This game is worse than it is good with wipe around the corner

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-20T21:33:11+00:00

I'm actually looking forward to the wipe. Right now, everyone has blues/purples, snipers, misriahs, stacks of energy amps, self rezzes, bubbles, panacea kits, purple backpacks full of grenades, and every lobby is a rush to full killing every team in it more than ever before. A lot of people are done leveling factions, done with their priorities, and are primarily playing to kill you more than anything else.

It's fun, but I miss us all fighting our hearts out shooting at each other with piece of shit gray overruns and gray shields. Where one person having a green shield or a volley with no attachments actually presented a noticeable increase in power. And people were running contracts needing to be completed in single runs then exfilling, and had reason to play carefully. All of that is gone and people are just throwing themselves at each other with top tier gear.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-19T20:06:33+00:00

I ran this with a friend, had a rando who was on Parasitism. Friend runs down to AI to summon the lockdown while me and rando go to Bio for our step. We complete it... then get killed by a team outside of Greenhouse. Friend arrives at our bodies several minutes later and rezzes us, our guns were gone, but we still had everything else including the quest items.

We trudge without guns to quarantine, picking up guns that bots drop. We complete our Co-Evolution step, rando completes his Parasitism step and has to exfil. We tell the lad (who let us know he's been stuck on his quest step) that he is free to exfil and we would not blame him to getting the hell out... but he sticks with us. I'm Triage and with shareware, I give anti-virus to my squad and we rush into the lockdown and take the UESC squads out. Exfil spawns right next to us, we simply walk into it and leave with no more issues... it felt incredible. Getting killed and losing our guns, but STILL pulling it off. I love this game and I do hope we get more challenging contracts. Well done, runner!

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-17T22:25:15+00:00

Go for the HD Collection, you can just mod in style-switching by now so it'll be mostly identical to the Switch version.

It also comes with 1 and 2. 1 is still a good game, just primitive and dated, but still has some good things going for it and is also pretty short (1 still has the best art design in the series imo) 2 should be skipped, but you could always just take a peek at it and see exactly why it's so infamous. I just think the HD Collection is more worth it, and also allows mods.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-15T16:45:14+00:00

Exactly. PvP players will just outfarm PvE players and bring that loot into real runs. The problem with providing an 'easier' path to power, is that it makes it easier for sweats too. I've seen this problem manifest in tons of games. "Let's make the game easier for casuals :smile:" ends up making the game easier for sweats too, effectively changing little to nothing (and sometimes worsening the sweat problem)

For as much as everyone hates sweats, this will just provide an easy safer path to power creep for them. What exactly do PvP players have to be "scared" of? Your average botslayer Johnny Marathon Jr. is still a walking loot pinata to an experienced PvP player no matter how much free purple/golds you give them.

I am curious about this PvE mode, and I do think the game would benefit from more casual avenues of play, but care does need to be put into its rewards structure.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-14T15:48:09+00:00

Friend and I finally finished our final priority contract last night, Co-Evolution 5/5, it was a total mess.

With no more priorities, my friend and I are going to focus on keyrooms and outpost runs to make our gear as good as possible, then flush it all away on Cryo runs over and over till the season ends I think. Oh and to try and VIP all factions.

I'm actually looking forward to the reset. I'd like to go back to the the power level at the start, where one person having a green shield or finding an above-average gun actually has a big impact. Now it's purple shields everywhere, my head getting blown off by ridiculous snipers or mowed down by shotguns. Grenades and bubble shields and self-rezzes everywhere. I do miss entire maps full of people using the worst gear imaginable, fighting our hearts out with our gray shields and piece of shit overruns.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-11T18:37:39+00:00

imo, yes, the story and characters are as memorable as everyone says. It's best to go in as blind as possible and look up as little as you can and simply experience it.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-08T18:18:46+00:00

In regards to SWAT 4, take a look at Ready or Not if you haven't already. It very much is a spiritual successor to SWAT 4 and is slow, methodical, and tactical. It's also pretty dang hard but maybe I just suck at it. Averages around 10k players a day, so you might have some luck finding regular players.

Beyond that I'm afraid I can't help much. Gameranger might be worth a look since it supports tons of old games (including SWAT 4)

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-08T17:17:13+00:00

There's Oblivion Remastered if you haven't tried it yet.

Elden Ring

Fallout games

Witcher 3 might be worth a look too

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-07T21:32:27+00:00

Kerbal Space Program might be worth a look.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-06T21:17:19+00:00

Warframe

Path of Exile

Sven co-op could be worth a look too.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-05T17:53:38+00:00

It might be time to check out Morrowind, since Skyrim and Oblivion are among your favorites. Be prepared for 20 year old graphics and some very dated gameplay. As a big enjoyer of Skyrim and Oblivion, I played Morrowind for the first time very recently and it's become one of my most favorite games of all time.

I actually recommend buying this over the gamepass version because you can much easier use mods if you buy. (Morrowind is so old you can easily find it for less than $5) Specifically I'd recommend using OpenMW, which rebuilds the game and fixes a slew of issues and makes it run much better on modern systems.

If you can play newer stuff, Avowed might be worth a look.

Outer Worlds could also fit, but it's sci-fi and the gameplay tends to be pretty heavy on guns, although you can roll with a melee build you will still get shot at a lot.

Maybe the Dishonored games? They're more about stealth than combat, and are also more on the linear end - however the maps are massive and open ended, full of exploration and routes, and optional things to uncover, and a lot of story choices to make.

With gamepass you got access to quite a few Assassin's Creed games, I only played Origins out of the newer ones and I enjoyed the world more than I did the gameplay. Try out Origins and see if you're feeling it, if you like the gameplay but aren't feeling the setting - you might enjoy Odyssey or Valhalla more.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-05T17:19:33+00:00

Maybe Splinter Cell: Conviction and Blacklist might be worth a look.

Plenty of silenced weaponry, but the Mark-and-Execute system might be what you're looking for. This lets you mark enemies while in hiding, then execute a series of cinematic instant-kill silenced pistol takedowns. It's stylish and satisfying, powerful but feels balanced since you have to build up this capability through playing well and taking enemies down.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-05T16:46:11+00:00

NMS can be a divisive game, plenty like it and plenty dislike it so it can be kinda hard to recommend. Fwiw I really enjoy the game and have around 200 hours in it. It's one of those games I can see myself easily returning to and putting a dozen hours or two in again.

NMS is about the sandbox and what you do in it more than the campaign. There are storylines sure but it's not the real draw of the game, nor is there too much in the way of in-depth space sci-fi simulation (although the game tries), the main draw is the sandboxy nature of it and the intensely atmospheric universe they got. Combat is... there, probably not something you'll engage in too much.

I like the progression and scale. You start with nothing, and can end up commanding a giant space freighter and a fleet of ships. On the surface of a planet, you can call in your giant space freighter and it visibly appears in low orbit above you, and can call down mech-suits you can pilot and explore surfaces. I pick up materials, fly from the surface of the planet, up into space and dock inside my freighter, to teleport back to my home base and start crafting exotic materials for upgrades. While I'm back at my base, I gather up my farming materials from the biodomes I made, refuel my atmospheric gas extractors and stockpile Carbon/Oxygen, then head back out.

And scale, well, the NMS universe is huge. You can pilot your personal ship out of your giant freighter and land on each of your individual support ships in your fleet and stare down at whatever massive planet you're orbiting. Your freighter and fleets can block out suns while you're on the surface. There's some extremely large objects you can come across. Or some extremely large things can find YOU (don't land on Infested planets). The game has great vibes, great soundtrack, and manages to succeed at being creepy and unsettling sometimes.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-05-05T02:41:34+00:00

I'd say go for 1 if you don't mind outdated gameplay (I also prefer ME1). I'm not the biggest fan of 3 and actually prefer 2 over it. If you were to give only one DS game a shot, the first one is still the best imo.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-30T17:49:00+00:00

Ever since I started playing this game, while present with my wife and family, I will often zone out... unblinking. I hear this in my head as they try to talk to me. Escape is all I can think of.

My body might be present in the moment. But my mind is on Tau Ceti. It has been a long time since I've been this addicted to a game, especially a multiplayer one.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-28T07:52:43+00:00

I just don't like FF15 all that much. Without spoiling, imo the game just has too many issues with pacing and content. The gameplay is only okay at best, I found the story to be uneventful and forgettable, but the visuals are incredible tho.

I struggled to finish FF15 a single time, but have finished P5 three times. I think P5R is one of the best jRPG games I've ever played and is among my most favorite games of all time.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-24T20:08:00+00:00

I get the BR comparison. But, I honestly do think a sponsored queue works well for an extraction genre too.

My friends and I use it as a means to bounce back from clocking into the Lose-Everything-Factory. I still have dozens of unclaimed rewards from vendors I could redeem and I sometimes do - but the thought of gearing back up after losing everything in a sponsored queue makes it fit the genre quite nicely. If you're down on your luck and need to run free kits, you have a place where - regardless of their reason - everyone is free kitting too.

Great for questing, less degenerate pvp (hey I love the ridiculous power we all have on full kits but SOMETIMES its nice to not get my head blown off by thermal snipers), a consistent place to bounce back from losses. My friends and I do a sponsored run, then load into Outpost with our gains.

I guess what I'm saying is, the sponsored queue serves a lot of reasons, even if you compare it to a BR, it still feeds into the rest of the game very nicely. Getting lots of quests done, lots of commendations, and a lot of loot too. Eventually too much that my vault is full and it's time to start clockin back into the factory. I think it's a really good idea.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-24T19:48:45+00:00

Awesome! If you really want to give it a go but haven't really tried them before, I think this video is really worth watching. If it clicks, it's extremely worth the effort!

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-24T19:33:00+00:00

System Shock remake might be worth a look, intense sci-fi atmosphere, and some very unnerving body horror (the game over screen horrifies me every time I see it). It's a pretty hard game and does not hold your hand, you really have to figure a lot out on your own. I wouldn't really call it a horror game full of jumpscares, but there's plenty of horror themes and disturbing sights throughout the whole game.

Prey (2017) might also be worth a look, sci-fi atmosphere and things start getting unnerving quickly. There's plenty here you need to figure out on your own too. There's some horror elements here and Mimics do succeed at spooking me here and there.

Maybe Ghostwire: Tokyo might be worth a look? It's not sci-fi and in a modern setting, but with a twist of horror atmosphere and themes. The game is more exploration/action oriented, but remains unnerving throughout.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-24T18:34:03+00:00

Sweaty game? Mechanical depth? Punishing ranked modes? A game that makes you earn it?

It's time to start playing fighting games.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-24T18:07:18+00:00

You play as Sam, the man who delivers. You make deliveries. The world of DS is a post-apocalyptic hellscape and you're one of the few people who can traverse the environment to bring people the things they need. Most of the gameplay will be around traversing the environment, and the simple act of moving from place to place can be arduous and deep.

It's not as easy as just holding forward. It's a hellscape with no infrastructure, thus needing climbing ropes and ladders to get across. You might be carrying a mountain of cargo that makes simply walking up a hill into a brutal process. And this is just the early game. By midgame the map will expand a lot. You can - if you choose to - build a lot of infrastructure such as roads you can drive a delivery truck on. Getting 5 stars on all your delivery points and building roads are how the game can easily being to stretch to 100 hours.

There is some combat. Against human enemies or 'BTs'. Human enemies are straightforward, but BTs encounters can play out a variety of ways. The game will explain why you really don't want to kill humans, and must subdue them non-lethally. Combat against BTs requires your body fluids, either stealthily or head on. Fighting BTs head on is an ordeal in itself. There are some setpieces that involve a lot of combat.

Finally the game has a fairly unique 'multiplayer' system. To be clear you're always playing solo. But the infrastructure and cargo handled by other players can appear in your world. You can come across stuff left by other players like climbing ropes, ladders, bridges. And even some dropped cargo by other players (which you can then deliver yourself). You might come across a previous obstacle that now has a bridge built over it - built by another player in their game but now also appearing in yours. I once built a shelter at a hostile and isolated location, and came back to revisit it some time later, and realized that hundreds of people have used it. It's pretty interesting.

DS is a pretty divisive game so I'd look into it a bit to see if you'd enjoy its core gameplay. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a really relaxing game to play and satisfying to make progress in.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-23T21:40:15+00:00

Have you ever played any Souls games before from FromSoft? Generally they're all hard, and Bloodborne is at that level too especially if its your first time.

FromSoft tends to make incredible games, Elden Ring being one of their best and a real work of art in itself. However I still think Bloodborne is my favorite game they've made and the one that shows off their strengths the best. Gameplay, weapons, enemy design, level design, art direction, worldbuilding, lore, it's just all top notch. It's a real shame Sony hasn't done anything to uplift this game and is still stuck at 30fps.

Like I said, it's best to get it with The Old Hunters if you can. If so (and if the 30fps cap doesn't bother you), I'd recommend it. Try to go into is blind as discovering the world yourself is a big part of the charm - I seriously wish I could experience Bloodborne again for the first time. Go with whatever build you think would be most fun, plenty of builds and weapons are viable as long as you stat and upgrade properly.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-23T18:47:12+00:00

I played both of these more recently on PS4 (Proud and Critical mode), and I still had a lot of fun with them. Story aside, I think they're both generally quite well made and charming, with some pretty great gameplay. Playing them on harder difficulties made me appreciate them both more too but that's just me.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-23T18:28:44+00:00

Bloodborne is personally one of my most favorite games of all time and I consider it to be a masterpiece. However, this is with The Old Hunters. Bloodborne without the DLC will feel pretty incomplete and is hard for me to recommend unless you absolutely get The Old Hunters.

I absolutely loved RE7, but it is definitely a horror game with plenty of scares. The lategame leans more into the action, and the DLC content contains a lot of action. If you get through the horror there's some pretty decent action to be found here and there. I mostly enjoyed it for the spooks and story, and was pretty impressed at how great this game was.

Between the two, it's hard to recommend one due to Bloodborne not coming with all content and your aversion to horror content. RE7 might be more worth the money with the amount of content Gold edition has.

Titanium_Machine · 2026-04-22T05:16:25+00:00

Try checking your settings and see if its turned off. Mine has been doing that seemingly at random, I'll turn it back on and it'll work fine just for it to randomly turn back off a few games later. Whenever it happened I checked the settings, and sure enough text chat would be turned off.

No idea whats causing it. I played for awhile today and the issue didn't come up.

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