Hawke64

The Tarnishing of Juxtia. It is a Souls-like. The MC is something (a glowing red ball) put into a pile of bandages and told to go and kill a god on the other side of the kingdom. The controls are rebindable, the map is helpful, and the game saves the position on exit. The issue is that I cannot find the list of weapons and their stats. The starting sword seems like a decent and reliable option - average damage and nice moveset, so I spent the limited upgrade materials on it. Also, the game looks gorgeous - clear stylish pixel art and smooth animations.

Yes, though I played most of the game in co-op (built a magnificent tower solo*). I really liked the climbing mechanic - almost every surface outside dungeons could be climbed freely. Also the exploration and base-building were very nice.

It's been some time since I played (before the Sorcery update), but different aspects of gameplay have separate difficulty settings (combat, crafting, etc.) and in single-player mode can be configured before starting the game (would recommend to disable degradation for buildings). Also, there are NPC followers* (they are random and do not have quests or personalities), which can make combat easier or be nice decorations at the base. Though, dying while they are following you might result in their loss. Overall, unless you go into the late-game dungeons and face the bosses unprepared (the preparations include decent equipment and the followers loaded with healing items or food), it should be fine. There is a main story line (to remove the bracelet and regain freedom), some environmental storytelling, and lore. *They were possible to recruit by rescuing in the Siptah expansion, but I think they had to be captured in the main game. Pets have to be kidnapped when young in both, though.

Encased. Exploring the Magellan Station. It is divided into 7+ floors and can be traversed mostly freely. Some general design decisions are becoming slightly unpleasant - XP can be gained from looting and depends on the quality of the loot, while the loot itself is random, hte action of looting does not increase fatigue, and there are a lot of containers (including flower pots and trash bins), thus if looting is skipped, so is the XP, which might make the following encounters more difficult. Also, there are some odd parts in the writing and slight mismatches with NPC descriptions (e.g. an NPC described having "sun-bleached" hair has curly black hair on the portrait). The quests are reasonably interesting so far, some are straightforward, some include light puzzles. Though the Journal updates are inconsistent - if a clue was obtained before the quest, it is not saved in the Journal and has to be repeated, which might not be possible. The party is able to knock out a group of a similar size reliably - everyone has a non-lethal combat ability.

I think I've used GOG Galaxy once to download the previous version of PoEII, then noticed that the app was using a hidden folder on the OS drive, which was rather inconvenient due to the drive's relatively small size. Are there any advantages of using the application instead of the website (which allowed to choose games' versions just a few years ago)?

Thank you. I think I found 1 bed I could sleep in, the rest were either non-interactive or I could not rest there because there were hostiles in the location. Thank you for the suggestion - those are status effects. The green one means that I am recovering from fatigue by passing out on the floor (-2 fatigue every 3 seconds in real-time), the red means that there are stat penalties from the fatigue. Encased. Got the perk which should decrease fatigue after teleportation, but I had not know that teleportation required not only the device but also the corresponding ability. The fog of war on the world map seems interesting enough - I do not think that there are large bodies of water or canyons (the thing in the middle of the map does not count), so just checking the map square by square should be possible. Explored 2 small locations and realised that I need some non-lethal reusable weapon. While stealth is viable in general, in a side quest I was asked specifically to incapacitate the foes without killing them and the consumable items I had were single-use. Edit. Found a safe bed in Junktown, an ability that deals 200-400 fatigue damage, and 3 companions. Had to knocked out one of them at the Arena and now she's got stuck in the floor KO'ed and I cannot initiate dialogue to recruit her. Edit 2. I gave Fox some coffee and was able to recruit her. Did not expect the item to work on an NPC before joining the party.

Yes and no - the detection area is a circle (technically, 2 - low attention and high attention), the detection cooldown time is quite long and unpleasant if you cannot leave the location*. Haven't tried yet, but leaving the location and waiting (skipping time via the Wait menu) should cover it. As there were no owned objects, thus no crime detection, in the Nashville facility, I did not have to wait out the increased NPC suspicion and could loot almost everything (short of 2 containers - one was surrounded by 2 NPC, another in use). *this - I could not wait because the area was "unsafe" and the NPCs were blocking the exit. I have not figured out how I am supposed to rest, except of falling asleep from high fatigue**, so been using medkits (needed only once when I could not avoid the damage from the lack of lighting) and the anti-fatigue consumable. There should be a medic companion somewhere, who might make it better. **a spoiler for the Nashville facility:

Encased. Tried a stealth-only run through the starting area successfully. In general, I am quite pleased with the game, not counting the looting (too much trash) and fatigue* systems, and was able to complete the prologue without combat. Probably could even without interactions with NPCs, if I wanted to. *the difficulty options do not seem to affect the fatigue gained per lock picked (75), so I might try to remove it with console commands.

I've played it a bit in 2022 (up to the battle against goblins at the tiefling camp). The visual design (as in "I can't see sh*t") and the amount of loot were even more unpleasant than in D:OS2, along with the loading times and the system requirements, including the storage (the VA I don't care about and the textures I cannot use, but have to download anyway, because moving them into free DLC is too much effort; might be fixed in v.1.0, but unlikely). On a positive note, there were less combat encounters than in PF:WotR and the combat itself was generally fine. At any rate, knowing Larian, there will be the Ultimate Definitive Deluxe Edition in a year or two after the original v.1.0 release.

Immortal: Unchained. The second half of the game. An optional boss - I was safely out of range of the boss and the adds. In later areas the grenade launcher foes appeared in groups of 2. The Bed of Chaos, v.2. The boss was invincible in this field, but I could reload while she was regenerating. I tried shooting it. The definitely-an-innocent-child had a force field. Final boss and ending:

Immortal: Unchained. Completed the game. After the point of no-return the areas felt more linear and drawn out. The final boss went down on the second attempt with the fully upgraded Silver Spear sniper rifle, which scaled with the stat I originally had not planed to use, but levelled up to the same number as the Normal Weapon Scaling in the end. The ending of the story was somehow disappointing (I do detest monologues). Review: Completed Lost in Random. The ending was rather hilarious, though for wrong reasons. The general opinion for the game has not changed - it would have made a decent comic book or an animated movie, but not a game. Review:

The release date of Stray Gods (formerly, Chorus) has been announced - August 3rd, 2023. I like the writer (David Gaider) and the concept was interesting enough to back it on Kickstarter (a visual novel with mostly-sung dialogues). https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dragon-age-writers-musical-rpg-stray-gods-has-an-august-release-date

Immortal: Unchained. Reached and defeated the local version of the Bed of Chaos (the weak point of the tree boss was open for 1 shot, then I had to dodge or shoot vines, spikes, bugs, and a dryad). The good thing was that the floor was not falling to pieces, the bad was that the tree was regenerating (summoning the flies that were healing it non-stop), though each my shot was taking about 1/4 boss' health bar. The two optional bosses discovered were similar (larger) to a previously met main boss and a regular foe. The first was possible to spawn (it was not present on the map before you approach the arena), then back out from the arena without starting the battle and locking yourself in, and shoot safely from the nearby cliff (it would be summoning drones otherwise). The second, Flamebelcher Hierophant, was impossible to cheese, but it kept setting the surrounding trash mobs on fire with AoE attacks and their numbers seemed limited (they stopped spawning at some point), so I was able to just keep shooting while dodging the fire and grenades. The loot rewarded included arguably the best sniper rifle in the game (the unquestionably-best sniper rifle had much higher stat requirements to equip). Another interesting piece of equipment was an ability that restored an ammo if it was used to kill a foe, which worked wonderfully with sniper rifles and, possibly, grenade launchers (which I cannot use). Overall, I am enjoying the game, though it would not be so without quick-saving and sniper rifles.

Immortal: Unchained. Reached Cinderwood and participated in a duel of snipers. The teleporting-sniper boss and the other teleporting snipers could not leave the arena, so I just camped next to the entrance. Also, found a shortcut to the previous area. While I did not need to go there, it the interconnectivity was pleasant to see. I think, there are 3-4 main bosses and 2-3 main areas left to go. Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG. Started the game. It is impressive that a PC with Int 1 has a lot of unique lines, while most of them are voiced.

Immortal: Unchained. Defeated Iska. The boss got pushed into the wall after teleporting, 1/4 into the battle, while I was standing right next to her and shooting. Not the most glorious victory, but satisfying, nonetheless. The path from the boss room to the fast travel point, without unlocking another one from a save point, was interesting - the previously-cleared ambushes triggered when I approached from the other side. The sniper rifle and quitting to the main menu solved it.

Immortal: Unchained. Reached the Cauldrons. I have a very general idea that I need to progress through the area and face Iska, the Queen of the Dead, but I have no clue why there were breakable tubes leading to the central pillar of the room. The room itself consisted of circular bridges connected to each other with giant statues of the undead near the ceiling. Behind one of the locked outer doors was an Obelisk (bonfire) and a portal to another area. The undead with grenade launchers on the other side reminded me to finish the current area first. I was able to upgrade my sniper rifle and unlock a passive ability that restored an ammo (1) if the enemy was killed by the shot. The green teleporting ninjas, who appeared every 10 metres, were problematic without appropriate weapons (high physical and acid resistance), which I did not have - most of my arsenal caused physical damage only. As a workaround, reloading through the main menu was returning them to the initial positions or despawning (because they did not exist on the map until triggered). Looking forward to the main boss.

https://www.eurogamer.net/nintendo-pledges-to-repair-switch-joy-con-free-in-uk-until-further-notice

Immortal: Unchained. Activated 3 not-Bells and gathering 3 not-Lord Souls. Did not expect the enemy wave battle in the main hub and almost ran out of ammo on the last wave with a mini-boss (no healthbar, but the thing was incredibly sturdy), but was able to clear it. Now new paths in the previously visited areas are open and lead to the above-mentioned not-Lord Souls. Lost in Random. Reached the fifth area and mastered the dodge - it is possible to break the energy crystal in melee by dodging into the foes in the last moment. If there are several of them and one is dodged, all have their crystals broken. The cards improving this aspect of combat (damage on crystal break and dodge) do make the game more enjoyable.

Immortal: Unchained. Looks a bit dystopian, but it is the NPC's interpretation. The not-Firekeeper. Day 4 in the jungles and talking to random boulders. Apexion. The Soothsayer Commander.

Lost in Random. Defeated the boss of the second area, Two-Town. The visual design, writing, and VA are lovely. The location, combat, and quest design are awful - the former are corridors with designated arenas, where you stand against spongy and same-y waves of foes, while the combat consists of firstly charging your abilities (cards) by shooting off crystals growing on the enemies' bodies, then selecting an ability from a pool (the abilities available at any given moment are random, but limited to the pool, which is customisable and it is possible to select the same ability several times; some give an actual weapon, such as a sword or a bow, others heal or summon AoE attacks), then possibly killing 1-2 opponents before it needs recharging. The writing is similar to a fairytale with a fourth-wall-breaking narrator, and the dialogue puzzles, while not deep, are amusing. With the difficulty decreased to the Story Mode, the combat became bearable, but not enjoyable. The controls being hard-coded did not help. It should have been either fully tactical turn-based or fully hack-and-slash action. Or just a combat-free adventure or platformer. Immortal: Unchained. Reached the third main area, Apexion, an imposing city surrounded by storms. There were teleporting snipers, accompanied by suicide bombers rising from the concrete floors, while the main boss of the area could infinitely summon drones before the previously-summoned ones have been destroyed. Fortunately, the auto-saving with Windows Explorer works like quick saving with extra steps, so backtracking was minimal. Also, the area was much smaller than the previous one, the forest of Veridian.

Immortal: Unchained. The jungles of Veridian, day 4 (?). I have lost track of time and the sight of the only other non-hostile humanoid, and started talking to rocks. A flying rock offered to "rub its sphere" and to "delight in its awe". I have defeated the third main boss by shooting it mostly in the face and in the weak point on the back when I could. The newly-found assault rifle, surprisingly, was shooting reasonably straight, unlike the other assault rifles I had tried, and dealing decent damage. It also was the only "Good" (upgraded to +3 from the start) weapon I had. At the moment, I can say that I like the visual cues - the armour upgrades and "bonfires" are marked by large cables running across nearby walls, thus clearly visible from a distance. There are no inventory limit or weapon durability (unlike Decay of Logos), the enemy and weapon variety is decent so far (unlike Mortal Shell), the level design is generally nice - not on the level of DS1 or The Surge, but not too linear either, and it is possible to continue from the exact point you left (unlike Ashen). Though, I am not looking forward to backtracking back to the hub, even considering that it should be faster with the shortcuts unlocked. I can see the fast travel option in the menu, but it is locked at the moment. Edit. Took about an hour to find the way back. The new gun is a wonder. About a half of the foes can be shot in the face, the other half must be shot in the weak point on the back, which means either baiting them (some approach if cannot reach, some hold their ground) or running to them. The latter is not recommended due to the high likelihood of ambushes - the undead can raise from the floor without a chance to spot and attack them first, but quitting to the main menu resets their positions and occasionally breaks the spawn triggers. Additionally, there is a light dismemberment system - damaging a body part sufficiently destroys it, but the opponent usually is almost dead at that point. Also, the optional chests require a certain number of key items to be unlocked and these key items are not consumed upon use.

Lost in Random. So far the most challenging part was getting the game to run. It cannot be family-shared on Steam, it uses an online-only double DRM, and has no graphical or control options. Unless it is a masterwork in terms of storytelling and gameplay, which I strongly doubt, these flaws are critical. 1 hour in, and it has been a linear action-adventure, granted, fully voiced and well animated. In terms of story, it is a fairytale about a girl who went looking for her kidnapped sister. Immortal: Unchained. Still in the jungle area, Veridian. Encountered an optional boss, whose arena was littered with suicide bombers who were digging themselves out of the floor (i.e. I couldn't shoot them first, but could bait them one by one, or three by three), and who could (and did) one-hit-kill me. Fortunately, I was able to loot the containers in the corners of the arena without fighting, but with a lot of running and dodging. The floor being slightly underwater (ankle-deep) did not affect the movement speed anyhow. Also, I met a single non-hostile (yet) NPC in the area. During the third meeting he was sitting in a hole, and talking to him after jumping down triggered an ambush. The NPC was just standing and doing nothing (the zombies did not attack him either), but told me afterwards that we were victorious. Probably, playing it after Lost in Random makes Immortal: Unchained significantly more enjoyable, despite the occasional unpredictable ambushes. It is also much more quiet - no overly-talkative narrator.

Immortal: Unchained. It is a sci-fi TPS/Souls-like that is not related to Immortal Plant, which was an isometric sci-fi Souls-like. Defeated the second boss and progressed through the jungle area. The game being a coverless shooter and a Souls-like at the same time works curiously, though it feels somehow odd that melee weapons are supplementary instead of primary. The location design is decent, but includes quite a lot of traps (spikes for the frozen world and vines for the jungles), which do not work on the foes. The armour progression is linear and locked behind Armour Shrines, each of them provides a specific improvement and may slightly change the appearance. So, now I have the Scarf of Not-Flinching 10%. The controls are mostly rebindable, with the exception of Shoot/LMB and Aim/RMB.

Rowling harasses trans people, including advocating of removing legal protection and healthcare access. Thought that it was well known. Unlike Atomic Heart, which developers might be connected to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, HL certainly benefits a person who attacks a vulnerable social group for kicks. --- Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-. Defeated 2 bosses on the first attempt. I like their design, though it is hard to adjust to the MC dodging back instead of in the direction of movement. The second boss, a Dark Elf, stole the recently-acquired mysterious item (no item description, looked like a dark purple sphere) and escaped upon being defeated. The pre-battle banter allowed to assume that the MC is not the only amnesiac person around.

"Games are important because they “grow the economic contribution of Australia’s creative industries”, the report says, and because they can bring new audiences to other more traditional art forms, like classical music. This speaks to the longstanding, limited ways in which games are understood. Their ability to make money and their inherent youthful coolness are championed, but the complex ways in which games are themselves a crucial art form, and made by creators who are themselves artists, remain unacknowledged". https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/mar/06/finally-australia-sees-video-games-are-important-but-it-cant-be-only-because-they-make-money Interesting but sad. Just in case, building a career in any creative field is extremely risky, be it game development or novel writing. --- https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/06/videogames-history-rome-expeditions/ If as art, the article above seems fitting. If as products, then Bloomberg does investigative journalism (haven't read personally, but heard of it). I think, in general, there are enough quality articles, but due to the volume they might be overlooked.