Topic: What game(s) have you been playing lately?

[Wecoc]

I’ve been getting back into Totk and started playing Turnip Boy does Tax Evasion.

Uh... Ok, that game is weirder than I thought.

I've been playing some Dark Souls 1, but that game is too easy so I decided to hack Diablo 2 and play as the town's cow instead.

[The Puritan]

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. I definitely see why it was, and still is, regarded as one of the best superhero games ever. I think an important part of such games is fulfilling the 'fantasy' of you being the superhero, and IH:UD does that remarkably well.

[zangetsu468]

Uh... Ok, that game is weirder than I thought.

It’s decent for what it is. The humour is on point.

Back late last year I did play through and finish ROTN Classic II: Dominic’s Curse. I’m likely going to write a review on it, following the ROTN one I did a few years back.

[zangetsu468]

Recently I took a break from my longterm on/off affair with Zelda TotK, to focus on EoW.
It’s decent, with good puzzles, the sword fighter mode mechanic is interesting and unconventional. The lore is probably the game’s strongest asset(outside of gameplay/ design) imo.

Edit: Finished EoW on Hero Mode(first playthrough) the other night. Overall 8/10, in a nutshell without spoiling, it's a great game but far too short.

Edit 2: Review coming soon for EoW

[JR]

Just finished playing Cyberpunk 2077. As far as massive open world first player perspective games go, I liked this a lot more than Elder Scrolls or Fallout. A lot of the side missions and fixers jobs were fun, and I really got deep into crafting and upgrading before the last update changed everything. Heh.

Also played No More Heroes 2. Very fun, but way easier than the first game. After I finished it, I immediately went to play Travis Strikes Again, not knowing what it was, and I don't really like it. I think I'll skip it and go to NMH3.

Then I played around with Ghosts N Goblins Resurrection, but I'm not sure what to think about it. Might come back to it. But I think I might play the PSP Ghosts N Goblins in the meantime. That one looks pretty awesome.

[zangetsu468]

I gave Solar Ash a go. It’s cool but I was expecting more of a 3d Hyper Light Drifter, which it isn’t, to be frank.

I’ve parked it for the moment and resumed playing Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. Up to what appears to be the final boss. A few more tries and I reckon I’ll get it.

I’ve picked up Deedlit alongside a Castlevania: Requiem SOTN playthrough as PSP Maria… My God she is weak, it makes me appreciate Dragonblitz’s speedruns a whole lot more.

EDIT: Completed Deedlit, highly recommend. I love that they took enough CV inspiration to give the game a levelling cap, strength cap and the option to not carry weapons item over, upon starting a second playthrough.

[Abnormal Freak]

Also played No More Heroes 2. Very fun, but way easier than the first game. After I finished it, I immediately went to play Travis Strikes Again, not knowing what it was, and I don't really like it. I think I'll skip it and go to NMH3.

Narratively and stylistically, TSA ties in to NMH3. It's worth getting through even if the gameplay is repetitive and dull. The story and style elements get pretty wild, and it's not a very long game.

I've been enjoying the hell out of DK Bananza. Don't know quite yet if I'd call it better than Astro Bot, but it's an incredible 3D platformer that really pushes the genre forward.

[JR]

I did end up giving it another go and enjoyed it. Once I realized not all death drive games were like the first one, it was more enjoyable.

Played through both of the newer God of War games, and I absolutely love them. The characters, the humor, the combat, the exploration, all of it has been great. 100% on the first one on hard mode, and about to finish doing the same on the second. Then I'll play Valhalla next.

[zangetsu468]

I just completed Haunted Castle Revisited and had a crack at Boss Rush(got up to the final boss).. Now playing on Hard with scan lines on. It’s pretty good, albeit short.

Edit: Finished on Hard Mode shortly after starting it over. I haven't managed to beat Boss Rush on Hard Mode, but have tried it out, getting up to Frankenstein's Monster.

The game is honestly a bit too short for a full review but I will say this:

• The game overall feels far better than the OG Haunted Castle, graphically I cannot go back to the OG now
• While the game is very good, it is an 'extra' in the Dominus Collection and doesn't truly feel like a 'full game', even though it was made with the Adventure Rebirth engine. This is primarily because it's very short, adding an additional level with Death as the penultimate boss would have made it more complete imo. 
• While the bosses are better than the original, they're potentially too similar:
  - Medusa, while I like the PoR inspired tones and 3d tail effect, she's still a boring boss and her stage(the cave/ crypt) while likely mythologically accurate, lacks character, compared with the OG HC.
  - The Bone Dragon boss' added platforms are one of the better re-designs and actually makes a lot of sense.
  - The stained glass knight looks far better than the OG and has somewhat of a pattern, but honestly still looks somewhat visually dated.
  - The Golem is definitely one of the more improved looking bosses imo and the fight is the most different, second to the final boss.
  - Frankenstein's monster/ creature is probably the most innovative, given the remains of the doctor, now momentarily animate the already living creature for temporary invincibility; does it make sense? Maybe not, but it's hella cool. I also understand the addition of the hunchbacks, making it in line with the OG Castlevania, I will say that the amount of debris that falls from the ceiling + the hunchbacks in hard mode specifically, feels excessive and spammy.
  - Dracula's final form is the most different and improved (in line with the stone golem) and actually poses a threat. I appreciated the aesthetic of this the most and I believe that inspiration was somewhat taken from ROTN, with Baal having multiple large heads.
  One minor gripe I do have is that hard mode jump and duck timing has to be so on point, that it can get frustrating, only because nothing else in the main game requires this. It's like the difficulty was spiked purely for this fight to compensate for the OG.

Overall it's a decent game, which is more fun and less punishing than the OG, with the additional hard mode enemies being a welcome challenge.
I simply wish that it was longer and more HC inspired, rather than the levels being duplicated and altered.

[Abnormal Freak]

My biggest beef with HCR is that all the weird little set pieces in the original are gone. The stuff that actually made HC interesting. Bricks flying at you, a strange harpy room, etc. I wish it felt like a full-fledged game rather than an extra.

[JR]

Lots of ninja stuff lately.

Played Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. That had some really fun levels. Found all items and beat the secret boss, but I didn't mess around with the boss rush. Great game.

Ninja Gaiden Ragebound was next. I was kinda hoping it had more exploration like Shinobi, but the bosses were a lot better. Beat it on Hard to get the secret ending. That last part was tough, but fun. Both this one and Shinobi seemed to complement each other playing them back-to-back.

Then I played The Messenger. Liked that one a lot, too. Found all items on that, then played through the DLC. The music is AMAZING.

Just played Revenge of Shinobi tonight, mostly to see what version I had. There's the Rambos and the Terminator in mine, so it's 1.00, I guess. Maybe I'm old, but I don't remember it being nearly as tough as it is. Didn't get past the Terminator boss.