How does it reduce accuracy? It allows you to make very precise movements if you move the mouse slowly, but make large movements very quickly by flicking the mouse instead of needing to pick it up and move it multiple times.
I just bought a Pi and set this up a couple of weeks ago. I turned my Pi into a NAS using OMV 6 (Open Media Vault - free), installing docker compose and qbittorrent in OMV, also installed gluetun docker in OMV, and then added my, opened a port in AirVpn, and added the port to gluetun and set the network_mode argument in qbittorrent to my gluetun container. Now qbittorrent only connects to my vpn. OMV has extensive documentation for setting it and docker compose up, and the OMV community forum is extremely active.
I finished Omori a few months ago and it was a standout experience, really enjoyed every moment and could sing a lot of praise on its sound design and usage of gameplay mechanics to tell a story!
That’s a hell of a nostalgia trip. Freelancer is probably my all time favourite game, and I had literally a decade of fond memories of Disco before I eventually drifted off.
What’s it looking like these days? The pop count and surviving factions were looking a little sad the last time I checked in a year or two ago.
Ive been abusing steep for days now, and boy is that game the after dinner thin mint of gaming. Its gorgeous, and offers million of ways to go down tue several proposed mountains.
Skimming through my Steam library, here are the games that I’d call memorable/left an imprint for me in the last year.
Neon White - Score attack/leaderboard chasing is NOT my genre at all, but the game felt so good to get into a flow state and solve the puzzle, chasing that last Ace medal timing. There are more things I could have gone and chased, but getting all Ace medals, gifts and finishing the story was sufficient for me. I’d be curious to figure out if playing again, almost a year later, if I could do any of the later levels!
Security Booth: Director’s Cut - A very short experience but such a fascinating and creepy one. You’re asked to man a security booth and let in or reject cars based on a list of license plates. Things get weird and that’s all I really want to say. This is also a game that feels like it was originally released on a PS1.
The Case of the Golden Idol - Both Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn are some of my favorites of all time , so when I heard that Golden Idol was like both of them together I was extremely curious. It’s more Obra Dinn than Outer Wilds, but the core mystery in each level is so interesting to uncover. Nothing ever really comes out and says “So this is what happened” in a cutscene, but you read a letter in one room, maybe a letter in another, then you’re checking between them for the dates and trying to figure out what happened when. I felt so smart when a puzzle came together and when I saw/solved one of the big mysteries before they basically tell you the answer. So so so much fun and I need to get into the DLC.
Marvel’s Spider Man and Miles Morales - I played the first Spider Man on Sony’s streaming service a couple years ago, so I knew all the story beats already. That didn’t stop the emotional impact from STILL hitting me from some of the final villain’s speech to Peter. I had also never played Miles Morales, so it was great to put them both back to back. The story can feel very routine/by the numbers but I almost didn’t care because I was having so much fun swinging through New York. Cannot wait for Spider Man 2.
Deep Rock Galactic (DRG) will always have a special place in my heart for the role it played for me over the pandemic. My late best friend made a discord server for a bunch of his sad and lonely friends over lockdown, and DRG is probably the game we’ve played the most of.
I tend to play the hell out of a game and then get sick of it for a while, and that would’ve happened a couple hundred hours ago at least, but it’s more than a game, it’s a means to connect with my friends. We try to find time each week to do the Elite Deep Dive and having that checkpoint has saved my sanity.
It’s such a well designed game that I don’t just like it, I respect it. I’ve played a lot of co-op games like it, but I love the synergy of the classes and how each class has a wide variety in their potential loadout and how they fit into the team, but also a very clear identity
I got a ton of games on CD from years past; but I got no disc drive on my computer anymore, so I just pirate them instead of buying them again on Steam or GOG unless they have something new to make it worth buying (like an engine port or new features or whatever).
I think the only game I have tried that with that worked has been Oblivion and Shivering Isles. Some of them are so old, they don’t have any keys. Like Quake and Doom. But those were put in bundles and with updated engine ports and such a couple years ago on Steam and I got those. Like the entire pre-2016 Doom collection, plus some other games on the original engine for $5 total. Not a bad deal. Some of those games I didn’t actually already own, too, like Strife and Hexen 2. Always wanted Strife, but only had the shareware as a kid. Couldn’t beat that as a kid back then anyway; I only ever got through the entire thing pirating it in my 20’s at a time when it wasn’t able to be purchased anywhere.
Now that you mention the older games you own. It might be worth it to make some backups in the form of iso’s or copies. In case they get disk rot at some point. I think some of them must be close to 30 years old now.
Funny you mention Strife. I never really knew about Strife until much later when I found out about it. I have played the shareware version of Heretic quite a lot. But what really fascinated me back then where the early Grand Theft Auto and Carmageddon games. I guess my interest for cars translated into my games as well. Since those are technically open world driving games beside other things.
Stray - There’s not a massive amount to it, but what’s there is charming, with just enough storytelling to drag you in. Plus you’re a cat. Who doesn’t like cats?
Guardians of the Galaxy - The gameplay feels a little rough around the edges, and the characters have an extremely irritating habit of starting to talk just before you cross the invisible lines that stop them talking again (and unlike God of War, that conversation is now lost), but it felt like a Marvel game should. More fleshed out than the movies (especially Drax and Mantis, who are just fucking moronic on screen). I feel everyone (including me) ignored this on launch because of The Avengers, which is a shame because it deserved to do better.
Ghostwire Tokyo - Definitely unique. It’s kind of a shooter, but not. They’ve added a (free?) update to it with a school, so if you played it before and wondered where the horror element was, go back and play that bit.
Death Stranding - The first strand type game. I’ve certainly never played an apocalyptic Deliveroo driver before. I recommend mostly just mainlining the story here, as the payoff is the best bit.
Humanity - Neat little puzzle game. Not especially challenging. Somewhere between Lemmings and an obscure Amiga game called Timekeepers.
Endling - Come for the cute foxes. Stay for the sudden realisation that you can actually lose those babies and this isn’t what you thought it was. Like Stray it’s not overly long, although somehow even bleaker.
I don’t play games at release so my lists are often varied anyway. Only one of these truly blew my mind, but I think the others stood out well enough:
Paradise Killer: The detective and investigation genre has been well fed these past years. When Obra Dinn came out I felt sated. It was everything I ever wanted from a mystery game. The recent release of The Case of the Golden Idol struck a similar vein, even if far shorter and (IMO) easier. There’s a thing about those however, as well as most games of the genre: They’re often tied down to vignettes, select scenes laid down by the developers with clues that are obligatory to find or stand out blatantly. Games like Ace Attorney or DanganRonpa straight up won’t let you progress until you’ve found everything that you need to beat your case. And while that is not exactly stale, it feels somewhat constrained.
Paradise Killer flips that metaphorical table and throws you into a wild, vibrant world with little to no aid. I’ll spare the plot details, as its somewhat complicated to talk about them, but you are an investigator sent to crack the “Crime to end all crimes”, a bloodbath that is going to send this - supposedly - paradise into a chaotic fate unless its stopped. And after a brief explanation of what happened, you’re sent on your merry way, expected to meet and interrogate every NPC, as well as comb through the scenario.
The dialogues are typical from what you expect, some friendly back and forth, some very unfriendly back and forth, characters with deep dark secrets that aren’t always related to the current case but might turn up unexpected surprises. The real standout of the game, however, is the freedom and expectations you have for this world. You’re not chained to the murder scene (which you can’t even access for most of the game) or a few select areas. Instead you’re supposed to walk and climb and jump and look into every named area, learn about this world, dig up secrets, compare and pick apart testimonies, comb up random pieces of evidency as well as solve a few minor puzzles along the way. Its a mystery game with a single case - in a way - that runs far, far deeper than any other detective adventure I’ve ever played. Its a story that starts deep and dark, then plunges far further with every single new information you learn about this deranged place and its citizens. I don’t think I’ll ever be as sated as when I finally sat down and put everything together, getting ready for the final trial (which you can start at any point, the sword of Damocles of having enough evidence always hanging over your head) and proceeded to build and tear down every remark I’ve heard along the way. But then again, I thought I’d never find a games as satisfying as Obra Dinn as well.
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin: A mix of farming sim and character action game filled with so much heart it overflows. Sakuna takes several elements from games I’m used to play - the asshole main character who finds herself taking care of an unwanted group, crop growing mechanics, 2D stylish combat - and breaths fresh air in all of those.
The characterization and growth that these people go through is nothing short of stellar. I’ve gotten somewhat tired of redemption arcs or bonding that happens through a traumatic event or crushing defeat, or simply is forced by the narrative. In Sakuna there’s no sudden moment where the characters start to band together. Instead, slowly, they start relying on each other’s talents, realizing what they can do for each other - and for themselves. Its about learning their value, honing their abilities, and sharing the kindness they get with others. It something that’s hard to put in words - how to properly describe people growing fond of each other? - but the narrative is genuinely heartwarming, and most of all it feels organic.
The Rice growing also stands out, in a more grueling light. This isn’t a farming game where you tile a field, randomly throw seeds, water them and call it a day. Every action that you take is exhausting, from preparing the soil, to planting - every individual seedling, one by one - to measuring the proper flow of water, considering the fertilizer ingredients, thinking about the proper temperature, and that’s not to mention the harvesting. You’ll separate the rice stalk by stalk, and manually hull the rice until its fully white (or leave it brown, if you’re okay with a lesser quality). Its a repetitive, arduous job, but it makes complete sense both mechanically and narratively. First, Sakuna is a harvest goddess, meaning her levelling up happens entirely through a proper harvest. This is her literally growing as a goddess. Secondly, that backbreaking labour gets slowly easier, both by her learning new planting skills and by being helped by her soon-to-be friends. Its how she grows as a person. Little by little those tasks get easier, faster, as she gets stronger and starts valuing other’s labour more, as well as her own. Its a slow process, but briliantly laid out by the developers.
Dragon Quest Builders 2: This one is simple. This game is basically a drug. The DQB series follow the formula of block crafting games, but with a fantasy setting and a storyline. Rather than having a sandbox to do as you wish, you’ll be guided through a world in need of saving, not by a hero but by a Builder. And not only does DQB stand out on its presentation and satisfying mechanics, but it simply oozes charm and is a ridiculously sweet adventure, almost to the point of being saccharine.
And it has so many puns you’ll want to walk into the sea.
I will always, always, always go to bat for Parade Killer. I think half my comments on Lemmy have been shilling for it. I desperately want more mystery games like it. Not just for the reasons you described, but because it so, so, SO completely nails the relationship between its aesthetic and its plot question about what it means to have institutional power in a institution that’s downright malicious. The player character is explicitly a tool of the evil Syndicate. Is she even interested in effecting change? Could she if she was? Is Paradise worth saving?
I just want to know more about the world and backstory in Paradise Killer. I bought it on a whim a couple years ago, mainly because of it’s aesthetic, vaporwave and all. I like mystery games too, like Ace Attorney and Danganronpa (playing v3 right now). But I didn’t know much about the game beyond what I saw.
But I was instantly captivated by the lore. Like tell me more about these alien gods that humanity has imprisoned. Tell me more about the past island sequences. Tell me about the next island sequence and the characters at the bar. I want to know more about the lives of the citizens. Even LD’s story; why did she come under the influence of a demon? Though maybe that was explained and I just forgot. The game teases these via the story, but it never explains everything. Not a story has to explain everything, but it definitely kept me engaged and intrigued. And wanting another game in this universe.
I can't hype The Outer Wilds enough. It's such a fun exploration game that evolves into a big mystery.
I also just finished Ixion for the second time. It's a city builder but with stress. I enjoyed it a lot because it scratched my particular brain itch, but I can see it not being for everyone though. IXION soundtrack is a banger though.
I was a big fan of Frostpunk but Ixion is damn hard, I think I failed around the 3rd or 4th level 3 times before giving up? It's really easy to get into a cascade failures in that game and the space you have to build in is much smaller than it looks at first. That was before they added the easy mode though so maybe I'll try it again at some point.
I failed a handful of times before I made it through. It's really about keeping am eye on your numbers in the top bar. If any of them aren't looking right pause the game and find out why.
Just a heads up there are some bugs still and you'll need to hit some things with a hammer.
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