What are you playing?

[chuckster]

I enjoyed all the Uncharted games (not played 4 yet) and TLoU and I felt like the first Tomb Raider reboot was a step down in that it aped just about everything it could from UC's gameplay and fell short on characters and an interesting plot. Rise of the Tomb Raider was a much better game though, and really benefited from better level design and a more focused narrative and cast.

As an aside, if there's a game I never want to replay it's TLoU. There's a game that rides 100% on story. Once I saw it play out, the game itself wasn't strong enough to make me feel like ever picking it up again. It's not that it's a bad game necessarily--it controls fine, looks good, and like I say, the story is great--it's just the setting, enemies, and feeling I get when I'm in the thick of gameplay is pretty bland without the suspense of the story to drive it.

And I'm a guy who has replayed Dear Esther 3 times.

[marurun]

Bought a couple indie retro titles to try and complete over the coming holidays. Super Cyborg was only $2 on Steam and River City Ransom: Underground is $10 on Steam and GOG, so I picked it up on GOG.

I played a little Super Cyborg and got to the boss of stage 3. This is like Contra but a bit harder. Maybe not quite Contra III Hard Mode, but not easy, that's for sure. There are a few enemies that come on the screen and fire REALLY fast. You have to have either cat-like reflexes or to learn where they are. There are lots of other challenges as well, but this game definitely wants to be Contra. It cribs so much from Contra, yet it does remain lots of fun. There need to be more Contra knock-offs. The real challenge will be to see if I can beat this thing by New Years.

[Sarge]

Good luck with Super Cyborg! It's a brutal, brutal game. It feels pretty fair for the first few levels, but gets absolutely intense by the end. That last boss... oof. The devs knew that with checkpoints they could amp up the difficulty, and amp they did.

For those that might care, my Steam review for the game: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/7656 ... ed/341550/

[BoneSnapDeez]

Skyblazer looks amazing visually but I don't remember sticking with it long.

Stick with it. You would like it. It rules. It's like Mega Man X (sorta) and other classic action-platformers aesthetically but it's way way easier. You can even farm for items and 1-ups with respawning items. A nice breezy Sunday afternoon game.

[marurun]

Good luck with Super Cyborg! It's a brutal, brutal game. It feels pretty fair for the first few levels, but gets absolutely intense by the end. That last boss... oof. The devs knew that with checkpoints they could amp up the difficulty, and amp they did.

For those that might care, my Steam review for the game: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/7656 ... ed/341550/

So is this a game you would recommend for other Racketeers, or is the challenge level just too intimidating?

[Sarge]

If you love NES Contra, I absolutely recommend it. The game is spot-on in feel. Just be aware what you're getting into. I know several folks here have blown through Hard Corps or Contra III on Hard, so if you've done that, you're more than equipped. I'm pretty good at these games, but only through lots of practice. I think I lack some of the natural talent that some of the best bring to the table. If I can do it, there are definitely folks here good enough.

Actually, this made me realize that I finished those two after Super Cyborg, so I'm honestly not sure exactly how it stacks up to them. It's harder than the NES games or Contra III's Normal for sure, but beyond that... dunno. It may be equivalent.

[marurun]

I had a few minutes for game time tonight, just enough to boot up Super Cyborg and try out easy mode. The big enemies take about half as many hits. That's the only real difference. Things that fire quickly from the edges of the screen still do so. All the other patterns are the same. Easy mode really isn't that easy, basically.

[prfsnl_gmr]

After finishing up the gloriously-title (and very solid) platformer Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo (3DS), I am finishing up Lara Croft Go. It is an exceptionally well-designed puzzle game.

[Sarge]

I will cast a vote for Lara Croft GO's greatness. I wasn't expecting much from it, but it's a fine game that uses the smartphone platform well.

[Segata]

Focusing on Fire Emblem Warriors until Xenoblade 2 arrives. Just unlocked Marth. He's so damn OP! I have not played a lot of FE games (I like them but prefer Shining Force) and it's obvious Marth is the poster boy for FE series but I am aware of some others like Hector that get ignored. I hope we get a FEW 2 and delve deeper into FE characters. I think this is a better Warriors game than HW and maybe the best Warriors game period. Certainly looks much better than HW but not nearly as good as DQH. Maybe FEW2 will use UE4.