#i have not played the dlc i am not spending that much money on a ps5

[sapphictalahnah]

So out of aloy and seyka which one’s the handmaiden and which one’s the feudal lord

[funsizedcrow]

cursing my past self for not paying more attention when my dad and sister were playing hyrule warriors like. five years ago.

[annaki-octo]

Okay, I fully finished Side Order's story with all palettes completed.

Thoughts:

As everyone has been saying already: GAY. SERIOUSLY HOW DID THEY MAKE MARINA AND PEARL SO DAMN GAY IN THIS DLC?? I love them so much.

A lot of people have also been saying this, and now that I have beaten the full game with all weapons, I have to say I agree - an endless mode would be a really good idea.

I also feel like they should have added more bosses. I feel like there aren't enough of a wider variety of bosses in Side Order, I feel like I've fought more bosses in Hero Mode. I never got to play Octo Expansion because I actually only started playing Splatoon 2 over a year ago now. I wanted to make sure I would like the game before spending the money on Splatoon 3 lmfao. And now Splatoon is our special interest lmfao

I feel like the story and lore are just lacking? Not to sound mean lmfao I love Side Order and I like the story, but I do feel like it's not as interesting as it COULD have been. I feel like the trailers and the different promotional art for Side Order really set up a really mysterious kind of story, and lots of theories about like cloning and stuff and I feel like the actual story just didn't end up as interesting as I feel the promotional stuff kinda set it up to be? At least in my opinion.

I love the aesthetics. And the music. GOD THE MUSIC. It's amazing.

I actually like that Side Order is "too easy." It made going up the spire with the weapons I'm usually terrible at using much easier and way more fun than I had anticipated. At some point, it starts to get a little ehhh okay this is kinda boring now but I think that's okay.

I'd love to see speedruns of this.

I think it would have been cool to have different "modes" to play in. Like maybe a mode where you go through the whole spire, but with no color chips, and the rewards are prlz and the higher up you go, the more prlz you get as prize. Or modes where it's all hard floors or all rigorous floors, or all danger, etc.

Speaking of - the danger levels. LMFAO. I love and hate the danger levels. I think

I also think there should've been even more different challenges and stuff.

I think ultimately, I think there just needs to be more variety. Especially considering it's supposed to be a roguelike and how easy and quickly it is to beat the entire game, including the entire game with every weapon.

I love Acht and I so am looking forward to seeing them in future games, I hope!!!

I love Smollusk. I love it so much NFJKDASNK

I had the idea earlier for the final Splatoon 3 splatfest to be Squid Sisters versus Off the Hook versus Deep Cut. I think that would be a genuinely phenomenal way to close off Splatoon 3 :')

[galedekarios]

Do you think veilguard would be worth playing for someone who hasn't played previous dragon age games? I just don't really have the energy or motivation to play several other games first but man that game looks so good

i'm sorry i am replying only now!

thank you for your message. 🖤

again i want to preface this by saying that i don't feel comfortable telling people what they should spend their hard-earned money on, but if you're already interested in getting the game and are only held back by not knowing if it's worth playing bc you haven't played the previous games? then i will say that i don't think you have to have played the previous games to play this one.

bioware has always tried to create games - more so with the dragon age series, but they did it with mass effect too - that can be played as standalone experiences, which are enhanced if you have played the previous games.

HOWEVER, i do highly, highly recommend learning about what happened in inquisition and the trespasser dlc for a deeper understanding of the relationships and stakes of the world. i think it sets the scene for datv.

if you don't have the energy or motivation to play such a long game, which i completely understand, i would recommend perhaps watching a recap of what happen on youtube. it's much less of a time investment.

in addition to that, veilguard does have a glossary, where they explain lore (events, people and general things pertinent to understanding the world). so if you do feel lost in that regard, you can always take a look at that as well.

i hope that helped!

[dragongirltail]

Finally finished elden ring, not the dlc just base game cause I am not about to give the bastards more money for something I dislike, but:

All of what I've held in beliefs from just the playtime I've had accumulated from repeated attempts before is unchanged, and only some small changes to the positive have arisen. It's an okay game. It's a terrible fromsoft game, but if you set this in front of me and told me it was made by ubisoft to cash in on the souls hype I'd believe that instantly.

Copypasted bosses and enemies out the oiseaux, repeating gameplay patterns and loops that make you grind your teeth and truly hurt the strongest things about fromsoft's game design. Can't say I find any of the bosses memorable except maybe elden beast (good theme) and radagon (fun to parry sometimes), but nothing of the experience stayed with me after the fact! The themes aren't memorable, the bosses and enemies become a slurry of rehashes of bloodborne and dark souls 3 animations sped up by 150%, and the power scaling goes so far up that having an attack rating of 1200 at the end of the game is barely passable.

You run around for 2 hours picking up shit to get strong enough to have a decent time with the first few bosses, then spend another hour running around collecting shit to fight a few bosses, then another 2 hours and then you can plow through the rest of the game cause the open world absolutely destroys what made fromsoft games so excellent.

And with elden ring being the most popular game they've made yet it means waves of new players who haven't played any of the other games and have no reference of what a fromsoft game should feel like! Which obviously isn't said to gatekeep this genre, but rather because elden ring is still a good game from the perspective of anyone who hasn't experienced better.

And I wouldn't even be so harsh on this game if it wasn't trying SO HARD to just be dark souls again They ended on DS3 because they said the story was told and wanted to go other places and do other things but then elden ring is just dark souls' world again but slightly different so the teacher doesn't notice. Sekiro isn't for me but I can acknowledge how it still does cool things and make it's own path, I don't own a PS4 so bloodborne has been out of reach but everything it has done to differentiate itself is amazing. Elden ring is just king big sad guy finds a powerful thing then age of prosperity happens then bad thing happens now you are shitty lame guy and must go on a world tour to kill all powerful guys to perpetuate a cycle. Dark souls with a new coat of paint, and this time it's got RR Martin's fingerprints allegedly all over it but I cannot in the slightest tell where the guy did anything, aside maybe more of the weird shit that miyazaki isn't known to be into.

If bethesda released a game that was this much reused assets, animations, audio files, weapons, and gameplay mechanics then there'd be a riot for how they could repackage the same game for 60 bucks again. But fromsoft does it and it's a game of the year and miyazaki does it again and it's so good and if you don't like it you simply don't get it and should get good instead or whatever. There's been so many moments with this accursed game where I went "oh hey this is just the animations from x enemy from ds3 but faster", lothric knights, outrider knights, pontiff knights, sulyvahn's beast, just to name a few.

I've tried so hard to like this game, I've given it so many chances and accrued 47 hours in a game I still don't like. At this point I cannot in good conscience say that I just don't 'get' this game, it's got flaws out front and back and yet nobody seems to see them, I don't get it, I just don't.

If you wanna say something about this feel free to comment or reblog, I'll have a wrassle with you if you do

[evalynstanley]

Games I like! : Guilty Gear -Strive- by Arc System Works I love this game. It's no surprise that I do- and I am sure it is also not a surprise that I main Bridget. The choreography is amazing! as it should be for a fighting game-. The stages are stunning, the art work is amazing, and the music is so adrenaline pumping- It's insane. Never have I ever been so infatuated with a game to the point where I close my eyes and all I can see is Bridget Combos. It really has just hit my life like a truck (In a good way). At first I was debating on buying it- thinking it was too steep a price to pay- but after getting it on Xbox Gamepass for 2 weeks now- I would say it's worth the price on steam. Even with all the DLC.

AND THE LORE IS SO EXTENSIVE AND INSANE!! I LOVE IT! Each character has amazing backstory that actually makes sense on how they are portrayed as! If you have the money- and you want a fighting game that you could spend a whole bunch of hours on messing with some friends- definitely buy this game. I have had so much fun playing with @vesperkruger- And I can't wait for the next time I play it.

[maddgical-boy]

remakin my pinned post bc i love spending hours on fun formats. anyways

⸝⸝⊂➜﹒it's me! ⊃⸝⸝

mark/vinny ☆ he/him ☆ minor (strictly 18+ only blogs block me)

hello all! here i post about all things daydreaming-related, as well as some self insert stuff since there is big overlap there for me.

i have mainly fictparacosms (paracosms of existing fictional media). i'm kinda shy about them so i don't discuss them as much but please be respectful when i do. they do not always line up with canon and i just want to be happy and have a fun time.

❤️ this blog is a safe space for all madders/iders and whatever you daydream about. even if it's considered really dark nasty shit, and even if it's willingly! fiction is fiction my friends. ❤️

feel free to send asks about my paracosms or about yours! tumblr is buggy and i am chronically ill so i may not get to it right away, but rest easy knowing each ask is treasured in my heart <3 i'm shy but i want to interact with you all.

i make big use of the block button if i don't like your vibes or even if we just don't agree about stuff. unfortunately my block barrier from my main doesn't extend to sideblogs and i have to block separately from here, which i sometimes forget to do. so blanket statement for all my blogs and socials:

🚫 TERFS AND ZIONISTS/PRO-ISRAEL PEOPLE GTFO 🚫

and hey! if you can spare some money check out the #donations tag on my main for vetted palestinian GFMs! 🇵🇸❤️

if you want to see more of my silly self talking about other random things, my main is @thecrimeofmans-laughter!

below are paracosms & tags!

paracosms ☁︎‎‎‧₊˚*𖦹

these fluctuate in and out of how relevant they are to me, especially because god cursed my interests to wholly take over my life and then suddenly evaporate like sweat. this is also why i have random mini paracosms that only come out of hibernation if my hyperfixation does too! lmao

───-> ORIGINAL

■ queerer things still — five teens learn of the magical secret realms on earth and travel through them to uncover the main para (enya liao)'s mysterious past. all of them have magical powers and all of them have emotional baggage that they are eventually forced to deal with by fighting monsters that target their greatest weaknesses. everything is weird and also everything is queer (hence the name).

───-> FICTPARACOSMS

■ arrows of shield — big crossover between marvel's agents of shield and the cw's arrowverse. at the center of it all is me, because i am awesome. the only other teenagers (and original paras) are cicero (an entity meant to deal with all emotional and physical pains) and jessop jiang (a boy from the typical 60s american suburb who accidentally killed his mother).

■ the super happy life of akemi ōtani — a blanket paracosm for all daydreams involving any of koei's musou warriors games (that i have played, which is dw8, sw2, 4, 4ii, and 5, and wo4). the name is from one of my two samurai warriors ocs, as she has a very normal, happy life with her dad and sister that is absolutely not besieged by period-typical war. (also my icon on this blog is of nō, who is a character from sw5! she's in her dlc outfit. i love her)

■ yttd paracosm 2 — i don't have a name for this one yet shhh. anyway have you ever theorized that shunsuke hayasaka is sue miley's mysterious fiancé and then made a yttd sona that has become separate from you and is also their adopted child and is also dating ranmaru kageyama and then spent way too much time rewriting the lore of the game to fit this change? that's what this is. (my first yttd paracosm is asunaroland which isn't as major anymore but yeah. i have 2 of these fuckers)

tags i'll use ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

i love using tags i love organizing i love formatting i love archiving ＼(^▽^＠)ノ ☆ヾ(*´▽｀)ﾉ ~(≧◇≦)/ﾞﾞﾞ

my original posts -> #mark stops daydreaming for a sec.txt

answering asks -> #mark answers asks, #ask game answers | feel free to send in something from my ask game!

vents about madd -> #madd vent, #intrusive daydreaming | all of these are ok to rb

positivity about daydreaming -> #positivity <3

my art -> #martk | other art is on my toyhouse and instagram! | want me to draw your paras? commission me!

useful madd-related things -> #useful

anything not daydreaming-related, for whatever reason -> #not madd

...and probably other tags i'm forgetting! yayyy!!

all paracosms and paras are tagged #like this* to avoid anything (like fictpara stuff) showing up in big public tags because i am Scared

dividers: animatedglittergraphics-n-more

[dragon-snoots-a-boopin]

I am not 100% if I have done this before so I am going to call this my updated Destiny 2 vs Warframe post. However, before I get into thing, please note that EVERYTHING I SAY IS BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCES IN BOTH GAMES and that my experiences may differ from yours and if you can't accept that then just stop reading now and go somewhere else. Now I shall get into my thoughts and opinions on both of these games.

I am going to start with Destiny 2 here and the things that I like about it because, contrary to what one may think, there are things about Destiny 2 that I do like. While doing that I will also make comparisons to those same things in Warframe too.

If there is one thing I can definitely give Bungie credit for is just how good everything looks in Destiny 2. The environments, characters, weapons etc all look really, really good. They definitely have some extremely talented artists over at Bungie and it really shows. Of course, Warframe is also a very good looking game too and is also one reason why I like Warframe but, I think Destiny 2 has a little more going for it in the looks department.

Another thing, and this is something I really enjoy from Destiny, another thing that I really love is the music in Destiny 2. I can sit and listen to all of the soundtracks for Destiny 2 anytime and all day long too. Hell, sometimes I listen to Destiny 2 music when I am playing Warframe. But, on the same note, I recently listened to and downloaded the Warframe soundtracks and they're very good also! Sure, I'm not a fan of the lyrical tracks on the second soundtrack but the rest it and all of the first one are really nice to listen to anytime.

Yes, that is pretty much where things that I like about Destiny 2 ends so, let's get into what I don't like.

First up to bat here is that calling Destiny 2 a free to play game is an utter joke. What can one do as a free to play player in Destiny 2 anyway? Well, there is no base game campaign anymore which was the major reason I even tried Destiny 2 in the first place. You get a tutorial mission in place of that and the first mission of each expansion and that's really all the story content you get. You have a limited number of strikes, I think only three or four of them. You have Gambit which, honestly, I have no idea what this mode is as I've never done it. You have Crucible which is PVP which I imagine is a small amount of maps for F2P players. There's the Dares Of Eternity activity from the 30th Anniversary and then there are two raids and one dungeon. Yeah, as a F2P game, Destiny 2 lacks so much. Once you do these things beyond the first time, you'll see just how boring this game really is. Comparatively, Warframe absolutely EXCELS at being a F2P game, especially with the vast amount of content at ones disposal. You have like seven to eight planets to do all the nodes on, you have Duviri which also has The Circuit and Steel Path, you have the stuff associated with Railjack missions and so on! Best thing too is that a good amount Warframes and weapons can just be obtained from farming assassination missions and don't have to be bought from a store. Warframe has a terrific F2P structure that definitely sets it far above Destiny 2.

Of course, if you don't want to be a F2P player and don't want to sit in an empty well of content, you could always fork over somewhere between $160 and $200 to get all the DLC for the game. Oh yeah, you could also spend additional money on the season pass and in game shop too. What? You don't want to fork over more money for a game that you already paid money for? Yeah, no one wants to do that. This is the area where Warframe excels because it has an actual, sound F2P structure. Now, I've heard some people say that one doesn't have to spend a dime on Warframe and I am sorry, but that isn't true. The difference with Warframe is that one doesn't have to spend much on the game. To me, Warframe having a limited number of inventory slots is a major thing. Initially when starting the game, you have a whopping two Warframe slots and if you get more Warframes, it'll cost you 20 platinum per slot and platinum is something that has to be bought with real money. I myself have spent around $7 on platinum because of this, because I have 11 Warframes with a 12th on the way soon. I find it to be a little but looser when it comes to inventory slots for primary, secondary and melee weapons. But here's the thing, you can EARN more inventory slots by doing the Nightweave dailies so if you want to get more slots slowly, that's the way to do it. Also, yes, of course, like Destiny 2, Warframe has a store where you can buy stuff with you platinum. But, ultimately, Warframe is such a better F2P game that Destiny 2 will ever be. Clarification: It has been brought to my attention that it is actually possible to not spend a dime on Warframe, even on inventory slots for Warframes and weapons. This is possible because one is able to trade their leftover Prime parts for platinum. I myself have been showed this by a friend and I myself find it to be complicated. I just plainly forgot about this method until it was brought to my attention and I thank those who did for reminding me about this.

The next thing is that you basically can't play this game single player. Not only because the matchmaking system will match you with random players regardless of if you want to or not, but also because I found that a lot of things that are NOT those opening story missions for each DLC is just way too hard for a single player to handle. I find that Warframe is only a little bit better in this regard. Early on when doing planet nodes, you can do them my yourself no problem. I found though that once you hit Saturn, Uranus & Neptune, that pretty much goes out the window. But, those early planets are also not completely possible to do single player because the boss fights will require other players, otherwise they're way too difficult.

Kind of coinciding with missions is that I really with they would do away with parts of the mission where they don't allow one to respawn. I mean, even in a group this can be trouble and I don't think it's fair to the players to have be worry about dying and having to restart an entire leg of a mission over again. I am so, so glad that Warframe doesn't do this. However, Warframe only lets one respawn four times but, after that, you can rely upon other player reviving you. But, if you're doing something alone and go through your four respawns, then your fucked. But, Warframe definitely does this better in my opinion.

Events are kind of boring. At the time of making this, it is their Halloween event, The Festival Of The Lost, and the event is kind of boring. The event playlist consists of killing an amount of Headless Ones in an amount of time and then doing a boss. There are like three maps for this playlist and the boss that spawns at the end is always the same too. Yeah, I do it for getting gear and weapons and because I don't have much else to do but yeah, playing the same mode on the same three maps over and over is boring. I've honestly not taken part in any of the events in Warframe so I have no idea how they compare.

The lack of unique weapons is a small thing that bothers me. You could get a super awesome legendary weapon and yeah, it looks like 20 previous weapons that you have already used and the only reason it's even special is because of damage numbers or whatever. You have all these talented artists, surely you can make more cool looking weapons for this game. Warframe definitely excels here as they have completely different and unique weapons that looks very different from each other.

Now, I am going to make this a Part 1 post and am going to do the same thing as I've done here for Warframe in another post.

[doberbutts]

So I'm 120 hours into Tears of the Kingdom and I gotta say

Initially I was somewhat disappointed because it felt like I'd burned through 2/3s of the story really really quickly and that was one of my complaints with BotW that the actual plot content was quite minimal and the long playtime was mostly busywork and collectibles nonsense.

Anyway I pumped the breaks and started cleaning up my sidequests and checked my hour count and

"Played for 75 hours or more" OH. I was expecting like. 30. Apparently I'd been having so much fun that it felt like less than half the actual time I'd been playing.

I'm almost done with my collected sidequests so I'll progress the plot again once I've finished clearing them out but I do think that's a mark of a good game design, to make someone have so much fun that they don't realize how long they've been playing because it doesn't feel like work. A lot of these open world games fall into that trap so it's nice to see Nintendo trying to pull away from it because BotW definitely was there.

And for me honestly I consider it money well spent if I get at least an hour of playtime for dollar spent. I only spent like 11 on this because I know Gamestop Secrets but the game was 70 USD at release and I would consider any less than 70 hours of fun to be a ripoff at that point. This is also my reasoning for what DLC I do or don't buy- I am not spending 20 USD for 2-4 hours of additional gameplay.

Anyway it's loads of fun and the gameplay loop is fun and enjoyable without getting too repetitive. I'm definitely not planning to 100% it but I do want to finish what I've started because it's engaging. You will never convince me to find 1000 fucking Koroks or whatever I'm not doing that, but also I've got over half of the shrines down and most of the armor sets at this point.

[biggie-chcese]

ship ask game. points at you ominously. My Wawa

THE WAWA!!! beloved... of course my liege

(spoilers for halara's DLC and chapter 4)

Yuma - 12/10 and you may be wondering "wait this ranking is different from the yuma post" my rankings are relative and dynamic. keeps you on your toes. this is hands down my favorite halara ship they are among my favorite dynamics in the game hands down. i am just super enamored with the sides of themselves they draw out in their gumshoe gabs

Yakou - 5/10 this is one i like more platonically but like im down for it. i really love the their interactions in the DLC and halara saving yakou was really epic

Desuhiko - 6/10 i just think this one is funny. i dont see them being serious but desuhiko is definitely their side bitch

Fubuki - 8/10 this one's cute. i don't think about it much but the DLC definitely sold me on it. halara placing trust in fubuki's abilities is a pretty big thing and it's really nice to see how fubuki kinda brings out halara's softer side

Vivia - 4/10 there is something that can be said about their conflicting work ethics and philosophies as detectives, especially from the group confrontation in chapter 4, but it still doesn't personally compel me enough to brainrot over this one

Shinigami - 4/10 i like the fact that shinigami canonically said she was pretty okay with the idea of having a threesome with halara but other than that im not that interested

Zilch (Real) - 9/10 yeah these two should bond over their love of animals and i follow the "zilch's ears are organically attached to him also he has a tail" headcanon which i think halara would love. that's halara's pet freak

Swank - 6/10 picture this: halara visits the biggest casino in kanai ward and gets into a win streak in poker. they're attracting a crowd. swank is there gambling his blood money and goes to check the commotion to see halara at the center of it. their eyes meet, and there's this spark of competition. they play a long and tense game of poker- one in which halara comes out on top. swank is seething at his loss, but he also cannot deny the heat in his loins after spending all evening closely observing every detail of halara's face. halara sends him a wink, and the scene insta-cuts to them making out nasty style in a luxury suite. later that night, they both indulge in expensive gourmet foods and aged wine, bonding over the people they've swindled money out of. when the sun begins to peek over the horizon to mark a new day, halara dismisses themselves and returns to the NDA with brand new peacekeeper insider information. all according to keikaku

[thebestoftragedy]

content warning: video games.

as much as I would enjoy a beefy dlc/expansion for bg3 (hunting demons with K&W in avernus??) I also like knowing the game is Done and I don’t ever have to spend money on it a second time after buying it way back in 2020. and with eg da4/dav ea has set a really bad precedent because like, I know that shit won’t be done when it gets released, so other than I guess fomo re: being part of the Zeitgeist when it releases there’s not a compelling reason to pay full price at launch when I can get More Game 12-18 months from now when they put out some GOTY/complete/enhanced/whatever edition that will not cost $55-70.

if I knew it was going to be a Witcher 3 situation where both major expansions are definitively post-main-game content, that might be one thing, but da series is kind of infamous for having stupid dlc that adds mid game missions and entire fucking companions. and I am not playing da4/dav twice any time this decade, I am just not a person who replays long games. I have still never finished inquisition despite at least 3 major attempts because it’s long and boring and bad and the companions all suck except my bestie Cassandra and my worstie Solas. anyway maybe the vegan egg will be on my face in a couple months when I’m bored as shit and buy veilguard but. probably not.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Spoiled Gamers

On a different note ... still playing the Dredge DLC, and still seeing Reddit whining about it.

The complaints are basically, "No new areas; no new exploration! We're just going to the same areas again and seeing them just a bit different! Why are we bothering with this?"

And I sat there going, "But ... new mechanics, new ship upgrades, new tasks, new fish, new aberrations, new aberrations of the exotic fish that used to be once-in-a-lifetime catches and we can now farm if we want to, new types of bait, new story... We have new shit to spend the shitloads of money we keep picking up in this game and new stuff to do; how is that not enough?!?"

And then the lead dev (who is pretty much The Guy; it's not like he's got a huge dev team or anything) actually went onto the post (because we all know this guy has a Reddit account) and said ... basically the same thing: "We were actually shooting for different things in our two DLCs to date - Pale Reach was always about a new zone and a new fish type, while Iron Rig was about making use of all the money you pick up after awhile, giving you a different experience in the world during new playthroughs--" (because seriously it is such a different game if you start a new playthrough with Iron Rig installed than if you get to endgame and then run through Iron Rig) "--and telling a different kind of story to the ones we told in the base game and Pale Reach".

Which ... I mean ... yeah. All three are takes on mortals messing with shit they can't understand, but the themes are different. Base game is love; Pale Reach is ignorance; Iron Rig is greed. And people wanted new zone and new mechanics and new fish and new story ... and I guess they wanted all of those things wrapped up in each DLC, instead of having it spread out.

Do ... people really not understand the difference between a AAA studio, which only has staffing issues because it laid off thousands of people, and an indie studio, which has, like, maybe a couple of people, max? Like, I'm not complaining about how long it's going to take for the next chapter of Scarlet Hollow to come out because that is being made by two people, and only one of those people is doing every single drawing for that game. I get being demanding of AAA games because ... well, hell, we want something for the amount of money we're spending - because while I'm okay on cosmetic items as a concept, I'm not comfortable with the amount they expect us to pay for what sometimes just amounts to recolouring existing armour. I do not get being demanding of indie devs who are doing their best. It's like indie devs get all the backlash that should be reserved for the money-grubbing AAA games companies because "they're all the same", and they're not.

Be nice to your indie devs, people. The AAA games companies are starting to reach the point where the bubble they've been inflating for decades is about to burst. The industry has tanked before, and it's likely to tank again before rising up in a new form. If and when that happens, the indie devs are going to be producing the only new games we get, so ... be nice.

And as I say that, I am looking at the assholes who basically shut down Emika Games. Emika Games makes psychological horror walking simulators, for the most part, and most of them are not very long at all. They're also not very expensive. A whole bunch of people bought the games knowing damn well that the estimated play time was less than the two hour limit on Steam refunds, played them through once, and got a refund. So Emika Games never saw that money and apparently had to shut down entirely, not having enough money to finish the next game they wanted to put out (From Day To Day - the demo's out but it's been "TBA" for years).

This is why I never know how to feel about piracy, y'know. Like, I get not wanting to give certain companies money, but then there's the people who just steal from everybody because they feel entitled to stuff but don't feel like paying for it. It's a problem.

[coffee-in-veins]

You mentioning the DD 2 steam sale reminds me that despite the fact I bought the game early access, they expect people to buy it AGAIN if they want it on Steam. I can't put to words why it makes me so upset, I just want the fucking Steam icons!! And to not spend another $40 for them!!

hullo hullo!

thank you for the ask and sharing in my pain. and sorry for such a late reply, my inbox is a mess and I feel like i don't do it justice when people are trying to reach to me... i'm very sorry, I'll do my best to do better

to be honest, i'm kinda on the fence with all this 'exclusive early access'. especially with the DLC announced. they made people buy the game, and now will try to sell characters separately. don't get me wrong - this is an amazing monetary model... if you're the seller. have you noticed their wording in their answer to the questions about future DLCs?

translated from polite talk: If this crusader DLC is lucrative, we will make more DLCs with heroes you actually want, so if you wanna see the one you are actually interested, prepare to pay up! this feels almost like holding other heroes hostage so to speak - get enough cash to get previous ones or the one you actually want won't see the light of the day.

and i mean... this just reminds me so, so much of EA or Total War, you know? it sure is lucrative for them, people are dying to see their favs in gorgeous 3D (if they don't treat them like poor Damian over there but i digress...), and play with them in new maps against new bosses... i just dunno if i can be bothered to cough up 10$ or however much they'd want for each pair of them, you know? if we count all of the missing heroes and if they'll continue Crus' model (aka 1 oldie and 1 newcomer per DLC), DD2 becomes almost scarily expencive. especially where i am now.

honestly, with the amount of shit around me, i almost stopped monitoring the situation, but i am curious about the price they'll put on Rey fans to have him back (the achievements for Rey and Dis are just grinding the boot at this point imo), and how this all will be received. we'll have to wait an see, i guess.

but i'm scared that people will be happy and they will cough up that money, and RH will follow this monetization path, follow? not meaningful DLCs with mechanics like Farmstead or Crimson Court, but hero packs. and i am genuinely not sure what to feel about it. sure i'm happy Rey gets to be in DD2 but... shouldn't he be there by default? especially if they add achievements for him, Dis and the Usual Suspects. dunno. i don't want to be too negative or sound like a tin foil conspirator, but it almost feels like a planned idea? see if people want their old characters back, and then put a price tag on nostalgia and attachments and see if it will work.

[rallamajoop]

On Resident Evil 7

So in the interests of completionism, and because I am now officially that invested in the Winters family saga, I bought and played Resident Evil 7.

It was, as expected, much more survival-horror than RE8. Aiming is slower, ammo scarcer, inventory space even more limited, and enemies that much more bullet-sponge-y. It is also absolutely scarier – both in the tension-and-gore sense, and in the horrible-things-happening-to-normal-nice-people sense (which gets to me far worse). But then, slasher horror is generally much less my thing, so as much as I absolutely appreciate the work that went into building this game’s aesthetic and villains, it’s just not so much an experience for me as the high gothic horror of RE8.

Where finishing RE8 had me racing back to explore new difficulties, DLC and challenge modes, I just didn’t have the same drive to spend more time in the world and gameplay of RE7. As far as I’ve come in this genre, my stomach can only take so much before it all just becomes a bit unpleasant. This is not a fault of the game: I can fully sympathise with anyone who loved RE7 and was disappointed RE8 strayed so far in new directions – it’s just a very different experience.

That said, the two games do share more than you might think.

Both have their extended spooky openings to build atmosphere before the actual danger starts, punctuated by a big moment where someone Ethan trusted apparently turns on him to horrific effect, and where Mia apparently ‘dies’ (but not really). Then there’s a big cutscene where you meet the family of bosses you’ll be dealing with, which Ethan spends restrained and/or tied to a chair. You’ll be helped in your quest to navigate each boss’s territory by a mysterious ally (Zoe/the Duke), though mostly just via advice. And in both games, the last member of the boss family you'll face is a greasy, showboating SOB* who delights in taunting Ethan over speakers and making him run or fight for his life, and who’s actually not as loyal to the alpha-villainess as she thinks.

Towards the end, you suddenly find yourself playing as that-traitor-from-the-start, who gets to use a machine gun. You'll also get your chance to stop by a lab to read some documents explaining WTF has really been going on all this time. Finally, you discover that the creepy old lady you’d been seeing around the place was really the final boss all along.

We end with Chris Redfield and Mia in a helicopter, and the sinister insinuation that the company supplying all the guns and money to fix bio-terror outbreaks might actually be up to no good (that two different companies play this role in the two games isn’t really a sign of good continuity). The end, cue credits! (And remember to take a drink if any of this same stuff happens in RE9!)

But as much as RE7 has in common with its sequel on paper, I came away from it a lot less satisfied ‒ and not just because it's less my kind of game. Sure, the the final boss fight with Eveline has all the hallmarks of something completed at the last minute to meet a deadline – but the final Eveline section at least wraps up properly. The bigger problem is that by then, we’ve spent so much time setting up for a big boss fight with Lucas (psychotic Baker son, mad inventor and jigsaw-killer-wannabe) that never actually happens. Ethan escapes without ever actually facing Lucas directly.

We’re given so many reasons why Lucas should be a big deal: unlike his originally-nice-and-normal parents, Lucas was a killer long before being infected. He’s slipped Eveline’s control, and has even been working with the company that created her. But this last, potentially huge plot point really only exists as an excuse to have a few significant documents lying around for background on Eveline herself. Look, I did not even like this guy (I could not even get myself to play through the DLC he's in), and I still feel like he was done dirty.

The boss fight with Lucas has instead been saved for Chris Redfield’s DLC chapter – but it doesn’t really deliver there either. There, Lucas is apparently selling research data to some sinister, unnamed party, but we never learn what or who – it’s a sequel hook the actual sequel had no interest in. Otherwise, he murders a few redshirts (because what’s Chris Redfield going to do with himself if he’s not losing people in the field?) then morphs into a utterly-generic big-mutant-monster for the boss fight. It’s all the kind of generic faff you could find in any RE game.

We do also learn that those Umbrella-branded helicopters are being run by a ‘new’ Umbrella that claims it’s reformed, and is trying to make up for the mistakes of the past by funding anti-bioterror operations, and that Chris is working for them despite not really trusting them… and now you know as much about the subject as you’ll learn in the whole DLC. More setup with no real payoff.

The other major plot point the game just leaves hanging is Mia. I love the big reveal that she used to work for the company that created Evaline, the whole section where you play as her – but it leaves so many more questions hanging. How did Mia end up working for such evil people? How did she justify it to herself for so long? Were blackmail or threats involved? And most of all, how’s Ethan going to react to finding out? He’s asking those questions out loud just a few scenes before the Mia reveal, and yet, the ending is in such a rush to tell us he’s happily starting over with Mia that it all falls through the cracks. (I mean, there’s some lovely horror potential in the idea of all those secrets still lurking under their relationship, but if that was the intent, it’s woefully underplayed.)

Speaking of Mia, I do think the game could’ve stood to make it a lot more obvious a lot sooner that the Bakers are, y’know, not her real family. We don’t know jack about Mia going on, but Ethan should at least react when she starts talking about ‘Daddy’ – a line or two to the effect of, “What are you on about? Your Dad’s from Texas – I've met the guy!” or something would’ve gone a long way.

Zoe’s story is similarly done dirty by the ending: whether you save or abandon her, she just vanishes afterwards and is never mentioned again. Resolution has (again) been left for the DLC.

I did like Zoe’s prequel DLC: hot damn does it deliver on the story, atmosphere and horror (seriously, it delivers so hard on that last point that I do not think I could sit through it again). Seeing the Baker family as they used to be, pre-Evaline, just drives home the tragedy so much harder, and I love that Zoe got a little more time in the spotlight. But the “End of Zoe” DLC reduces her to a MacGuffin, with nothing more than a “and eventually Chris’ people find and cure her” tacked on at the end to wrap up her story. GDI, she deserves better!

The big problem plaguing both Mia and Zoe is that I just don’t think the game’s big ‘choose who to save’ decision moment works: it just doesn’t pay off. Save Mia, and she and Ethan will get separated in the swamp, you’ll play through her flashback sequence, and she’ll be alive at the end. Save Zoe, and she’ll get nabbed by Eveline again anyway, and Mia will still wake up in the same place in the swamp for the same big flashback sequence. Sure, you’ll also have to fight and kill Mia when she becomes possessed again – but her death is given so little emotional weight that what’s the point? Either ending leaves us with all those loose threads and unfinished stories.

The whole issue is a pretty classic example of what I call the Schrodinger’s Character problem: if an NPC can be simultaneously alive or dead, then neither outcome can have any real impact on the plot. Our hapless NPC just has to sit in their box, somewhere out of the way (presumably in some state of awkward quantum superposition ‒ though hopefully they at least get to pet the cat). Similar problems can comes up in any branching narrative where the branching is more a gimmick than a feature. Sure, devs may intend to fully develop both possibilities, but that’s twice as much work as just ignoring any inconvenient differences, and thus the first thing to end up on the cutting room floor come crunch. And that’s never more glaring than when Schrodinger’s Character is the PC’s wife (or brother – Deus Ex was terrible this way too), and the game can’t even be arsed to give them a proper half-a-cutscene to grieve before putting them right back on the horse again. Nor is saving them all that much more satisfying when it makes so little difference.

I also can’t help feeling RE7 really missed a trick with Zoe, when you finally see her face for the first time and she’s just… completely normal. Up to then, she’s been this mysterious voice on the phone who seems to know exactly what Ethan’s been doing at all times, but never intervenes in person. Add in the fact we know she’s infected, and it all feels like it’s building to a much bigger reveal, right? Like, that she’s mutated to the point Ethan’s liable to lose his shit if he runs into her without warning – or perhaps even semi-embedded in one of those mould-walls, where she’s able to feel what’s going on all over the house through the mycelium network. Or at least that she’s been holed up in some sort of underground surveillance bunker full of tinned beans and bottled water, physically unable to leave without Evaline getting her. There’s so much they could’ve done with the reveal!

To be clear, I don’t think the game’s failure to explain Zoe’s weirdness is a serious flaw: her phone calls are wonderfully creepy and effective, and that’s so much more important to horror than clear explanations. But not doing more with her still feels like a missed opportunity.

None of this is to say RE8’s ending was flawless by comparison: there are dangling questions and clunky sequel-hooks there too (what went wrong with the ceremony? Why were Miranda’s powers ‘leaving her’? Why are we suddenly teasing the idea the BSAA has gone bad when we haven't heard about them all game? etc). But the greater story felt finished to me in a way RE7 just didn’t. Plenty is left mysterious, but Ethan’s character arc is functionally complete.

On the whole though, there’s still plenty to recommend RE7 as an experience. The atmosphere was everything it needed to be, the old videos and creepy phone calls were solid little mechanics, and I kind of adored the design of Lucas’ horror-escape-room puzzle. I love the subtlety of burying an explanation for how Ethan's able to reattach his hand (and even his leg goddamnit I had no idea that was a thing that could happen until just recently!) in the middle of a document you won't pick up until the endgame, and which many will miss. Seriously, there is some great material in this game.

The villains all live up to the enjoyably campy extremes of the RE series at its best – but it was Marguerite who stood out for me, and I think it’s a crying shame she’s mostly relegated to the middle-chapter between the big events that are Jack, Lucas and Eveline. Nothing against the rest of them, but creepy little girls, dominating father figures, and jigsaw-killer-wannabes are all a dime a dozen in this genre: how many gleefully-revolting, middle-aged mother figures can you think of? That’s rare enough to be really memorable.

Ethan is, unavoidably, a somewhat flatter character than he gets to be in RE8 – he just doesn’t get the opportunity to react to so many things he so obviously should, and that’s very much a script issue (his voice actor does a fine job with what he’s given). Even so, some of his snarky conversations with Zoe are a delight, as is every other time he gets to express his frustration with the whole mad situation.

By contrast, Mia is so much more complex than she gets to be in RE8, where she’s honestly done pretty dirty. And having now played RE7, I’m retroactively a little disappointed that RE8 wasn’t about Ethan and Mia getting to be some kind of awesome battle couple (unconducive to horror as that might be): they’re both kind of badass when they actually get the chance.

So, yeah. At the end of the day, RE7 and RE8 make a very weird little duology. It's well worth checking out at least a Let’s Play of RE7 or a compilation of cutscenes if you loved RE8, just for backstory. But it’s not a game really designed for the same audience – and for me at least, just a much less satisfying experience overall.

*Considering how far apart they are on the fangirl-bait scale, I feel sort of like I ought to apoologise to Heisenberg and his fanbase for even comparing him to Lucas Baker, but I'm sorry: on paper, they do have rather a lot in common.

[narratingvoice]

Beloved fans, it has been almost a year since Stanley and I have returned to your computer screens and expanded into the wide world of console gaming. To commemorate our tremendous worldwide success, I've decided to push the limits of the game even further to deliver what you, the players, want most. You may have thought Ultra Deluxe was the end of our adventure, but in fact, it was just the beginning! Today I am thrilled to announce what is sure to be the definitive version of my legacy. Introducing....

The Stanley Parable SUPER Ultra Deluxe: Game of the Century Edition

Folks, this is not an update or DLC to your existing copy. This is a brand-new remaster packed with so much new content, you'll never want to touch another game. It will absolutely be worth the price point of $60 USD, falling in line with other games of its calibre. Come with me and explore some of the incredible new features you'll find in TSPSUD:GOTCE.

ENDLESS MODE

I've listen to your requests, and what you want is more, more, more content! And if you wish to spend forever with my game, firstly I'm flattered, and secondly I am glad to acquiesce. Not to mention that it's better for my bottom line, too, as you can clearly see from this graph that the secret to success in video games is more content.

Listen, my long tail wasn't as long as I thought it was and server maintenance isn't free. However, I also regrettably am only one person and cannot write an infinite amount of story. But you know what can? A machine! That's why the new Endless Mode will feature environments and scripts entirely generated by ChatGPT, which has been trained on the entire original script for the Parable. You'll wander around randomly generated hallways, listening to an automated version of my voice delivering randomly generated stories. The end is truly never the end when you experience this gameplay!

2. MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER PARABLE

But don't think the original story mode is getting left behind. When you play through Stanley Parable Classic, you'll be able to see other players who are in the exact same location as you in real time. But the ingenious part is that there will be absolutely no means to communicate with anyone you encounter in this way. Online chat features in games are always filled with the worst dregs of humanity, and I don't want any other people talking over me as I deliver my favourite lines. You will simply have dozens of silent companions crammed into the room with you as you listen to my mellifluous voice. Isn't the nice? Doesn't that give you the illusion of human connection that you crave so dearly?

3. IN-GAME CURRENCY

I believe a few changes are necessary for the long-term health of the game, and I do not say this lightly. I feel this is a necessary step toward my goal of preserving and improving the unique experience of playing The Stanley Parable. So for TSPSUD:GOTCE, I'm implementing Parabucks®, a new premium currency model. You'll be able to randomly find the coins by playing Endless Mode, and you'll also get a free login bonus of 10 Parabucks® every day that you play. What do they pay for? Collectibles, of course!

You can head on over to the new StanleyStore® to buy accessories to decorate your Stanley for the benefit of other players (see point 2 above). Or if you're feeling lucky, you can pay 50 Parabucks® to open the Mystery Door and get a random collectible - and some are only obtainable this way! Will you pull the SSS-Rare Golden Figley?? Only time, and money, will tell. Running low on Parabucks®? You can always buy more at the low low price of $10 for 1000 coins. What a steal!

This is all just a taste of the seasonal roadmap planned out for TSPSUD:GOTCE. When does it release? Well, if you haven't figured it out by now....

I'M DONEY WITH THE FUNNY!!!

[sleepyserena]

Some thoughts about the final shape (the DLC)

on one hand, i have been outspoken about the dangers of online only, live service games, and the practices their publishers continue to implement to rake in the largest amount of player retention and money possible quarter over quarter. I keep thinking to myself, “do i really want to support this kind of business model, knowing the servers could shut down at any moment and that there is very little possibility of an offline patch?” it would be hypocritical of me to spend money on the final shape when I’ve been so adamant about the fragility of digital goods, the psychological impact of FOMO tactics, and the prevalence of “you had to be there” in reference to an ongoing experience like destiny. I also have strong feelings on preordering things.

on the other hand, i like playing with my friends. This game has been the catalyst for a lot of friendships and i cherish the time i spend with them through the game. I’ve also spent so much time and money on destiny over the years that sunk cost fallacy is rearing its ugly head and I’m thinking it’s too late to back out now, I’m already so invested. I also think to myself “everything is limited: time, money, life. Why don’t i try and enjoy the content the game’s offering, and enjoy it with people i enjoy being around?”

I’m also so consumed by completionism and collecting, that i MUST have all of the new things, all of the new titles and triumphs and guns. It’s a problem I’ve been struggling with for a long time, most likely because i tie my self worth to what i can achieve, and this is what i can achieve. And I’m worried that final shape will just fuel that fire and not solve the root problem. Because at the end of the day it’s more content, with more things to obtain and feats to achieve.

But it’s also a story, a story that has been building up for 10 years, the climactic conclusion to the light and dark saga, and i don’t want to miss out on it, especially looking through the metaphorical window.

Yes, $124.99 is (in comparison to other MMOs (even though destiny isn’t really an MMO in the traditional sense)) is a reasonable asking price for a year’s worth of content. Yes, i don’t HAVE to buy the annual pass edition (and i probably shouldn’t, again, because of sunk cost fallacy). The basic edition comes with the expansion and the first episode, which is cool.

I want to be hyped about final shape. I want to join my friends in experiencing the expansion. But im just so conflicted because of my personal morals and stances, but maybe i can make an exception for destiny, but making exceptions just leads to more doubt, and if i can’t take a strong stand on something, then who am i really?

People have been so kind to me recently. I want to return that kindness by being there for them, even in a silly video game. Because this silly video game has meaning.

I don’t know, i just wanted to get these thoughts out there