Last Game You Played

[TheSameIdiot]

Outside of Pokémon, I credit the Halo series with my interest in gaming. Combat Evolved is easily my most-played game. I replay the campaigns (1–3 + Reach) every few years.

I was jonesing for it again, so I beat Halo: Combat Evolved for the millionth time earlier this month.

For the longest time, I hated rewatches/replays/rereads. As I've gotten older, I've realized 1) there isn't enough great art to permanently avoid re-experiencing your favorites, 2) there's value in returning to the same piece of media, and 3) I need comfort food during the bad times. Halo: CE is still a masterpiece. Its warts were more apparent to me on this replay than they have been in the past. While it's a compact game, I think they would've been better served with sixteen or twenty 30-minute missions rather than ten 45-minute/one-hour missions. There's also a difficulty spike in the back half of the game that I couldn't remember feeling in any previous playthrough.

The original graphics hold up. The story packs a punch. This is still the rubric on which I grade all other shooters. 9.5/10.

 

[Damien]

For the longest time, I hated rewatches/replays/rereads

I am, in fact, the complete opposite of this. I've been told that re-consuming the same media over and over is something that's very common to ADHD folks, as it triggers happy electricity in our stupid sad-brains. I'm the person that will have access to 200 movies on-demand right now that I have not seen and WANT TO SEE, and will still put on my tenth viewing of Kingdom of Heaven or Masters of the Universe instead.


That's part of the reason I tend to fall behind in gaming and am not up with what everyone else is playing. You guys are all jumping into the new FromSoft game and I'm replaying GTA5 or fucking Shadow of Mordor for the seventh time.

I don't think I've ever played Combat Evolved. But I find that, whenever I try them, I don't really like Halo games. Combat never feels punchy and impactful enough for me. And it's a bit too chaotic, but not in a good way. When I'm playing a shooter, I tend to gravitate towards stuff like Ghost Recon, where I can take my time and plan things out and be tactical. I think I'm alone though, because I don't believe I've ever met anyone else that didn't at least enjoy Halo.

I tried the newest one when it came out - because GamePass. I think I turned it off after about an hour? Never had any interest in turning it back on.

 

[Revox]

Halo was one of the very few games I played then replayed on harder settings (95% of the time, I only play games on Normal/Default). I'd heard folks at the time say Legendary was where it really shines and was super skeptical but gave it a go and yeah, they were completely right. Every duel with Elites felt like a life or death scrap over 20 feet, you'd take down their shield but they'd take down yours too and you'd both be hiding on either side of rock wondering if you should just charge round and go for it or wait for the shield to recharge first.

I also would re-try sections repeatedly trying to keep as many marines as possible alive, which led to me recklessly charging into whole squads of enemies, Grunts fleeing in terror from 7ft of power armour armed with a pistol and rocket launcher, dancing around Hunters, pistol-whipping Jackals...

..man, it was glorious. CE on Legendary was one of the best gaming experiences I ever had. If my Xbox hadn't conked out, I'd still fire it up even now.

Alas, H2 was not in the same league, the difficulty spikes on that one (sniper instakills, THAT GODDAMN CARGO BAY, etc) lacked the wonderful balance of the original. But H3 was pretty great, penultimate level excepted, ugh.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

I don't think I've ever played Combat Evolved.

If you were going to try the series, that's where I'd start. CE and 3 are my two favorites. A lot of folks like Reach, as well.

And it's a bit too chaotic, but not in a good way.

It's the first game of its type that I played. It literally defines the genre for me.

Now, when I think of shooters, I think of Halo, Halo 3, and Call of Duty 4. I'm old.

When I'm playing a shooter, I tend to gravitate towards stuff like Ghost Recon, where I can take my time and plan things out and be tactical.

If you like slow and methodical, Halo probably isn't your bag. It's more a child of Doom than anything.

I tried the newest one when it came out - because GamePass. I think I turned it off after about an hour? Never had any interest in turning it back on.

While I'm more apologetic than most about Halo Infinite, I think it's nearly the worst-case scenario for your introduction to the series.

Halo was one of the very few games I played then replayed on harder settings (95% of the time, I only play games on Normal/Default). I'd heard folks at the time say Legendary was where it really shines and was super skeptical but gave it a go and yeah, they were completely right. Every duel with Elites felt like a life or death scrap over 20 feet, you'd take down their shield but they'd take down yours too and you'd both be hiding on either side of rock wondering if you should just charge round and go for it or wait for the shield to recharge first.

Same. Even on replays, I play on Heroic or Legendary.

Alas, H2 was not in the same league, the difficulty spikes on that one (sniper instakills, THAT GODDAMN CARGO BAY, etc) lacked the wonderful balance of the original. But H3 was pretty great, penultimate level excepted, ugh.

I always replay the games with my cousin, who got me into Halo more than 20 years ago. We just started Halo 2. I agree with you here, too. Despite its industry-changing multiplayer and sterling reputation, it's my least favorite Bungie Halo title.

I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt, but I can't imagine it'll supplant CE or 3 on my favorites list.

---

I cleared my backlog and my headspace and jumped into Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. I'm 6.5 hours in.

Outside of the excellent story and performances, it's not my type of game. I'm not a turn-based gamer or a Final Fantasy head. Despite that, I really like it.

The combat works for me. It's surprisingly engaging for a turn-based game. Setting up a combo, parrying, and configuring the right power-ups to do massive damage all hit me right in the dopamine receptors. It's a good thing, too, because combat carries this game on its back.

Although the world is pretty, exploration does nothing for me. It reminds me more of South of Midnight (another Unreal Engine game developed by a small team) than anything. You wander from one corridor to the next until you run into an enemy. Occasionally, the path splits and you find a hidden power-up or bit of currency. I get that I'm largely describing *video games*, but it really is that simple. Worse, the corridors all look basically the same and there is no region map.

Those frustrations aside, I'd recommend it. The performances are that good. The story is that good. The combat is that good.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

I cleared my backlog and my headspace and jumped into Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. I'm 6.5 hours in.

It might be time for me to backtrack on this one. Admittedly, I'm focused on planning two separate TTRPG campaigns and playing in another two, but I've put just five more hours into this game since I made this post six weeks ago. It's become a game I dread returning to. This has happened to me with great games before. Off the top of my head, I can't say I was thrilled to jump back into Breath of the Wild, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, or The Witcher 3, and all of those eventually landed on my favorites list.

I'm determined to power through the remaining 15ish hours. If I had to guess, this game will more likely wind up being "I get, but not totally for me" than "Everyone's right. Love it."

I love a bit of whimsy, but E33 pushes into silly territory. I can't get there. And the traversal still sucks. The open areas are bland and uninteresting and the contained areas are samey and confusing.

 

[Misfit]

I’ve been playing Metaphor on PS5 and it’s a game I go weeks without playing, but when I jump in sucks me in. I don’t know if that’s why I almost avoid it? I love the Persona series and I think this might be better. I’m about 25 hours in and when my son woke up not feeling well yesterday morning it meant I suddenly had a free day since our plans were cancelled so I had a long session.

 

[altcunningham]

Picked up MGS Delta, but semester starts Tuesday so... Time to figure out how young me did all that and still handled school.

 

[Misfit]

Picked up MGS Delta, but semester starts Tuesday so... Time to figure out how young me did all that and still handled school.

Energy drinks. Lots and lots of energy drinks when they were still relatively new and one Red Bull made me feel like I was flying.

 

[altcunningham]

I don't know how we had class, would still have hours to hang out at the arcade or in the dorm. Fit three full meals at the cafeteria. Extracurriculars. And then all the adventures and parties.

Now as an adult my days are like, wake up. Work. Eat lunch. Well, you just had lunch and now it's 1:00 so it's going to be dinner in 4 hours. So it's already 5:00 so you may as well just pack it in for the day, What are you going to accomplish between now and then.

Oh now it's actually 5:00. Make dinner. Well now it's 6:00. Which is basically midnight, if you really think about it.. So your whole night is shot. You may as well just go to bed.

 

[Damien]

I don't know how we had class, would still have hours to hang out at the arcade or in the dorm. Fit three full meals at the cafeteria. Extracurriculars. And then all the adventures and parties.

Now as an adult my days are like, wake up. Work. Eat lunch. Well, you just had lunch and now it's 1:00 so it's going to be dinner in 4 hours. So it's already 5:00 so you may as well just pack it in for the day, What are you going to accomplish between now and then.

Oh now it's actually 5:00. Make dinner. Well now it's 6:00. Which is basically midnight, if you really think about it.. So your whole night is shot. You may as well just go to bed.

To be fair... this is the most AuD&D thing I've ever heard. I do it too. "It's 7 at night, which is basically my 10pm bedtime so no point in starting anything NOW."

 

[Ru1977]

I've always been big on Call of Duty, particularly Modern Warfare, and really got into the reboot series as well. I had skipped MWII for whatever reason, but it was on sale recently so I finally got it and played the campaign over s couple weeks. Didn't have enough so I decided to play the entire trilogy all over again, in order, a really enjoyed that. So now I'm playing the original MW remastered campaign And may have to get the remastered sequel when I'm done just doing a level or two every few days or so. Really fun but also making me desperate for MW figures in my Joe Classified collection.

 

[Chooch555]

I'm a few hours into Expedition 33. The first hour was the most depressing thing since Heavy Rain. I love turned based combat but the timed dodges and boosts are nerve wracking. I never thoughr a game could simultaneously amp up my depression and my anxiety.

 

[Damien]

I don't really love turn-based RPGs as much as some people, but I'd definitely rather play one than whatever Expedition 33 is. Even watching reviews of that game gives me anxiety and hurts my eyes at the same time. I'm really starting to get this thing for games that just have way too much on the screen at once.

Dragon Age: Veilguard was REALLY bad for this, sometimes with as much as half of a combat encounter basically invisible behind all the effects and shit popping up on screen.

 

[TheSameIdiot]

I finished Expedition 33 today.

I had a lot of problems with it. I haven't decided whether I like the game's big twist. It reframes the story in an interesting, courageous way, but it caught me so off guard that I need time to sit with it. I maintain what I said about the exploration. The game's middle third is comparatively bland. It has like six different false endings.

But but but... I kind of loved it. It's like the S.H. Figuarts Gamerverse Spider-Man. Certain things about it suck, but I'm pleased with the overall package anyway. For a game clearly inspired by Final Fantasy, I can't believe I like it as much as I do. I'm decidedly not a JRPG guy. I don't like turn-based games. I don't like parrying. I do like games with limited strategy components that make you feel like a genius. The boss who wiped the floor with you? Change your perks and you'll dunk on him. More than anything, like Balatro, I like watching the numbers go up.

While I enjoy a good cry, basically nothing gets my tears flowing. I might cry once every three years. I had high hopes for E33 after what I heard from others. I never fully connected with the story on an emotional level, but I found it compelling as hell. It was good enough to see me through a mediocre second act. I think video game stories, largely, are bad. This is one of the few that, like a great movie, I'll actually think about in the days and years to come.

Most impressive of all, I finished the game in about 27 hours. Generally with games, I'll play through the main story and hit any side content I find interesting along the way. I say I'll go back and explore more after I'm done if the game really grabs my attention. That never happens.

Well, it happened with Expedition 33. I want to see the party characters to the end of their stories. There are a few optional Persona-esque mega-dungeons to really test your skill, too. If I don't get my ass kicked immediately, I plan to finish those.

The brilliant thing about Expedition 33 is that your damage is capped at 9,999 per hit until you reach the epilogue. Those who have played or followed the dialogue around the game know you can do millions of damage per turn. They finally incentivized me, the guy who finishes the game when the credits roll, to play the post-game content. I want to play the big number generator. I'm at 28.5 hours now. Let's see how much time I wind up putting in.

I'm giving Expedition 33 a tentative 9/10 with the potential to rise.

 

[joshsquash729]

Hadn't heard of Expedition 33, so I looked it up. Sounds interesting, but I just can't for the life of me get into turn-based games, and I never knew why. I guess it's just that part of me that likes instant gratification- I know that if I press X now, it'll do this move and I can block any attacks. I don't like not knowing what the enemy's next attack is going to be and if I'll be able to survive it. It's funny, I can remember lore like nobody's business, but getting me to remember button combos or turn-based attacks and how much damage each one does is a nearly impossible task.

It's kinda the same with first-person shooters. I want so badly to get into them, if only to see what a lot of my friends are experiencing, but for whatever reason, when things get hectic, I'm moving that camera like crazy and I just can't focus on enemies, and it sometimes even makes me dizzy. Plus, not always knowing where the attacks are coming from gets me killed more often than not. I really want to get into the Bioshock series because its aesthetic alone seems right up my alley, but I just can't with the first-person. If there's a 3rd person option, I'll ALWAYS go for it.