What are you playing?

[Bebpo]

Finished Dusk
It was good stuff.

May actually get me back into playing FPS games again. At least starting with all the retro/boomer good ones.

HROT is another quake style one like Dusk. Ion Fury is build engine, like Duke 3D and Blood. Amid Evil’s really good. Powerslave Exhumed is sort of a new game, insofar as it’s a modern PC port of a PS1 and Saturn FPS, remixing both. Then there’s all the fan made Doom total conversions available for free. Blade of Agony. Ashes.

There’s no shortage. One I played recently is a Quake mod called Episode Enyo. A prequel to Slave Zero X, a Strider 2 inspired game… which is itself a prequel to a Dreamcast third person mech shooter.

Really, REALLY want to get HROT.  It takes place in the pseudo-80's part of CZ where I spent allot of Summers as a kid.  They even kept the old name of the town on the the old city hall/train station area sign (Gottwaldov, nka Zlin).  Love the silly vibe and nonsensicle violence it shows in the trailer.  Wish something like this they could just dump on a console.

Play it on your PC

Bit of a tangent, but I’ve noticed some friends who aren’t into PC gaming bought a Steam Deck and use it to play PC games. If that makes any sense. I get the reasoning that people don’t want to work on a computer all day, only to play games on that same setup. Steam Deck simplifies a lot of that in a dedicated gaming device.

Yeah, Steam Deck is a good way to PC game without having to build a PC or get a GPU.

[Svejk]

Finished Dusk
It was good stuff.

May actually get me back into playing FPS games again. At least starting with all the retro/boomer good ones.

HROT is another quake style one like Dusk. Ion Fury is build engine, like Duke 3D and Blood. Amid Evil’s really good. Powerslave Exhumed is sort of a new game, insofar as it’s a modern PC port of a PS1 and Saturn FPS, remixing both. Then there’s all the fan made Doom total conversions available for free. Blade of Agony. Ashes.

There’s no shortage. One I played recently is a Quake mod called Episode Enyo. A prequel to Slave Zero X, a Strider 2 inspired game… which is itself a prequel to a Dreamcast third person mech shooter.

Really, REALLY want to get HROT.  It takes place in the pseudo-80's part of CZ where I spent allot of Summers as a kid.  They even kept the old name of the town on the the old city hall/train station area sign (Gottwaldov, nka Zlin).  Love the silly vibe and nonsensicle violence it shows in the trailer.  Wish something like this they could just dump on a console.

Play it on your PC

Bit of a tangent, but I’ve noticed some friends who aren’t into PC gaming bought a Steam Deck and use it to play PC games. If that makes any sense. I get the reasoning that people don’t want to work on a computer all day, only to play games on that same setup. Steam Deck simplifies a lot of that in a dedicated gaming device.

About nailed it there for me.  As soon as I get on my laptop to game, I feel I need to be working (on my game/art projects), and not be playing something, nevermind the setting up for gaming. 
If my kids would let me dump our switch collecting dust, I'd love to switch it for a steam deck without batting an eye.  Things would be different then.

[Himu]

EIYUDEN! I deserve this so much. . 18 years since Suikoden V. Eight. Teen.

Tekken 8!

Gran Turismo 4!

Break from Tomb Raider 3.

[bork]

Bit of a tangent, but I’ve noticed some friends who aren’t into PC gaming bought a Steam Deck and use it to play PC games. If that makes any sense. I get the reasoning that people don’t want to work on a computer all day, only to play games on that same setup. Steam Deck simplifies a lot of that in a dedicated gaming device.

It does...kinda.  It might just be familiarity with Windows, but once I set up the Ally and the Go, I found it easier to play PC games via Steam than I did on the Steam Deck.  Mainly because I don't have to worry about Proton compatibility issues and needing to keep that stuff updated and instead can just select any game and start playing without it having compatibility issues or not working at all.

About nailed it there for me.  As soon as I get on my laptop to game, I feel I need to be working (on my game/art projects), and not be playing something, nevermind the setting up for gaming. 
If my kids would let me dump our switch collecting dust, I'd love to switch it for a steam deck without batting an eye.  Things would be different then.

Change your mindset with it- if it's where you're sitting, move the laptop somewhere else.  Or as soon as you want to play games, assuming it's on Steam, switch to big picture mode and pick up a controller to do everything in the more console-like environment. 

Personally, I don't use my PCs for work (have a work-issued laptop for that though) and also have two different setups for this reason.  But not everyone has the space to be able to do that.  If I didn't have it, however, I definitely would be using the laptop elsewhere after work.

[Svejk]

Bit of a tangent, but I’ve noticed some friends who aren’t into PC gaming bought a Steam Deck and use it to play PC games. If that makes any sense. I get the reasoning that people don’t want to work on a computer all day, only to play games on that same setup. Steam Deck simplifies a lot of that in a dedicated gaming device.

It does...kinda.  It might just be familiarity with Windows, but once I set up the Ally and the Go, I found it easier to play PC games via Steam than I did on the Steam Deck.  Mainly because I don't have to worry about Proton compatibility issues and needing to keep that stuff updated and instead can just select any game and start playing without it having compatibility issues or not working at all.

About nailed it there for me.  As soon as I get on my laptop to game, I feel I need to be working (on my game/art projects), and not be playing something, nevermind the setting up for gaming. 
If my kids would let me dump our switch collecting dust, I'd love to switch it for a steam deck without batting an eye.  Things would be different then.

Change your mindset with it- if it's where you're sitting, move the laptop somewhere else.  Or as soon as you want to play games, assuming it's on Steam, switch to big picture mode and pick up a controller to do everything in the more console-like environment. 

Personally, I don't use my PCs for work (have a work-issued laptop for that though) and also have two different setups for this reason.  But not everyone has the space to be able to do that.  If I didn't have it, however, I definitely would be using the laptop elsewhere after work.

Just not there yet.. It's always something that needs to calibrate or optimize, or simply doesn't work right. Or my game get interupted with some notification of sorts... And I don't have bluetooth earbuds and/or overear phones yet, having to cancel out the Laptop buzzing like a space heater having to sit near it... it's so many little things that just make it a pain in the ass to set up and play.   PS5, I just grab the controller and press a button.  Boom, ready to play.

As for what I'm playing recently (on my phone during the week  ), I'm getting back into FFVI Pixel Remaster.
Although I feel it still could use some serious QOL improvements for touch screen (the lack of vertical option and only having names as selectable options in battle screen menus, along with the lack of a HP bar Vs. #'s is annoying AF), the art and music is just fantastic.  The story has been good, but hasn't captivated me just yet.. I'm sure it would've back in the day if I played it then.  Am reminded of other annoyances that never jived with me back then (when only dabbled with the game at a friend's house), but learning to deal with it... Like having the blind spell effect.  Do spells ever just wear off eventually like most every other RPG?  Seems like they don't... Just looks goofy going through a dungeon with sunglasses and not having an ability or item to remove it. 

Still, I've been getting my FF fix with it while I have yet to jump on FFVII Rebirf.  Who knows when I'll get to it.  Maybe closer to the end of Summer.  Got so much good shit to play it's insane. 

Juggling Dragon's Dogma 2 and Stellar Blade this weekend?       
Let alone Eiyuden and FFVI Rebirth at some point this year too? 

2024 FTW. Best Year Of Gaming. 

[Joe Molotov]

Just playing some vanilla New Vegas on the Xbox.

[bork]

Just not there yet.. It's always something that needs to calibrate or optimize, or simply doesn't work right. Or my game get interupted with some notification of sorts... And I don't have bluetooth earbuds and/or overear phones yet, having to cancel out the Laptop buzzing like a space heater having to sit near it... it's so many little things that just make it a pain in the ass to set up and play.   PS5, I just grab the controller and press a button.  Boom, ready to play.

I don't know what you're doing here, man.  I just open up (usually) Steam, launch the game, grab a controller, and I'm playing.

[Himu]

When I first started Gran Turismo 4 a few years back, I was okay on cars. But it's such a life changing game. I now love cars, especially have a tendency towards Japanese cars. Ever since getting into GT I've learned to change my own oil, do general maintenance myself, and have found a love for Japanese cars. Before GT I really struggled to get into cars but turns out I really had to find my niche. The niche here in America is mostly towards American muscle cars and while those are cool, they don't really stir my heart. Many of the famous cars in GT however, are familiar because I learned about them in Initial D. I'm looking to get a classic Toyota eventually with Manual Transmission because of GT. I've never driven manual in my life.

After years of GT4 I think I'm ready to branch out into other racing games like Colin McRae, Dirt, Need For Speed, and going back to my tried and true Ridge Racer. I've got V on Xbox. I may have to get RR6 on PS3, which I still have but rarely use.

Racing games are such a relaxing genre.

One thing I've noticed that is Forza just doesn't compare to GT. Like, racing and driving are one thing. But for me GT is the whole package and it really, really does a great job of making you fall in love with and appreciate cars that Forza just doesn't do.

What a classy, beautiful experience. One of the greatest games of all time. I can't wait to get a PS5 and play 7.


Going to other racing games after this may be a challenge because....GOAT.

[Himu]

Beat THPS3

[Bebpo]

This still looks really good. Which is crazy for a PS2 era game. GT's visual aesthetic has always been impressive af.

[Himu]

This still looks really good. Which is crazy for a PS2 era game. GT's visual aesthetic has always been impressive af.

Even psx racing games look good. Not as good as GT4 but they're stylish and fun.

RR4.

[Himu]

Brehs, I want my next car to be a Honda Civic SI 





GT7 I cannot wait. You talked about this game before, Bebpo and it looks incredible. Apparently it's on PS4 and not PS5 exclusive. I'm going to cop.

So many good games these days. I don't think we've hit the highs of the PS2 era but we are damn near close.

[Svejk]

GT7 I cannot wait. You talked about this game before, Bebpo and it looks incredible. Apparently it's on PS4 and not PS5 exclusive. I'm going to cop.

I've been really wanting to jump in GT7 myself, but like RE8, I keep holding back for PSVR2 play.... someday.  But been longing for a good, robust racer.

I missed out on GT4-6.  Back then, I felt GT3 peaked on PS2. (Had a JP PS2 with GT3... It was mind blowing).  Since then, the car enthusiast in me started to fade.. Then family life hit, and it was all but gone...  But lately, thanks to YT, I have started watching the WRC on there, so it's been starting to reignite my childhood love of auto racing. 
If I ever get to that point, I will want to restore either an '83 Audi Coupe or a '90 Coupe Quattro; both in-line 5.  They were the baddest cars I ever owned and would love to feel them again.     But for now, I'll have to settle for GT7. 

So many good games these days. I don't think we've hit the highs of the PS2 era but we are damn near close.

 
The second halves' of gens always feel to really get the stride going.  This one's no different to me.  I'm so happy with the games dropping this year, all I need now is time to play them. 

Edit:  Now's a good time to get a PS5 for those PS2 era vibes... 

https://x.com/RinoTheBouncer/status/1783785282598268985

[Himu]

GT7 I cannot wait. You talked about this game before, Bebpo and it looks incredible. Apparently it's on PS4 and not PS5 exclusive. I'm going to cop.

I've been really wanting to jump in GT7 myself, but like RE8, I keep holding back for PSVR2 play.... someday.  But been longing for a good, robust racer.

I missed out on GT4-6.  Back then, I felt GT3 peaked on PS2. (Had a JP PS2 with GT3... It was mind blowing).  Since then, the car enthusiast in me started to fade.. Then family life hit, and it was all but gone...  But lately, thanks to YT, I have started watching the WRC on there, so it's been starting to reignite my childhood love of auto racing. 
If I ever get to that point, I will want to restore either an '83 Audi Coupe or a '90 Coupe Quattro; both in-line 5.  They were the baddest cars I ever owned and would love to feel them again.     But for now, I'll have to settle for GT7. 

So many good games these days. I don't think we've hit the highs of the PS2 era but we are damn near close.

 
The second halves' of gens always feel to really get the stride going.  This one's no different to me.  I'm so happy with the games dropping this year, all I need now is time to play them. 

Edit:  Now's a good time to get a PS5 for those PS2 era vibes... 

https://x.com/RinoTheBouncer/status/1783785282598268985

GT4 makes GT3 its utter bitch. I'm sad you missed out on GT4 but 3 is mid compared to it.

It's that much of an upgrade.

That car project sounds fun.

[demi]

I am king of the weebs



This game is mid. Anyway, I put the PS3 right back in the closet to collect dust.

Back to the Xbox to play some more BC games

- Red Faction 2
- Advent Rising
- Ninja Gaiden Black
- Oddworld Munch's Odyssey
- Jade Empire
- Dead to Rights
- Conker Live and Reloaded

[Bebpo]

Playing SaGa Emerald Beyond - It's great and can't put it down but also giving me headaches with all the micromanaging I'm trying to do to get my party stronger. I very much regret the starting character I went with Diva5 because it's extremely open ended with very little story.

Will bash my head through this run skipping a lot of the optional content/worlds and getting a general hang of the mechanics and then do a more linear character next which hopefully should go more smoothly and then work on some of the more complex character routes after that.

Also about 1/3rd through Amid Evil - It's alright. But slow and more stop and go puzzly than Dusk's pure awesome action and great atmosphere and level design.

[Bebpo]

Also if you've played through SaGa Scarlett Grace it'll be a bit easier since a lot of mechanics are shared/similar. I didn't, and coming from older SaGa games this is a lot.

[Himu]

I tried Saga emerald Beyond demo  and was embarrassed and turned it off in two minutes. I feel I’ve aged out of most Jrpgs.

[Polident Hive]

This still looks really good. Which is crazy for a PS2 era game. GT's visual aesthetic has always been impressive af.

Call it nostalgia, but PS2 and early 2000s games hold up well for me. Caveat being through an emulator with boosted resolution and frame rate. Something about how clean and readable they are.

Sometimes see complaints around concessions in modern games. Yellow paint. Marking enemies. Those X hit markers in shooters. As games got detailed and dense, with post processing and all. I get why. But I like when it’s all clear.

[Himu]

This still looks really good. Which is crazy for a PS2 era game. GT's visual aesthetic has always been impressive af.

Call it nostalgia, but PS2 and early 2000s games hold up well for me. Caveat being through an emulator with boosted resolution and frame rate. Something about how clean and readable they are.

Sometimes see complaints around concessions in modern games. Yellow paint. Marking enemies. Those X hit markers in shooters. As games got detailed and dense, with post processing and all. I get why. But I like when it’s all clear.

Call me crazy but I think GT4 has more impressive graphics than GT7.

Here's GT4 and GT7 deep forest.



While 7 looks better than 4, the aesthetic of 4 has so much more soul. Like the layout of the track. In 7 it barely feels like a forest. There's too much concrete on the sides. I just don't understand why I prefer something technically less perfect.

[Bebpo]

I tried Saga emerald Beyond demo  and was embarrassed and turned it off in two minutes. I feel I’ve aged out of most Jrpgs.

[Himu]

I tried Saga emerald Beyond demo  and was embarrassed and turned it off in two minutes. I feel I’ve aged out of most Jrpgs.

(Image removed from quote.)

I'll stick to my car games, thank you.

[Bebpo]

I tried Saga emerald Beyond demo  and was embarrassed and turned it off in two minutes. I feel I’ve aged out of most Jrpgs.

(Image removed from quote.)

I'll stick to my car games, thank you.

Even if you can be an Evangelion and talking to furry animals?

[Himu]

 

I'll wait for DQXII.

[Himu]

Wow.

[Himu]

My PS2 is dying.

Load times are taking forever.

I turned on the PS3 and played and beat RR4 for the first time in years. I'm so much better at racing games now thanks to GT. I have three options: buy a new ps2, get Gran Turismo 2 for PS1 and play on PS3, or get GT7.

I made a new PSN account for PS4 because my PS3 account had an immature name and I hated it. I used an email I no longer have access to so I've lost everything on PS4. Thankfully I didn't have much on PS4 besides fighting games. The most expensive of which was Tekken 7. I'll lose some trophies but big whoop.

Slow prepping to come back home and get back into PlayStation and get ready for PS5....

I’ll get a new ps2 eventually. It’ll be a fat ps2 so I can use hd loader.

Yeah just checked ps4 and nothing lost besides SFV and Tekken 7 really. Everything else is pretty much on disc and I barely downloaded digital games. Whew.

Edit: ps4 game selection is so pathetic compared to Xbox

edit 2: Hooked up my original PSX and it works. My baby. I thought it was broken a long time ago. Played the first maps of FFT. Seems GT2 it is. 

[Polident Hive]

Remember watching this a while back. Not sure if there have been advancements but loading PS2 games off an  sd card on the slim PS2 models.

[Himu]

While looking around the ps4 menu I saw RR4 was on psn for free. I copped it and…it’s trash. It has no dpad support. Complete trash.

[demi]

While looking around the ps4 menu I saw RR4 was on psn for free. I copped it and…it’s trash. It has no dpad support. Complete trash.

It may have been free because you bought it on PS3? It shouldnt be free - unless you are on PS+ Premium

[Himu]

While looking around the ps4 menu I saw RR4 was on psn for free. I copped it and…it’s trash. It has no dpad support. Complete trash.

It may have been free because you bought it on PS3? It shouldnt be free - unless you are on PS+ Premium

Oh. So sony does have BC but it’s TRASH bc. At least it’s something.

I tried ps3 version again and it even looks better. PS4 version has worse fmv video quality. It looks like a Real Player video. Meanwhile Panzer Dragoon Orta is 4k. Sad. Just let me use ps1 and 2 discs on ps5 and it’ll be a goat system.

[demi]

Remember watching this a while back. Not sure if there have been advancements but loading PS2 games off an  sd card on the slim PS2 models.

I have no experience with this but from what I've seen it "works" but it definitely isnt perfect. You might as well go full throttle and just get a fatty with HDLoader

My slim is still working *knock on wood

[Himu]

My slim works but works less consistent. I’ve tried rubbing alcohol on the laser and sometimes GT4 will be on the load screen a full minute. It’s not that slow.

I got Grand Turismo 2 and holy fucking shit this might be an all timer already. The progression system is genius. Here’s 10,000 credits, you don’t have a car so why not buy one? Oh, we won’t have a convenient list of used cars available like 4. You will go through every manufacturer, research, compare costs and horsepower and then make a decision. Every car has two to three pages worth of factoids and history while slick jazz music plays.



Holy. Fucking. Shit.

It’s impossible not become a car nerd playing this game.

You can spend an hour just reading the car info before even making a decision.

And then cars have special events, and there’s different stuff tied to each manufacturer.

It’s so addictive and it’s already fighting GT4 for the crown.  Every decision matters. Every decision has weight. I'm so glad I went with this game and not GT7. It's like a car RPG. From what I've seen GT7 gives you car after car after car. Decision making is light.

[Polident Hive]

Remember watching this a while back. Not sure if there have been advancements but loading PS2 games off an  sd card on the slim PS2 models.

I have no experience with this but from what I've seen it "works" but it definitely isnt perfect. You might as well go full throttle and just get a fatty with HDLoader

My slim is still working *knock on wood

Yeah. HD loader works well, mostly. My fat PS2 has a bum laser and can’t consistently read CDs like the boot disk. Probably better ways these days.

Ended up switching to my launch PS3 for PS2 games. Pushing my luck because it was working as of 2019. Loud as hell and a couple dualshock 3’s failed but it lives.

[demi]

weekend gaming:

- Red Faction 2 (Xbox, BC) (vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2131319044 )

Generic boring FPS after the unique original. Hardly uses the destruction mechanic

- Black (Xbox, BC) (vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2132199099 )

I always knew this one was a stinker, but I had to see first hand. This is from the creators of Burnout! I guess it is a right of passage for devs to steer hard into making an FPS. Black, Fuze, Haze...

It did give me a weird nostalgia for old Medal of Honor / COD campaigns, but I'm pretty sure even those are better than this.

- Dead to Rights (Xbox, BC) (vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2132385059 )

I've played this before, and I still think it's pretty enjoyable, but the controls take getting used to. Also the stripper minigame where she looks like she's trying really hard to pick up a dollar off the ground.

[Bebpo]

What

Black was famous for being a great fps for the time.

[demi]

EA must have paid good for the good reviews. Game is mid mud butt

[Himu]

Black was pegged as a Halo killer for Sony back in the day, no? I thought it was on PS2.

Driver

Mupepe let me borrow this in high school and I couldn’t get past the garage.I didn’t know what a slalom was. I got the game and beat the garage and played some and it’s pretty unique and fresh even for 2024.

Gran Turismo 2

This soundtrack.

[Bebpo]

Don’t know about Halo killer.

Black was known as the best FPS on PS2. I think it was trying to go for more a F.E.A.R. action and explosions everywhere than a Halo thing. Criterion’s signature burnout takedowns sparks and explosions in FPS form.

I didn’t play it much, but Criterion were really good devs, so I’m surprised to hear that it’s bad. I also had no idea it was on Xbox. If I remember right, it was technically impressive on PS2.

[demi]

I think you should watch the VOD, it's nothing like what you just described...

[bork]

Black was pegged as a Halo killer for Sony back in the day, no? I thought it was on PS2.

Every game was "the Halo killer" back then.  But nah, Black was multiplat on Xbox and PS2.

[Bebpo]

https://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/78a7rf/black_is_one_of_the_best_fps_games_ever_made_if/

https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/nuedlp/black_2006_one_of_the_most_destructive_fps_ever/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/comments/b9x3mb/playing_black_for_the_first_time_pretty_great_game/




Like I'm not saying you're wrong Demi. It's an old ass clunky early era console FPS. I can totally buy that the game sucks now. But just saying I still vaguely remember the PS2 generation and Black was one of those regularly brought up in conversations games about "hidden gems" and how everyone should play it. Shooters on PS2 generally felt bad because the analog sticks were awful for FPS games, and I guess I didn't have an Xbox yet when it came out, so wasn't my thing  and never played it beyond the demo I think.

[Polident Hive]

weekend gaming:

- Dead to Rights (Xbox, BC) (vod: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2132385059 )

I've played this before, and I still think it's pretty enjoyable, but the controls take getting used to. Also the stripper minigame where she looks like she's trying really hard to pick up a dollar off the ground.

What I remember is the first release, probably Xbox, has people complaining it was too hard and they dumbed it down for the other two consoles.

I had the platinum re-release on Xbox. Maybe that was dumbed down. But it was fine.

[Himu]

For the past ten years I've questioned what happened to Ridge Racer. Playing Ridge Racer 6 on Xbox via Backwards Compatability I now know why.

It's boring.

On one end of the racing spectrum you've got Gran Turismo and Forza and these are the king and queen of the day of racing games. Track design, racing physics, strong single player campaigns, even arcade modes which render games like Ridge Racer obsolete. What does Ridge Racer offer in return? I played track after track after track and all of the maps are really simplistic circles with easy racing lines. Playing this game after GT2, 3, and 4 is like playing a game on autopilot almost. Presentation is all it has going for it, and by the end of that generation Forza put out Horizon, making Ridge Racer even more obsolete especially after it went away from Type R 4 story mode thing.

I felt kind of the same way while I played Ridge Racer 4 the other day but it was unique and for the time the standards for racing games wasn't that high. Just experiencing a racing game was good enough. But as the standards for the genre got higher, it's like...why play RR? It doesn't offer that much to the racing game market? It's not as good as Wipeout but not as good as GT or Forza. It's like...why?

Here's me playing RR6 bored out of mind.



Simple racing lines, You can get through most of the campaign in a few sessions. Boring tracks. Boring fictional cars. No story. Snoresville. Drifting is all it has to offer and because GT and Forza have things like Rally maps it's like, who cares?

By contrast, here's Wipeout HD.



Which would you rather play?

[Himu]

Here’s me doing a test run of Grindelwald in GT2. I messed up bad on one corner underestimating my entry into the apex but overall it’s a solid start to me mastering the track. Look how more complex it is in terms of racing line, cornering, braking, acceleration, finding the best approach, upshifting/downshifting it is than RR6. At that point in RR’s timeline who were these games even made for besides RR fans?



I gave Forza Horizon a go on my original Xbox 360 and I still have the same problem as I did with that game when I tried it years ago. It’s so loud and obnoxious and it represents some of the things I hate about car culture. I may be doing it wrong but it doesn’t feel relaxing. It’s pedal to the metal and while I know that’s the audience they were going for it’s not really my thing. Seems like a great game for those that click with it.

[demi]

Play split/second its goated. I love that game

[Himu]

Play split/second its goated. I love that game

Holy shit.

[Himu]

Here’s me doing a test run of Grindelwald in GT2. I messed up bad on one corner underestimating my entry into the apex but overall it’s a solid start to me mastering the track. Look how more complex it is in terms of racing line, cornering, braking, acceleration, finding the best approach, upshifting/downshifting it is than RR6. At that point in RR’s timeline who were these games even made for besides RR fans?



I gave Forza Horizon a go on my original Xbox 360 and I still have the same problem as I did with that game when I tried it years ago. It’s so loud and obnoxious and it represents some of the things I hate about car culture. I may be doing it wrong but it doesn’t feel relaxing. It’s pedal to the metal and while I know that’s the audience they were going for it’s not really my thing. Seems like a great game for those that click with it.

Kept up with Forza Horizon and glad I did. The initial introduction is just complete and utter whiplash. I've never seen a game that feels as ADHD addled as this game. I'm told to do events and sometimes it's just confusing why and it's just event after event but eventually you get acclimated. I join a Mustang challenge and all of a sudden I'm in a Mustang and I have no idea what I did to earn it. Forza Horizon is full of crap like that where you have to go with the flow as that flow is so different than any racing game I've ever played. I really like there's story and you're some nobody dude clawing his way to the top and I think it's something Ridge Racer could take advantage of if it ever comes back.

What really sold me on this game is how damn immersive it is and the quality of the racing. With guide lines off, driving mode set to simulation, and the game in Manual Transmission driving this game is incredibly fun.



It really becomes relaxing when you're in free mode and just driving around with a clutch. Aside from the ADHD more more more more more big big big big pumped into my eyeballs as I play it, what's there is premium racing. It's also Backward Compat on Series X. Unfortunately i don't actually own Horizon. The 360 I bought had it already on there so I'm "borrowing" since it's on the system.

GT2 and Forza Horizon are polar opposites and yet they fit so well. Combined with Tekken and my gaming is good as green right now.

[demi]

Play split/second its goated. I love that game

Holy shit.

https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/splitsecond/BXW02MW8K8T1/0001

[Svejk]

Himu, If you feel to dabble in some solid old school PS1 racers, maybe try Peak Performance (US) and TOCA (Touring Car Championship).  The latter was made by Codemasters, who are supreme racer devs, but is extremely sim, but super tight.
Peak Performance may not have aged well, but it was the king before GT came onto the scene.  It would blow us away back then, because you could see the driver steering and shifting in the replays.  Some good drifting too.  You have old Datsuns, to even buses you could race.  Ton of fun.

[Himu]

Thinking of it a bit, the whiplash I was dealing with comes down to the differences in American and Japanese car culture.

Here’s GT2’s American intro.



“CARS SPEED CARS FAST  CARS SCREAM” in all caps.

Here’s the Japanese intro.



“Aren’t cars elegant marvels of art on par with statue of David? Aren’t they classy, treasured, and worthy of respect? In centuries when they study our era of motor vehicles they will say,‘what a wonder.’ Oh, and FAST!”

While the intros are different GT2 has the latters mentality all through it.


Then here’s Forza Horizon.



Reminds me of when I’ve gone to car meets and some dude does donuts and fucks his car up, someone stands behind the exhaust and gets burned, or someone drifts and another gets hit in the chest from the tail. It’s so American it hurts.

I’m not saying one is better than the other as I love both vibes but going from GT to this is major whiplash

Himu, If you feel to dabble in some solid old school PS1 racers, maybe try Peak Performance (US) and TOCA (Touring Car Championship).  The latter was made by Codemasters, who are supreme racer devs, but is extremely sim, but super tight.
Peak Performance may not have aged well, but it was the king before GT came onto the scene.  It would blow us away back then, because you could see the driver steering and shifting in the replays.  Some good drifting too.  You have old Datsuns, to even buses you could race.  Ton of fun.

Added to the list

[Svejk]

Man I miss these days...

[bork]

Which would you rather play?

Ridge Racer, but I have found over the years that I'd rather play Daytona or other Sega arcade racers over the Namco ones.  I was never much for Wipeout and speaking of boring, sims are to me.

Gonna be different for everybody.

[bork]

Been playing Stellar Blade for PS5 and really enjoying it.  And I don't just mean for all LOL stuff with the character model.  The game is a really good action-RPG lite along the lines of Nier Automata, but with a lot more combat/ability customization and deeper game play.  There's a petty heavy emphasis on parrying and dodging that takes some getting used to, but leveling up helps a lot as you can equip slots to make it easier to do and add counters.  The game looks amazing and the soundtrack is...stellar.   There's a bunch of dumb controversy going on with the game being censored at launch and I see people getting physical copies and not updating the game to get around this, which is not a good idea since the day one patch reduced input lag and the game feels more responsive than the demo did because it. 

On the negative side, the story is all over the place and at times it feels like things were left out- characters will start talking about things that were not explained previously or you'll talk to certain characters and they won't say who they are, but then when you talk to them again Eve will address them by their first name.  The voice acting is also a mixed bag.  I'm playing it in English and I think Adam and Lily's VAs are pretty good, but Eve just sounds kind of bored or monotone, making her lack personality at times.

On the subject of PS5, Rise Of The Ronin (currently on hold while I play some other stuff) and this game finally got me to literally dust off my PS5 and start playing on it.  I wish these games were on PC (and I expect that both will come out later on) because I'm really spoiled by being able to play games in multiple ways (laptop, desktop, handheld, etc.) pretty much anywhere, whereas with this I'm stuck in the basement and that can be a problem with a three year old running around. 

Remote play forcing you to use a PS5 controller is fucking stupid.  There are alternatives, however, that let you use any controller.  I couldn't get Chiaki working, but another formerly Android/iOS only app called PSPlay just got Windows and Linux versions and is supposedly much easier to set up, so I'm gonna give that a shot.

[Himu]

I saw a clip from Stellar Blade and she was in a train off the side of a cliff and I was telling myself they ripped off Uncharted 2.

[Himu]

Which would you rather play?

Ridge Racer, but I have found over the years that I'd rather play Daytona or other Sega arcade racers over the Namco ones.  I was never much for Wipeout and speaking of boring, sims are to me.

Gonna be different for everybody.

I used to not like sim racers either. I’m just explaining why Ridge Racer died. Clearly there’s not something for everyone if Ridge Racer died because there would have been audience for it. Instead, it died. Tries to be realistic, but it’s a sim but also isn’t that arcade-y like Wipeout. Plus they milked the shit out of the games and put them on every system at launch. Just a boring racing franchise without its own identity.

[Polident Hive]

Sky Target

Played After Burner and Climax a ton. Never got around to playing this because I heard the Saturn port is bad and I never dealt with Model 2 emulation. When I came across a cabinet, had a chance to play it. It’s not great. Really slow and shallow compared to After Burner. Controls like you’re moving the reticule and not the plane. Gonna try the Saturn version just to see how it manages to be less fun. Pros: I stared playing After Burner Climax again on the steam deck. What a game z

[Himu]

Gran Turismo 2

Decent chunk into the game and honestly Forza Horizon kind of dates it. The racing in Horizon is more arcade-y compared to Motorsport but even then it’s more realistic, and not just graphically, than GT2. GT2, for a pax game, feels cartoony in comparison and it’s not fair to compare these games that came out generations apart but it does show how early GT wasn’t as top of the line simulation people advertised it as especially compared to its later entry such as 3 and 4. That said, what makes this so timeless is the game loop. Starting with a hatchback CRX and tuning it as much possible till I’m raced out and then buying a more powerful car is pretty fun. Accomplishing Licenses and ransacking the Cups like a mad man as my skills get better and better is fun as playing in dirt as a toddler.

Forza Horizon 1

An open world car sim cade sandbox. For whatever reason it just works. It’s also surprisingly challenging when it counts. Playing it has me interested in proper Forza Motorsport and once I beat it I’ll start Forza Motorsport 4 which looks like it’s GT4 “this is a complete love letter to cars” quality.



Forza 8 is also on Game Pass. I’ll download it and see what it’s about.

[Himu]

The graphics in Forza Motorsport 8 are so good that I can’t pay attention to the track and keep crashing my car. Yesterday I went to a Honda dealership and checked out a Honda Type-R hatchback and it was like the scene in Ferris Bueller when he gets in the Ferrari. I say this because there’s a whole ass scene where they let you pick between a Subaru, Mustang, and Type R and the graphics were so good they inspired such a similar reaction. My mouth was open the entire introduction salivating.

Dios mio.

Growing up I wasn’t a car guy. Now I can say I’m honest to God a car guy. This shit has to be witnessed. You’ll cum, I swear it.

[Svejk]

Honestly, I was never a Ridge Racer fan.  They were always meh to me.  Lots of colorful stylization of tracks and cars, but always felt slow and stiff when compared to others.
During the rise of RR, I was WAY more into NFS... when it was so damn good.  Especially NFS 1-3.  Feel like that brand has been tainted now, although I haven't played one in forever...  I'd rather put the time into something grand and robust, like GT, or WRC, or the always delicious arcadey OutRun.

Rally has always been my bread and butter though.  Here's me in Dirt Rally VR, going all out Sega Rally in a classic Lancia Delta (although pretty wrecked).    Sorry the screen is all distorted from the PSVR spectator viewing capture.

[Himu]

I’ve heard amazing things about Dirt Rally 2. Check it out. Apparently it’s a GOAT. It’s on the list.

Footage looks amazing. Music sounds great too. Thanks for sharing.

What does RR even do better than its competitors? Started as a Daytona rip off. It’s slow like an sim game but lacks the dynamism and realism. But it’s as fast and fun as an arcade racer. Looking back it’s a mid franchise. 5, 6, 7 are who cares status and they raced (lol) each gen to release the games on fresh hardware and therefore were unable to take full advantage of the systems. Ridge Racer peaked with Type 4 which is full of personality and carried by its story, presentation, and amazing music.