2023 Video Games Thread

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

I love the Blood Bowl series of video games. But boy howdy am I down on recently released Blood Bowl 3.

First off is the usual server problems on a game's pre-release and release

Second, they got rid of a lot of singleplayer stuff because programming a difficult AI is apparently too hard (and to be fair, it is really complicated)

And most egregiously, the customization/monetization is the WORST I've seen.

Unlock most stores, where it features more of an unlock binary "you can't use it"/"You can use it" oin all of your players, spending warpstone (the meta-currency only allows you one copy of the item each time you purchase it.) So, want that helmet on your team's players? You're going to have to be purchasing 11+ copies of that helmet, (nearly $10 in Warpstone costs) and it counts only for that helmet. So, for a customized team, we're talking oh, about $50 or so (head/right and left hand, legs, chest, etcetera)

There's going to be a free and paid "Blood Pass" that will allow you to earn warpstone (at a yet unannounced rate), but man, I've never seen a game this rapacious on trying to nickle and dime you (or in this case, close to $1.50 per single use cosmetic) into spending

No single player stuff? That’s too bad. I’m out.

That being said, the AI in the first two games was terrible.

[SirFozzie]

its even WORSE than BB2.

[Mota]

Wow, my gaming group was talking about getting BB3 because we've played in leagues in the previous two versions, but this whole monetization thing is terrible. I don't support games that continually nickel and dime me.

[SirFozzie]

So if you fully customized your BB team, it would cost something like $50 per team (and while they're using it, you can't use those customizations on other team players). That's just using base "Common" customizations.

[RainMaker]

Sons of the Forest is out on PC for Early Access. Priced pretty fair too. Guessing consoles come along later in the year.

Reviews are very good. I loved the first game and it seems like they improved all the mechanics that people liked and got rid of some thing people hated. The AI is supposedly drastically improved. A lot more randomness.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Sons of the Forest is out on PC for Early Access. Priced pretty fair too. Guessing consoles come along later in the year.

Reviews are very good. I loved the first game and it seems like they improved all the mechanics that people liked and got rid of some thing people hated. The AI is supposedly drastically improved. A lot more randomness.

We had a blast with the first game. We’ll probably let this one marinate a bit in early access - as we have a few co-op games in the queue and are still playing Grounded - but we’ll definitely be getting involved.

[Edward64]

I've started playing Midnight Suns, just finished Venom fight.

TBH I'm not feeling the love. All the cut scenes is kinda boring and slows (?) down the game.

[SackAttack]

It's not really an action game. I started playing it as a palate cleanser after finishing Persona 5 Royal and, well...lol.

They're decently close cousins to one another. If you don't like games heavy in dialogue and exposition, if you're not a fan of Persona's "hey go hang out fuck around and do random shit outside of the core gameplay" schtick, this isn't gonna be your cup of tea.

If you're looking for something more fast paced with the Marvel brand, there's Marvel's Spider-Man, Miles Morales, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the upcoming Wolverine. Any of those are likely to scratch that itch for you in a way that Midnight Suns just isn't ever gonna. It's not trying to be an action game.

It's a self-insert fanfic with deckbuilder gameplay, and if you approach it for what it is, it's easy to lose hours to it.

Kinda like KOTOR back in the day. Seems like most people thought it was going to be, like, Jedi Knight + RPG, and a lot of people got turned off when it ended up being more of a turn-based (or ATB if you didn't let auto-pause between moves kick in) d20-style RPG. The expectations you bring to the table for what you think it's gonna be are gonna have a lot to say about whether it's enjoyable to you.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by alijen

i play MONSTER HUNTER. it fun

Glad you enjoyed it.

[NobodyHere]

I was looking forward to Age of Wonders 4 but then I read this article:

si.com

I've always been a fan of the series. I even still have my cd of the original AoW. However this game isn't being released for two more months and you're already talking expansions and DLC? That is becoming one of my biggest pet peeves in gaming. It makes me feel that just getting the base game is going to be an incomplete experience.

In the end I'll probably just wait a few years until the game and it's DLCs are in some Humble Bundle for $15.

[BYU 14]

Octopath Traveler II is an absolutely stunning game and I love the combat system. Still very early, just starting the second individual story, and the individual stories are the slower part of the game, but very enjoyable so far.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I was looking forward to Age of Wonders 4 but then I read this article:

si.com

I've always been a fan of the series. I even still have my cd of the original AoW. However this game isn't being released for two more months and you're already talking expansions and DLC? That is becoming one of my biggest pet peeves in gaming. It makes me feel that just getting the base game is going to be an incomplete experience.

In the end I'll probably just wait a few years until the game and it's DLCs are in some Humble Bundle for $15.

Yeah, I really hate this trend too. Also the "if you pay us $30 more for a premium version, you'll get the DLC whenever we decide to release it".

I don't mind paying for an expansion pack if a game is good down the road. But these companies are just releasing stripped down games and nickle and diming you to get the rest.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Octopath Traveler II is an absolutely stunning game and I love the combat system. Still very early, just starting the second individual story, and the individual stories are the slower part of the game, but very enjoyable so far.

Glad to see the good review, I'll certainly grab it if I ever get around to beating the first one.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I’ve been wrong before but it does seem there should be more hype as it’s a 1H release. I would not be surprised if it gets pushed but let’s hope not

Yup, a delay.

But Sep 6 doesn't sound too bad.

Bethesda Softworks announced a new launch date for upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield, a massive galaxy-spanning game that builds off The Elder Scrolls’ gameplay and structure. Starfield was originally announced in 2018 and set for a Nov. 11, 2022 launch. That date was later pushed back into the first half of 2023. The new release date for Starfield is Sept. 6.

[NobodyHere]

Happy MAR10 day to all you Nintendo fans out there.

[NobodyHere]

Is there any place not named Ebay where I can sell some old video games?

[Atocep]

Diablo 4 open beta is this weekend. I played the preorder beta last weekend and it's looking solid. The atmosphere is far more Diablo 1 and 2-like. It's dark, it's bleak, and it doesn't have the corny companions repeating dumb lines.

You can play act 1, which obviously isn't going to give you a picture of how the end game will look, but the first act's combat is slower and more tactical than most ARPG/Diablo Clones are now.

The skill trees don't have the overwhelming depth of POE, but they're still much deeper than D3. Kind of like a happy middle ground there in terms of depth.

The open world aspect of game feels well done and the pseudo-MMO nature of the game isn't as bad as I thought it may be. World bosses can spawn that require as large group to kill and there are zone events that are kind of like the open world events from Guild Wars 2 or Warhammer online where the event is there and anyone can jump in, help out, and get rewards when the event's boss is killed. Outside of that you rarely see people outside of towns.

Where blizzard really shines is their combat engines feel great. POE took a long time to get combat to feel good and most ARPGs just can't match Blizzard in terms of making attacks feel weighty, smooth, and like you're actually hitting something and doing damage. Diablo 4 is there on day 1.

There are queues since it's a stress test weekend. They range from shitty (1 hour plus) to not a big deal (10 minutes or less). Overall it's a big step in the right direction and I'm interested to see the rest of the game when it launches.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Is there any place not named Ebay where I can sell some old video games?

GOG is probably the best if you're wanting digital copies of older games that are designed to work on a newer OS.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Atocep

GOG is probably the best if you're wanting digital copies of older games that are designed to work on a newer OS.

I should've been more specific.

I want to sell some of my old physical copies of games.

[DirkGildun]

Try Half Price Books if you have a store near you (I don't know if you can sell stuff to them online or not).

[SirFozzie]

So, May 2nd two games I'm looking forward to:

Age of Wonders 4 (4x, but really like the videos I've seen)
Showgunners (used to be called Homicidal All-Stars) (Tactical X-Com meets Smash TV)

Over/under on number of these games disappointing me is 1.5

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by DirkGildun

Try Half Price Books if you have a store near you (I don't know if you can sell stuff to them online or not).

no. do not at ALL do this. YOu may as well take them to a thrift store.

Take them to a local used game store.

YOu will get the most for it. Period. ANd they always give you more in credit
so you can exchange a lot of old things for new things

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

So, May 2nd two games I'm looking forward to:

Age of Wonders 4 (4x, but really like the videos I've seen)
Showgunners (used to be called Homicidal All-Stars) (Tactical X-Com meets Smash TV)

Over/under on number of these games disappointing me is 1.5

Both sound great!

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Diablo 4 open beta is this weekend. I played the preorder beta last weekend and it's looking solid. The atmosphere is far more Diablo 1 and 2-like. It's dark, it's bleak, and it doesn't have the corny companions repeating dumb lines.

You can play act 1, which obviously isn't going to give you a picture of how the end game will look, but the first act's combat is slower and more tactical than most ARPG/Diablo Clones are now.

The skill trees don't have the overwhelming depth of POE, but they're still much deeper than D3. Kind of like a happy middle ground there in terms of depth.

The open world aspect of game feels well done and the pseudo-MMO nature of the game isn't as bad as I thought it may be. World bosses can spawn that require as large group to kill and there are zone events that are kind of like the open world events from Guild Wars 2 or Warhammer online where the event is there and anyone can jump in, help out, and get rewards when the event's boss is killed. Outside of that you rarely see people outside of towns.

Where blizzard really shines is their combat engines feel great. POE took a long time to get combat to feel good and most ARPGs just can't match Blizzard in terms of making attacks feel weighty, smooth, and like you're actually hitting something and doing damage. Diablo 4 is there on day 1.

There are queues since it's a stress test weekend. They range from shitty (1 hour plus) to not a big deal (10 minutes or less). Overall it's a big step in the right direction and I'm interested to see the rest of the game when it launches.

I hadn't played Diablo since the first one, but jumped in on the beta, very much enjoying it so far.

[Flasch186]

So I do not want to play OOTP but I want a baseball career sim management fix, which game is the best one for this? Mogul, Puresim, etc?

[RainMaker]

Anyone own a Steam Deck? Heard some good things and just wondering if it's worth it. While handheld is a plus, I'd like to hook it up to my TV to play games like Valheim. I'm just too old to play at my PC these days for hours.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Anyone own a Steam Deck? Heard some good things and just wondering if it's worth it. While handheld is a plus, I'd like to hook it up to my TV to play games like Valheim. I'm just too old to play at my PC these days for hours.

Love it and worth every penny as far as I'm concerned. I don't have a dock to play on TV, but a friend does and that's how he uses it 90% of the time.

If you're playing as a handheld and it's an officially approved game by valve it will automatically apply recommended control settings, but everything is remappable. For one game that was giving me a few problems I remapped the touch pad to act as a mouse and it fixed the issues I was having.

I haven't dabbled in installing anything other than the base OS, but I'm really intrigued by the nintendo emulators and how Breath of the Wild reportedly runs better on Steam Deck than the Switch.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

So I do not want to play OOTP but I want a baseball career sim management fix, which game is the best one for this? Mogul, Puresim, etc?

I'd say the only choice would be Baseball Mogul at this point. Most of the other baseball games still around are replay games.

As a purely career sim management game, I'd still recommend OOTP though. Baseball Mogul is also good, but as a more casual GM sim.

[RainMaker]

Despite some flaws, I still think OOTP is better than anything else I've tried over the years.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Love it and worth every penny as far as I'm concerned. I don't have a dock to play on TV, but a friend does and that's how he uses it 90% of the time.

If you're playing as a handheld and it's an officially approved game by valve it will automatically apply recommended control settings, but everything is remappable. For one game that was giving me a few problems I remapped the touch pad to act as a mouse and it fixed the issues I was having.

I haven't dabbled in installing anything other than the base OS, but I'm really intrigued by the nintendo emulators and how Breath of the Wild reportedly runs better on Steam Deck than the Switch.

You sold me. Was just going to ask if emulating is an option. I've been playing a lot of NES games on a Raspberry Pi I setup. Would be cool to make it handheld.

[CrimsonFox]

Casual Gamers should check out Plantera 2

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I haven't dabbled in installing anything other than the base OS, but I'm really intrigued by the nintendo emulators and how Breath of the Wild reportedly runs better on Steam Deck than the Switch.

WHAT????

How can the steamdeck play a game that isn't on Steam?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

WHAT????

How can the steamdeck play a game that isn't on Steam?

It's not locked down. You can install windows on it, other gaming platforms like epic, and really do whatever you want with it. Valve has actually encouraged it.

[Fidatelo]

I have a Deck and love it. I also have a Dock, but I don't use it that often other than as a glorified charging station. Not because it doesn't work (it works great), but just because half the point of the Deck is so I can game on the couch while my wife watches a show or whatever.


I also have EmuDeck installed and have used it to emulate some games. Most of the time I don't get very far into them, though. Most recently I've started playing Fire Emblem Engage.


The only other tweak I've made beyond the base OS is to install CryoUtilities (see announcement video here). It helped me to get Midnight Suns running like a dream despite not being verified.


Speaking of not-verified games, you can check out ProtonDB to see reviews on how any game plays on the deck and what recommended settings people suggest.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I have a Deck and love it. I also have a Dock, but I don't use it that often other than as a glorified charging station. Not because it doesn't work (it works great), but just because half the point of the Deck is so I can game on the couch while my wife watches a show or whatever.


I also have EmuDeck installed and have used it to emulate some games. Most of the time I don't get very far into them, though. Most recently I've started playing Fire Emblem Engage.


The only other tweak I've made beyond the base OS is to install CryoUtilities (see announcement video here). It helped me to get Midnight Suns running like a dream despite not being verified.


Speaking of not-verified games, you can check out ProtonDB to see reviews on how any game plays on the deck and what recommended settings people suggest.

a deck with a dock? MADNESS!

[Edward64]

A little more news on Starfield.

This has to be a first ... right?

IGN Error 403 - Unavailable (IFW-U02)

While we may have to wait until June to get our next big look at Starfield, the game's ESRB rating has appeared online and confirms it will include drugs, in-game purchases, and... jetpack sex.

The ESRB, or Entertainment Software Rating Board, has given Starfield an M for Mature 17+ for "blood, strong language, suggestive themes, use of drugs, and violence." Many of these classifications are pretty standard for an M-rated game, but the rating summary is filled with some very interesting details.

Unfortunately, my guess it's just one of those scripted text replies and no actually functionality.

"The game contains some suggestive material in the dialogue, and after sharing a bed with characters (e.g., “Life is a sexually transmitted disease that's a hundred percent fatal”; “I'm all for getting a little wild, but next time let's try it without the jetpacks”; “Talk about seeing stars, whew… that was amazing.”)," the summary reads.

[Ghost Econ]

I feel like the new Zelda could cause explosive diarrhea in gamers and it would still get all 10s from gaming sites.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

I feel like the new Zelda could cause explosive diarrhea in gamers and it would still get all 10s from gaming sites.

Man, glad I don't play it then

[Edward64]

I'm guessing that's it for Midnight Suns and Firaxis will put all their focus on Civ 7.

With the volume of forum activity, mods and hardcore followers, they should really also focus on X-Com DLCs. But pretty sure they're done with X-Com (maybe after Civ 7).

Just a moment...

Firaxis Games, the video game studio behind Civilization, has laid off about 30 developers, a source familiar with the studio tells Axios.
:
Firaxis' most recent game, December's tactical super-hero combat adventure Marvel's Midnight Suns, reviewed well but sold poorly.

The CEO of Firaxis' parent company Take Two Interactive, had pinned the weak sales on poor release timing.

In February, Take Two said it was initiating a $50 million "cost reduction program" that would include some layoffs. (Take Two purchased mobile game maker Zynga last year for nearly $13 billion.)

That same month, 2K announced that Midnight Suns creative director Jake Solomon and longtime Firaxis boss Steve Martin were exiting the company, with Heather Hazen promoted into the leadership spot. The studio revealed it was working on a new Civilization game.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I'm guessing that's it for Midnight Suns and Firaxis will put all their focus on Civ 7.

With the volume of forum activity, mods and hardcore followers, they should really also focus on X-Com DLCs. But pretty sure they're done with X-Com (maybe after Civ 7).

Just a moment...

It's too bad, but I feel like I'm just as guilty as any on the poor sales. This game has been on my list to play since it released and I just haven't gotten around to buying it yet.

My son has it and from what I played with him (helped with a few boss fights) it seemed like a really good game. I just don't have videogame time anymore and when I do sit down and play 80% of that time is playing co-op with my kids.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by dubb93

It's too bad, but I feel like I'm just as guilty as any on the poor sales. This game has been on my list to play since it released and I just haven't gotten around to buying it yet.

My son has it and from what I played with him (helped with a few boss fights) it seemed like a really good game. I just don't have videogame time anymore and when I do sit down and play 80% of that time is playing co-op with my kids.

I just bought it, you can get it for about $24 at Epic Games Store right now.

[SirFozzie]

From my ever-ongoing quest to get out of Bronze 5 (better than 70% of the players in my division!)..

Have you ever got a game (in QuickPlay) where not only are you outclassed, but so outclassed that the opponent can show off while outclassing you?

That just happened to me.

Doing my Dailies (I main sigma, but can play Moira/Mercy on supports) and the other team had a Doomfist that quite possibly could 1 v 5 my team. I know he 1v2'd vs me (Moira) and our Mercy flawlessly. I thought that this must be how a pinball feels. Just smacked all over the place. But the coup de grace was the end of the game, where he legitimately hit something I thought was impossible.. a 360 no-scope doomfist punch.

Watching the replay, the instant before the Rocket Punch fired, he spun in place.

Needless to say, we lost, but my reaction was straight out of Ron Burgundy "I'm not even upset. That's amazing"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

From my ever-ongoing quest to get out of Bronze 5 (better than 70% of the players in my division!)..

Have you ever got a game (in QuickPlay) where not only are you outclassed, but so outclassed that the opponent can show off while outclassing you?

That just happened to me.

Doing my Dailies (I main sigma, but can play Moira/Mercy on supports) and the other team had a Doomfist that quite possibly could 1 v 5 my team. I know he 1v2'd vs me (Moira) and our Mercy flawlessly. I thought that this must be how a pinball feels. Just smacked all over the place. But the coup de grace was the end of the game, where he legitimately hit something I thought was impossible.. a 360 no-scope doomfist punch.

Watching the replay, the instant before the Rocket Punch fired, he spun in place.

Needless to say, we lost, but my reaction was straight out of Ron Burgundy "I'm not even upset. That's amazing"

I know juuuuust enough about the game to be able to mostly follow what you typed, but my son said "Nothing like finding a smurf lol"

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I know juuuuust enough about the game to be able to mostly follow what you typed, but my son said "Nothing like finding a smurf lol"

Or someone just flat out cheating. I haven’t played the game but 360 no scope headshots aren’t a skill you learn in these types of games.

[SirFozzie]

well, it's not quite a headshot, doomfist punches are just straightline punches with a charge up beforehand, but yeah, tell your son that it was definitely Smurflicious. So much so, I wanted to ask him where their hidden village was.

And one other OW2 note that more folks here will get because of age: One of the new maps takes place in a mountainside monastery (The Shambali Monastary).

My quip when starting this level is "Let's see who washes away their pain on the road to Shambala, er Shambali" (ie, the Three Dog Night Song lyrics reference).

About 15% of the players in those games get the reference. But then again, See also: "kids, lawn, get off, etcetera"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

well, it's not quite a headshot, doomfist punches are just straightline punches with a charge up beforehand, but yeah, tell your son that it was definitely Smurflicious. So much so, I wanted to ask him where their hidden village was.

Solid.

My hats off to you for being able to play that one at all. I know my limitations, hence never firing it up. I can follow (some) of it strategically but my hand/eye doesn't stand a chance of executing it.

[SirFozzie]

Mostly, it's positioning and tunnel vision that I have to work on. I've had games where I've been awesome (51 eliminations vs 12 deaths), but it's a matter of learning the sense of.. for lack of a better word, battlesense. Sometimes I get hyperfocused on taking out the tank who's almost dead, when the DPS is pushing on my team's squishies.

Trying to keep an agile mind, but something like, say Total War 3's Domination battles which take part over a large area and you haveto manage movement, army special abilities, and reinforcements is beyond me. So much so that it actually sent me into a brain lock/overload migraine when I tried MP

[Mota]

I'm enjoying Diablo IV so far. I played III entirely in single player, but I enjoyed some randoms jumping in and helping out with some of those impromptu events.
I did my first dungeon, you get a special upgrade that can be attached to items for completing it. I actually had quite a hard time with my first one, I ended up leaving and levelling up 1-2 more times and it was pretty easy coming back. As a Druid, unlocking the wolves is what made it easier for me.
If you like Diablo, it's definitely still Diablo. Looks great, definitely a lot of fun so far.

[Radii]

Also enjoying D4 a bit. It's not my game really, but it passes the time well, and I've got some gaming time to kill right now. It's infinitely better out of the gate than Diablo 3.

[Radii]

I'm also having a surprisingly good time with NBA 2K, playing in the Magic/Bird era and just grabbing all of the non-Jordan Tar Heels.