Re: What Have You Been Playing... IN MARCH 2025?

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

* Star Wars: Outlaws

Wow, my experience couldn't be different. Well, I have played around 15
hours and I'm still stuck on the second planet, Toshara. But no
bugs. Well, some, like fast travel disabled even though I was out of any
restricted zone and it should've been allowed. But no CTDs or any other
issues. There is one config issue in that I can't set monitor refresh to
higher than 60 Hz. Or that has worked a few times but recently I've had
no luck. And it seems my rig isn't up to running the game much faster than
60 fps anyways so I've mostly given up on that.

I fully agree on the ham handed scripting and meaningless world. Or the
scripting is just bad. Like there was this mission where the game
decided it's time to stop sneaking and start shooting everything in
sight. I was left wondering if I need to crawl in some vent before
realizing it's a shootout now.

* Star Trek: Elite Force II

Oh wow, now there's a blast from the past. Like you, I wanted to like
this but it's such a disappointment. All I remember is weird-ass never
seen before aliens and lame plot. Seems like my memories are flawed,
considering your description, I don't remember any Romulans. Still, the
original Voyager: Elite Force was a masterpiece shooter and I actually
remember what happened in it.

What Have You Been Playing... IN MARCH 2025?

* GTA4

Continued and finished The Lost and the Damned DLC. It’s bleak and
violent and short but also, you get some pretty powerful weapons early
on. So, fun shootouts. Too bad you don’t have much money to buy
ammo. Rockets especially and there is only one pickup that can be
reached on foot and that for a measly three rockets. Oh well, on to the
other DLC.

* Skin Deep demo

This was a demo from Steam Next Fest. I liked the idea, you’re an
“Insurance Commando” put in space ships. So if pirates take over, you
come out of hiding and attack the pirates. So a little like ancient
Spy vs. Spy kind of fun, sneaking around and setting traps.

But it’s more silly than serious. When I broke out the captain of a ship
from jail and it turned out the captain’s literally a blocky cat who
apparently crawled out of Minecraft. I just quit then. It has the
elements of a game but just too much silly. I wouldn't want to play it
if there were freaking clowns in it either. Let alone monkeys which seem
to be some kind of dev favorites.

* Star Wars Outlaws

Got out of the first planet and crashed on the second. And with a death
mark too. Lovely. Although I thought having a death mark would be a good
thing *for an outlaw* to have but it didn't seem to buy me much
credibility.

So I've been running around the second planet, Toshara, doing odd jobs
and plot jobs. It's OK for what it is, usual annoyances of course, why
can't I just pick up a weapon someone dropped for example? Only if the
game happens to feel like it, it seems.

The climbing puzzles, as you said, why only some walls are actually
climbable, and sneaking puzzles (where's the next vent) are tedious. I
really wish it'd let you just fast travel out of an area when you're
done too but no. You gotta hoof it back to where ever. At least some
areas have the 'J' layout so a one way door or something let's you out
near the starting point. I used to think it's bad design but it works.

Still, it's been decent Star Wars fun so far.