The great big filthy enabler thread

So, every once in a while I find myself on the precipice of buying a game, or of being interested in buying a game, but I need a little push. Sometimes the push resolves me to get a game, sometimes it reveals to me that I didn't actually want it after all. Either way, I'm indecisive and need community assistance.

That's what this thread is for. Do you need help making up your mind? Post it here, and (hopefully) dozens of helpful GWJers will rush in and tey to enable you by telling you why a game needs to be bought.

I'll go first, because I've got two:

The first is Overwatch. I have yet to find a truly satisfying multiplayer experience, but he character design of Overwatch has me interested. Is it worth $60 to a person who generally doesn't like multiplayer (but is warming somewhat) to buy a multiplayer-only game when he already has Battleborn?

The second is Bayonetta on PC. I skipped it when it first came out, for reasons, and skipped it again on the WiiU for the same reasons. I've abandoned some of those reasons, and the PC availability mitigated the other ones. Worth $20 or wait for a sale?

Overwatch is really, really good. Not to mention, there are a ton of goodjer's playing it all the time.

Plus, if price is an issue, you can grab the standard edition for $40 (for PC anyway)
Here

I really like systemic open world games where the gameplay is sort of repetitive, but the AI and the systems cooperate to make it fun. To that end, I've been eyeing Far Cry Primal. I played Far Cry 2, 3 and 4 but the last two (and really so many Ubisoft games these days) were continuations of the same gameplay.

So I've been waiting on a sale to buy Primal... and even when a good sale has come along, it's still not been enough. Should I just do it already? Is there some nugget of gameplay that I'm totally missing out on by not getting it yet?

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Overwatch is not really a game for someone who doesn't love multiplayer. It's a first-person MOBA and while generally speaking you can have a good time just running around and shooting things, a lot of the interest in the game comes from classic MOBA tropes like countering specific characters, team composition, and teamwork. As someone who likes to play shooters on normal leaning towards easy, being shut down by another team and not getting to fully utilize my characters arsenal takes a lot away from the options of characters and skills available in Overwatch. Ultimately, I think the variety you find appealing will be hampered by the competitive aspects of the gameplay.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

The first is Overwatch. I have yet to find a truly satisfying multiplayer experience, but he character design of Overwatch has me interested. Is it worth $60 to a person who generally doesn't like multiplayer (but is warming somewhat) to buy a multiplayer-only game when he already has Battleborn?

The second is Bayonetta on PC. I skipped it when it first came out, for reasons, and skipped it again on the WiiU for the same reasons. I've abandoned some of those reasons, and the PC availability mitigated the other ones. Worth $20 or wait for a sale?

1. I'm not sure I can recommend Overwatch in good faith if you're not really into multiplayer (shooters). That said, I myself stuck with it longer and enjoyed it more than most multiplayer fps games of the past couple of years. It got rid of a lot of the fat (unlocking gear/characters, splitting the community across too many disparate modes/maps) and the core mechanics are superb. Generally I'd probably recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of multiplayer FPS but doesn't like the flavor that seems to have become the standard since around CoD4.

2. Do you like character action games? If the answer is more "yes" than "no", get Bayonetta. It's the pinnacle of the genre.

I don't understand, isn't the whole site one giant enabling thread?

garion333 wrote:

I don't understand, isn't the whole site one giant enabling thread?

Yes, so I'm asking everyone to up their game for this one. It beats cluttering up the Video Game Deals thread with the whole

Jiminey Cricket's Wild Ride is on sale for $0.79

Is that any good?

Recursion.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
Jiminey Cricket's Wild Ride is on sale for $0.79

Not gonna lie. I checked that this was not a real game...

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

The first is Overwatch. I have yet to find a truly satisfying multiplayer experience, but he character design of Overwatch has me interested. Is it worth $60 to a person who generally doesn't like multiplayer (but is warming somewhat) to buy a multiplayer-only game when he already has Battleborn?

Overwatch is the best online shooter ever at not making you feel bad for playing poorly. There is high level play to be found but the presentation in stats, mechanics and graphics style all point towards telling a newbie it's ok. You're never told you died X number of times. Heroes abilities are extensively explained and they try very hard to make every ability recognizable in both sound and graphics. There are heroes with very precise shooting requirements and there are others who don't rely on shooting ability really at all. Rounds are fast and load times are short. It has that Blizzard polish of knowing timing so you don't feel punished even if your team just got rolled. You recognize you're getting rolled, 2-3 minutes at the most and it's over.

With that said if you're not interested in playing an online shooter, it's the Blizzard way of making something one specific thing. It's an online shooter 100% and never tries to be anything else. If you are interested in getting your feet wet in online shooters, it is the best one to make you a believer.

As for my game to enable....

Nier: Automata is my precipice. I've been mostly a PC gamer and Automata, while releasing on PC is really in a sub genre of action games I associate with console gaming and haven't been into. After getting a PS4 I've been drifting to controllers over keyboards in a lot of games and the brawler fighting looks like a lot of fun. It looks kinda like Bayonetta, another game I've always wanted to try. Is it a $60 buy for me? Should I buy Bayonetta on PC instead even though it's more dated?

oops

Thought I would post here that the Nier: Automata thread managed to land a purchase during a weak moment. Alas.... Hope it lives up to its billing.

Nier: Automata is amazing. The action gameplay was great, I enjoyed exploring the world, and the story was odd and engaging. I think I put in about 40 hours, and I did not compete everything.

I tried Bayonetta years ago, and it didn't stick with me. I may try again one of these days. Nier stuck with me right away. You can also try the demo, which is about the first hour of the game. It's a pretty directed sequence, and later the game becomes more open world, but it is a good taste of the overall experience.

Another thread where I can gush about games that I think deserve more attention? Yes, please!

ChipRMonk wrote:

Thought I would post here that the Nier: Automata thread managed to land a purchase during a weak moment. Alas.... Hope it lives up to its billing. ;-)

IMAGE(http://img09.deviantart.net/8733/i/2011/106/4/e/1302945217_puss_in_boots_painting_by_myburningeyes-d2kqhxu.jpg)

mrwynd wrote:
doubtingthomas396 wrote:

The first is Overwatch. I have yet to find a truly satisfying multiplayer experience, but he character design of Overwatch has me interested. Is it worth $60 to a person who generally doesn't like multiplayer (but is warming somewhat) to buy a multiplayer-only game when he already has Battleborn?

Overwatch is the best online shooter ever at not making you feel bad for playing poorly. There is high level play to be found but the presentation in stats, mechanics and graphics style all point towards telling a newbie it's ok. You're never told you died X number of times. Heroes abilities are extensively explained and they try very hard to make every ability recognizable in both sound and graphics. There are heroes with very precise shooting requirements and there are others who don't rely on shooting ability really at all. Rounds are fast and load times are short. It has that Blizzard polish of knowing timing so you don't feel punished even if your team just got rolled. You recognize you're getting rolled, 2-3 minutes at the most and it's over.

With that said if you're not interested in playing an online shooter, it's the Blizzard way of making something one specific thing. It's an online shooter 100% and never tries to be anything else. If you are interested in getting your feet wet in online shooters, it is the best one to make you a believer.

Pretty much this. Although Mr Pedant says... it does tell you how many times you died at the end of a match... It just doesn't tell the opposition or your own team members.

Personally - I hadn't played an online mp shooter since Battlefield 2 / Cod 4 and even then I fell off Cod pretty quickly, Battlefield got a bit more play, but not much. They put me off for a looong time and was apprehensive when picking up Overwatch.

Despite this Overwatch had me hooked from the get go. Put in probably a little under 200 hours into it over 9 months before selling it... Because the only downside being that was a huge distraction and wasn't getting around to playing much of anything else. For someone who also hasn't been much of a multiplayer shooter fan over the years... Overwatch was head and shoulders my goty for 2016.

Enabled?

As for Nier... I played through the demo... I was sold. I'll be getting this game, maybe not at full price, just because that's something rarely do... But soon, very soon...

I'm still on the fence with Overwatch, but I do find it pretty hilarious that I'm just getting interested in it while everyone else around here is leaving it to play PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS.

Maybe I can save myself some money after all.

To be fair I'd probably have a crack at PU Battlegrounds if could, sounds interesting, but no PC so...

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

I'm still on the fence with Overwatch, but I do find it pretty hilarious that I'm just getting interested in it while everyone else around here is leaving it to play PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS.

Maybe I can save myself some money after all.

I'm someone who could never really get into the online PC shooter scene, but I found Overwatch, initially, very accessible and fun. However, even by PC standards, you'll get a very toxic community on your hands. I actually feel the competitive side of things sort of ruined it for me. If you've got a good group to play with, it can be great, but solo queuing is a pain. I have, however, put over 100 hours into Overwatch, so the initial fun was definitely there, it's definitely a game I can see most people getting value from.

Wasteland 2.

Would have to be on PS4.

Loved the older Fallout games (maybe rose-tinted nostalgia specs) but wasn't able to get into 3 and 4 in the same way.

Enable me

Well, for starters, Wasteland 2 has writing and design by Jason Anderson (Fallout 1 & 2), Colin McComb (Fallout 2), Chris Avellone (Planescape: Torment); character portrait art by Leonard Boyarsky, the art director of Fallout 1 & 2; and a soundtrack by Mark Morgan, who did the music for Fallout 1 & 2. And, if you played the original Wasteland, several of the writers from that were also involved in 2: Michael A. Stackpole, Alan Pavlish, Elizabeth Danforth, Ken St. André.

So there's a continuity between the 2D Fallout games and Wasteland 2. And, as you might recall, Fallout was itself a spiritual sequel to Wasteland. The stuff you loved about the Fallout games--the choices, the tactical combat--is back, but with a modernized UI and a design that sands off the rough edges.

Bubblefuzz wrote:

Wasteland 2.

Would have to be on PS4.

Loved the older Fallout games (maybe rose-tinted nostalgia specs) but wasn't able to get into 3 and 4 in the same way.

Enable me :)

Wasteland 2 was a little buggy when released, and got promptly overshadowed by Divinity: Original Sin, which released shortly before it did and took its thunder a bit.

The reality is that Wasteland 2 is a vastly superior game, particularly in the writing department. In my mind it is one of the best written RPGs out there, possibly even one of the best written games. It does choice & consequence every bit as well as The Witcher 3, and contains a whole slew of interesting NPCs. It has a very strong sense of genre and tone, and if you have any affinity at all for Fallout you will likely dig what Wasteland is doing. The combat works similarly to XCOM (turn based, with cover being key) and is fun and breezy. Additionally, Time has patched all wounds as well, so you no longer have to worry about the bugs.

To top it off, it is one of the few modern party based cRPGs. You get to create FOUR characters, and if you enjoy playing with mechanics, you have a lot of flexibility over the make-up of your party. If you enjoy getting lost in character creators, this will scratch that itch big time. if you don't, then the pre-gens are perfectly suitable to tackle the wasteland.

Gremlin wrote:

Well, for starters, Wasteland 2 has writing and design by Jason Anderson (Fallout 1 & 2), Colin McComb (Fallout 2), Chris Avellone (Planescape: Torment); character portrait art by Leonard Boyarsky, the art director of Fallout 1 & 2; and a soundtrack by Mark Morgan, who did the music for Fallout 1 & 2.

The stuff you loved about the Fallout games--the choices, the tactical combat--is back, but with a modernized UI and a design that sands off the rough edges.

I knew some of that about the Fallout creators, not all - it's why it's been on the fringes of my wish list for a while. I didn't get to play the original Wasteland.

Good to know about the updated UI etc, was one thing that was holding me back.

TheHarpoMarxist wrote:

The reality is that Wasteland 2 is a vastly superior game, particularly in the writing department. In my mind it is one of the best written RPGs out there, possibly even one of the best written games. It does choice & consequence every bit as well as The Witcher 3, and contains a whole slew of interesting NPCs. It has a very strong sense of genre and tone, and if you have any affinity at all for Fallout you will likely dig what Wasteland is doing. The combat works similarly to XCOM (turn based, with cover being key) and is fun and breezy. Additionally, Time has patched all wounds as well, so you no longer have to worry about the bugs.

To top it off, it is one of the few modern party based cRPGs. You get to create FOUR characters, and if you enjoy playing with mechanics, you have a lot of flexibility over the make-up of your party. If you enjoy getting lost in character creators, this will scratch that itch big time.

Good writing... Tick.
XCOM combat comparison - Tick.
Party based - Tick.
Deep character creator - BIG tick!

It's on sale over here for under a tenner atm. You got me teetering on the edge of the fence, about to fall into purchase territory.

The last lil stumbling block before enablement completion... Does it play well on PS4?

(I got on with XCOM well enough on PS3)

Cheers.

I can't speak to how it plays on the PS4 directly, but I do have two friends who have played it on the PS4. Both enjoyed it a lot, and one had played it on PC as well and says the PS4 version works great. I can't report any specifics, unfortunately, but I will say that if a deep chargen is a big tick, it is worth rolling the dice. I haven't heard any QoL complaints about the port.

Thanks Harpo, I'm sold.

Well done doubtingthomas your filthy thread's work is done.

Now I want Wasteland 2!

RnRClown wrote:

Now I want Wasteland 2!

Does this thread deliver or what?

RnRClown wrote:

Now I want Wasteland 2!

Same here. I knew this thread would be bad news for my wallet!

I strongly urge everyone to do it up on Wasteland 2. It was secretly the best cRPG released in 2014, which was the big "cRPG's are back" year. I completed it, Divinity, and Pillars all around the same time and start to finish it was EASILY the best of the bunch in my opinion.

Speaking of my wallet, Legends of Eisenwald - Knight's Edition is on big discount at Bundlestars.
https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/...

Anyone have some 'disable' to keep me from scooping this up?

*edit* keys sold out so decision was made for me lol

Bubblefuzz wrote:

Thanks Harpo, I'm sold.

Well done doubtingthomas your filthy thread's work is done. :)

Come back here and report on the PS4 version. I have it for PC but could not get into it. I'm a huge Fallout fan too.

Balthezor wrote:
Bubblefuzz wrote:

Thanks Harpo, I'm sold.

Well done doubtingthomas your filthy thread's work is done. :)

Come back here and report on the PS4 version. I have it for PC but could not get into it. I'm a huge Fallout fan too.

Will do, might be a while though. Have purchased, but will have to get in line behind those currently playing... Steamworld Heist (hooked) and my first ever Assassin's Creed game - Black Flag.

Hoo boy do I need to steer clear of this thread. Hide yo kids, hide yo wallets.