2022-2024 Video Games Thread

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Who's playing Animal Crossing?

We should exchange friend codes and visit each other.

I have peaches, pears and cherries to share. Haven't gotten apples or oranges yet.

Mums are my native flowers.

A friend of mine streams his play sessions on Twitch. I join in to watch him play and chat a bit. Seems like a fun game.

I installed the Pocket Camp version on my tablet. Decent game. Not sure how long it's going to hold my attention, but I can see the appeal.

[spleen1015]

I have a beta invite for Minecraft Dungeons.

I'll give it to the first person who can answer this question. Please no cheating. The answer is on the Google.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. were the first father-son duo rostered as players on the same team in the same season. The second father-son combination rostered as players was found later on which team together?

I want to know who they were and what team they were on.

Send me a PM with the answer.

[spleen1015]

Thomkal wins!

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Thomkal wins!

Because clearly I don't have enough games to play already

[rjolley]

What's the answer?

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by rjolley

What's the answer?

Tim Raines Sr and Jr played for the Orioles together

[AnalBumCover]

Question: Two Point Hospital Digital Download is currently on sale for the Switch (25%, all-time low). The Switch version includes Bigfoot and Pebberly Island DLC.

I have it on my Steam wishlist waiting for the next sale. The last 4 times the base game has been on sale on Steam, it was at 66% discount, as recently as Jan 2020. (I don't know if any DLC went on sale at the same time).

I'm wondering if it's worth the Switch purchase? or if this game is best suited for the PC?

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Tim Raines Sr and Jr played for the Orioles together

there were two speeddemons?

[SirFozzie]

If you know someone who's a humble bundle subscriber (besides me, I already gave my copy away), two point hospital was in the Humble Bundle in January, ABC

[AnalBumCover]

What timing! Two Point Hospital is now on sale at Steam. 50% off for the base ($17.49), or 53% off for the bundle - base+3 expansions ($29.24).

Compare that to the Switch sale, base + 2 expansions for $29.99.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by AnalBumCover

What timing! Two Point Hospital is now on sale at Steam. 50% off for the base ($17.49), or 53% off for the bundle - base+3 expansions ($29.24).

Compare that to the Switch sale, base + 2 expansions for $29.99.

I recently got Two Point Hospital. I think it would have been just another builder game without its quirky humor. Hope you are enjoying it.

[stevew]

FF7 remake anyone

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by stevew

FF7 remake anyone

I really want to, but I haven't enjoyed FF gameplay in over 10 years. This does look amazing though. It's just disappointing that it's not the full FF7 story even if it is the content of a full game (30-40 hours per reviewers).

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'm only an hour and 45 minutes in, but it's pretty great. The combat system is a little weird to get used to - it's sort of a hybrid of action games and turn based. You perform basic attacks, blocks, and dodges actively by "button-mashing," but after you build up enough of a resource you can use things like abilities, spells, items, and Limit Breaks which puts everything in super-slo-mo while you pick from the menus.

It's beautiful, the music is incredible, and the voice acting is awesome so far.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I recently got Two Point Hospital. I think it would have been just another builder game without its quirky humor. Hope you are enjoying it.

In case you aren't aware, it's basically a remake of the retro game by Bullfrog (Theme Hospital). My impressions from others who've played it is it does pretty well at modernizing the concept.

[Flasch186]

Anyone play mount & blade 2? Thoughts?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Anyone play mount & blade 2? Thoughts?

I am. It's pretty much just the exact same game with better graphics and/or performance, for better or worse. It's been a compelling enough gameplay loop to keep me distracted for the past week or so, but it also still feels just as hollow as the first game ever did.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Anyone play mount & blade 2? Thoughts?

More of the same, in a good way. It's more of a Mount and Blade 1.5, but I don't really mean it as a knock. They've taken what worked for Warband and expanded and improved most areas and made it look prettier. It's early access so it's still a bit buggy and not everything is implemented yet, but there's still enough to enjoy.

If you want the full experience, I'd suggest holding off a bit. If you really want some mount and blade and enjoyed the original there's plenty to do for now.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

In case you aren't aware, it's basically a remake of the retro game by Bullfrog (Theme Hospital). My impressions from others who've played it is it does pretty well at modernizing the concept.

I had not played Theme Hospital, but I wondered if there was a relationship between the two

[Vince, Pt. II]

I have been incredibly impressed with the Final Fantasy VII Remake. I'm a little bit more than halfway through at this point.

Wall Market was phenomenal.

[Ironhead]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Anyone play mount & blade 2? Thoughts?

I never played the first Mount & Blade; however, I am a big fan of the Total War series. M&B2: Bannerlord is an early access game so it definitely still has it's raw edges but it has sucked me in harder than any game in recent memory. It has been a super welcome distraction.

There is just something really satisfying about the basic loop on the game: recruiting troops, commanding them as an actual solider on the battlefield using tactics and getting stuck in yourself, training your troops and expanding your army while trying to carve out life as a vassal (or form your own kingdom) is just fun. There are a ton of Let's Play videos up on Youtube that you could watch to get a feel for the game.

Having never played before there was definitely a bit of a learning curve at first. The one strong downside so far is that while the developer has been providing fantastic support so far the amount of almost daily patching that has been required has resulted in me needing to scrap a few of my saved games. There is enough variety though that even in restarting a new character a few times I am still having a blast.

The world map and nations in the game are fictional but are clearly drawing directly from real medieval cultures. It is all very recognizable if you have played similar strategy games based on the relative era.

If this type of genre floats your boat then there is definitely enough in the game right now to enjoy it. Otherwise it might be worth waiting until they iron more kinks out. Long term the future of the game seems bright given the content that is already there and the fact that the game was made with mod friendliness in mind and the modding community appears to be very active.

[Thomkal]

For you PS4 players:

Here's How To Claim Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection And More For Free On PS4 Today | HotHardware

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Ironhead

I never played the first Mount & Blade; however, I am a big fan of the Total War series. M&B2: Bannerlord is an early access game so it definitely still has it's raw edges but it has sucked me in harder than any game in recent memory. It has been a super welcome distraction.

There is just something really satisfying about the basic loop on the game: recruiting troops, commanding them as an actual solider on the battlefield using tactics and getting stuck in yourself, training your troops and expanding your army while trying to carve out life as a vassal (or form your own kingdom) is just fun. There are a ton of Let's Play videos up on Youtube that you could watch to get a feel for the game.

Having never played before there was definitely a bit of a learning curve at first. The one strong downside so far is that while the developer has been providing fantastic support so far the amount of almost daily patching that has been required has resulted in me needing to scrap a few of my saved games. There is enough variety though that even in restarting a new character a few times I am still having a blast.

The world map and nations in the game are fictional but are clearly drawing directly from real medieval cultures. It is all very recognizable if you have played similar strategy games based on the relative era.

If this type of genre floats your boat then there is definitely enough in the game right now to enjoy it. Otherwise it might be worth waiting until they iron more kinks out. Long term the future of the game seems bright given the content that is already there and the fact that the game was made with mod friendliness in mind and the modding community appears to be very active.

Thanks for this post. I never played the first one but after watching some videos, this game looks fun as hell. Someone on YT has the same older video card as I do and can run it on max so I purchased today and with this free time, I'll dig into it tonight.

I figured an EA game with over 71k reviews on Steam, it must be a decent game.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Started up Outer Worlds this weekend. Planned to play a good dude. Murdered someone in the first town. My current NPC kill count is like 4 or 5 so far.

Anyone else given this a try?

I could use a Fallout-ish RPG that had some humor and wasn't too shooter-y, but I'm not sure this is it.

[SirFozzie]

X-Com meets superhero game Sentinels of Freedom comes out (at least Chapter 1) today.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

X-Com meets superhero game Sentinels of Freedom comes out (at least Chapter 1) today.

Looks interesting but will wait for reviews to come out. Thanks for the heads up.

[Ironhead]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Anyone else given this a try?

I could use a Fallout-ish RPG that had some humor and wasn't too shooter-y, but I'm not sure this is it.

My wife is a big Fallout fan and was really excited to play this one given all of the hype leading up to it. She bought it when it came out and said she was very disappointed. She felt the game was boring and just could not get interested in the story or the characters.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Anyone else given this a try?

I could use a Fallout-ish RPG that had some humor and wasn't too shooter-y, but I'm not sure this is it.

Originally Posted by Ironhead

My wife is a big Fallout fan and was really excited to play this one given all of the hype leading up to it. She bought it when it came out and said she was very disappointed. She felt the game was boring and just could not get interested in the story or the characters.

I would recommend Encased, a lot like Fallout 1 and 2 IMO

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

X-Com meets superhero game Sentinels of Freedom comes out (at least Chapter 1) today.

I'm decidedly meh on this one after playing for a few hours today - for a game about superheroes it's surprisingly tedious. Powers are generally pretty boring, tactics are pretty lacking, it's really about offense and grinding baddies down as far as I can tell so far. It's possible that I'm not smart enough to see the deeper game underneath, but there do seem to be a lot of people on steam complaining about similar things.

The coolest part so far has been creating my character at the start, but then you really are just picking a bunch of bog standard attack/support abilities and then adding flavor which are basically just slight stat tweaks.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ironhead

My wife is a big Fallout fan and was really excited to play this one given all of the hype leading up to it. She bought it when it came out and said she was very disappointed. She felt the game was boring and just could not get interested in the story or the characters.

I watched a fair bit of the game via several different YTers that are regulars for me.

The thing that jumped out to me from the outset was how bad the AI could be, even worse than the Bethesda Fallout issues that are familiar to anyone who played those games much.

There's an early scene involving you talking to a particular NPC and you potentially being attacked by some baddies as that happens. The NPC literally never reacts to anything that's happening, not even if they attack her directly ...and that pretty much killed any chance I'd ever bother to play it.

It was simply TOO immersion breaking, and without immersion, there's no appeal for me.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

I'm decidedly meh on this one after playing for a few hours today - for a game about superheroes it's surprisingly tedious. Powers are generally pretty boring, tactics are pretty lacking, it's really about offense and grinding baddies down as far as I can tell so far. It's possible that I'm not smart enough to see the deeper game underneath, but there do seem to be a lot of people on steam complaining about similar things.

The coolest part so far has been creating my character at the start, but then you really are just picking a bunch of bog standard attack/support abilities and then adding flavor which are basically just slight stat tweaks.

Disappointing to hear but glad to save my money for now and go for something else.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The latest update / patch for Modern Warfare has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever seen a developer do.

First you install a 15 gig update, despite it containing virtually nothing to account for the size. No new map, no new game modes, nothing that should need that sort of heft.

Once completed, THEN you need the 18 gig "Data Pack 1", which comes through the MS Store (for XB1 users) priced "free" ... but in order to be able to access it you must first at least start one game of the fucking Warzone bullshit.

That has to be THE most transparent attempt to pad user numbers I've ever seen.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The latest update / patch for Modern Warfare has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever seen a developer do.

First you install a 15 gig update, despite it containing virtually nothing to account for the size. No new map, no new game modes, nothing that should need that sort of heft.

Once completed, THEN you need the 18 gig "Data Pack 1", which comes through the MS Store (for XB1 users) priced "free" ... but in order to be able to access it you must first at least start one game of the fucking Warzone bullshit.

That has to be THE most transparent attempt to pad user numbers I've ever seen.

That's the biggest problem with AAA gaming these days. It's everything BUT gaming. Revenue streams, user numbers, retention, etc. But the thing I never hear is FUN.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The latest update / patch for Modern Warfare has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever seen a developer do.

First you install a 15 gig update, despite it containing virtually nothing to account for the size. No new map, no new game modes, nothing that should need that sort of heft.

Once completed, THEN you need the 18 gig "Data Pack 1", which comes through the MS Store (for XB1 users) priced "free" ... but in order to be able to access it you must first at least start one game of the fucking Warzone bullshit.

That has to be THE most transparent attempt to pad user numbers I've ever seen.

That's pretty awful Jon

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

That's pretty awful Jon

Yeah, I was pretty jawdropped by it (never mind being irritated by some 33 gigs of d'loads that amount to nothing more for me than a couple new weapons -- in a game where virtually every weapon is pretty much identical to the others in its class)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Next week should bring the 2.2 (?) patch for Stellaris Console Edition.

That's the one that changes pop management, does away with tiles, adds the fleet manager thingy, and a bunch of other stuff.

Doing my reading, honestly, it looks like it becomes an almost completely different game, so kinda looking forward to at least trying it

[MizzouRah]

Old World comes out via early access on Epic Games tomorrow.


It's developed by Soren Johnson, lead designer of Civ IV and Offworld Trading Company.


I've really liked what I've seen so far in the LP's. Kind of cool to use "orders" instead of typical movement points. I also like you have to marry and have kids to take over the throne when you die.



Old World

Orders

Orders are a resource used to issue commands across your nation. Instead of moving every unit every turn, as is traditional in 4X games, each unit can be moved as many times as desired, until the player runs out of Orders. There are many other ways to spend this resource: Combat, Construction, Events, Diplomacy, and so on.
Legitimacy

Each ruler must prove that they are worthy of the throne. As you accomplish Ambitions, finish Wonders, and gain renown (as “the Wise” or “the Avenger” or “the Peacemaker”), your Legitimacy increases, granting additional Orders each year and improving your standing with the people.
Succession

Every turn in Old World represents a year, and the rulers are mortals who won’t last forever. They will need to get married and produce an heir to continue their line. When a ruler dies, the heir who takes the throne chooses a new Ambition to make a new name for him/herself.
Events

Old World has a powerful and deep dynamic event system that generates a procedural story for your nation based on your decisions, your accomplishments, and your characters. The game has over 1,000 unique events, many of which are inspired by historical events from the period. These events give characters Memories, Traits, and Relationships, which can then trigger later events, so be careful what you choose.
Ambitions

Your dynasty achieves victory by fulfilling 10 Ambitions, each one more difficult than the last. These Ambitions are dynamically generated from the Events of your game and the desires of your Characters. No two games will ever play out the same way, and the wise ruler will know when to change direction.
Territories

Cities form cohesive blocks of territory, with an urban center and rural hinterlands. Each improvement occupies a single tile, including Wonders and urban buildings, such as Shrines, Amphitheaters, and Garrisons. This territory grows based on where the player constructs improvements and trains specialists on the map.


https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-U...old-world/home

[Brian Swartz]

Thanks for that MizzouRah. I'm going to be watching that closely. I have a historical project going on that … well, I might be changing how the series continues after the current game based on where Old World's at. Looks really interesting!

[Thomkal]

I've been watching Quill19's Let's play of Old World-certainly an interesting take on the Civ type game.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Thanks for that MizzouRah. I'm going to be watching that closely. I have a historical project going on that … well, I might be changing how the series continues after the current game based on where Old World's at. Looks really interesting!

Yes indeed.. from what I've seen and read, it's definitely a different take on the typical 4x historical/civ type game.

Soren's wife is doing the unique events and is shooting for 3,000 on full release.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I've been watching Quill19's Let's play

Is that Quill18's brother or cousin or something

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Is that Quill18's brother or cousin or something

I just can't watch someone who puts their mug on the screen while they play, I guess I'll never understand why some YT's do that?

[Brian Swartz]

It's about having a personal connection to the audience. A lot of bigger channels espescially, people don't watch as much for the games as do because they enjoy the entertainment provided by the person playing. They could watch anyone, but they want to know what quill, pravus, christopherodd or whomever thinks of a particular product. Mannerisms, real-time reactions, etc. It's sort of a half-way between youtube and twitch kind of thing in a way, but a lot of people find it less stale. So long as it's kept reasonably small and out of the way of the game itself, I don't find it to be an issue.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

It's about having a personal connection to the audience. A lot of bigger channels espescially, people don't watch as much for the games as do because they enjoy the entertainment provided by the person playing. They could watch anyone, but they want to know what quill, pravus, christopherodd or whomever thinks of a particular product. Mannerisms, real-time reactions, etc. It's sort of a half-way between youtube and twitch kind of thing in a way, but a lot of people find it less stale. So long as it's kept reasonably small and out of the way of the game itself, I don't find it to be an issue.

I find it annoying and always drawn to the person rather than the game itself, the same with those annoying "Johan Subscribed" messages that pop up. Maybe I'm just a nut job.


I'll stick with those who don't that.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Is that Quill18's brother or cousin or something

Yeah actually he just had a birthday (for real) so its 19 now

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I just can't watch someone who puts their mug on the screen while they play, I guess I'll never understand why some YT's do that?

I think because its a replay of a Twitch live stream in many cases, where they always have their faces seen and are interacting with their viewers-asking questions and polling them on what they want him/her to do.. Some do it so viewers can see their reaction to in game events.

[NobodyHere]

Now here's a name I have not heard of in a long time.

The publisher behind classic Civilisation and XCOM is releasing a trio of new games | PC Gamer

I'll definitely be taking a closer look at these games.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I think because its a replay of a Twitch live stream in many cases, where they always have their faces seen and are interacting with their viewers-asking questions and polling them on what they want him/her to do.. Some do it so viewers can see their reaction to in game events.

Yep, there seem to be relatively few organic/original content YT streams these days, most all the ones I watch are simply edits of Twitch streams.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Now here's a name I have not of in a long time.

The publisher behind classic Civilisation and XCOM is releasing a trio of new games | PC Gamer

I'll definitely be taking a closer look at these games.

Nice to see them back even if its unlikely I'll be drawn into their new games

[RainMaker]

Anyone playing Bannerlord? It's fun as hell.