Video Game Thread v. Series Xbox One X Series Switch S 5

[ErHaO]

My indie of the year was Cocoon. A 6 hour experience that I can best describe as a very streamlined/linear Zelda with exceptional design. No dialouge and it feels alien/otherworldly.

But this year was mainly major titles, of which Zelda TotK was my favourite. Year of Nintendo actually for me, Pikmin 4 and Mario Wonder are great too. Resi 4 remake was great as well, surprised how different it was and also surprised it kept the quality as high.

I will play Baldurs Gate 3 next year probably. And I am laso expecting a lot of Alan Wake.

Starfield an especially Final Fantasy XVI were my big dissapointments. In Starfield I at least enjoyed the shooting, in FF I think the gameplay feels stiff and extremely limited.

[ReaperKK]

Marc you should check out Tribes 3, it's still being developed but the foundation of the game is solid and the playtests are free, you just have to request it on Steam.

I've heard of Tribes before, but not familiar wtih the previous games at all.

Tribes 1 and 2 were the first big multiplayer games I got into (along with counter-strike). The gameplay is bit hard to describe, it's kind of like a class based shooter, with jetpacks, and then also have skills the regen now. The playtest is free and the combat feels very similar to how Tribes 2 felt (my favorite of the series). Give it a shot if you're bored. They've been doing play tests every weekend.

[nobloodyname]

I have finally made a return to Aliens Dark Descent in the last few days. Picked it up again last Saturday night while inebriated and scratching around (which is absurd given I have 1,598 games on Steam alone) for something to play/do. I'd forgotten how good it is. But I'm now resorting to cheating through a sentry gun mod that makes the damn things far more effective. At the age of 50, and what, 39 years' gaming experience, I have a good appreciation of my skill limit (and patience) these days, and this game is now going beyond it

I've also picked up Skyrim again (as I posted a couple of weeks ago either in this thread or the PC one) following a deeply disappointing time with Starfield. I completed it over a decade a go but thought I'd dust it down, install a load of adult mods (judge me) and immersion mods and give it another go. And you know, it really is a pretty good game. Approximately 733x better than Starfield in fact.

[Stadler]

I have finally made a return to Aliens Dark Descent in the last few days. Picked it up again last Saturday night while inebriated and scratching around (which is absurd given I have 1,598 games on Steam alone) for something to play/do. I'd forgotten how good it is. But I'm now resorting to cheating through a sentry gun mod that makes the damn things far more effective. At the age of 50, and what, 39 years' gaming experience, I have a good appreciation of my skill limit (and patience) these days, and this game is now going beyond it

I've also picked up Skyrim again (as I posted a couple of weeks ago either in this thread or the PC one) following a deeply disappointing time with Starfield. I completed it over a decade a go but thought I'd dust it down, install a load of adult mods (judge me) and immersion mods and give it another go. And you know, it really is a pretty good game. Approximately 733x better than Starfield in fact.

it's not a decade, but it's funny; I've played Deus Ex, Prey, and a couple Uncharted games since then and yet I keep thinking back to Skyrim.  It's so immersive.   No judgment here; it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to see Lydia or Mjoll in something other than heavy plate armor.   

[Herrick]

I'm even less interested in Starfield after watching this guy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2emKDlGmE&list=WL&index=210

He had another good one about Rockstar's quest system being outdated. I agree with that but the game was still really fun for me. I played through it once on the PS4 and a second time on the PC. I think I'll end up buying Starfield eventually but it'll probably be years from now when it's cheap with tons of mods.

[nobloodyname]

Saw that last weekend. It's a reasonable takedown.

Well, I'm on the last mission of Aliens: Dark Descent now. I highly recommend it. In the same way I highly recommend Battletech. Neither are AAA and both exhibit rather rough edges but when they're this good? Who cares!

I've just started playing Against the Storm, too. After playing the first two missions on Gamepass, I knew it'd get its hooks into me so I've just bought it on Steam.

[cramx3]

wow, was actually just in a COD Warzone game with Symfunny and Nadeshot, two of the most well known COD streamers.  Nadeshot is actually the LA 100 Theieves owner (professionally gaming team) and Symfunny if often claimed to be a big cheater because of how good he is.  No idea how I got into their game.  Sadly, I didn't engage with them.  THe guy I killed in the gulad told me they killed him so I pulled up their stream and watched after I died to confirm, they were in my game and they won 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm even less interested in Starfield after watching this guy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2emKDlGmE&list=WL&index=210

He had another good one about Rockstar's quest system being outdated. I agree with that but the game was still really fun for me. I played through it once on the PS4 and a second time on the PC. I think I'll end up buying Starfield eventually but it'll probably be years from now when it's cheap with tons of mods.

This guy seems to have a lot of videos about games being "outdated". I'm not saying he's wrong, but I also think it's important to distinguish between "outdated" and "signature style". Studios like Naughty Dog and Rockstar have very particular kinds of games that they are known for, and if they deviate from that too much in the name of modernization, they run the risk of becoming more generic and like everyone else. I'm not saying that studios should just rest on their laurels - it's wild that Bethesda still haven't figured out how to make games without loading screens every time you enter a house - but I personally don't want the Rockstar-style game to disappear.

[Herrick]

I'm even less interested in Starfield after watching this guy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2emKDlGmE&list=WL&index=210

He had another good one about Rockstar's quest system being outdated. I agree with that but the game was still really fun for me. I played through it once on the PS4 and a second time on the PC. I think I'll end up buying Starfield eventually but it'll probably be years from now when it's cheap with tons of mods.

This guy seems to have a lot of videos about games being "outdated". I'm not saying he's wrong, but I also think it's important to distinguish between "outdated" and "signature style". Studios like Naughty Dog and Rockstar have very particular kinds of games that they are known for, and if they deviate from that too much in the name of modernization, they run the risk of becoming more generic and like everyone else. I'm not saying that studios should just rest on their laurels - it's wild that Bethesda still haven't figured out how to make games without loading screens every time you enter a house - but I personally don't want the Rockstar-style game to disappear.

I haven't played a Naughty Dog game since Uncharted 2 but I think his criticisms on RDR2 & Bethesda are on point. If becoming more generic makes those games get better then I'm all for it.

[ErHaO]

Two of the best games this year, Hi-Fi Rush and Armored Core, are super old fashioned in their core gamedesign and better for it.

The thing is, when I boot up Skyrim I am having a good/great time. It is a really well balanced experience built around the tech and design principles they had. Older design only becomes an issue when it clashes with other design elements of the game, which is the case with Starfield. Their vision of a massive space exploration title is completely at odds with the technical basis they have. Had it been a couple of open worlds akin to Fallout with a large flying zone and some loading screens between them, I would probably have loved it. I feel Bethesda set out to make a game they could not, not focusing on their own strengths.

[El Barto]

I'm even less interested in Starfield after watching this guy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2emKDlGmE&list=WL&index=210

He had another good one about Rockstar's quest system being outdated. I agree with that but the game was still really fun for me. I played through it once on the PS4 and a second time on the PC. I think I'll end up buying Starfield eventually but it'll probably be years from now when it's cheap with tons of mods.

I'd like to see what the guy has to say, but by the nine his video is just insufferable. What a tool.

[Herrick]

I'm even less interested in Starfield after watching this guy's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS2emKDlGmE&list=WL&index=210

He had another good one about Rockstar's quest system being outdated. I agree with that but the game was still really fun for me. I played through it once on the PS4 and a second time on the PC. I think I'll end up buying Starfield eventually but it'll probably be years from now when it's cheap with tons of mods.

I'd like to see what the guy has to say, but by the nine his video is just insufferable. What a tool.

I'm sure there are other video criticisms out there that have a more serious or tame style.

[cramx3]

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/37j5d4CbPfYlZqJKcVtGcY/starfield-end-of-the-year-update-2023?linkId=256348629

First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates.

Why are they waiting till february, shouldn't this 6 week update schedule have been happening since launch?  None of what they say that is coming looks interesting enough at this moment to make me want to pick the game back up and try to finish it.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/37j5d4CbPfYlZqJKcVtGcY/starfield-end-of-the-year-update-2023?linkId=256348629

First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates.

Why are they waiting till february, shouldn't this 6 week update schedule have been happening since launch?  None of what they say that is coming looks interesting enough at this moment to make me want to pick the game back up and try to finish it.

They need to just hurry up and release the new Creation Kit. Modders will pump out way more interesting stuff and fix bugs quicker than Bethesda will.

[El Barto]

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/37j5d4CbPfYlZqJKcVtGcY/starfield-end-of-the-year-update-2023?linkId=256348629

First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates.

Why are they waiting till february, shouldn't this 6 week update schedule have been happening since launch?  None of what they say that is coming looks interesting enough at this moment to make me want to pick the game back up and try to finish it.

They need to just hurry up and release the new Creation Kit. Modders will pump out way more interesting stuff and fix bugs quicker than Bethesda will.

I think they get that. If they're solid on Early 2024 then they actually are pressing the matter. I think it was over a year before CK was released for FO4, and people were expecting Starfield's wait to be even longer.

I'm not sure modders with CK will be the fix-all people hope for, though. There are still technical problems (mainly mod index numbers that keep changing) that modders will have to overcome, and at this point in the game's cycle there will be constant version conflicts, as well.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/37j5d4CbPfYlZqJKcVtGcY/starfield-end-of-the-year-update-2023?linkId=256348629

First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates.

Why are they waiting till february, shouldn't this 6 week update schedule have been happening since launch?  None of what they say that is coming looks interesting enough at this moment to make me want to pick the game back up and try to finish it.

They need to just hurry up and release the new Creation Kit. Modders will pump out way more interesting stuff and fix bugs quicker than Bethesda will.

I think they get that. If they're solid on Early 2024 then they actually are pressing the matter. I think it was over a year before CK was released for FO4, and people were expecting Starfield's wait to be even longer.

I'm not sure modders with CK will be the fix-all people hope for, though. There are still technical problems (mainly mod index numbers that keep changing) that modders will have to overcome, and at this point in the game's cycle there will be constant version conflicts, as well.

This is true. Plus we will have to wait and see how many modders are willing to put time into modding Starfield when so many have moved on to other things and are unlikely to come back. It's a little telling when Skyrim is still getting almost 1000 new mods every week, Fallout 4 is still getting a couple hundred a week. Hell, even Morrowind is still picking up nearly 50 new mods a week and that game is over 20 years old now. Yet, Starfield is only getting about 100 a week. Granted, there are no mods tools for it yet (or rather very little, there are some), but Fallout 4's modding scene was way more active in the months prior to the CK being released for it.

[El Barto]

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/37j5d4CbPfYlZqJKcVtGcY/starfield-end-of-the-year-update-2023?linkId=256348629

First, we’re targeting updates roughly every six weeks starting in February. These updates will include everything from quality-of-life improvements to content and feature updates.

Why are they waiting till february, shouldn't this 6 week update schedule have been happening since launch?  None of what they say that is coming looks interesting enough at this moment to make me want to pick the game back up and try to finish it.

They need to just hurry up and release the new Creation Kit. Modders will pump out way more interesting stuff and fix bugs quicker than Bethesda will.

I think they get that. If they're solid on Early 2024 then they actually are pressing the matter. I think it was over a year before CK was released for FO4, and people were expecting Starfield's wait to be even longer.

I'm not sure modders with CK will be the fix-all people hope for, though. There are still technical problems (mainly mod index numbers that keep changing) that modders will have to overcome, and at this point in the game's cycle there will be constant version conflicts, as well.

This is true. Plus we will have to wait and see how many modders are willing to put time into modding Starfield when so many have moved on to other things and are unlikely to come back. It's a little telling when Skyrim is still getting almost 1000 new mods every week, Fallout 4 is still getting a couple hundred a week. Hell, even Morrowind is still picking up nearly 50 new mods a week and that game is over 20 years old now. Yet, Starfield is only getting about 100 a week. Granted, there are no mods tools for it yet (or rather very little, there are some), but Fallout 4's modding scene was way more active in the months prior to the CK being released for it.

Yep. It's pretty well established that FO4 was never modded nearly to the extent of Skryim because it simply wasn't as popular. I can't see anywhere near that level of man hours going into modding Starfield, unless the eventual DLC is really something game changing.

[nobloodyname]

The latest Steam beta update has introduced the option to mark a game as 'private'. About bloody time! And in time for the winter sale, too. Can't imagine what that'll do for sales of games to more discerning gentlefolk

[ReaperKK]

I think this year I'm going to resist buying any new games, I already have so much in the backlog.

[Herrick]

The latest Steam beta update has introduced the option to mark a game as 'private'. About bloody time! And in time for the winter sale, too. Can't imagine what that'll do for sales of games to more discerning gentlefolk

Is that for all those weird sex games on there?

[nobloodyname]

Well, I wouldn't say the ones I've played are "weird" but yeah. I guess it's for all those weird sex games. In addition to certain locales where other types of game may be taboo, where you might get get tossed in prison or even executed for playing them. (I acknowledge that escalated quickly but this is a genuine risk in some countries if the themes aren't tolerated within a given culture.)

[Herrick]

Well, I wouldn't say the ones I've played are "weird" but yeah. I guess it's for all those weird sex games. In addition to certain locales where other types of game may be taboo, where you might get get tossed in prison or even executed for playing them. (I acknowledge that escalated quickly but this is a genuine risk in some countries if the themes aren't tolerated within a given culture.)

I didn't even think about that point. Makes sense.

A few years ago I changed the settings so the sex games don't show up. I simply have no interest in playing those visual novel games. I got so tired of them being recommended on Steam, nor do I have any idea why they were being recommended 

[Herrick]

Cyberpunk 2077 has been taking up all my game time for the last few days. I haven't played it since it released. I do not detect many differences in this updated version. I never experienced a lot of bugs on my first playthrough. The performance is definitely better and perhaps everything feels a bit less janky. I thought the gameplay was pretty good in the day 1 patch 2020 version.

I do not remember what the old skill/perk system was like so I cannot compare to the new system. Overall, I am having just as much fun if not more than the first time I played it 3 years ago. This will take a long time to finish and I haven't even started the DLC yet. This pleases Herrick.

Edit: One of the welcome additions is being able to refund perk points for free and redistribute them. Too bad this can only be done one time with the main attributes though.

[HOF]

Somebody has finally beaten NES Tetris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJ5UuknsHU

Also, a really cool video about how the Zapper and Duck Hunt worked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6XnSvB34y8

(Sorry, I only ever played NES and Super Nintendo and have no real knowledge of video games since then).

[Lonk]

Somebody has finally beaten NES Tetris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJ5UuknsHU

Also, a really cool video about how the Zapper and Duck Hunt worked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6XnSvB34y8

(Sorry, I only ever played NES and Super Nintendo and have no real knowledge of video games since then).

Came here to post about this lol

https://www.polygon.com/24023080/tetris-record-kill-screen-beat-nes-blue-scuti

[HOF]

I’ve probably taken a dim view of the video game streaming culture at times in the past, but it’s pretty cool that we have actual video documentation of the Tetris thing (and the whole progression up to this point even).

[cramx3]

That video explaining the Tetris game crash was really good although I can't help but think, maybe there's better uses of your time?  but these are kids so if they enjoy playing the game with that weird tapping, so be it.  I know a lot of the best gamers often find crazy ways to use a controller so I guess it's no different but it looks like it would really hurt your hand and the youtuber even mentioned it being a stamina competition.

In other games, Call of Duty had a really fun Christmas themed limited time mode, Sleigh Ride Resurgence that I enjoyed so much last week.  I played SO much, mcuh more than I had gamed in a single week in awhile.  I made a video out of my first win in that mode, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLaRlPkhuDw and I'll likely make another with my last win on new years day.  Sucks the mode is gone.  Basically it was a resurgence battle royale mode, but the circle closed in on a moving train, making the end games always come down to one team trying to take over the train from another, leading to a lot of really fun fights.

Between the Halloween and Christmas modes they made recently, I feel like the developers are killing it.  And I also think a lot of this comes down to MD3 having really bad sales and people moving away from COD for other games, Fortnite being one of them or The Finals.  They need to compete with these other games, and it makes me think the developers are really trying right now.  (I haven't felt that way in awhile with COD).

[nobloodyname]

Anyone been playing Against the Storm? It's roguelite with a difference in that it's a city builder. My god, it's addictive.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Anyone been playing Against the Storm? It's roguelite with a difference in that it's a city builder. My god, it's addictive.

I keep meaning to check this out, but I have such a massive backlog of games I want to play I can't really justify buying another one right now 

[ReaperKK]

Anyone been playing Against the Storm? It's roguelite with a difference in that it's a city builder. My god, it's addictive.

Never heard of it but going to check it out now.

[Zantera]

Started playing Cyberpunk 2077 again - had a brief stint with this first weekend of release when I put in maybe 5 hours, but a combination of my PC only being able to running it on low settings and the game being buggy at launch made me put it away. Always wanted to return to it with a better PC and after some time when they could work out the kinks with the game and here we are now.

Mostly enjoying my time with it now (3-4 hours in) however I will say that 1 pet peeve I have is that for such a big world, a lot of it feels kinda empty. There's so many NPCs who are just there that you can't interact with in any way, and it definitely takes me out of the game a bit. Don't get me wrong, I understand that giving every NPC in a huge city their own voice actor and a dialogue tree, as well as some function in game (part of a quest or not) would be an insane undertaking and I get that it's not doable. However, when you run around a block or an apartment complex and nobody is really interactable, then it does feel a bit empty.

I am still intrigued to get further into the game and hopefully some things will open up and improve.

[Cool Chris]

I am highly enjoying Mario Wonder. I never picked up the New Super Mario Bros games, I am not even sure what they are all, so the last 2D Mario game I played was... checking... Super Mario World. Can that be right? Anyway, this game is lots of fun, exactly what I would expect from Nintendo. When I first saw clips online I thought those talking plants were silly and would get annoying fast but I love those guys! They add so much character to the game.

[Lonk]

For those interested, the Guardians of the Galaxy game is currently free at the Epic Games store until 1/11/24

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/marvels-guardians-of-the-galaxy

[Revenge319]

I am highly enjoying Mario Wonder. I never picked up the New Super Mario Bros games, I am not even sure what they are all, so the last 2D Mario game I played was... checking... Super Mario World. Can that be right? Anyway, this game is lots of fun, exactly what I would expect from Nintendo. When I first saw clips online I thought those talking plants were silly and would get annoying fast but I love those guys! They add so much character to the game.

The New Super Mario Bros. games were a continuation of classic 2D Mario. They were good games, although the series did have one big problem in that the four games were very similar to each other, mainly visually but also structurally. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a lot different in that regard. It's still classic 2D Mario platforming but with a lot of new and creative ideas.

I 100%'d the game a couple days ago, I really liked it. My only complaints are that the Search Party levels were really tedious, and the game as a whole felt a little too easy compared to the other 2D Mario games. But it makes up for the difficulty by being a lot of fun. The movement is the best of any 2D Mario, and pretty much all the Wonder effects are interesting. I was also worried about the talking flowers, thinking that they'd just be glorified tutorial signposts for newer players, but I enjoyed their inclusion a lot! I didn't like their English voices, but fortunately you can change the voice language of the flowers (no other character's voices are affected) in the settings, and I find that the French voices suit the flowers a lot better.

[chknptpie]

The talking flowers are adorable.