don’t know if this was addressed yet since this was a month ago but i just want to mention that the last of us is an entirely different game on the hardest difficulties since you can’t just go on a shooting spree like in uncharted. couldn’t get into it until i started on survivor
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Funny you mention that, I’ve been going through TLOU Remastered on Grounded difficulty for the first time recently and it’s been tense, brutal, frustrating, yet fun and is a really different experience than normal.
You are ALWAYS low on ammo
You are usually ALWAYS low on health. You never know what health you have either because of limited HUD
You die in 1-2 bullets depending on how much health you have.
There are also much less checkpoints. Each combat/stealth area must be completed in one go.
Subway Terminal (Downtown), High School Bloater, Hotel Basement, most of Pittsburgh and The Suburbs have been the hardest sections so far where I’ve died the most.
Trying your very hardest to conserve what little ammo you have and what little supplies you can get is great.
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it really is like a different game and it feels like nobody talks about it, every tlou hater should play it for an hour on survivor or grounded
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Grounded is really fun, it’s the best way to play the game.
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If its anything like uncharteds hardest difficulties im just gonna say it sucks too 
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Rather interestingly, it was Gearbox Software hired by Valve who ported HL1 to the PS2, and made the expansion packs Opposing Force and Blue Shift. Blue Shift was originally meant to be exclusive content for the Dreamcast port of HL1, but that port got canned when the Dreamcast failed. The PS2 port of HL1 has the exclusive co-op campaign Decay, which has never been officially released outside that PS2 port, although it was ported by fans.
Worth noting that because of the outsourced nature, apparently the Half-Life 2 writers said that the Gearbox campaigns were non-canon. Probably because of Opposing Force where another alien race invades Black Mesa, and the role G-Man plays in the plot with main character Corporal Shepard. Which is a shame actually, bringing Shepard back into the Half-Life universe in some way, like a spin-off game, would be such an awesome move.
Saw a great review on the game by Ross’s Game Dungeon. Looks gorgeous but sounds very frustrating to play. Does seem like the kind of game that is just weird enough to become a cult favourite though.
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Uncharted is a fast-paced cover shooter, anything over Normal or maybe Hard is just going to be flat-out unfair and near-impossible without many deaths out-of-cover.
The whole structure of the game is based around unskippable shooting gallery sections meant to make you feel like an action hero.
Last of Us is a slower-paced stealth-survival title. It’s whole mechanics revolve around the limited ammo and crafting supplies you receive.
It’s way better to get a more difficult challenge there, since you can bypass many enemy encounters by going in and out of stealth (sometimes sneak by completely), and just limit the amount of useful ammo, making you put much more thought into each enemy you may or may not defeat.
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On that Echo video, I think Ross and the people in the comments have got it right.
It’s enjoyable enough if you’re a fan of stealth games, but doesn’t do enough in the gameplay department to make you ever feel like you’re “winning” at the game.
Personally I really liked the story and voice-acting, so the parts where it really slowed down for exposition I enjoyed.
Enemies always jog slightly faster, there’s not many breaks between areas where you aren’t being chased/hunted, and the move-set is limited enough already so that there’s always something you have to avoid.
Maybe any other cheap tactics like making clones walk would make things too easy, but I agree with people in the comments that there should have been more uses for The Cube, either as puzzle-solving, or putting it down for a bit, letting you explore and actually get a good look at the extravagant palace.
Eh, I liked the game for one playthrough, it was a fun ride. But doing it again ehh maybe loses its lustre, especially if you’re not in the mood for constant stress.
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I decided I might as well finally pick up Volume. (It was $5 cheaper than Echo. 
)
It’s early, but I like it, very Metal Gear VR missions (at least what I remember of them–it’s been forever).
Levels are pretty basic stealth. Avoid the robot sentries, collect the gems and reach the exit. There’s wall-hugging and vision cones and distractions. But the level design leans heavily into the puzzle aspect of stealth, which I like and, so far at least, the tools you get and obstacles in your way keep things interesting.
The levels are fairly small, with frequent checkpoints, and can be completed in a few minutes so it’s kind of perfect if you have an extra 15-20 minutes. It also means it can suck you into the eternal “Just one more level” cycle.
I do, however, hate that there’s a timer in the corner of the screen all the time and a leaderboard at the end of each level. And the first note of the music that plays whenever you’re spotted is far too aggressively loud. (It also kind of sucks that I can’t seem to access any of the player-created levels, though I’m sure they would be, at best, a mixed bag.)
Graphically, it is a bit barebones, but the whole game is stylishly done with a futuristic simulation vibe that makes me all the more curious to see what Mike Bithell is going to do with the new Tron game.
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I wanted to play breakpoint but dub 
- cannot connect server…
After going over internet, one unverified post says there is a maintenence from 20:30 - 21:31 (no tine zone mentioned) and I realized it is an online only game.
I mean they should have made an option for offline mode like Hitman. I know maintaining servers has cost, so let ubisoft make it a 100% offline mode like wildlands 
Anyone facing the same issue (if you are playing breakpoint).
This is a Heart Breakpoint 
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Out of curiosity, I checked the xbox store on my console, and there was no indication that the game requires an internet connection. May be you can ask for a refund.
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I am in Playstation 4… Bought a Disc…
Recently, I’ve been playing a bit of Overwatch 2. I played the original on and off from release to shutdown, and it was always that multiplayer game that I could boot up to relax.
I’ve really enjoyed it so far: it just seems a little more fun-focused, and I find myself just playing matches and not caring about my performance or the result as much. There’s also been a big nostalgia hit (if it’s even been long enough to call it that) reminding me of the few months after Overwatch’s release.
Now for some more game-y things:
- The sound redesign is super nice, a lot of the combat noises and gunshots feel a little chunkier
- The graphical changes are nice, and I like the fact that they didn’t go too far
- The replacement of levels and loot boxes with a battle pass is fine, I just hope the cosmetics don’t get too wacky and that there’re no Fortnite-style promotions and collaborations
- The new endorsement system is alright: I always used to give “Good Teammate” anyway, so removing endorsement types was a good move IMO. I would like to be able to endorse enemies once again, either for being nice or skilled; I’m mostly endorsing my supports (as long as they aren’t terrible) at the moment
- The new heroes are all pretty cool. I’m not a fan of playing against Kiriko, but I’m sure she’ll be nerfed a little soon
- The reworks seem great: Doomfist, my main, is really mobile and fun, fitting into the tank role well (he could use a little more damage at the moment though); Bastion feels good and isn’t overpowered; Sombra can be a little annoying but I feel like she has more of an assassination-based identity now; Orisa is still pretty formidable, but the changes to her are all fun. I can’t remember any other reworks off of the top of my head, but I like them so far
- The general reduction of stun abilities and barriers is great, and I like class passives
So yeah, I’m having a blast. My mates and I are gonna get together for a good old-fashioned Overwatch session soon, and I can’t wait.
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How would you rank it on a diversity graph
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Are you talking about the Candy Crush developer diversity calculator thingy? That was a hot mess, I’m glad Blizzard didn’t use it for Overwatch in the end.
I would actually say Overwatch is pretty diverse, in a relatively non-forced way.
Just finished the Octo Expansion in Splatoon 2. Boy, am I glad to be done with that!
It’s such a tough expansion! That’s great, because I wasn’t bored like I was with the main campaign, but I was very frustrated on some certain levels and that’s just not fun!
I will give this mode props for giving me plenty of shorter levels.
Varied objectives instead of just “go from point A to point B”
Plenty of cutscenes and lore that I’m not really familiar with as a Splatoon novice
A very open-ended level system, that you can choose your path… sort of… until you get to an excruciating level on both sides of the track, meaning one has to be finished to move on.
The final level (or series of levels) was a nice sequence that tied up the campaign well, however it was also brutally difficult at times, due to some precise platforming and one devious escort mission.
The style of the expansion is great, themed after 70s arcade carpet patterns and neon vapour-wave aesthetics.
Every level is some reference to a popular phrase or pop-culture icon (song lyrics being quite a few). It’s some very cool details!
…now, I’m not sure Splatoon 2 serves me much use anymore. I wasn’t always a fan of the Multiplayer Mode, I’m definitely not touching the Uber-hard Secret Octo Boss.
I dunno, maybe I’ll pick up Splatoon 3 sometime in the future if I find a good deal. I’ve heard great things about its main campaign being more like Octo, Salmon Run being 24/7, and the new punk-rock soundtrack which I’ve been enjoying listening to (I think it fits the underwater gibberish of the squids perfectly)
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due to the news about za/um pushing out the creative leads and a large number of the original estonian staff, i’m headed back to disco elysium’s martinaise, even though im in the middle of pathfinder.
this time, i’m thinking of going in with high physical/motorics (with a focus on inland empire and shivers) for the full supra-natural experience mixed with high drug use and lots of roughhousing. may even go for hardcore too.
think well of me.
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I might jinx my streak posting this, but DAMN I’m doing good! (At Hades, at least a little)
I just completed 3 runs of the game in a row, with a different weapon each time!! (one of which, Exagryph – the rail-gun – was the first time I beat [Redacted] with it.)
I think 2 of those were a bit of a fluke, since I went in without a plan, like I always do, but the one run with exagryph, I decided to focus on a DPS run with Dionysus and Zeus boons.
Turns out, with the right combination of skills from each (and a bit of luck with a few other boons), you can melt enemy health bars very easily.
No idea how much closer I am to the True Ending, where you have to beat the game 10 times, and I don’t want to check – turns out, on your 10th attempt, you don’t need to fight Hades – cause I want to keep it a surprise when I reach the end.
But I’m now 3 victories closer to that! So that’s great!
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While not replaying it myself, a friend of mine is playing it for the first time and streams it for me. I more or less act as an extra voiced character and make extra sure he doesn’t save scum
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That´s a PS-only issue though I presume, as it goes on sale on Steam pretty frequently 
My other wishlisted-for-ages-but-never-on-sale-stealth-game is Clandestine, which also looks quite fun.
Aw man, ain´t that the truth 
In fact it´s preventing me from buying either ECHO or Clandestine this month yeat again (well, that and the fact that Vicky 3 is coming out).
Never got one and probably won´t, but it would certainly be a fine way of using it 
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