What video game are you playing?

[Whiskeyjack]

Also, after having brought it up when discussing Smash in here last week, of course I learn today that there's a new Fire Emblem game out for the Switch.

I really gotta buy a Switch lol.

Lots of people streaming it on Twitch. Looks good.

Beat Cuphead last night. Highly recommended.

 

[Meatloaf]

Picked up Spider-Man for $20 on prime day. Very enjoyable so far.

 

[gkIrish]

Picked up Spider-Man for $20 on prime day. Very enjoyable so far.

Still $20 bucks. Just ordered it. Good snipe.

 

[IrishLion]

the gear I want

Wife and kids all went to bed early tonight, so I had some extra time to dilly-dally with my Odyssey file.

I’ve been selling/dismantling most non-legendary stuff in my initial playthough, but I started keeping a bunch of the cool epic gear from the latest DLC. And boy was that a good move... I was able to make a bootleg version of the above build, and it is fuuuuuuuun.

Dyonisos’ Tears isn’t even necessary... it just adds a random chance element to boss fights, really, where you *might* be able to one-hit some of the legendary bosses if you’re lucky.

Otherwise, the assassin-damage-as-melee isn’t really needed; focusing on crit chance/damage is really all you need... pop your venom ability, overpower attack a group, stun them with vanish when you need a couple of hits to build adrenaline back up, then repeat.

I even took a couple of lvl 90+ mercenaries out with relative ease in open combat, which was refreshing. Playing as a sneaky assassin, I would have to sneak up on mercenaries, critical assassinate them, then hit them with Hero Strike immediately. This new build allows you to actually hold your own and absorb some damage while you brawl, and it’s a nice change of pace.

As further proof of its utility, I finished my engravings and then immediately Leroy Jenkins’d into a big ass fort with a Polemarch, three captains, and a bunch of brutes... I haven’t used staffs hardly at all, and have always avoided group combat, and yet I made them all look defenseless.

 

[ACamp1900]

Madden drops tonight... anyone getting it this year?

 

[IrishLion]

Madden drops tonight... anyone getting it this year?

I had some Amazon credit to use, so I preordered. Gonna be at the lake all weekend though, so I’ll have to wait a few days to play.

It’s been three or four years since I’ve had Madden. I’m not gonna know wtf I’m doing lol. Couldn’t resist getting it this year, though, because the superstar mode sounds interesting (and has playable college football!).

 

[ACamp1900]

It’s been three or four years since I’ve had Madden. I’m not gonna know wtf I’m doing lol.

Def play with the Bengals on All Madden then, the outcomes will be more realistic that way...

 

[NorthDakota]

The problem I've always had with sports games is they can't seem to really figure out how good to make the computer player.

 

[ACamp1900]

The problem I've always had with sports games is they can't seem to really figure out how good to make the computer player.

With very few exceptions set the game to the hardest possible setting and get good... stop being a bitch.

 

[calvegas04]

Madden drops tonight... anyone getting it this year?

Holding out for NCAA

 

[ACamp1900]

Holding out for NCAA

See you in 2022,....

 

[greyhammer90]

See you in 2022,....

If only...

I'd legit pay $200 for a new NCAA game.

 

[ACamp1900]

If only...

I'd legit pay $200 for a new NCAA game.

I’m always wrong so yeah, but I do feel we are over the hump here. I think it’s a matter of a few years, if that.

With that said idk if I even long for it anymore. I try to picture what a cfb game would look like now,... playoffs, almost certainly without certain programs (ND among them). I’m kind of eh on the idea the further we get from NCAA 14

 

[greyhammer90]

I’m always wrong so yeah, but I do feel we are over the hump here. I think it’s a matter of a few years, if that.

With that said idk if I even long for it anymore. I try to picture what a cfb game would look like now,... playoffs, almost certainly without certain programs (ND among them). I’m kind of eh on the idea the further we get from NCAA 14

Playoffs added to an NCAA game would be great? I get (but largely don't agree) with your dislike of the playoffs in the real world, but in a video game format I see it as an absolute good. I could see ND being annoying about being in the game, but I think the potential recruiting negative would force the hand of any big-time hold out. Besides, I feel like create-a-team or roster sharing would nullify most of that. Regardless anything would be better than the big plate of nothing we have now.

Madden is fun, but there's nothing like taking a one star program to the top or striking up the band when you score. Feels hollow and corporate in comparison.

 

[ulukinatme]

Madden drops tonight... anyone getting it this year?

I'm about 80% sure I'm going to get it this year. I usually get Madden every 4 years or so. I've never seen the need to get it every year like I did with NCAA Football. This is about the year I would buy a new Madden though, and if the Browns end up being really competitive in this one that would be a bigger draw for me as a fan (Not that I don't play with them anyway when they've sucked). I've also heard that the RPO/Option game is the best it's been in Madden and it's reminiscent of where it was when the last NCAA game hit. When I play Madden I tend to trade some players to get ND alumni anyway, but we'll see what happens. I'm not going to get the game tonight, but I'll wait at least a few weeks and see how the reviews go. If reviews look good, I'll pull the trigger. PS4.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Playoffs added to an NCAA game would be great? I get (but largely don't agree) with your dislike of the playoffs in the real world, but in a video game format I see it as an absolute good. I could see ND being annoying about being in the game, but I think the potential recruiting negative would force the hand of any big-time hold out. Besides, I feel like create-a-team or roster sharing would nullify most of that. Regardless anything would be better than the big plate of nothing we have now.

Madden is fun, but there's nothing like taking a one star program to the top or striking up the band when you score. Feels hollow and corporate in comparison.

One of my favorite things was creating a college and starting them as a powderpuff? Cupcake? Whatever it was, I'd go through and design the uniforms, mascots, stadium. Then take them from a nothing to winning the natty and then around the 6th-7th year, I'd leave for the ND job and then I'd create 1-2 prospects a year and work hard to sign them and then rewrite the record books for whatever position they played.

And then I'd do it all again.

 

[greyhammer90]

One of my favorite things was creating a college and starting them as a powderpuff? Cupcake? Whatever it was, I'd go through and design the uniforms, mascots, stadium. Then take them from a nothing to winning the natty and then around the 6th-7th year, I'd leave for the ND job and then I'd create 1-2 prospects a year and work hard to sign them and then rewrite the record books for whatever position they played.

And then I'd do it all again.

This guy NCAAs. I enjoyed making a coach on a crap team, NOT making ND my dream school (or whatever it was called) that would guarantee you the job offer eventually, and seeing if I ever got an offer to coach at ND organically. It was fun being on the cusp of winning a title with a place like UCLA and then dropping it like a hot potato when ND called.

 

[greyhammer90]

One of my favorite memories in college was when my roommates and I shared a franchise where we all played the coaching staff. One guy would be d coordinator (called plays) one guy offensive coordinator (called plays), and one guy head coach (actually controlled the players on the field). We'd rotate every three games or so. We also had a rule that we couldn't stay at the same school for more than 3 years. We started at MTSU and ended up winning like 2 titles at Nebraska, Washington, Florida, and Georgia each. (The other rule was that we weren't allowed to coach for the teams we were fans of, to force variety. So ND and Tennessee were out

 

[ulukinatme]

It's way more fun building up a Cupcake then taking over a powerhouse. When you're in a powerhouse there's no where to go, you're already at the top. My favorite dynasty is one I have where I started as the OC at Texas State, DIDN'T get the HC job after building them up for 3 seasons, so I went to take over the Fighting Boob Davies of New Mexico and built them up for 4 seasons into a national contender and Texas State called back. Took that job and built them up the same way. I ended up 20 seasons deep and it's still there for me when I go back.

There's just something about taking a team with "D" grades and trying to bring them all up to an "A" status. I just wish the Academics grade and Campus Lifestyle were easier to raise, it seems like EA purposely left those nearly impossible to adjust without spending cash. I've tried some different methods like playing freshmen, or recruiting lots of kids that value Academics, but it doesn't seem to have much of an impact.

If anyone is looking for a good Cupcake to build up, Texas State is a good program. They don't get much worse when you're talking bottom of the barrel, but they have the benefit of being a Texas program which doesn't make recruiting completely impossible since you can sell Playing Time and Proximity to Home. Not only are Texas recruits close by, but Louisiana is right there too, and I think Florida recruits are still within a "B" rating for being close to home. I've never tried to build up Buffalo, but I imagine they would be one of the worst given they have to go to the Midwest just to get decent recruits and you're fighting B1G teams for a smaller pool there.

 

[ACamp1900]

Playoffs added to an NCAA game would be great? I get (but largely don't agree) with your dislike of the playoffs in the real world, but in a video game format I see it as an absolute good. I could see ND being annoying about being in the game, but I think the potential recruiting negative would force the hand of any big-time hold out. Besides, I feel like create-a-team or roster sharing would nullify most of that. Regardless anything would be better than the big plate of nothing we have now.

Madden is fun, but there's nothing like taking a one star program to the top or striking up the band when you score. Feels hollow and corporate in comparison.

Most if this is probably right,and I do like taking an SMU or UTEP and building them. I don't think you understand the level of my contempt for the playoff though.... power of a thousand suns level. If they ever do have this mass customization game that's been discussed often over the years I hope part of the customization is scrapping the playoff, which I'm sure will not be an option. Oh well...

 

[Whiskeyjack]

grey, what's your preferred Charm loadout for Hollow Knight?

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

This guy NCAAs. I enjoyed making a coach on a crap team, NOT making ND my dream school (or whatever it was called) that would guarantee you the job offer eventually, and seeing if I ever got an offer to coach at ND organically. It was fun being on the cusp of winning a title with a place like UCLA and then dropping it like a hot potato when ND called.

One of my favorite memories in college was when my roommates and I shared a franchise where we all played the coaching staff. One guy would be d coordinator (called plays) one guy offensive coordinator (called plays), and one guy head coach (actually controlled the players on the field). We'd rotate every three games or so. We also had a rule that we couldn't stay at the same school for more than 3 years. We started at MTSU and ended up winning like 2 titles at Nebraska, Washington, Florida, and Georgia each. (The other rule was that we weren't allowed to coach for the teams we were fans of, to force variety. So ND and Tennessee were out

Yes. All of this. I never did the rotation but a friend and I would work hard to figure out our recruiting pitches for each recruit. Sometimes going as far as taking notes on what they responded to and figuring the best sequence to pitch things.

I absolutely hated North Texas. Sometimes I would start with MTSU as well and the North Texas f*ckers would upset me invariably when I was close to getting over the hump or on the verge of clinching a big bowl game. Doesn't matter how much better we were after a few years of diligent recruiting.

Still hate North Texas for that. I would absolutely love to play that game again. If they release a new NCAAF, my wife will be pulling double duty.

 

[ACamp1900]

One of my favorite memories in college was when my roommates and I shared a franchise where we all played the coaching staff. One guy would be d coordinator (called plays) one guy offensive coordinator (called plays), and one guy head coach (actually controlled the players on the field). We'd rotate every three games or so. We also had a rule that we couldn't stay at the same school for more than 3 years. We started at MTSU and ended up winning like 2 titles at Nebraska, Washington, Florida, and Georgia each. (The other rule was that we weren't allowed to coach for the teams we were fans of, to force variety. So ND and Tennessee were out

At CSUSB we would get literally dozens of guys throughout the dorms to buy into a season long thing... drafted teams and went from there. Scheduled game times, the whole deal... I won the thing with Kansas one of the years and won a pretty healthy pot. Fun times.

 

[ACamp1900]

The schools I would always start with:

EMU
Wyoming
Kansas
SMU

Almost always one of those and build up from there.

 

[ACamp1900]

This guy NCAAs. I enjoyed making a coach on a crap team, NOT making ND my dream school (or whatever it was called) that would guarantee you the job offer eventually, and seeing if I ever got an offer to coach at ND organically. It was fun being on the cusp of winning a title with a place like UCLA and then dropping it like a hot potato when ND called.

This is all of us... we are all of this.

 

[ACamp1900]

Also, when building up those Eastern Michigan of the world those three and four star athletes where money. They weren't widely recruited and they could often fill tons of holes on the roster.

 

[IrishLion]

I used to start with Western Kentucky because they were bottom of the barrel, but usually had a good RB (Bobby Rainey, Antonio Andrews). The only way to compete on Heisman against decent teams with a cupcake was to have a decent RB and go three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust (unless you wanted to cheese with a mobile QB running triple option).

I’d be offensive coordinator for as long as the HC stays, then I’d take the HC job, or take the first good job that offered. I usually set UC as my alma mater, that way I could coach the Bearcats at some point as a breather between big jobs down the line.

 

[greyhammer90]

grey, what's your preferred Charm loadout for Hollow Knight?

I switch it around frequently, but I focus strongly on being aggressive and fast. Wayward compass is basically required. Sprintmaster and Dashmaster gives you an additional boost to speed when they are used together and were pretty much constantly used by me. Longnail and later Mark of Pride were also usually in my rotation. I favored quick slash to heavy blow. Basically if it made me faster and better at melee, I went with it. THere are some crazy magic charm combinations though. It just depends on what kind of game you want to play. Don't look up too much until you get reeeeeeally deep in the game though, there's tons of things in Hollow Knight that are best experienced blind.

Oh, and early on I also used the Gathering Swarm until I got to the point that it didn't matter anymore because I was so rich. Would recommend.

 

[ACamp1900]

I'm in the home stretch of bloodstained and still haven't encountered any of these issues that made the news... all in all it's a new Symphony of the Night... which is definitely something I wanted so I'm enjoying it.

 

[wizards8507]

In Switch news, GameStop is currently offering $225 to trade in your console if you're looking to purchase ($300) the new model with the improved battery life and cooler running temperature. Not a bad upgrade for $75 when you consider you also get to reset the clock on your factory warranty.

Also, the Internet rumor mill is suggesting that SNES games might soon be added to Nintendo Online. If you told five-year-old me that one day I'd be able to play Super Mario World on an airplane, I'd probably have fainted.