What video game are you playing?

[Cackalacky2.0]

So are you guys still speaking to that friend?

I tried with Baldur's Gate 3 last year and bounced off initially. Tried again a couple of weeks ago and am totally hooked.

Yeah it was really our fault and I had been there before and wasn’t worried but none of us knew you could fail a couple wisdom checks and end up totally giving yourself over to the succubus. Haha 😆

I’m absolutely hooked. I’m doing a solo HM run just by myself and I’m taking it really slow. Kind of cheesing it by keeping at least one person alive in camp when I go into an area I’m sure I’ll be able to escape or flee or just get bad luck. I love this game.

 

[ulukinatme]

Make the Rail cannon great again!

 

[DONTH8]

After 163 hours, I finally platinumed FFVII Rebirth. I have been avoiding this thread in case others have already spoiled the game. I wont go into great detail unless everyone wants, but I will say:

1) I think my complaints are similar to the first. Way too much fluff thrown in-between the main story plot points. The Nibilheim section I thought was perfectly paced and should have been the road map for the other areas they created for example. So many mindless mini-games and side quests that add nothing to the overall narrative or character development.
2) I again love how they flesh out the main points of the story. I appreciate the creators for giving all the characters that I love special attention. they did the same in the first, and now I admire each even more. There were a few changes made to the overall story that I believe would be classified as major, and the ending is a bit extreme in terms of narrative, but overall I was happy with the way the game played out.
3) While I prefer turn-based combat over action, I have to say that FFVII Remake and Rebirth are probably my favorite renditions of the Action combat system. I played FFXVI which many praise, but I thought it was so repetitive. And while FFVII Rebirth is similarly repetitive, bein gable to switch between characters, using new synergy abilities, and having to do different things to pressure/stagger opponents makes the combat much more enjoyable.
4) The music was not nearly as good as the Remake. Unsurprising in hindsight as most of the iconic music happens in the first and last disc, but still I was a bit bummed. Its still good. But after the Remake, my expectations were sky high as I still listen to a lot of the music from the first. I probably wont be listening to much of the music from this one.
5) I would tell anyone who wants to play to probably not try to Plat this game. It kind of dragged on for me and left a bitter taste in my mouth afterwards that I probably didn't have originally when I wrote the points above. It was honestly the most painful 80+ hours to get the plat.

Anyways, I don't want to spoil the narrative of the game, but I'll say I enjoyed the main plot points and I think the general direction the game seems to be going is still intriguing to me. I probably have higher hopes now than I did after Remake mainly because I was nervous they were going to do a big shift on the original content. But they didn't so I'm confident that the main narrative will remain largely the same so I'm happy with that.

 

[IrishLion]

Anybody got experience with the handheld consoles outside of the Steam Deck?

I can get my hands on a G Cloud through work for the price of $0 if I cash in my company rewards points... or I can hoard them and get tickets to a big CFB game in the next two years or so.

Just browsing the company rewards store and getting tempted by all the options....

 

[ulukinatme]

After 163 hours, I finally platinumed FFVII Rebirth. I have been avoiding this thread in case others have already spoiled the game. I wont go into great detail unless everyone wants, but I will say:

1) I think my complaints are similar to the first. Way too much fluff thrown in-between the main story plot points. The Nibilheim section I thought was perfectly paced and should have been the road map for the other areas they created for example. So many mindless mini-games and side quests that add nothing to the overall narrative or character development.
2) I again love how they flesh out the main points of the story. I appreciate the creators for giving all the characters that I love special attention. they did the same in the first, and now I admire each even more. There were a few changes made to the overall story that I believe would be classified as major, and the ending is a bit extreme in terms of narrative, but overall I was happy with the way the game played out.
3) While I prefer turn-based combat over action, I have to say that FFVII Remake and Rebirth are probably my favorite renditions of the Action combat system. I played FFXVI which many praise, but I thought it was so repetitive. And while FFVII Rebirth is similarly repetitive, bein gable to switch between characters, using new synergy abilities, and having to do different things to pressure/stagger opponents makes the combat much more enjoyable.
4) The music was not nearly as good as the Remake. Unsurprising in hindsight as most of the iconic music happens in the first and last disc, but still I was a bit bummed. Its still good. But after the Remake, my expectations were sky high as I still listen to a lot of the music from the first. I probably wont be listening to much of the music from this one.
5) I would tell anyone who wants to play to probably not try to Plat this game. It kind of dragged on for me and left a bitter taste in my mouth afterwards that I probably didn't have originally when I wrote the points above. It was honestly the most painful 80+ hours to get the plat.

Anyways, I don't want to spoil the narrative of the game, but I'll say I enjoyed the main plot points and I think the general direction the game seems to be going is still intriguing to me. I probably have higher hopes now than I did after Remake mainly because I was nervous they were going to do a big shift on the original content. But they didn't so I'm confident that the main narrative will remain largely the same so I'm happy with that.

Glad you enjoyed it. I think this solidifies my decision to wait until they release a "Greatest Hits" with all parts combined. Considering they still have basically 2 discs of material left to work with I'm not sold that the next installment will be the last. Even if the original Disc 3 was mostly the final dungeon I feel like they're probably going to string this series out with another 2 installments before it's finished.

I feel ya on the Platinum part though. I probably enjoyed the first one a lot more before I put forth the effort to Platinum it. By the time I finished I decided there was nothing left to do and I completely uninstalled it, had no desire to return which doesn't happen often for me.

I've seen some minor spoilers of Rebirth. I feel like they're still leaving the door open for a story change, but we'll see. I was really hoping they would have put forth the effort to put a decent version of the Turn Based Combat in after backlash from the first game, but it sounds like they just copied and pasted the same setup from the first. I really hate the shift to button masher ARPGs lately, too much ADHD in Western audiences.

 

[IrishLion]

I'm in a gaming funk right now. Nothing is scratching the itch.

I basically did everything there is to do in Palworld, which was great fun until I caught a couple of Jetragons and then realized that breeding for skill combos and max IV's just isn't my thing.

Tried playing God of War: Ragnarok, but it just didn't suck me in like the first one.

I'm gonna try to start Horizon: Forbidden West, but I don't feel particularly motivated to play it.

I tried downloading old time wasters, but even those felt blah. I can usually rely on any Fire Emblem or classic Pokemon title to refresh my gaming muscles, but even those felt stale.

I want to play **something**, but I have no idea what that is.

I'm thinking about trying Fallout 3 because of the show. I tried to play once back in the day, but was too immature or too inexperienced in the genre to get any further than Megaton. The VATS system really threw me off, as did the fact that I felt like I missed something major when I wasn't able to save the sheriff's life.

Any tips on how to start in terms of stats, SPECIAL, etc.? I've seen wildly conflicting "Beginner's Guides" in terms of how to distribute points to begin the game.

 

[calvegas04]

Play Red Dead 2 again

 

[ulukinatme]

I'm in a gaming funk right now. Nothing is scratching the itch.

I basically did everything there is to do in Palworld, which was great fun until I caught a couple of Jetragons and then realized that breeding for skill combos and max IV's just isn't my thing.

Tried playing God of War: Ragnarok, but it just didn't suck me in like the first one.

I'm gonna try to start Horizon: Forbidden West, but I don't feel particularly motivated to play it.

I tried downloading old time wasters, but even those felt blah. I can usually rely on any Fire Emblem or classic Pokemon title to refresh my gaming muscles, but even those felt stale.

I want to play **something**, but I have no idea what that is.

I'm thinking about trying Fallout 3 because of the show. I tried to play once back in the day, but was too immature or too inexperienced in the genre to get any further than Megaton. The VATS system really threw me off, as did the fact that I felt like I missed something major when I wasn't able to save the sheriff's life.

Any tips on how to start in terms of stats, SPECIAL, etc.? I've seen wildly conflicting "Beginner's Guides" in terms of how to distribute points to begin the game.

If you liked the show, I would play New Vegas first. It's a better game than 3, and there's a few cool tie ins specific to the show.
Fallout 4 has some better shooting mechanics probably, but it's more dumbed down from an RPG side of things too. It gives you the illusion of choice with dialogue options, but typically all options lead to the same result.

As far as stats, it depends on what kind of player you want to play. I tend to go high Intelligence and maybe Agility, very low Luck, decently high Strength, and then any extra points in Charisma or Perception depending on the player I'm playing. If you want to talk your way out of lots of situations or barter better, more Charisma. If you want to be a Sniper or generally shoot better, more Perception. If you want to Melee or have a high Carry Weight, more Strength. There's a place for Luck too, especially if you like gambling in the casinos or the Mysterious Stranger perk, and there's some really really good Luck perks in Fallout 4, but generally in 3 and New Vegas I find it's better to be good thank lucky. In those games it mostly just adds to Crit Chance.

Tag Skills and Traits can have a big effect on your character. Gifted, Educated, Sex Appeal, and Wild Wasteland are all fun Traits. For Tag Skills I typically like taking one weapon skill that I'm going to specialize in. Generally it helps if it's something that's readily available early, like Melee Weapons, Small Arms, or Unarmed. Energy Weapons is a good one for late game, but it's usually hard to find that ammo early, same for Explosives. For a second Tag Skill getting Speech is a good one because it allows you to talk your way out of certain situations or improve quest rewards. Repair is a good third skill so you can keep weapons and armor in peak condition, especially once you get access to the Jury Rigging perk. Barter isn't a bad one to have either. You do you though, those are just a few of the handier skills imo. Depending on your playstyle or the kind of character you want to play, you may want to change it up. When I do a Legion playthrough in New Vegas I go full Strength and Agility and just lay waste to enemies with a Super Sledge, no technical skills like my normal runs.

I wouldn't worry too much about failing to save someone, the game is setup to allow you to continue even if there's an unfavorable outcome. I do suggest making multiple saves and saving often though.

 

[POTUS2017]

My buddy got me back into Death Stranding after trying once and giving up almost immediately. Almost finished, and I have to say this is a hauntingly beautiful game if you can get through the first couple hours. Wow

 

[Ian77]

I don't think I've ever platinum'd a game. Respect to people who do, but some of those trophies are so hard to get that the juice isn't worth the squeeze for me personally.

I'm having a lot of fun with Stellar Blade. If you can ignore the online chatter about the protagonist, the combat is fantastic. It's not Souls games hard, and there's an easy/"story" mode, but otherwise you can see Souls games DNA all over it.

 

[dublinirish]

If you liked the show, I would play New Vegas first. It's a better game than 3, and there's a few cool tie ins specific to the show.
Fallout 4 has some better shooting mechanics probably, but it's more dumbed down from an RPG side of things too. It gives you the illusion of choice with dialogue options, but typically all options lead to the same result.

As far as stats, it depends on what kind of player you want to play. I tend to go high Intelligence and maybe Agility, very low Luck, decently high Strength, and then any extra points in Charisma or Perception depending on the player I'm playing. If you want to talk your way out of lots of situations or barter better, more Charisma. If you want to be a Sniper or generally shoot better, more Perception. If you want to Melee or have a high Carry Weight, more Strength. There's a place for Luck too, especially if you like gambling in the casinos or the Mysterious Stranger perk, and there's some really really good Luck perks in Fallout 4, but generally in 3 and New Vegas I find it's better to be good thank lucky. In those games it mostly just adds to Crit Chance.

Tag Skills and Traits can have a big effect on your character. Gifted, Educated, Sex Appeal, and Wild Wasteland are all fun Traits. For Tag Skills I typically like taking one weapon skill that I'm going to specialize in. Generally it helps if it's something that's readily available early, like Melee Weapons, Small Arms, or Unarmed. Energy Weapons is a good one for late game, but it's usually hard to find that ammo early, same for Explosives. For a second Tag Skill getting Speech is a good one because it allows you to talk your way out of certain situations or improve quest rewards. Repair is a good third skill so you can keep weapons and armor in peak condition, especially once you get access to the Jury Rigging perk. Barter isn't a bad one to have either. You do you though, those are just a few of the handier skills imo. Depending on your playstyle or the kind of character you want to play, you may want to change it up. When I do a Legion playthrough in New Vegas I go full Strength and Agility and just lay waste to enemies with a Super Sledge, no technical skills like my normal runs.

I wouldn't worry too much about failing to save someone, the game is setup to allow you to continue even if there's an unfavorable outcome. I do suggest making multiple saves and saving often though.

this was the huge disappointment in 4. always felt like the choices i made were so pointless.

 

[greyhammer90]

this was the huge disappointment in 4. always felt like the choices i made were so pointless.

1. Yes.
2. No (but Yes later)
3. Sarcastic yes.
4. Give me more details before I choose 1-3

 

[zelezo vlk]

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door is being re-released later this month. Insta-buy for me

 

[ulukinatme]

1. Yes.
2. No (but Yes later)
3. Sarcastic yes.
4. Give me more details before I choose 1-3

Yup Simplified all 4 can be boiled down to: "But thou must!"

 

[dublinirish]

1. Yes.
2. No (but Yes later)
3. Sarcastic yes.
4. Give me more details before I choose 1-3

all those TellTale games are the exact same also. They give you the illusion of choice only

 

[dublinirish]

 

[GoldenAura]

 

[greyhammer90]

This is an absolutely wild leap forward for the N64 emulation scene.

 

[ulukinatme]

This is an absolutely wild leap forward for the N64 emulation scene.

Oh shit! That is big. For anyone that's done emulation we've had smooth running PSX, PS2, and PS3 emulators for some time (Although the later depends on how good your rig is). There's apparently even a PS4 emulator out there, but it sounds like it can just do low 2D games.

N64 emulation has been kind of a bitch for awhile now though. When I built my Raspberry Pi no system gave me more trouble than N64, and that was after fighting with Dreamcast and also having to figure out how to link multi-disc PSX games to the same save setup! The performance was just garbage, it required messing with two different emulators with various configurations just to get some stable games that performed well. Nintendo even notoriously had issues with adding the N64 games to their Switch library last year.

Now I'm just waiting for them to integrate RT64 into RetroPie so I can scrap my existing N64 shoddy setup.

 

[greyhammer90]

Oh shit! That is big. For anyone that's done emulation we've had smooth running PSX, PS2, and PS3 emulators for some time (Although the later depends on how good your rig is). There's apparently even a PS4 emulator out there, but it sounds like it can just do low 2D games.

N64 emulation has been kind of a bitch for awhile now though. When I built my Raspberry Pi no system gave me more trouble than N64, and that was after fighting with Dreamcast and also having to figure out how to link multi-disc PSX games to the same save setup! The performance was just garbage, it required messing with two different emulators with various configurations just to get some stable games that performed well. Nintendo even notoriously had issues with adding the N64 games to their Switch library last year.

Now I'm just waiting for them to integrate RT64 into RetroPie so I can scrap my existing N64 shoddy setup.

I played the first cycle of MM last night on my SteamDeck using this method and it's flawless. Easily the best I've experienced of this game since I originally played it.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Oh shit! That is big. For anyone that's done emulation we've had smooth running PSX, PS2, and PS3 emulators for some time (Although the later depends on how good your rig is). There's apparently even a PS4 emulator out there, but it sounds like it can just do low 2D games.

N64 emulation has been kind of a bitch for awhile now though. When I built my Raspberry Pi no system gave me more trouble than N64, and that was after fighting with Dreamcast and also having to figure out how to link multi-disc PSX games to the same save setup! The performance was just garbage, it required messing with two different emulators with various configurations just to get some stable games that performed well. Nintendo even notoriously had issues with adding the N64 games to their Switch library last year.

Now I'm just waiting for them to integrate RT64 into RetroPie so I can scrap my existing N64 shoddy setup.

Say that again in English please.

 

[IrishLion]

 

[GoldenAura]

 

[ulukinatme]

Similar thoughts to Greyhammer - Sekiro/RimWorld/Hades are universally loved for a reason.

Diplomacy - We've spoken about this one before, can't recommend it enough.
V Rising - Wouldn't buy this one, have friends who played it and felt it was meh.
Europa - Didn't like the UI and felt that CIV games hit the spot better.

Two games not on your list that I would recommend
Vampire Survivors - The most simple game that actually created it's own "class", it's like $4 and better than the coffee you would have gotten for that price.
Voxel tycoon - Really peaceful fun management sim game, the graphics are very soothing lol.

Started playing Vampire Survivors a few weeks ago, just finished every Unlock and Achievement today (Aside from the new Contra-like DLC they just dropped). I was surprised how addicting it was. At first it seemed rather unassuming and mediocre, but the further you get into it the more enjoyable it becomes. At first you're just trying to survive a stage to get to the 30 minute mark, then you're trying to figure out how to get past the Reaper, unlock more stages, etc. For a game built only on progression with no real story it's surprisingly engaging. I was stoked when I got my first evolution, and then the first time I merged Spellstrom I shit my pants. I read up on the Sammy Goldfarming, I didn't even know my computer could handle that kind of madness. My eyes didn't even know what they were looking at. The game was a lot of fun in a nostalgic "8-bit bullethell on crack" kind of way. Thanks for suggesting it.



Other than finishing VS, I'm still playing Helldivers 2 during the week with buddies. I've got some other gaming friends that are trying to get me into Valheim again, although I didn't care for that one the first time. Despite loving the 8-bit genre and graphics not being an issue for me, there's something offensive about the art style in that game, I can't put my finger on it. It utilizes modern lighting and effects, but they've paired it with low poly models and crappy textures. It messes with me. It get that it's an art style choice, but I have problems playing weird styles like that. Had the same problem with Borderlands games and Zelda Windwaker, I can't do cell shaded stuff.

 

[ulukinatme]

I picked up Sea of Stars awhile ago after it got great reviews. Finally started playing it a few weeks ago, just finished it with the "Good" ending at 55 hours played. Not a bad little RPG. It definitely calls back to some of the early SNES days of RPGs, the "Golden Age" imo. There's a lot of Chrono Trigger feel in it (And a couple references).

The combat feels like a hybrid between Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG. It does it's own thing though. There's a "Lock" system when an enemy is casting a spell or ability. This "Lock" is generally anywhere from 2-8 tumblers I guess you would call them. Each one will correspond to an attack one of your characters can make: Blunt damage, Slashing damage, Poison, Arcane, etc. You basically have to figure out what combination of different attacks (If any) you can do to knock out those tumblers and beat the "Lock." If you do, you disrupt the attack. If you only knock out some of the tumblers then the attack succeeds, but doesn't hit as hard. It's an interesting concept, especially when you consider Combo attacks with other characters that may make breaking "Locks" easier. Some Locks can get a bit involved and may take 3 or more characters to disrupt them.

The combat by default isn't super hard for most fights, but there's Relics you can pickup throughout the game that can make combat more difficult or easier, depending on if you turn them on or not. The dungeons have a number of simple puzzles in them, but nothing too intricate as the game is made for pretty much all ages. There's some great characters crafted for the game, and they establish a bit of lore along the way. The story feels kind of basic at first, although I felt like it got more interesting the further you get in, especially toward the end. I honestly didn't see a few plot twists coming along the way. There was some great music put together for the game. There's lots of little secrets hidden throughout the game, some of which tie in to the Good ending.

I enjoyed the game quite a bit, felt like a great love letter to that 90s era of 16 bit RPGs. There's not a lot to criticize for me really. If I could change one thing I might have been giving each character one or two more abilities as they don't get many to work with. That said, there's not really a need for more abilities, and the Lock system is run in such a way that the abilities you already have keep it balanced. Oh, and I didn't care for their "Wheels" mini game too much either, but fortunately it wasn't a mandatory thing for the Good ending...damn computer always be cheatin' in that one!

 

[ulukinatme]

So, I started this one sometime last fall. It was a bit of a slog (Steam shows 232 hours played! That was all DLCs, a bit of that may have been meals AFK though), but after leaving off in the final Act sometime in March I came back to it this weekend so I could finally put it to bed. This was Pillars of Eternity: Deadire 2. This is an Obsidian RPG, and if you know anything about Obsidian it means you're getting a shit ton of quest choices and factions to work with. That has never been truer than with PoE 2: Deadfire. Soooo many quests, so many choices, so many NPC Companions and outcomes.

They give you the option to do Real Time combat /w Pause, or traditional Turn Based. I've been on a Turn Based kick lately, even though I played PoE with the Real Time combat. The combat felt fairly balanced for most of the game playing on Classic difficulty. I'll admit towards the end I may have sped things up a bit as I was a bit overpowered after the DLC stuff and I was eager to put a fork in the game to see what ending I got. At that point non-boss fights were pretty trivial, so I basically skipped trash fights. The classes and combat are all very much reminiscent of D&D, with a few classes renamed basically. The leveling structure and ability/spell selections are somewhat similar as well. There's even sub-classes if you want to play with those, as well as Multi-classing.

Speaking of D&D, I love the little handdrawn style cutaways they do in Pillars of Eternity. You'll come to a new location or creature, it'll switch from colorful isometric map to a parchment with a sketched perspective where the narrator/DM hashes out what you encounter. You then make choices how to proceed, good and bad. The game's story is pretty decent. It's a bit confusing at first, even having come from playing PoE I. They've got a really nice feature in game where most terminology in dialogue is highlighted with links, and if you hover over said word or phrase it'll give you the definition of what that thing is. Pretty nice, especially in the beginning when they're throwing all kinds of different gods' names at you, different races, different island names, etc. I think Final Fantasy XIII could have benefitted from that. I can't overstate how many sidequests exist in this game, it's crazy. Obviously you don't need to do them all, but some are pretty entertaining. The Beasts of Winter DLC was really good imo, enjoyed the story greatly.

The ship battles were a mostly optional part of the game, they were probably my least favorite addition that weren't in the previous game. At first the ship battles were frustrating as you tried to take on bigger ships with your poorly outfitted dingy. You quickly learn that even in a smaller ship you can outmaneuver the big guys and even sink them. At some point you can put together a pretty overpowered ship and then ship battles become trivial and almost a nuisance. They were kind of a neat concept, but the execution could have been better. From what I read they kind of got added in late. I didn't necessarily hate the ship battles, but they felt a little repetitive once I got my good ship put together. If there was one thing I didn't care for at all, it was the Arena DLC: Slayer, Seeker, Survivor. The story was average, but some of the fights really dragged and I kind of started it late.

Considering the budget this game got, I can't believe I sank 200+ hours into it. I only put 112 hours into Pillars of Eternity 1, I feel like doing Turn Based this time around probably doubled my time spent. I like to get my money's worth, and considering I got the game for $20 on sale it's hard to argue that it wasn't a good buy. Right now the standard edition is on sale for $10, $15 if you want all the DLC. Well worth the money imo if you enjoy a game that gives you choices that matter. If you enjoy Real Time (Pause optional) RPG combat, or Turn Based, this would be a good game to check out. You don't need to have played the first game, although there's a lot of available world lore to consume if that's your thing. There's a good story, good characters, and a very gray-area antagonist that just happens to be a god.

 

[ulukinatme]

Alright, what do I play next?
Divinity: Original Sin 2, Tales of Arise, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Outer Wilds (Overwhelmingly Positive reviews), or Kenshi (Also Overwhelmingly Positive)?
There's also Dragon's Age: Inquisition and Dragon's Age 2, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy those as much as the first.
I've been kind of itching for a space based game for a bit too. I've had Avorion and Rebel Galaxy collecting dust since I bought them. There's also the option of diving back into No Man's Sky or Empyrion. I've played both, but it's been quite awhile and they've added a bit since.

 

[dublinirish]

Alright, what do I play next?
Divinity: Original Sin 2, Tales of Arise, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Outer Wilds (Overwhelmingly Positive reviews), or Kenshi (Also Overwhelmingly Positive)?
There's also Dragon's Age: Inquisition and Dragon's Age 2, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy those as much as the first.
I've been kind of itching for a space based game for a bit too. I've had Avorion and Rebel Galaxy collecting dust since I bought them. There's also the option of diving back into No Man's Sky or Empyrion. I've played both, but it's been quite awhile and they've added a bit since.

been playing this as it was free on Epic the other week. It's not as good as I remember Origins being but it has tons of content with all the DLC in the GOTY edition.

 

[GreenGemsOmally]

So, I started this one sometime last fall. It was a bit of a slog (Steam shows 232 hours played! That was all DLCs, a bit of that may have been meals AFK though), but after leaving off in the final Act sometime in March I came back to it this weekend so I could finally put it to bed. This was Pillars of Eternity: Deadire 2. This is an Obsidian RPG, and if you know anything about Obsidian it means you're getting a shit ton of quest choices and factions to work with. That has never been truer than with PoE 2: Deadfire. Soooo many quests, so many choices, so many NPC Companions and outcomes.

They give you the option to do Real Time combat /w Pause, or traditional Turn Based. I've been on a Turn Based kick lately, even though I played PoE with the Real Time combat. The combat felt fairly balanced for most of the game playing on Classic difficulty. I'll admit towards the end I may have sped things up a bit as I was a bit overpowered after the DLC stuff and I was eager to put a fork in the game to see what ending I got. At that point non-boss fights were pretty trivial, so I basically skipped trash fights. The classes and combat are all very much reminiscent of D&D, with a few classes renamed basically. The leveling structure and ability/spell selections are somewhat similar as well. There's even sub-classes if you want to play with those, as well as Multi-classing.

Speaking of D&D, I love the little handdrawn style cutaways they do in Pillars of Eternity. You'll come to a new location or creature, it'll switch from colorful isometric map to a parchment with a sketched perspective where the narrator/DM hashes out what you encounter. You then make choices how to proceed, good and bad. The game's story is pretty decent. It's a bit confusing at first, even having come from playing PoE I. They've got a really nice feature in game where most terminology in dialogue is highlighted with links, and if you hover over said word or phrase it'll give you the definition of what that thing is. Pretty nice, especially in the beginning when they're throwing all kinds of different gods' names at you, different races, different island names, etc. I think Final Fantasy XIII could have benefitted from that. I can't overstate how many sidequests exist in this game, it's crazy. Obviously you don't need to do them all, but some are pretty entertaining. The Beasts of Winter DLC was really good imo, enjoyed the story greatly.

The ship battles were a mostly optional part of the game, they were probably my least favorite addition that weren't in the previous game. At first the ship battles were frustrating as you tried to take on bigger ships with your poorly outfitted dingy. You quickly learn that even in a smaller ship you can outmaneuver the big guys and even sink them. At some point you can put together a pretty overpowered ship and then ship battles become trivial and almost a nuisance. They were kind of a neat concept, but the execution could have been better. From what I read they kind of got added in late. I didn't necessarily hate the ship battles, but they felt a little repetitive once I got my good ship put together. If there was one thing I didn't care for at all, it was the Arena DLC: Slayer, Seeker, Survivor. The story was average, but some of the fights really dragged and I kind of started it late.

Considering the budget this game got, I can't believe I sank 200+ hours into it. I only put 112 hours into Pillars of Eternity 1, I feel like doing Turn Based this time around probably doubled my time spent. I like to get my money's worth, and considering I got the game for $20 on sale it's hard to argue that it wasn't a good buy. Right now the standard edition is on sale for $10, $15 if you want all the DLC. Well worth the money imo if you enjoy a game that gives you choices that matter. If you enjoy Real Time (Pause optional) RPG combat, or Turn Based, this would be a good game to check out. You don't need to have played the first game, although there's a lot of available world lore to consume if that's your thing. There's a good story, good characters, and a very gray-area antagonist that just happens to be a god.

I cannot rep this game enough. Quite literally one of my favorite games of all time. I replay it about once a year or so.

One personal quality of life suggestion though is to install a mod (on PC) to skip the naval combat to allow you to just auto-board instead, I enjoyed that more after the first dozen or so times of doing the ship combat.

 

[GreenGemsOmally]

Alright, what do I play next?
Divinity: Original Sin 2, Tales of Arise, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Outer Wilds (Overwhelmingly Positive reviews), or Kenshi (Also Overwhelmingly Positive)?
There's also Dragon's Age: Inquisition and Dragon's Age 2, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy those as much as the first.
I've been kind of itching for a space based game for a bit too. I've had Avorion and Rebel Galaxy collecting dust since I bought them. There's also the option of diving back into No Man's Sky or Empyrion. I've played both, but it's been quite awhile and they've added a bit since.

If you enjoyed Deadfire, Pathfinder: Kingmaker is good in the same real-time with pause combat idea, but it's way more complicated in that it tries very hard to pull straight from rules as written pathfinder (Basically D&D 3.5). Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is newer and does something similar, but has definitely advanced and made some solid quality of life improvements on their system. Also highly recommended.