What video games are you currently playing?

[TSR]

The last time I played video games was in the 1980's when there were video game arcades! I just retired, and I am interested in trying out these games. Red Dead Redemption sounds interesting. But I don't know how to even start. Do I need to buy a game console, or can I do it with my PC?

Any suggestions for a newcomer would be appreciated.

A console would likely be the easiest route, just because it would remove all the questions set-up/configuration. It would also give you a pretty decent controller and take the whole keyboard element out of things. If you have the funds, a PS5 or XBox One would give you at least 5-7 years of gaming, if not more.

Be aware that there is a learning curve associated with the typical "two stick" mode of gameplay these days. But I think it would be well worth it -- games these days are pretty incredible. RDR2 would be great. Last of Us, etc.

If you start this journey I hope you post about it!

[rockstar]

The last time I played video games was in the 1980's when there were video game arcades! I just retired, and I am interested in trying out these games. Red Dead Redemption sounds interesting. But I don't know how to even start. Do I need to buy a game console, or can I do it with my PC?

Any suggestions for a newcomer would be appreciated.

A console would likely be the easiest route, just because it would remove all the questions set-up/configuration. It would also give you a pretty decent controller and take the whole keyboard element out of things. If you have the funds, a PS5 or XBox One would give you at least 5-7 years of gaming, if not more.

Be aware that there is a learning curve associated with the typical "two stick" mode of gameplay these days. But I think it would be well worth it -- games these days are pretty incredible. RDR2 would be great. Last of Us, etc.

If you start this journey I hope you post about it!

This.

The problem with PC gaming is finding the right combination of hardware. PC games are now generally more buggy than console games. I’m currently using a Thinkpad with RTX 3070 ti card. Much cheaper to get a PS5.

But your RTS games play much better on the PC.

For console, PS Spider-man is really well done. Skyrim is a must play. And for MMOs, Star Trek Online is mostly free, so you can play through a lot of content without spending anything. But the graphics are now dated.

I’m finding EVE Online has a super steep learning curve. And I’ve been playing MMOs since the original EverQuest.

[unstartable]

Modern Warefare II, but almost exclusively DMZ at this point.

[sunsetting101]

Started playing Star Wars Empire at War. It got overwhelming ratings in Steam. It's seems pretty good to me. Seems to be a hybrid between Command and Conquer and Starcraft. The units seems to be in line with the Star Wars lore after watching many different series.

[cantos]

Zelda Breath of the Wind - enjoying playing this w the kids watching. I use the save-game cheat for weapons/health/armor/etc to get through problems faster. Much more enjoyable this way.

Disco Elysium - just started, have high hopes for this one.

[Elsebet]

My husband and I will be playing Diablo IV when it launches in June.

[Jags4186]

An oldie but a goodie -- Age of Empires II on Xbox Game Pass. They really figured out how to make the game work with a controller. Having a blast...used to play when I was in high school. And it looks great on a 60" 4k TV vs. my old 13" CRT

[zhiwiller]

Disco Elysium - just started, have high hopes for this one.

Top 10 game for me right there.

Been playing Honkai: Star Rail, a F2P single player RPG. Made by the folks that did Genshin Impact (F2P Zelda Breath of the Wild). As long as you don't have an addictive gambling personality that will get you deep into their gacha spending systems, you can play a $60 AAA game for nothing or next to nothing. I played Genshin for hundreds of hours and spent $5.

[Beezthree]

Slay the Spire!

It's my first card building, roguelike game and oh my is it incredible. I can't stop. The involved math just flows through my head all day now.

[FoolStreet]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the best video game I've ever played...

Great western. Great gameplay. Great voice acting. Great story. Great side missions. Huge open world.

I ran through the story once, had a blast, and then about a year later replayed it all again, and went for 100% completion. Just recently got that accomplishment... Took months.

I quit my job in January 2022 and played this game for about 4 months full-time. All those things you said and this is by far the best game I've ever played. I actually quit playing it twice because I found it boring, the controls awkward and the first few missions scripted. But once I got the hang of it and started exploring the vast detailed open world, the array of fascinating characters and relationships you build with your gang, you get lost in a Sergio Leone cinematic western video game on steroids. I still can't believe a game like this exists.

I love this game. I literally feel like I’m in the middle of the great west outdoors. Recently upgraded to a 65” OLED tv Lg C2 and it is just mesmerizing. Too easy to play for hours.


To break it up, I’m playing Jedi Survivor. A little more linear, which is a nice break.

[Frugalegal]

My hubby and I are taking turns playing the new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Nintendo. It is such a blast!

[smalliebigs]

Playing Assassin's Creed Origins on Xbox Game Pass. Decent game.

[Maverick3320]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the best video game I've ever played...

Great western. Great gameplay. Great voice acting. Great story. Great side missions. Huge open world.

I ran through the story once, had a blast, and then about a year later replayed it all again, and went for 100% completion. Just recently got that accomplishment... Took months.

I quit my job in January 2022 and played this game for about 4 months full-time. All those things you said and this is by far the best game I've ever played. I actually quit playing it twice because I found it boring, the controls awkward and the first few missions scripted. But once I got the hang of it and started exploring the vast detailed open world, the array of fascinating characters and relationships you build with your gang, you get lost in a Sergio Leone cinematic western video game on steroids. I still can't believe a game like this exists.

I love this game. I literally feel like I’m in the middle of the great west outdoors. Recently upgraded to a 65” OLED tv Lg C2 and it is just mesmerizing. Too easy to play for hours.


To break it up, I’m playing Jedi Survivor. A little more linear, which is a nice break.

I really wanted to enjoy Read Dead Redemption 2, but the controls were simply awful and I couldn't seem to save whenever I want (playing on PC). Two massive quality of life issues that I have no idea how companies get wrong in 2022/23.

[SaveStrong]

Maybe not as popular but my son has a switch and I’ve really enjoyed playing the TMNT - Shredders Revenge game with him. He loves it and remind me of my own childhood.

Similarly, we just got the Mega Man Legacy collection but haven’t played much yet. Looking forward to that.

[investingdad]

Playing Assassin's Creed Origins on Xbox Game Pass. Decent game.

I found the plot to be good, it answers some questions about, well, origins, but still leaves some things unresolved.

Currently sharing Tears of the Kingdom with my daughter and my son is playing Hogwarts Legacy. I started it but got pulled into Zelda.

[TSR]

Slay the Spire!

It's my first card building, roguelike game and oh my is it incredible. I can't stop. The involved math just flows through my head all day now.

Huge fan. I lost so many hours to this one. I love how when you get better your "runs" start to last a LONG time but you don't notice it (also a major liability!). Anyway, glad to see the love for StS.

[TSR]

I am waiting to borrow a Switch to play Zelda, but I have been playing Jedi Survivor on PS5 and have found it to be really good. They've improved on all of my complaints from Fallen Order, making it a much more open-world game, longer, and with more to do. Really impressed by this one, and I think it's getting a little overshadowed (understandably) by Zelda. Worth a look!

[freakyfriday]

Tears of the Kingdom, but having played Breath of the Wild I don't see much here for me.

It's a nice synthesis of Gary's mod and BOTW but probably better if you'd never played either.

[stoptothink]

Purchased my wife "Hogwart's Legacy" for mother's day. She's a big Harry Potter nerd. I don't get it, but she's spent WAY too much of her free time playing it the last two weeks.

[bonustreats]

I recently beat and got to 100% on the Hogwarts Legacy game. That was pretty enjoyable, and I'd recommend it to any fans of the Harry Potter books out there.

Next up for me is God of War: Ragnarok. I played the old God of War games on PS2 almost 20 years ago, so looking forward to that one.

My good human, have you played God of War (2018)? If not, definitely play it before Ragnarok, as the latter is a continuation of the story started in GoW.

GoW has been the series that forces me to upgrade consoles. I played 1 and 2 on the PS2, but then had to get a PS3 for GoW 3. Also got a PS4 for GoW (2018). Will probably have to break the streak and get a PS5 for Spider-Man 2....

Currently playing:
- Rocket League (PS4) with the work peeps
- Mario Kart (Switch) with the nephews
- LoZ: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

[ruhigste]

Bogleheads.org - it's packed with fun-filled adventure with the potential for surprises along the way including the dreaded "Lock".

Old World - start your Civilization and decide how you will try to win against the AI or one or more opponents. All of the opponents will be ancient civilizations, such as Pericles of the Greeks or Dido of Carthage.
Civilization VI - start your Civilization and decide how you will try to win against the AI or one or more opponents. Opponents will be various civilizations throughout history, such as China, India, Aztec, USA, etc. You can start in different eras. You can distort history if you want: you can be George Washington in 3000 BC or Darius of Persia in 1900 AD.

I play on my laptop using Steam and the internet. This is strictly a PC game running Windows. I'm running under Windows 11 now.

Both games are turn-based (chess-like) so you won't get the thrill of having to move as fast as the AI, but you will have time to think up a strategy.

It's possible to win without warfare, and you can play the multiplayer hotseat version with friends or by yourself. Caveat: you'll need enough of an army to defend yourself against barbarians and aggressive minor civilizations. You can earn more money through trade than conquest if you're patient. Diplomacy can head off wars. You can win through religion(s). You can win through culture. It's not cheap (~$100). You can play short games and long games. You can play historical scenarios such as Frederick the Great trying to fend off France, Russia, and Austria with your English ally. Save the game at any point and resume later (sometimes it's days later). I haven't needed the Tutorial for a while, but it was good enough to get me started.

Of the two, I prefer Civilization. I've played it since it came out at Version I in the early 1990's, I believe. Now it's at VI and I've played them all. It actually helps if you're retired (:

[shm317]

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Loving it so far

[FoolStreet]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the best video game I've ever played...

Great western. Great gameplay. Great voice acting. Great story. Great side missions. Huge open world.

I ran through the story once, had a blast, and then about a year later replayed it all again, and went for 100% completion. Just recently got that accomplishment... Took months.

I quit my job in January 2022 and played this game for about 4 months full-time. All those things you said and this is by far the best game I've ever played. I actually quit playing it twice because I found it boring, the controls awkward and the first few missions scripted. But once I got the hang of it and started exploring the vast detailed open world, the array of fascinating characters and relationships you build with your gang, you get lost in a Sergio Leone cinematic western video game on steroids. I still can't believe a game like this exists.

I love this game. I literally feel like I’m in the middle of the great west outdoors. Recently upgraded to a 65” OLED tv Lg C2 and it is just mesmerizing. Too easy to play for hours.


To break it up, I’m playing Jedi Survivor. A little more linear, which is a nice break.

I really wanted to enjoy Read Dead Redemption 2, but the controls were simply awful and I couldn't seem to save whenever I want (playing on PC). Two massive quality of life issues that I have no idea how companies get wrong in 2022/23.

It took me a while to learn the controls on the PS5 because I had no idea what the game was or what I was supposed to do, but eventually figured it out and feel a lot better. Sometimes I accidentally bump into a passerby or worse, but I chalk it up to "the wild west." Is getting a PS5 an option for you?

[FoolStreet]

I recently beat and got to 100% on the Hogwarts Legacy game. That was pretty enjoyable, and I'd recommend it to any fans of the Harry Potter books out there.

Next up for me is God of War: Ragnarok. I played the old God of War games on PS2 almost 20 years ago, so looking forward to that one.

My good human, have you played God of War (2018)? If not, definitely play it before Ragnarok, as the latter is a continuation of the story started in GoW.

GoW has been the series that forces me to upgrade consoles. I played 1 and 2 on the PS2, but then had to get a PS3 for GoW 3. Also got a PS4 for GoW (2018). Will probably have to break the streak and get a PS5 for Spider-Man 2....

Currently playing:
- Rocket League (PS4) with the work peeps
- Mario Kart (Switch) with the nephews
- LoZ: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

I played GoW2 on PS2/3(?) a long time ago, then bought GoW on PS5. It seems fun, but I stopped very early since I was having more fun with RDR2 and still working through ME3, and now Jedi Survivor.

To your point... I played Spiderman on my PS4, then midway bought a PS5 and played the 2nd half plus miles morales on the PS5. Much snappier web-swinging. Looking forward to SM2.

[Maverick3320]

Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably the best video game I've ever played...

Great western. Great gameplay. Great voice acting. Great story. Great side missions. Huge open world.

I ran through the story once, had a blast, and then about a year later replayed it all again, and went for 100% completion. Just recently got that accomplishment... Took months.

I quit my job in January 2022 and played this game for about 4 months full-time. All those things you said and this is by far the best game I've ever played. I actually quit playing it twice because I found it boring, the controls awkward and the first few missions scripted. But once I got the hang of it and started exploring the vast detailed open world, the array of fascinating characters and relationships you build with your gang, you get lost in a Sergio Leone cinematic western video game on steroids. I still can't believe a game like this exists.

I love this game. I literally feel like I’m in the middle of the great west outdoors. Recently upgraded to a 65” OLED tv Lg C2 and it is just mesmerizing. Too easy to play for hours.


To break it up, I’m playing Jedi Survivor. A little more linear, which is a nice break.

I really wanted to enjoy Read Dead Redemption 2, but the controls were simply awful and I couldn't seem to save whenever I want (playing on PC). Two massive quality of life issues that I have no idea how companies get wrong in 2022/23.

It took me a while to learn the controls on the PS5 because I had no idea what the game was or what I was supposed to do, but eventually figured it out and feel a lot better. Sometimes I accidentally bump into a passerby or worse, but I chalk it up to "the wild west." Is getting a PS5 an option for you?

A PS5 is always an option, but I already have a gaming laptop, Switch, and an Xbox one. With a busy work life and two young kids I hardly have enough time for one gaming system - the Switch might get an hour a week and the Xbox one collects dust.

Would a USB gaming pad help while playing on the laptop, or is the control scheme just better on PS5 due to port issues?

[CommitmentDevice]

Recently started playing games on Amazon's Luna platform. The game library is vast for $10/mo and because it's a streaming service (game processing happens on servers instead of on my computer) I'm able to play stuff that normally wouldn't work on my computer. The controller arrives tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted.

[Caduceus]

Recently started playing games on Amazon's Luna platform. The game library is vast for $10/mo and because it's a streaming service (game processing happens on servers instead of on my computer) I'm able to play stuff that normally wouldn't work on my computer. The controller arrives tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted.

That sounds awesome. I had no idea Amazon had a game service. My computer cannot run the games I want to play like Hogwart's Legacy (the requirements are really high ... do most laptops even have 16GB of RAM these days?) so it would be nice to play it streaming instead.

My husband's computer is more powerful but his glossy screen gives me a headache. I've actually been procrastinating on all the games I want to play because I cannot find a matte-screen laptop that would work for my work purposes and yet is powerful enough for games

[rockstar]

The older D&D games have hit Amazon Prime Gaming. I grabbed Torment. I haven’t played it since high school.

[rockstar]

Recently started playing games on Amazon's Luna platform. The game library is vast for $10/mo and because it's a streaming service (game processing happens on servers instead of on my computer) I'm able to play stuff that normally wouldn't work on my computer. The controller arrives tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted.

That sounds awesome. I had no idea Amazon had a game service. My computer cannot run the games I want to play like Hogwart's Legacy (the requirements are really high ... do most laptops even have 16GB of RAM these days?) so it would be nice to play it streaming instead.

My husband's computer is more powerful but his glossy screen gives me a headache. I've actually been procrastinating on all the games I want to play because I cannot find a matte-screen laptop that would work for my work purposes and yet is powerful enough for games

I have a P series Thinkpad with a docking station that is good enough for gaming. It has a 3070 ti card. I highly recommend docking stations and monitors when gaming with a laptop.

[FoolStreet]

The older D&D games have hit Amazon Prime Gaming. I grabbed Torment. I haven’t played it since high school.

How about Pools of Radiance? How would you compare it to Torment?

[rockstar]

The older D&D games have hit Amazon Prime Gaming. I grabbed Torment. I haven’t played it since high school.

How about Pools of Radiance? How would you compare it to Torment?

Torment is more modern like Baulder’s Gate.

Pool’s is very much older tech.

[CommitmentDevice]

Recently started playing games on Amazon's Luna platform. The game library is vast for $10/mo and because it's a streaming service (game processing happens on servers instead of on my computer) I'm able to play stuff that normally wouldn't work on my computer. The controller arrives tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted.

That sounds awesome. I had no idea Amazon had a game service. My computer cannot run the games I want to play like Hogwart's Legacy (the requirements are really high ... do most laptops even have 16GB of RAM these days?) so it would be nice to play it streaming instead.

My husband's computer is more powerful but his glossy screen gives me a headache. I've actually been procrastinating on all the games I want to play because I cannot find a matte-screen laptop that would work for my work purposes and yet is powerful enough for games

I have a P series Thinkpad with a docking station that is good enough for gaming. It has a 3070 ti card. I highly recommend docking stations and monitors when gaming with a laptop.

If you're a super serious gamer with a budget, you'll buy an Xbox, Playstation, or gaming PC, and you'll get exactly the games you want from Steam or Xbox game pass or whatever.

But for me, I'm delighted that I can play a decent selection of top games on my TV (we have a firestick) with a good gaming controller for only $50 + $10/mo.

[HomerJ]

I'm playing a crazy game called Lost in Random right now on PC (Got it from Steam).

I highly recommend it... It's pretty fun, and easy. (I laughed at the part where the Narrator got beat up and replaced, because the evil Queen running the whole thing didn't like that he was helping me)

[cs412a]

I'm playing a crazy game called Lost in Random right now on PC (Got it from Steam).

I highly recommend it... It's pretty fun, and easy. (I laughed at the part where the Narrator got beat up and replaced, because the evil Queen running the whole thing didn't like that he was helping me)

Thanks, sounds interesting. Plus it's 80% off on Steam, so within my game budget.