this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025

80 points (96.5% liked)

RetroGaming

25109 readers

160 users here now

Vintage gaming community.

Rules:

Be kind.
No spam, AI slop, or soliciting for money.
No racism or other bigotry allowed.
Obviously nothing illegal.

If you see these please report them.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

Xylinna@lemmy.world

Tenthrow@lemmy.world

gts@lemmy.world

What Are Ya'll Playing? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 days ago by PKscope@lemmy.world to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world

97 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Just thought I could get a discussion thread going. What is everyone playing lately?

I just finished playing Metal Gear Solid Delta, it was great! I decided to play through the series finally after years of watching video essays on the game, and I'm glad I did! I played Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Subsistence through emulation (4k HD for the win!) It was a great experience and I can see why the series is so highly venerated. It holds up remarkably well, and the long cut scenes were really enjoyable. I thought it would be annoying, but I actually found myself looking forward to them. Delta was like jumping forward in time 30 years, but still extremely fun. I'm glad they stayed so close to the source material so I could just play the new release instead of booting up Snake Eater through emulation.

Now if I could just play IV without a PS3, that would be awesome. I might have to try emulation on that, but from what I read, the experience isn't great.

Regardless, now I'm replaying Max Payne 3. This game IS SO FREAKING GOOD. I had forgotten how good it is. The noir narration is just amazing. The gameplay is tight as a snare drum. The art style and visuals are still amazing even when compared to modern games. Rockstar really knocked this game out of the park. I still haven't played Max Payne 1 or 2, and maybe I should. Also, I found out that one of the bands I've recently discovered and have been listening to like crazy, Health, did the score for Max Payne 3. The music is fantastic. If you haven't played it, I highly recommend giving it a go.

Other than those games, I plan to play through The Last of Us 1 for the first time soon. Not sure how "retro" it is, but I think it is borderline given the original release date and hardware. Looking forward to trying it for the first time. I've never had Sony consoles, so I've missed out on a ton of first-party Sony games over the years. Trying to make up for that by playing modern PC releases and through emulation.

So yeah, what do ya'll have going on right now? What do you recommend playing and why?

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Cyberpunk 2077. Felt like a good moment to buy it as its finished. It's basically modernized skyrim and I love that.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Probably my favorite game and game world of all time. Though, to be honest, I'm having difficulty in relating it to Skyrim. Then again, I was never big into Skyrim. I always got bored half way through the game and never finished it. Probably just a setting thing. I really like sci-fi and less into fantasy.

Did you get Phantom Liberty? If not, I highly recommend it. It's ridiculously good. I'm on my 5th or 6th playthrough and still finding new things and details I missed previously. The world is ridiculously dense.

[–] Gonzako@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

I'm running Phantom liberty right now! I'm liking it quite a bit. I'm at the part where you gotta get into the big hotel.

[–] lath@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

Mount and Blade Warband with conversion mods. All the different settings are interesting and each mod has its own specialty that makes it stand out.

[–] HouseWolf@pawb.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Started playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 again after being disappointed by the "remaster" which was just a THPS 3 and 4 map-pack without all the maps and a premium price tag...

Kinda did it backwards since I actually replayed THPS4 again after they announced the original single player mode wouldn't be in 3+4 >.>

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I had some fun messing around with that remake they recently did. I unlocked all the levels in three and got most of the challenges done. I'm more of a Skate guy to be honest. Skate 2 and Skate 3 are all-time greats for me. The new skate game that is free to play is the biggest piece of shit I've ever played. It makes me so mad every time I think about it. Been waiting on that game for like a decade and they absolutely shit all over it and us. They absolutely ruined it.

No I'm not upset at all about it I always have steam coming out of my ears.

[–] biofaust@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

A Plague's Tale: Innocence
Blade Runner
Freedom Fighters and trying hard to make Dominatrix work to play SiN Gold again.

[–] anton2492@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Hey friend, cheers for the thread. I'm strangely happy and relieved to have found something chill enough to engage with in the midst of all the crazy political drama around the place.

I'm glad you're enjoying Max Payne 3. I liked it too, though It had to grow on me, especially after having played MP1 and MP2. The first one especially blew me away even when I played it for the first time back in 2008 - its combination of beautiful, prosaic noir writing, the modern incorporation of Norse mythology, and innovative (for the time) gameplay, among other traits, continues to make it stand out amongst the rest.

If you get to play it, I'd highly recommend checking out the PCGamingWiki page for the fixes to help it work better in general and on modern systems.

Currently, I'm playing RoboCop: Rogue City and Schedule I. Playing on both sides of the law by the looks of it, haha.

Rogue City is a great experience as far as faithfully adapting the dystopian, mega-corporatised, hyper-violent world of RoboCop to the gaming screen;
Schedule I has you build a drug empire through a surprisingly addictive (heh) gameplay loop of producing and distributing different types of drugs (I found myself staying up til 4AM while crafting all-new marijuana strains with kickass names like the Ninja Witch).

I've also been revisiting old PS2 games on PCSX2 emulator. Currently replaying:

WWE games - Here Comes the Pain, and SvR'06/07 (peak of the franchise, imo)
Dog's Life - the adorable yet disturbing, fantastically scored, janky GTA-flavoured canine adventure still entertains.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Glad to have you here to chat with us! I tried to play RoboCop twice now, but couldn't get into it the way I had hoped. It seemed like a really well-made game, but I think that either I wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time or maybe it's just not quite what I'm looking for. It's one of those games I feel like I should like, but just don't yet.

I'm getting so many recommendations to go back and play Max Payne 1 & 2 that I'm going to prioritize them in my next round of games.

As for wrestling games, the two I owned were WCW-NWO Revenge (N64) and WWF Warzone. Both were interesting and I still go back and play them every once in a while through emulation. I really like the mechanics for WCW-NWO Revenge. It's the best implementation of grapple controls I've played in a wrestling game. The rest is a bit rough around the edges, though.

[–] anton2492@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Thanks! Yeah, totally understandable about RoboCop RC - it isn't without its flaws and is certainly rough around the edges, one would have to be a big fan of the franchise to forgive all the bugs. Thanks to the mods that bring back the original movie SFX, the game feels much more immersive. A major hook to play it for me is Peter Weller returning to voice Robo, if anything I'll try to finish it for that reason alone.

I hope to try out that WCW-nWo Revenge game, sounds interesting. My other one I'd like to try would be WWF No Mercy, it's still touted as the crème de la crème of wrestling games and there's a loyal and active modding community for it to this day, amazingly.

[–] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

I'll have to look into the mods, I bought RoboCop RC on deep sale this summer but haven't gotten around to it yet. Despite being a somewhat janky AA game it looked cool and seem to have gotten quite good reviews so I'm looking forward to it.

[–] anton2492@lemmy.nz 1 points 18 hours ago

It is quite decent indeed, what I love is the solid, passionate attempt at faithfully adhering to the source material, paired with the courage to expand it authentically.

Where Rogue City needed more immersion is the sound effects. The sound carries the first film as almost its own character, and it's no wonder it won the Special Achievement Oscar. Most of the mods I have installed for the SFX are from Nexus, and replace the sounds of Robo's steps, Auto-9 gun, HUD, targeting, punching, breaching, etc., with their original movie versions. There are other mods out there for RC, but imo those classic sounds are absolutely essential for the RoboCop experience.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wow, I didn't know about all that for RoboCop. If I'm honest, I've never actually watched the movies. I know... I know. I should have by now. Especially considering I'm a big fan of dystopian cyberpunk type stuff. Maybe after I give it a watch I'll be more interested in the game.

I've heard about No Mercy being the king of the hill, but I haven't tried it either. Warzone was... not great. lol. I much preferred WCW-NWO Revenge of the two. Those are the only two I owned back in the day, so I mainly boot them up for nostalgia purposes.

When you say No Mercy has a modding community, are you talking about a PC release of some sort or romhacks?

[–] anton2492@lemmy.nz 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

(better late than never 😁)

I'm not sure on the details (am yet to delve into it proper), but from what I can spot it is 64-based so looks like it's through an emulator and with asset/texture packs. Likely similar to PCSX2's texture mods

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

Very cool. I'll check that out when I have time. Thanks!

[–] mrfriki@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

The Amiga version of Alien Breed 2. Bitch is hard as nails in a coffin. In comparison the Alien Breed trilogy on PC on hardest difficulty is a walk in the park.

[–] LazyPotato@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm playing Chrono Trigger on my Miyoo Mini and I'm planning to finish it and play Mother 3 (since I finished Earthbound some time ago and really loved it). Also honorable mention when I need a quick time kill: Catrap (GB) and Apotris

I absolutely do recommend playing Earthbound if you still haven't because this really is a story with a soul and I'm astonished that I haven't heard about it before. Also btw this game has an S-tier manual, google it.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Heck yeah I'll check it out!

I keep thinking about picking up one of those small emulation devices but I keep coming back to the same thing... My phone is probably just as powerful and I already own it. It's a little annoying to have to have a controller to play, though.

I have all my emulators up to ps2 on my phone and they run great in high resolution. I'm struggling to find a need for one of those aside from "I want it." Lol

[–] LazyPotato@lemmy.zip 2 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

Yeah, I also had my phone emulation phase but it kinda sucked having to lug around a controller, searching for it in my bag, turning on, connecting via BT - that took a lot of time and eventually I got kinda lazy and stopped doing it. Plus the distractions of my phone (nothing sucks more than getting a message from boss in the middle of the game) and fast draining of charge.

But you do you man, I'm happy that it's working for you! Kinda even jealous for ps2, my miyoo can only emulate anything up to ps1. And shooters are not great on it. Tried Quake 2, playable but not super comfy.

By the way, reason like "I want it" is valid too, miyoos are really cheap, I remember thinking to myself "worth a shot, as long as I won't fall into a rabbit hole of modding it or collecting dozens of other emulators" - and I didn't. Thx for answering btw, it's great seeing folks with different experience. What are your favorite games apart from Max Payne?

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

You're right. "I want it" is completely valid. If I had a bit more disposable income to play with I think I'd probably go ahead and bite the bullet.

I wouldn't call Max Payne one of my "favorite" games, more that its a really good game that I'm currently discovering just how good it is. My favorite games are Cyberpunk 2077... Probably have like 500 hours in that. Had it since launch. By far my favorite "world" I've ever been immersed in. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been living rent-free in my head for months. That was a masterpiece. I spend 75% of my gaming time playing race sims, though. I've been going hard on Le Mans Ultimate lately. It's so good! I want a race sim rig so bad. It's the one thing I've wanted for years that I haven't been able to get a chance to get. Hard to drop 2g's on a peripheral.

Beyond that, more retro... Donkey Kong Country, Diddy Kong Racing, The Typing of the Dead (God I love this one. So glad RetroArch exists otherwise I would have never got to experience it)

[–] LazyPotato@lemmy.zip 2 points 12 hours ago

Thx for recommendations! I'm also a biiiig fan of Expedition 33 btw, it's so good!

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

3 was great on it's own merits as a game, but the noir elements were ratched way down compared to the first and second.

Max Payne 2 was... I dunno... damn well perfect for what it was supposed to be in the era it was developed with the technology of the time.

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Dude! I was so fucking surprised at how well Max Payne 3 still holds up. Better than most shooters nowadays.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It's unreal. Just the feel of the game is amazing. Modern gaming is great and all, but something about that 6th/7th generation just hits. It was like the perfect mix of player-focused design and modern tech. There's a lot of games with amazing potential nowadays, but they are ruined by silly design choices like always-online implementation or micro-transactions. The games from the 6th and 7th generations are just so feature-rich and laden with game modes and statistics tracking that it's disheartening to see how far we've regressed in those areas in modern games, seemingly all in pursuit of making the walls have 5% more fidelity than before.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago

I finally started Roboquest last week. After getting my ass handed to me nonstop on standard difficulty and realizing grinding like that would take forever, I went with Discovery (super easy) to unlock stuff faster. It's a pretty fun game, though not retro by any measure (EA started back in 2020)

I might also bite the bullet and try to finish Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Sorcerer. I managed to successfully finish the two previous Silver Box DnD games (they really fucking suck), but this 3rd game throws so much shit to fuck your progress that ragequitting seems like the only correct option. As to why bother, it makes for a good conversation topic with RPG players and aspiring game devs

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I haven't played anything this year.

Well aside from like the sort of mobile games that ads sometimes have before you can close them.

I'm not sure if it's depression or a lack of a good GPU. Still running my 1060.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

balaro, hunnie pop, breath of the wild, mario kart.

trying to get everything off my computer so I can install linux. Suggestions for Debian based , easy install, rock solid distros are welcome here :

https://lemmy.world/post/35450797?scrollToComments=true

[–] mrnarwall@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm playing through hollow Knight for the first time! I have always enjoyed Metroid and most of Castlevania, and with the silk song hype I felt it was time. I have no idea how far along I am, I don't suspect very far based on how full my inventory screen is. And I'm using the strategy of "re explore old areas once you learn a new move", which is working okay, but I'm getting a little annoyed by how much back tracking I'm doing. I want to find the map for the jellyfish area, but I can't get past this black barrier.

There are fun optional platforming areas that remind me of Celeste. Now if I only I had unlimited tries like she did. And the boss battles are challenging and punishing in a way that reminds me of elden ring - everyone has a pattern, and they will hurt you if you are too greedy with your attacks.

Overall I recommend it if you enjoy Metroidvanias

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Very nice! I tried to play Hollow Knight a while back while I was exploring 2D games. I think it was right after I finished Elden Ring, now that you mention it. The mechanics and platforming felt amazing, but the setting just didn't speak to me. These aren't really the kind of games I have been drawn to in my life, so it was definitely out of my wheelhouse, but it was getting such acclaim I figured I owed it to myself to at least try it.

Maybe I'll go back to it one day and give it another shot.

[–] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Max Payne 1&2 still hold up I think. The upshot of using comic book style slideshow sequences instead of cutscenes is that it's aged really well. Story, mood and atmosphere is great in both and I think the gameplay is still pretty decent. Keep in mind 1&2 were Remedy games while 3 was Rockstar, so they will feel noticeably different for better or worse. Most Max Payne fans will say it like: Max Payne 3 is a great game, it's just not a great Max Payne game. It doesn't have that Remedy touch, it isn't good at the things that made the first two so special. Amazing 3rd person gunplay though.

Speaking of, there is a Remedy-themed Humble Bundle online right now with their whole catalogue minus Firebreak for like 30 bucks. Not a bad way to get your hands on MP 1&2. Pretty remarkable value, although with the two caveats that Alan Wake 2 is (1) only playable through Epic and (2) coming to PS+ next month if you have that platform and service.

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Good to know! Thanks, homie.

I'm definitely going to play 1 & 2. The love for them is overwhelming. I wonder if I'll feel differently than others due to playing 3 first. That'll be interesting to find out.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Balatro till I've beat it

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] weirdo_from_space@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I can't stop playing Enter the Gungeon, this is a cry for help. /hj

Also I decided to try Flashback again (Genesis version). This game always seemed really cool but I never progressed far on it since it's so unlike anything else from the era. Kind of surprising more indies don't take a crack at this formula.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] arararagi@ani.social 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Azure Dreams, PS1 and GBC, I was really surprised how good both versions were when deciding which to play so I'm playing both.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Addv4@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Finished up "my friend Pedro" a couple of weeks ago (absolutely recommend if you haven't played it, especially with a high refresh rate screen), played control for a bit (interesting beginning, but the more you play the more confusing/boring I found it), and been revisiting doom eternal since I just upgraded my PC about a month ago. I was planning to play it through with the dlc expansions, then maybe try cyberpunk after. Also been intermittently playing "golf with your friends" when I have game night, pretty fun to play with friends and doesn't take too much effort.

load more comments (4 replies)

[–] cdzero@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Playing the original God of War for the first time via the PS3 collection. I'm also chipping away at Mario Picross 2 (Gameboy) on my Retroid Pocket 4.

[–] anton2492@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 day ago

I've had the OG GoW ISO in my collection for years, still yet to properly try it. I know it's good but just need to find a time and the right mood for it and not get distracted by anything else...

load more comments (3 replies)

[–] MisterMoo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Playing Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on 3DS. Cute but not loving it as much as the original. Not sure why.

[–] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago

Not retro, but retro pixel aesthetics. Songs of Conquest is a fantastic RPG

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Finally playing Silent Hill 2, which is scary as heck. (Try playing it with the sound off and your controller vibration on for a bit.)

Still playing Noita a lot.

Also DMing weekly campaigns on Neverwinter Nights.

load more comments (5 replies)

[–] HC4L@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Megabonk and Balatro. And I've just finished Max Payne 3! Really liked it!

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Caveman@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Max Payne 3 is an an amazing. If you like slowmo bullet time stuff you might enjoy"My Friend Pedro"

[–] PKscope@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I've seen My Friend Pedro a couple times in various places. Maybe I should give it a shot. Thanks for the tip!

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Finally picked up Hades II now that it's been officially released and I can enjoy it with all its polish. Already got 30 hours in and can't wait to spend more time tonight. The music is just constantly stuck in my head now.

load more comments (6 replies)

load more comments