#multiplayer Isaac is fun

[strogoff-era]

for your drawing requests, would love to see ned! :)

[id in alt]

i wanted him to be happy so he gets to play the nintendo ds :)

[joifee]

i know its only like 10 days into the new year but the most joy i have besides drawing what i did so far for the hermitshipping big bang (which will be uploaded within this month)

is watching my bestie @samyoki play binding of isaac over steam and then also letting them watch me

and both of us rooting for the other to win, cursing out Greed whenever he spawns inside the shop and overall losing a lot while playing. Also just seeing how differently we play the game.

but its sooooo much fun. I cant wait for multiplayer to get out of beta (already tried it out but despite backup it deleted all my stats)

[toriel-2]

binding of isaac is probably still my favorite, as well as probably the best, roguelike on the market. by a significant margin. risk of rain 2 has been fun and nuclear throne i will always love, i never played spelunky 2 but i did spend a large amount of time in 1. but none of them really compare in terms of scale, and if i had to guess why its probably because its a game thats been expanded several times over the course of several years with multiple different peoples hands in it, you get multiple routes to choose from and beating the game is actually a feasible yet challenging endeavour instead of a complete item rng crapshoot. except for delirium. you get 34ish characters to play that are on the whole vastly different from each other, and IMHO at least a good 80% of the cast offers something unique and fun to really make each experience feel different from the last. if nuclear throne had twice the roster and like 50% more mutations it'd probably be just as good in my eyes jsyk. risk of rain 2 is a fun addicting unique experience and really the online multiplayer is definitely a selling point but if i had to choose between this and isaac id probably pick isaac

[shadowbunnydragon]

To Mike, Isaac and Eli:

Since you three like playing games together, whether fighting games or FPS, which game is your favourite to play? Mine's System Shock, mainly because it perfectly nails that modern pixel game vibe.

Mike: "I love going on open-world adventures in Skylid! I like to make myself a nordic wolf warrior! ... Even if I do end up turning into a stealth archer after a while..."

Isaac: "Pfft! Who doesn't? Anyways, for me, despite all the... well, controversy with its release... and how many patches it needed to actually work, I love playing Cyber-Hunt 2077! Getting to explore all the secrets of the bright and corrupt Midnight City and the surrounding wastelands, with so many things to do!"

Eli: "Uh... I know that it's n-not the most well-known game out there... but I really like playing Sunset Override! I-it's just so bright and wacky and lots of fun! You get to bounce around on objects and grind electrical poles, and the DLC was a lot of fun too!"

Mike: "If you meant games we can play together in multiplayer though... We d play a lot of Barkio Party games! But I think the most fun we've had together is playing Ocean of Robbers!"

Isaac: "ARRRRG MATEYS! LET US SET SAIL FOR ANOTHER ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS AND PLUNDER THAT ANCIENT TREASURE!"

Eli, laughing: "It is pretty fun playing Starmew Valley with friends though too."

Mike: "True! Starting up a new farm, everyone loads in, and we all work together to make it awesome!"

Isaac: "I like it when we can get the greenhouse repaired, and keep the same crops going year round!"

[jamie101]

My Favourite Single Player Video Games I Played in 2023

(Inspired by @a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats' post)

Disclaimer: most of these games are relatively well-known/popular, and at least a few didn't come out this year, but these are all games I played this year that had a lasting impact on me.

In no particular order:

Dredge

I was interested in this from the initial trailer, and the final game definitely delivered. You play as the new fisherman of a tiny island town, making ends meet while uncovering uncanny secrets beneath the waves. The gameplay is fun and involved (a mixture of time and inventory management) but easy enough to master. The main elements that have stayed with me are the visual style and score/sound design, both of which really lift the game's atmosphere - it's almost relaxing at times, but never quiiiiite loses that edge of unease.

Book of Hours

I was (am) a big fan of Cultist Simulator, so Book of Hours was one of my most anticipated titles this year. The fantastic tone and writing of CS is still present, really putting these games in a league of their own. The gameplay is still faithful to the first game's style and mechanics, but also branches out in a lot of fun ways - the far more detailed and lively board of Hush House and the nearby village add a much more solid setting. One small issue I take is that the systems and learning curve for BoH are just as complex and involved as CS, but without as much ability to start over and apply new knowledge - BoH is designed to be a single longer playthrough rather than multiple "runs", which might mean you find yourself a good number of hours deep before realising you've been engaging with the mechanics wrong the entire time. This is partly why I'm still to complete the game; I do still look forward to doing so eventually, though.

Darkest Dungeon II

Darkest Dungeon is one of my favourite games of all time. I've played the sequel ever since it first entered early access in 2022, and while I understand why a significant number of DD1 fans seemingly weren't too fond of it (the overarching gameplay is fairly different from the first game, taking a much more roguelite form reminiscent of Slay the Spire) I got on with it well, even moreso since the game's full v1.0 release this year - the progress and updates made throughout early access were really encouraging to see, and the finished game is a very worthy sequel that also works as a standalone title. The transition from static 2D sprites to fully animated 3D models, while maintaining the iconic and unique artstyle of Darkest Dungeon, is also really impressive.

The Case of the Golden Idol

I've been aware of this game ever since watching a stream of the first couple chapters a year or so ago, but was inspired to pick it up myself after the announcement of a sequel at this year's Game Awards (maybe one of the few games announced there I'm genuinely excited for). I don't scratch my puzzle game itch enough, and Golden Idol has made me keen to seek out more - solving a series of interlinked "mysteries" via observation of the environment and participants to obtain words and clues which you then piece together on a separate screen. I got through the game and both DLCs in around 3-4 days, but consider that time very well spent based on the number of genuine "eureka" moments I experienced alone.

Other Games I Played and Enjoyed: Return of the Obra Dinn, Receiver, The Binding of Isaac (Rebirth/Afterbirth/Repentance)

Multiplayer Games I Enjoyed/Am Currently Enjoying: Lethal Company, Party Animals

If you've read this far, thanks very much! This is mostly a personal record to look back on, but please feel free to pass on any recommendations or let me know what your top games were this year.

And With That, the Game of the Year 2023 (and Every Year Hereafter) is: OUTER WILDS

[theneverendingbacklogblog]

Thoughts on Dead Space Remake.

From the Evil Assholes (EA) that brought you (closing a famous and renowned studio) and Star Wars Battlefront 2s PR nightmare, EA has produced a stellar remake of its beloved horror Dead Space, without any unnecessary multiplayer or micro transactions tacked on, (As of writing this 22/2/23), which I now publish five months later.

Dead Space looks amazing, with an updated engine, and textures to match the powerhouse units of 2023, the USG Ishimura has never looked better, and never been more traumatizing to stay alive in. Isaac has also received a facelift, modelled to look like his voice actor Gunner Wright. Several roles have also been recast, Hammond and Daniels, with the new actors smashing their roles out of obit.

The story still follows the originals faithfully, albeit with several characters more fleshed out, several new side quests which give more time for side characters to shine. Isaac also drops his strong silent act, and instead comments on the scenario that he finds himself in, making the game feel a lot more natural, for instance Issac swears if he runs out of ammo, or if the player decides to spam the stomp button repeatedly. Neat!

The game is a technical masterpiece, the player can travel around the ship, and backtrack at their leisure, something the original did not allow, when I returned to previous areas, I found Necromorphs who I had killed, lying in the same position from hours before, next to ammo or pieces of the environment I used to kill them.

The games lighting and sound is something to be cheered about, I haven’t felt a more tense atmosphere in a horror game as of late. Hearing Nercomorphs in the walls, and far off in the distance creates a stellar atmosphere dripping with fear of what’s outside the range of my flashlight. Taking away that lighting and leaving the areas in pitch darkness, with the player only being able to use their torchlight to see, is another added mechanic that is a chef’s kiss.

Frustrating elements have been removed, such a transporting a huge spoiler through an area, instead, the player must survive a gauntlet before moving on to the next story beat. As well as the old gravity moving mechanic, instead of having to aim and jump spot to spot, Isaac can use his rocket jets in Zero G, a mechanic that feels fun to use, and could have been a disaster if the programmers didn’t get it right.

All in all, Dead Space 2023 is a game that should delight new players, and make old players rejoice. Gameplay feels fresh, and fun. A fresh face lift has brought this game back to life much like the Necromorphs in the game, it’s a solid horror, with fantastic action thrown in. I have high hopes for a Dead Space 2 Remake. If you are a fan of sci fi horror, this game is highly recommended.

[pipcoded]

Isaac multiplayer is so much fucking fun i haven’t had this much fun with a game in ages. haven’t laughed this hard in ages. man.

[ullerrm]

Random thoughts on Horizon: Forbidden West

Finished up H:FW tonight; just a bit over the 100 hour mark for all trophies / ~95% completion. Some unsorted thoughts.

TLDR: Overall worth the money, with caveats.

Even good games start to wear out at the 80-hour mark, and I usually start shifting from exploration “let’s DFS all the content” mode to a "fuck it, let's power through this and wrap it up this week" mode. The very few exceptions are either creative (e.g. Minecraft), procgen (e.g. Binding of Isaac, Slay the Spire, etc.), or have some social/multiplayer element to keep the player going. 

H:FW was no exception, and after spending ~90 hours doing sidequests I started running out of steam and set a goal of powering through it by Thanksgiving... only to find that I had actually finished most of the content, and the endgame was actually all that was left.

Some reviewers felt that the map was overloaded and cluttered with the sheer amount of stuff to do in the game. This didn't bother me much, but I've always enjoyed massive open-world games so I may be atypical there. And the "swipe up to show the full HUD" is great and something I want to steal for work projects, to be honest.

The plot is a definite improvement from H:ZD -- not only higher stakes, but a much better presentation, with fewer info-dump monologues. More show, less tell.

Combat parts of gameplay were good, but left me feeling slightly conflicted. The core conceit of "remove weapons and armor plates, shoot at weak spots" is still the same; it’s still fun, and they give a bunch of new tools to accomplish it. But H:FW also starts to have a power creep problem, especially in the end game where you're doing thousands of damage per hit. Their compensation for that ends up being adding enemy moves that can stun and juggle you, especially with the new Plasma element that takes your hands off the controls for 5-6 seconds at a time. During the end game, I found myself switching to more aggressive, higher-damage tactics and spamming Cleanse Potions, not because the machines were any threat to my safety, but because getting repeatedly stunned and watching Aloy's ragdoll animation was frustrating and dragging out the fight's length. In the end, was it worth playing? Definitely, given that I stuck it out for 100+ hours. The story carried it in the end! But I also hope they streamline combat a bit more in the next offering.

[spitblaze]

what are your indie games recs for someone who only knows the extremely popular ones like Undertale, Cuphead and FNAF?

I mean...that really depends on what you're looking for, doesn't it? The great thing about Indie is that it's an entire world of people who decided they wanted to see a certain kind of project in the world, then went off and made it. I could give you recommendations all day, but ultimately 'indie' just means 'made by an independent developer', and doesn't have any sort of genre connotations.

But I assume that's not what you mean- you're probably looking for stuff a rung or two down on the Indie Iceberg, right? There are for sure a myriad of these, and I'll list some off- no preference for genre, just games that fit the bill of the games you listed in the ask- visually impressive and/or deep and unique in narrative.

Keep in mind- you probably know a good few indie games already! Stardew Valley, Hades, Binding of Isaac- all games made by independent developers, all three achieving massive levels of success. I’m of the opinion that the age of AAA games may not be ending, per se, but with their near single-minded focuses on hyperrealism and money-grubbing micro-transactions and multiplayer-exclusive games, a lot more indie games-ones that promise fun single-player campaigns, distinctive and non-realistic art direction, and the tackling of subjects and narratives that most AAA companies wouldn’t DARE touch, because they don’t have any investors to answer to. People are looking more towards independent developers to innovate the game scene than the Big Guys, and that’s something I think is incredible!

That being said- what I’m gonna give you here is a good sampling of some indie classics, and a few personal favorites, and I can only hope you find something here you end up loving.

I have a good few to show, so I’m gonna put this under a read more, games and brief pitches under the cut.

FEZ is an absolute classic, for good reason. The visual aesthetics, the soundtrack, the simple puzzles that are mostly there in service of worldbuilding, the world design- you COULD call it a metroidvania, but what it is is a 2d platformer built from the ground up around exploring the strange and beautiful world Gomez lives in. It's one of my favorites, for sure.

Thomas Was Alone is another 2d puzzle platformer, and a pretty simplistic one at that. You are a rectangle, and you are going up and to the right to reach your goal. The different rectangles you play as have different gimmicks, and when they team up, you can use these gimmicks to aid the other rectangles in getting to the goal. Simple enough, but where it deviates from any other run-and-jump platformer is the narrative- about discovering the nature of the world they live in, about self-discovery and camaraderie, and these characters are all, may I remind you, rectangles. If you want to be so invested in a game's narrative that you end up crying about colored rectangles, Thomas Was Alone is the game for you.

It’s...difficult to really give Papers, Please a genre. The best I can really do is call it a ‘simulation’, but, uh, what you’re simulating is being a border guard in a fictional cold-war era authoritarian communist regime. It’s one of those games that’s not meant to be fun, it’s meant to make you FEEL something, and what it makes you feel like is...I mean, you heard me describe what it’s supposed to simulate. Mostly what it does is throw you situations to test your morality- do you let the person who’s trying to see their family but has an expired passport in at the expense of docked wages and a demerit on your record, or deny them in order to make sure your OWN family stays fed? It’s really hard to explain in a paragraph what makes Papers, Please so good but you should for sure give it a try. People have described it as ‘one of the few games that can be described as true art’ and while I...resent the implications of that sentence, it’s hard to disagree that this game is art, in almost every sense of the word.

Hey! Guess what! Supergiant Games made an action adventure game before Hades, and it’s called Bastion! Now- Bastion isn’t a roguelike, it’s a much more traditional action adventure title, as far as the gameplay goes. The world is rendered in a beautiful painterly style, the music absolutely BUMPS, and the narrative is a timeless tale about squabbles between countries, the pointlessness of it in the face of things like a calamity, and what comes after the end of the world. One of my favorites on this least, easily.

Did you love Paper Mario 64, Thousand Year Door, and Super Paper Mario? Were you disappointed with Sticker Star and Color Splash? Do you miss how the ‘paper’ in ‘paper mario’ used to be more incidental and not the core gimmick of the game? Then play Bug Fables! Not only is it Paper Mario but without the Mario, the entire world is full to bursting with charming characters and places. I haven’t played it yet myself, but it’s for sure on my to-play list, and I don’t know a single person who HAS played it and came away disappointed. If you like turn-based RPGs, give it a look!

I’m gonna go ahead and assume you don’t know about Deltarune, Toby Fox’s most recent (and ongoing) endeavor. On a technical level, it’s really just more Undertale, and I’m very down with that. And if you liked Undertale’s metanarrative, then BOY are you gonna like Deltarune and the themes it explores. The first chapter is a little more barebones than the second chapter, mostly because after chapter 1 Toby decided that he needs a dev team of more than...two people, but that doesn’t mean you can just skip chapter one- it is ESSENTIAL that you play chapter 1, in fact, otherwise you’re not getting the full experience. I don’t think I’m selling this very well. Look, it’s a very good game with very good characters and once you play it you’ll finally understand why everyone is posting that weird little black and white conman everywhere- but if you can, Deltarune, much like Undertale, is best played going in completely blind, so if you can, do that.

And I’m gonna take a minute to plug something OTHER than Psychonauts or Earthbound or Wandersong- you should play Katamari Damacy! Now- only the remastered version of the first game is available on steam, and I personally believe the best Katamari game is We Love Katamari, but that one’s a little more difficult to play unless you have a PS2 (or an emulator coughcough), and the first game is still an absolute classic and a favorite of mine. The point of the game is simple enough- roll stuff up in a ball, and when you roll it big enough, your father will finally be proud of you and will turn it into a star to replace the ones he destroyed after he was so happy of you rolling a katamari that he got drunk and destroyed them all. Yes, Katamari Damacy is very weird. I will warn that Katamari 1′s physics are a lot less forgiving than 2. Not to the point that it’s bad or unplayable, but it can be a great deal more frustrating than its sequel, especially with time limits, so it’s perfectly understandable to be more interested in watching than playing. Regardless, Katamari Damacy is a game that nobody would be worse off for having experienced, check it out if you can.

And I have so...SO many more games I could recommend, both on PC and published on platforms, but if I did that I’d be sitting here all night, so I’ll leave you with this for now. Don’t be shy about asking for more, though, I’m always eager to tell people about my favorite games!

[arthotsglasses]

Ikevam bois as Minecraft players

in result of my braincells being active at 2am. not a writer. Idk if many people will get the Minecraft jokes but if you do, have fun reading lol (also plz play with me)

Napoleon

Generally good at everything, very good at PvP as well.

Sometimes speedruns. Can one cycle the dragon if he wants too

Always rides his horse.

Very good at bedwars cuz you know he really likes them beds.

Sometimes duels Jean.

Always says gg after game ends.

Mozart

Noteblocks, jukebox, owns all the disks. (the real one who created pigstep lmao jkjk)

His Minecraft house be very clean. Chests and inventory are very well organized.

Probably the one who lives in the End so it's quiet and peaceful.

Or maybe in the icy mountains.

Has minecraft default music playing in the background.

Leonardo

Probably is on his 100 year hardcore mode world.

Has a massive and beautiful structures built in them

Also knows how to make all kinds of mob farms.

Redstone engineer.

Maybe some potions brewing going on too

Knows all the commands and uses them in smart ways.

Knows how to code

Arthur

Very good at murder mystery game. Maybe cops and crimes too.

He is the one who does the troll videos. He will dig and make traps for his friends to fall into.

Decent at classic survival, has good game sense. maybe some speed running too~

He has all the Minecraft girlfriends.

All the hoes will know when he logs on to his multiplayer server.

Ok at PvP

“Oh it appears that my ender pearl landed in your dms ;)” cheesy ass minecraft pickup lines that always gets rejected.

Theo

Builds a huge gallery to insert his bro's paintings.

Owns a gallery Minecraft server where people can join to view and submit Minecraft arts and builds.

Probably lives and loves the nether this boi is crazy.

He be baking cakes, that’s his only food source.

Has dog as pets.

Vincent

PAINTINGS

Professional builder. Gets commissioned to build stuff for other people’s servers.

He is good at building beautiful stuff too

Probably Comte got him to build stuff for his server.

Has a sunflower field in his backyard

has many artworks hung up in his house.

probably has an axolotl pet

Can destroy you in PvP if he needs to tho.

Works on his crops farm on his spare time.

Isaac

Another Redstone engineer, more like genius

Makes those Redstone graphic calculators, computers, solving Rubik's cube and stuff lmaoooo

very bad at PvP save this boi plz

Also bad at survival... he dies on the first night all the time..

Knows how to use the debug menu tho. Calculates distance, e-ray and all the math stuff.

Dazai

He is just in here for the chaos lol

He is one of those players who will do like "100 skeletons vs 100 zombies who will win?"

Mostly just doing random ass experiments in creative mode.

Another troller guy. Will make stupid traps for Isaac to fall into. (May collab with Arthur to make those)

Spawns in withers in places just to watch some shit go down lol

He also loves the nether cuz it's chaotic and dangerous. Gotta make friends with those ghasts

All birds follow him cuz why not

Surprisingly knows how to breezily bridge.

Jean

PvP god, knows how to god bridge.

The quiet one that everyone fears. If you are in his skywars game, there’s no hope for you.

Friends with Enderman

Lives in the End as well with Mozart. It's nice and quiet there.

Will not kill animals for food source. Only eats like cooked kelp lmao

Comte

Probably owns a massive multiplayer server ngl.

Also the real owner of the Woodland Mansion.

Will build a huge fancy mansion for his residents to live in.

He will spawn an army of iron golems if you are his enemy.

The operator of pretty much all servers. Will not hesitate to ban you if you cheat or bad manners.

Shakespeare

The ImPoStEr

He is one of those that will Lava bucket your wooden house.

Massacre the entire village. No more villagers, place is burnt down.

Purposely gets bad omen, then walk into a village.

He will put creepers in your house.

Bad murder in murder mystery, he will always get caught.

But he got his bunny crew as usual

Also lives in the nether. Probably the fortress cuz he be like that.

He writes some poetic shit in game lobby chat.

Likes snooping on other’s smp on spectator mode to watch shit go down.

Sebas

Helps Comte run and maintain the massive server.

Admin, mod, and watchdog at the same time.

If there's a bug in the server, either he will fix it or he gets Leo's help to fix it.

He is the guy to go to when the bois run out of food.

[cerigotgame-blog]

Looking for Collaborative Co-Streamers! Every Saturday at 3-7pm PST, possibly more as availability expands Contact @cerigotgame on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook or email cerigotgame@gmail.com (please put "co-streamer" in the subject line) For over a year now, I've reliably streamed every Saturday at 3-7pm PST and while it's been fun, I think we can all agree it would be MORE fun if we injected some new lifeblood into the stream by rotating in new co-streamers! If that sounds like you might like to take part, then keep reading! Generally I stream from PC, but I also have a capture card along with PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. I prefer cooperative crafting games like 7 Days to Die and Ark: Survival Evolved, but I'm willing to play almost anything (as long as people are entertained and I'm having at least a little bit of fun). While there are a great deal of games I've had some experience with already, I think it might be more entertaining, and a better entry point for viewers if I were to try out totally new experiences each week. If you're not familiar with any of these games either, then you can still feel free to contact me and perhaps _I_ can guide _you_ if/when I become familiar with them. Otherwise, if you're already experienced at one of these games and you'd like to guide me during a co-stream, then please use the contact info above to let me know! (in approximate order of desire to play) --I would also love to find a video chat-oriented Tabletop Campaign to join, livestreamed or not!-- [[Multiplayer Games I've Rarely or Never Played]] -Deep Rock Galaxy -Raft -GTAV Multiplayer (I beat the SP Campaign) -Call of Duty (except for a little bit of Zombies many years ago) -League of Legends -Valorant -Apex Legends -Counterstrike -DotA -Hearthstone -Rust -PUBG -Path of Exile -Lost Ark -Devour [[Multiplayer Games I'm semi to very familiar with]] -Super Smash Bros Ultimate -Ark: Survival Evolved -7 Days to Die -Remnant: From the Ashes -Dark Souls (any) -Destiny 1 & 2 -Overwatch -Fortnite -Resident Evil 4-6 -Dead Space 3 -Diablo 1-3 -Dead By Daylight -Conan Exiles -Binding of Isaac -Borderlands (any) -World of Warcraft -Sea of Thieves -Left 4 Dead -Minecraft -DayZ -Don't Starve Together -Among Us -Fall Guys [[Singleplayer Games I've Rarely or Never Played]] -Any Resident Evil since 6 (including Resident Evil Village) -Any Silent Hill (I love the story but I'm too scared to play!) -Five Nights at Freddies -Returnal -Undertale [[Singleplayer Games I'm semi to very familiar with]] -Alan Wake -Amnesia -Elite Dangerous -Rogue Squadron -Genshin Impact Are there any games not listed above that you're familiar with and think would be good streaming content? Let me know! Again, here's my contact info: Contact @cerigotgame on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook or email cerigotgame@gmail.com (please put "co-streamer" in the subject line)

[sorashiro001]

Continuation of Freemanverse: Casual-Comp Gaming AU; OG Half-Life Edition

(R if you read this, can you wake me up at 1 AM later? I still have assignments)

Got another stockpile of ideas to dump, so here we go fellas!

- Eli “J. M0ses” Vance (40 y/o) and Isaac “Lamarr” Kleiner (42 y/o)

Coach-Analyst pair for many esports games, including FPS, MOBA, and RTS. They were considered as one of the best pair in esports coach history. Both were ex-pro player of CS franchise before retiring after CSGO got released. They met young John who was known as one of the young prodigy, both in academic (Ph.D in MIT’s Theoretical Physics at 19 y/o) and gaming. Both of them then got hired by Black Mesa esports org as CSGO coach-analyst for few years before moving on to R6S coach-analyst. College teachers at community college on daytime and coach-analyst pair after work.

- Barney “BlueShift” Calhoun (28 y/o)

A pro player in FPS Multiplayer and John’s long-time gaming partner. Strangely got his username before Half Life: Blueshift got released. He’s the one that introduced John to FPS Multiplayer gaming and became his teammates throughout his days, except for John’s CoD days due to Barney got picked up early by Black Mesa esports org for CSGO team roster. He got benched after few months and got replaced by John himself, which frustrated him and decided to be a streamer for couple of months, before discovering R6S. Currently A vice-captain and flex in Black Mesa R6S roster.

- Adrian “DeltaF0rce” Shephard (31 y/o)

A young veteran who uses gaming to cope with his PTSD after his last deployment in Middle East and an ex-pro player in Real Time Strategy based games. Starcraft II was his first taste in the competitive gameplay before finally discovering Warcraft III. Currently working orgless as a streamer and a content creator in YouTube, trying newer RTS-based games as closed beta tester or joining smaller competitions for Warcraft III for fun. Once he had a serious conflict with John to the point that Eli and Isaac had to sit both of them down and talk them out from their problem.

- Alyx “D0G” Vance (17 y/o)

An upcoming young star for Racing games, much to her dad’s dismay. She found out about the genre when she saw one of iRacing tournaments and decided to learn more about them. After saving up for several months and with additional help of her parents and friends, she managed to built her own racing station with one of those wide monitors and specialized steering wheel controller. She climbed ranks and became one of the top ranked players among the adults at the age of 16 and attracted most pros’ attentions, including from Aperture esports org who aimed to hire her. Even though his dad is working for Black Mesa esports org, she’d rather play orgless.

- Wallace “@min” (Pronounced: Admin) Breen (56 y/o)

CEO of Black Mesa esports org. Not much of a gamer, but competent enough to maintain the massive org and its reputation. Not many people know about him, not even the media and his recruits. He got eyes for many future prodigy players before other pros got their attention. Passionate about his job and actually not an asshole and supportive towards all his org members. Once was working in government before quitting due to a case set against him by someone. Spends his time obliterating players in Online Chess esports.

Few notes below:

- How I got all Gordon’s middle name; Wayne is pretty obvious (from wayneradiotv, HLVRAI’s origin), Dean is from DeSinc’s first name (I think his full name is Dean Sinclair? That’s what he put on his Steam account), Ross is from his machinima creator’s name (Ross Scott), and Antoine is from the channel’s name (Antoine Delak, Gorgeous Freeman’s origin channel). As for John, however, that name is the first thing that popped up when I’m trying to get his middle name.

- Eli’s username is a reference from his HL:A voice actor’s name (James Moses Black).

- Once again, I’ll say this; BREEN IS A GOOD MAN IN THIS AU, WHILE HL GMAN WILL BE THE TRUE ASSHOLE THAT TRYING TO BUY BLACK MESA ESPORTS ORG.

- Also HL GMan and HLVRAI GMan are two different men. Yes, both of them works in government, but GMan Coolatta is one supportive dad to Tommy, who works as a content creator.

- Don’t worry, Black Mesa esports org will get a MASSIVE change and then the orgless characters will no longer orgless.

- Aperture have their own esports org too?! Yes, Valve was in for a big shock (I can hear Gaben having an existensial crisis there). I’m still planning for it, but Chell is a pro player at Tetris and Puyo-Puyo, while GLaDOS, and the cores got humanized and get their own roles as well. Cave Johnson is still alive and Caroline is the mother hen of the org’s recruits.

Bonus: Breen got his username from smol Alyx’s suggestion and still cherished that name in many interviews about his strange username.

[pleaseburger]

heyo :-) what is... your favorite video game

thank u for asking! get ready for a huge answer you probably didn’t want.

idk if I have just 1 favourite. lately I’ve been playing baldurs gate 3′s early access and it’s pretty great so far.. hmm what else

minecraft is of course a classic and I’ve been playing a ton of it in the last week or so (also minecraft dungeons is fun! ive played abt 10 hours of it). after me n my friends have gotten a good whiff of the vanilla experience I’d like to try modded MC again bc I know a lot of them haven’t even tasted it

I was playing among us a lot when it was first getting crazy popular. I’m a very good liar so naturally I love playing as imposter lmao

all of the pokemon games in gen 3 and 4 (INCLUDING pokemon XD) are I guess what you might call my “comfort games”

the elder scrolls series wants what the witcher 3 has

halo will always have a soft spot in my heart but I can’t stand to play FPS games anymore

I’ve played portal 2′s single and multiplayer all the way thru a combined total of 20ish times. love it

shovel knight is good but hollow knight is my favourite platformer by far just. the combat is so satisfying. the music is perfection. the ambiance and the worldbuilding. the characters. the dialogue. the sfx. *chefs kiss* mwah

i have a ton of hours in the isaac games (the orignal thru afterbirth) but heroes of hammerwatch is a hidden gem that I’ll always vouch for it’s like the ideal roguelike imo

rivals of aether is like if smash bros was actually fun :) played it a couple years ago I think it’s on switch now

deep rock galactic is another gem. you n your friends are dwarves and you go mining for valuables and you kill nasty creatures. the movement options are fun and mining is satisfying. also the lobby is the best lobby in any game ever. would reccommend

castle crashers is fun to kick back and play w your friends

I tried wizard of legend for a while and it’s very frustrating for me but like in a good way. I think. it’s fun but also grrrrrr

similarly to the last few kingsway is another little gem I need to investigate more I’ve played maybe 5 hours of it a couple years ago but it was so interesting and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the UI design of it

idk if this counts but I’ve been playing catan on switch lately with my friends. it’s catan so it’s a board game but it’s on the switch so it counts as a videogame I think.

I’ve been playing hearthstone pretty consistently for umm.. 6 or 7 years? it’s different now than what it was before but I still like it

runescape is probably my favourite though it’s just.. there’s something abt it that I’ll never get over. it feels like gielinor really lives and breathes and the community is how you say umm... insane? <3

(special shoutout to viridi. it’s just a plant. i had one going for like 3 years at one point I think)

[toriel-2]

risk of rain 2 has been pretty fun and ive been enjoying the rogue like nature of it but also my coworker saw and he wants to play it with me and a) Multiplayer roguelikes are super weird to me. it feels wrong and b) He's Never Played The Vanilla Game. He's Literally Only Played It With Modifiers On. The Modifiers That Make It Where Enemies Drop Items And You Can Pick What Item You Get. He Played The Vanilla Game Once And Died In The First Level. And He Insists On Only Playing It With The Modifiers On. Its Like If You Wanted To Play Binding Of Isaac Co-Op And Your Friend Was Like "Okay But I Only Play Greed Mode" You Are Tweaking

[radramblog]

Top 5 Games, ever...?

This was sort of on my mind, considering the recent GOTY post I made. Come explore the hyperfixations that managed to stick around long enough to be my top 5 list. 

5. Uhhhhhh

So turns out I haven’t figured out what number 5 is yet. I suppose instead I’ve got to split it among the honourable mentions, huh.

Kirby Super Star Ultra is probably the best game from the GBA/DS era of the series and is just a blast to play. It introduced Masked Dedede, and all the banging music and memes that come with it, and probably deserves a spot here just for that.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth removes all the awkward Flash Stuff from the excellent original, and adds so, so much more content- the game’s final expansion still isn’t out yet as of writing but even now there’s just so much to unlock. While some aspects of the game can be pretty unforgiving, you probably aren’t going to be exposed to the worst of it unless you get into it pretty hardcore, and if you do, you’ll get used to it. It’s a roguelike, after all.

Speaking of roguelikes, FTL: Faster than Light is chaotic yet serene, brutal but fair, and a bunch of other pretentious dichotomies wrapped into a neat little bow. It takes some getting used to the mechanics, but once you get the hang of it, building your little ship up and up in the face of all odds is extremely satisfying. Have fun dying hopefully not too many times.

SPEAKING of permadeath, Realm of the Mad God gets a spot here just out of sheer hours I’ve spent with it. After a messy few years with a not-so-great owner lead me to dropping the game, it seems finally to have recovered and has devs and community that actually freaking care about it, which is nice. Also, it’s free, and the recent transition to unity has the game looking better and playing smoother than 12-year-old me could ever have dreamed of.

Terraria isn’t just 2D Minecraft btw, its actually more of an RPG/Metroidvania thing, you probably know at this point, but its pretty good hey. Still haven’t fully dove into 1.4 but considering I thought Red was done at 1.1 I’m not complaining with what I have played.

 4. Fallout: New Vegas

(...ish??)

I’d argue that between the primitiveness of the original Fallout games (I’ve tried to get into them, but I just can’t) and how…meh… the other Bethesda ones are, New Vegas is the only one in the series to stand up strong. Obsidian’s excellent writing and tweaks to the gameplay of 3 make New Vegas feel like an actual world, rich and characterised, which was something I found lacking in previous open-world RPGs I’d played up until that point (which admittedly might just have been Skyrim). It’s a game that challenges you to make choices that actually matter for more than the mere moments of an altered dialogue tree, both in dialogue and character building, which helps make the game actually replayable. It is also the first game in a long time that really sold the idea of DLC on me, seeing as each of the game’s 4 expansions adds an entire new region of world with its own stories and unique gameplay, tying together with the main plot but standing on their own. I am excluding Gun Runner’s Arsenal from this for obvious reasons, though it isn’t like GRA is a bad DLC or anything- on the contrary, the sheer scope of modifications and munitions makes playing a repair/science-based character incredibly fulfilling- but it just isn’t at the same scope as the other 4 (Courier’s stash barely counts seeing as its just oops! All preorder bonuses).

New Vegas is one of the few games I have actually 100% completed, achievements and all, but I’m still pretty sure there are bits I’ve missed, paths I haven’t taken, characters I haven’t talked to. Despite its inhospitability, the Mojave is always a comfortable place to return to.

 3. VA-11 Hall-A

(Hey look, my phone background)

Vallhalla is a masterclass in storytelling, atmosphere, and aesthetic. Like all good cyberpunk dystopias, you get themes of class and transhumanism and artificial intelligence, but they aren’t the point of Vallhalla. Through the window and lens of cyberpunk and PC98 nostalgia is focussed a surprisingly human story centred around the protagonist, Jill, which through multiple replays still hits me in the feels just so. Of course, Jill’s story is not the only one being discussed, as every single patron of the bar has their own life going on, and the glimpses we get imply a rich, often interconnected, world. Glitch City is, frankly, a shithole, and it’s not like you don’t get some assholes coming into the bar while you’re working it. The first patron you serve, in fact, is a great example of this- Donovan D. Dawson, essentially a parody of J. Jonah Jameson, is a colossal prick and knows it- but its clear he has his own system of morals and it is mentioned that he’s excellent at his job, much as he gripes about it. He’s rude and more than a little sexist, but frustratingly charismatic and authoritative, and he’s just one of many people who show up throughout the game. Vallhalla is the perfect game to sit down, grab your preferred beverage, and just relax with.

 2. Total Annihilation

(This image is on the steam page for this one, despite blatantly not being from vanilla TA)

I think I actually need to explain this one. Total Annihilation was a game released in 1997 made largely by Chuck Taylor, who would later go on to produce spiritual successor Supreme Commander. It’s an RTS game featuring exclusively robotic units with a fairly chunky aesthetic, allowing the visuals to age better than some, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack by Jeremy Soule, who would later go on to do work on a whole bunch of stuff, most notably Skyrim.

Total Annihilation is an intensely nostalgic game for me, being one of the first games I ever got to play as a kid outside of edutainment stuff, and I’d argue still holds up today (especially with the excellent Escalation mod). What it lacks in story (it’s pretty basic, but functional) it makes up for being miles ahead of its time mechanically, being the first (?) RTS to function in 3 dimensions- heights of things actually matter, hills exist and certain units climb them better than others, shooting down airplanes is difficult without anti-air but possible if you aim *just* right. While appearing pretty similar and having largely analogous units, the two factions of Arm and Core are well fleshed-out in terms of aesthetic and playstyle- Arm preferring fast and cheap equivalents to Core’s slow but powerful- and the unit variety is sufficient that strategies can vary wildly based on the map. Both campaigns as well as those from the game’s expansions are challenging, but satisfying, limiting the units you can produce to force exploration of different playstyles.

Total Annihilation isn’t something I tend to binge play for hours anymore, but I’ll pick it up for a bit every so often, and I don’t see that stopping for a long time (especially due to the recent steam release).

 1. Pokémon Emerald

(At the top, where it belongs)

Yeah, this was inevitable. Pokémon is my favourite series ever; Emerald is my favourite in the series. Go figure.

Emerald, being the final game for the franchise’s days on the Game Boy, reflects everything Game Freak had learned in the first 3 generations of the series’ history. The game’s balance is challenging but fair, never spiking so tough that it is insurmountable but never holding your hand either. The AI opponents are throwing odd combinations of mons and moves at you from every corner, double battles are everywhere but rarely mandatory, and the variety of available mon both before and during the postgame is excellent. The added features on top of Ruby and Sapphire are great- Battle Tents serve to replace 3 of the contest halls (they should have all been under one roof to begin with) and provide a taste of what would later be available in the Battle Frontier. The Frontier is probably the single most expansive and challenging postgame in any Pokémon game, providing the game with a longevity that is sorely needed due to the inaccessibility of Pre-DS multiplayer. The game also manages to tie together the plot of both Ruby and Sapphire into something that feels natural, and provides the series’ first ever actual cutscene, which felt a lot cooler at the time than it sounds now. The return of animated sprites gives the Pokémon a level of life far beyond the static sprites of RSFRLG, and in my eyes wouldn’t feel the same until Black and White several years later. The return of the Pokégear phone in the form of Match Call, as irritating as it is to some, makes the world feel alive in a way that Sinnoh and Kanto probably never will, in addition to making grinding a fair bit less tedious and more beneficial. It is, altogether, probably the perfect Pokémon experience, and in my opinion only one other game comes close (its Platinum).

Oh also, they got rid of the font from Ruby and Sapphire, thank fuck, that shit is atrocious.

[henbased]

Video Game Tag

Tagged by @commonwealthcommoner

I tag @memaidraws and @falloutglow

Games:

First game you ever played: Goddd. Pokemon Red was released in ‘98 in America. My older brother was 10 at the time and was INVESTED. He let me play it once for funsies and I saved over his file on accident. I didn’t know any better, I was 3! He’s still mad about it to this day.

Favourite game: Bully, Fallout 3 & NV, Deadly Premonition, Bioshock, Stardew Valley, Pokemon, basically all the Tony Hawk games, Night in the Woods

Game you've played through multiple times: Fallout 3 and NV lmao. I own like 4 copies of each? Bully I think is my most played game, I like to replay it around once a year. I like to play Night in the Woods a lot too.

Game you hated at first but now love: The first time I played Fallout 3 I cried cuz I was so scared. Same with Bioshock. Otherwise I think I’ll have to go with Ori and the Blind Forest. I put it off for SO long and didn’t really vibe with it, but it’s for sure a game that’s stuck with me.

Game you used to love but now hate: Once upon a time I was so excited for Fallout 4 and took off 2 days from work to play it.

Your favorite atmosphere/setting: I like settings that take place in modern day tbh, with few exceptions! Or like, an everyday town with different elements thrown in. Like Travers Town from Kingdom Hearts, for example.

A game with your favorite ending: I’m gonna steal Common’s answer here and say The Walking Dead game (season 1). It was really well done.

A game with the worst ending: I really did not like the ending to Far Cry 3 tbh, but I wouldn’t call it the worst. Fallout 3′s ending is... not great.

Best character customization: I think I’ll have to go with Saints Row games

Heroes and Companions:

Your favorite playable character: Jimmy Hopkins

The funniest playable character: Also probably Jimmy.

Your favorite companion(s): I’ll be honest, I don’t really use companions much in games. But like, Lily.

Companions you could live without: Jericho, or at least his character reworked, cuz like, he is VERY funny but :grimace:

Relationships:

Favorite game friendship: Tony Hawk American Wasteland, I really liked all the side characters and how close of friends they all were sjadklska

Favorite game relationship: Trevor and Michael from GTA5. Idk if relationship means like, romantic, but those two have the most interesting on-screen relationship imo. Love them.

Favorite companion banter: Really anything Butch DeLoria says, ever.

A relationship you weren't sure of but you loved: Bea and Mae from Night in the Woods. I really didn’t like Bea at first lmao whoops

A minor character you wish could be a companion: toeman the Benman

A character you wish you could romance: Oh my God Nick Valentine.

Fun:

Shout out to a random NPC: Chief Harkness from FO3 had no business being that cute.

A game you love watching playthroughs for and want to play: Minecraft lmao! I like those really long calm videos of people playing Minecraft, but my current computer struggles to run it. Binding of Isaac too, I’m just terrible at it lmao

A game you love watching playthroughs of but would never play: Dragon Age to the hatred of my friends lmaooo

Online gaming or solo: Solo. I’m not a big fan of multiplayer. I like games I can play with other people (Don’t Starve, Among Us, Stardew Valley) but it’s a rarity I play them. I play the solo runs of them 99% of the time.

Why do you play video games: They’re fun! And a great way to tell stories. Some of my favorite games tell some of my favorite stories. Night in the Woods, The Cat Lady, etc.