Through a little research, I believe RT is the only RPG currently, which is unfortunate because I think it's a great way to soak up the setting.

I have my eye on Mechanicus, because it looks very XCOM influenced. I like the smaller-scale squad-based tactics much more than the army-scale grand strategy/RTS style.

Any other suggestions? I know because of what the original game is, the RTS ones are probably going to be the majority of the PC titles, but there seems to be some representation in just about any genre. I even saw an Ork dogfighting (planes) game.

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/46086267

In these interviews, developers from Nintendo and Intelligent Systems discuss the making of the original Paper Mario, an RPG with a unique papercraft aesthetic.

Peter Molyneux, Google DeepMind's Richard Evans, and more on the making and legacy of Black & White as it turns 25.

It's 2007, I'm at home playing this new Sci-Fi RPG my dad got for the Xbox 360. I get lost on uncharted worlds, flip the mako, and blast some aliens.

It's 2017, I've finally bought Mass Effect 2 & 3 and sit down to do a full trilogy playthrough. It's an absolute blast, and I see what everyone was talking about with the Garrus romance.

It's 2026, I've installed countless mods onto the Legendary Edition collection, excited to throw myself back into this universe once again.

To say Mass Effect is ambitious would be an understatement. It doesn't take much for the average player to see the series buckling under the weight of publisher & fan expectations as the games go on. But people love the series for how much it gets right. How the world keeps opening up in new and exciting ways, how small choices can ripple through subsequent games, how the wonder & horror of space is captured at remarkable scale. With the Legendary Edition making EA's scummy DLC practices more or less a thing of the past, it's the best way to experience one of the best Sci-Fi RPGs out there.

For this playthrough, I decided to go all-in with mods. Here are some highlights:

• ME 1 & 3 Diversification Project - I didn't even install this mod til a couple hours into Mass Effect 1 because I was skeptical the new additions would stick out. But honestly, this project is amazing. Female turians are present before ME 3's Omega DLC, all of the species feel more present and feel like a natural part of the experience. I didn't even realize Tali was the only Quarian in ME1 until I installed this.
• MELLO - If you're like me and played ME1 on the 360 you might notice some drastic lighting changes in the remaster. This mod tries to bring back the old lighting and atmosphere from the first game, and largely succeeds.
• Paragade Persuasion - No more arbitrary paragon or renegade playthroughs! Play your Shepard how you'd like in every moment. This mod allows you to choose either Paragon or Renegade persuasion options as long as you have the choice for one of them.
• ME 2 No Paraphrase Mod - Want to actually roleplay dialogue instead of guessing what Commander Shepard will say with a 4-word prompt? This is the mod for you!
• ME 2 Early Recruitment - This mod completely changes the structure of Mass Effect 2 for the better. Many probably already know that the game was split into two discs for consoles, but was originally intended to allow players to recruit any companions in any order. This mod goes above & beyond, allowing you to recruit Legion first if you so choose (like me).
• ME 2 Risky Suicide Mission - Despite some issues I had with the randomness of this mod, it makes the Suicide Mission fun & unpredictable again. I actually had to use strategy when selecting who to bring on main quest missions, along with choosing team leaders during the Suicide Mission.
• ME 3 Expanded Galaxy Mod (EGM) - One of the most popular mods for Mass Effect 3, this one greatly expands the Normandy and Exploration to reflect the state of the galaxy and growing galactic conflict.
• Dreams Remade - Makes some much-needed changes to the dream sequences from Mass Effect 3. Instead of focusing on a random child, the dreams reflect your choices throughout the series, reminding you of what you've lost and have yet to lose.
• Kai Leng Reworked - While I wanted to try Altered Assassin (swaps Kai Leng for either Miranda or Jacob), mod conflicts caused me to use this one. It's pretty good! Kai Leng goes from being an annoying quippy character with infinite plot armor to a menacing figure with mysterious motivations.

Lastly I want to highlight 3 mods that worked together to greatly improve the ending experience of the trilogy for me:

• Take Earth Back - This mod overhauls Priority: Earth to reflect all the allies you've spent the entire game recruiting. It also expands final dialogue with important characters into full conversations, giving a better feeling of closure with Wrex & others.

• Audemus' Happy Ending Mod (AHEM) - While I know many people might be skeptical about a mod that takes away the ending choices from 3, I believe this mod significantly improves the pacing and tone of the final hours of 3. Instead of

  Tap for spoiler

  having a meaningful conversation with Anderson then being thrust into a conversation with a child who gives a last-minute motivation for the Reapers before being forced to choose 3 options ripped straight out of Deus Ex, this mod instead ends Shepard's story with Anderson, as they watch the rest of the galaxy dock the crucible and fire it - destroying the reapers. It shifts Shepard back into being an exceptional soldier, rather than the one person who gets to play God over the galaxy.

• Citadel Epilogue Mod (CEM) - Allows you to play either the entire Citadel DLC or just the party after rolling credits on the main game. Ending with the party & Commander Shepard walking with their companions back to the Normandy was a wonderful way to wrap up this iconic trilogy.

Played Mass Effect recently & want to share your thoughts? Or have any other mods to recommend to folks looking to play the trilogy again? I'd love to hear about it!

Since somebody shared this nice comic about manuals in games in another community, I was thinking about them myself.

My most cherished game manual was the Diablo 2 one. The way they created a little story for each single ability was such an atmospheric wonder and probably started my fascination with lore instead of story. They were also probably the main reason why I took the necromancer and started to feel bored, when necromancer are automatically evil in a setting. Get creative!

My father had Falcon 4.0 and that was "just" a technical manual in itself. 5+ cm thick and full of schematics of the cockpit. I was in awe as a child about the complexity of that thing.

Alternatively, share your favorite mods for CK2, preferably ones that don't rely on DLCs since I have only been playing for a few months and haven't bought any

In case of mods, full overhaul would be ideal, but that's a lot of work, so here's my order of importance:

1. map
2. races
3. religion
4. cultures

I also have vanilla Europa Universalis IV, but I haven't tried it out yet

Another thing worth pointing out: I'm NOT looking for a 4X, I don't like the military / conquer focus of the genre

What I like in CK2:

• micromanaging marriages to (hopefully) get good stats and claims or land
• I can lose a lot without a game over
• personal feel of playing a dynasty instead of a country (but that's okay, too)
• keeping a realm stable and vassals loyal
• "how have I become the king of X?", sometimes caused by forgetting my own plans
• "England, it's the 11th century, you shouldn't be creating a colonial empire yet!" - probably won't apply to a fantasy world, but I think it's still worth mentioning
• staying alive is simple enough to try funny plans, like turning Byzantine Empire heretic
• interesting achievements
• working native Linux version
• overall interpersonal relationship management

After seeing my friend play Victoria III and Europa Universalis V, I think I'd enjoy a game with a more economic focus. I'll probably buy EU5 if it gets a fantasy mod with world generator, but that's probably gonna take a looong while.

Can somebody remind me why I might have downloaded this? I'm sure it must have been pitched to me somewhat effectively already but I really can't remember what made me get it or why I never got around to playing it.

Edit: okay turns out this is the remake that just came out. I'm guessing I acquired this after having watched Ben Croshaw's review of the old one. Or seeing that it was being remade and remebering the old one being something he spoke well of

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/44266132

Join us as we discuss the cult racer, Rollcage, its impact on the late-90s gaming landscape, and its legacy.

I jumped into TTYD recently after playing some other notable timing-based RPGs (Clair Obscur, Super Mario RPG) and having a blast with those. I know it's a really beloved game that isn't known for it's difficulty, but I'm about "eight hours" (minus deaths) in at Chapter 2, stuck at the Shadow Sirens boss fight, and am finding it to be a really hard game.

There's been several occasions where I make significant progress in a dungeon and then get defeated by regular enemies and lose a lot of progress after making enough timing mistakes.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with my character builds. Overall, I feel like HP, FP, and BP are all bottomless pits, and no matter what I put points into, I never have enough of any resource. Right now, I'm level 7 with 10 HP, 15 FP, and 15 BP. Not enough health to have an error margin, not enough FP to use abilities much at all, and being introduced with a staggering number of badges without the points to equip even half of them.

The lack of a consistent healing ability is also a bit annoying. Sweet Treat is tied to SP, puts you into a minigame, and isn't a consistent way to get HP back. And I haven't encountered a game with more restrictive item management since Mother 1 on the NES. I think the challenge there is the number of enemies impervious to regular abilities, so (I think) you have to always have POW Blocks and Fire Flowers to deal with them instead of more mushrooms.

Koops and Goombella aren't very good allies at the start either. Multiple boss fights so far have been multiple enemies, so I'm fairly worn down by the time Goombella is done Tattling them all. So that's why I'm stuck at the Shadow Sirens.

In regular encounters, I'm consistent about dodging and stylish moves with Mario, and am decent at Superguarding. Getting the timings right in boss fights, though, can be tough because if I die, it's all the way back to the save point, so not many consistent opportunities to practice. And very little margin for error.

A lot of people online say TTYD is easy, and they're probably right. Are there any experienced players here who can point me in the right direction?

And thank you, Eric!

Which game have you been the most patient for (as in, delaying purchase)?

For me, it would have to be GTA V. I stopped playing games for years, then built a new rig in 2018. Since then I've played through GTA IV (well, I beat the story, and it was amazing), but I never played GTA V.

My plan is to purchase it and start playing it the day GTA VI is released, as I have enough other games to get through in the meantime.

Crossposted from https://reddthat.com/post/60858776