What You've Been Playing This Week

[nonny]

It’s telling that most of what I thought were cutscenes from H5 were actually from H4.

I remember bits and bobs from H5(Luke Cage, mostly) but if I can’t finish it in time I’ll just watch the remaining cut scenes before I play Infinite.

I've played Halo 1, 2, 3 and some of 4 over the last couple of months leading into Halo Infinite just to refresh. I don't think the storyline in 4 and 5 is seen as relevent all that much as it seems the whole Promethean angle has been ditched (might be wrong but looks that way)... so I wouldn't be rushing to finish it.

[Cepp]

Bit LTTP but started Apex Legends and yeah, it's pretty fun! Quick games and being able to jump straight back in helps a lot.

[Brad]

Finished Hellblade. Fell apart at the end a bit but overall I had some fun. Well, not fun. It’s actually quite depressing but I think that was the point.

[nonny]

Finished Hellblade. Fell apart at the end a bit but overall I had some fun. Well, not fun. It’s actually quite depressing but I think that was the point.

Yeah it kinda runs it's course and just slightly over stays it's welcome but I found it's one of those games that sticks in your head for a while.

It's amazing that a small studio managed to put out a game like that (100ish people on a small budget).

I've just finished Uncharted 4 last night, so that's all four mainline Uncharted games I've finished in the last two months.

I thought it was excellent as a piece of cinematic storytelling. ND certainly know how to humanise characters and give them a realistic arc... I know also say that goal of aiming for cinematic is the series main downfall.

I really dislike the running at the camera sections on rails and other set pieces where you're hardly required that the controller. It's something to look at but it's hardly gameplay. I think as a while Tomb Raider has balanced these elements out a little better.

I also found the jeep sections were a bit crap. A bit more involved and wider scope but still very much a closed environment and the jeep just handled like crap as well.

Nitpicking aside though a great game and I think I enjoyed the story in this one more than the original trilogy as it arcs right around perfectly from prologue to epilogue.

[Atticus]

Played a little more Resi Village and I'm really enjoying my hardcore run. The big baby boss house is a nice change of scenery/momentum on a first play but it drags a little playing it again and again. Next boss will be ol' scaly. But still, the fun of the game lies in mooching around the village, gathering supplies and treasures and meats and stuff, getting stronger bit by bit. I'm a sucker for the formula.

[randombs]

Nitpicking aside though a great game and I think I enjoyed the story in this one more than the original trilogy as it arcs right around perfectly from prologue to epilogue.

Sounds good! Is it worth playing UC3 before UC4? I finished the first two games on PS3 and started the third on PS4 but lost my motivation early on and wanted to play something current gen.

[Neon Ignition]

I've just finished Uncharted 4 last night, so that's all four mainline Uncharted games I've finished in the last two months.

I thought it was excellent as a piece of cinematic storytelling. ND certainly know how to humanise characters and give them a realistic arc... I know also say that goal of aiming for cinematic is the series main downfall.

I really dislike the running at the camera sections on rails and other set pieces where you're hardly required that the controller. It's something to look at but it's hardly gameplay. I think as a while Tomb Raider has balanced these elements out a little better.

I also found the jeep sections were a bit crap. A bit more involved and wider scope but still very much a closed environment and the jeep just handled like crap as well.

Nitpicking aside though a great game and I think I enjoyed the story in this one more than the original trilogy as it arcs right around perfectly from prologue to epilogue.

Have you done Lost Legacy? It's very similar but the condensed nature is a bit like having the fat trimmed from UC4.

UC4 still kind of irks me as a game. It has its strengths but for me it's a game that felt like ND had learnt the wrong lessons from the prior games and paid far too much attention to gamers as well. UC needed breathing out for the new generation console but instead being more open just meant adding those ropey jeep sections you mention. Likewise we get a lot of 'tired adventurer/look how many people you've killed!' references and storyline aspects which I've always felt were an unnecessary pandering to online whiners. To me the number of enemies you kill as Nate has always been irrelevant because Uncharted was a pulp fiction inspired adventure game where at points you face unnatural creatures etc. It's a suspension of belief fantasy franchise, not The Last of Us, and I felt ND indulged them by dragging Uncharted down that path. Well, that and the brother storyline, that was too hard a retcon to swallow.

[wakka]

Sounds good! Is it worth playing UC3 before UC4? I finished the first two games on PS3 and started the third on PS4 but lost my motivation early on and wanted to play something current gen.

Been a while since I've played them, and series super fans might disagree, but I would say no. The third game is the weakest by some distance and I would skip it. I can see why you got bored with it.

I liked UC4, and was fine with the storyline they went with, which addressed the fact that Nate is basically a complete twat. We had already had three games with basically the same storyline, so for me it was refreshing and more engaging.

[Neon Ignition]

I'll dive straight in on that one

UC2 > UC3 > UC1 > UCLL > UC4 > UCGA

[QualityChimp]

Ha, I bet you can't cheat like in Roller Coaster Tycoon and if you need a certain amount of people in the park to pass, delete the paths to the exit once enough are in!

[wakka]

I'll dive straight in on that one

UC2 > UC3 > UC1 > UCLL > UC4 > UCGA

To be fair I was just thinking of the mainline games. Def prefer UC4 and 1 to 3 though. I remember a lot of time slogging around some kind of shipyard? Just found it dull.

I agree that UC2 is the best entry though.

My personal order would probably be UC2, then 4, then 1, then 3.

@QualityChimp ha, that's cool. I really need to play more Parkitect. I've found it difficult to adapt to PC gaming where you're sat at a desk and kind of doing work-adjacent type stuff, clicking and dragging and so on, so I've retreated into my safe space of old Mario and Resi games while slumped on the sofa at the moment.

That's my problem though, not the game's. It seems like a really cool game.

Also I need a decent mouse because I use a wireless trackpad, which works great in MacOS, but games ported from Windows like Parkitect are generally poorly adapted for it.

[nonny]

I enjoyed UC3... but it is basically more of the same as UC2 but with a few less impressive set pieces and worse pacing. UC2 and the way it opens, flashes back and then comes back to present day etc... It's actually very similar to UC4 but UC3 seems to play it straight through.

I've enjoyed them all, particularly how good UC4 looks and also playing the trilogy games at 60fps. They're all good games but the formula is a bit staid playing them all back to back.

I'll play the lost legacy in January with that upgrade option...

[Neon Ignition]

I am literally bouncing around all sorts atm, really treading water, but among the list of titles is Far Cry 6 and it's such a weird experience. It's very clearly a better made game that FC5 and there are some aspects where the team have clearly listened to feedback as well. It plays alright, it's decent looking etc. I went through the objectives on the island, toppled the enemy I was tasked too after a couple of hours play and then the game opens up to reveal the island is followed up by around 8 additional regions to continue doing missions, clearing out enemies etc and a sense of gaming depression set in. Like an audible sigh. I couldn't tell you anything that's functionally wrong about about Far Cry 6 but the crushing sense of soulless chore Ubisoft is somehow able to bestow on its games is both impressive and hard to pinpoint. So in effect I've only done a couple of hours but I feel done, there's just no X Factor, nothing that's fun enough to drive doing the same experience 8 times over again to reach the credits.

Honestly, it might be the best entry since FC3 but... I just... can't...

[wakka]

Yeah, that sounds depressing to be honest. It’s the exact feeling I get when I watch videos of these games.

[nonny]

I'm still neck deep in Halo Infinite and loving it. After reading that Far Cry piece this very much feels like open world FPS done right... Plenty of objectives, but not so many that it drowns the map in pointless side quests... Plenty of ways to approach each problem and lots of story to drive the narrative forward.

Less is more.