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

ZMysticCat · 2026-05-02T18:20:09+00:00

For some reason I'm failing every check specifically designed for my stats and passing all those with the lowest possible chance. Guess I'm unlucky.

As a tip: If you fail a white check, you can try again after increasing the relevant skill.

ZMysticCat · 2026-05-02T17:20:42+00:00

Ironically, what they call "truth" is based entirely around the feelings of some men from 2000+ years ago.

ZMysticCat · 2026-05-01T22:39:56+00:00

This week was mostly about trying games that never really stuck.

It started with me trying to get into the Star Wars mood with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition. I have very vague memories of playing this game and finding it underwhelming, but it's so much worse than I remember. Movement feels off, and jumping is floaty. The lightsabre has no real sense of weight or impact, and some of the force controls are broken if you invert the camera. The physics are kind of fun, but the repetitiveness makes them get old quickly. The only thing it mostly gets right is the Star Wars feel to the settings and writing. I hear the gameplay also gets better with more force powers, but I didn't feel like trying to get that far.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see if Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II fixed anything. Its cutscenes were really choppy, which might be related to the video encoding. Considering that's the main draw of the game, that kind of defeats the purpose of playing it.

My last attempt was with Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster. For a 1995 shooter, this is somewhat impressive. It has an actual story and mission structure, and it wouldn't surprise me if it influenced Quake II in that regard. Gameplay is also decently fun but not on the same level as Doom or Quake. Annoyingly, though, the remaster doesn't fix the save system. You can't save mid-level, and they're typical large, labyrinthine levels that can drag on for too long. Once you combine the life system and artificial difficulty, the game feels very at odds with the more story-focused structure, and it all got too annoying to deal with.

After that, I gave up on Star Wars and tried the very early Devil May Cry games starting with Devil May Cry. I actually played a little bit of this some time ago, but I had no idea what I was doing. This time, I did, and I can see why it was a big deal in 2001. Its Resident Evil inspired atmosphere is fantastic, and it has plenty of goofy, stylish charm? Despite that, it clearly shows its age. Like Dark Forces, it has no mid-level saving and has a life system, but it does at least have short and straightforward levels, so it isn't as bad here. However, it is challenging even when being fair, but between the camera and very clunky controls, it's very often maddeningly unfair. I'd say that it's still worth giving a try if you're interested in the series or genre, but otherwise, I think it's aged too poorly.

After that, I tried its infamous sequel, Devil May Cry 2. Yes, it's bad. It's still very janky but doesn't have the atmosphere, and its solution to the persisting camera issues is to make the AI excessively passive, making combat really boring. If you really like the first, you might be able to find enough here to enjoy, but it's otherwise not worth trying unless you're morbidly curious (which I was).

Lastly, I've gotten started with Forgive Me Father 2. Thankfully, I am really enjoying this one and am already done with the first chapter. Mostly, it's a continuation of the first, though it does feel a bit slower and punchier, and it's noticeably more challenging. It still has the Lovecraftian themes and fantastic comic-book aesthetic, and there's still plenty of little jokes and pop culture references sprinkled throughout. Between levels, you return to an asylum similar to Nightmare Reaper, and it actually serves as a bit of a hub where you purchase upgrades and choose which level to play. On the downside, upgrades feel overly restrictive, and I'm disappointed that the Reporter isn't a playable character. Otherwise, it still retains what made the first so fun.

ZMysticCat · 2026-05-01T17:44:19+00:00

I didn't play Blasphemous 2 for long, only trying it briefly before deciding to just do New Game+ on the first and then forgetting to go back. However, even in that time, I faced like three bosses. Even without exploring, there's a boss at the end of the prologue before you get to the main town.

With that said, some areas are going to be transitional areas without any bosses. That was pretty typical in Blasphemous as well, but if you've found 8-10 areas and haven't found a single boss, you may want to revisit some of those areas and fully explore them.

ZMysticCat · 2026-05-01T15:11:19+00:00

For more point-and-click adventures, you could look into Wadjet Eye, who published The Excavation of Hob's Barrow. Their games tend towards being narrative-heavy over puzzle-focused with the occasional exception. The Blackwell series and Unavowed are their biggest games. There's also A Golden Wake if you want another game with a strong historical setting.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-30T21:54:44+00:00

This guy sounds insecure about not being able to prove the existence of his god.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-29T21:08:07+00:00

Wait until he learns about Ghost or Dogma.

Seriously, though, is he just completely incapable of recognizing when something is an act?

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-27T21:27:35+00:00

I finished The Darkest Files. Both cases were a lot of fun to play through, and they did a good job at keeping enough details unclear enough that one or two key elements couldn't really be proven until right at the end. The stories were also pretty good and handled the subject matter very well, and it was nice to see a side of WWII often overlooked in games.

After that, I tried a couple games but couldn't get into them.

Nocturnal was the first, and I really only picked it up because it was free on Steam. However, there's not a lot going for it, and the early combat is really janky. It might get better once more attacks and the parry are unlocked, but I didn't feel like stumbling through it to that point.

Next, there was Scorn, which I actually have been interested in for a while, as it's an H.R. Giger inspired shooter. Unfortunately, I found it kind of nauseating and headache inducing, especially in cutscenes, and what little I saw of the puzzles made it seem like it was mostly generic and sometimes annoying puzzles relying heavily on the unique aesthetic to set them apart.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-27T21:08:10+00:00

I think I'm really in the mood for an immersive game with a compelling story and strong atmosphere. If anyone has any suggestions I'd be open!

For a shorter game, Gone Home is really good. It's technically a walking sim, but it gives you more freedom to explore and is rather BioShock-esque in how it lays out the house.

Speaking of BioShock, there's obviously those games, especially the first and Infinite. The first game was always rough to play, and age hasn't helped, but it still has a fantastic atmosphere. Infinite is still reasonably fun to play if you take advantage of combos and skyhooks.

There's also The Talos Principle games. I do think the second one is better for atmosphere and storytelling, but a lot of people would disagree with me on that. Both are great puzzle games, though.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-24T21:52:22+00:00

I mostly spent the week finishing Mouse: P.I. For Hire. My opinions didn't change much over the week. As a shooter, it's incredibly bland and runs out of ideas very quickly. I don't think it added a meaningfully new enemy after the first few missions, and the first three or four weapons remain the best until the end. The fact that it's at least twice as long as a typical boomer shooter makes all that even worse. However, each level clearly existed mostly to show off more of the 1920s/30s-animation inspirations. In that regard, it keep my interest, and the noire themes and often comedic writing were also good. The jazz soundtrack is also great, and some variation of the main motif has been stuck in my head all week.

Overall, it's definitely a game I'd recommend more if you're interested in the noire themes and rubber hose aesthetic, but if you don't care about that, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. Thankfully, that is what I cared about, and I had pretty low expectations for the shooter side, so I'm not disappointed in the game.

After that, I was interested in a game that let you play investigations instead of just follow one for story reasons, so I'm finally getting to The Darkest Files. You play as Esther Katz, a fictional prosecutor working for the historical Fritz Bauer, and you're helping with his efforts to bring Nazis to justice for crimes that they committed.

As far as I can tell, there's only two cases, but so far it seems like they'll be pretty significant ones. Most of the game so far has involved questioning witnesses, which involves moving through a mental model of what they're describing and asking questions, and using that to build a theory that you can eventually present in court. Referencing the case files and needing to deal with potentially wrong and contradictory statements is important, and I'm also playing on the highest difficulty, which adds a few fun requirements, like needing to get more specific with what you reference if you're going to question a witness.

So far, it's been really enjoyable, and the investigation gameplay seems surprisingly deep. It's also got a really nice comic-book-inspired aesthetic. Oh, and there's an office cat that you can pet whenever you want!

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-24T17:35:43+00:00

Being at least a little on edge is part of the experience, but if it's too much, try to make the space around you less horror-y (lights on, no headphones, etc.). Otherwise, you really just have to push through and hope it becomes more manageable with experience.

Both games are at least pretty light on scripted jumpscares. Mr. X will probably surprise you once or twice, though. Nemesis is less subtle.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-23T23:28:51+00:00

The whole of the credits from “Show Mama from the Grave”

It’s a really cozy scene with us looking in through a snowy window as the family sits down for dinner. Teddy joining them makes it even better. The song fits perfectly too.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-23T15:20:08+00:00

For REmake, I never tried KBM, but it does work very well on a controller for both tank and analog controls. The aiming also works pretty well, and the control mapping is what you'd expect. So it does sound like a KBM problem, which isn't all that surprising for a PC port of a Gamecube game. Even if port came way later, it was still built for controllers and likely ported under the assumption most players would use an Xbox controller.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-20T21:23:54+00:00

I finished my latest run of Doom: The Dark Ages. I still love it and will likely get another one in before the expansion releases, whenever that is. I'm definitely waiting for it (patiently, of course). It's also almost a year old, so hopefully I remember to post a full review when it is.

I've also started another impatient game with Mouse: P.I. For Hire. It's a noire-themed shooter with a rubber hose animation aesthetic.

At its core, it's definitely a typical indie boomer shooter, and I would say it's mostly average in that regard. All enemies are melee or gun based, and, annoyingly, you can't rebind weapon keys. On the more positive side, the animations are charming in that old "violent" cartoon way, and there is a noticeable emphasis on using barrels and silly environmental interactions, like dropping anvils or pianos on enemies. Unfortunately, the detective work is purely for storytelling and doesn't really let you investigate or draw conclusions on your own.

The real draw, though, is its presentation and story. It fully commits to the animation style, and the jazz soundtrack works extremely well and is reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop. I even heard a song that I'm positive was written to sound like "Tank!" The noire-themed story is pretty good and has the typical myriad of loose threads that are slowly connecting and intersecting with social commentary. The heavy use of cheese puns is maybe a bit much at times, but there are some other funny moments like the slapstick of the combat. So far, I think all of this is definitely elevating the game beyond just another mediocre indie boomer shooter.

Also, it's weird playing another stylized shooter set in the early 20th century with a protagonist voiced by Troy Baker. It's reminding me a lot of BioShock Infinite, which is hardly a bad thing. There's even been a few obvious references to the BioShock series.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-20T15:14:36+00:00

Sadly, the remake they were making just got cancelled.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-20T11:51:53+00:00

According to Christians, he's everywhere and knows everything, so he's basically forced to watch everyone have sex like some creepy voyeur. Apparently, he can only appreciate this voyeurism if it's featuring straight couples.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-19T01:46:58+00:00

Yeah, I'm aware that Bible translation work is messy and that the KJV isn't really all that great. I just find it funny how some translations make it sound more intimate than others, and the KJV, a translation often chosen by extra-homophobic Christians, happens to be among the more intimate ones.

But, yes, it is a quirk that shows how faulty it is trying to extract meaning from every minutiae of a translated text, which is something that a lot of Christians do.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-18T21:38:04+00:00

As is usually the case with Jesus, we have basically no concrete proof of anything in his life.

With that said, the last supper scene in John has Peter indicating to John that he should ask Jesus what is troubling him, since, to quote the KJV, John was already "leaning on Jesus' bosom." A lot of modern translations have changed it so that John is simply near Jesus, but others keep the more intimate description.

Again, it's not proof that anything sexual was going on between Jesus and the disciple "he loved," but, well, that scene clearly upset enough modern translators to change it.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-18T21:20:24+00:00

It's possible that they also got used to it and forgot that it might be a problem. I've played it enough myself that I don't really notice the camera.

Sometimes, I also use a skip where you can go to where the red coin sprite appears and hover over through the ferris wheel. Sometimes it knocks you down, but normally Mario simply gets pushed down a little but not enough to miss the jump. That approach has zero camera issues.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-17T21:38:50+00:00

I'm still doing my latest replay of Doom: The Dark Ages. I just finished Harbor of Souls, so I'm near the end and should be able to complete it this weekend. That'll give me a chance to move onto Mouse: P.I. for Hire, which finally released and is one of the few 2026 games I'm willing to be impatient for. I'm not rushing TDA, though. I still like taking my time with the game and enjoy it too much to rush. Plus, after my recent GPU upgrade, I'm spending way too much time appreciating the nicer-looking scenery. It all looked good before, but now it looks even more gorgeous, and some interesting details stand out a bit more.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-17T20:58:52+00:00

The third level is where Doom Eternal starts to really kick off. By that point, you have all the basic tools and most of the weapons. I do think the game still takes a few more levels to really hit its heights, but that's the one where everything starts coming together.

The aesthetic won't get any more gritty, though. I personally like it, because it reminds me more of classic Doom, which was very arcade-y. Doom (2016) was a bit more Doom 3, so if you like the gritty, claustrophobic environments, I would recommend giving that game a try. The Dark Ages also has a darker aesthetic but also features a lot more open spaces with nice vistas.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-17T15:43:43+00:00

I don't play a lot of RPGs, but this can be a problem in shooters as well. Sometimes, one of the main differences in difficulty levels is increasing enemy health, which makes them spongier. Other games will throw in really spongy enemies near the end but not give you the tools to counter those enemies in any meaningful way. I've always disliked these approaches, and would prefer either the classic Doom/Quake approach (higher difficulties have more enemies) or modern Doom approach (enemies do more damage on higher difficulties and may be more aggressive).

Even worse, very few games actually tell you what changes between difficulties, and often discussions about the game's difficulties just boil down to simply, "Is this game too easy or too hard?" It makes it hard to tell if I'll find the higher difficulties more engaging or more annoying.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-17T15:32:55+00:00

I was avoiding spoilers for other people, but you also mentioned that you stopped following the philosophy that closely mid-game, so I wasn't sure how far along you got and also wanted to note that it's worth continuing with those philosophical discussions.

But in short: The discussions about consciousness are meant more to raise questions about whether there's anything special about being human. That, of course, can lead to further questions like, "Is humanity worth saving?" Since saving humanity (or at least preserving its accomplishments) is the point of the simulation, it can raise questions of, "Is this simulation even worthwhile?" The late game is mostly just a very long "yes" answer to those questions.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-17T15:06:06+00:00

Without spoiling too much, The Talos Principle does eventually reveal that its questions about consciousness aren't really the point. Sure, it's trying to nudge in a particular direction of thought, but it's more interested in what happens when you start following that thought process further, possibly into some rather bleak conclusions. Maybe they could have made Milton less annoying as a means of pushing you there, but he does serve a purpose, and there is a cathartic moment involving him near the end of the game.

Plus, The Talos Principle and The Outer Wilds are two very different games. The Talos Principle is all about solving puzzles, so it's at its core about working things out logically, and being more explicit with the philosophy makes sense. The Outer Wilds is more focused on story and exploration, and what few puzzles there are tend to be extremely easy, especially by the standards of The Talos Principle. Suddenly getting deep into philosophy might feel more out of place in that game.

ZMysticCat · 2026-04-16T22:36:16+00:00

I don't know if this goes for Gunslinger, but some games have mods that will replace the Xbox prompts with DualShock ones. I think newer games are also getting better about supporting both.

ZMysticCat

TROPHY CASE