# Video Games You've Played Recently **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [July 25, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546 "2022-07-25T19:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 44
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/868 "2025-04-22T22:21:40Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Anybody else addicted to Balatro? A poker rogue like, if you wrap your head around that concept. It’s been out a while and I think I read that some of you got sucked in a while ago. Played it a while ago. Didn’t beat it completely but I unlocked everything there was to unlock at the time. It’s a fun game. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/869 "2025-04-22T23:27:25Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > But now that it’s on game pass, it’s got its claws in me. Do not get it on your phone. DO NOT GET IT ON YOUR PHONE. **FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT GET IT ON YOUR PHONE IT WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE.** (i really like balatro) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/870 "2025-04-22T23:30:25Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > At least it’s available on GamePass… but I think they also recently updated that to no longer allow AAA games on a free trial, so you have to pay for at least a month. Game Pass has been really knocking it out of the park lately, doing day-one releases for a ton of good games. Skyrim was the first Elder Scrolls game I really got into. I think I bounced off of both Morrowind and Oblivion, so I’m looking forward to giving the remaster/remake/rewhatever a go. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/871 "2025-04-23T00:58:54Z")
Wait…I can get it on my phone!?! Through game pass? Because that might very well be the end of me…in the best way possible. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/872 "2025-04-23T01:06:10Z")
You can’t play the Gamepass version on your phone (that’s Xbox and PC only, unless you stream it through xCloud — which would be silly for an offline game with a real mobile version). If you have an iPhone, it IS available through the Apple Arcade sub: [‎Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Balatro+](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1780013033). Otherwise, on iPhone and Android, you can just buy the game for $10 or so. It works well enough on a phone, though of course it’s a smaller screen, so you have to be careful not to accidentally discard the wrong cards and such. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/873 "2025-04-23T05:21:41Z")
I bought the game Roboquest the other day; it’s an FPS roguelike that’s a bit like Borderlands crossed with Doom. It’s on the difficult side for me (even playing it on “Easy” difficulty), but I’m managing to steadily unlock new classes, items and areas. I like the cartoony art, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/874 "2025-04-23T05:29:28Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Anybody else addicted to Balatro? A poker rogue like, if you wrap your head around that concept. It’s been out a while and I think I read that some of you got sucked in a while ago. But now that it’s on game pass, it’s got its claws in me. Crack, absolute crack. Somehow, just booting up Balatro and closing it requires four hours, because I know I didn’t play it that long… Speaking of drugs, I suppressed my aversion to Early Access games long enough to try Schedule 1, an indie game where you produce and sell drugs. For a very early version, it’s good. Simple graphics, generally simple gameplay, and simple fun. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/875 "2025-04-23T09:36:16Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Anybody else addicted to Balatro? A poker rogue like, if you wrap your head around that concept. It’s been out a while and I think I read that some of you got sucked in a while ago. But now that it’s on game pass, it’s got its claws in me. I eventually gave it up when I realised that the achievements were broken on the pc, I’d not unlocked a bunch of the thing I’d done, so gave up with one deck (anaglyth, where you get double tag after blind defeated) unlocked to beat gold and it was tedious playing at that level, purely “luck” to win that.. The idea of unlocking any other deck to gold is ludicrous to me, along with the conclusion that it does cheat, and there will be times it just won’t give you certain planet cards, four of a kind or straight flush planets are useless and had both of those to past level 8 without getting a single two pair upgrade. Like how if you get the all cards are face card will always lead to you getting the blind where all face cards are dealt face down. I’ve managed to get a planet level to around 80ish, got a single hand to about 400 million (high card on the fragile challenge) and I think 21 jokers was the most. I also find it incredibly strange this ok game which is quite addictive is rated so high (PC Gamer 8th best game of last year?) over the wonderful crack which is Satisfactory, a game with massive depth which rewires your brain. For what? A poker card game with modifiers? ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/876 "2025-04-23T13:19:36Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > The idea of unlocking any other deck to gold is ludicrous to me, along with the conclusion that it does cheat, and there will be times it just won’t give you certain planet cards, four of a kind or straight flush planets are useless and had both of those to past level 8 without getting a single two pair upgrade. Like how if you get the all cards are face card will always lead to you getting the blind where all face cards are dealt face down. > > I’ve managed to get a planet level to around 80ish, got a single hand to about 400 million (high card on the fragile challenge) and I think 21 jokers was the most. This entire explanation reminded me immediately of this Monty Python sketch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QWWPk9jrvqk/hqdefault.jpg "Monty Python, RAF Banter") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWWPk9jrvqk&t=171/) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/877 "2025-04-23T16:24:43Z")
While I still haven’t had the chance to actually play it, one nice thing about the Oblivion remaster is that [boosting Endurance now raises your Hit Points _retroactively._](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/praise-the-nine-oblivion-remastered-doesnt-make-you-grind-your-minor-skills-to-level-efficiently-and-increasing-endurance-boosts-your-hit-points-retroactively/) So no more having to make raising Endurance by the maximum every level a priority to avoid permanently weakening your character. > In Oblivion Remastered, both minor and major skills contribute to leveling and you simply get 12 points—called virtues—to spend improving your attributes every time you level up, no matter what. The effect of some of those attributes has changed too. Agility now improves the damage you do with shortswords and daggers as well as bows, and when you pump your Endurance up to increase your hit points, the amount you get is retroactive, treating you as if you had that higher Endurance every time you leveled up before now. No more rushing to boost your Endurance before everything else, thank goodness. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/878 "2025-04-23T17:41:30Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > So no more having to make raising Endurance by the maximum every level a priority to avoid permanently weakening your character. Was that really a concern? I don’t remember Oblivion being so difficult that I had to stack on as many HP as possible. Maybe I wasn’t playing on super-hard mode though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/879 "2025-04-23T17:50:33Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > For what? A poker card game with modifiers? Proof that complex and good are not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/880 "2025-04-23T19:19:43Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Was that really a concern? I don’t remember Oblivion being so difficult that I had to stack on as many HP as possible. I certainly worried about it, and apparently so did a lot of people. I recall there was one mission I never finished where there’s a room full of respawning Scamps, because it was so useful for farming Shield skill in order to make sure I’d get max Endurance each level up. It’ll be nice for that not to be an issue anymore. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/881 "2025-04-23T21:33:01Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Anybody else addicted to Balatro? I haven’t played Balatro, but I enjoyed playing Dice Player One (a similar game based on Yahtzee instead of poker). ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/882 "2025-04-23T22:28:48Z")
The only thing I remember about oblivion was that the leveling system meant every 10 skill level ups you went up a level and every level the bad guys got tougher, so if you raised non combat skills the game became unwinnable fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/883 "2025-04-23T23:23:11Z")
The main thing I remember is sometimes pointing at a corner and then putting something heavy on my mouse button so I’d continuously cast fireballs or whatever, so that I could level up the particular attributes I wanted. Also important not to level up skills in other attributes since they’d be wasted levels. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/884 "2025-04-23T23:24:31Z")
Wasn’t the strategy to load up your official major/minor skills with stuff you _didn’t_ use as your actual main combat skills, so that you could level those combat skills up while keeping your overall level and hence the enemies’ level lower? Been too long, don’t actually remember. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/885 "2025-04-23T23:35:09Z")
I ended up buying **Oblivion** for the PS5. I’m still in the tunnels but it’s time for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/886 "2025-04-24T02:05:45Z")
I took a break from my life in Balatro to try out the oblivion remake. It looks great, of course. But almost too great. The cartoon graphics before really made it feel like a fantasy…or a fever dream. But yeah, it mostly the same ole oblivion. There’s a few more voice actors now so there’s a lot more variety. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2025, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546/887 "2025-04-24T08:02:31Z")
The UESP Wiki has a [useful list](https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion_Remastered_Changes) of the changes made in the Remastered Oblivion. Which is still growing as more are found. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > Wasn’t the strategy to load up your official major/minor skills with stuff you _didn’t_ use as your actual main combat skills, so that you could level those combat skills up while keeping your overall level and hence the enemies’ level lower? Yeah; you had to create your character the opposite of how you wanted to build them, which was both frustrating and made the early game awkward at best. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546.md?page=43) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-youve-played-recently/968546.md?page=45)