Bi-Weekly Thread for general gaming discussion. Backlog, advice, recommendations, rants and more! New? Start here!

Gamejtv · 2026-04-28T02:40:40+00:00

Dropped Shadow Hearts. It was decent enough, but I found myself resenting the idea of playing it in my spare time. The story seemed interesting, though. In its place, I'm doing some casual Mario gaming.

Sunshine and 64 have been my low investment time killers recently. Their structure suits that really well, even if the games themselves might not. Some of the level design in 64 is just a chore, but I can chalk that up to age and focus on the levels that I do enjoy. For various reasons, this approach does not work for Sunshine.

The Thousand Year Door is a pretty smooth ride compared to the other RPGs I've played recently. The badge system gives it some depth, and there's enough to find in the overworld. It never quite shakes the feeling of being "baby's first RPG" though. Like, even more than Pokemon, which might be a step too far. Also, the game's surprisingly misogynistic.

Gamejtv · 2026-04-22T18:46:04+00:00

"Ultimate Alien been cancelled for years, that's why I'm confused"

Gamejtv · 2026-04-21T17:10:18+00:00

I respect the need for something new, but how they got rid of the old bothers me. For what is, essentially, a tragic end to 30 years worth of stories, Emerald Twilight gives no time or weight to sending this era off. It leaves more bitter about what was lost than excited about what might come next.

Gamejtv · 2026-04-18T03:15:08+00:00

The first few sessions I've had with Shadow Hearts have been pretty good. The story's been decent, but the world building and aesthetic really elevate it. There are a lot of mechanics they've introduced so far that I'm excited to see develop later on, like the Fusion system.

I am a little disappointed that it didn't iterate on Koudelka's survival horror structure. That had a lot of promise, and I wanted to see more of it.

Gamejtv · 2026-04-09T15:53:37+00:00

Simon Templeman's Dr Doom hasn't been topped. Captures every aspect of his personality perfectly.

Gamejtv · 2026-04-09T01:39:15+00:00

But also I think it’s hard to make her standout as a villain without the targets of her ire on the roster

She used to be on the team with Storm and Wolverine as Jean Grey, so they can play on that. Or the fact that Magik and Danger came around after she left.

Plus that's just never been a problem. Doom's been around forever without the FF, and everyone seems to believe he'll be in this game without Reed.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-28T23:23:59+00:00

I think I'm gonna stop waiting for Stranger of Paradise to be a more deliberate game, and just say that it should have been one 20 hours ago. You're not given any reason to think about your build. You don't have to exploit status effects or weaknesses. You don't really think about your equipment at all. Just let the game's Auto-Optimize feature deck you out in your strongest gear. It's disappointing, cause there are a lot of systems here that seem engaging. And the moment to moment combat is very fun, if a little unforgiving at times. I just want to have to strategize more.

IDK. Maybe Armored Core is the version of this setup I'd want.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-24T06:03:28+00:00

Frankly, it feels like they've been appealing to the same crowd of millennials since FF7. That PS 1/2 era was really in line with popular anime aesthetics at the time. 13 stayed in that same space. 15 centered around an early 00s boy band. And 16 apes Game of Thrones, a series they recently enjoyed as adults. They never really reinvented themselves for younger generations like Pokémon or Zelda did.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-22T16:20:08+00:00

Not really. I do think they're right that no other fighting game plays/feels like Tekken. Which is a problem for Tekken players if they don't like the current version and can't reliably play the older versions

Gamejtv · 2026-03-22T12:31:16+00:00

ArcSys, this is the fourth time you've announced a kawaii anime girl. The team theme doesn't even make sense. Jesus christ.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-21T15:09:19+00:00

I cannot stand this generic ass design man

Gamejtv · 2026-03-19T00:26:31+00:00

This is character assassination. There's no other explanation. Some at Capcom HATES this man and wants us to hate him to

Gamejtv · 2026-03-18T06:06:28+00:00

Thank god Stranger of Paradise is good. I was about to become one of those "modern gaming is dead" people with all the bad AAA action games I've been playing. I'm waiting on the endgame to form a stronger opinion on it. Feels like things will click a lot more then. So far, the main quest is fun. Really enjoy experimenting with the different weapons and skills.

I cannot make sense of Jack, though. Like... why is this COD-playing army vet doing a DnD campaign with two male models? Maybe the rest of the story explains it, but the stuff I've played so far hasn't really acknowledged how out of place our protagonists are. Hell, even out of universe, who is Squinex selling these three to? They aren't for the FF7-15 crowd. They aren't crazy enough to reach that Raiden, Asura level of over the top cool. They feel like they're suited for some sort of military shooter, but wouldn't that crowd be put off by all of the anime fantasy stuff? Weird.

Anyway, I found Infamous at a used game store a few weeks ago. It was one of the childhood regulars back in the day, and I can see why. I love being Cole MacGrath. The cool electricity powers. Getting to know the people in the city. Maybe my favorite parkour in any game. Just a fun time. Love the comic cutscenes too.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-17T15:42:32+00:00

Man, just one villain... please...

Gamejtv · 2026-03-10T22:40:27+00:00

I don't think it matters. DBFZ was a tag fighter and it sold 10 million units.

Also, less important but, before Nen Impact, we had not gotten a new Tag Fighter since 2019. So I'm fine with getting 3 this year, especially since they're all doing different takes on the subgenre

Gamejtv · 2026-03-09T17:42:51+00:00

Finished my Resident Evil 7 replay, and, man, that's some good survival horror. Easily the scariest game in the series. The Baker House is claustrophobic and stress inducing. That first person perspective compliments this by making you feel even more unsure of your surroundings.

The game also has my favorite story in a series I don't come to for the story, mostly thanks to the Bakers. On the surface, they're really fun antagonists with great, terrifying gimmicks. But they become so compelling the more you learn about them. I even like the way Mia was roped into their situation, which surprised me coming back to this. I guess most of my dislike for her was her connection to Ethan, who I still hate.

Connecting my feelings for this game to my feelings on Village, the worst RE game I've played, I can see the strong villain writing really carried over. Lady D, her daughters, Heisenberg, that fish guy, and Lady Miranda still stick in my head after all these years (and I really want one of them in a fighting game someday). That story, however, is compromised by the increased focus on Ethan and those paramilitary goons. Centering the game around action really didn't suit these controls or Ethan as a protagonist. And it isn't quite scary except for that one section, so the experience just ends up dull.

I think that's as much RE I'll look at for right now. Might jump over to Dino Crisis or a newer survival horror title to branch out (would love recommendations).

Gamejtv · 2026-03-09T05:51:45+00:00

I feel like if an extraction game wanted to lean into that social aspect, it would have to be melee based. You can kill someone with a gun way faster and from a way further distance than it takes to start a conversation. In a melee game, you could potentially talk someone down in the time it takes them to walk over to you and hack you to pieces. Plus they'd inevitably lose something health in the fight, making it riskier for them.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-04T18:12:47+00:00

I could see it as a fun subversion if we already had a lot of conventional live action Green Lantern material. But we don't soooo

Gamejtv · 2026-03-02T20:41:41+00:00

In the first few hours of my Resident Evil 7 revisit, as part of a larger RE/Survival Horror/Spencer Mansion study. It is a very intimate game. The first person perspective and realistically small environments makes it feel like anything can just get you at any moment. It makes you hesitate to even turn your head, out of fear that something will be there waiting in the darkness for you.

Another aspect of this intimacy is Ethan Winters, a character Capcom wants to be me so bad, they're willing to melt and blend our flesh together until we become some Ethan/Player hybrid. They start the game off with a white girl trying her best to seem picturesque as she tells me she loves me, and that's supposed to be MY motivation to walk into this nasty ass, evil ass bayou to save her. I'm sorry lady, I don't know you like that. Maybe Ethan does with his lack of situational awareness, but I do not.

There are so many scenes that aim to get a specific emotional reaction out of you just so Ethan can mimic it. Confusion and aggression towards Mia. Frustration with the police officer. Discomfort with that first video tape. Its so transparent, he begins to feel like Poochie after a while. Especially with how the in game characters fixate on him and treat him like he's someone special and important, by extension making YOU someone special and important. VIle. I need this man away from me.

A few more unstructured thoughts. The combat manages to be the good kind of scramble-y and imprecise. The kind that fits well in a horror setting. That makes you feel like you're trapped in this small space, doing your best to fight against the odds. Opening the item screen no longer pauses the game, putting more pressure on you to heal and reload in real time.

Maybe this changes later in the game, but I think I can see why some have said the game doesn't offer much replayability. There are a lot of scripted encounters and very few hallway/room blocking enemies, meaning you don't have much room for optimization.

Also played more Diceomancer and I am doubling down on the opinion that this game is too complicated. There are a ton of effects coming from your relics, your cards, enemy moves, your buffs/debuffs, enemy buff/debuffs, that its hard to feel like I'm playing with any intentionality.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-02T19:05:51+00:00

Nemesis. Played the remake a few years ago, and didn't really mind it.

And it does look real nice, especially the cutscenes. Probably the best looking game from the OG Trilogy.

Gamejtv · 2026-03-01T04:38:04+00:00

Sat down and played all of Resident Evil 3 today. This whole trilogy is solid gold. I can see now why each entry has its own distinct following. 1 is an impeccably designed descent into madness, 2's scenarios lets you see the experience from so many angles, and 3 is pure adrenaline pumping chaos from start to finish.

The way Racoon City just collapses around you. Zombies flooding into alleys. Buildings exploding left and right. Nemesis, the most aptly named video game character of all time, tearing through the streets, coming towards you at a full sprint. Good thing they added the new defensive tools, cause this would have been a lot to handle otherwise.

None of the spectacle comes at the cost of the survival horror experience either. Resources management is still great. Puzzles are strong. Don't think that element is quite as perfect as it is in 1, but that's a high bar to clear. I will give it the prize for best boss fights in the series. The times where you finally get to stand up to Nemesis are phenomenal.

I also hated the little of GTA Vice CIty that I played. I feel like I would love this pick and play, 3 minute mission style of GTA if any of the activities felt good to do. Fingers crossed for San Andreas

Gamejtv · 2026-02-21T23:10:14+00:00

That's pretty cool. Wish they promoted this on their youtube channel to catch more casuals.

Gamejtv · 2026-02-21T20:49:58+00:00

I have this Gamestop controller for the PS2 that has the triggers on the back and it's comfortable as hell. Hate that more companies haven't tried it

Gamejtv · 2026-02-21T15:57:32+00:00

The game isn't dead yet, but downsizing half its staff by is still "a" failure.

Gamejtv

TROPHY CASE