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Moonshine Rhyme posted:https://store.steampowered.com/app/1633370/Boat_Crew/ Looks fun though a bit generic looking. Shame it doesn’t have any of the absurdly cool atmosphere of High Fleet. It is nice to see a favorite dev from my youth (Microprose) return as an interesting indie publisher. A far better fate than the other greats of that era received. Most of the 90s PC gaming greats exist only as a forgotten column on an EA spreadsheet.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:20
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Not that it matters a whole lot because they're still publishing some bangers and focusing on a niche market that doesn't have much representation (wargames) but it's not the same Microprose, they just bought the name because people associate it with wargames 
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Dec 26, 2023 02:25
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Yeah just nice to see the logo connected to something like the spirit of the old company. Way better than the corpse of Origin used to brand EA’s Steam competitor.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:42
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My issue with Starfield isnt the bugs/glitches, but what just feels like a serious lack of grand vision and creativity put into the game across the board. Todd Howard isnt the creative genius mind that he wants us to believe.
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Dec 26, 2023 02:45
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deep dish peat moss posted:Yeah, that's not at all meant in defense of FO76 which is ostensibly okay these days, but Starfield is the absolute worst AAA game I've ever played in my life and I say that with no exaggeration. I don't like to be overly negative about things these days but there's not one single thing I can point to in Starfield and say was in any way good. Bad things can still be entertaining but Starfield was not. You can immediately and constantly tell that the decision makers behind it were explicitly dedicated to creating a minimum viable product and not allowing anyone to work beyond that goal, absolutely every feature and facet of it cuts itself off at the exact point where it became minimally viable in a way where you can say that yeah technically that feature exists just enough to be marketed. There's no creative vision behind any of it. The dialog feels straight-up outsourced to non-English speakers and run through a machine translation into English. It reuses assets even more than Dragon Age 2 did. It's a paint-by-numbers thing designed by someone who couldn't count past 3. Honestly, the last Bethesda game I really liked was Skyrim. FO4 had some good parts, but was ultimately disappointing. credburn posted:Come on. New Vegas?
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Dec 26, 2023 03:20
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deep dish peat moss posted:Yeah, but Outer Worlds painted the corporations as the objectively good guys, and the people who didn't want to be subject to Corporate Rule as the archetypical legion-esque bad guys, and had a story that explained that ACTUALLY things are much better for everyone if you side with the corporations because "at least the corporations try to make things better!! The people never try to make things better they're always doing everything for selfish reasons!". It was entirely tone-deaf adjacent to its aesthetic of playing up how dumb and lovely corporations are. I played it once before the DLC and can only wonder if I'm drastically misremembering things. I recall the corporations being written as entirely bad. There is some murky territory in how it presents some anti-corporate factions in negative lights, but I ultimately brushed that off. In-setting, even the anti-corpo people are a result of the corporate-run education and social engineering and it at least makes sense that they don't really have a coherent replacement in mind, or more sophisticated thoughts than 'tear it all down'. The part where I was personally left feeling weird by Outer Worlds is that my ending seemed to conclude that my player character and the scientist, much more competent than everyone else around, would take charge like some sort of monarchs to change things for the better.
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Dec 26, 2023 03:32
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Yeah Outer Worlds had a definite anti-corpo stance to the end, but their alternative is a meritocracy where bringing "the smart people" into power would make things automatically better, it doesn't really have any thought-out ideology behind any of it. Honestly having some kind of Caesar's Legion would be more coherent
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Dec 26, 2023 03:35
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The vibe I got from the complaints is that Outer Worlds fell into that tiresome latter-era Obsidian "thing is bad, but guess what, the alternative to thing is ALSO bad, checkmate  " stuff.
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Dec 26, 2023 03:44
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went back through Dusk with the HD graphics. for anyone with reservations, this was about the best you could hope for from a graphics update - it gives everything just a little more detail while still preserving the chunky abstraction of the original models. the Horrors in particular don't get much of a texture change but now their jaws waggle back and forth as they run, which makes them even more unnerving
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Dec 26, 2023 03:49
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Moonshine Rhyme posted:https://store.steampowered.com/app/1633370/Boat_Crew/ Looks pretty fun but a shame there’s no multiplayer.
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Dec 26, 2023 03:51
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I think people are giving Outer Worlds too much credit and/or scorn by saying it effectively advocates or supports any particular viewpoint. It just told some mediocre stories in a late-stage-capitalism-themed world without much regard for world building or a cohesive message. I don't think one story about people running something into the ground after taking it away from corporations amounts to a condemnation of anti-capitalism. A cautionary tale about displacing capitalists but failing to replace it with something better could make the basis of an effective story if it weren't so perfunctory that it just reads as a lazy pro-capitalist take.
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Dec 26, 2023 04:01
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Just wanted to give a late Merry Christmas to all in this thread: I love coming here and seeing cool reviews and impressions on neato games, as well as staying up-to-date on the latest deals and what-not. Hope to keep this going well into the future! I got Sifu for Christmas! And so far, it rocks!
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Dec 26, 2023 05:38
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Volte posted:I think people are giving Outer Worlds too much credit and/or scorn by saying it effectively advocates or supports any particular viewpoint. It just told some mediocre stories in a late-stage-capitalism-themed world without much regard for world building or a cohesive message. I don't think one story about people running something into the ground after taking it away from corporations amounts to a condemnation of anti-capitalism. A cautionary tale about displacing capitalists but failing to replace it with something better could make the basis of an effective story if it weren't so perfunctory that it just reads as a lazy pro-capitalist take. Yeah, this is closer to my feeling. It doesn't handle the themes poorly, it is just dumb. It is the 'somebody's got a case of the mondays' bit from Office Space stretched over an entire game. I was curious and the narrative lead (Leonard Boyarsky) credits at mobygames list them as doing the art and some design for the old Fallouts, but their only other writing credit is Diablo 3. D3 is noteworthy for having the worst and most incoherent story of all the Diablos. I dunno why they decided to take the reins on the story here 
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Dec 26, 2023 05:52
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Wow the way gifting a game now works is so much better
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Dec 26, 2023 07:59
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Eason the Fifth posted:Is Gloomwood worth picking up yet, or still better to wait for 1.0? Gloomwood had been on my wishlist for quite a while, and I had held off purchasing purely because it was early access. I bought it on impulse yesterday and have only put about 5 hours or so into it, but it's fantastic. It's old school in all the best ways, and feels like someone was inspired as hell by some games from the 90s (obvious nod to Thief) and decided to make a labor of love. I really haven't played a game like this in a long time where I've been super immersed in blocky-rear end graphics and sweating over only having a few resources left and lots of dangerous enemies and having to stick to the shadows and find clever ways to make it all work. I've only just left the first main area, but the level design was great (minus a few minor gripes), lots of interconnection and finding new and sneaky ways to get to places and discover hidden things along the way. They also did a nice job of making you feel very powerless at the start and then, after a couple of hours I started feeling like, "Hey...maybe...just maybe I'm the badass here and you assholes shouldn't have hosed with me!" There were numerous times in the first few hours when I thought "wow, it would be cool if you could..." only to find out that, yep, you can! Just great game design and emergent gameplay. My only gripes so far are: a) Sometimes the graphics are a bit too meh. Rarely, some lovely sorting, a crappo 2-d layer of "fog" in a couple of spots, stuff like that. b) I managed to get out of the world a couple of times and fall into infinity, which isn't great, and... c) ...related, I managed to get to a few places where they obviously didn't expect players to get, and mechanics (mantle, clipping, etc.) weren't exactly set up right. ...but all of that is way overshadowed by how good the game feels. The only downside is the obvious early access one. They don't have any firm date for completing the game, but are making steady progress and seem positive about things, and it's rated overwhelmingly positive on Steam, so I'd be surprised if it poo poo the bed. If you get it, a couple of things that confused me at the beginning: First, it's only explained once quickly that you can flip your inventory over to an equipment display and I did without that part of the game for a couple of hours until I figured it out. Second, you'll pick up ammo for a flare gun you won't get for quite a while and I was worried I was missing some major mechanic until I looked it up.
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Dec 26, 2023 08:00
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Oh great, I'm stuck in one of those random failed purchase purgatories. Edit: Hooray, it cleared relatively quickly. 
John Murdoch fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 26, 2023 12:23
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Alright, I made my winter sale purchases for this year. Mass Effect 3: I enjoyed the first two games in the franchise, but somehow never got around to playing this one. It was probably due to the negative reaction it got when it was released. It's been over a decade now, time to see what all the hubbub was about and why everyone hates the ending so much. Tower of Time: Action-oriented isometric RPG with fairly unique combat mechanics, I guess? Let's see how this one plays. UnderRail: I'm ready to get my rear end kicked by absolutely everyone and everything as I scavenge for spare parts in this post-apocalyptic whatever Colony Ship: See UnderRail, except I'm on a space ship this time My Time at Sandrock: Light-hearted fare compared to the rest of the games on the list, I expect this to be somewhat like Stardew Valley except with better graphics. I will find myself a nice NPC to settle down with and, I don't know, build community centers or something. Feel free to chime in with comments, advice, tips, mockery, etc.
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Dec 26, 2023 12:43
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If we're sharing out winter sale I got $50 gift card for Christmas so I got: Cornkidz64 Vampire Survivors dlc Lunacid Zero ranger Void stranger Tyrion Cuthbert Attorney of the Arcane
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Dec 26, 2023 13:03
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i bought lethal company (not on sale) the expanse encased but i played lethal company for 3h and then obviously just started playing the longest journey which i got on sale like 2y ago
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Dec 26, 2023 13:18
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 https://twitter.com/TheBase16/status/1739517102539649121
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Dec 26, 2023 13:43
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Having interacted with the Steam backend for the ritually necessary time this decade, Gabe Newell returns to his slumber and dreams of knives and Linux.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:48
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How's the writing in Wrath of the Righteous? For reference I really enjoyed my time with both Pillars of Eternity games, both in terms of companions and dialogue. I already know Golarion is a kitchen sink setting and I never played Kingmaker, if that helps.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:48
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This is definitively a non-standard opinion but I hated it. Felt extremely amateurish.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:50
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Azran posted:How's the writing in Wrath of the Righteous? For reference I really enjoyed my time with both Pillars of Eternity games, both in terms of companions and dialogue. I already know Golarion is a kitchen sink setting and I never played Kingmaker, if that helps. I thought it was exceptionally good. To the point where I've beaten the game twice and planning a third playthrough, despite heavily disliking the gameplay. I didn't get very far in Pillars, so I can't compare the two, but I thought that the companions in WotR are very interesting and unique. I really liked the main villain as well.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:52
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I played Kingmaker and liked it, except for the ubiquitous time constraints and the fact that the ending sequence was very difficult unless you had optimized your party in certain ways. I hear Wrath of the Righteous doesn't have the former problem at least, so it's on my list of games to play.
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Dec 26, 2023 13:59
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I think Wrath (and now Rogue Trader) have very solid writing. I don’t think they do anything super revelatory or new to the medium or anything but if you’re just looking for very well executed genre fiction you’re in a good place. In particular I think they good do character writing and really understand the thing that makes those stories tick, whether it’s whooping’ up on demons or WH40K. Anno fucked around with this message at 14:08 on Dec 26, 2023 |
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Dec 26, 2023 14:05
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Rogue Trader is also really loving good, yeah.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:06
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What are some good 2 player local multiplayer games? I’m looking for some stuff for my girlfriend and I to play together that’s on sale. She’s not much of a gamer so I’m looking for casual/easy to pick up and play/something board game-ish.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:10
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Ugly In The Morning posted:What are some good 2 player local multiplayer games? I’m looking for some stuff for my girlfriend and I to play together that’s on sale. She’s not much of a gamer so I’m looking for casual/easy to pick up and play/something board game-ish. Chicory: A Colorful Tale PHOGS! Knights and Bikes Overcooked Human Fall Flat
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Dec 26, 2023 14:25
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aas Bandit posted:Gloomwood had been on my wishlist for quite a while, and I had held off purchasing purely because it was early access. I bought it on impulse yesterday and have only put about 5 hours or so into it, but it's fantastic. Awesome, thanks for the writeup. I'm going through Blood West right now, which has a similar old-school vibe and influence (Blood, obviously, but also Thief and the scavenging vibe of early New Vegas) but I'll definitely grab Gloomwood once it hits 1.0.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:40
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Phlegmish posted:Alright, I made my winter sale purchases for this year. It's me, I'm the rear end in a top hat who thinks ME3 is the best in the series. A few sections drop the ball, but the gameplay is a lot more fun than ME2, the improved ending is much better than it was at release, and some of the character arcs are absolutely emotionally devastating. It really nailed the hopeless feeling of the reaper invasion.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:47
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The greatest crime of Andromeda is that all of that mediocrity is wrapped around a wonderfully tight set of combat design. ME3 is similar but has lots of other solid bits to back it up.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:50
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I'm still not completely over how much Andromeda dropped the ball, it's a prime example of why you don't hand over the reins to people who write fan fiction for a living.
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Dec 26, 2023 14:52
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Yeah I can't defend Andromeda. I tried to give it an honest chance, but five hours in and it didn't have an ounce of the magic that kept me going through even the roughest parts of original ME1.
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Dec 26, 2023 15:17
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ME3 MP ruled and it is a literal CRIME that they did not repackage that with the so-called "Legendary Edition," which nowadays stands for "less game than the one you originally bought" !!
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Dec 26, 2023 15:19
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I really liked Andromeda for the combat and bringing the sense of exploration back to the series. The plot and and a lot of the writing was a complete shitshow though.
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Dec 26, 2023 15:23
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exquisite tea posted:ME3 MP ruled and it is a literal CRIME that they did not repackage that with the so-called "Legendary Edition," which nowadays stands for "less game than the one you originally bought" !! Hard agree. ME3MP was so much fun to play with the crew.
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Dec 26, 2023 16:19
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exquisite tea posted:ME3 MP ruled and it is a literal CRIME that they did not repackage that with the so-called "Legendary Edition," which nowadays stands for "less game than the one you originally bought" !! Oh what the gently caress, seriously? Wasn't it hosted client side too so why wouldn't they just leave it in?
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Dec 26, 2023 16:23
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Is it just me or is Steam kind of bad at notifying people that you sent them a gift?
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Dec 26, 2023 16:24
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Deakul posted:Oh what the gently caress, seriously? Wasn't it hosted client side too so why wouldn't they just leave it in? It's incredibly dumb and I can only imagine they left it out because they didn't want to deal with supporting it
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