The Computer/Console Gaming Thread

[DELTAprime]

I feel let down by the PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn. It feels like Sony pushed it out the door before it was ready. There a bunch of technical issues. For me personally I've got the stuttering issues most people are experiencing and I've also got some very bad texture issues. Still, at least I don't have the crashing issues people have reported.

[SharkyMcShark]

Sad to hear that about HZD. I've fallen into a gaming hiatus for the time being - I've not played anything for two weeks (literally the longest I've gone without gaming since I started 26 years ago) and had hoped to come back to HZD at some point.

[DELTAprime]

I've gotten back into GTA Online because a friend wanted to play it.

Turns out the update that was just released last night is actually really good. A tonne of quality of life improvements and no drip-feeding of content. It's almost as if Rockstar have turned over a new leaf and started listening to their players instead of trying to milk them for every cent in their bank account.

[DELTAprime]

Just preordered Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2. I'm really looking to revisiting THPS and THPS 2 in this remaster. I've heard nothing but positive things from people that have played it.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Due to Kurdt the Goat's insistence, I've been playing through DK Tropical freeze on the switch and it's a lot of fun Seems more accessible than DKCR on Wii/3ds withe better level variety and a tad easier.
The thing that annoys me about DKR is that it seems very much based on dying a lot to learn what's coming up next. Like there were many parts on DKCR where there is no possible way to react to a section without having approached it before, whcih could be part of the way the DKR works, but I wasn't enjoying it.
SO far Trpoicla Freeze is occasionally like that, but not to the obscene extent of DKCR and they seem to throw lives at you like crazy, but man, I don't think I've ever liked a minecart level.

The interesting thing is the Funky king mode and partners in Freeze. Funky Kong makes progression a cake walk with his abilities, which will be good if I want to collect the puzzle pieces etc.
The partners though are not weighted too well. Diddy and his Jetpack are eclipsed in almost every way by Dixie and her helicopter hair. Even Diddy's underwater jet boost thing is crappier than Dixies propeller hair. Cranky king has his pole bounce thing that has various uses. But Diddy, poor guy got shafted big time.

It is very good to look at and the music is also nice and also managed to get the better half on it in 2player mode. Something I'd like to try again with. In 2p mode, one player controls Big King and the other plays partner kong. If you select Donkey, then he can pick up and carry artner, but if you play as funky king, this doesn't seem to be the case.
Kind of interesting way to play, So I could carry better half through the harder sections of the level, but if I get better half to use Funky's easy mode, then we don't have that option.

Overall, it ain't bad

[SharkyMcShark]

I finally took the plunge on Horizon Zero Dawn. It's been running with minimal issue on my setup, which is nice.

Fun game! It sort of stands at the border of being a generic open world and bringing something new to the genre. I don't do a lot of 'open world' gaming so I'm not as burnt out on it as other gamers are (the last singleplayer open world game I sunk more than an hour into was Far Cry 5 in 2018, and before that probably Far Cry 4 in 2014?).

[DELTAprime]

EB Games is offering a pretty good trade in deal on Xbox Series X. If you trade in the Xbox One X you get $350 off the cost of the Series X. Given that Xbox One X's go for around $350 used on Facebook Marketplace that's pretty good. If they do a similarly good deal for the PS5 I might buy a PS5 from them at launch.

Even if the Xbox deal is really good there's no reason to take advantage of it for me as there is nothing exclusive to Microsoft I can play on XSX that I can't play on PC and my current Xbox One X.