Getting more and more into #TheAscent and loving my character in that particular outfit. But I do suck at any other difficulty level than easy in this 😅 #VideoGames
There are some great locations in #TheAscent that offer a lot of atmosphere and high immersive value. For example, the brightly lit Cosmodrome with the freshly thawed passengers making their way from the orbital shuttles to the processing stations where they will confirm their work contracts. As mentioned before, the worldbuilding in this game is so good, I like it a lot. — #ShareYourGames#Gaming
#TheAscent has a pretty good soundtrack by #PawelBlaszczak, which I listen to a lot outside of the game. I don’t like the mix in the game much because the music fades in and out very quickly in action scenes and I find this back-and-forth a bit annoying. I would prefer a more consistent background music. — #ShareYourGames#Gaming
Technically speaking, this is one of the most memorable moments of #TheAscent. It’s a shootout in a nightclub with mass panic among the guests. Dozens if not hundreds of fully animated NPC react dynamically to the player character’s actions, it feels anything but scripted and static. Definitely one of the most impressive crowd scenes in video games to date, but nightclub shooting also left me with a sinking feeling in my stomach. — #ShareYourGames#Gaming
The worldbuilding in #TheAscent is excellent. It is a very balanced mix of codex entries, narration and visual design. The locations are believable and offer a good level of immersion. I didn’t expect the game to place so much emphasis on this. Oh, and did I mention how pretty the game is? — #ShareYourGames#Gaming
I’ve been sinking a lot of time into #TheAscent recently and am enjoying the overall design. The twin-stick action isn’t up to #Housemarque level, but it’s very solid, offers a satisfying main story and is certainly one of the most visually stunning games I’ve ever played. There is a serious risk that I will bother you with lots and lots of screenshots. — #ShareYourGames#Gaming
A fun top down shooter with light RPG elements set in a dystopian, cyberpunk future where the majority of the planet's populace have become indentured servants.
2 years on from the release and it still has some bugs, I had to replay the game for The Aficionado trophy as the tracker for weapon upgrades freaks out if you experiment and upgrade multiple weapons
I'm not one for "New Year's resolutions", but I am one for overly ambitious projects.
For 2023, Project365 is "One New Game Per Day".
Given that I have 634 unplayed games in my Steam account and {mumble} unredeemed bundle Steam keys, there's a reason my unplayed collection is tagged "Pile of Shame".
I'll pin this to my profile, and give a brief summary here each day (or x, if I miss x days due to work or stuff).
I'll play 15-30 minutes of (at least) one new game I've never played before (or played less than 15 minutes of). I'll give every game at least 15 minutes, even if I hate every minute of it.
I'm also open to suggestions; if you reply to this thread with a game, I'll schedule it, or tell you what I thought of it.
One of the things that's come up is that I have a bunch of games that I've played once, and not touched again.
The Ascent is a cyberpunk-themed isometric action-shooter RPG, with an oddly annoying control scheme.
This is not, technically, the first time I've played The Ascent. I played a short part of it -on PC- when it was on Xbox Game Pass. I remember being annoyed by the controls then, but forgot I'd installed it.
Then it dropped in the August 2022 Humble Choice bundle, and I uninstalled it from the Xbox app and installed it on Steam, and promptly forgot about it.
Turns out that was exactly twelve months ago.
When starting it tonight, I remembered my annoyance with the controls, and turned on my controller.
This is a game that feels like it was designed to be played with a controller. On a controller, and an isometric* game, moving with the left stick feels natural. WASD feels odd, because you're using two keys at a time.
But targeting with the right stick feels like playing in glue. Maybe if it had snap-targeting, but it doesn't. Targeting with a mouse feels natural and particularly during the first frenetic boss battle, if I'd been trying to target with the controller, I'd probably have given up.
My only other critique is that "isometric*" above. A lot of isometric games handle being behind an object by making it transparent, or outlining your character.
The Ascent puts a circle on the ground, which can be a little hard to keep track of when you're behind a large fixed object during a frenetic boss battle.
On top of this, it's isometric until it isn't. Suddenly, the camera is behind you for a while, but not when it might be helpful, like when you're behind a giant object during a frenetic boss battle.
The gameplay and atmosphere are excellent. It nails that gritty cyberpunk feel. The mobs suddenly popping up out of nowhere give just the right amount of chills. The first level in the bowels of the city feels -and sounds- like you're underneath everything.
The visuals and sound design when you complete your first major quest getting a machine running is great.
The Ascent is a game that overcomes its weaknesses pretty damn well.
At the end of my 40s I still love #VideoGames. I play on #XboxSeriesS and #GamePass (use cloud gaming while away) and increasingly on my beloved #SteamDeck for those sweet non-Xbox games.
Recently (last 12 months) (re-)played games include: