Random video game news... RNG is your friend!

[Hawke64]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/valve-appear-to-be-blocking-mature-themed-games-from-steam-early-access-release

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For a week or so now, we've heard rumblings that Valve are preventing the creators of games with "mature themes" from releasing their games in Steam early access. At least two developers have disclosed that they're affected - Dammitbird, creators of raunchy fantasy RPG Heavy Hearts (do not click unless you are happy to look at a werewolf's ****), and Blue Fairy Media, creators of The Restoration of Aphrodisia (do not click unless you are happy to read about lewd transformations).

Dammitbird have screencapped and shared a message from Steam's submissions team, via Ana Valens on Bluesky. It reads: "Your app has failed our review because we're unable to support the Early Access model of development for a game with mature themes. Please resubmit when your app is ready to launch without Early Access."

https://dreadxp.com/vile-is-banned/

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VILE: Exhumed is a game about searching through an old computer, uncovering dark secrets, and experiencing the horrors of parasocial obsession and misogyny. There are references to sexual assault and violence against women, as well as depictions of gore – this was never a secret. This was the point.

It was intended to be released for sale on July 22, 2025 on Steam – the largest video game storefront in the world.

Instead, it was removed from Steam and banned for sale.

VILE: Exhumed was not banned for its use of gore, or its intense themes – themes that are sensitive but many players related to – it was wrongfully banned for “sexual content with depictions of real people.” 

The game is free to download (I have not played it yet, so cannot comment on the quality) and there is a donation link at the bottom of the page (50% goes to a charity which I have not looked into).

[Wormerine]

10 hours ago, Gorgon said:

Just that it was news to me.  I never put it together before yesterday. 

I assume you talk about Sam Lake, the face of Max Payne/Alex Casey? First Max Payne used a lot of friends and family for its character faces, and Sam Lake, the director and writer and remedy ended up playing Max Payne:

James McCaffrey was the voice (RIP). In general, Remedy likes working with same people so there is a lot of intentional and intentional cross-casting in their titles. James McCaffrey voiced Max Payne/Alex Casey, Director Trench in Control, "Thomas Zane" in Alan Wake1.  Matthew Porretta voiced Alan Wake, and portrayed Dr. Darling in Control (and Alan Wake 2 I suppose). Shawn Ashmore played the protagonist of Quantum Break as well as sherif Tim Breaker in AW2. Courtney Hope also starred in Quantum Break and was subsequently cast as the lead for Control. One of the DLCs has a whole bit about it. Lance Reddick was also supposed to be a potential link between Quantum Break and Alan Wake2, but his unfortunate passing required Mr. Door to be recast. 

AW2 being a story about writer and his creations coming to life has a lot of meta stuff to it, and most major Remedy games are being referenced. Alex Casey, possibly fictional hardboiled detective, looking very much like Remedy's fictional hardboiled detective is one of such callbacks.

God I love Alan Wake2. I am now tempted to reinstall and give it another playthrough.  

[Gorgon]

^^

It's 70% off on Epic, I snatched it.

[Lexx]

I always wanted to play Max Payne 1, but I just can't find the game anywhere. And Max Payne 2 is only available in german on Steam. Also very annoying. 

[Sarex]

4 hours ago, Lexx said:

I always wanted to play Max Payne 1, but I just can't find the game anywhere. And Max Payne 2 is only available in german on Steam. Also very annoying. 

Just download it.

[Wormerine]

10 hours ago, Lexx said:

I always wanted to play Max Payne 1, but I just can't find the game anywhere. And Max Payne 2 is only available in german on Steam. Also very annoying. 

Interesting. I own it on Steam and it is still on sale here in UK. From what I can find the game was/is banned in Germany? Would buying the game from third party sites not work? 

https://isthereanydeal.com/game/max-payne/info/

Edit. Apparently not. GMG regions for Max Payne don't include Germany. So weird. Seems like early 2000 violent video game panic ban, than never got reversed. Rockstar should do something about it. 

Edited September 15 by Wormerine

[LadyCrimson]

LULZ @ Gearbox and them trying to tell ppl how to optimize their settings for their game.

--5070ti@ 1440 = dlss-balanced, 4x frame gen, veryhigh/high/some medium, for "60+fps."  Note, that 60+ fps is with FRAME GEN on. Welcome to your $800 720p gpu (or whatever)
--I'm becoming super curious re: my rig, just like I was with Indy. I think I could get to the main map in under 75 mins (30+ min for settings/shaders).  I bet DLSS performance (no frame gen), mostly Low for stuttery 45fps.
--Watching Cohh play the game, they've gone more fast-combat paced (like BL3 on speed). Not saying that's bad, I'm sure some may love any/most gameplay changes these days, but for some of us old-timers, it's that it becomes less like original BL feels each new game.  Hubby watched some bits and is only 1/3 interested now - and he's the mega-BL person (he still replays BL1/BL2 once a year).
 

Edited September 15 by LadyCrimson

[LadyCrimson]

Maybe in another 5-10 years I can just buy a mini-pc/mini-desktop for $1600 and be fine, since I'm guessing my caring for mega gaming will wane ever more anyway. Yeah yeah, just buy a console. But something like this is simply more interesting to me - plus at least it's a PC, not just a game and TV cube.  Anyway, with some setting tweaking the fact it runs BL4 at 1080 or even 1440 with "playable" fps is kinda cool.

 

[Malcador]

 

Missed this, Surviving Mars was pretty fun, although I got a nasty CTD issue with my concrete rovers eventually. 

[Zoraptor]

Good game but hobbled initially by a bad case of Paradoxitis.

Absolute content desert without the dlc, especially late game. And without the dlc you had very little reason to, well, want the dlc due to it being a very shallow game after the initial set up was done. And even with the dlc still had a fair bit of 'could have been better' about it in some aspects.

Edited 2 hours ago by Zoraptor