Video Games

[bIGDRAWLS0072]

Just watched a video that says a good update will be available May 15th to fix the issue i’m having and some other good things.

[bIGDRAWLS0072]

[Kryptonic]

'Bone... Add Starfield to your backlog. It's not currently on playstation BUT there's rumblings it's supposed to be coming. If not you'd have to get a gaming PC or an Xbox. It's really good sci-fi in my opinion and Bethesda did a stellar (no pun intended) job.

[Superbone]

'Bone... Add Starfield to your backlog. It's not currently on playstation BUT there's rumblings it's supposed to be coming. If not you'd have to get a gaming PC or an Xbox. It's really good sci-fi in my opinion and Bethesda did a stellar (no pun intended) job.

Thanks. I have an Xbox Series S. but in storage until I get into my next house. Love a good sci-fi!

[Mori Chu]

My wife and I just finished Outer Wilds. It was honestly one of the most interesting and unique experiences I've had playing a video game in a long time. It's a space exploration game with a "vast yet small" world, along with a "resetting" mechanic where the sun goes supernova and kills you and resets the gameplay every ~ 22 minutes. You basically start over but retain knowledge and any computer logs you gathered on your last loop. You're trying to explore the current solar system, solve puzzles, and figure out a collection of mysteries. Why do things keep resetting? You discover evidence of another race of aliens that visited this system in the past; you get the ability to decipher their language and start finding their writings on various planets. Who were they? When and why were they here? Where did they go? ...

I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the game. But it's a fascinating game and experience. No combat, (nearly) no enemies, just you in space looking around and exploring and trying to find information and clues and so on. My wife and I played it as a pair, talking through ideas and theories together until we'd make progress toward some next insight or accomplishment. We just beat it and really enjoyed it. Up there with Tunic, Fez, and other indies that had tricky puzzles and mysteries and left a lasting impression. Highly recommended.

[Superbone]

My wife and I just finished Outer Wilds. It was honestly one of the most interesting and unique experiences I've had playing a video game in a long time. It's a space exploration game with a "vast yet small" world, along with a "resetting" mechanic where the sun goes supernova and kills you and resets the gameplay every ~ 22 minutes. You basically start over but retain knowledge and any computer logs you gathered on your last loop. You're trying to explore the current solar system, solve puzzles, and figure out a collection of mysteries. Why do things keep resetting? You discover evidence of another race of aliens that visited this system in the past; you get the ability to decipher their language and start finding their writings on various planets. Who were they? When and why were they here? Where did they go? ...

I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the game. But it's a fascinating game and experience. No combat, (nearly) no enemies, just you in space looking around and exploring and trying to find information and clues and so on. My wife and I played it as a pair, talking through ideas and theories together until we'd make progress toward some next insight or accomplishment. We just beat it and really enjoyed it. Up there with Tunic, Fez, and other indies that had tricky puzzles and mysteries and left a lasting impression. Highly recommended.

I've had that game on my radar for quite a while. Good to hear. Just added it to my list along with Starfield.

[Superbone]

Charlie hipped me to the new Switch tease:

No one knows exactly what it will look like or play like, but Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa—the only guy they let toss medium-rare steaks into Wario’s kennel—confirmed that a Nintendo Switch successor will be officially announced by March 2025.

A tease for a future product tease might not sound like a big deal, but the Switch is the third-most-popular gaming console in history, selling over 141 million units, which approaches the company’s own Nintendo DS (154 million) and the current record-holder, PlayStation’s PS2 (155 million). Video game fans, used to five-year lifespans of whatever they’re holding, are champing at the bit for a new Switch model after the handheld device’s initial release seven years ago.

Nintendo sold just over 28 million Switches in 2020, when they were selling out at every major retailer during Covid lockdown.
During the last fiscal year that ended in March 2024, that number dropped to 15.7 million.

Bottom line: Nintendo’s unique legacy of tunnel vision innovation has had mixed results. The Switch 2 (unofficial name) could follow in the footsteps of the Game Boy Color’s triumphant release nine years after its predecessor. Or it could be a Wii U flop.

[Mori Chu]

A new Switch 2 with a more powerful CPU / GPU would be nice. Wishing for 4k when docked, 1080p when handheld.

[Kryptonic]

A new Switch 2 with a more powerful CPU / GPU would be nice. Wishing for 4k when docked, 1080p when handheld.

Depending on the game line-up and hardware specs, I might finally jump on. Been thinking hard about a Steamdeck or the ASUS ROG Ally, the latter being the most versatile option with it's ability to pc game since it's Windows 11. The problem is the price... Pretty expensive.

[Kryptonic]

https://www.theverge.com/24152945/asus- ... 4-revision

Ironic... Just saw ASUS is releasing a new ROG Ally.

[Mori Chu]

I love my Steam Deck. I play it all the time. I guess there are a few windows only AAA games it won't play, but the lineup of games it will play is huge. I never get bored with it. And a lot of games seem to specifically target it for compatibility. Plus you can animate almost any older console on it. I think it's just a great device.

[Mori Chu]

Here's a sweet 35-minute video of Roberta Williams, cofounder of Sierra Games and creator of the King's Quest series among others, talking about the series for its 40th anniversary. She's an absolutely legendary game creator and I'm a huge fan. This was a fun watch.

[Superbone]

I know Roberta. She's an interesting lady. Her and her husband did something special in the early days of the gaming industry. I helped proofread Ken William's book. I owe them for getting my gaming career started back in the early 90s.

[Nodack]

Nice!

[Kryptonic]

Been sinking some serious hours into this game... For a free to play game, I've been pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. I did kick down $50 into it between the season pass and in game currency. I firmly believe in throwing free to play games a few bucks, especially if they're this good. I'm not really a huge fan of "games as a service" type games but realized it's something I might as well embrace since it's the world we live in

Here's a good review from one of my favorite game reviewers, Forbes Paul Tassi...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/ ... KJws4LD_0g

[TOO]

Been sinking some serious hours into this game... For a free to play game, I've been pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. I did kick down $50 into it between the season pass and in game currency. I firmly believe in throwing free to play games a few bucks, especially if they're this good. I'm not really a huge fan of "games as a service" type games but realized it's something I might as well embrace since it's the world we live in

Here's a good review from one of my favorite game reviewers, Forbes Paul Tassi...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/ ... KJws4LD_0g

I've been doing laps on Fortress for what seems like a lifetime.

[Kryptonic]

Been sinking some serious hours into this game... For a free to play game, I've been pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. I did kick down $50 into it between the season pass and in game currency. I firmly believe in throwing free to play games a few bucks, especially if they're this good. I'm not really a huge fan of "games as a service" type games but realized it's something I might as well embrace since it's the world we live in

Here's a good review from one of my favorite game reviewers, Forbes Paul Tassi...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/ ... KJws4LD_0g

I've been doing laps on Fortress for what seems like a lifetime.

yea I’ve found farming stuff in this game a real challenge for my ADHD brain…. Be doin something and completely squirrel out onto something else.

Forgot to mention it’s on all systems and has crossplay/save which is nice if I just want to hop on ps.

[Mori Chu]

I've been playing this indie game called Dungeons of Hinterberg. It's sort of a Zelda-like but the world isn't quite as huge and open. You play as a young woman visiting a ski resort who discovers that it's been overtaken by magic that has created 25 mysterious "dungeons" (think Zelda BotW / TotK shrines) that you need to clear. What I appreciate about it is that it has kind of the puzzley / shriney gameplay I loved from the recent Zelda games. Doesn't have the huge open world; the world is broken into regions with fast travel between, so don't play it looking for that exploration "what's over that distant hill?" aspect. But I find that a lot of Zelda-like games lately just entirely skip the puzzle aspect and focus too much on bullshit like crafting and cooking and making your own arrows and shit I don't care about. This game is shrines, puzzles, some NPC interaction, a bit of weapon/armor inventory management. And it's fun and cute. I recommend.

[Kryptonic]

Right on… it’s been on my radar and read good things about it.

[Kryptonic]

Been sinking some serious hours into this game... For a free to play game, I've been pleasantly surprised by how good it's been. I did kick down $50 into it between the season pass and in game currency. I firmly believe in throwing free to play games a few bucks, especially if they're this good. I'm not really a huge fan of "games as a service" type games but realized it's something I might as well embrace since it's the world we live in

Here's a good review from one of my favorite game reviewers, Forbes Paul Tassi...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/ ... KJws4LD_0g

I've been doing laps on Fortress for what seems like a lifetime.

Still playing?