#Starfield 47

[labelizer]

Star Trek Computer für alle eure Bildschirme

Star Trek Computer für alle eure Bildschirme

Vor vielen, vielen Jahren – so um 2005 – brachte ein Webentwickler auf seiner Seite mewho.com einen Bildschirmschoner heraus, der die Star Trek Gemeinde begeisterte. Es war das sogenannte System 47; eine der typischen Computer-Benutzeroberflächen, wie man sie in diesem Stil seit ‘Star Trek – The Next Generation’ kannte. Diese Art der grafischen Gestaltung des LCARS (Library Computer Access and…

[frogblast-the-ventcore]

The M1911 in Starfield, and its updated version, the XM2311.

The tweet is being literal btw - Earth became uninhabitable between 2150 and the early 2200s - which I must admit does somewhat disappoint me as a narrative device.

More under the cut.

There are other "Old Earth" weapons as well, and I'm convinced each one is a reference to a separate sci-fi property:

1) the shotgun is very clearly Hicks' shotgun from Aliens. The MP40 pistol grip/endcap is the giveaway.

2) the VSS is very probably a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. reference, with it being called a "Hunting Rifle", and with how its parts are colored.

3) the 1911 is probably an Honor Harrington reference - considering a PC with the "Kid Stuff" perk can obtain a unique one from their father, just like Honor herself did.

4) the AK is probably an Elysium reference - if there aren't modifications to the "Old Earth Assault Rifle" to make it resemble the Elysium AK, I'll be quite sad.

[guiltknight-gaming]

Starfield Episode 47: Beer Run

[danshive]

Starfield brings up the questions of people adapting to different planetary cycles (and does nothing to answer it).

Like, how do people adapt to a day lasting 47 hours? When do they sleep? When are work hours?

Starfield's answer to work hours seems to be "FOREVER", but I just SLIGHTLY suspect that's purely a gameplay thing.

[shatinn]

Starfield 47/?

[silent-moons-camp]

Come join the Starfield Tumblr discord! We have:

pathetic little meow meows

talented artists and writers

silly memes

blorbo blenders

endless game screenshots

and a lot more! Come hang out with us!

[tankbredgrunt]

End of year wrap-ups, 2023

It's presently June while I start to write this, and I thought if I wanted to put together a list of media consumed over 2023 I could at least get an early start, for as much my sake of mindfulness and talking about the things I loved/hated. If you're interested too, you can read more; first is video games, then music, then movies and tv, then books. If you feel like talking about anything in here don't hesitate! This is going to be a nightmare to tag though so, I probably won't lmao.

Nothing is necessarily ranked in order either btw, and just because I didn't write any thoughts with something doesn't mean I disliked it. Just no thoughts you know? I could have thoughts though. For the right price.

Viddy Games

For the games I haven't yet beaten but did spent some time playing, I made 12 hours of progress into Hollow Knight and am very keen to get back into it; I played Cyberpunk 2077 for about 47 hours, and am very keen to get back into it; Baldur's Gate 3 has ~9 hours at this moment, and I'm keen, etc; and Starfield has 32 hours in it and I am NOT keen to get back into it. I can get into that later though. 🏆 means I got the Platinum achievement trophy too :3

Last of Us Part 1 (x2)/Last of Us PS4 Remaster (x3)/Last of Us PS3 (x1) 🏆 - 5 stars On top of regular playthroughs, this year also marked the dip into Grounded mode. I completed one Grounded round on the Part 1 PS5 remake, and 2 more on the PS4 remaster (for the achievements). It would be impossible to discuss the reasons why I love this game so much so I will spare yall, a mercy dedicated to anyone who's already had to/gotten to hear me go on about it. I also got two TLoU tattoos this year. Ask me about my theories still though. One of my favorite moments from my 2nd Grounded run (Including one of the nearly-100 fuck ups leading up to that point):

Death Stranding - 5 stars I'm coming in to write about this one retroactively, because I've spent all this time since beating the game thinking about it. Did I understand half of what was going on? Vaguely, but it was beautiful, and heartfelt, and the world was interesting, and it satisfied the need I had to go outside and run my errands. Loved Cliff's character, and his plight as a father, how he carried it with him to the afterlife, and his speech to Sam is on loop constantly as a goosebumps generator. All the webs this story weaved came together and fray in such intriguing ways.

Detroit: Become Human (x2) - 5 stars These were my third and fourth playthroughs of this game and I find myself fonder for this little game each time I play. The perfect example of how a setting is so much deeper for the things it DOESN'T say than the things it does, once you think consider it. Under the cover of fun little robots, this world is so bleak, and I love the thought experiments. A very good example, imo, of what kind of tool cyberpunk really is as a setting. Quantic Dream also slips in one unanswered aspect into each of their stories, and while it's true that the ambiguity can be frustrating, Quantic Dream accidentally does it in a way that I find so alluring. Ra9, in this case, examining the clues on my own, coming to my own conclusions. It lets the world live on after the games have ended. I don't care about having answers--the game focused on what it needed to. It was not a portal into the greater world, it was one into Kara, Connor, and Marcus. We can look at the world on our own.

Disco Elysium - 4 stars Admittedly while this one took me a few months to finish, with a break spanning between November 2022 to March, and often found it VERY dense with information, I still really enjoyed myself. It's also the sort of narrative that is very self-aware, and as such pokes fun at itself, and as another such is sometimes lost under a few too many layers of irony and sarcasm. It's a bit hard sometimes to know what information to take seriously and what to disregard. As wonts these sorts of games the content is made entirely of dialog, very reading heavy, and puts me to sleep--I couldn't imagine playing this game without the stellar voice acting. Haunting and comedic sometimes even in the same line of dialog, I'm glad I found it after the Final Cut was released. Highly recommend, looking forward to another play-through.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 4 stars I loved BotW from the moment I got my Switch on launch day. Interestingly with TotK, I found my high opinion slipping the more I played, and too afterward. It seems more and more to me that Nintendo isn't exactly as keyed into what people are looking for with Zelda as they thought. TotK comes complete with shallow villains and anime tropes and a bastardization of a fair bit of the work done in BotW. It is not a story that is aware of it's own narrative, characters, or concepts. I don't say this as a person who demands to know which timeline and where exactly it takes place, only as someone invested in the universe and hopes to have somethings meaningfully extrapolated on. I'm hungry for subversion. Won't get much of that with this game sadly. That said, where gameplay was concerned I still really enjoyed myself. Before release I was worried how they would fill a world I've already spent 300+ hours exploring, and it turned out the answers were 2 entirely new maps and a largely transformed overworld. Discovering the newness in a world I already knew so well was fantastical. The building mechanics were enchanting, the shrines legitimately challenging, and the world still fun to explore. Don't see myself replaying for quite a while though, if ever, which was also the case with BotW. EDIT: having read and heard of all the nightmares about this games development since I've played it, just have to say 😬 yikes dude. Really recontextualizes the story for me. Idk though the gameplay was still super fun, so where an overall rating is concerned, I'm a bit conflicted. I'll leave it where it is I guess but let the record show it's still a Yikes from me about certain things.

Heavy Rain - 3.5 stars So, in the driver's seat of this, I found myself not doing much else besides complaining. The controls on the PC port are horrible; the 'twist' was less that and more... dishonest; voice acting was rough; David Cage exists; etc. But idk dude!! Something about it was still as charming as the first time!! It's been just about 10 years since I first played it at release, and the nostalgia was strong. It was a perfect distraction from real life at the time, and I've always looked back on the game fondly, though I've never replayed it. There ARE functional things I do dislike about the plot and writing and the awful ending, which discounts its score to the 3.5 star rating, but idk yall. I find Norman dorky and lovable, flawed yet well-intentioned; Ethan is a desperate dad trying to correct mistakes he still can't reconcile with; even Scott's motivations are understandable. I, like one key character, cannot deny that seeing a dad do whatever it takes to save his son? I'll have what he's having.

Oxenfree - 3 stars One thing about me is I have a great hatred for time travel stories. They always inevitably fall short. Oxenfree however used what I believe are the true assets of the trope. The struggle of fate, predetermination, and how-could-anything-be-different. (I also believe a key function of time travel stories is the character's understanding that they aren't the first version of themselves caught in the loops but that's a different convo). Anyway the ambiguous ending was also a big win to me. All in all a fun little game. Give it a try if you want some low-stakes entertainment with a good story.

The Uncharted series - a mixed bag So this doesn't include Uncharted 1, which I played damn near a decade ago when I first got my PS4 and the Nathan Drake collection. My thoughts on that are hazy but one I remember vividly--fuck the ship level. Anyway I mark this as mixed bag because my feelings towards it are complicated. I still felt the essence of NaughtyDog throughout, their care for their characters and sympathetic storytelling. While not as morally gray as their TLoU stuff, and rated Teen, it was still compelling, and despite my intense grievances with the combat systems in 1-2-3, I never questioned whether I would continue with the next game. However. Those grievances. Holy shit. Snap-to-cover is NEVER the answer, game devs. I know and forgive that games 1-3 are over a decade old, developers have better tools and understanding now. See an example of my jimmies being rustled here:

Take a shot each time a headshot doesn't hit. For gameplay reasons only I can't give the first 3 games any higher than 3 stars. And even though 3 has the best story of the 3, gameplay might even knock that one down to a 2. Anywho, the whiplash in quality between 3 and 4 was insane. I played the PS5 port, and loved everything about 4. Loved Sam, loved baby Nate, loved the story. It was as if ND had kept a .txt file of every single issue up till that point and corrected each of them. Seeing the bones of TLoU2 was also nice. Phenomenal game, and I look forward to playing it again sometime soon. Ratings for each game go: Uncharted 2 and 3 - 3 stars Uncharted 4 - 5 stars Uncharted: Lost Legacy - 4 stars Sadly I don't have the tools or plans to play the PSP game. PS Vita? Either way.

Last of Us Part 2 (x3) - 4 stars This was probably my 3rd time playing TLoU2, and while I don't have many strong comments to make concerning the story, I feel like this was finally the first time I truly understood Ellie's character in this game. The truth of her grief and what it was really over. And Abby as well, how she wasn't just a foil for Ellie, but for Joel as well. That said, I do still feel I would love this game so much more if it was just told linearly. The pacing is DOGshit dude, wow. Love it though. I've also completed a Grounded playthrough and got the Plat trophy this year as well, which I only mention for bragging rights 💅

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 🏆 - 5 stars I don't think I have much to say about this game besides general comments about how phenomenal the experience was. Never played anything like it. Fun exploration, environmental puzzles, great visuals. Combat was good, sound design was excellent. Story was good, acting was amazing. All around VERY thrilled I played.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage 🏆 - 5 stars I GOTTA SAY, This game surprised the hell out of me. I’m on a journey to play all the Assassin’s Creed games; so far I’ve finished 8 out of ~18. For how badly Valhalla sucked ass I was hesitant to play this one, since it acts as a sort of prequel to a particular character, but DAMN if this didn’t completely surprise me. The world was incredibly fun to explore, and even included environmental puzzles. You will legitimately feel like an assassin with the amount of player freedom this game gives you, and the story was just as good. Best Assassin’s Creed game? 👀 Hard to say till I’ve finished them all but so far it’s absolutely a contender. Basim I love youuuuuu

Unmentioned, in alphabetical order: [Assassin's Creed 1 - 2.5 stars; Assassin's Creed 2 - 3.5 stars; Assassin's Creed: Chronicles: China - 3 stars; Assassin's Creed: Chronicles: India - 3.5; Assassin's Creed: Chronicles: Russia - 3.5 stars; Beyond: Two Souls - 3 stars; Ghost of Tsushima - 4 stars; Gone Home - 3 stars; Indigo Prophecy - 2 stars; It Takes Two - 3 stars; A Plague Tale: Innocence - 3.5 stars; The Quarry - 2.5 stars; SEASON - 3 stars; Spider-Man 2 (2023) 🏆 - 3 stars; Stray - 3.5 stars; Super Mario Wonder - 4 stars; Twin Mirror - 3 stars; Viewfinder - 3.5 stars; A Way Out - 3.5 stars; Where the Goats Are - 3 stars]

Starfield: Putting this one down here at the bottom so I don't start this list out with complaining lol. Anyway the fact this game was nominated for Best RPG at the game awards tells me they don't play some of the games they nominate lol. I don't think I've ever had an experience like this game gave me. I somehow played 30 hours, and had a great time, before realizing it was bad. Nothing happened in the story to stop me, there wasn't suddenly a new gameplay mechanic that I didn't agree with. There was just something in the glamour of those 30 hours that got me. Maybe it was the father figure referring to me with neutral pronouns. But anyway I guess I just came to my senses. I took a break to play something different, came back, and it was an entirely different game. The overworld is barren. They expect you to explore hundreds of plants that have nothing on them besides some minerals and animals you scan. These are laaaaarge swaths of time spent running back and forth in near silence, because not only is there next to nothing meaningful to interact with on these worlds, your companion repeats the same 5 quips the entire time. There are no tools to traversing the overworld more quickly, so you are running for thousands of kilometers so you can scan a useless monument and get 20XP. There is no incentive to exploring, there is no incentive to doing anything other than fast-traveling to your next destination--until the game stops you for not having the appropriate ship parts installed, and you realize it's going to be a 5 hour grind to upgrade that part. Looking back at those 30 hours I enjoyed, this was all still there, but idk man, idk. For this amount of content this should have only been a $30 game, MAX, and they sell it for $70. But I bought it for $70, so who is the real chump here. I think the only thing I truly enjoyed (besides Sam Coe) was the mission 'Entangled', where you are unwillingly forced between two alternate universes, due to an experiment in a research facility. It sits right on the cusp of horror, between one universe where the research facility exploded and nature took it back, and another where the explosion never happened. There is drama, intrigue, decisions, exploration, everything. Nothing else in the game came close at all to touching that and I'm mad I spent so long before realizing it. Who wrote this mission, so I can thank you?

Music (and the lyrics that make it)

My complete 2023 favorites Spotify playlist

Favorite albums: Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain Slut Pop by Kim Petras Guard Dog by Searows I Let It in and It Took Everything by Loathe Heavy Glow by Soulkeeper

Individual tracks and my favorite lyric: Master & A Hound by Gregory Alan Isakov 'Where were you when I was still kind?' Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain 'If it's meant to be then it will be.' Don't Keep Driving by The Paper Kites 'There's nothing wrong with a little space. But not right now; don't leave.' Honey Dripping Sky by Georgia 'No matter how hard we try, I won't deny--it's for you.' Coming Clean by Searows 'If I kill you would I have to forgive you still?' Francesca by Hozier 'I’d tell them put me back in it. [Darling,] I would do it again.'

TV and Movies

I am severely illiterate when it comes to movies so the goal this year was to have watched at least one movie a week. Did I succeed,Future Me? [Yeah!]

Kingsman: Secret Service and :Golden Circle - 5 and 4 stars The cinematography?? The choreography? Hello? Across both movies, they were all so incredible. While Secret Service was my favorite of the two, Golden Circle had my favorite fight (though the church scene is a clooooose second)(Pedro Pascal I love you):

Gentlemen Bronco - 2 stars This movie was dull as shit BUT, it had one of my favorite scenes of the year.

Knock at the Cabin - 3.5 stars Just wanna put this one here real quick to get the Worms out--what was the point? Narratively, what was the point? I have been rolling this movie around my head since I watched last night and I'm hoping to read the book soon for better context, but man. While I enjoyed this movie a lot I just do not follow the themes, more so considering the ending. Was it a fight against providence and predetermination, only to prove its own point? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (Mr. Spock)? I can't tell exactly what this movie was asking me. As a rule I generally don't enjoy stories where the psychos are proved right with no closer examination of the themes and circumstances. Like yeah the MCs being a gay couple framed the story differently but that is also just a side effect of having distinctive characters lmao. It also insulated some sacrificial-minority stuff? Weird. And asks no questions about fate or anything, which is a wild loop considering Andrew's previous history with Redmond (a red herring? However I feel if the intro of a red herring completely recontextualizes the larger possibilities of the world, then it's not a good red herring, it's lazy). Ultimately I understand a theme is save your family or save humanity--it's on the DVD cover lol. But yeah man idk. All the other stuff, it made for a weird soup that I just cannot decipher. Anyway. EDIT: I have since read the source novel and it was incredible. I will not be watching any more Shyamalan movies lmao

Pacific Rim - 5 stars I also don't have anything much deeper to say about this than gotTDAMN dude, what a good fucking movie. I decided to watch because of all the Pacific Rim AUs that take place in fandom, and I decided I finally needed to know why and I DO know why now because good lord. What a good movie. That said the sequel was a hot pile.

The Arrival - 3 stars The way this movie had my heart racing the entire time--and shat it all away at the immediate end. Pure whiplash. "You know what surprised me the most? It wasn't meeting them. It was meeting you." What kind of straight nonsense. What kind of anticlimactic. What kind of bullshit. I was immediately snapped to my senses, I'm not over exaggerating. Insanity.

Unmentioned, in alphabetical order: [After Yang - 4 stars; Assassin's Creed (2016) - 2 stars; Asteroid City - 4 stars; Barbie - 4 stars; Begotten (1990) - 2 stars; Bullet Train - 4 stars; Come and See (1985) - 3 stars; Dead Poets Society - 3 stars; El Dorado - 3 stars; Grave Encounters - 3 stars; The Green Knight - 4 stars; The Hateful Eight - 5 Stars; IT and IT: Chapter 2 - 4 stars; Jennifer's Body - 3 stars; King of the Hill (all 13 seasons) - episode determinate; Knives Out - 5 stars; Knives Out: Glass Onion - 2 stars; Labyrinth - 2 stars; Lady Bird - 3 stars; Lake Mungo - 3 stars; The Lighthouse - 3 stars; Mad Max: Fury Road - 3 stars; The Magnificent Seven (1960) - 4 stars; The Magnificent Seven (2016) - 3.5 stars; Martyr (2008) - 3 stars; Matrix - 3 stars; Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions - 1 star; The Menu - 4 stars; Midnight Mass - 4 stars; My Own Private Idaho - 3 stars; NOPE - 4 stars; Once Upon a Time in the West - DNF; Possum - 3 stars; The Power of the Dog - 3 stars; RE: Damnation, Death Island, Degeneration, Infinite Darkness, and Vendetta - 3 stars; Saltburn - 3.5 stars; Seven Samurai (1954) - 3 stars; The Shape of Water - 4.5 stars; Skinamarink - 3 stars; Star Trek: The Motion Picture - 2.5 stars; ST: Search for Spock and ST: Voyage Home - 4 stars; ST: The Wrath of Khan - 4.5 stars; The Thing (1982) - 3 stars; The Thing From Another World (1951) - 3 stars; Tideland (2005) - 2 stars; Unforgiven - 4 stars; The VVitch - 3 stars]

Favorite Books

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez - 5 stars I have never EVER in my life read a book like this one, and I urge everyone to give it a try. Two men must escort a dying god across the country in order to stop the control of her tyrannical children. If you aren't digging the book, at least try and make it 100 pages in. The beginning, like every chunky fantasy, is a bit of a tough learning experience, and the uniqueness of the prose didn't exactly make it an easier task. However, it makes it extremely lyrical and poetic, and intriguing. The entire package is mind-blowingly unique. AND it ends happily, if that makes you feel better.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers - 5 stars My thoughts on this little story aren't overly complex or anything, I just found the setting very nice, the B plot concerning Earth interesting, and the ambiguous ending intriguing. While the events might be a little harrowing it was the hopeful attitude of the prose and characters that made it very comforting nonetheless. I loved the experience while I was reading it, and think about the ending now, even all these months after reading.

The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr - 4 stars A black sleep car porter tries to keep his job and his sanity after their train is stopped by a mudslide. Before this I can say I'd never read anything in this setting before, and it was what drew me in initially, but it was the writing that really captivated me. The narrative has a very intimate feeling, nostalgic almost, as if you're hearing the story secondhand even as you read. It's also refreshing when a book just says 'cock', and no extra-curricular euphemisms. Where's that video of Taron Egerton saying cock over and over btw cause I can't find it

The Magpie Coffin by Wile E Young - 4 stars The first in a collection of splatterpunk westerns?? It was so fun to read, and the cover is so badass. It knew what it was and it did so well.

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz - 4 stars A young Swedish boy, separated from his brother, fends for himself in the early USA west. I was on hold for this through my library for nearly a month and a half, so by the time I got it in my grubby hands my exciting was pretty high. Though I found much of it slow, I was still somehow on the edge of my seat. It's a crime that this was the Pulitzer runner-up, and that Less by Andrew Greer won instead. It's been a very very long time since I've felt so strongly about the well-being and outcome of a character but Hakan if you're out there--I love you.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 5 stars

Nothing to add to this decade long conversation other than this holds up :’) I was gasping like I was in high school again, reading it for the first time.

Honorable mentions, in alphabetical order by author last name: [A Psalm for the Wild Built and A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers - 4 stars; How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix - 4 stars; Texas Outlaw by Richard Jessup - 4 stars; Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - 4 stars; Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - 4 stars; Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum - 4 stars; The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage - 4 stars; East of Eden by John Steinbeck - 5 stars; The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay - 4.5 stars]

LEAST Favorite Books

I'm nothing if not a hater so I wanted to give some space to the books I most disliked.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer - DNF SAUR upset that this won the Pulitzer prize of its year instead of In The Distance by Hernan Diaz. 100 pages into it and I could not find anything redeeming about the main character. Pretentious, bitter. Like maybe that was his arc? He would outgrow that maybe. But it was just not the book nor the characters for me, unfortunately, so I did not stick around long enough for that to happen.

Bath Haus by PJ Vernon - DNF WHEW boy was the writing in this one bad. Like yall ever read a queer book and just know it was written for straight people? Let me find a picture I took of one paragraph.

Yikes and a half, dude. Anyway

Meat by Joseph D'Lacey - 1 star This was just plain bad. Like 'Oh isn't it so crazy they're eating people?? They're treating people like cattle, that's so demented right??' No. Not really. There's cannibalism in the cannibalism genre? Get a grip. I live near Donner Pass, we got cannibalism in the water here. Although maybe I'm also partially to blame for expecting some deeper storytelling from splatterpunk.

The Troop by Nick Cutter - 2 stars I don't know that I have anything really critical to say about this book other than I just didn't enjoy it. Writing was fine, prose was fine. It's told a bit out of order, think Carrie by Stephen King--snippets of interviews and articles detailing the aftermath of the events of the book. I do remember thinking that the facts were contradicting themselves a few times but was really not invested enough to care too deeply. The isolated, abandoned feeling we get from the island was nice, and the atmosphere good, I just don't believe Nick Cutter is a good writer. A bit too many slurs in here as well, methinks.

Books I DNF'd: With 15 in total this was the year of DNFing for me; it's amazing was Prozac can do for a person. (Disclaimer: I've only listed 13 of them here. The other two had to go back to the library before I could finish them so I marked them as technical DNFs :( and it doesn't feel right to include them in this list for haters)

Bath Haus by PJ Vernon (explained above) The Singularities by John Banville (nothing offensive, just didn't vibe. Books will often try way too hard on the opening paragraph and I'm not here for a philosophy lesson as I crack open a book you know what I mean) Heartless by Marissa Meyer (I just don't think YA does it for me anymore) There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins (" ") If We Were Villains by ML Rio (I just don't like being lectured and this book was clearly written for someone who wasn't me lol) Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (I find that a lot of times thrillers written by women employ stereotypes against men and their 'perverse' sexual tastes. The lines between pornography/fantasy and reality don't seem as nuanced in this genre, unfortunately. A man is not immediately a villain because he enjoys CNC or roleplay, and the pearl clutching is a little tired) Campfire Cooking in Another World by Ren Eguchi (why is every light novel like this:

The Lies of Locke Lamore by Scott Lynch (this was too quippy for my tastes. It was a little too busy being clever and not busy enough being interesting.) Less by Andrew Greer (Mean Gays, the next Tina Fay movie) Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (just wasn't my cuppa) Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey (I read a review that counted how many times Zane Grey used 'sage' in this book. I don't remember the number but there was a lot of them. Too much mormanism going on, just wasn't my cuppa) The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (only alright, not bad but wasn't going anywhere fast. More of a character focused, soft bit of mystery, which was fine, I just didn't find myself enjoying the characters either) Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett (I just wasn’t vibing you know how it is)

2023 Reading Statistics

I also keep a track of the pages read and ratings, as well as genre, where I read the book and in what format, so I'll put that here too for posterity's sake. And If you'd like, I use GoodReads, and we can be friends!

62 books read 18,217 pages in total 3.25 average star rating 19 (30.6%) of the books read were owned; 43 (69.4%)(nice) were from the library 14 (75.8%) were physical books; 12 (19.4%) were ebooks; 3 (4.8%) were audiobooks

That's it! I don't make reading goals anymore, in terms of how many to read, but I do know I want to TRY and read the copy of Battle Royal I've had since my junior year of high school. And I'd like to try and finish the Tsubasa manga series, since I never made it past volume 15 I think. I can't think of anything other than that! It was a good year!

[thereasonsimbroke]

Xbox Games Showcase 2024

In Ep. 598, Macio, Bobby, and I discuss exciting game reveals like "Avowed" and "Doom: The Dark Ages," updates for "Starfield," new Xbox Series X|S consoles, and more! Chapters 0:13 Introduction to Xbox Games Showcase 2024 2:19 Age of Mythology Retold Announcement 5:18 Avowed Unveil and Discussion 11:38 Starfield June Update Impact 18:56 Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Reveal 26:02 Doom: The Dark Ages Teaser 30:52 Fable: The Dark Narrative Reveal 34:36 Gears of War E-Day Announcement 36:24 Gears of War: The Baird Prequel 40:19 Return to Gritty Origins 40:44 Multiplayer Speculations 41:11 Anticipation and Expectations 41:33 Nostalgia and Franchise Revival 42:46 Remastering Gears of War Trilogy 44:08 Speculations on Xbox Exclusivity 45:13 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 47:22 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 56:44 South of Midnight Unveiled 1:00:18 State of Decay 3 Reveal 1:05:38 Third-Party Game Highlights

FOLLOW/SUPPORT BOBBY: @Qbanslim (Bobby's X) As always, we appreciate your constructive Feedback, Suggestions, and Questions. You can also leave us an audio question on SpeakPipe. Thank you for your continued love and support! Enjoy the show. Daniel Podcast Awards 2019 || Games & Hobbies (Winner) Podcast Awards 2017 - 2018, 2020 - 2022 || Games & Hobbies (Nominated) Official Site FOLLOW US: - X | @ReasonsImBroke and @TRIBPod - Instagram - Threads - Pinterest - Tumblr - Discord Lounge - YouTube Channel SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / iHeartRadio / TuneIn / Overcast SPREAD THE WORD: If you're enjoying the show, please head over to iTunes and leave us a rating and a review! Each one helps new Brokettes discover the podcast. Contribute to the Hero Initiative to offer assistance to comic creators facing difficulties. Show your support for the AFSP's efforts by donating to the Autumn Snyder Tribute Fund. CREDITS: Opening/Closing Jingles - Alex Scott Show Logo By - Opanaldiova

The latest episode of The Reasons I'm Broke Podcast!

[ladyrawthorm]

Happy Easter!

Hello! Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have all had a wonderful day and the Easter bunny has brought you lots and lots of chocolate!

I had this week off work and I didn’t really have any plans but there were a few things I wanted to do and of course, I did all of 1 of them which was to clean the kitchen which was mostly tearing up boxes, lots and lots of boxes. My hands were killing me after that lol. I wanted to play loads of games and I was originally going to play a some multiplayer games or games that needed a dedicated serious amount of time, like Starfield and I ended up playing House Flipper 2 and powerwash simulator. I had a great time.

In streaming news, I have started streaming on YouTube. Since my Horizon Zero Dawn videos have been going up on YouTube, I have started going live on YouTube with my Horizon Forbidden West playthrough. So far this game has blown away my expectations. I’m not surprised though. I wouldn’t have expected less from one of my all time favourite franchises.

We are getting back into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth after a few weeks off. It hasn’t taken long to get back into the swing of things. This new *spoiler alert* Pokemon/Sujimon *end of spoiler* aspect of the game is fantastic. I am having too much fin with that and am getting far to distracted but at least we are making ok money for a moment :D

As for Rainbow Six Siege, we are making good progress on getting to level 50. We hit 47 and are about 3000xp away from 48. I am hoping we can get there soon and then we can get some ranked games in! Todays games were interesting to say the least. I learnt what a rotation is, was insulted for my bad gameplay and had a blast playing with you guys.

Next week is much of the same as this week. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on Tuesday, Horizon Forbidden West on Friday and a multiplayer game on Sunday (most likely will be Rainbow Six Siege).

As always, here are all of the links to all of the things:

ladyrawthorm | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch | Linktree

Have a wonderful week next week, make good choices, and I will see next week!

Lady Rawthorm

xxx

[gamingpark]

l'offerta termina in fretta! Starfield, Bethesda mette il suo RPG spaziale a 47 euro su Steam ad un prezzo bassissimo!

Sono passati più di sei mesi dall’uscita di Starfield e sono molti i giocatori che non hanno ancora giocato all’RPG spaziale di Bethesda. È un gioco che richiede molte ore per esplorare ogni angolo dello spazio esterno. È vero che il gioco può essere giocato su PC e Xbox Game Pass, ma ci sono molti utenti che preferiscono acquistare il gioco e dedicare le ore necessarie per completare la trama…

[sammustdie31]

STARFIELD Gameplay Walkthrough Part-47 NG PC (HINDI + ENGLISH)

[44gamez]

Top 20 best selling video games in the UK in 2023

Within the UK final 12 months, a complete of greater than 37 million video video games had been bought throughout console and PC platforms. General, this can be a rise of simply over 2.5%, when put next with figures from 2022.Regardless of the considerably controversial rebranding and a few stiff competitors this 12 months, EA Sports activities FC 24 ended the 12 months because the top-selling online game title within the UK. Despite the fact that gross sales on this 12 months’s footy sequence had been down in comparison with current years, it nonetheless remained the number-one vendor within the nation. The No.2 spot got here within the type of the Harry Potter-inspired motion role-playing recreation, Hogwarts Legacy. Warner Bros. Video games continued on from the success of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – which was the third highest-grossing recreation within the UK in 2022 – by simply taking the No.2 place in 2023 with Hogwarts Legacy. If that wasn’t adequate, the Wizardly World journey additionally ended the 12 months because the No.1 top-selling title when it got here to bodily gross sales. It's price mentioning that this feat was vastly aided by a number of launch dates all year long on each final and present gen platforms. Regardless of main criticism and the bottom acclaim and gross sales in years, it's no shock that Name of Obligation: Modern Warfare 3 got here in at No.3. Now critiqued as little greater than a glorified enlargement, with a sub-par foremost story to match, it isn't surprising to see this 12 months’s entry within the Name of Obligation franchise drop by virtually 40% by way of gross sales, when put next with Trendy Warfare 2 from the earlier 12 months. All three video games additionally obtained an extra enhance from the advantage of having advertising partnerships with Sony. So, it comes as no actual shock that round half of all gross sales for every of those three titles got here from the PS4 and PS5 platforms. Whatever the success of each EA Sports activities FC 24 and Hogwarts Legacy, general 2023 wasn’t one of the best 12 months for brand spanking new mental properties. Starfield ended 2023 because the next-best new IP, however it might solely attain a disappointing No.31 within the charts by the tip of the 12 months. In terms of the highest-selling new IP of 2022, Elden Ring, which reached No.4. within the charts for that 12 months, 2023 noticed the FromSoftware developed title end in a good No.28 place. Disney additionally loved one other good 12 months, with PlayStation the unique Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor each ending 2023 within the high 10. It was a considerably quiet 12 months for Nintendo in comparison with earlier years. Nevertheless, be that as it could, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ended the 12 months within the No.9 place, with Super Mario Bros Marvel simply behind at No.11. Among the different best-selling new releases to make it into the highest 20 for 2023 had been, Murderer’s Creed Mirage at No.14 and the Resident Evil 4 remake at No.15. Among the finest yearly- recurring new releases had been NBA 2K23 at No.16, WWE 2K23 at No.18, and F1 23 at No.19. Just a few different notable titles to make it into the charts price additionally mentioning are Useless Island 2 at No.25, Useless House Remake at No.29, Mortal Kombat 1 at No.30, and Ultimate Fantasy 16 at No.32. EA Sports activities UFC 5 got here in at No.47, whereas Avatar Frontiers of Pandora completed the 12 months at No.54, and Avenue Fighter 6 got here in simply behind atNo.56. You will have seen just a few video games lacking from this checklist, with one main recreation specifically being absent (Baldur’s Gate 3). That is just because video games for sure publishers don’t seem on the GSD knowledge lists. It can't be denied that Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of many greatest video games of the 12 months, successful numerous awards and even redefining the trade to a sure extent. It was one other large 12 months for console gross sales within the UK. General, virtually 2.4 million complete consoles had been bought within the UK for 2023, which is a rise of greater than 9% in contrast with the earlier 12 months. The PlayStation 5 was the most important purpose for this by far. In comparison with 2022, gross sales of the PS5 elevated by greater than 55%, making it the most important and finest 12 months for a PlayStation console in virtually a decade. The Nintendo Change ended 2023 because the second-best console, regardless that gross sales proceed to be down 12 months over 12 months. Having stated that, it's now greater than seven years that the Nintendo Change has been in the marketplace, so a continuing lower in gross sales isn’t stunning. The story is analogous with each the Xbox Sequence S and X consoles, with gross sales additionally dropping in 2023 in comparison with the 12 months earlier than. Lastly, by way of accent gross sales, simply over 9 million gadgets had been bought all through UK retailers in 2023. That is additionally a slight lower of simply over 4% when set facet by facet with gross sales figures from 2022. 1. EA Sports activities FC 24 2. Hogwarts Legacy 3. Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 3 4. FIFA 23 5. Grand Theft Auto 5 6. Spider-Man 2 7. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor 8. Pink Useless Redemption 2 9. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* 10. Diablo 4 11. Super Mario Bros Marvel* 12. Name of Obligation: Modern Warfare 2 13. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe* 14. Murderer’s Creed Mirage 15. Resident Evil 4 Remake 16. NBA 2K23 17. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 18. WWE 2K23 19. F1 23 20. Grand Theft Auto On-line Source link Read the full article

[kourin-van-draken]

STARFIELD #47 - Ich kenn mich immer noch nicht aus... - Let's Play

[smlpodcast]

The SML Podcast - Episode 854: Some More Ladies

Download Episode 854 -- 

It's a ladies night on SML as Aki is joined by Brooke and Bri for some romance talk!

The show kicks off with Aki and Brooke Poole being joined by Bri "LadyMagritte" Galgano to have a fun little ladies night of sorts that's completely ruined by the fact that Jacob and Joe are there too. But it's still a fun time as the news of the week gets discussed like Xbox Game Pass additions and departures, Starfield, Suicide Squad, shut downs, and a big Capcom news clump! Plus reviews including a group chat about Romancelvania and our first PSVR2 reviews!

0:00 - Intro/News 34:36 - Romancelvania - The Deep End Games, 2124 Publishing (Brooke/Aki/Bri/Jacob) 57:26 - Horace - Paul Helman, Sean Scapelhorn, 505 Games (Bri) 1:20:58 - No Longer Home - Humble Grove, Fellow Traveller (Brooke) 1:27:55 - Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star - Imagineer (Jacob) 1:33:41 - Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - Team NINJA, KOEI TECMO (Aki) 1:47:18 - FLASHOUT 3 - Jujubee (Jacob) 1:52:32 - Synth Riders - Kluge Interactive (Joe) 1:58:28 - SimAirport - LVGameDev, Ultimate Games (Jacob) 2:03:51 - Puzzling Places - Realities.io (Joe) 2:07:50 - Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival - Brinemedia (Jacob) 2:11:37 - Sniper Elite 5: Rough Landing DLC - Rebellion (Aki)

The show ends with some love from our good friend Shael Riley covering a song of "unknown origin".

2:20:46 - Shael Riley - Come Back (Traditional Gaelic War Song maybe?)

https://www.thedeependgames.com/ https://2124publishing.com/ https://twitter.com/horacedev https://505games.com/ https://twitter.com/humblegrove https://www.fellowtraveller.games/ https://www.imagineer.co.jp/ https://teamninja-studio.com/wolong/ https://www.koeitecmoamerica.com/ https://jujubee.pl/en https://synthridersvr.com/ https://klugeinteractive.com/ https://www.lvgamedev.com/ https://ultimate-games.com/ https://www.realities.io/ https://brinemedia.com/ https://rebellion.com/ https://shaelriley.bandcamp.com/ https://www.keymailer.co/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sml-podcast/id826998112 https://open.spotify.com/show/6KQpzHeLsoyVy6Ln2ebNwK https://twitter.com/theSMLpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/theSMLpodcast/ ALL REVIEWED GAMES HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FOR FREE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANY COVERAGE ON THE SHOW #PS5 #Xbox #Switch #Keymailer

[thetoxicgamer]

Dark Skyrim Mod Gives Dark Brotherhood Quest a Fully Voiced Hitman Rework

One of the most well-known quest lines from the dated Bethesda RPG game receives a new lease on life thanks to a Skyrim hack. Among all the Elder Scrolls games, the Dark Brotherhood quests are without a doubt some of the most cherished. While we wait for Starfield to show up, the maker of some of the best Skyrim mods has given the game's introduction a fully voiced makeover that draws inspiration from immersive games like Dishonored as well as Hitman and Agent 47. Ask players which stories they think of most from the Elder Scrolls series, and the Dark Brotherhood is certain to pop up consistently as a frontrunner. The secretive assassins’ guild makes for some of the most compelling and entertaining moments across the Bethesda games. However, its starting quest in Skyrim, which sees you sent to kill an abusive, cruel matron named ‘Grelod the Kind’ who has been tormenting the children of the Honorhall Orphanage, has always felt a little simplistic by comparison. Enter modder JaySerpa, who presents the Innocence Lost quest expansion Skyrim mod. Players now have multiple potential scripted ways to kill the malicious matron rather than simply attacking her, which JaySerpa likens to the various methods employed in the Hitman games. By talking to Grelod and the children, you can learn more about her and her habits, unlocking a range of ‘opportunities’ to deal the fatal blow. For example, you might be able to overhear a conversation and learn about Grelod’s tendency to retire to her quarters for a tipple of her favourite wine – a perfect potential to put your poison proficiency into practice, perhaps. Alternatively, learning about her current desires might offer an opportunity to lure Grelod away from the orphanage to a secluded location, where a simple nudge might be enough to get the job done. If you don’t fancy getting your hands dirty, there’s actually a completely alternative path that feels very reminiscent of Dishonored’s ‘non-lethal’ options. By collecting evidence about Grelod’s ill treatment of the children, you can arrange for her arrest at the hands of the Riften guards. This isn’t an easy process, however – most guards are going to be somewhat loath to simply stroll into the local orphanage and drag away its head, after all. It’s also worth noting that, while this might complete the quest, if you don’t perform the deed yourself then you’ll be locked out of joining the Dark Brotherhood in full. JaySerpa shows off many of the potential options in a video, which you can watch below. Along with dressing suitably for the occasion as a bald figure in a black suit and gloves, they also give a few glimpses of some of the easter eggs included in the mod. There are custom animations for certain kills and voiced reactions from other characters to every possible outcome, along with some other clever jokes. JaySerpa laughs, “I really went overboard with this one, haha.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvJi7vXE4r4 https://www.thetoxicgamer.com/?s=skyrim If you’re ready to explore the full potential of your lethal artistry, the Innocence Lost quest expansion mod can be found at Nexus Mods. There, you’ll also find more of JaySerpa’s work, including a Skyrim College of Winterhold expansion that turns the wizarding school into more of an educational experience, with numerous lessons in the various schools of Skyrim magic. We’ve got more of the best games like Skyrim on PC for 2023, if you’re looking for something to kick off the new year in style. There’s also fresh news on the Hitman Freelancer mode coming to Agent 47’s actual home turf. We’ve also got plenty more of the best fantasy games if you love to discover wondrous worlds, along with the best open-world games if you just can’t get enough of exploring a vast map. Read the full article

[nahaszing]

Gamebryo engine flight sim

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM UPGRADE#

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM FULL#

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM PC#

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM PLUS#

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM PLUS#

Asset quality, shading quality, promising indications of ray tracing, more realistic 'people rendering', plus a tantalising tease for the game worlds we'll be visiting. This looked to be a clean break as opposed to the iterative upgrades we've seen to the engine since it transitioned from Gamebryo to Creation Engine. What we saw looked like a proper generational leap for Bethesda Game Studios titles with Creation Engine 2 looking nothing like its predecessors. It started with the first 'in-game' reveal of Starfield, due for release at the end of next year, and it was a feast for the eyes, certainly from a technological perspective. What they did do - to varying levels of success - was to hammer home how shrewd of an acquisition Bethesda is. However, from a personal perspective, this was the event to deliver on the promise - to seal the deal - and Microsoft did not do that. As we discuss above though, there is the sense from the media that many of the issues people raised about last year's gameplay reveal have been addressed. This is fine (if not exactly ideal) for a game early in development, but for a tentpole title mere months away from release this is more than slightly concerning. or did we? As is the E3 tradition, much of what we saw was 'in-engine' - which is to say that we have no idea if this is running in real-time or whether it's pre-rendered and if it was real-time, what kind of hardware was running it. We also got to see more of Halo Infinite.

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM UPGRADE#

47:09 Doom Eternal Next-Gen Upgrade with RT.

39:36 E3 Trailerfication/The 'Conveyor Belt of Games'.

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM FULL#

Watch on YouTube DF Direct goes full 4K to discuss the Xbox/Bethesda E3 2021 showcase, with Rich Leadbetter, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia perpetrating this #content.įor those interested in specific segments, here are some time codes for you: We're impressed enough with this one to dissect it a little more closely and we'll be returning to that in future coverage. Car rendering is of the quality you'd expect, plus hardware-accelerated ray tracing is in - albeit just for the non-gameplay Forza Vista sections. There's a huge amount to digest in the content we were shown, but the headlines are clear enough - an unprecedented level of detail in Playground's latest open world, right down to the individual needles of each cactus, Crysis-level jungle density (complete with freshly minted volumetric lighting) and a sense of scale both at close and long range - there are some truly extraordinary vista shots here with phenomenal draw distance.

#GAMEBRYO ENGINE FLIGHT SIM PC#

We kick off our show by sharing our thoughts on Forza Horizon 5 from Playground Games - a game that's cross-gen in nature but still manages to fully exercise the latest in console and PC hardware. That's what we're discussing in the latest Digital Foundry Direct, where myself, John Linneman and Alex Battaglia pick out our highlights from the Xbox team's 90-minute showing and share some thoughts on how Microsoft chose to cram 30 games into what is a relatively short presentation and the extent to which it was successful. This one had it all - and perhaps it actually delivered too much, to the detriment of some of the games shown. And in the process, Xbox went one stage further in comprehensively taking down the argument that its first-party line-up is lacking, while at the same time addressing the cross-gen controversy that made it feel like Microsoft wasn't fully committed to the concept of delivering games tailored to the strengths of the new wave of console and PC hardware. The firm had already firmly established Game Pass as a service offering unbeatable value, but remarkably, the show did an impressive job of making the subscription seem almost indispensable. The stars were aligned for Microsoft to deliver a phenomenal E3 2021 showcase and it's fair to say that Xbox and Bethesda delivered.