into evey nook. The story is quite good too, I can really feel the atmosphere of dark secrets of Vatican in the Mussolini era as I move the game forward. The attention to detail in architecture and art is visible all throughout Vatican, the way those sculptures, structures and buildings pop into life with path traced GI is simply spectacular, static shots don't do it justice. Real shame there is no photomode.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

The joke with Paradox games is that when they are actually "done", the next one in the series has been released.

I would say that Hearts of Iron 4 is in a mature phase, upcoming DLCs are not changing much and the gameplay is dense as you would expect from a game that tries to cover all the military/industrial aspects of WWII. It was fun back in 2017 when it was not "complete", it is better now. I would consider it "done" as a experience with the current expansions although more are planned.

Crusader Kings 3 is in active development, major features are still being added. The game back in 2022 was not very good, now it is quite good with the Byzantine-focused expansion. This one is not "done" at all and major areas still need to be revamped but the future looks good.

I get why people don't like Paradox's strategy on selling its games, it is expensive and not consumer friendly. Having said that, the strategy potential is unmatched by any other developer so they dominate this niche and consumers have to pay up if they want to enjoy this niche. It is a big ask to try these games for new players if they don't know how they will like the central game loop and sadly there is no demo of these games.

Hearts of Iron 4 does have a monthly subscription but that gets pricey after a while although you could use it as a cheap trial. I am not suggesting the high seas option but it is there...

IIRC, Crusader Kings 2 base game is free. There is a hell of a lot you can do in just the base game in that one, and from a F2P perspective it is less monetized than most. Only a one-time payment to unlock other parts.

And there are a tremendous number of mods for it, all free as well.

 

[skizzo]

Anybody on "Ninja Gaiden 2 Black" ?.. i'm impressed by it's 80 GB size and woulkd like to know about it

https://steamdb.info/app/3287520/depots/

glad you mention this, I had no idea about these games. I'll put this and the newly announced game on my wishlist. I'm on the fence about this one. It looks better than Sigma II in gameplay and huge deal to have actual dismemberment and blood mechanics back in. I've modded the Master Collection version and makes it look more like the Xbox 360 version, but I still don't like the fewer/different enemies with higher health. Watched some game play and this at least looks better than the Master Collection version. They obviously chose not to use Sigma in the title and used Black instead to confuse the hell out of fans. It seems better than Sigma II, but as far as I am concerned right now, still wouldn't be as good as the Xbox 360 version.

this made me fire up Xenia just now to instead play the Xbox 360 version.

 

[garrick]

Deathloop !

 

[KetoRay]

Endeavor: Rite of Passage

Spoiler

 

[Zazigalka]

Highly recommend Indiana Jones to anyone who likes story-driven exploration games, it's fantastic. Side quests are just as entertaining as the main story, sometimes even better.

 

[Klemc]

glad you mention this, I had no idea about these games. I'll put this and the newly announced game on my wishlist. I'm on the fence about this one. It looks better than Sigma II in gameplay and huge deal to have actual dismemberment and blood mechanics back in. I've modded the Master Collection version and makes it look more like the Xbox 360 version, but I still don't like the fewer/different enemies with higher health. Watched some game play and this at least looks better than the Master Collection version. They obviously chose not to use Sigma in the title and used Black instead to confuse the hell out of fans. It seems better than Sigma II, but as far as I am concerned right now, still wouldn't be as good as the Xbox 360 version.

this made me fire up Xenia just now to instead play the Xbox 360 version.
View attachment 381719

From 4 to 80 GB, graphics enhanced a lot but it's rather big imo.

Nexu's ready, but no mods page.

NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black Vortex Extension

This extension adds NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black modding support to Vortex Mod Manager. Supports Steam and Xbox Game Pass versions.

www.nexusmods.com

AND, a big thread:

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black [PC Performance Thread]

Click Here for the Main OT When sharing your experience with the game, please be sure to include: Your hardware specs (GPU, CPU, RAM, OS, etc.) If you're playing on Steam Deck, please specify if you have an LCD or OLED model, and also specify if you're running the game off internal...

www.resetera.com

Interesting thread from game programmer/designer Koenji (@koenjideck):

Apparently, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is running on top of Sigma 2, and Unreal Engine is only used to render the visuals.

Not only that, but all the original models from NGS2 are in the game, with animations re-targeted to the new models (including for cut-scenes) Then, the old ones are simply hidden, which bloats NG2B by about 5GB, due to textures and even extra costumes (!).

There's also a persistent level that never gets swapped out, with additional level data constantly being loaded in (likely for NGS2's game state in the background).

All of this could explain the camera behavior and also the added latency issues.