Hawke64

Soulstice. I have reached Chapter 9 and the first unique boss. The previous two were mini-bosses, it seems (they have "Defeat N to unlock the next entry" in the Codex and I have met one of them again). I like that new systems and enemies are introduced quite often and that the MC is mostly either stoic or berserk (also the armour and the sword visually remind of the manga of the same name). The NPCs are rather nice (not annoying) as well so far. I guess that at the end the MC will destroy the corruption of the knight order, while keeping own demonic powers, as self-sacrificing would mean no sequel with the same protagonist. I like less that the shop/level up NPC just gives the weapons (got 2 more) and that the areas last a bit too long (the city walls, then the lower city) and hard to navigate (too monotonous and there is no map). I did not learn the attack patterns of the foes due to the magical block working from any distance against most enemies, while the need to use it is clearly communicated (the block button -the exact key bound!- appears on the enemy or in its direction if it is off-screen), so I do not have to look at the animations. Which brings me back to the unique boss - the thing had quite a few unblockable attacks and I had some issues with dodging them. So, the first death. Considering how long Cerberus in DMC3 took me to defeat, I probably should have chosen a higher difficulty. I have also switched to the keyboard only, because the camera can be rotated very rarely, so no point in using the mouse. The platforming with the fixed camera angles and variable depth perception was of variable satisfaction.

Finished Chuck Tingle's novel, Camp Damascus. No unicorns or even raptors, which was most disappointing. Some spoilers below: Overall, it is very well written and I would recommend the book, though, it is not as wholesome as the short stories, due to the elements mentioned above.

@Mamoulian War About the Gank Squad, the easiest option for me was to get the archer first in melee, then to run around to bait Alva's fan for punishable attacks, then to poison Havel with arrows. I think, at least Havel had Estus, but I do not remember the other two healing. I also hard-saved before the bosses' fog gate, so replaying the battle was easier (I had no summons and still had to get there in the best state, but only once). The bosses of the co-op areas in general were rather difficult, and, ironically, felt more approachable solo (might have something to do with scaling). --- Inmost. A platformer with Metroidvania and puzzle elements. The story is split between 3 protagonists, 2 are metaphorical, 1 is literal. I played it in co-op (by passing the Steam Deck from and to the other player) and missed the start of the game, so some parts felt flat to me, in particular the main/overarching story. The music and the art style are gorgeous, the controls are as comfortable as they can be on the device (I probably will try to replay it on my own with KB+M). The puzzles were generally easy (except one where we didn't notice the quest object), the checkpoints generous, and the combat functional (the knight protagonist can dash and has directional attacks). The location design for the adult protagonist was the most Metroidvania-like - the areas were fully connected and the tools found allowed to progress further. So, overall, I would recommend it. Spoiler, sort of: --- Soulstice. A hack-and-slash action game, very similar to DMC, though the visual design invokes Dark Souls - a city with a demonic portal where the population turned into rather quick zombies. The protagonsit and her undead sister are there to find out what happened and stop the demons. I've finished only 3-4 chapters so far (out of 26?) and encountered 1 mini-boss, which was fine, though the "block at any time" ability at the moment seems rather overpowered. The traversal abilities, such as double jump, are unlocked from the start, and I have received a new weapon in the middle of a chapter from the level up NPC. The former is rather convenient, the latter is somewhat anticlimatic. I suppose, the other weapons (there are 4-5 left to unlock) will be aquired in more interesting circumstances. The combat abilities are either weapon-specific or for the undead sister, Lute. She follows the MC, generally is either silent or comments on point, cannot be harmed, occasionally auto-attacks, and blocks or creates auras on command, so she is a very likeable sidekick. The controls are rebindable and 5-button mice are supported. There are some accessibility options which I have not tried. The camera is mostly fixed, so the mouse is less important, but still nice to have. I suppose, the only thing I am not particularly fond of are the system requirements and the technical aspects of the visual style caused by it - too much visual noise, while the breakable barrels are glowing either way, because at this point there is no other way make the interactive objects noticeable otherwise. So, a lower number of polygons per model and less post-processing fluff would have been better, as the character models are stylsed already. --- Creepy Tales. I had thought it to be just a point-and-click adventure without timers. The issues are that 1. interactive objects are hard to notice and 2. the puzzles are timed and occasionally require precision, while the MC's movements are quite "floaty" and the animations take relatively long to play. I guess, I would have felt worse about it if I didn't get the game in a bundle. The story is straightforward enough - the MC's friend got kidnapped by fairies, and the MC is bravely charging through a cursed forest to save the friend.

https://www.humblebundle.com/games/beamdog-owlcat-rpg-masters All DLC for PFKM and WotR for £11.60. With RT for £27. The keys are for Steam, which might not be preferable, considering the Steam update policy.

Batora: Lost Heaven. Not as good as I hoped it would be. I have finished the first area and the thoughts are below.

Pretty much. 2 things to add - the prisons are at 99% capacity as is and the far right violent protesters at the moment received at most 3 years in prison (I might be wrong here and there have been longer sentences which I have missed). Non-violent environmental protesters received 5 years for trying to sit on a road (this particular group being rather not effective is another matter). I cannot say how much the previous government affected the current situation, with blaming immigrants, people with disabilities, and transgender people for the economic situation in the UK. Musk has been doing irrational things (or inciting violence against vulnerable social groups, if I am being less polite) for quite some time now. I am curious if he is going to face any consequences beyond the advertisers leaving Xitter*. He seems to be trying to sue them, though. *Unfortunately, GARM is hurting not only Musk, but it is another topic.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/07/thousands-of-anti-racism-protesters-take-to-streets-to-counter-far-right-rallies 3 British children were lethally stabbed by a British teenager. The racists claimed that the teenager was a Muslim refugee (due to him being a teenager, the personal details were not released immediately) and attacked asylum centres and mosques. It is comforting to know that there are more anti-racism protesters.

Not disagreeing with the main point, but Steam does provide hosting, (end-user-unfriendly) update management, and some social fluff (like 5-33%* from any TF2 hats-like items sold and also forums). No idea about the operating costs, but I agree that the 30% fee seems too much. Then again, I think, it comes from the time of physical distribution. Epic went with a lower cut (12%?), Itch.io allows to choose. *Can't be less than 1 of the smallest type of the currency used for the publisher and Valve.

Pumpkin Jack Quite a few of objectives were "Find N of X". The battle ended at the same time I died. The cut-scene still played. An easter egg, I assume. The most irritating mini-game. The final boss. The Outer Worlds Edgewater. The Roseway area has a few quests where the NPC tell the directions somewhat clearly. In this case, there were no road to the storage facility, but it technically was to the left from the old lab when heading out through the south gate.

Finished Pumpkin Jack. Not recommended. Review: --- Started Unsighted. It looks like a post-apocalyptic Souls-like in the pixel art style. Slightly reminds of Hyper Light Drifter. --- The Shrine was reasonably good with the unique longbow, which was somewhere in the castle (I think, shortly before Nashandra's portrait). Poison arrows helped against the sturdier foes.

The Outer Worlds. Reached the Groundbreaker and was getting a very immersive experience, considering the weather. Looking for recommendation of games where 1. The human NPC AI reacts differently to the player's actions depending on whether the NPC is armed or where it is located, e.g. when attacked by the PC, a NPC civilian tries to run or alert other NPCs instead of fighting to the death with their bare fists. 2. The non-human/animal NPC AI does not try to kill itself against the player if there is obviously no chance to win, unlike the infamous wolves in TESIV. Pumpkin Jack. There are more variations of racing gameplay sequences with fixed camera angles. The one with the Witch currently holds the highest number of deaths due to me running into the walls heads-on (I clipped through one of them, which turned out to be the correct action). The boss itself and the boss in the following chapter took 2 attempts each. I suppose, I could say that each area is very distinct and the gameplay is reasonably challenging.

The link is SFW (and leads to an article about a dating sim) and the books (just started them*) might be. *found out that I do have several short stories from Humble Bundle. Definitely NSFW and definitely very optimistic - "I have found the love of my live and my family does not hate me" or "I have recovered from a traumatic experience". I still don't understand how a unicorn with hooves for hands can ride a bike, but I can live with the "it's magic" explanation.

https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/lost-solace-sci-fi-novels-bundle Got the book bundle and started the Lost Solace book (which should be the first one). Somewhat reminds of Dead Space and Echo (haven't finished). --- Discovered Chuck Tingle (SFW). Did not think that the books were real, definitely going to read. 2 are available on Google Play but, judging by the titles, they seem to be less surreal than the short stories.

I remember there being a Pursuer in Smelter Demon's arena afterwards. I think, the mini-boss dropped a ring (of Thorns?), but might be mistaken. The Outer Worlds. Found Eugene's golden teeth. The thing had no quest marker and I had very fuzzy memory of NPCs' mentioning it (accidentally gave it to Silas, instead of Abernathy Conrad, and reloaded). It is very nice that there is a lot of dialogue to discuss the item, though it feels odd that it was not marked on the map, unlike many other quest-related things, and the highlight/outline was hard to see on the white cloth. I've also got the Junior Deputy badge from Rayes and was able to ask why.

Pumpkin Jack. An action-adventure. I did not expect the game to be so arcade-y, like the movie-based games in the 00's. Can't say that I get the humour, but the story about a rogue being resurrected and sent to slay the chosen one is fine. The Outer Worlds. Close to finishing the Emerald Vale. Somehow, I am still inclined to support the Botanical Lab, rather than helping Adelaide to become the leader of the town, but I also would like to go to the best ending. I think, the Gorgon DLC interferes with the skill checks and I could not uninstall it, while reinstalling the whole game is undesirable (GOG installers go through the OS drive, which does not have enough space at the moment). Somewhat unhappy that the PC by default is closer to disapproving of recycling the corpses to improve the soil, while using the already dead fish for food, instead of killing the living, is shown as negative. I have also tried sequence-breaking, but Reed (his access code and the card, in particular) seems to be unavoidable. Might look more into it.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/final-update-to-morrowind-like-rpg-dread-delusion-adds-a-big-nautilus-with-a-town-built-inside-its-shell --- I hope that they will succeed and the VA and mo-cap will remain contained to the AAA games. As is, they offer only higher system requirements (thus, decreasing the availability and making the preservation more challenging), while increasing the development costs and time (PoEII), which in turn limit the player's agency (it harder to make more choices or implement changes to the story, when the VA needs to be re-recorded). So, the less of it, the better. --- https://steamcommunity.com/games/2302080/announcements/detail/4252042698999312624 The previous update included a randomiser mode.

Prey is available for £2.50. I will probably (re)purchase it on 1 August. Knowing that Arkane works are preserved is good. https://www.gog.com/en/game/prey

Mail Time Can't say that I find substance abuse jokes particularly funny, but I have collected all mushroom hats. The end-game indication is very clear. Cookie Cutter Defeated Puanani. Firstly, the late-game NPCs seem to lack portraits, secondly, I do not get the humour. And the icons bugged out. The miniature versions of the previously defeated bosses are featured as regular enemies throughout the final area. Also, the larger versions of regular enemies. The insta-killing spikes became unavoidable. The game did not pause when I trapped in the dialogue, so the guard on the left continued hitting. There are random terminals with lore. Final boss and ending. Pumpkin Jack The game is surreal in the same way as the older platformers.

Finished Mail Time. The game was nice, but short and the story was linear. Review: Finished Cookie Cutter. Somewhat ambivalent about the game, will write a review later.

En Garde! Cookie Cutter A boss. The final boss, I assume. Getting the ball to the socket was slightly challenging. Not Ornstein and Smaugh, but close enough. Gore and spoilers. I struggled to see the MC here during combat. Still, I am quite happy about the absence of the contact damage. Wrong texture. A main boss and some gore. Softlocked - activating the pink thing required energy, which I did not have, while getting back was not possible either due the elevated surface. The platforming section which I discovered to be optional after spending about an hour to complete it. Mail Time The character creator was rather nice and minimalistic. The Outer Worlds

I did beat him in melee and I would not say that my reflexes are particularly good. On the successful attempt, I remember eating a brightbug (?) and him staying in the first phase until ~30%HP. --- Cookie Cutter. Spent about an hour on a platforming section with a lot insta-killing spikes only to discover that it was optional. I also think that the earlier levels did not have the collision boxes for the projectiles, rather than all projectiles passing though walls.

The comparison is justified, considering the wide adoption of the software and the encouragement of frequent and fast deployment at the cost of thorough testing (I'd like to note that in the case of the antivirus software specifically, it might be reasonable). But hey, the planes do not fall often, so it is probably will not happen under the CEO making the decision, while the profit will definitely go up. /s I have read a rather curious theory (i.e. not a fact) that the current business education leads to these issues, where the short-term profits are preferred to the long-term sustainability.

It sounds quite appealing. I stopped my Nehrim playthrough after the first battle on the ship - was not looking forward to more TES combat at the time. --- Cookie Cutter. Reached the mid-game. The wall-passing projectiles and foes became less irritating, though now insta-killing spikes appeared. I was able to defeat 1 boss on the first attempt by parrying only, then there was a pair of bosses - one was slow melee, with a parryable attack that would be one-hit kill if not for my HP upgrades, the other was a more agile shooter, with the bullets, unfortunately, not being possible to parry with bare fists (i.e. at all). So, they took quite a few attempts. I asked on the Steam forum and was told that there is only one ending, but the game is quite enjoyable as is. Also, the map is helpful for exploration, with the obstacles and collectibles marked. The hidden areas, though, require punching random walls. --- Mail Time. It is a very easy platformer about a fantasy delivery person. I like the character customisation, the graphics, and the movement, though the controls are not rebindable. The only possible challenge is figuring out how to reach some of the quest items. The game does not have combat and I don't think that it has any fail state. I've got it in a bundle on Fanatical, so my expectations were not high, but the game is quite nice.

It was morbidly fascinating to watch (I cannot say whether or not my company uses CrowdStrike or the Windows OS). The update caused a BSOD bootloop on the affected PCs (so no online updates since the system can't start and check for them), while the current workaround requires manual action and, for the BitLocker-protected devices, the BitLocker key. The alternative is to boot from a USB drive with a Linux system and remove the faulty driver, but on the corporate PCs it is usually disabled. From what I can see, it is likely to cause an increase in phishing attacks. What I am curious about is whether it is going to affect the requirements for the software (e.g. no CI/CD and no auto-deployment) and security procedures on the government level, because the NHS was among the affected organisations. Additionally, CrowdStrike has the usual "We promise nothing" in its EULA, so I would love to see these kind of EULAs to be challenged in court (though, I do not think that part worked in the EU to begin with). Overall, this kind of failures are on the C level, since it is related to the procedures, strategy, and the lack of QA, rather than the specific developer who pushed the update. It also reminds that monopoly might not be good and having a diverse fleet of PCs, software, and at least 1 IT support person available at all times improves the resilience of the system (and also makes managing it more complex and increases the number of possible points of failure). --- Also, it does not seem to be the first incident of this magnitude with a manual intervention required for the resolution under the CrowdStrike CEO. Granted, in 2010, the related software was less widely used. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/07/major-outages-at-crowdstrike-microsoft-leave-the-world-with-bsods-and-confusion/

Not counting the setting, there is 1 character (whom I remember) appearing in both games and The Technomancer sort of works with any ending for Mars: War Logs. The level design is labyrinthine and the backtracking is plentiful in both. So, you could start with the sequel.