ranDom vIdeO game news

[Malcador]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-12-05-stalker-2-will-take-up-180gb-on-xbox

180 gigs is impressive.

[Lexx]

Thank god they still have me feeling burned out from the last couple crappy stalker games.

[uuuhhii]

size of the games are getting more insane every year

stick with mostly text base game seems like better choice

[Wormerine]

4 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-12-05-stalker-2-will-take-up-180gb-on-xbox

180 gigs is impressive.

is it? It is more likely lack of considerstion rather then proof of game’s scale.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by Wormerine

[kanisatha]

15 hours ago, Keyrock said:

Anyone solely relying on Steam reviews to make purchasing decisions is a foolish consumer IMHO. It's a nice supplement, I like to read a couple positive reviews and a couple negative ones, but I'll also look for "professional" reviews both in written and video form, preferably from trusted sources.

It's on a case by case basis how much research I do. If it's something from a series and/or developer I am already familiar with and predisposed to liking, I'm just looking to see that the devs didn't royally **** up a formula I already like. If I'm going into totally uncharted territory then I'll do a lot more research.

I don't bother with reviews at all, both casual and pro (the "pros" are often just as bad if not worse than the casuals in being subjective and asinine). I rely very heavily on watching playthrough videos to make my game buying decisions, often spending many hours watching those videos.

[Lexx]

Well, I experience first-hand right now how big of an influence steam reviews have on sales. So while two people seemingly don't bother with it, the reviews still have a huge influence on purchase power.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Lexx

[Malcador]

I just read the reviews for the best nerd-raging ones, some are funny.

[MrBrown]

I read negative ones on steam for games I'm uncertain about, to see if they actually have any information. Most of the time they don't, but sometimes they do.

[LadyCrimson]

12 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-12-05-stalker-2-will-take-up-180gb-on-xbox

180 gigs is impressive.

This is why I get so annoyed that consoles still want to make 500GB their default storage solution.

1 hour ago, kanisatha said:

I rely very heavily on watching playthrough videos to make my game buying decisions

I wouldn't say I rely on them heavily because I like to avoid major spoilers, but looking for a gameplay video or two is the first thing I do these days. Mostly to skim through the first couple hours of gameplay quickly in order to find out if the basic gameplay mechanics may be something I can't stand - often those dev. descriptions and Steam "user" tags don't really tell me much in that regard, since stuff like "RPG" "Action" "Open World" "Souls-Like" "Survival" and anything else have become so generically used they mean almost nothing. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by LadyCrimson

[kanisatha]

20 hours ago, LadyCrimson said:

I wouldn't say I rely on them heavily because I like to avoid major spoilers, but looking for a gameplay video or two is the first thing I do these days. Mostly to skim through the first couple hours of gameplay quickly in order to find out if the basic gameplay mechanics may be something I can't stand - often those dev. descriptions and Steam "user" tags don't really tell me much in that regard, since stuff like "RPG" "Action" "Open World" "Souls-Like" "Survival" and anything else have become so generically used they mean almost nothing. 

This is essentially what I do as well, and also why I do it. Gameplay, mechanics, and also the setting if it an unfamiliar one for me, are things that can make or break my playing experience. These can be very well identified within just a few hours of a game's stream.

[kanisatha]

The game I am currently watching videos of is Wartales. It's in EA and I don't buy EA games generally as a rule, but it looks very interesting. If any of you are playing it, I'd appreciate your feedback.

[Raithe]

Star Wars: The Old Republic | News, Updates, Developer Blogs (swtor.com)

We have made the difficult decision to delay the release of Legacy of the Sith to February 15, 2022.

Like many of you reading this, I personally cannot wait for the launch of our next expansion. I've greatly enjoyed my time exploring the depths of Manaan, testing out new story and ability combinations with Combat Styles, and more during internal playtests.

Legacy of the Sith is something the team has been hard at work on for quite a while but as we get ever closer to launch, it is clear that we need a bit more time. We’re focusing additional testing on the many areas we have changed throughout the game to deliver the experience we want, and one that you deserve.

In addition, during our public test server (PTS) your feedback was invaluable in helping us to shape this expansion. Outside of story content (to avoid spoilers) the majority of the expansion and its features will be returning to the PTS for all subscribers this week.
We're thrilled to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Star Wars: The Old Republic with all of you over the next year with Legacy of the Sith and more!

Thank you,

Keith Kanneg
Project Director

[Hurlshort]

1 hour ago, kanisatha said:

The game I am currently watching videos of is Wartales. It's in EA and I don't buy EA games generally as a rule, but it looks very interesting. If any of you are playing it, I'd appreciate your feedback.

I am planning on picking it up, but won't play it until it is further along. It is definitely my jam. Battle Brothers with legs.

[melkathi]

I enjoyed the demo a lot. But currently I am kinda broke, so it is a bit too much for an early access title for me.

[Wormerine]

So another Bioshock is in works? We will see how it will go without Ken Levine.

 

[BruceVC]

14 hours ago, kanisatha said:

This is essentially what I do as well, and also why I do it. Gameplay, mechanics, and also the setting if it an unfamiliar one for me, are things that can make or break my playing experience. These can be very well identified within just a few hours of a game's stream.

Kanie that is why you must ONLY rely on the globally famous "BruceVC reviews " for deciding on where to spend your money 

 

[Oner]

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/its-been-a-great-year-for-rpgs-if-you-hate-and-fear-the-new/

Here is an interesting read from the reputable PCGamer, I agree with most of it even if it is a little negative about the fact many games released in 2021 are re-released or remastered 

[Wormerine]

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

I agree with most of it

I don't know what is there to agree/disagree with, as I don't see any point being made. Games industry in general isn't very innovative at the moment. Most of the output seems to be divided between - remastars and "spiritual successors" to games people loved years ago, or are ongoing franchises doing the same thing over and over again.

In RPG space in recent time we had Disco Elysium and Divinity: Original Sin1&2 that were doing things quite differently. That's not nothing. I am not aware of the genre that would have a new thing come out every year, or even every couple of years. Arguably Bethesda was also being "innovative" recently - Fallout4 and 76 definitely weren't your usual "RPG" (if any of those can be called RPG I do not know, as I didn't play either of them).

EDIT: Comparison of Solasta to Neverwinter Nights... is curious. Is it because the game looks ugly and has campaign editor?

Edited December 9, 2021 by Wormerine

[BruceVC]

24 minutes ago, Wormerine said:

I don't know what is there to agree/disagree with, as I don't see any point being made. Games industry in general isn't very innovative at the moment. Most of the output seems to be divided between - remastars and "spiritual successors" to games people loved years ago, or are ongoing franchises doing the same thing over and over again.

In RPG space in recent time we had Disco Elysium and Divinity: Original Sin1&2 that were doing things quite differently. That's not nothing. I am not aware of the genre that would have a new thing come out every year, or even every couple of years. Arguably Bethesda was also being "innovative" recently - Fallout4 and 76 definitely weren't your usual "RPG" (if any of those can be called RPG I do not know, as I didn't play either of them).

EDIT: Comparison of Solasta to Neverwinter Nights... is curious. Is it because the game looks ugly and has campaign editor?

I hear you and I think their is some validity to the view " their is very little innovation " but on the other hand you know the old adage " if its not broken, why fix it " 

In other words we have had so many excellent and varied games over the last 10-15 years its hard to think of something truly revolutionary that we have  not seen before so you could argue " very few things can be innovative under the current circumstances of technological advancement " 

I know the article mentions Disco as revolutionary but I found it fun with excellent writing but I  didn't even finish it because the non-fantasy setting bored me 

[kanisatha]

1 hour ago, BruceVC said:

I hear you and I think their is some validity to the view " their is very little innovation " but on the other hand you know the old adage " if its not broken, why fix it " 

In other words we have had so many excellent and varied games over the last 10-15 years its hard to think of something truly revolutionary that we have  not seen before so you could argue " very few things can be innovative under the current circumstances of technological advancement " 

I know the article mentions Disco as revolutionary but I found it fun with excellent writing but I  didn't even finish it because the non-fantasy setting bored me 

I myself don't see anything wrong with repeating old successes, so long as they are not literal carbon-copies. The push to come up with something new or never done before is good in the abstract, but often results in things that are silly/ridiculous/asinine/over the top. This is so not only in video games but also in movies and TV shows these days, and I daresay sadly even in doctoral dissertations. In short, you cannot force a new idea.

[BruceVC]

6 minutes ago, kanisatha said:

I myself don't see anything wrong with repeating old successes, so long as they are not literal carbon-copies. The push to come up with something new or never done before is good in the abstract, but often results in things that are silly/ridiculous/asinine/over the top. This is so not only in video games but also in movies and TV shows these days, and I daresay sadly even in doctoral dissertations. In short, you cannot force a new idea.

Great post Kanie and it summarizes my  point earlier, I can understand Wormies concern about " innovation" but sometimes this type of expectation is not practical, realistic  and nebulous

But that doesnt mean we shouldnt expect and demand exciting and entertaining games 

Edited December 9, 2021 by BruceVC

[Amentep]

10 hours ago, BruceVC said:

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/its-been-a-great-year-for-rpgs-if-you-hate-and-fear-the-new/

Tell me you're mad about not having more games that you liked in a year without telling me you're mad about not having more games that you liked in a year.

Also, from the article:

Fantasy presents worlds where ancient means better and lost empires of the distant past are idealized

No it doesn't.  If that's the authors belief, then they have a very, very narrow view of fantasy.

[Amentep]

RIP Masayuki Uemura, the lead developer for the Famicom/NES and Super Famicom/SNES.

[Wormerine]

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

I can understand Wormies concern about " innovation" but sometimes this type of expectation is not practical, realistic  and nebulous

I don't think I clearly communicated my point across - I didn't criticise games, and criticised article. I don't find RPGs to be any less "stagnant" then the rest of the industry. As I said: I don't think the author of the artical really had a point to make.

I am a traditionalist at heart, so I don't mind things staying familiar if they work well. I also don't believe that Owlcat or Obsidian were blindly following tamplate of Baldur's Gate, for the better or for worse.