I'm getting ready to go through the Omega-4 relay. I forgot how much of the game is still left after that point. For some reason I had it in my head that that's sort of the midpoint of the game, but it's definitely not. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to roll straight into Mass Effect 3 when I'm done.

Man, I was confused. I'm not going through the Omega relay, I'm doing the first mission where you encounter the Collectors. That's what I thought was the midpoint, but there's still a bunch of party members to recruit.

I kinda like the Switch too, but I really should just know better than to buy Nintendo consoles at this point. I haven't liked a Nintendo game in decades. But I bought into all the Zelda hype, played it for a few hours, and thoroughly dislike it. I mean, it's beautiful, but there's just nothing about the act of playing it that I enjoy. I was tempted to try Mario, but I know it'll just be the same. I do enjoy playing Mario Kart with my daughter, but I think that's more because I'm having fun playing a game with her, and less because of the game.

That's honestly sort of where I'm at. I liked Zelda (still haven't finished it though), and think it's legitimately a great game, I just don't like it as much as everyone else. I love the Switch as a device, just not sure how much use it's going to get. My issue with its lack of a d-pad have been noted, so it's out for a lot of indie games, which is a shame, because I'd love to use it for that. It'd honestly make more sense for me to just sell it at this point, but I'm probably not going to.

Mario is weird. I love it, but it's designed pretty annoyingly. It's a legitimately good, challenging platformer, but the actual challenging platforming segments are hidden in the post game behind huge moon counts. You essentially have to play the game for 20 hours to open up the actual platforming bits. And those are legitimately great, but they shouldn't be hidden at the end of the game. I liked the game in general, but it is much more an exploration game rather than a platforming one for the first 20 hours, as you unlock all the worlds.

Since getting my OneX in late october, it's been my default go to. Games look and run a little better on it... not a huge difference, but enough of one that, well, why wouldn't I play games on it, given that I have the option, y'know? The PS4 Pro closed the gap a bit, but my impression is that Destiny 2 does still seem to look a bit better and run a little smoother on the One X (I haven't seen a single frame rate hiccup on the One X).

Monster Hunter World is a standout for me that runs better on a Pro. They just didn't put in the work to optimize on the One X, it seems like. I damn near bought AC Origins again on One X before I came to my senses and realized how absolutely stupid that is. I probably am going to rebuy the Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3 for One X, though. Still no HDR on PS4 Pro for that game.

I'm sure I'll end up with Destiny 2 on One X at some point, too.

PS4 seems to have more exclusives that I care about in general, but none that are coming out right now. So I spend most of my game time lately bouncing between AC Origins, The Division, Titanfall 2, Star Wars Battlefront, and Deep Rock Galactic, all one the Xbox One X.

I played like 4 hours of the trial of The Division. I still have mixed feelings on it. The gunplay just doesn't quite feel right. I really like the game in general, I just don't think the weapons feel all that fun or exciting to use. I'll definitely buy it if goes on sale again like last month.

And also, Mass Effect 2 is seriously good. Like, I forgot how good.

Like, SO GOOD. I get goosebumps thinking about it :D

I'm getting ready to go through the Omega-4 relay. I forgot how much of the game is still left after that point. For some reason I had it in my head that that's sort of the midpoint of the game, but it's definitely not. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to roll straight into Mass Effect 3 when I'm done.

Nothing like spending $500 on a console and using it to play a decade old game . . .

Heh, at least you're using the darn thing!

I bought a PS4 Pro and a Switch just after christmas, and I haven't used either of them since new years, other than a few games of Mario Kart with my daughter from time to time.

That's the thing. I haven't touched anything but my One X since I bought it. I have a Pro and a Switch as well. The Switch hasn't been used in ages, but I genuinely like the device enough to not just sell it, which I honestly thought about doing. I don't travel much, but the Switch has been nice to have for those rare occasions that I have. Hopefully we'll get another Zelda game on it before Nintendo puts out a new system.

I kinda like the Switch too, but I really should just know better than to buy Nintendo consoles at this point. I haven't liked a Nintendo game in decades. But I bought into all the Zelda hype, played it for a few hours, and thoroughly dislike it. I mean, it's beautiful, but there's just nothing about the act of playing it that I enjoy. I was tempted to try Mario, but I know it'll just be the same. I do enjoy playing Mario Kart with my daughter, but I think that's more because I'm having fun playing a game with her, and less because of the game.

Having a PS4 and an Xbox is sort of dumb in the long run, but I've already spent the money now, and it's nice to know I've got my bases covered for exclusives. That's really sort of why I got a One X--I was itching for a good racing game (Forza!), which PS4 lacks, and rumors of a new Fable and the inevitable Halo 6, I knew I was going to end up with one sooner or later anyway. It doesn't make much logical sense to have both, but it feels right, despite that fact that I haven't even turned the PS4 on in weeks.

Since getting my OneX in late october, it's been my default go to. Games look and run a little better on it... not a huge difference, but enough of one that, well, why wouldn't I play games on it, given that I have the option, y'know? The PS4 Pro closed the gap a bit, but my impression is that Destiny 2 does still seem to look a bit better and run a little smoother on the One X (I haven't seen a single frame rate hiccup on the One X).

PS4 seems to have more exclusives that I care about in general, but none that are coming out right now. So I spend most of my game time lately bouncing between AC Origins, The Division, Titanfall 2, Star Wars Battlefront, and Deep Rock Galactic, all one the Xbox One X.

The biggest pain now is going to be deciding which platform to get games on. I might have to forego getting things at launch and wait for Digital Foundry to do their thing to see which version is better.

Yeah, not a bad plan.

And also, Mass Effect 2 is seriously good. Like, I forgot how good.

Like, SO GOOD. I get goosebumps thinking about it :D

Nothing like spending $500 on a console and using it to play a decade old game . . .

Heh, at least you're using the darn thing!

I bought a PS4 Pro and a Switch just after christmas, and I haven't used either of them since new years, other than a few games of Mario Kart with my daughter from time to time.

That's the thing. I haven't touched anything but my One X since I bought it. I have a Pro and a Switch as well. The Switch hasn't been used in ages, but I genuinely like the device enough to not just sell it, which I honestly thought about doing. I don't travel much, but the Switch has been nice to have for those rare occasions that I have. Hopefully we'll get another Zelda game on it before Nintendo puts out a new system.

Having a PS4 and an Xbox is sort of dumb in the long run, but I've already spent the money now, and it's nice to know I've got my bases covered for exclusives. That's really sort of why I got a One X--I was itching for a good racing game (Forza!), which PS4 lacks, and rumors of a new Fable and the inevitable Halo 6, I knew I was going to end up with one sooner or later anyway. It doesn't make much logical sense to have both, but it feels right, despite that fact that I haven't even turned the PS4 on in weeks.

The biggest pain now is going to be deciding which platform to get games on. I might have to forego getting things at launch and wait for Digital Foundry to do their thing to see which version is better.

And also, Mass Effect 2 is seriously good. Like, I forgot how good.

Nothing like spending $500 on a console and using it to play a decade old game . . .

Heh, at least you're using the darn thing!

I bought a PS4 Pro and a Switch just after christmas, and I haven't used either of them since new years, other than a few games of Mario Kart with my daughter from time to time.

Stupid me decided to play Mass Effect 2 again, and now I can’t put it down, and I can easily see myself rolling into ME3 too.

Nothing like spending $500 on a console and using it to play a decade old game . . .

There doesn’t seem to be much to it at first, but as you become familiar with the way the hook applies tension and momentum to your movements, the possibilities open up.

Check this out:

Now, those are some crazy-advanced moves he’s demonstrating. Very few players ever learn to pull them off that well. But with some practice, you can get to the point where you build some impressive speed.

It gives a pilot a fighting chance in a 1v1 duel against a Titan:

You can use it to slingshot around Titans, like this:

It also completely changes the dynamics verticality in a shooter:

Basically, it’s just plain awesome :D

I just have to say . . .

Damn, this game feels good. Really good. The guns are all satisfying, the movement is incredible. I thought Destiny was the pinnacle of good feeling first person shooters, but, honestly, Titanfall 2 might be better.

Considering how stiff D2 feels when you go to it straight from Titanfall , it’s no question. Especially landing into or jumping out of a slide.

Damn, this game feels good. Really good. The guns are all satisfying, the movement is incredible. I thought Destiny was the pinnacle of good feeling first person shooters, but, honestly, Titanfall 2 might be better.

I remember the thread pointing it out, I just didn't care at the time. I didn't like the beta at all.

I didn't love the beta either, and when I first played it at PAX I found it lacking. (It remains one of the only demos I've played where they assigned a rep to stand behind every few players and coach you about what to do).

I really like it now.

I posted a price to give you all waiting for a sale a point of reference.

I’ll have to look into the expansions I would need to get everything and what that would cost. I can get the base game for $11 at my local GameStop. You happen to know how many expansions there are that I would need?

I think there are 2, but I could be wrong about that.

I remember the thread pointing it out, I just didn't care at the time. I didn't like the beta at all.

I didn't love the beta either, and when I first played it at PAX I found it lacking. (It remains one of the only demos I've played where they assigned a rep to stand behind every few players and coach you about what to do).

I really like it now.

I posted a price to give you all waiting for a sale a point of reference.

I’ll have to look into the expansions I would need to get everything and what that would cost. I can get the base game for $11 at my local GameStop. You happen to know how many expansions there are that I would need?

I remember the thread pointing it out, I just didn't care at the time. I didn't like the beta at all.

I didn't love the beta either, and when I first played it at PAX I found it lacking. (It remains one of the only demos I've played where they assigned a rep to stand behind every few players and coach you about what to do).

I really like it now.

I posted a price to give you all waiting for a sale a point of reference.

I remember the thread pointing it out, I just didn't care at the time. I didn't like the beta at all.

Cruel's post and everyone else's excitement about the game makes me care (not enough to drop $50 right now, though--I signed up for EA Access to play Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1, and Mirror's Edge Catalyst), but if it ever gets cheap again I'll definitely pick it up.

So Titanfall 2 night when?

Whenever. I really got it to play through the campaign, but I'll do some matches if we get a group together.

Count me in!

World Tiers and Difficulty Levels

The Division has a "power level" system, similar to Destiny's "Light Level". You're given a rating that reflects your overall gear strength, and driving that number higher and higher is one of the core goals of the end game. When replaying missions, you have the option to select from several "Difficulty Levels". These levels will make the enemies you face progressively stronger and more deadly (think of taking red-bar enemies and turning them into yellow-bar enemies, in Destiny terms). Completing missions on higher difficulty levels will yield better gear drops as you'd expect.

As you complete the main campaign and side quests, you will eventually reach a power level sufficiently high enough to trivialize most of the enemies that you'll come across in the open world. Even replaying missions on the harder difficulty levels will become trivial, because you so drastically outclass the enemies in terms of power level. Related to that, you'll have outgrown the gear that drops from replaying missions, because it will all be below your current level. So Ubisoft added "World Tiers" to the game. Basically, once you reach a high enough power level, you can choose to jump up to the next World Tier, which raises the power level of all the enemies, as well as the power level of all gear drops. There are a total of 5 World Tiers to choose from. When selecting a World Tier, the appropriate power level is displayed right next to it in the UI, so you can easily gauge if you're ready, gear-wise, for a given Tier. Plus, you can go back down to a lower tier whenever you want (while also retaining the ability to select the difficulty level of a given mission within any world tier). The gear drops you get from any activity will always be appropriate to the suggested power level of the World Tier you are currently in. This way, every activity in the game can constantly yield loot drops that are useful to the player, even as you reach maximum power level.

So all together, this system lets the player choose the difficulty and reward levels that they want to experience at any time, without narrowing down the choice of activity. You can do an "easy" version of a raid by jumping down to a lower World Tier, or you can make the very first story mission a white-knuckled experience that rewards end-game loot. Whatever you want.

Reminds me a lot of Diablo III and it's Torment difficulties. The game just keeps scaling up through Torment 13. The higher the level, the better the loot. I made a post a long time ago that Destiny should adopt a similar system and really embrace its loot cycle, or it should drop it entirely rather than staying in the weird middle ground it is now. That's maybe more difficult to do and make feel good in a shooter than in a Diablo styled game (as evidenced by The Division and so many folks complaining about bullet sponges), so maybe it's not worth chasing, but I certainly enjoyed the way Diablo III handles it's difficulty and loot.

The bullet-sponge issue isn’t really a problem in The Division, other than the fact that it’s immersion breaking to pump 5 clips of an AR into a dude wearing a denim jacket. But mechanically, it feels great. And to your point, I think a similar system would do wonders for Destiny. All those Adventures and side quests that don’t seem worth doing once you level up high enough...? Just jump up to the next world tier and BAM... enemies are stronger, and they drop loot at your current level.

World Tiers and Difficulty Levels

The Division has a "power level" system, similar to Destiny's "Light Level". You're given a rating that reflects your overall gear strength, and driving that number higher and higher is one of the core goals of the end game. When replaying missions, you have the option to select from several "Difficulty Levels". These levels will make the enemies you face progressively stronger and more deadly (think of taking red-bar enemies and turning them into yellow-bar enemies, in Destiny terms). Completing missions on higher difficulty levels will yield better gear drops as you'd expect.

As you complete the main campaign and side quests, you will eventually reach a power level sufficiently high enough to trivialize most of the enemies that you'll come across in the open world. Even replaying missions on the harder difficulty levels will become trivial, because you so drastically outclass the enemies in terms of power level. Related to that, you'll have outgrown the gear that drops from replaying missions, because it will all be below your current level. So Ubisoft added "World Tiers" to the game. Basically, once you reach a high enough power level, you can choose to jump up to the next World Tier, which raises the power level of all the enemies, as well as the power level of all gear drops. There are a total of 5 World Tiers to choose from. When selecting a World Tier, the appropriate power level is displayed right next to it in the UI, so you can easily gauge if you're ready, gear-wise, for a given Tier. Plus, you can go back down to a lower tier whenever you want (while also retaining the ability to select the difficulty level of a given mission within any world tier). The gear drops you get from any activity will always be appropriate to the suggested power level of the World Tier you are currently in. This way, every activity in the game can constantly yield loot drops that are useful to the player, even as you reach maximum power level.

So all together, this system lets the player choose the difficulty and reward levels that they want to experience at any time, without narrowing down the choice of activity. You can do an "easy" version of a raid by jumping down to a lower World Tier, or you can make the very first story mission a white-knuckled experience that rewards end-game loot. Whatever you want.

Reminds me a lot of Diablo III and it's Torment difficulties. The game just keeps scaling up through Torment 13. The higher the level, the better the loot. I made a post a long time ago that Destiny should adopt a similar system and really embrace its loot cycle, or it should drop it entirely rather than staying in the weird middle ground it is now. That's maybe more difficult to do and make feel good in a shooter than in a Diablo styled game (as evidenced by The Division and so many folks complaining about bullet sponges), so maybe it's not worth chasing, but I certainly enjoyed the way Diablo III handles it's difficulty and loot.

I remember the thread pointing it out, I just didn't care at the time. I didn't like the beta at all.

Cruel's post and everyone else's excitement about the game makes me care (not enough to drop $50 right now, though--I signed up for EA Access to play Titanfall 2, Battlefield 1, and Mirror's Edge Catalyst), but if it ever gets cheap again I'll definitely pick it up.

So Titanfall 2 night when?

Whenever. I really got it to play through the campaign, but I'll do some matches if we get a group together.