I dont value reviews at all, I instead just look up streams / LPs of the games and decide if I want to play them after half an hour or so. Sometimes i’ll scrub through if its a slow start and not like a story-focused game.
I like Adam Millard - Architect of Games, as well as Power Pak. Maybe it’s basic, but I actually find that Tomato on twitch has very similar tastes in indie games as me, so I tend to keep an eye on what he’s playing from time to time. I’ve picked up some great, recs that way. Splattercat, as well.
I like patient gamer communities, since I can get a fan consensus, a lot of hype or hate has died down, and there’s been some time to work out the kinks and send out updates.
Interesting to see all replies! I’m curious to find new sources as well. I usually go through a set of bookmarks to sites such as eurogamer, kotaku, pcgamesN, ign (sorry for that), as well as checking reddit and lemmy.
I don’t think I’ve ever really liked the way Metacritic does it. GameRankings was my go-to for years (RIP), but I’ve preferred OpenCritic for review aggregating since they started up.
There’s a lot of churn in video games criticism right now, and this year in particular highlighted some issues I have with how some outlets are doing things with their reviews. Things like rushing to press without finishing games (even just 20 hours in some cases), and omitted technical performance/bug discussion. I was enjoying The Washington Post’s game section but that got shut down. Eurogamer and Gamespot were previous favorites of mine, but they seem to have changed their criticism style and I’m not a fan of what either are doing.
I do have some PC outlets I still like (PC Gamer and Rock, Paper, Shotgun for anyone else reading), but I can’t say I have an outstanding favorite otherwise at the moment. I pretty much just browse OpenCritic and pick out reviews at the extreme ends of the score spread and some random ones in the middle at this point.
I try to do the patient gamer thing too, as I’m always happier with games that have been polished (and they are cheaper). The threads in those communities are great for finding games. The Fediverse has one at !patientgamers although it’s still not super active yet.
I always look for let’s play series by 2-3 different YouTubers (1-2 episodes) before I decide if the game is for me. Scores are meaningless if I am not interested in that genre or specific gameplay mechanics
Just because a game says it won’t work on Deck doesn’t mean it is true. They just haven’t tested thousands of games to verify compatibility. Sometimes it is as easy as getting and selecting a very specific Proton version, but other more involved fixes may be necessary. When in doubt, search “[game] + Steam Deck” to see if someone else has tried and succeeded (or failed).
Good recommendations so I’ll just add some specifics.
For whatever emulation route you choose, I recommend using a separate SD card just for emulation. Makes it really easy to just get it set up on an SD card, the games appear and they are ready. No SD card, no emulation finagling. Keeps your ROMs off main deck storage which even 512gb fills up fast.
I like emudeck, some don’t, ymmv.
I don’t think I saw SSH recommended. I use FileZilla to transfer files between my PC and steam deck - handy for emulation files, small-medium sized games. It makes the process of transferring and setup so much easier. I like FZ cause once it’s set up there’s a quick connect so you don’t have to remember the details.
Hardware accessory: I highly recommend the Deckmate, it’s basically a VESA mount for the Deck. I attached a battery pack, mini dock, and have mounted the Deck to VESA stands. Seriously, it’s worth it.
The suggestion on keeping a separate SD card just for emulation is great! I have an extra SD card, ready to do this. Do I just need to install EmuDeck (on the SD card itself) and then add ROMs to it and it’s that easy?
Also, as a follow-up question: do you know if using FileZilla/SSH is possible to transfer files between a Macbook and Steam Deck? I have a PC, but it is admin-locked via my work. But I’m trying to figure out the best way to use my personal Macbook to do file management with Steam Deck.
Indeed it’s that easy! Pop in the blank SD card, run emudeck setup and just make sure you select the SD card and not internal storage (it has a clear popup, hard to miss).
I believe FileZilla does have a Mac client, so it should work just fine for you! I just remembered though, don’t get confused with FileZilla Server, I think that’s unrelated for our needs.
FWIW, regular old SSH can to FTP/SFTP (internet file transfer, I just like having a good GUI.
Use dolphin for gamecube. PCSX2 for PS2 games and RPCS3 for PS3 games. And for games, check out “nopaystation” it’s the best for PSX games. There are other amazing sites. Just search it.
For Epic Games, I’d also recommend Heroic. You can download it from the Discover Software Center in Desktop Mode.
Some quick tips:
If you need to bring up a keyboard for whatever reason, you can hold the STEAM button, and press X.
Expect to tinker and play around with things, I think the software is still a bit new and rough around the edges.
Search the Discover Software Center for software in general; it’s a good place to download things like browsers and applications.
If you want to know if a game runs or not, you can check www.protondb.com , it’s a crowdsourced version of Valve’s “Steam Deck Verified”, where people say how well games work.
Some game recommendations, based on ones I’ve played. Not had a chance to try them all on the Steam deck, but they should work:
Stardew Valley
Baba is You
Celeste
Cuphead
Dicey Dungeons
Slay the Spire (Think you have to use the touch screen though)
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