Considering I have 827 games on Steam, the figure of $1620.26 doesn't seem too bad. Now I've probably bought a load more bundles bumping that up, but there's no convenient way to figure out how much that adds (let's round to $2000). I've had the account 18 years, 9 months.
As is now my tradition (this is my 10th of these posts! And it’s been 10 days since my last one of these posts, there’s gotta be some symmetry in that somewhere) you’ll know the drill....
I've been playing (and loving) Fallout London. It turns out that the pokey little locations in their games are Bethesda's fault. The engine does still suck, but it doesn't have to suck as much as it does in their hands. London is huge!
It has been over a quarter of a century since Simcity 3000 was released in 1999. Since then we’ve had some enormous changes in the city-builder genre, with EA’s arguably failed multiplayer focused Simcity (2013) reboot, the rise of Cities: Skylines, and the appearance multiple smaller indie competitors like Citystate, Urbek...
Fallout London currently has my attention. It's remarkable how it's possible to build a game that doesn't feel like a tiny playpark with the tech. London is BIG!
I feel like it's rare to encounter another person that doesn't love San Andreas. It was fine, I guess, but I really didn't find the setting compelling. The kitchen sink approach to game mechanics didn't help either.
I feel like I'm the only person that grew up with Mario 64 but doesn't love it. I was really excited by it initially but when I played the game properly it just had this oppressive feeling of isolation and melancholy to it that was so off-putting.
I'm still waiting on the killer titles for the current generation of consoles. I'm frankly amazed that games have become so difficult to make, given how the graphical improvements aren't leaps. Build a stylish lighting system, make sure your textures and geometry aren't too ropey, and then make something creative.
I know it's not that simple, obviously, but I was playing through a fifteen year old FPS yesterday and the difference between now and then is just not that big. It's not nothing but the Gameboy philosophy of doing more with less would go a long way.
I feel like my “all-time favorite” changes depending on my mood, but if I had to pick just one, I’d probably go with The Witcher 3. That game just hit all the right notes—amazing story, incredible world-building, and so much stuff to do without feeling like pointless filler. Plus, the expansions were just as good, if not...
Fallout 2 is probably one of my favourite games of all time. Absolutely amazing game, if a bit sprawly. I've played through it many times and expect I will do again.
Red Alert 2 - the pinnacle of the isometric RTS genre. Bordering on too silly but without tipping into absolute farce. Mechanically very strong, the art is lovely, and even has nostalgia for me.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Massive game but a run can be completed relatively quickly. I always disable the music because I don't like games that try to scare and intimidate me. I'm pretty good at the game so it tends to be pretty relaxing for me, if a bit fugue-state-y.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: the apex of the Battlefield multiplayer games for me. The others have plenty going for them, but BFBC2 was the best compromise between destructibility, player counts, etc. for my tastes. Sniping took significant skill and one couldn't go prone - it meant that open areas didn't feel like a death sentence (looking at you, later BF games!).
Assassin's Creed: Origins/Odyssey two open world games with beautiful maps and locations to explore. I think I preferred the setting of Origins but the story of Odyssey. A bit of escapist fantasy, I suppose. I loved the Ezio trilogy too, mind you.
I agree that the original is tighter, but I love the free-form adventure of 2.
Did you ever play it modded? The Restoration Project, Updated has two amazing addons that add more talking heads and more voice acting and they're both of phenomenal, basically seamless quality. It's really like putting on a fresh coat of paint on the old thing.
I buy games to have a library to pull from when the mood takes me. If I finished them all then I would no longer have that, which seems bad.
The reward for finishing a "backlog" of games is having nothing more to play. That's like trying to finish a meal in a restaurant quickly to get to the after dinner mint.
I despise treating gaming as an obligation like this. I have a collection of games, not a "backlog".
I have something in the region of a thousand games collected over about twenty years. If the price is good and it looks like I might like it (and I can afford to fritter the money away) then I buy it.
That's a thousand (ish) opportunities for entertainment, not a thousand (ish) obligations.
To be fair, FoMO can be justified. That multiplayer game isn't going to be worth playing in five years time. That game that has cool new tech isn't going to dazzle once things move on, etc..
From Jez Corden. Further supporting the idea that the next Xbox is just a PC with a custom shell, which is about the only way a new Xbox makes sense anyway....
What have y’all been playing? I’ve been continuing my Avowed grind. I’m starting to be ready for it to be over. But it is still very enjoyable. I just have other games I want to play lol
I watched the video they released the other day and stopped half way through. It looked rather dull and also ugly, unfortunately.
How is there no middleware available for NPC movement? It looked tremendously stilted. Similarly the lighting and environments looked worse than things I was playing fifteen years ago. I don't need cutting edge but it looks distractingly ugly to me.
I’ve been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles....
I played it when it was new and I'm afraid some people just don't get the magic of the gameplay. I'm one of those people. The setting is gorgeous but the action side of things bored me. It felt like homework I had to do before the game would let me see the next bit of the setting.
I wouldn't really call it a "trap". If you're buying a console when it's new at full price, sure, you're being taken for a ride, but give it a couple of years for stuff to be cheaper and it can work out reasonably well.
I used to be a major PC gamer but eventually the cost/benefit calculation went completely off the rails.
That said, I've not upgraded to the current console generation because I'm still waiting on something to justify it.
The only full price game I recall ever buying was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (back when £35 was the standard "full price" price point). Now that one was worth it, but no other AAA game that I can think of has justified the cost to me. Once we're talking about that amount of money there's a lot of other things I would get more enjoyment from.
I think I paid about £10 for GTA V. I'd maybe go to £15 or £20 these days, but beyond that I simply have other things I could play.
There are many things I'd spend more on, but gaming is something that I can spend a lot of hours on without necessarily enjoying. As in, the experiences are often weirdly compulsive and before I know it I've tanked eighty hours without really enjoying it all that much.
I collected all the submarine collectibles in GTA V - do I think that was more fun than a party with friends? Absolutely not. Did it take more time? Most definitely.
I don't, because if that happens either others will have done a more thorough job (because it's something they care about - I have my own obsessive areas that I'm the one doing that stuff for), or if they haven't then I have much bigger problems to deal with (e.g. war in Europe).
I had Xbox game pass for a while (I converted XBL time for a token amount) but once it ended last year I couldn't see any reason to pay the asking price. I've been waiting on this generation but it looks like it's not going anywhere interesting.
I am thoroughly confused by both your replies now. I haven't got a platform they sell games for, AFAIK, but I had one. This generation they've failed to provide enough to get me to buy anything from them.
The greatest single-playthrough game would be a fun category. I think my picks for that might be What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, or Grim Fandango. Fire Watch would probably get an honourable mention.
A "pinacle of a (mostly) defunct genre" category might be a good one too. I would argue that Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is the best isometric RTS games ever made.
'Oh god': There's a buried Steam help page that shows how much money you've ever spent on the platform, and you may not want to know (www.pcgamer.com)
Atari 2600: The Atlantis of Game Consoles (www.techspot.com)
Steam Deck / Gaming News #10
As is now my tradition (this is my 10th of these posts! And it’s been 10 days since my last one of these posts, there’s gotta be some symmetry in that somewhere) you’ll know the drill....
Simcity 3000 Retrospective/Mini Review & Screenshot Walkthrough
It has been over a quarter of a century since Simcity 3000 was released in 1999. Since then we’ve had some enormous changes in the city-builder genre, with EA’s arguably failed multiplayer focused Simcity (2013) reboot, the rise of Cities: Skylines, and the appearance multiple smaller indie competitors like Citystate, Urbek...
PS5 price to rise in Europe, Australia and New Zealand (blog.playstation.com)
“Europe” also includes the UK. It’s worth noting that GTA 6 will move a lot of PS5s when it releases.
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of April 6th
What have you all been playing?...
Dustland Delivery plays like a funny, tough, post-apocalyptic Oregon Trail (arstechnica.com)
cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/27813858
Steam Deck / Gaming News #8
My week’s news!...
Let's discuss: Grand Theft Auto (beehaw.org)
The format of these posts is simple: let’s discuss a specific game or series!...
Favourite 90s platformer?
For me the nostalgia glasses are turned up to the max for Crash Bandicoot....
"There comes a time when we all declare the war is over": Former PlayStation Studios boss Shawn Layden on the future of video game consoles (www.eurogamer.net)
Most of the article is on AAA development as a whole but I found it interesting the comments about consoles in general.
Your all-time favorite game? Let's discuss the best options!
I feel like my “all-time favorite” changes depending on my mood, but if I had to pick just one, I’d probably go with The Witcher 3. That game just hit all the right notes—amazing story, incredible world-building, and so much stuff to do without feeling like pointless filler. Plus, the expansions were just as good, if not...
Stay strong this upcoming sale. The game you want but don't have temporarily licensed (AKA "own") is not going anywhere.
Next Xbox Rumors Surface; No Devkits Available to Developers Yet (aiming for 2027); EDIT: And new handheld later this year (www.dualshockers.com)
From Jez Corden. Further supporting the idea that the next Xbox is just a PC with a custom shell, which is about the only way a new Xbox makes sense anyway....
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of March 9th
What have y’all been playing? I’ve been continuing my Avowed grind. I’m starting to be ready for it to be over. But it is still very enjoyable. I just have other games I want to play lol
Atomfall Hands-On Preview: Rebellion’s New IP is More Than Just British Fallout - WGB article (wolfsgamingblog.com)
Favourite Mario Kart game?
My favourite has got be Mario Kart Wii, it’s still got a community and I’d say it is the Melee of Mario kart....
Tony Hawk's™ Pro Skater™ 3 + 4 | Reveal Trailer (youtu.be)
I've been replaying Into The Breach lately and stumbled on what I think is an insane power squad. (lemmy.world)
Into The Breach is a fun, lightweight puzzle game disguised as a strategy game. The key to consistent victory is map control....
Emulating PS2 for my Steam Deck, would love any recommendations! (lemmy.world)
I’ve been sinking further and further into the RetroDECK time-sink of setting up my emulators just so, and having the most fun doing so. The PS2 is a largely unknown system to me, I neither had one nor spent much time before now playing through some titles....
I just finished Bioshock for the first time!
There will be spoilers! So if you don’t want that would you kindly turn away from this post now :)...
PS5 Pro sales ‘have fallen behind PS4 Pro in the US (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Xbox Sales Hit Rock Bottom After Historic 2024 Decline (9meters.com)
Grand Theft Auto VI and Grand Theft Auto Online Could Be Sold Separately; Rockstar Is Targeting Solid 30 FPS on Consoles, According to Former Animator (wccftech.com)
Microsoft is combining “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handhelds (www.theverge.com)
Seemingly confirming the theory that “Xbox” will just be Windows going forward, at least on handhelds.
What procedures do you take to save and archive your games?
For example; GOG games - what happens if they were to shutdown their busieness. How would you archive these games if you had to?
Rumors Of End to Xbox-Only Exclusives Swirl As More Game Studios Embrace Simultaneous Launch Strategy (www.techpowerup.com)
GTA 6 will have a 'significant online mode' to generate revenue for years into the future (www.tweaktown.com)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Launch Trailer (www.youtube.com)
Sony reportedly prepping PlayStation 5 portable, plans to battle Nintendo's handheld dominance (www.eurogamer.net)
The world is ending but here's a side quest - will RPGs ever solve their urgency problem? (www.eurogamer.net)
Greatest video game ever played?