Another month gone by. Another YEAR gone by, to be more precise. My,
my, where has the time gone, and other similar profundities. I wonder
what percentage of 2023 I spent playing video games? Maybe it's better
I don't know...

Anyway, time for our usual month-end round-up. Play the games, then
tell everybody about it. Share a few brief* thoughts on the games, if
you like. Why? Why not!

I Tell It To You Quick
---------------------------------------
* American Truck Simulator (Kansas DLC) (yes, again)
* Last Call BBS (new)
* Tom Clancy's The Division (replay)
* God of War (2018)
* Aliens: Dark Descent (new)
* SnowRunner (new)

I Drag It Out Endlessly
---------------------------------------

* American Truck Simulator (Kansas DLC) (yes, again)
Hey, are you tired of reading about how I've been playing ATS again?
Not as tired as I am writing about it! Well, no; that's a lie. What
can I say; I /like/ this game. Just be glad I'm only adding an entry
for it when there's actually something new to report about the game...
like the new Kansas DLC expansion pack!

Not that there is that much to say about Kansas. I mean... it's
Kansas, which is quite possibly the most boring part of the USA (sorry
Jayhawks, but in your hearts you know it's true). I was somewhat
interested to see how the game would portray the infamously flat
state, though. In truth, there's probably more in-game elevation
changes in Kansas than most other parts of the game, but that has more
to do with the simplistic modeling used in earlier maps (the Truck
Simulator games are notoriously bad at mountains and steep hills). But
kudos to the dev-team; despite all the low hills that functionally
make this virtual-Kansas one of the least-flat parts of the game, it
/feels/ incredibly flat thanks to the long, wide-open vistas.

Flat... and boring. Despite a few humorous Easter eggs (including
Superman's childhood home**, or Dorothy's (of Oz fame) farm, complete
with yellow brick road, the state itself lacks any interesting
destinations or stand-out visuals. Still, the wide, straight roads
make for easy driving. There's no point to visiting locations in the
state itself, but I eagerly wait for opportunities to drive /through/
it; it's fun and captures that 'zen' feel too often missing in other
parts of the game.

In addition to the DLC, the latest patch also adds some new features
to the base game. Notably, these include an improved lighting system,
and a revamped damage mechanic. The effects of the former are
noticeable and make for better looking skies and weather... but
unfortunately also show off the dated textures and modeling used
elsewhere in the game. The new damage modeling is worse; it divides
damage into 'wear' and 'damage', but there's functionally little
difference (wear is a bit cheaper to repair), since it's still all
based off a percentage without any visual effect. Had they changed
'wear' to be something you could see and damage affecting performance,
it might have been a useful change, but now it's just two meters to
monitor instead of just one.

Still, if you weren't a fan of the game before, neither these changes
nor the DLC are going to convince you otherwise... and if you /are/ a
fan, well, you're probably already playing.

* Last Call BBS (new)
I was so disappointed by this game.

Not because it's a bad game; quite the opposite. For what it is, I
think "Last Call BBS" is excellent. No, the problem once again lay
with my own expectations. The game was described as a nostalgic
adventure, a return to the classic bulletin board systems of yore; a
narrative entwined around an exploration of the BBS community. I
expected door games, downloads, chat, all to the sound of a 9600 baud
modem and visualized through 256-color VGA graphics.

But "Last Call" is really a handful of logic puzzles that rather
clumsily unlock somebody else's memories of that era. There's only the
single, eponymous BBS to visit; there's no community, and no real
exploration. The logic puzzles themselves are rather clever and,
unlike many other games, these aren't pale clones of pre-existing
games. Some real thought has gone into making each puzzle game unique.
The games themselves are often brutally difficult though, not helped
by the minimum of instruction offered toward both what the goal is and
how to win. But if you're in the mood for some mind-twisting puzzles,
then it's hard not to recommend "Last Call".

But, as I indicated, that was /not/ what I was searching for. I was
hoping for something with more story, more character, more
progression. If you're not a lover of logic games the reward - a slow
revelation of your host's history exploring the early era of computers
and online services - really is not worth the effort.

* Tom Clancy's The Division (replay)
It's been a long time since I last played "The Division". So long,
that when I first started it, I noticed I wasn't even using the
DirectX 12 rendered. Whether this was because - last time I played it
- I hadn't the appropriate hardware to use the renderer, or even that
DirectX 12 hadn't been invented yet, I can't say. But it's been a long
time.

But over all those years, I remembered "The Division" had been a
memorable experience. Not so much because of its gameplay, but because
its excellent sense of place and world-building. Its depiction of a
wintry, post-apocalyptic New York City was beautifully detailed, and
many a time when playing other, similar games, I flashed back to
Ubisoft's game.

Yet I'd held off playing "The Division" for a number of reasons. Most
obviously, it felt sort of tasteless playing a game about a fictional
pandemic while we were in the middle of an actual pandemic that had
killed millions. Too, the fantasy of rogue civilians with guns who,
using unrestrained violence, would 'fix society' after the government
had failed them also felt a bit too on-the-nose given recent politics.
But equally important, I'm just not a fan of MMO shooters, and did not
feel particularly eager to face off against "The Division's" spongy
enemies.

But with winter well and truly upon us, I decided it was finally time
to return to the snowy ruins of Manhattan once again. To make the
experience more endurable, I promised myself I wouldn't force myself
to finish the game (as much as you can ever finish an MMO), but rather
I'd only keep playing until I'd had my fill of the engrossing
atmosphere.

Starting the game after so long absent was an interesting experience,
if only because I had to wade through five minutes of non-stop
advisements telling me about all the free stuff that was being added
to my account. So many cosmetics! But once that inundation was done, I
could focus on the gameplay proper.

New York in "The Division" remains as beautiful as ever (that is, if
the word beautiful can be ascribed to a city covered with trash and
corpses). It's no longer quite the technical masterpiece it appeared
back when it was new, but it still holds up well compared to more
modern games. It's a shame so much of the world is merely
window-dressing, but it disguises it well with cosmetic interactivity
(shattering windows, physics affecting random items, etc.).

The gameplay, on the other hand, remains as unexciting as ever. I'd
recalled the AI being a lot more reactive than it was in actuality; I
remembered it flanking me more often, forcing me to frequently
relocate. But for most fights I was able to tank most of the damage,
rarely finding it necessary to change position. This - combined with
enemies that could absorb clips full of ammunition - turned the combat
into tedious battles of endurance rather than tactics and skill.
Frankly, it all got rather dull fairly quickly.

And, unfortunately, there just wasn't enough to the game outside of
the combat. Scrounging for new weapons and armor /should/ have been
exciting, except as soon as I found a more powerful gun, the game
increased the resistance of the enemy, which made me feel like I was
constantly treading water. There was no sense of progression. Oh sure,
it had the usual garbage-collection quests Ubisoft's open worlds are
famous for, and a long, meandering and poorly written campaign
(something else Ubisoft's open worlds are famous for), but neither
were in any way engaging.

But the city sure looked pretty. Maybe that was enough.

* God of War (2018)
I'm struggling to find something to say about this game.

Not that it's not a good game, or that I didn't enjoy it. It is, and I
did. But given how well-reviewed this game was - first in 2018, when
it released onto the PS4, and later 2022 release on PC - you probably
know all that. It has extremely solid gameplay, a strong story,
excellent presentation, and looks gorgeous. It's a game well-worth
playing and I enjoyed it enough that I've finished the campaign twice.

But I can't just leave it there. I have a reputation for overly long
commentary. So I guess I'll just nitpick the game. Sure, I loved it;
five stars, would play again. That doesn't mean I don't have any
gripes, even if they are all largely inconsequential. But it will pad
out the word-count, and that is what matters. Plus, I get to be snarky
(I love a good snark). So let's begin!

On 1/1/2024 7:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?
>
I may have played some 'My Time at Sandrock' in the beginning of the
month. I've finished the "Main Story" was just lazing around doing some
post-finish commissions.

Most of my gaming in December has been 'Dave the Diver'. This is a
weird little game. "Dave" is a deep sea diver who has no (mental)
spine. He's a social pushover, a sad sack who simply can't say "No" to
anyone to save his life. Literally. As Dave you get dragged in to
diving in a strange oceanic Blue Hole by a "friend" to supply a sushi
chef with ingredients for him to make exotic sushi. And run the sushi
bar. So each day you dive in the Blue Hole (which changes at intervals)
and each evening you run the sushi bar. All while being walked on by
anyone and everyone.

Its a "quirky" game. All the NPCs are somewhat over-the-top characters.
All the odds and ends like upgrading your equipment are done thru apps
on Dave's smartphone. Upgrading the rating of your sushi bar is a
social app, weapons are another app, diving equipment has an app,
collections for scientific purposes - another app, etc. There is even a
card collection game on the in-game smartphone that somehow
automatically tracks every new type of fish you catch without any input
from your character.

Some parts of it are frustrating. Some predators are REALLY dangerous
and nearly impossible to kill and can be difficult to get around without
fighting them. Finding quest items or locations can be a real pain on
occasion but for all those irritations I still keep coming back to it.
Though I am deliberately keeping each play session pretty short.

Its a decent to pretty good game if you can handle the quirky and
playing a character that everyone you meet will take advantage of.
Though if you think about it, isn't that what happens in any game where
NPCs give you "missions" or "quests" to advance the story?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 1/1/24 09:49, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> Another month gone by. Another YEAR gone by, to be more precise. My,
> my, where has the time gone, and other similar profundities. I wonder
> what percentage of 2023 I spent playing video games? Maybe it's better
> I don't know...
>
> Anyway, time for our usual month-end round-up. Play the games, then
> tell everybody about it. Share a few brief* thoughts on the games, if
> you like. Why? Why not!
<snip>
> * Last Call BBS (new)
> I was so disappointed by this game.
>
> Not because it's a bad game; quite the opposite. For what it is, I
> think "Last Call BBS" is excellent. No, the problem once again lay
> with my own expectations. The game was described as a nostalgic
> adventure, a return to the classic bulletin board systems of yore; a
> narrative entwined around an exploration of the BBS community. I
> expected door games, downloads, chat, all to the sound of a 9600 baud
> modem and visualized through 256-color VGA graphics.
>
> But "Last Call" is really a handful of logic puzzles that rather
> clumsily unlock somebody else's memories of that era. There's only the
> single, eponymous BBS to visit; there's no community, and no real
> exploration. The logic puzzles themselves are rather clever and,
> unlike many other games, these aren't pale clones of pre-existing
> games. Some real thought has gone into making each puzzle game unique.
> The games themselves are often brutally difficult though, not helped
> by the minimum of instruction offered toward both what the goal is and
> how to win. But if you're in the mood for some mind-twisting puzzles,
> then it's hard not to recommend "Last Call".
>
> But, as I indicated, that was /not/ what I was searching for. I was
> hoping for something with more story, more character, more
> progression. If you're not a lover of logic games the reward - a slow
> revelation of your host's history exploring the early era of computers
> and online services - really is not worth the effort.
Well, I'm glad I read this, since I've had it on my wishlist for a while
after playing Hypnosapce. Complex puzzles aren't really my thing.
Procrastination FTW!

As for what I've played, I'll be honest, mostly just emulations.
I beat Mother 3, and Earthbound though so that's cool.

Also, I played a bit of Mario Wonder and Mario World.

I bought this game called Rounds bc some friends were reccomending it
(and it was 2$ on sale) but haven't gotten the chance to play it since
it's one of those multiplayer-only fighting games with a practice
offline mode. Will update yall in the next WHYBP when I get the chance to!!
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 1/1/24 12:23, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 1/1/2024 7:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>
>> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?
>>
> I may have played some 'My Time at Sandrock' in the beginning of the
> month.  I've finished the "Main Story" was just lazing around doing some
> post-finish commissions.
>
> Most of my gaming in December has been 'Dave the Diver'.  This is a
> weird little game.  "Dave" is a deep sea diver who has no (mental)
> spine.  He's a social pushover, a sad sack who simply can't say "No" to

same

> anyone to save his life.  Literally.  As Dave you get dragged in to
> diving in a strange oceanic Blue Hole by a "friend" to supply a sushi
> chef with ingredients for him to make exotic sushi.  And run the sushi
> bar.  So each day you dive in the Blue Hole (which changes at intervals)
> and each evening you run the sushi bar.  All while being walked on by
> anyone and everyone.
>
> Its a "quirky" game.  All the NPCs are somewhat over-the-top characters.
> All the odds and ends like upgrading your equipment are done thru apps
> on Dave's smartphone.  Upgrading the rating of your sushi bar is a
> social app, weapons are another app, diving equipment has an app,
> collections for scientific purposes - another app, etc.  There is even a
> card collection game on the in-game smartphone that somehow
> automatically tracks every new type of fish you catch without any input
> from your character.
>
> Some parts of it are frustrating.  Some predators are REALLY dangerous
> and nearly impossible to kill and can be difficult to get around without
> fighting them.  Finding quest items or locations can be a real pain on
> occasion but for all those irritations I still keep coming back to it.
> Though I am deliberately keeping each play session pretty short.
>
> Its a decent to pretty good game if you can handle the quirky and
> playing a character that everyone you meet will take advantage of.
> Though if you think about it, isn't that what happens in any game where
> NPCs give you "missions" or "quests" to advance the story?

I think I've seen that on my Steam for-you page, it looks pretty fun.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 1/1/2024 2:21 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
> On 1/1/24 12:23, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>> On 1/1/2024 7:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>>
>>> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?
>>>
>> I may have played some 'My Time at Sandrock' in the beginning of the
>> month.  I've finished the "Main Story" was just lazing around doing
>> some post-finish commissions.
>>
>> Most of my gaming in December has been 'Dave the Diver'.  This is a
>> weird little game.  "Dave" is a deep sea diver who has no (mental)
>> spine.  He's a social pushover, a sad sack who simply can't say "No" to
>
> same
>
>> anyone to save his life.  Literally.  As Dave you get dragged in to
>> diving in a strange oceanic Blue Hole by a "friend" to supply a sushi
>> chef with ingredients for him to make exotic sushi.  And run the sushi
>> bar.  So each day you dive in the Blue Hole (which changes at
>> intervals) and each evening you run the sushi bar.  All while being
>> walked on by anyone and everyone.
>>
>> Its a "quirky" game.  All the NPCs are somewhat over-the-top
>> characters. All the odds and ends like upgrading your equipment are
>> done thru apps on Dave's smartphone.  Upgrading the rating of your
>> sushi bar is a social app, weapons are another app, diving equipment
>> has an app, collections for scientific purposes - another app, etc.
>> There is even a card collection game on the in-game smartphone that
>> somehow automatically tracks every new type of fish you catch without
>> any input from your character.
>>
>> Some parts of it are frustrating.  Some predators are REALLY dangerous
>> and nearly impossible to kill and can be difficult to get around
>> without fighting them.  Finding quest items or locations can be a real
>> pain on occasion but for all those irritations I still keep coming
>> back to it. Though I am deliberately keeping each play session pretty
>> short.
>>
>> Its a decent to pretty good game if you can handle the quirky and
>> playing a character that everyone you meet will take advantage of.
>> Though if you think about it, isn't that what happens in any game
>> where NPCs give you "missions" or "quests" to advance the story?
>
> I think I've seen that on my Steam for-you page, it looks pretty fun.

Just be aware it is NOT a "chill" type game. Some of the Boss fights
especially at NOT relaxing, AT ALL.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

>What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?

Days Gone
Put a crazy amount of hours into this one, and enjoyed it quite a bit.
Midway I found myself wishing I'd started on a harder difficulty to play it
as a survival game, but no matter. The motorcycle riding mechanics, sound
and visuals are well done and I never got bored of riding across the map on
another mission. Zombie hordes were scary and challenging as they should
be, and the voice-acting and story way above average. I had no issues with
the -- mostly right-wing -- politics of the game, which appear in more
comicbook form in many other open world games. haha and just now I see
there were multiple post-credit cutscenes (I only saw one, the Rings
cutscene). Anyway, I'm glad this game was a commercial success, and wonder
why Sony turned down a sequel.

rms

On 1/1/24 19:26, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
> On 1/1/2024 2:21 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>> On 1/1/24 12:23, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>> On 1/1/2024 7:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>>>
>>>> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?
>>>>
>>> I may have played some 'My Time at Sandrock' in the beginning of the
>>> month.  I've finished the "Main Story" was just lazing around doing
>>> some post-finish commissions.
>>>
>>> Most of my gaming in December has been 'Dave the Diver'.  This is a
>>> weird little game.  "Dave" is a deep sea diver who has no (mental)
>>> spine.  He's a social pushover, a sad sack who simply can't say "No" to
>>
>> same
>>
>>> anyone to save his life.  Literally.  As Dave you get dragged in to
>>> diving in a strange oceanic Blue Hole by a "friend" to supply a sushi
>>> chef with ingredients for him to make exotic sushi.  And run the
>>> sushi bar.  So each day you dive in the Blue Hole (which changes at
>>> intervals) and each evening you run the sushi bar.  All while being
>>> walked on by anyone and everyone.
>>>
>>> Its a "quirky" game.  All the NPCs are somewhat over-the-top
>>> characters. All the odds and ends like upgrading your equipment are
>>> done thru apps on Dave's smartphone.  Upgrading the rating of your
>>> sushi bar is a social app, weapons are another app, diving equipment
>>> has an app, collections for scientific purposes - another app, etc.
>>> There is even a card collection game on the in-game smartphone that
>>> somehow automatically tracks every new type of fish you catch without
>>> any input from your character.
>>>
>>> Some parts of it are frustrating.  Some predators are REALLY
>>> dangerous and nearly impossible to kill and can be difficult to get
>>> around without fighting them.  Finding quest items or locations can
>>> be a real pain on occasion but for all those irritations I still keep
>>> coming back to it. Though I am deliberately keeping each play session
>>> pretty short.
>>>
>>> Its a decent to pretty good game if you can handle the quirky and
>>> playing a character that everyone you meet will take advantage of.
>>> Though if you think about it, isn't that what happens in any game
>>> where NPCs give you "missions" or "quests" to advance the story?
>>
>> I think I've seen that on my Steam for-you page, it looks pretty fun.
>
> Just be aware it is NOT a "chill" type game.  Some of the Boss fights
> especially at NOT relaxing, AT ALL.

Noted.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 1/1/2024 4:49 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> Another month gone by. Another YEAR gone by, to be more precise. My,
> my, where has the time gone, and other similar profundities. I wonder
> what percentage of 2023 I spent playing video games? Maybe it's better
> I don't know...
>
> Anyway, time for our usual month-end round-up. Play the games, then
> tell everybody about it. Share a few brief* thoughts on the games, if
> you like. Why? Why not!
>

I mostly was playing Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey since November.
Then I finished it (after 81 hours or so), went on to do the last Steam
achievement (Apex Predator, where the last thing to kill is just bound
to be the Miocene Pelican which is only found in the Ocean biome), and
then I promptly uninstalled it and searched for a game that has dialogue
other than grunts.
I wrote a review about it a while ago, but to summarize: it's a
fascinating game but I completely understand why it was not as
successful as intended. It tries to be a sort of roguelike, and it
gloats about being as opaque as possible. It does get some bonus points
for trying to be as non-fantastic as possible, with only a single thing
that could be termed fantastical (the meteors that give random mutations).
I wouldn't mind a sequel, but that likely won't be happening.

I also played GigaBash which was one of the Epic freebies lately.
Largely because my kids loved the idea of kaiju fighting and smashing
buildings (although I don't have anything against that) I even bought
the DLCs, the first time I actually spent money on Epic instead of just
sucking in the free games.

I restarted Creatures Docking station after years, but as that is just
something to let run in the background that barely was something I
played. I found out someone actually made an easily usable replacement
for the online component which wasn't really working for... decades?
after the servers went down. Although it seems there were some hacks
even before. I find it interesting that people still are dedicated to
this basically ancient game, with annual events and everything.

I started Crusader Kings III, but I am not sure if this is really a game
I like. I did put a few hours in, but after finishing a few sessions I
didn't really feel the need to get back into it.

Ah, and then there was Demon's Tilt, which I think also was an Epic
freebie. I really enjoyed getting into that and working on my high
scores. It's a pinball game in the vein of the old Devil's Crush
(PCEngine)/Dragon's Revenge (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive).

On Mon, 01 Jan 2024 10:49:07 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>Well, that was a fun way to round out the old year. I hope the New
>Year will bring as many interesting experiences!
>
>But enough about the games /I/ played. What about you. C'mon, tell us
>all:
>
>What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?
>
My intrepid party in Baldur's Gate 3 was killed horribly. Not literally,
but figuratively. As of December 4, I hit The Talos Principle 2. HARD. My
stalwarts have been abandoned because, really, why play D&D when there
are interesting spatial-visualization puzzles to solve.

BG3, you've heard me gush about. I'm in the lower city now, with
characters that seem too powerful to imagine. The combats are
challenging. Finding bits and pieces of Orin's artwork has been fun. I've
collected many pieces of the court jester. Hopefully that doesn't spoil
too hard, while remaining recognizable to those who have played. It's a
bit like doing Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" to manage it.

Talos 2 is even better than Talos, mostly by being less lonely. There is
a storyline; it is just as insightful and interesting as the arguments
with the library computer from the first game. The puzzles are easy to
hard, with the easy ones being tutorials on how to solve the hard ones.
Stars are much easier to get, and center around three principle
objectives, which are getting harder and harder to complete.

I've seen the megastructure. I've had my brain fried, both in-game and
out. If you liked Talos 1, this comes with a high recommendation.

And honestly, other than Solitaire, Minesweeper, and an occasional bass
dropping session of Space Invaders Forever on my Switch, that's what I've
been playing... In December 2023.

(I did get a new sound bar, with a large subwoofer, so the Switch has
some serious bass now).

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?

Uh, other than System Shock Remake? But I finished that in the first
days of December... So nothing much. Too busy with work and too much
Xmas prep and parties... Oh well, new year, new games.

So I did get Last Call BBS and some other Zachtronics game (SHENZHEN I/O
I think) in a (Steam?) sale. Also my friends have been playing
Cyberpunk 2077 so I kinda thought I'd give it another go. While waiting
for a sale on Starfield which seems like a $30 / €30 kind of game to
me...

On 1/1/2024 7:49 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

> * God of War (2018)

I *should* be interested in this, and the other ones. I really enjoyed
the original on the PS2. By all accounts this one is better. For some
reason I just don't have any interest, I'm not sure why. I could play
it right now as I went over my first month of PS+ Premium so I have
until the 25th, and it's on there free with sub.

> Well, that was a fun way to round out the old year. I hope the New
> Year will bring as many interesting experiences!
>
> But enough about the games /I/ played. What about you. C'mon, tell us
> all:
>
> What Have You Been Playing... IN DECEMBER 2023?

TL;DR

** Bloodborne
*** Bloodrayne
*** Once Upon a Jester
** Rogue Legacy 2

The LONG:

** Bloodborne (On PS+ Premium Streaming)
It's the Lovecraftian version of Dark Souls, a Playstation exclusive, so
I thought I'd try it on their streaming, especially as pretty much
everthing I see on it people are saying it's the best of the series,
though there's some that think Sekiro is better, which I also haven't
played, but is available on PC. However you're stuck with one
particular character in Sekiro, which I usually find too limiting.

For some reason I couldn't get into it, or maybe a bunch of reasons. I
frequently took breaks from it, and almost quit a few times, but I did
finish it. The 'real' ending got me, surprise twist I should've seen
coming, and was almost worth it. I can at least say I finished it.

Coming from the souls series, it's very similar, just set with more
early horror & cosmic horror

Things I didn't like:
* It's perhaps darker and dingier almost everything is shades of dark
gray, and maybe I just don't care much for 19th century urban aesthetic.
* Very limited # of weapons to try, a total of 15 main weapons, and
really only around 5 that are optimal for any build, and only a couple
for most of the game.
* Few builds possible. There's basically only 4 builds, and one hybrid,
and one of those builds isn't viable, which leaves you with strength,
arcane, skill, and hybrid strength-arcane. There's a bloodtinge blood
build, but that's extremely difficult and requires a lot of farming if
you aren't really good.
* No spells exactly though you can eventually get a few tools that do
things that are essentially like spells, but you can't start with any.
* Huge numbers of mobs in the open areas that are difficult to get past,
and very confusing map layouts. - The first area I spent 6 hours trying
to get anywhere and gave up and started using a guide, it still took me
about an hour to get to the boss. I'd say it's the hardest/worst start.
* Bosses were really easy. The first boss took me 8 tries to beat,
every single other above world boss took less, most 2-3.

Things I did like:
* Rally mechanic - you can recover as much as all the damage you took
from the last attack that hit you withing about 3 seconds. This
encourages a bit more aggressive attacking. Overall I found I still did
better cautious and defensive, but occasionally I could get out of a bad
spot by button mashing, where my only other option was to accept death.
* Cosmic horror - While I never find anything in these games particular
scary, I do like the bits of cosmic horror within it. Tentacled
monstrosities, brain monsters etc. I did also like the werewolves at
the beginning of the game.
* Gun parries - while I never got good at doing it, I still got some
off, instead of knocking away a weapon or a claw attacking you, you
shoot the enemy during the parry window and open them up to a visceral,
a counter attack that's like the parries in the other games. There's a
lot more that can be parried in this game. The guns are otherwise very
weak for damage though (unless as I said you do a gun build, but that's
very farming intensive and extremely hard.) That may also have been
strongly impacted by streaming the game which appeared to add some
slightly noticable lag between pressing the buttons and firing my
weapon. Through a few videos I watched that may be normal for playing
it on PS4 though (which is what the streaming emulation is.)
* Dungeons - there's a number of otherworldly (underworldy? mythic?)
dungeons, both set story dungeons and random procedurally generated
ones. Those are all accessible from home base. They're a bit like the
Tombs in ER. I liked those both for being far less confusing and
shorter than the overland areas, and for the fact some of the bosses in
them are harder, though most were just harder versions of the overland
bosses. - I'll note most people don't like these and avoid the story
dungeons, or cheat their way through skipping most of the content.

I kind of wanted to try the DLCs since reviews are saying those are much
better than the base game, but those aren't included with the 'free'
game on PS Premium. You can buy the DLCs and add them, but I couldn't
find any info that said that would work, and one person saying it
doesn't from a couple years ago. I wasn't about to pay for and try
without confirmation it works.

I also wanted to try Demon Souls, but that isn't available on PS+, so
emulation, buy a PS4 or 5 (not going to happen) wait for it to
eventually get remastered & ported, or emulate (don't really want to
bother.)

I was trying to find other PS exclusives on PS+ Premium that aren't
available on PC, but I couldn't find anything I actually had any
interest in. There are quite a few games I do have interest in that
aren't PS exclusives, so I started trying those out at least with my 2nd
month, since I went slightly over my first finishing Bloodborne.

I took some time off from PS to play a couple games on Luna (free with
prime) as those are only available for a short time too:

*** Bloodrayne (recent side scroller - streaming through Luna)
I loved the old Bloodrayne game, so I thought I'd give this a try, well
it's a side scroller, which I'm not into much anymore, but it was very
good, not too hard to get into, I didn't have too much problem until I
got to I think the 3rd or 4th boss, which I got tired of beating my head
against. I could probably eventually get past it, but had enough. I
was having a good deal of fun until then, sucking dry vampires and other
vampiric creatures. I only had one hiccup streaming otherwise it was
way more responsive than Bloodborne was on PS streaming.

*** Once Upon a Jester (Luna Streaming I think, can't find it now)
This is a "Charming" game. I assume it's from an EU country based on the
accents, though I can't quite place them. You (easily) try to figure
out what the locals in a town want a play about, and then put on said
play with choices durning the play and some challenges usually with
'press the button when the moving line is on the color on the meter'
games, which I had a lot of trouble with. I turned the difficulty down
to minimum, better but I still had trouble. I finished it in one day.
It felt like a college student theater/game project, it was a bit
bizzare, but fun.

** Rogue Legacy 2 (PS Streaming)
Well, I loved the original and it's been on my wishlist. I played it
for a day, but the side scroller platforming, difficulty, and slow (no)
progress wore on me pretty fast. I remember I never did complete the
original either, maybe it wasn't as good as I remember? Maybe games
have just gotten better and it didn't really.

* Technically not last month but I started Spider-Man Miles Morales
yesterday on PS Streaming. I really like it so far, but might be a bit
hectic for me, I end up mashing buttons and dying repeatedly in combat
or having to start chase missions over as I can't keep up. Also runs a
lot smoother than Bloodborne did, only one hiccup for a couple seconds.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

>* Tom Clancy's The Division (replay)

Good call to replay for the atmosphere. I bought the NYC dlc recently
(is that dlc for Div2? I forget) but haven't played it; having put so much
time into the base game back then, I'm leery to go back to it.

>* God of War (2018)

Ha! Ya I started this on PS5 and quickly ignored it. But I have bought
a used physical copy to encourage myself to get back into it.

* Aliens: Dark Descent (new)

This sounds right up my alley, wishlisted! Fireteam Elite (different
studio I realize) was great fun, though I just played with bots.

rms

>As of December 4, I hit The Talos Principle 2. HARD.

Good to hear, I have both TP1 & TP1VR, need to try them!

rms

>** Bloodborne

I see pleas that this be remastered or ported to pc constantly, ha, so
bought a copy to play. Good to hear it plays (reasonably) well on a
streaming service.

rms

On 02/01/2024 13:27, Zaghadka wrote:

> Talos 2 is even better than Talos, mostly by being less lonely. There is
> a storyline; it is just as insightful and interesting as the arguments
> with the library computer from the first game. The puzzles are easy to
> hard, with the easy ones being tutorials on how to solve the hard ones.
> Stars are much easier to get, and center around three principle
> objectives, which are getting harder and harder to complete.
>
> I've seen the megastructure. I've had my brain fried, both in-game and
> out. If you liked Talos 1, this comes with a high recommendation.
>

That's pretty much been my game for December and although I'm very much
enjoying it, it doesn't grab me in quite the same way as 1 even though I
think 2 is a better game. It's always the problem with sequels. Part of
the novelty has worn off.

>Talos 2 is even better than Talos, mostly by being less lonely.

Have you tried Cocoon yet ? I'm playing it on Gamepass and enjoying it.
A very chill and pretty-looking puzzle game.

rms

I don't remember. :(

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> Another month gone by. Another YEAR gone by, to be more precise. My,
> my, where has the time gone, and other similar profundities. I wonder
> what percentage of 2023 I spent playing video games? Maybe it's better
> I don't know...

> Anyway, time for our usual month-end round-up. Play the games, then
> tell everybody about it. Share a few brief* thoughts on the games, if
> you like. Why? Why not!

> I Tell It To You Quick
> ---------------------------------------
> * American Truck Simulator (Kansas DLC) (yes, again)
> * Last Call BBS (new)
> * Tom Clancy's The Division (replay)
> * God of War (2018)
> * Aliens: Dark Descent (new)
> * SnowRunner (new)

> I Drag It Out Endlessly
> ---------------------------------------

> * American Truck Simulator (Kansas DLC) (yes, again)
> Hey, are you tired of reading about how I've been playing ATS again?
> Not as tired as I am writing about it! Well, no; that's a lie. What
> can I say; I /like/ this game. Just be glad I'm only adding an entry
> for it when there's actually something new to report about the game...
> like the new Kansas DLC expansion pack!

> Not that there is that much to say about Kansas. I mean... it's
> Kansas, which is quite possibly the most boring part of the USA (sorry
> Jayhawks, but in your hearts you know it's true). I was somewhat
> interested to see how the game would portray the infamously flat
> state, though. In truth, there's probably more in-game elevation
> changes in Kansas than most other parts of the game, but that has more
> to do with the simplistic modeling used in earlier maps (the Truck
> Simulator games are notoriously bad at mountains and steep hills). But
> kudos to the dev-team; despite all the low hills that functionally
> make this virtual-Kansas one of the least-flat parts of the game, it
> /feels/ incredibly flat thanks to the long, wide-open vistas.

> Flat... and boring. Despite a few humorous Easter eggs (including
> Superman's childhood home**, or Dorothy's (of Oz fame) farm, complete
> with yellow brick road, the state itself lacks any interesting
> destinations or stand-out visuals. Still, the wide, straight roads
> make for easy driving. There's no point to visiting locations in the
> state itself, but I eagerly wait for opportunities to drive /through/
> it; it's fun and captures that 'zen' feel too often missing in other
> parts of the game.

> In addition to the DLC, the latest patch also adds some new features
> to the base game. Notably, these include an improved lighting system,
> and a revamped damage mechanic. The effects of the former are
> noticeable and make for better looking skies and weather... but
> unfortunately also show off the dated textures and modeling used
> elsewhere in the game. The new damage modeling is worse; it divides
> damage into 'wear' and 'damage', but there's functionally little
> difference (wear is a bit cheaper to repair), since it's still all
> based off a percentage without any visual effect. Had they changed
> 'wear' to be something you could see and damage affecting performance,
> it might have been a useful change, but now it's just two meters to
> monitor instead of just one.

> Still, if you weren't a fan of the game before, neither these changes
> nor the DLC are going to convince you otherwise... and if you /are/ a
> fan, well, you're probably already playing.

> * Last Call BBS (new)
> I was so disappointed by this game.

> Not because it's a bad game; quite the opposite. For what it is, I
> think "Last Call BBS" is excellent. No, the problem once again lay
> with my own expectations. The game was described as a nostalgic
> adventure, a return to the classic bulletin board systems of yore; a
> narrative entwined around an exploration of the BBS community. I
> expected door games, downloads, chat, all to the sound of a 9600 baud
> modem and visualized through 256-color VGA graphics.

> But "Last Call" is really a handful of logic puzzles that rather
> clumsily unlock somebody else's memories of that era. There's only the
> single, eponymous BBS to visit; there's no community, and no real
> exploration. The logic puzzles themselves are rather clever and,
> unlike many other games, these aren't pale clones of pre-existing
> games. Some real thought has gone into making each puzzle game unique.
> The games themselves are often brutally difficult though, not helped
> by the minimum of instruction offered toward both what the goal is and
> how to win. But if you're in the mood for some mind-twisting puzzles,
> then it's hard not to recommend "Last Call".

> But, as I indicated, that was /not/ what I was searching for. I was
> hoping for something with more story, more character, more
> progression. If you're not a lover of logic games the reward - a slow
> revelation of your host's history exploring the early era of computers
> and online services - really is not worth the effort.

> * Tom Clancy's The Division (replay)
> It's been a long time since I last played "The Division". So long,
> that when I first started it, I noticed I wasn't even using the
> DirectX 12 rendered. Whether this was because - last time I played it
> - I hadn't the appropriate hardware to use the renderer, or even that
> DirectX 12 hadn't been invented yet, I can't say. But it's been a long
> time.

> But over all those years, I remembered "The Division" had been a
> memorable experience. Not so much because of its gameplay, but because
> its excellent sense of place and world-building. Its depiction of a
> wintry, post-apocalyptic New York City was beautifully detailed, and
> many a time when playing other, similar games, I flashed back to
> Ubisoft's game.

> Yet I'd held off playing "The Division" for a number of reasons. Most
> obviously, it felt sort of tasteless playing a game about a fictional
> pandemic while we were in the middle of an actual pandemic that had
> killed millions. Too, the fantasy of rogue civilians with guns who,
> using unrestrained violence, would 'fix society' after the government
> had failed them also felt a bit too on-the-nose given recent politics.
> But equally important, I'm just not a fan of MMO shooters, and did not
> feel particularly eager to face off against "The Division's" spongy
> enemies.

> But with winter well and truly upon us, I decided it was finally time
> to return to the snowy ruins of Manhattan once again. To make the
> experience more endurable, I promised myself I wouldn't force myself
> to finish the game (as much as you can ever finish an MMO), but rather
> I'd only keep playing until I'd had my fill of the engrossing
> atmosphere.

> Starting the game after so long absent was an interesting experience,
> if only because I had to wade through five minutes of non-stop
> advisements telling me about all the free stuff that was being added
> to my account. So many cosmetics! But once that inundation was done, I
> could focus on the gameplay proper.

> New York in "The Division" remains as beautiful as ever (that is, if
> the word beautiful can be ascribed to a city covered with trash and
> corpses). It's no longer quite the technical masterpiece it appeared
> back when it was new, but it still holds up well compared to more
> modern games. It's a shame so much of the world is merely
> window-dressing, but it disguises it well with cosmetic interactivity
> (shattering windows, physics affecting random items, etc.).

> The gameplay, on the other hand, remains as unexciting as ever. I'd
> recalled the AI being a lot more reactive than it was in actuality; I
> remembered it flanking me more often, forcing me to frequently
> relocate. But for most fights I was able to tank most of the damage,
> rarely finding it necessary to change position. This - combined with
> enemies that could absorb clips full of ammunition - turned the combat
> into tedious battles of endurance rather than tactics and skill.
> Frankly, it all got rather dull fairly quickly.

> And, unfortunately, there just wasn't enough to the game outside of
> the combat. Scrounging for new weapons and armor /should/ have been
> exciting, except as soon as I found a more powerful gun, the game
> increased the resistance of the enemy, which made me feel like I was
> constantly treading water. There was no sense of progression. Oh sure,
> it had the usual garbage-collection quests Ubisoft's open worlds are
> famous for, and a long, meandering and poorly written campaign
> (something else Ubisoft's open worlds are famous for), but neither
> were in any way engaging.

On Wed, 3 Jan 2024 21:20:09 -0700, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rms
wrote:

>>Talos 2 is even better than Talos, mostly by being less lonely.
>
> Have you tried Cocoon yet ? I'm playing it on Gamepass and enjoying it.
>A very chill and pretty-looking puzzle game.
>
That looks pretty cool. I wishlisted it on Steam.

Apparently my new video card is coming with a Gamepass trial, so I'll get
to see how that works. Got a good trade-in deal on my 3060 Ti 8GB to a
4060 Ti 16GB.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

>Apparently my new video card is coming with a Gamepass trial, so I'll get
>to see how that works. Got a good trade-in deal on my 3060 Ti 8GB to a
>4060 Ti 16GB.

Whoa! Congrats on enjoying nextgen graphics :)

rms