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https://store.steampowered.com/specials/

Any games have you all excited this season? I have few games on my wish list and many on my backlog at the moment.

I already have the Final Fantasy VII / VIII Switch version that I need to beat, although the FFVII remake looks pretty inviting.

Nintendo has dropped a launch trailer for the Switch 2!


Linus Tech Tips has a pretty good breakdown of confirmed information and some speculation on additional details for the new console release.

Any John Wick fans?  Apparently a spin-off film is in production with Ana de Armas playing The Ballerina."

The trailer looks pretty good, if not violent in just the right way.

How did I miss that Nintendo is FINALLY moving these DS games to a full console version?

I have all three on DS/DS lite/3DS already, but have really found handheld gaming is less of my thing and have always wanted to play these on an actual console setup. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin has been one of my favorites for a while. It looks like it'll be available on Switch and Steam for PC users.

https://www.gematsu.com/2024/08/castlevania-dominus-collection-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-switch-and-pc-now-available

This video is worth a watch. It is a good commentary on the state of the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 nowadays...

Annddd... as a related follow up, what happened with the modern Halo games?

Firewatch is 90% off on Steam for $1.99 (plus tax).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/383870/Firewatch/

I played a good chunk of the game yesterday. It makes for a great narrative-driven game. Graphics sound, and voice acting are all great. The play controls can be a little bit finnicky when trying to find a rope attachment point to climb down a ledge.

Overall, definitely worth $2.

Spartan (koalaEvolved), MasterMario (Iceman), and I played some Diablo IV tonight. Some things in partying up are not really clearly explained, like the tier system of veteran vs beginner not matching up questlines. Loot is handled way differently than Diablo II.

I really don't remember much of Diablo III. I have it and did play it, but just found it wasn't as memorable or as addictive as Diablo II was back twenty years ago.

So, Diablo discussion is in order; go!

During November 2023, Half-Life is available for free on Steam for a limited time.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/70/HalfLife/

Thursday nights, what are ya'll playing?

MasterMario and I got a little victory in Overwatch 2 before moving from PC to Switch. We invited Creepin to play, but he declined to come out of his retirement from online games.

MasterMario, SpartanEvolved, and yours truly (Grindspine) played some Mario Party Superstars with Spartan Emo taking the lead at the end. Mega almost joined us, but couldn't find his game cartridge!

We all won an hour long game of Nexus Wars in the Starcraft 2 arcade--it was epic.

MasterMario and I died horrible deaths in a game of Mafia, also in the Starcraft 2 arcade.

SpartanEvo and I gaming on Steam, Battle.net, and on Discord right now!

Mario Kart, SNL style... uhm..

Why do all of the weapons break on EVERY enemy encounter?

I remember that games like Diablo II had a durability stat on weapons. Sure, they'd break if you were really negligent about repairs when you visit a town. With Breath of the Wild, I go through multiple melee weapons with every moblin group I encounter. Also, bows shattering while just drawing the string even though arrow are depleted is just.. silly.

Anyone else completely dumbfounded by the game design on this one?

This one started out as a pretty slow burn.  However, the writing gained momentum and smoldered the tension at a consistent build throughout.

There were no Jedi, no force users, and there was only one droid really featured in the earlier episodes. This was a departure from the regular Star Wars formula. This one was more gritty and more dramatic than most Star Wars releases.

The acting was top notch. The cinematography was immersive. I thoroughly enjoyed this series!

I have to restate; the acting was phenomenal. There were no bad actors and no poorly acted scenes throughout. This was one of the most solid things I have seen in a while.

Q: Why does one always invite ghosts to the Halloween party?

Spoiler: ShowHide

A: Because ghosts always bring the BOOS!

Q: Why did the witch go to elementary school?

Spoiler: ShowHide

A: Because she wanted to learn to SPELL!

Q: How do you know when a vampire is getting sick?

Spoiler: ShowHide

A: Because you can hear them COFFIN!

So, back in 2006 I bought a Sony WEGA flat screen CRT.  I have used it for years through a DVD changer, PS2, SNES, PS3, Xbox, and 360 and it still looks great.  It was one of those peak of CRT technology ones that had a component input along with S-video.

Over the last few years, my home theater/dvd changer died (during a move) so the TV has mostly sat unused since 2019.  I figured that it was time to get a new Dolby Pro Logic II capable receiver and get everything hooked up.

So, I currently have the PS2 on component video and optical digital TOSLink audio through a 5 channel Sony speaker system... and it looks and sounds so wonderful.  Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 5, and even old SeaLab 2021 (so last year) DVDs look and sound phenomenal!

Now I am just debating if I should keep the SNES on S-video or move my OG Xbox to S-video and TOSlink audio by way of the Xbox HD breakout pack.

What is harder than "hard" difficulty?

https://stealthoptional.com/crypto/gpu-prices-drop-crypto-fall/

Is anyone planning on hitting some serious game time this holiday weekend?

Do any of the rest of you dork out to gaming or cartoon paraphernalia?

That is a rhetorical question; I know that you all do.  Share some of your gamer dork stuff here!

I have a Shiro (from No Game: No Life), D.va (Overwatch), Tachikoma, and Major Kusinagi (Ghost in the Shell) on one corner of my desk.

I have been using the same Core i5 since about 2015, but was hitting a limit of a handful of games that I could not play with that processor.  In recent years, I had upgraded my RAM to 16 GB of DDR3 1600, upgraded the drives (Samsung EVO SSD 1TB, WD Velociraptor 1TB), but finally got around to a minor upgrade for the processor.  I am still using an old Ivy Bridge platform and frankly, between the silicone chip shortage and the pain of transferring recording software to a new platform, I opted for just a processor upgrade.

I found an oldie, but goodie i7-3770k, the best of the Ivy Bridge procs, and landed it in my old LAN box with some Gelid Extreme thermal paste and a Zalman copper cooler.  It still will be a bit of a bottle neck for the 2060, but at least I can play another generation of games without dropping over a grand on a new system.

I have been out of the loop on gaming in general.  With outrageous graphics card prices and an utter lack of availability in PS5 consoles, it has been difficult to get excited about the next big thing.

Is there a next big thing coming that we should be excited about for 2021 and 2022?!

I finally got Renee to sit down and play some Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past.  This was a bit different as she usually sticks to Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night without much exploring outside of those games.

When she got to the village, she was aware that hitting chickens was a no-no.  When she accidentally picked one up from the ground, she claimed that she did not know they could be picked up.  I told her, "That's where most guys who grew up in the nineties learned how to pick up chicks!"



She was not amused.

https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/article/REybYU3Gy2InVlHmus4UC/skyrim-10th-anniversary-fan-celebration

Steam has the open Beta release of Back 4 Blood, which is a Left 4 Dead style co-op zombie stomp...  Anyone getting in on this?  Maybe relive a bit of pre-pandemic style meet ups on Steam?

I downloaded this for PS3 off the PlayStation store.  Since I am a huge fan of Nier: Automata, but do not want to shell out the premium price for the recently released Nier: Replicant remake, Drakengard seemed like a good option to get a bit more out of my PS3.

The graphics are not quite a smooth as current generation, but still amazing in the cut scenes.  The story is random and strange, which is to be expected with Yoko Taro works.  The game play is bloody slash & hack; not as refined as Nier: Automata, but still satisfying.

I have only played an hour or so into the game, but it is making for a fun action romp!

It was good!!

Spoiler: ShowHide

"Whoaaaa.....  This would be a cool way to die."

The Steam Summer sale has begun!

https://store.steampowered.com/

I am half considering Doom: Eternal and Black Mesa (the Half-Life remake).  Anyone else eyeing up any games?

I tried playing some of one of the Alien vs. Predator renditions that I have on Steam.  Of course, as a xenomorph, I lasted through the tutorial and about fifteen minutes until I died (rather cheaply, I thought).

So, on to some streaming stuff.  Since Hulu is streaming Predators, I thought that I would give it a watch.

It starts straight into the action.  The acting and action are consistently good in reference to Predator and Predator 2.  With exception of one scene where an ex-con is saying some pretty offensive stuff, it was a decent action flick. 

Anyone else seen it?

Anyone else played this?  I remember seeing it back on the PS3 and 360, noticed it on a Steam sale so got it.  It is actually a pretty decent puzzle game interspersed with a story and time talking to patrons in a bar between the nightmare puzzle stages...  It does have some mature topics about relationships, but seems fairly PG-13 to me.

I am currently to the last stage after about 9 hours of play time.  It is a different type of puzzle game than say, Portal, but it similarly makes you think of three dimensional space.  Some of the topics on relationships are deeper than first listen as well. 

Overall, I'd recommend!

Anyone else snag this in April's free games with Gold?

It is apparently Contra-style with an "uprising" mode that allows for perks to be bought with earned cash as you progress through the levels.

Since this is on both Switch and PC (Steam) now, I figured that I would drop the thread here.

I am still in the first quarter of the game, first chapter for the main characters, but am enjoying it massively!  The overall game is very reminiscent of Final Fantasy II & III on the SNES, but of course, it has a modern depth of graphics mixed in with the pixel art.  It is almost like a visual interpretation of the old graphics with a healthy dose of imagination on top of them.  The graphics and sound really are wonderful.

The initial characters so far have solid story lines, especially Primrose the dancer, Therion the thief, and Tressa the merchant.  This definitely feels like a love letter or homage to the great JRPG games of the '90s.

https://www.fandom.com/articles/octopath-traveler-review



Anyone else played through this yet?  I know Mai at least bought it a while back.

I have been trying to play some Hollow Knight after taking a hiatus from Ori and the Blind Forest.

These games are beyond challenging; they are a struggle.

Anyone else dip into these?

This video has some pretty detailed coverage for an exploded view of the Xbox series X.  That console design finally makes some sense!

This video is eSports cheese from DOTA, StarCraft, Counter-Strike, and even RuneScape going back for years of high level cheese!

This article is echoing my thoughts on the game.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/265239-call-of-duty-modern-warfare/78354732

Destroyed tonight 17 to 2 in my last game.  I had to walk away at that point.  There is no victory to be had.

Nier Automata is on sale on Steam for PC for 33% off at $26.79.

I read some reviews about the PC port not having 1080 resolution, but do not have a PS4 or Xbone.

Anyone familiar with the PC version of Nier?

It is my birthday today!  Happy birthday to me

I did beat Bloodstained: RotN.  That game is awesome.  I am currently working on Samus Returns on the 3DSXL as well.

I really have my eye on picking up Neir: Automata while it is on its Steam sale too.

I folded pretty quickly and bought this one from Steam the day of release.  Although many have been calling it the spiritual successor to Castlevania's Symphny of the Night, it does really borrow heavily from more recent Castlevania games.

I see heavy influence from Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia, and graphical style reminiscent of the PSP's Dracula X Chronicles.  Miriam's shard collection is not far from Soma's souls or Shanoa's glyphs.  The weapon selection is similar to those titles as well.  There are many subtle references to earlier Castlevania games [spoiler](Avenge Trevor's Death, and Invert!)[/spoilder], but there are many fresh takes on older concepts.

So far, I really like it.  Renee has been playing the game almost as much as I have so far too!

Steam is having their Spring cleaning event.  Some people are off work for the day.  Many cookouts will be had.

Does anyone want to plan on some gaming at some point during the day?

Last weekend I played a bit of Air Royale with my nephew.  It is plane based PVP without the building aspect in normal Fortnite play.  We actually did pretty well and got up to second place in one game.

http://genesismini.sega.com/

This is going to be done right, by Sega.  Forty games to start, including Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Altered Beast, and Toejam & Earl!

I have seen that the other Genesis retro systems have not done so well, nor did the Sony Playstation classic.  Since this one features games that have not been released elsewhere (Castlevania: Bloodlines) I think that it may do far better!

FFX was not only one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, but also one of the most amazing PS2 experiences.  I picked up the remaster years ago, but had stopped part way through the game due to obligations at the time.  I picked it back up recently and am hooked.

The HD remaster gets rid of any blocky, pixilated graphics and adds some international version features that are not apparent until mid to late game.  The expanded sphere grid and addition of dark aeons to defeat change the end game strategy quite a bit.

Years ago, I had written off the celestial weapons for each character after frustration with the chocobo racing, butterfly chasing, and lightning dodging, thinking all three were ridiculous in difficulty and not necessary to defeat Sin.  With the changes in end game enemies, I went back and defeated all three this week.  I got the 0.0.0 time on the racing, completed both butterfly catcher trials, and dodged 215 consecutive lightning bolts to get the Onion Knight weapon!  Now I just need to play about a month's worth of Blitzball to get Wakka's weapon and overdrive abilities!

When you still have your PS2 hooked up to your main tv... 

Reports are showing that this will be a graphically updated, mechanically rebalanced, fully backwards compatible version of Warcraft III.  What?!

Anyone else looking at potentially getting this?

https://www.polygon.com/blizzcon/2018/11/2/18057924/warcraft-3-reforged-classic-compatibility-blizzcon

I have Bioshock, Bioshock 2, and Bioshock: Infinite on both PS3 and PC.  I have tried numerous times to play all three and always stop playing two hours later.  These games are very highly rated, have amazing graphics, and great gameplay mechanics.  Yet, I just do not seem to ever understand the reasons behind the actions in the games.

What is it about the Bioshock games that I am missing that has made the series so highly regarded?

MasterMario and Grindspine playing D3 now! 

I miss back in the day when X Play was a thing with Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb.  However, I have seen some show on Netflix that are not review shows, but are heavily video game based.

Video Game High School was actually moderately entertaining.  Gamers go to a high school where they are divided among the fighting games, driving games, and FPS games.



Hi Score Girl is an anime that my girlfriend recently started watching.  It is all about old school '90s gaming noting Final Fight, Virtua Fighter, King of Fighters '94, Tekken, and showing more than a few clips of the Darius games.



Both are worth a watch.

Christmas Eve 12/24 gaming anyone?  I work a half day today, so am free for some gaming after finishing my last few present wrappings!

It looks like Valve realizes how many Steam users have massive backlogs.  This holiday weekend is all about spring cleaning!

https://store.steampowered.com/springcleaning