What You've Been Playing This Week

[Dogg Thang]

I accidentally completed Tears of the Kingdom and now I'm wondering how early I could have done that. A bit anti-climactic given I didn't know it was happening until I was in it.

I have started Yakuza Kiwami 2 and the new engine is nice looking. Same old game, which is no bad thing.

[Golgo]

Having a break from Cyberpunk by way of Card Shark (rather uniquely, a card trick/cheating game based in pre-revolutionary France). What a stunning, witty and charming game - something that could probably only be done in the medium of games. Animation is low-key and subtle but so evocative, the writing and historical world-building is stellar, and the gameplay - basically Warioware for dexterous types with good memories (i.e., not me) - is exceedingly tense. I've been in a cold sweat trying to pull off a con and have fluffed a fair few at the last moment. Thoroughly enjoying it.

[wakka]

I played through the demo of Card Shark a while back and absolutely loved it. Really need to pick up the full game. It's such an original title and, as you say, is really something that could only be done in videogames.

After a pretty long hiatus from games (lots going on in my personal life), I picked up a copy of Resi 4 Remake the other day. Enjoying it so far, but not so much gripped as gently handled. I'm hoping to get a bit more into it in the coming days, I've only played about three hours as yet. Not quite sure why it isn't fully clicking at the mo.

[QualityChimp]

Just looked at Card Shark as I'd not heard of it - seems really unique and it's not a literal shark, like I expected!

More Sifu.
I beat The Club (level 2), but my son berates me for restarting, not aging, so I lost a life to get to the end.
I found the first half of the level trickier as there's a long run before your health is refilled.
However, I had a great run, throwing people off ledges to quickly thin the crowd or isolate the toughs.
I even got to the level boss and beat him on my first attempt, and so thoroughly that I didn't get chance to spare him!

Onto level 3, the museum and there were a couple of early mistakes where I underestimated the goons as they had blades, but got better and found it's probably the easiest level, until this trippy end section where they throw a billion enemies (feels like) at you, but there are some walls you can vault to stay out of trouble.
I'm about to face the level boss, but I needed to calm down a bit before bed as it's quite intense!

[Neon Ignition]

"The eclectic use of stylised camera work across the breadth of Stellar Blade has proven quite the muse to me this week, a cascade of symphonies as the lights and eruptions of clashing contrasts of weapons dazzles the eyes during my time with this peace. It really is quite breathtaking, particularly when placed in contrast to the more stark hues in my other current project Black Mesa..."






"...Black... Black!... the endless void of Mesa... an ocean of despair leading us into the dark! Coated in nightmares! Is that you Mother? The worms eat lies and nuzzle into my mind like a craboid hunting its prey... shall we dance with the midnight free man!?"

[QualityChimp]

Sifu level 3. Not strolled, but made my way fairly confidently through until the boss.
She aged me TEN years!

However, if you beat a boss you can play against them in training, so I learned some of her combos and how to deal with them and had another crack at her and she only aged me 2 years. I tried to spare her but I'd weakened her too much, but I might go back and try again as you can cut a lot of the level out once you have unlocked some shortcuts.

[Dogg Thang]

I started playing the remaster of Metroid Prime. It looks lovely. I don't know if I like the game. I have fond memories of it (even though I never beat the final boss back in the day) but now I find the controls janky and unintuitive and the respawning enemies and constant backtracking is frustrating me. Not even sure why. I recently replayed Exhumed which also has lots of backtracking and respawning enemies and I loved that, although in that they don't respawn the moment you leave a room.

[k0pp0]

I captured the finally mission. You can't hear Prinny's chat, but I'm not talking to myself like a nutter.

What do you do when you 100% a game you've put 400+ hours into? Obviously you start to complete the DLC...

The noicest of noice.

[k0pp0]

I've been playing yakuza 3, 4, 5 and 6 forever now. I cannot be arsed to 1000g them with the stupid requirements, but I cannot leave them alone.

[MartyG]

Nebuchadnezzar

A city builder game set in BC times - not too bad, little bit simple

Nova Lands

An automation game that's a ok, it's no Factorio, seems a little bit too restrictive on what you can do as it limits how many jobs you can do.

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles

This is a pretty decent card battler/collector, except you collect dice instead of cards, then you're battling based on the dice rolls. It's sounds RNG, but there are strategy elements around the mechanics that means you can counter any randomness. Liked it.

Oaken

Another card-battler, based on a hex grid, almost an element of Chaos: Battle of Wizards to it.

Ash of Gods: The Way

A strategy/card collector game where you place your cards on a box grid and your characters will continuously move forward. You can move them left/right on a turn, but never backwards, so you have to plan ahead based on what your opponent plays.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

A surprisingly fun adventure game where you have to protect and take photos of the wildlife - they've gone out of their way to ensure that the sounds you hear are of the species of birds in the area, it's reasonably authentic. Nice relaxing Sunday game.

Also played more RimWorld and had a look at Diablo 4 - not really sure what all the fuss is about with that game, it was kinda tedious.

[QualityChimp]

Done the 4th level of Sifu and I'm still loving it. I'm dying a lot less, normally on bosses and if I get greedy trying to up my score or XP.
It's still pulse-pounding gaming, though and I have to chill out a bit before bed!

Also enjoying the friendly rivalry with my son as we try to beat each other's progress.
He did the level before me, but died more!

[Neon Ignition]

"Ain't playin' Stellar Blades later bits brilliant? What is it is right is like playin' Nier but in a world designed by FHM, brilliant. And playin' games is fun, fantastic, fun games like returning to keep 100% on Astro's Playroom. Isn't Astro brilliant, what he is like, is like a robot that smashes up enemies and every now and then wiggles his bum to the camera, brilliant, that's like playin' a game with the same basic description as Stellar Blade"




"Brilliant!"

[QualityChimp]

Got to the final boss of Sifu, but I need to research his attack patterns.

Son was chiding me because I was caning it around his level smashing all the furniture and mercilessly punching everyone.

Receptionist? PUNCHED
Someone waiting in the lobby for an interview? PUNCHED
Someone getting a massage treatment? PUNCHED
A whole damn Tai Chi class cowering in fear after I beat up the teacher? PUNCHED PUNCHED PUNCHED PUNCHED PUNCHED PUNCHED

[Golgo]

Got ripped with some preem new chrome and deck and now I'm back braindancing virtus, hustling gonks for scratch and flatlining gangoons and corporats with my chooms.

[Neon Ignition]

"Here you are sir, this one is making fast progress in Hellblade II Kenneth, he's very experienced having pleasured himself by pressing its buttons a lot. Oh, suit you sir?"

"Also swinging your big chopper again in God of War: Ragnarok? Extending your chains to beat the enemies off? Ooh! Does Sir enjoy a good beating off? Ooh!"