What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing?

If you OBRA DINN players haven't read this longform on Lucas Pope, you should. He's great: arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/01/from-unch...ous-game-dev-career/

This reminds me that Zach Gage has an updated SPELLTOWER+ available on the AppStore. He is one of the best iOS game designers working. Small form factor, bite-size delights. I have folders for Word Games, RPGs, Board Games, and Zach Gage games on my iPad. He gets his own folder.

One of the primary forms of entertainment in our house has been me playing Breath of the Wild while my kids watch me. They would do this for hours if I let them.

A couple weeks back I bought Divinity: Original Sin II for the Switch, since I've had my eye on it and it was on their Winter Sale. I've not really spent a ton of time with it yet, since I haven't been in a big video game place lately. But I will say this: it's the first CRPG I've played that doesn't have any stupid combat. By that I mean it only ever makes you do combat when there is something at stake. There's no "rats in the basement" kind of stuff, or piddly random encounters that are a pointless grind. There's also a somewhat emergent quality to the combat that I really appreciate. Like, barrels might explode, or battle effects will create new conditions or terrain in combat. The combat in general is really good, and I think anyone who likes tactical stuff (like Fire Emblem or Into the Breach) would find it fun. I actually enjoy it a lot more than in either of those games.

The other thing I like a lot is the way it really gives you a lot of different quests to accomplish a single goal. As an example, if you need to escape from a specific place, there are like four or five people you can talk to who will all give you different ways to accomplish the same goal. I think that's actually really cool.

It might be more mechanically detailed than it needs to be. It's not exactly difficult, but it is trying to a whole lot. But I also have really enjoyed picking it up and playing for little bursts, which is really what the Switch does best. It definitely has a strong gameplay loop, as compared to simply being narrative in its focus.

I'm still waiting for Disco Elysium to hit the switch but I think I'll need to make do with Divinity 2 for now. I'm currently playing Red Strings Club, which is surprisingly well written though the actual... gameplay activities aren't really all that interesting.

Picked up Steamworld Heist on the Switch for $5. Looks like it will easily be worth that.

I'm eyeing the console version of Pillars of Eternity 2 that just came out, but I never finished the other modern crpgs that I've played so I'm hesitant (especially at full price).

I tried to get into PoE and it's hard. Everyone yaks about this thing as ZOMGDIABLOBUTBETTER and I don't see it. The skill tree is aggressively obtuse. Am I supposed to play 20-30 times to "get the hang" of things here? AintNobody.gif Should I collect everything? How important is minmaxing gear? Every time I get a thing, or every time I get back to town? The game seems good, but the energy of activation to access all the goodness is a sumbitch.

Still playing DARK SOULS here. Need to fish or cut bait, and by that I mean, Capra Demon or crippled Lightning Demon. 0-4 so far on each, though in my defense , the frigging dogs in the Capra Demon section are getting a lot of work in.

I purchased a PS Plus account for my wife so we can play Torchlight 2 together, amongst other co-op games that are not couch co-op. Totally worth it. I have a llama pet.

For POE you really need to follow a build guide and have a decent loot filter so you aren't constantly weeding out crap. Very hard to make a workable build just off the bat. Resistances are the key.

I've been playing Grim Dawn and having mucho fun as a break from POE. Even here, I'm using a beginners build. Shared storage for all your chars is a big thing in this game so I guess my second build will have it a bit easier.

Thanks, ThirstyMan. I'll look at some build guides and see if anything looks fun. Any sites you recommend there, or just googling should be enough?

I cheesed the Lighting Demon (hid behind a bulwark and shot him with arrows.) Went into Darkwood Garden and had a good time dodging those HUGE sleeping knights and sparring with trees and snakelizards. Going up against the Moth now. I get her down to about 1/3 health, and then get bombed out by these explosive poops or something. I just need to time things better and I'll be fine.

Go to the main forum at POE's site. They have beginner builds for hardcore, self found (no trading) and for trading allowed.

Yeah, that butterfly can be a beeach. The Capra Demon is a bastard...you realise you're talking about Dark Souls right??

Took down the Butterfly. I braved the graveyard at Firelink to get a decent anti-Magic shield to take MUCH less damage from her quickshots. Dodging was on-point and took her out in three rounds of melee. Seems easy now!

Ran Capra about ten times after that. Getting better, but it's still basically a shitshow. I'm going in and right, with a diveroll to dodge his first big hack. Every time I went left, the dogs would jump me and I would stand there and get SO beat. If I make the dive, I try to cut left, head up the stairs for the back corner up there and hack at the dogs and try to block the Demon's attacks. I'm hoping to get a block, drop attack him and rinse/repeat.

//edit
It worked. I finally beat the Capra Demon. In hindsight, I was diverolling a little early, though, sometimes I had to because of the dogs. I killed the dogs quickly and got up the stairs. The demon got a little confused and took his time getting up there, so plenty of time to Estus and get the shield up. He whanged on me, fell off, and I could plunge attack, and cycle until he was wiggity-washed.

DARK SOULS cont'd

I went into the Depths, killed the Giant Rat, killed the Gaping Dragon on first contact, which I feel is huge for me. Also manged to avoid getting Cursed. I get ROCKED in Blighttown though, so my sherpa (my 8yo) tells me to head back to the Undead Asylum and take out the Stray Demon, who just utterly kicks my ass. I think I have a good model for attack now though. Fall in, run to corner and Estus. Then run at the Demon and get in his feet and start swinging. From here, he really only ever does the float and butt-slam or the explosion. Butt-slamming means I just run and diveroll away, and explosion means I run towards his ass and out the back, because there's no damage there. Getting back is tough, though. I might get naked for this one so I can move quicker and recover faster from a roll.

//edit, and he's down. Big old tub o' guts. Took out the Black Knights in the Undead Asylum too. They are always tricky, because I can't parry for shit. But I got my act together and got 'em. Came back to Firelink Shrine, and kicked that gold guy (Lautrec?) out the back window to get his cool ring. Headed to Blighttown, this time via New Londo Ruins, which seems much easier as an entry point than via the Depths. I could do with a Bonfire though, guys, anytime, really.

Pretty much all I ever do now

@jeb

Don’t forget to get the Rusted Iron Ring from the Asylum if you didn’t already.

DARK SOULS
Got the ring, I can move around in the goop at a decent clip. The New Londo Ruins route to Blighttown was a lot easier for me, at least. I got down to the bottom of it, and have slowly been working my way back up and getting all the goodies. I have taken on Quelaag a couple times ("Amazing chest ahead" messages abound) and come pretty close. I'll turn Human and take Mad Eye Moody or whatever her name is in there to mop up soon.

SPELLTOWER+
Daily Tower is my thing. One little BOGGLE puzzle per day. I think I am top 10 globally on medal scores in this mode.