This looks epic to me...I may even pre-order, gaming harlot that I am :nerd:
Getting vibes of that old Rolling Thunder platformer game from the 80s (one of my favorites) the Gears universe and of course cyber-Diablo:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/979690/The_Ascent/
Holy shit. What an amazing world these developers have created. There is so much going on in the environment around you, it's hard to actually not want to stop playing to take everything in. This is cyberpunk.
Very cool game so far. Really enjoying it.
Just finished loading it and poked around just the slightest bit.
Got through a really tough few sessions in Metro: Exodus (awesome but brutally unforgiving) and hope to get a lot of time in with The Ascent this weekend, along with Gears Tactics and Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries (with the Inner Sphere DLC).
The Ascent is doing pretty well with Steam reviews too.
picked this up earlier today. love the aesthetics so far and enjoying the gameplay. running around my district now and picking up all the side quests and loot O0
Reviews for it are going up on the Steam!
Not sure if I will like it, but its on my Gamepass subscription so worth a try...
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 30, 2021, 07:33:23 PM
Not sure if I will like it, but its on my Gamepass subscription so worth a try...
Shit!?! it's on gamepass???
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 30, 2021, 07:42:51 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on July 30, 2021, 07:33:23 PM
Not sure if I will like it, but its on my Gamepass subscription so worth a try...
Shit!?! it's on gamepass???
Yep, downloading now.....
Are you not an ARPG or Diablo or cyberpunk guy?
I'm pretty hooked. The combat is pretty basic, but very addictive and satisfying.
I've put like 10 hours into this over the weekend. It is highly addictive and I can see myself on an episode of Intervention. "He had a great wife, loving daughters and a successful career and he threw it all away..."
The action is pretty repetitive, but just so damn satisfying that it never gets too old and just when you think it will, another layer opens up with new weapons, armor, augmentations and cyber modules. The story that was getting pretty mundane also renewed with a really cool twist and I really want to see where it goes so i literally have to pull myself away. Some of the NPCs are really cool and there is humor here, but it is not over done at all. it works within the framework of the universe and story.
It is certainly not perfect, as I don't like having absolutely zero control over the camera. Sometimes I would like it to be from a different angle and often I feel it is zoomed too close. But that aside, its a fantastic game and really a must buy.
^If you could only take one cyber-themed game of the last 2-3 years with you to a desert island which would it be?
Quote from: Gusington on August 01, 2021, 09:25:26 PM
^If you could only take one cyber-themed game of the last 2-3 years with you to a desert island which would it be?
Not too many choose from in that timeframe, so I'd say Cyberpunk 2077. One play through took me 70 hours and you can get a girlfriend and bang hookers.
I knew that Cyberpunk 2077 is your first love in this genre and it may be unfair to compare The Ascent to Cyberpunk...but I just wanted to see what you'd say.
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2021, 08:38:01 AM
I knew that Cyberpunk 2077 is your first love in this genre and it may be unfair to compare The Ascent to Cyberpunk...but I just wanted to see what you'd say.
If you want to get technical, Syndicate from 1993 and Syndicate Wars from 1996 are my first gaming loves in the genre. I also loved Deus Ex from 2000 and the prequel Human Revolution and its sequel, Mankind Divided, released in 2011 and 2016, respectively.
There are a lot of great games in the genre. Honorable mention to the System Shock series, E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy and Satellite Reign. In VR, there is a game in development called Low-Fi, which is available in early access. The atmosphere is amazing.
New System Shock coming very soon(ish)! Demo available on Steam as I type this!
E.Y.E ranks up there for you eh? I have always been curious about that game. And I still need to take the VR plunge.
Yes. E.Y.E. is a hidden gem. A very "interesting" game...
There is no reason not to jump into VR now with the Quest 2. It's totally affordable and doesn't even need a computer to use. Now, to use a game like Low-Fi you'll need the link cable to hook the headset up to the PC so you can run non-quest 2 titles.
Check out the System Shock demo - just the audio alone is appropriately disturbing.
I'll probably get a VR set this coming holiday season - my one caveat is that I have to wear glasses while VRing and don't know how comfortable that will be.
Quote from: Gusington on August 02, 2021, 10:52:05 AM
Check out the System Shock demo - just the audio alone is appropriately disturbing.
I'll probably get a VR set this coming holiday season - my one caveat is that I have to wear glasses while VRing and don't know how comfortable that will be.
They make face plates for people with glasses. Shouldn't be an issue.
I'm hoping for this kind of look.
(https://i.etsystatic.com/15316728/r/il/8e200c/1678726508/il_570xN.1678726508_kxen.jpg)
Finally...
A flamethrower.
I defeated a mech in this game today and then took its repeating grenade launcher. It reminded me of you.
What's in your loadout?
I wish there were more augmentation and module slots.
Hmm the game is awash in different bits and pieces and I'll be damned if I can remember the name of any of them without it open in front of me, but my newest bits include that repeating grenade launcher and a new set of biomechanical arms that I got yesterday. I just began the fourth chapter and I love the game - but after a while its frenetic energy exhausts me. It also get f*cking difficult in some spots...I admit that I lowered the difficulty to 'easy' to defeat that mech because it repeatedly kicked my ass.
Also finished the Mechwarrior: Mercenaries campaign tutorial last night. It is cool but I am less enamored there.
Will be trying out Gears: Tactics to round out my summer scifi gaming bonanza.
Yes. Ascent can be frustratingly difficult, so it is important to look at the recommended level before attempting a mission. I find that if I am on par with or a level or two above the recommended level, the mission is challenging, but not annoyingly so. it is also overly difficult to navigate. The map sucks overall and it is annoying that you cannot set waypoints.
As you get into the higher levels, you start facing a mix of robots/cyborgs and human enemies, so I end up mixing out my weapons. I tend to stick with my precision rifle, the Boreshot, which is currently a level 7. It pretty much is a one shot, one kill weapon for most enemies. I also swap my secondary weapon between the EBR Enforcer, a smart plasma burst weapon with seeking rounds, the RPG23 launcher, with seeking rockets and the BC7 Disintegrator, an awesome ray-type weapon that I also leveled up to MK. 7 that pretty much pulps everything. However, since getting that Magmaker flamethrower, I've been using it a lot. Very powerful and fun!
Armor wise, I'm running with an F-50 Hammerhead Helmet and the P-50 protection package.
I swap out augmentations on occasion, but usually roll with the neutron beam and the spider bots. I find that the modules have a low impact on game play for the most part, but I've settled on the Javelin Dash and Vitasigns booster.
Good stuff.
I was hot and heavy with Mechwarrior when it came out and on occasion thereafter. Overall a great game, but they could have done a little better with it. It is good to have a modern remake of the series.
Finally, Gears Tactics is a good game...but I just can't get into the universe for some reason. There is something about the characters, the armor and the enemies that just doesn't appeal to me.
Yeah I stopped using The Ascent map pretty much altogether! And I'm just learning to adjust what weapons I am using against particular enemies.
That said, the process of choosing weapons and then the gunplay itself is really great and is probably what keeps me coming back the most. And of course the moddability/tinkering with my avatar. Just really getting into the meat of the game there.
For those reasons The Ascent kinda feels like Diablo but updated for 2021. It's telling that I have not earned any of the weapons you mentioned above yet!
Mechwarrior didn't grab me instantly like The Ascent did but I will still go back to it. Funny what you mention about Gears - for me it has that certain hard-to-define element that I really do like. Hard to say what it is.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on August 09, 2021, 08:57:02 AM
Finally, Gears Tactics is a good game...but I just can't get into the universe for some reason. There is something about the characters, the armor and the enemies that just doesn't appeal to me.
Agreed 100%, it always felt to me like a mediocre slapdash of random SF film tropes with a veneer of testosterone to make up for its utter lack of character.
Back on topic, this game looks and sounds very cool and I'll be sure to check it out sooner or later.
^damn. I think you really just summed it up!