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[bluechox2]

that's a nice giveaway, hope I win

Axiom Verge is awesome. One man made it all, and composed this, lawd

Up next for me is either SOMA or Hyper Light Drifter

looks good... chrono trigger is on my all time top 5 list...goat game back in the day

this game looks promising

 

[Speevy]

How do yo lost a planet 3 times ur drunk

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

How do yo lost a planet 3 times ur drunk

This sentence made me drunk.

 

[Echoplx]

How do yo lost a planet 3 times ur drunk

Guess you're about to find out.

 

[uncredited male]

Did u play the jp ver?

No, I read up on it and watched some vids.

Maybe I am starting to dislike JRPGs. Although XIII-2 was nice. I tried going back to Chrono Trigger and I couldn't get past the pacing.

 

[texhnolyze]

How do yo lost a planet 3 times ur drunk

That reminds me. Lost Planet 3 is boring.

I've just uninstalled the game yesterday after around 3 hours of playtime.

 

[kagamin]

No, I read up on it and watched some vids.

Maybe I am starting to dislike JRPGs. Although XIII-2 was nice. I tried going back to Chrono Trigger and I couldn't get past the pacing.

Feeling the JRPG flame fading? Try out DRPGs! They're much better thanks to a greater focus on gameplay!

 

[Speevy]

Guess you're about to find out.

Wow, that's amazing. Now let's hope the game isn't laced with some janky DRM that black screens it.

Modbot told me not to thank the person who gave the game away, but I can thank him or her if I want to.

Thank you for your Lost Planet 3, person.

 

[Tizoc]

looks good... chrono trigger is on my all time top 5 list...goat game back in the day

this game looks promising

It is pretty cookie cutter so far
Basicslly if u want a traditional jrpg you would like it just dont go i. With too high expectations

 

[Tizoc]

Wow, that's amazing. Now let's hope the game isn't laced with some janky DRM that black screens it.

Modbot told me not to thank the person who gave the game away, but I can thank him or her if I want to.

Thank you for your Lost Planet 3, person.

Play lp3 on easy and enjoy the Alien experience

No, I read up on it and watched some vids.

Maybe I am starting to dislike JRPGs. Although XIII-2 was nice. I tried going back to Chrono Trigger and I couldn't get past the pacing.

That aounds more like outgrowing the genre than disappointment

 

[Speevy]

Someone needs to rip off Dragon Quest 8 and put it on Steam.

Those battles with the character animations and all the different monsters were so perfect.

That's an homage I'd pay $40 for.

 

[uncredited male]

People are still waiting for that Jeremy Soule Kickstarter oh wow that is sad.

Feeling the JRPG flame fading? Try out DRPGs! They're much better thanks to a greater focus on gameplay!

If you mean like dungeon crawlers SMT Soul Hackers killed that itch. My god that is a shitty game. It is currently clogging up my 3DS queue. Devil Summoner was okay though.

That aounds more like outgrowing the genre than disappointment

I am ready for the next evolution of the genre. The threesome lovechild of ARPGs, JRPGs, and CRPGs.

I also want Torment remade in first person.

 

[kagamin]

If you mean like dungeon crawlers SMT Soul Hackers killed that itch. My god that is a shitty game. It is currently clogging up my 3DS queue. Devil Summoner was okay though.

I mean Wizardry-likes, with all their glorious freedom of customization and party set-up, Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS) and Stranger of Sword City (PSV,XB1,PC) are pretty fun albeit a bit intimidating to pick up when you first start making your party. Etrian Odyssey namely has fantastic music from Yuzo Koshiro and awesome art from Yuji Himukai.

 

[Lain]

Just beat Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls for the first time, and did some bounties and a rift.

*shrug*

Egh.

I feel the praise D3 gets these days is mainly for its current nearly infinite endgame grind where it seems that loot is the one and only motivator.

The actual main story mode where you start at level 1 and go through a predetermined route and improve your character along the way is so poor that only Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms gave me a worse hack&slash experience in recent years.

Skill/item synergies and even the barest form of specialization just don't exist until level 20ish. Having a semi-cohesive build is just not a thing before that, you may have some skills that work well individually, but when you play it, it feels like you're in control of "just another random X character" (in my case Monk)

The arbitrary order in which you gain skills, makes leveling up not feel very rewarding. Once in a blue moon you may get a new skill or rune that you genuinely like, but it feels like you're throwing darts blindly and hoping one hits the center every time. Not to mention, as most numbers are tied to your characters weapon damage, which is tied to your class' main stat, only +Main Stat and +Vitality really matter in gear for most of my leveling experience.

I'm glad Grim Dawn is a thing right now. It may not have the production values or the "end game", but I actually enjoy leveling my characters from the very beginning in that game rather than an arbitrary late game point. Which is also same for Diablo 2! People might these days bitch about the lack of respecs in that game, but I'll gladly start a new character from scratch to try a different build. Diablo 3? No chance in hell

It's interesting you say leveling in GD felt more enjoyable to you from the start, because leveling in Grim Dawn felt boring to me. I always felt underpowered in it and I'm really not a fan of improve this skill 15 times, which is why at some point I stopped playing it. As a backer of the game, I felt way disappointed in what I ended receiving.

Diablo 3 wise, I can see how it might feel as if skills unlocks and runes are random but it really isn't. It's a progression where you get handed a simple attack and then more attacks slowly unlock as you gain levels, main attacks, special attacks, defensive attacks, passives etc. Diablo 3 is about getting you to experiment with the skills as they unlock so you can find the ones you like to play with the most. It's about easing you in and about making it as pick up and play as possible (some might say it's dumbed down, but I'd disagree).
The new attacks unlocking aren't really more powerful than the previous ones, so I can see how that might not feel as exciting. They just work differently and might have a different base element which might work better with the elemental bonus on your items. The new runes though, I consider them an exciting way to shake things up, since some runes can change completely how a skill works (one example, the Arcane Orb rune for wizard changing it from an orb you throw to 4 orbs circling around you, making it an interesting choice to be both offensive and defensive as a melee wizard).

While true that main stat and vitality are really important (though I'd say the DPS on your weapon is the most important stats on a normal playthrough), that's not the whole truth. Crit chance and Crit damage are just as important, as is element damage, strictly speaking about the most basic difficulties. Once you delve more into higher difficulties, damage reductions, life on hit, regen, cooldown reductions etc all become way more important to get builds to work and survive.

Now yeah, if you only play the game to go through the pace of a story mode and level a character from 0 to cap, D3 isn't the right game for that. Story mode isn't the best (and I'm not talking about the story itself) and a character from 0 to 70 solo can be done in 8 hours taking your time, way faster if you follow the right method and even faster if grouping up.
Diablo 3 is a game to play to keep playing after reaching cap. To keep going through rifts and greater rifts, to keep looking for better items and especially to keep enjoying the gameplay, because where D3 excels is in the feeling of its combat. It's a cap game, kinda like a MMO.

I can see how some might prefer the PoE or GD or even D2 experiences but, to me, no game even come close to Diablo 3 in the genre.

 

[Echoplx]

Wow, that's amazing. Now let's hope the game isn't laced with some janky DRM that black screens it.

Modbot told me not to thank the person who gave the game away, but I can thank him or her if I want to.

Thank you for your Lost Planet 3, person.

Modbot needs a "It's okay to thank me if you want but I won't mind if you don't" option.

No extra DRM and it looks and runs great with SGSSAA.

 

[dex3108]

Here we go again

3DMark Time Spy rigged in Nvidia's favor?

 

[Se7enSword]

if you mean their 20-25% codes then no...they aren't doing those anymore since the members pricing thing is replacing that

if you mean will certain games get those discounts for pre-ordering then maybe but won't really know until after their Summer Sale is over and we see what their new normal is going to be

Meant the former. RIP GMG.

 

[Lain]

The Afterglow of Grisaia is out

 

[Pafnucy]

here:

Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 2 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line from the message below that corresponds to the game you want. (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering). Confused? Watch this GIF tutorial or ask for help.
Want to make your own ModBot giveaway? Click here for a quick tutorial thread. Please give generously.

ModBot Basics:
- I really appreciate thank you messages, but please send them to me (Pafnucy, not ModBot!) via PM instead of in thread.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two.

Rules for this Giveaway:
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.

Spec Ops: The Line -- MB-216603789C699C24 - Taken by Costa1774. 5 entrants total.

The Darkness II -- MB-4399EA62483E0503 - Taken by ExoSoul. 2 entrants total.

 

[dickroach]

Getting that power up puts you almost at the end but I'm pretty sure percentage is only based on item pickups like in Metroid.

And yes Axiom Verge is great.

yeah, there's a map% and an item%. my item% was pretty low i think.
but I just beat it... I'm assuming the ending I got was influenced by the fact that I didn't get so many of the items

Spoiler

he said he needed to back to Sudra. I know I definitely wanna go back. there's gotta be some decoder for those notes.

also what was with that optional boss right before the final boss? I think it was just like a harder version of the first boss in the game, but it was super hard, harder than the final boss. and there was no payoff for beating it

Final Stats:
Normal
11:30:26 (but there was a good hour or two where I had the game paused the other night. dunno if that counts
Items: 58%
Map: 88%
Death Count: 63

gg

 

[Ban Puncher]

Bringing this from the skin gambling thread:

csgoatse.com

 

[Atraveller]

How do yo lost a planet 3 times ur drunk

So bad.

 

[Lain]

I had no idea Steam bundles could restrict you from buying if you owned some items in them already.
Just found out I can't buy the Leviathan: The Last Day of the Decade - Game + Soundtrack bundle because I already own the game (offer is only available when buying all 2 items at the same time is what I get hovering over the unavailable buy button). Felt weird, though I'd only save 0,80€ for owning the game so it wouldn't have been worth it much anyways.

 

[Black Soma]

The Silver Case page is up.

 

[Tizoc]

The Silver Case page is up.

Yesssssa my body is ready for more suda51 goodness

 

[Nordicus]

That's the thing, doing a character from scratch isn't why anyone plays Diablo.

3. Isn't why anyone plays Diablo 3.

I feel the game has seriously retroactively changed how people look at Diablo 2 and what parts of it they deem important. Its end game were Baal runs and Ubers, right? So was it a game with no online community or longevity?

The real game begins at 70 where you gain paragon levels and item sets. But IMO the real thing keeping the game going is the Seasons.

I'm a fan of the real game starting at level 1, or as close as possible without throwing the player off the deep end. It's a crazy idea I know

Its a pretty fun system. Each season has a journey that has a list of objectives to complete which reward you with cosmetic stuff and sometimes selected pieces of set gear. Eventually you get an entire set for the first class you complete those objectives on each season, alleviating the grind somewhat.

Wait wait wait, set gear is max level only?

It's interesting you say leveling in GD felt more enjoyable to you from the start, because leveling in Grim Dawn felt boring to me. I always felt underpowered in it and I'm really not a fan of improve this skill 15 times, which is why at some point I stopped playing it. As a backer of the game, I felt way disappointed in what I ended receiving.

I've only felt underpowered in Grim Dawn once, but due to the practicality of the build I was using.

A character with a single godlike tanky pet, is worthless if the pet can't keep aggro. So i went to respec, took a big chunk of points out of my single pet, and put them into my mastery tree to get another better one to support it. Getting a superquick teleporting manticore that can shred bosses? Instant gamechanger. Barely felt the hit my Briarthorn took from taking half its points out because its stats previously were far beyond what was necessary.

Tbh, I don't know why you were expecting anything else but a skill system that makes you invest multiple points in a skill to get the most out of it. That's Titan Quest. The skill system is a big part of Titan Quest's identity. The game is constantly teasing you with new mastery tiers that unlock new skills, loot that's just beyond your level or attributes, so you might have to level once or twice to reach them, invest your points evenly if you're content with your current performance, or invest all your points in one skill if you really want it to be stronger, in which case the change is usually pretty significant because the game doesn't have diminishing returns to Torchlight or Diablo 2's level

Diablo 3 wise, I can see how it might feel as if skills unlocks and runes are random but it really isn't. It's a progression where you get handed a simple attack and then more attacks slowly unlock as you gain levels, main attacks, special attacks, defensive attacks, passives etc. Diablo 3 is about getting you to experiment with the skills as they unlock so you can find the ones you like to play with the most. It's about easing you in and about making it as pick up and play as possible (some might say it's dumbed down, but I'd disagree).

But then because you're not choosing in which order you get the skills, and there being no further way to improve yourself through leveling when you got more or less the stuff you want (aside from Paragon levels later), when you get those new 2-3 skills/runes that you don't like, I find myself thinking that it was a complete waste of time to even open the skill menu.

The new attacks unlocking aren't really more powerful than the previous ones, so I can see how that might not feel as exciting. They just work differently and might have a different base element which might work better with the elemental bonus on your items. The new runes though, I consider them an exciting way to shake things up, since some runes can change completely how a skill works (one example, the Arcane Orb rune for wizard changing it from an orb you throw to 4 orbs circling around you, making it an interesting choice to be both offensive and defensive as a melee wizard).

The runes are an interesting idea, I like things that can affect the usability of your skills, but most of them seem like fluff, filler. One that increases damage, one that increases Aoe, one that gives your character a buff, one that applies slow/stun, one that increases your resource generation, etc. There are winners and losers when it comes to skills getting rune variety.

While true that main stat and vitality are really important (though I'd say the DPS on your weapon is the most important stats on a normal playthrough), that's not the whole truth. Crit chance and Crit damage are just as important, as is element damage, strictly speaking about the most basic difficulties. Once you delve more into higher difficulties, damage reductions, life on hit, regen, cooldown reductions etc all become way more important to get builds to work and survive.

But again, aren't the crit stats stuff that you can see affect your weapon DPS stat? Arguably being worse for build variety than main attribute dependance because every character wants that?

And elemental damage gear isn't really abundant, early on anyway. Starting from Act 3 or so i was looking out for fire elemental gear (well, primarily damage reflection gear, but fire damage was secondary) and I never really saw anything worth equipping. My weapon ended up ruling over my character's efficiency regardless.

Diablo 3 is a game to play to keep playing after reaching cap. To keep going through rifts and greater rifts, to keep looking for better items and especially to keep enjoying the gameplay, because where D3 excels is in the feeling of its combat. It's a cap game, kinda like a MMO.

I can see how some might prefer the PoE or GD or even D2 experiences but, to me, no game even come close to Diablo 3 in the genre.

And it's fine if you prefer it, I'm not here to change anyone's personal preferences but I do want to discuss.

I suppose another thing is that, I do not think there is a single hack&slash out there that cen keep me playing on the merit of gameplay alone. The biggest gameplay innovation to the genre is the addition of a dodgeroll, and unless Victor Vran does something special with that, it's still not enough. I want to always be planning my next level, next skills, next gear adjustment for the enemies of upcoming area, stuff above random rewards that may keep my mind in the game for a small unexpected moment.

 

[Dice]

I Am Setsuna could be neat but an entire soundtrack of piano is a bit much. I'd get tired of it and yes things that shallow can turn me off a whole game.

 

[Sarcasm]

TQ had charm while GD doesn't. In this day and age its methods are more of a chore. Doesn't have much longevity to boot.

So glad that it was a family share game to be honest.

 

[Messiah]

God Eater 2: Rage Burst up for pre-order (info thanks to lashman on Twitter)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/438490

$49.99 and includes God Eater: Resurrection and Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online, Tales of Zestiria, and Assassination Classroom costumes for God Eater 2 (costumes are pre-order DLC)

Available: Summer 2016

Really looking forward to God Eater. August 30th can't come soon enough.

 

[Tizoc]

Pcgamer review of i am setsuna
http://www.pcgamer.com/i-am-setsuna-review/
Good review and fair score imo

 

[PaulSane]

Really looking forward to God Eater. August 30th can't come soon enough.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/438490/announcements/detail/602738554399051210

There is going to be a stream tomorrow at 4:00 pm PDT on Bamco's channel with some giveaways - although, most likely those will have something to do with PS4 version of the game, since that's the one that's going to be streamed.

 

[Ascheroth]

Really looking forward to God Eater. August 30th can't come soon enough.

Same here. Hope it will be available somewhere for -20%+.

 

[Arthea]

God Eater will have to wait, in my case

although I am Setsuna is nice, I'll write my initial impressions later.

Spoiler

please be excited

 

[sprinkles]

The Afterglow of Grisaia is out

Even MORE side stories? Labyrinth of Grisaia itself feels like 50% actual story, 50% side content. I will wait for a sale on this new release, this is a bit much Frontwing..

 

[jonno394]

Nearly finished Binary Domain, very much enjoyed this. Just wish Sega would get Vanquish ported over now (as well as Yakuza 5!)

 

[NingenJanai]

Nearly finished Binary Domain, very much enjoyed this. Just wish Sega would get Vanquish ported over now (as well as Yakuza 5!)

Binary Domain is amazing.

 

[jonno394]

Binary Domain is amazing.

It is! Almost feel guilty that I got it in a bundle rather than paying a decent price to Sega for it!

 

[MaxiLive]

Anyone fans of the Borderlands series? I just picked up the Humble Bundle as was wondering if it is worth playing Borderland the prequel without playing Borderlands 1/2, will I be missing a lot of the story due to not knowing the character etc?

I'm guessing next week the bundle should get Borderlands 2 so I'm just wondering if I should wait for that first.

 

[Lain]

Wait wait wait, set gear is max level only?

Set gear is mostly 60+ and Torment difficulty only, with an exception for Pre-RoS sets dropping at any difficulty level and the crafted ones.

I've only felt underpowered in Grim Dawn once, but due to the practicality of the build I was using.

A character with a single godlike tanky pet, is worthless if the pet can't keep aggro. So i went to respec, took a big chunk of points out of my single pet, and put them into my mastery tree to get another better one to support it. Getting a superquick teleporting manticore that can shred bosses? Instant gamechanger. Barely felt the hit my Briarthorn took from taking half its points out because its stats previously were far beyond what was necessary.

Tbh, I don't know why you were expecting anything else but a skill system that makes you invest multiple points in a skill to get the most out of it. That's Titan Quest. The skill system is a big part of Titan Quest's identity. The game is constantly teasing you with new mastery tiers that unlock new skills, loot that's just beyond your level or attributes, so you might have to level once or twice to reach them, invest your points evenly if you're content with your current performance, or invest all your points in one skill if you really want it to be stronger, in which case the change is usually pretty significant because the game doesn't have diminishing returns to Torchlight or Diablo 2's level

I expected more on a combat level mainly. The game came out with great atmosphere, something I enjoyed since the initial EA days, but the combat isn't something I've enjoyed too much. I can blame it on both my build choices in the game as well as my lack of experience with Titan Quest.

But then because you're not choosing in which order you get the skills, and there being no further way to improve yourself through leveling when you got more or less the stuff you want (aside from Paragon levels later), when you get those new 2-3 skills/runes that you don't like, I find myself thinking that it was a complete waste of time to even open the skill menu.

Yes, you don't get to choose the order but then again, you get them all in time and don't have to be pondering on which ones you'd rather spend points on to unlock, giving you at least the ability to try them out and see which ones suit your style in a more convenient way and making build creation based on items a more fun activity than it'd be otherwise.

The runes are an interesting idea, I like things that can affect the usability of your skills, but most of them seem like fluff, filler. One that increases damage, one that increases Aoe, one that gives your character a buff, one that applies slow/stun, one that increases your resource generation, etc. There are winners and losers when it comes to skills getting rune variety.

Not every rune is a game changer in regards to how skill works, indeed.
You can also find yourself picking a rune based on just the element instead of what it does at times to fit the build, which can feel unappealing depending on the approach.

But again, aren't the crit stats stuff that you can see affect your weapon DPS stat? Arguably being worse for build variety than main attribute dependance because every character wants that?

And elemental damage gear isn't really abundant, early on anyway. Starting from Act 3 or so i was looking out for fire elemental gear (well, primarily damage reflection gear, but fire damage was secondary) and I never really saw anything worth equipping. My weapon ended up ruling over my character's efficiency regardless.

Despite everything, build variety isn't as bad as one would think just because while everyone wants all those stats, item slots which can hold certain stats are limited and you end making trade-offs based on your goals. Take elemental damage, only a few item slots can carry it (bracer and neck mainly) with a few specific legendary items or set pieces offering them as bonus and with the cube system to be able to equip 3 more legendary affixes you end up making variations to a possible build based on playstyle and skill choices even if the items used might be similar or the same.
D3 in a way feels more like a game that has you picking skills based on items you find, instead of making you go look for items which suit your skills, at least until you have all the items and then you can mix and match how you want.

On the other hand it's also true that your weapon rules over your character (though I'd say this is more true over a leveling experience, despite still holding true to a certain extent even at cap). Find a good weapon with a slot while leveling up and put a good red gem in it (and keep putting upgraded red gems in it) and you're good for a long while. If it is a legendary weapon with an useful effect for a skill you use, you could end up using it until you're at cap.

And it's fine if you prefer it, I'm not here to change anyone's personal preferences but I do want to discuss.

I suppose another thing is that, I do not think there is a single hack&slash out there that cen keep me playing on the merit of gameplay alone. The biggest gameplay innovation to the genre is the addition of a dodgeroll, and unless Victor Vran does something special with that, it's still not enough. I want to always be planning my next level, next skills, next gear adjustment for the enemies of upcoming area, stuff above random rewards that may keep my mind in the game for a small unexpected moment.

Likewise, I don't want to change the personal preferences of others, just discussing and trying to highlight some aspects of the game.
I completely understand why some of its design choices put off other groups of people even if those same design choices might be why I keep coming back to the game.
I also think it's great that there are different exponents in the genre. Makes for a more varied offering. It'll be interesting to see what the Grim Dawn expansion will bring.

 

[Tizoc]

Nearly finished Binary Domain, very much enjoyed this. Just wish Sega would get Vanquish ported over now (as well as Yakuza 5!)

Fyi yakuza 1 and its ps4 remake kiwami have differences
Og yakuza 1 is worth playing just to see how th seiee evolved

 

[Ruruja]

Anyone fans of the Borderlands series? I just picked up the Humble Bundle as was wondering if it is worth playing Borderland the prequel without playing Borderlands 1/2, will I be missing a lot of the story due to not knowing the character etc?

Pre-Sequel takes place between 1 and 2. So you'd be fine playing that before 2.

 

[bigzgod]

Pre-Sequel takes place between 1 and 2. So you'd be fine playing that before 2.

It's definitely not as good as 2 however, imo.

 

[Xater]

I wonder when Mother Russia Bleeds will be out. Their Twitter has been pretty active lately. Also I really liked what I saw of it last year at Gamescom.

 

[Dusk Golem]

The Silver Case page is up.

I am entirely too excited for this one, BRING IT ON!

 

[jshackles]

Bringing this from the skin gambling thread:

Wasn't CSGOFast the ones who bought Steam Inventory Helper? RIP that extension.

 

[Deques]

Wasn't CSGOFast the ones who bought Steam Inventory Helper? RIP that extension.

I found this. I haven't tested it yet, so I don't know if it's a complete clone of the original one
https://github.com/ncla/SteamInventoryExpert

Btw for Enhanced Steam: are you going to make so the new age gate in Steam is automatically forwarded the game's store page if there is one?

 

[jshackles]

I found this. I haven't tested it yet, so I don't know if it's a complete clone of the original one
https://github.com/ncla/SteamInventoryExpert

Btw for Enhanced Steam: are you going to make so the new age gate in Steam is automatically forwarded the game's store page if there is one?

Yes, this is on my "to do" list.

 

[MUnited83]

Spellblast got removed from Steam. I have no idea if it's just a mistake/temporary thing or if it's permanent. It's available for 0.99€ on Bundlestars still.

 

[Tizoc]

SqueEnix pls

GIVE US ANOTHER CHANCE!

 

[jshackles]

SqueEnix pls
GIVE US ANOTHER CHANCE!

Well you're getting it on the Vita, not sure what else you could possibly want