Hawke64

To add to the ecology-related articles: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/sep/24/where-does-the-uks-fast-fashion-end-up-i-found-out-on-a-beach-clean-in-ghana The reinforcement of the gender stereotypes aside, it is interesting, though unsettling. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/08/earths-vital-signs-show-humanitys-future-in-balance-say-climate-experts Not sure whether the acceleration to the hard-to-recover point is overestimated, but even now, the climate change is noticeable. I was trying to find an article about the effects of animal farming (aka those torture-murder factories) on the environment (very negative, including air; the prices of the properties around also go down by up to 75%), but the search engines did not favour me today. https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/23/long-shadow-life-under-the-veiled-grasp-of-factory-farming-in-europe This one. TLDR: go vegan, use less bandwidth, buy less physical items, recycle what you can, and do not reproduce, so maybe we will not die from the global warming.

The "Radiant" quests are RNG'ed, but yes - Bethesda puts effort into the world-building, setting, and location design (I still dislike those dungeons from Oblivion, though). Ubisoft does not seem to do so.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/bloodlines-2-is-more-spiritual-successor-than-sequel-to-a-a-competently-good-game-by-2004-standards-say-paradox I must admit that my optimism was misplaced, and this person has not played VTMB. I played it recently and most of the ideas and implementations work just fine (could be better with more immersive sim elements, not less). Then again, abusing the IP worked well for Larian, but they at least somewhat improved the character creation and added more immersive sim elements (the rest was not exactly good). Edit. The developers may release something that can stand on its own, but it is unlikely to be a sequel to VTMB.

https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/sep/23/heaven-17-v-rockstar-are-games-being-fair-to-music-artists On music licensing in games. I have not been listening to non-gaming/non-LGBTQ+ related music, so cannot comment whether including recognisable tracks boosts sales or not.

Lunacid So close and so far. Found a mimic. I was trying to shake off the giant skeleton. The thing clipped through the walls. A very suspicious wall. The rats won. Dustborn (demo) The combat is not good and the controls are not fully rebindable (presets for keyboard layouts available). The rest is fine.

Dead Space 2. --- Finished Lunacid. The experience was enjoyable, with the combat being generally somewhat better than in The Outer Worlds. I still skipped the combat-only gauntlet due to one of the foes being non-hostile and very agile rats. I guess, I would have liked the exploration more if there were built-in quick saves and at least some pointers to the next checkpoint. --- Regarding The Outer Worlds, while I quite like the game, the combat encounter design is not its strong part. I guess, if the locations were smaller, with more thoughtfully placed opponents and items, it would have been better. So, like Dark Souls, but sci-fi and with more story.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/a-few-hours-with-new-arc-line-reminded-me-that-setting-doesnt-mean-much-in-an-rpg-if-the-characters-arent-interesting Not a favourable preview, but I am curious about the setting and ambivalent about the turn-based combat. --- https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/in-pagan-party-based-rpg-banquet-for-fools-you-can-doodle-your-own-spells-in-blood The game sounds interesting, though the system requirements are rather puzzling (50GB for v.1.0) and I have not finished the developers' previous game, Serpent in the Staglands (the saves are told to be possible to import). https://steamcommunity.com/app/3172700/discussions/0/4851030238680772668/#c4851030238681356426

The comparison should be with the direct competitors. Other team-based PvP FPS, such as Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and Valorant, are free-to-play. Or even the older ones, such as Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortres 2 (I might be wrong here - it has been years since I played PvP). Arguably, Helldivers 2 is somewhat similar and costs $40, but it is PvE/co-op only, as the developer said, "to reduce toxic elements from the community. We want an environment that's supportive, fun and where we all are fighting on the same side!" (the original Xitter link does not seem to work, so https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/helldivers-2-will-never-get-pvp-because-arrowhead-dont-want-a-toxic-community). Additionally, at the moment, by the time a game is content-complete and reasonably bug-free, it is also safely in the £10-15 price range or lower, unless one wants to support the developers or to be a paying tester. Granted, the large publishers are quite good at exploiting the FOMO, while the audience might be vulnerable to it.

I generally agree, but the "Chosen One" trope was subverted - the PC is one of the many "Chosen Undead", but is determined enough to reach the end and become firewood (or have a party with giant snakes). It might be reasonable to avoid large (>10MB) files, which browsers will try to download, in text-based discussions. My phone, fortunately, displayed it as a link and not an animated image, but still. Regarding the achievement pop-ups. GOG and Itch.io allow to run games without the DRM apps (both platforms are DRM-free), so if the games are available, purchasing there would allow to skip the reinstallation step. --- Lunacid. Reached the Prison. The area was easier to navigate due to the large space in the middle (except the lower floors/basement, which consisted of corridors). I also found the most unpleasant foe so far - the skeleton dogs (Lupine Skeletons). They have a chance to inflict the Slow condition, which, given my resistances, is 50%, so I could not dodge the subsequent attacks. On the lower levels, there were giant skeletons, which still managed to follow me into narrow passages, clipping through walls. The only other time I died in the area was upon picking the wrong elevator, which was a trap. I probably still could teleport back to the "bonfire" before dying, but reloading was preferable. Judging by the teleportation menu being filled, I am close to the end of the game (2-3 areas of unknown size).

It does look reasonably good in this resolution, though the muted sound is more noticeable. --- Lunacid. Found the most OP spell (Ice Tear) for my non-magic build and defeated 2 bosses in the (Vampire) Castle (one technically was a mini-boss). The game also highlights why I had less issues with Dark Souls not having maps - open areas with visible landmarks are much easier to navigate than similarly-looking corridors. I have also found a mimic. After losing ~200 coins to it, I decided to reload and avoid it. Dustborn (demo). The demo used several disconnected scenes to show different gameplay systems. The game is techinically similar to Dreamfall or The Walking Dead, but with rhythm mini-games and combat. The graphics and visual style are beautiful, and I liked the music, but the combat animations or physics are lacking (the regular attacks had little impact; the abilities were fine, though). I guess, if the MC had a sharp weapon, I would like it more - while Batman-style non-lethal combat is narratively fitting, it is less satisfying in the context (a party of D&D bard-like mutants are crossing a post-apocalyptic version of the US to deliver a mysterious package, so leaving the foes alive and being able to report does not seem like a reasonable course of action).

Judging by Alan Wake II, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Larian's D&D game being critically and commercially successful, I would say that racists, homophobes, and transphobes claming that Concord's failure is anyhow related to "wokeness" are purposefully lying. The market oversaturation, combined with the price and the lack of marketing are more likely reasons.

Steam keys (from HumbleBundle): Dark Deity Blood And Zombies

Lunacid. Bought a "Health Viai" for 1 coin and drank it (a Health Vial costs 12 coins at the Sanctuary). Entered the (Vampire) Castle and confirmed that the Fire Sword is the best melee weapon.

If Twin Mirror is still available, it would be appreciated. Regarding Soulstice (EGS), it is a very nice action game, similar to the older Devil May Cry, though it felt like it lacked some finesse DMC had.

Double post after struggling to save the first one.

Moonscars The screenshots cover the full game. It is gorgeous. I will add spoiler tags. I guess, it reminded me of Soma. The lore NPC. As it is the only member of the Moon Clergy I came across, I cannot tell whether it is her personal opinion or of the Churn of the Moon. Well, he asked for it. The reasonable response in this situation would be to attack first and ask questions later. What could possibly go wrong. Sympathy is the right word. I don't think it will help them. A major spoiler. Side quests' endings. Final battle and the ending.

The achievements can highlight unusual or unexpected by the player actions (as the developers are the ones implementing the achievements, the actions required are expected). The only game I remember where the achievements enhanced the experience beyond the possible points of interest is Wandersong. Though, it was the only positive quality of the game. Finished Moonscars. Generally, a nice Souls-like/Metroidvania, with the healing system allowing to travel a lot without returning to "bonfires", which was complemented by the game saving your exact location upon exiting (it also partially respawns the foes on reloading, which led to an interesting situation once). Surprisingly, almost all traversal abilities were unlocked from the start, so I was trying to jump-climb all walls. The only issues for me were the side quest design, with the triggers really obscure or time-limited (so I failed the cat-saving quest), there being only 1 ending, and the (lack of in-character) reason to murder the second boss (which I did after trying to go everywhere else; the ability was required to progress). Some side quests had several outcomes, but due to the above-mentioned design, the choice did not feel intentional. The story follows Grey Irma, who is not the Chosen Undead, but a Pristine Clayborn, which is technically different, and trying to find the Integral Vessel, which is supposed to end the plague of clayborns. There are no dialogue choices, but not counting the issue with the second boss and the MC's resulting reflection on it, the logic is fine. Edit. Review:

It is usually on the forums rather than in reviews, though? "How to fix A?" or "I don't like B", often in less polite terms. Some of the aspects I look for might be not mentioned in the reviews, such as whether the keyboard and mouse are rebindable or how the game saves the progress, unless it is something really odd.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220720-do-octopuses-feel-pain While the answer is obvious, the article is interesting.

Arisen I do not think that she has a belt. I suppose, there is 1 outdoors background, which works for any time of day and any crowd density. The NPC does have a no-armour sprite, but neither is a robe. If I understand correctly, the game was written in French, then translated into English. At that point, I had seen Baeli once and was not aware that he had any family. "Your village was called Tosh'Seruc. It stood at the frontier between Pointe Benie and Tosh'Seruc". Lunacid Defeated the Abyssal Demon. Discovered that there it is possible to behead a zombie. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider Felt weird to see both NPCs I killed in my playthroughs. Mass Effect it is not. Accidentally jumped into the ring.

From my experience, Larian games tend to assume some level of meta-knowledge. For the D&D one specifically, reloading after each failed skill check and unexpected encouter made it somewhat bearable, though sending a rogue in stealth forward is an option, it is slow and boring. Level 5 does provide a power boost for all classes, so it might help as well. Just in case, most battles up to the end of Act 2 are optional, though the mandatory ones will require some "creativity" (stacking explosive barrels next to the boss or abusing the AI) to get through if the party is underlevelled. --- Arisen, the VN. I guess, I should not have expected anything different from an EA title, but the "missions" plainly contradict each other - one says that the MC regularly worked with an NPC, while in another the same NPC says we have not seen each other since the prologue; in the prologue, the MC murders large predators with rusty weapons and later trains with the guards, then gets beaten up by a random old man; the text descriptions also do not match the sprites and backgrounds. I was trying to progress through the shapeshifter hunter's quest line, but the next mission is locked (the option literaly has a lock on it) and I have no idea which quest I need to complete in order to unlock this one.

Sekiro. I started NG+ in order to check whether the sequence break with the Puppeeter Ninjutsu was possible. It was not - the Great Serpent does not appear until the Gun Fort gate is unlocked. Arisen. It is a visual novel. The visual design looks fantastic, the writing not so much, the settings are lacking, including saving - 1 auto-rewriting slot. Lunacid. I reached the Sanguine Sea. The name did not lie - it was a vast area, with the floor covered in red liquid and the ceiling shrouded in darkness. The last save point was at the start of the previous area and I could not see another one. But I could see an outline of something on the other side of the area. So, being the reasonable person I am, I jogged towards that mysterious structure. There was another one on the right, but it was less mysterious. The words “Accursed Tomb” appeared on the screen when I entered. I could not see far, so I equipped a torch. As the time for the session was drawing to the end, I checked the first room on the left hoping to find a save point, then quickly looked up the area map. The crystal was in the other room. So, I saved and noticed that I was chased by levitating paintings from the other room, which did not want to burn fast enough from the torch and led me to the Game Over screen. Overall, I am quite happy with the design, story, and exploration, though not so much with the combat and mildly annoyed with the saving system. Also, the skeleton at the not-Firelink Shrine, Clive, offers bits of lore, so now I know who the alchemist is. Installed the quick save mod.

Sekiro Late-game spoilers End-game and ending spoilers Skin mods. Raiden did not feel right, but looked nice. Arisen - Subtitle I Forgot Magical invisible gloves. Got the "Charisma" card after repeatedly choosing "Attack". I guess, being aggressive is charismatic. A whole 1 option. Lunacid Sounds easy enough. Just need to comb several floors of the dungeons. The save point is on the right. The fire was slightly damaging the horse heads.

Sekiro. Finished the game. Spoilers for the late-/end-game ahead. (Also probably the last opportunity to write at length until the winter holidays). Mibu village. There was something unsettling about a single ninja entering a random village and slaughtering the locals. Regarding the mini-boss, O’Rin aggroed when I tried to run past her (because I remembered her being a rather challenging foe), so I turned around and ran to the idol to reset. Then I remembered that it was possible to get her stuck in one of the boulders on the path, which worked. This time, I also found the High Priest, and, after exploring the Fountainhead Palace, I was able to kill him. Unfortunately, it did not help with the state of the village. The Illusion Monk was defeated quickly due to being the last of the open area bosses. After the battle and picking up the suspicious rock, I had planned to return to the Castle and get the Gourd upgraded. Which was prevented by Owl. There were the first noticeable point of character development and several attempts in open combat. Owl’s voice started to annoy me quite quickly, so I muted the VA for the rest of the battle. In general, most of it consisted of trying to bait punishable attacks and not die. I did try to corner him, but was not able to keep the boss stun-locked. The Mortal Blade special attack, on the other hand, was rather effective and the older ninja died. Also the Ministry forces were surrounding the Castle, with the ninjas in red hats running around and slaughtering the Ashina soldiers. At that point I noticed that I had missed several steps in NPC/ending quest lines I should have completed by that point. It turned out (I checked the wiki) that defeating Genichiro moved an important NPC and a quest item to a more remote and less obvious location, so I spent some time picking up quest and important items and got the Frozen Tears required for the Return ending. Afterwards, I also received Owl’s bell and entered the more challenging version of the Hirata Estate. I did not want to fight another ninja mini-boss, so I just ran past and fought Juzou again (after clearing the bandits around). In retrospect, I should have puppetered the purple ninja there. I left Owl be in his arena for the time being and returned to the main story. Which led me to the bridge to the Fountainhead Palace. The Monk took several attempts as well, including shortening phase 2 by jumping on the Monk during casting. At the Fountainhead Palace I discovered that it was possible to swim to the second idol and not die, though I ran out of not-Estus, then returned back to the start and cleared the area as expected. The rest of the area went reasonably well, though I had to use the Puppeteer Ninjutsu several times - the ball players were hitting rather hard. After defeating the main ball player, I could enter the lake safely, not counting the giant carp and the headless. Somehow I dodged the fish, looted the lake, and entered the last part of the Palace - the road leading to the Dragon, whom I was to make cry. So, it was the perfect spot to turn around and wrap up everything. That included mostly the younger version of Owl. I remembered a rather long battle against him on the previous playthrough and decided that the time had come to mod. My audience of one declined my suggestion to use the Jump Force Shaggy skin, so the mods were only to increase the health bar and the deflection window. Owl technically still could defeat me, but with the power of mods and determination I emerged victorious on the first try. The next stop was the Dragon who, after some inelegant lightning reversal in his face and being cut in the eye, cried. The on-screen message told me that it was a “Gracious Gift of Tears”. Then I teleported to the Castle. The Ministry forces were in full offensive, Issin’s corpse was lying on the floor with Emma next to him and the Divine Heir nowhere to be found. Emma told me to follow the smoke trail to reach him and leave Ashina. The only recently reactivated idols were blocked again and I spent several minutes trying to find a way to the Ashina Reservoir, also discovering and defeating another Iaijutsu samurai boss. At the Reservoir, I looked at the spear-wielding samurai boss and ran to the final boss idol. After activating it, I teleported back to the Castle and explored more. The merchant next to the Temple told me that the Sculptor had run out towards the battlefield. With the grappling point burnt, I had to look for another way to get there. From the Grave idol, I saw that the broken bridge to the earlier area was rebuilt. Another Juzou, this time in blue, was waiting on the other side. After careful consideration, I ran past and reached the battlefield with the Demon of Hatred sitting in the middle. I managed to get him stuck in a tree, scale the wall, and bait him into falling to his death. So, the only meaningful battle left was against the final boss. The mini-bosses, including the Headless, were not inspiring at that point. I reached the hill covered in silvery grass, with the Divine Heir being stabbed and Genichiro holding the other Mortal Blade. Even with the land on fire, he still believed that it could be held. Genichiro could not stand against the wider deflection window and resurrected his grandfather, because why not. The grandfather highlighted that I was still getting full damage from the status effects, then pulled out a gun. Still, without hesitation, I defeated him on the first attempt and gave the Divine Heir a slightly cool Dragon Tears ****tail. The Heir became pink fog and the credits rolled. On the first playthrough, I was greatly annoyed by the moveset switch from Genichiro to Issin and the first, Genichiro, phase being unskippable. Afterwards, I backtracked to the fire Juzou, discovered that I still had no poise, and died. The second attempt involved avoiding getting hit and was more successful. I also activated Sir Alonne’s outfit, though the weapon did not quite work with the special attack, so I used the default sword. Another surviving mini-boss was one of the Ashina Spears and again took 2 attempts, as the sword samurai standing nearby seemed to share the aggro range with the mini-boss. The last mini-boss whose location I knew was the ninja with dogs in the Hirata Estate. Using the Finger Whistle every time he summoned the dogs was somehow amusing. There are 3-4 Prayer Beads left and I would like to try and collect them and kill one of the Headless. Then I might try to sequence-break the game with the Puppeteer Ninjutsu by going to the Temple and then killing the Great Serpent before facing Genichiro. I am unsure how I feel about the higher health and deflection mods, but I know that I do not want to fight Issin head-on. In general, the significant moveset changes and ridiculously high damage from the bosses were more irritating, than engaging. Genichiro, ironically, kept his moveset consistent between phases and the damage from most of his attacks did not take a half of my health bar off (except the charged shot and lightning strike). In terms of story, the state of Ashina was conquered and it was not the MC’s problem. Isshin did not seem to care about it (he passively worked against his grandson), while Genichiro was the antagonist, so whatever he was doing was of inadequate quality. I suppose, the Owl/Shura ending provides some reflection on the social status of the shinobi - disposable and unknown. The MC does not seem to care deeply about anything but the Divine Heir’s objective. Is the Dragonrot bad? Is it worth the ability to continue to pursue one’s own goal? Is the Ministry better than the Ashina ruling family for the population? But it in itself is commentary - the two existing social and personal links were to the father, who had backstabbed the MC, and the Divine Heir who had his own personal and exclusive to him decisions to make. So, the Ashina family and the local population were inconsequential. Will post the screenshots later. I acknowledge the length of the post and that most of it is of little interest due to it being statements like "I defeated Bob and it felt good" rather than any reflection or analysis.

Sekiro The boss did not die on this kick. Mixed feelings about killing running monkeys in robes. As expected. Looks safe. I do dislike this mini-boss, but a Prayer Bead is a Prayer Bead. Took some time. And this is where I am not going.