Keyrock

I'm not exactly an authority, so certainly don't take my views as law, but I consider games like Wing Commander and Tie Fighter more toward the arcadey end of the spectrum (though great games to be sure). To me a hardcore space sim is about more than just pew pew pew combat, it tries to simulate a universe and includes exploration, trading, possibly politics, and so on. Of course, the term space sim to another person may mean as closely as possible simulating actual space flight (ala a flight simulator). In that case the X games don't exactly fit the bill since their space flight physics model isn't exactly realistic.

I'm apathetic, I care about neither of the new consoles. Steam PC Streaming Explained: http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/11/21/valve-explain-steam-in-home-streaming-as-early-closed-beta-begins/ http://steamcommunity.com/groups/homestream#announcements

The thing people need to realize about Kaepernick is that he's been a starting quarterback in the NFL for a total of slightly more than one full season. Two things to take away from that: 1) He's still a developing quarterback who's going to take unnecessary chances because he hasn't learned not to yet, hence him having stretches where he's spectacular (gets away with it) and stretches where he's terrible (doesn't get away with it). 2) His sample size is still quite small, so when people were declaring him the next big thing, or whatever, after last season, that was based on barely more than half a dozen games.

The most hilarious way this could play out is if Bethesda announces that they are indeed working on a new Fallout game, and it's going to be a microtransaction-based Facebook social game. The combination of gut-wrenching disappointments, shattered fantasies, vitriol, and nerd rage would be so amazingly entertaining.

I've been losing sleep to Fire Emblem games since the GBA days. Welcome to zombie mornings. Are you playing with permadeath or without?

What do you mean "surprisingly"?

Capybara nap time:

If you're anything like me, you've been eagerly waiting for a dystopian future class warfare steampunk golf game in the sky. Well, here it is: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/20/heres-that-cyber-steampunk-golf-sim-youve-been-wanting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6t-MceE7H8 What took people so long to make this type of game?

I hate <whatever> Elves. I'm guessing Tarks are this game's Orc equivalent, so that instantly becomes my preferred race. Tark Shaman looks like my ideal combo.

Bruce, how jealous are you right now? They don't even have to shoehorn in sexy time, a la BioWare or CDPR, it's an RPG based around sexy time. I'm completely committed to the importance of Romance in RPG but this game just looks silly Bruce, I'm shocked. I thought you, of all people, would be able to appreciate and embrace the aspects of different cultures' video game romances. You need to open up your mind and allow yourself to experience the beauty and majesty of video game romances from our brothers and sisters in the Far East.

A more arcadey type game focused solely on combat will likely work with a gamepad fairly well (I'd still rather have my flightstick personally), however a deep, hardcore space sim just has WAY too many functions to fit onto a gamepad. You can map yaw and pitch to one analog stick, then strafing to the other, then roll to the shoulder buttons, thrust and retro rockets to the triggers, now you have 8 buttons left to work with (the 4 face buttons, the start and select buttons, and pressing down on each analog stick). At the very least, you need to have fire weapon group, select next weapon group, fire missile, select missile, select closest enemy (this function doesn't exist in ANY form in X-Rebirth at the moment ), that leaves you 1 button to play with for fleet commands (missing in X-Rebirth currently), wing commands (missing), communications, trade commands (missing), scanner options, navigation, boost/afterburner, SETA (if it existed in X-Rebirth), docking computer (missing), autopilot (missing), switch to turret, target next enemy, target previous enemy, etc. Edit: I forgot you can map some stuff to the d-pad. It's possible, it just will never complete or pretty. Heck, even my HOTAS flightstick setup doesn't have enough to cover everything and I have to rely on the keyboard for some functions, but it does have enough buttons (about 20, I think) and axes to cover about 90% of my usual usage.

Though shalt not covet the Jewish Khan's ass. But just in case thou does, keep a first born bullock and a turtle dove handy for sacrifice purposes.

Die with your boots on.

In Shadowrun Elves, Dwarves, Orks, and Trolls aren't completely different species, but all offshoots of humans, called Metahumans. Hence why they don't look that different than humans. They're closer to what a Half-Elf, Half-Dwarf, Half-Orc, and Half-Troll would be in your standard generic Tolkien-esque fantasy setting. They run the gamut from grotesque and fairly beastly looking to you can hardly tell them apart from a human. Trolls are the least human looking because of the horns and the size difference. Dwarf, Troll, Human, Ork, Elf, in that order.

And the Super Mario 3D World reviewer lovefest is upon us: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-19-super-mario-3d-world-review http://www.joystiq.com/2013/11/19/super-mario-3d-world-review-just-peachy/ http://www.gamereactor.se/recensioner/133334/Super+Mario+3D+World/ http://www.destructoid.com/review-super-mario-3d-world-265323.phtml Console envy level rising... Rising.

Hopefully the Berlin campaign winds up being a lot less linear.

Atlus Bringing Baby Making jRPG Conception 2 to North America on Vita and 3DS Bruce, how jealous are you right now? They don't even have to shoehorn in sexy time, a la BioWare or CDPR, it's an RPG based around sexy time.

Now that is some flatout awesome advertising art. They even put an Ork right in the front on account of Orks being awesome. Edit: I probably should have put this in the Shadowrun Returns thread, huh? I'm an idiot.

You'd think they would have learned something from The Witcher 2... Shame the release is so shoddy, the easier-to-get-started aspect really interested me as while I loved the idea of X3 (I rather enjoyed EVE) I found getting into it just too time consuming. It's one thing building an aRPG around a gamepad, that type of game actually naturally lends itself to a gamepad (For example, I prefer to play TW2 with my 360 pad than with m&kb, and not because of the horrid menus). Plus, TW2's interface, while clumsy, is at least fully functional with m&kb. Building a space sim around a gamepad is straight up ridiculous. A gamepad can't even begin to have even 30% of the necessary buttons to control everything in a deep, complex space sim. In order to make a proper space sim (not just an arcady space ship pew pew type game) playable solely on a gamepad you have to strip the game of many functions (check) and force most commands to be done through layers of menus (check). The only way I can make sense of the UI design is that they're working toward a Steam Machine release and want the game to be fully playable with just the Steam Machine Gamepad (I'm just going to refer to it as "SMG" from now on). It makes sense, they've been porting all their games to Linux anyway and having proper SMG support is sensible, I'm not against them making a separate control scheme for the SMG, but they should have worked on that AFTER making sure they have a proper, robust control scheme for m&kb and flightstick. The Steam Machine isn't even going to be available to the general public for likely at least another 2 or 3 months, likely longer. At least in the case of TW2 you could make an argument that gamepad is the superior control method for that game (I, for example, would make that argument, though I wouldn't be adamant about it). I don't think anyone is going to make the argument that a gamepad (even the SMG) is a superior control method for a hardcore space sim as compared to flightstick or m&kb, at least not anyone without significant brain damage. Why make control scheme for a clearly inferior input device first, especially when said device won't even hit the market for several more months, and then work to make a proper control scheme for clearly superior input devices afterward? Wouldn't it make a heck of a lot more sense to make proper control schemes for m&kb and flightstick first, then work on a separate control scheme for the SMG? Am I talking crazy here?

Making deliveries in the Shantaemobile in Euro Truck Simulator 2 (62 hours and counting). I just expanded my Paris garage to the larger 5 bay garage. Now I just need to buy 2 more trucks and hire 2 more drivers and Keyrock Logistics will be up to 10 drivers. I'm up to level 26, a couple more levels and I'll be able to buy the beefiest engine (750hp) for the Shantaemobile (Volvo FH16). By then, I should also have enough money to open up a 3rd garage somewhere.

This does indeed look like a man who has traveled to the past.

Yeah, story is not really the focus of Torchlight 2. It has a story and it's... serviceable, I guess, but the game is about killing lots and lots of things and picking up lots and lots of loot. I'd look elsewhere for story.

You won't believe this, but there's another Kickstarter for a point & click adventure game. It's crazy, I know. Here I was thinking to myself "if only there were more kickstarter campaigns for point & click adventure games", and bam, one just pops up. Anyway, it's all rather British and stuff and is about exploring the galaxy to expand the British Empire. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236117571/her-majestys-spiffing If nothing else, the pitch video is pretty well done.

You can run some Torchlight 2 co-op, it's great loot em' up fun. Also, it's not an RPG, but Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a terrific co-op game.

It's Francis!