#like seriously is this game even replayable???

[theconsciouscrow]

Can i make you guys feel bad a little bit?

If The Final Draft is the last segment of Alan's spiral, doesn't replaying it only serves to prolong his suffering?

Imagine being him and finally receiving his third eye via light bullet, becoming FINALLY free after 13 YEARS respawning- and then his overlord i.e. the gamer just goes like "ok now i'm going to start it all from the beginning again just to take photos".

Happy Christmas!!!

#i just watched Alan's first TV recording about the loop and i just feel like i'm torturing him :( #like seriously is this game even replayable??? #i kinda hate this kinds of narratives because i feel bad #before new game plus i felt even WORSE #cause it was pointless at the time #also hugs for ahti... or whatever entity named ahti who's possessing that poor mans body #alan wake #alan wake 2 #remedy #remedyverse #sam lake #alan wake spoilers #remedy entertainment

[olderthannetfic]

I LOVE Stardew Valley but it has seriously warped peoples' ideas of what reasonable game pricing is. I constantly see people complain "this game was $25 and it didn't have as much content as Stardew!" I just want to take them by the shoulders and tell them that Stardew Valley is EASILY $50 or more of content. It being $15 is a massive massive massive gesture of generosity from Concernedape. The game you're complaining about probably IS $25 of content. We've just been so spoiled by Stardew we have no idea what $15 of content USUALLY looks like. Ooblets is another farming game I like, but it has nowhere near the amount of content, long-term playability, or replayability as Stardew. I'd still say it's about $25 of content, even $30. It's tough to make games! It takes ages! Creators pricing their labor fairly means yeah, a game is gonna be $25-$30 on average. Also, Concernedape made Stardew himself, and all the profits go to him. $15 isn't a lot, but all $15 go to him (AFAIK if the publishers don't pocket a cut). But any game made by a studio needs to divide their profit between all the employees. If they had to divide $15 between every employee it wouldn't add to a lot. There ARE a ton of mediocre overpriced cash grab garbage games out there, but it feels like some people assume games just materialize out of thin air...

--

[beevean]

I think Frontiers has such low replay value for a few reasons:

While you can traverse the islands non-linearly, there is legit just very little that rewards your curiosity. There's no cool hidden items that you can find if you search for them, at most a few pretty places you probably would have gone to anyway if you want to complete the map for 100% each. So once you've gone and fully completed each map, you've basically seen it all already.

The game can be rather rail-roading: on Chaos Island, for example, there's a few smaller islands you can basically only ever go through in the same one or two ways. Picking the wrong way will bring you to a place where you don't need to go to anymore. Good luck if you can't find the correct paths, though, because it is very difficult to make out just where the heck rails and the like lead you.

Talking about the items: there's like... five, six of them total to be found on the map? You've got the attack and defence fruits, the Koco, the memory tokens, Experience Points, rings... and that is basically the gist of it, even if I feel like I'm forgetting stuff (which is not a good sign at all, since that means it is forgettable). It gets very boring very quickly to have those be the only things you ever find. To bring back BotW, if you went out of your way to go explore the game usually rewards you with a strong weapon or useful item... because it's got hundreds of weapons and items you can collect. Not just a mere six or so on the islands, who eventually become moot anyway if you've fully upgraded Sonic and his skill tree.

The world is just empty. There's legit nobody interesting to talk to, other than perhaps Sage and Sonic's friends, who disappear afterwards from those spots. And furthermore, they have the problem that you can go through their developments completely unhingedly depending on where you find them, so you can easily have Sonic and Sage chat cordially on the final island and then go back to the first and have her be blunt and rude instead. I would have liked a 'good ending' where Sonic helped his friends and Sage through taking the time to talk to them fully on each island before going to the next and a 'bad ending' where he did not do that, but alas...

So yeah, overall the replay value is low because once you've put in some effort on your first run, there is nothing that rewards you for doing more. Everything you get is the same constantly, and if you went and 100% completed the maps and talked to everyone the first time, there's just nothing new to be found on new playthroughs.

Btw I should add that the game has such poor replayability to me that I haven't even picked it up despite the various updates throughout the year already, so maybe things have become better and I just haven't noticed them yet. Maybe😅

As always, huge W for ShTH, King of Replay Value ❤️

I'm starting to think that it's not my issue if I can't watch a playthrough of the game without getting bored lol. But more seriously, it's a shame, because Sonic games have usually high replay value, through their level design with multiple routes or the ranking system, or exceptional cases like Advance 3's gimmick.

Sage was really wasted. Her interactions with Sonic are 99% "you will die" "how?" "go fuck yourself I'm not telling you", until we're supposed to care about her and her NANANANANANA. A sidequest where you have to make the effort to befriend Sage? Teach her what a loving relationship is, making her realize that Eggman doesn't actually care about her like she hoped to? And maybe unlocking her as help during the final boss? It would have been something new and interesting! oh well.

(also yeah I read that part about Khaos Island. It doesn't sound fun. Why rail road part of your open world like that?)

#sonic the hedgehog

[jaythelay]

See what I love about Dark Souls 1 is that at any point, you're not unreasonable to call a section bullshit, or that it wasn't playtested enough, that you got screwed over, you're only unreasonable when you quit.

Dark souls is as good as it is, distinctly because, and just as bad, it didn't have time to polish it into a bland-er experience.

Exploits, or glitches, seperate things in this context, are such a vital part of games when done right, well, when they accidentally happen right. Being able to skip bosses or sections you do or don't like is incredible. It does become a repeated thing in playthroughs aswell.

The other part that Dark Souls 1 and only Dark Souls 1 has taught the player, is that there is, in fact, a design, someone, who designed it to be beaten. Not just the generic slogging through actually bullshit bosses and enemies, wave after wave, in a task that the designer after beating it once just said was fine as is.

Literally every game becomes both more replayable, and completely discardable. On one hand, actually trying to learn what the designer meant for me to do is fun and worthwhile in ways I never played before, a real "turn off my brain and only tryhard" to "take time to figure it out and then master it" mentality switch.

I guess after the 360-PS3 era I really did regress in appreciation and ability to learn more about gaming. Because seriously, Dark Souls, a game from 2011, is still, still kicking every other company's ass in some of the most basic designs.

What I love most about DS1 however, above it all, is that most games are designed as hallways, as a "board" from an NES game but in 3D. Like, here's the turret section, the hide behind wall shoot-a-man section, the story section, etc etc.

DS1 feels like they did that, but the entirety of it is within one board. I don't mind Anor Londo or the Painted World being so seperate because they feel like rewarding new areas meant to be played outside of the original board you'd been playing the whole time.

Like there's a teleport coffin you can go to near instantly if you have 4 eyes of death, that takes you past an impassable fog wall, to establish a covenant with one of the 4 final bosses, and it's all, on the same "board", even if the tomb of giants feel seperated, it's still apart of the walkable, non-tele world design.

Finding a shortcut to firelink shrine, finding the secret teleport back to the tutorial area with new enemies and a boss, going from the always midday firelink shrine and undead burg, to the always night woods, then, after travsering the dark pits of Sen's Fortress, seeing sun break through the small window, reaching the outside to see for the first time, the sun setting, a long day passed of a lot of work is felt, and it never crosses your mind the time of day because these areas are so entrensically designed with hidden but fair enemies with their own special moves that are readable.

It's genuinely the height of gaming. The combat, in my opinion, is the weakest aspect, it's not that it's bad, it's just not as strong as everything else, but that I believe was on purpose.

DS3 and onward are too fucking fast, and every enemy has it's own trick attack bs that punishes everything in ways you simply cannot possibly counter.

DS1 every attack was readable. Even Artorias, my favorite boss fight, is readable, you're not a fucking anime character swooping up and swinging fast as shit, you're just Some Dude. Your magic is in knowledge, or faith, if not fire. But intrinsically you are not special. Every enemy is capable of taking you down, your goal is to become strong enough that you can treat them with the same passively murderous attitude they gave you 20 deaths ago.

And the enemies weren't anime either. They were all slow chubby fucks, but like a fat pregnant spider, that shit can still move fast as shit when it needs to. For the most part you can keep the camera still aswell.

DS1 combat is mechanical, I've heard Sekiro described as a dance game, I'd use that vision, but make it gears, mechanical, as perfect fit as you can make your gear into another gear's teeth.

Enemy attacks, you can Parry, attack faster than them, dodge, block, but what makes it matter, is Poise. How many punches to the groin can I fit in this very mechanical 1-5 seconds before they flinch. How many can I?

The pace of the game was 100% in your hands. That, is why it's unreasonable to quit, because every single aspect was designed for you the player to take advantage of in some measure. Whether exploring alternative paths or areas, upgrading equipment and stats, using different weapons, or even items which were never a requirement, but they're a solid spice I feel is heavily required in souls games as such. Not just "increases stamina for a short while" but more "I can save 3 close range hits with 10 distant throwing knives"

Man, I love DS1, but man, it's a mixed bag of really bad designs and unplaytested sections, but those moments where it strings along good after good, just for, like, exploring the game's mechanics and shit the developer's thought or didn't think of. It's great. And the best part, is it's not necessarily obvious, but you can actually plan, concieve of what to try next if the previous idea failed.

Anyways, if Dark Souls had the time to be polished, I guarantee it'd been better in some aspects, but we'd have lost actual magic in the lack of "invisible walls" to player ingenuity.

This can, be a problem of course, you don't want a really dumb flaw to get passed, but you also have to just let the player be smarter than the designer sometimes. There's genuinely very very few games where exploiting the game can be done top to bottom as a playstyle choice, that isn't a speedrun, but you, get this, Just, Playing, Around.

Dark Souls is such a playbox for the gamer. You ever, like, wanted a boss fight that was fun, cool looking, and actually challenging without being Sans from Undertale 50 times over? You ever, like, wanted to upgrade your limited heals, and the amount they do, without grinding just exploration? And then that gets taken away for you to save, all on your own?

You ever, like, hate a boss fight, and just wanted to do a different boss fight? Or even skip an entire section of the game? With or without exploits or glitches? Dark so.

I'm really just thinking about it because playing Elden Ring makes me upset. Dark Souls was a well rounded game based on the last 2 decades of gaming, and Elden Ring... Feels like the last 3... There's still 2 good to decent decades but man...that 3rd decade is harsh. Feels like Fromsoft wanted to kill Ubisoft titles by making the ultimate checklist game, in more ways than one.

#dark souls #elden ring

[sburbian-sage]

I have to go into the Psychoruins. There's no avoiding it, the session is unimaginably fucked and my denizen said I'd find something in there that would save us. I'm 17, and the other two players that are still alive are 9 and 10, it's only their second sessions, they are barely functional, I can't send them in, it's gotta be me.

I tried to follow this guide: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14382951/chapters/33212049

But none of us have the song of light, and all the members of the consort band are dead and nothing else we've tried to do to get it has worked.

I don't have the "Gorrum player pendant" the guide says helps, and I'm not sure what it is. (Since when are pendants related to denizens? Assuming Gorrum is a denizen?)

I can't use the skeletal consort tricks the guide mentions, because the game didn't actually spawn any fucking consorts on any of our lands. (Yes, seriously.)

I'm a Seer of Void. Other players are a Page of Doom and Heir of Space. None of us have god tiered, and we can't find our quest beds or sacrificial slabs. Prospit and Derse have both exploded, and most carapacians are dead.

I know there's no way that we can actually get though this, but I gotta try. If you have any Psychoruins tips, I'd love to hear them.

What the fuck. I'm reading the linked guide and seeing a lot of dubious stuff. Consorts of any stripe are generally not combat capable. WTNV equipment cancelling out the most dangerous aspect of the Psychoruins seems a bit too convenient (especially if the implication is that the two are thematically linked, SBURB isn't especially pop-culturally aware, except when it comes to prototyping because as well all know if you prototype Shrek the sprite will behave like Shrek). And most offensively, the author is using the wrong terminology! It's the Sprite Pendant, not the Player Pendant! We use standardized terminology for a reason, people!!!

You do indeed seem to be turbofucked, between the Medium-wide omnicide, implied loss of your timeplayer, and the fact that you got not one, but two unusually young replayers (9 and 10 on their second session implies they were even younger on their first session, when 12-13 is the usual minimum standard). Luckily for you though, my job is unfucking people and correcting mistakes. I'll be providing my advice in somewhat unorganized bulletpoint fashion.

Don't bring the kids into the psychoruins. Not only will it spook them, you wanna prevent any accidental PKs if funny business happens. HOWEVER they can be useful still. If they have any buffs, psychological or otherwise, make them cast them on you before you head in. The Page of Doom probably doesn't have much for you, but the Heir of Space should (maybe something like a navigational aura? or a Volto Do Mar-esque self-centering where you become aware of the world and your place in it?). Whatever slight help they can afford you. Knowing what your own abilities do also helps.

it might also be worth stressing to them that before you go, they have their own quests to attend to. I know that you said they're barely functional, but they survived once before. This might even be a valuable learning experience, teaching them that they need to be self-sufficient or be able to do things on their own. Especially if you don't come back from this mission (you will).

Disregard the "if I don't come back out in three days, destroy the entrance" advice. If the Denizen is saying that whatever's in there is urgent, it's urgent. Let the fact that you have to do this in one shot steel your resolve.

DO keep the advice to bring only one computer and turn it off beforehand. Ignore any pings.

Other pieces of that guide's advice you should follow include being well-rested before going in, bringing food and don't eat anything you find in there (even if you dropped it), bringing your best gear (and make some better ones just in case), bringing any good luck charms or that which makes you feel happy. I can tell this guide is shit because they forgot the most important piece of gear you should bring into the Psychoruins. A pair of fresh pants. Har har har.

If you don't have the Song of Light, that's insane but okay. Make a token attempt at bringing a lantern or flashlight or something, even though the Psychoruins will probably make them fritz out or do something spooky. Better than literally nothing.

On that note, I wonder if your Seer of Void title might be advantageous here. Aspects and Classes can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and I wonder if "divine information from nothing" could be perhaps a bit bent into "see in the dark"? It's not Scrying, so it should work, assuming you're capable of doing this at all.

I also feel like this expedition might be very synergistic with your title, but not to the extent that this will be easy. The Psychoruins are not easy.

I know this is the "get good" of Psychoruins advice but unironically, none of the shit you see in there is real. If you have any experience with the Earthsea Borealis, it's kind of like how the Nightmare Heir says stuff that is designed to poke at your insecurities and make you doubt yourself (which they pull from your head), but you're always supposed to have some sort of response to it. The Psychoruins are the same, but they're trying to invoke fear instead of self-doubt, and they're also much weaker and shittier than the Nightmare Heir. This isn't to say you should just ignore them and courteously let them do their thing while walking past, like this is some IRL haunted house and you're letting the actors do their job. They will not only obstruct your important tasks, but try to psychologically harm you by looking like your dead friends or the bugs you're really afraid of or the guardian you raised you from birth and who you killed by playing this game and you barely remember what they look like anymore. While the Nightmare Heir is complicated, and there's no one-size-fits-all method, it might be better to just get really angry. Like act indignant when a Nightmare shows up and scream "HOW DARE YOU WEAR THEIR FACE" like you're some anime character and then you shoot them and try to complete all the puzzles.

I imagine the Denizen is trying to do some secret growth bullshit, like you haven't conquered your fears and there's some critical development you haven't undergone, and it's sending you to the Psychoruins both so you can get the thingy and so you can undergo the Deep Revelations. In that case you might still want to do the "get angry and shoot" strat at least until you feel like shit is getting real, maybe around the 1/2 to 3/4 mark.

This is the "rainy day for when the worst possible outcome happens" advice, but if you feel the need to pull back, surrender, or otherwise give up on this journey, don't. You can't die in there, unless you get so stressed you have a heart attack, which is rather unlikely (alchemize medicine if you think otherwise). Suicide is disabled by the game (or at least I hope so, the Exiles handle that but communication is supposed to be blocked). The worst outcome I can see the Psychoruins having is longterm trauma. You have people's lives riding on your success. Learning to live with trauma is an inevitable part of the game. If you haven't learned how to do it before, you'll do it now. The advice I keep jamming into your head is that you have to succeed and survive. Let that be your polestar no matter what.

But also I've heard the Psychoruins are supposed to be B-movie horror scary, so maybe it won't actually be that bad and someone's fucking with you. All this advice assumes that you got a version of the Psychoruins (or suspect you will get a version of) that is actually terrifying and traumatizes people with how 3spooky5me it is. If you don't, then take the advice anyway, laugh when it turns out to be not that spooky at all and you over-prepared, and continue shooting things. Then tell your coplayers that it actually was very scary and you were a badass for doing it, and revel in their applause.

#sburb #replay value au #psychoruins

[pumpkinsouppe]

Uncensored version and close ups below!!

Also apologies for the small and crazy writing, I went insane playing this game and had a lot to say about it LMAO

The way I has to paste in a sticky note to write more anjfdnsojfndsjnfodjs

Stickers are by NoodlesAndTeaShop on Etsy!!

This is the only game I’ve given a 10/10, I seriously love this game so much and this spread is my favorite thing ever

And if you’re curious how I set up the spread here it is!

Writing typed below!

Rating: 10/10 Played: Su 2022 Port: N. Switch Favorite? Y Replayable: Y Recommended? Y

Comments

my first ace attorney game!!

omg the little anime scenes are so cool

The twist endings/court conclusions are so well made

oh my god I'm in love with Kazuma <3 his theme T-T

each character has such a distinct personality esp from just their animation

I love the [sholmes/iris/ryuu] forhead thing

yeah I'm also in love with Ryuu T-T

the logic and reasoning spectaculars are my favorite thing they're so fun and stupid

Sholmes and Iris are the cutest dad and daughter duo

FIREWORKS? IN THE COURTROOM??

I am so stressed about the Hounds of the Baskerville case O_o

British Ryuu jumpscare

CHUUNOSUKE ON RYUU'S SHOULDER T-T

I like Gina's new job and personality

Ayy Gregsy is back

ohh the great departed soul is both Susato and Kazuma omg

AMNESIA? T^T

Ryuu is scared of everything and I adore it [me too Ryuu]

PLAGUE DOCTOR WANTS TO CUT ME UP??

The wax museum is horrifying wtf

case 8 [2-3] is an all time favorite

HOLY FUCK

[Phonograph sticker] looks just like Barok's

Love goofy Herlock clothes

Case 2-4 specific comments

THE PARALLELS ARE CRAZY

give me your damn sword Kazuma you don't need two of them

KAZUMA'S NEW THEME????

KAZUIMA'S FATHER?

DEAD?

I love how confident, sure, and determined Ryuu is now

bullying Ryu to pay the vendors T-T

is this a fake trial??

Beppo!!!

STOP FLIRTING IN THE MIDDLE OF A TRIAL

Was the will the note sent to Kazuma?

Finishing each others sentences

love [prison warders and a prosecutor, reborn] 10/10 music

Case 2-5 specific comments

FUCK NOT STRONGHART

Kazuma [eye roll]

JIGOKU???

The girls are FIGHTING [kazuma and barok]

IM MIKOTOBA OMG OMG INVESTIGATION

Elementary my dear Mikotoba T^T

TAP DANCING

Was the sword broken from Genshin? NVM LOL [im dumb]

Gregson in the luggage is so fucked

They're all family T-T brother Ryuu

Kazuma's theme is both intimidating but assuring

HOLOGRAM??

THE DANCE????

Iris Van Zieks... IRIS SHOLMES

THE CREDITS, I'm not okay

Game Dev notes

Masterfully done music, esp reinvented themes for change

incredible animations, gives each character so much personality

great story telling - best visual novel for length, story, interest, etc

chronicles has its own achievements - encourages replayability

great pacing and saving - east to pick up and set down

amazing foreshadowing - whole series planned together

incredible balance of comedy and tragedy

takes preexisting stories and tropes and masterfully retells them

Summary:

I'm afraid I won't have enough room to describe how much I love this game. I don't even know where to start :'). This game is a masterpiece of masterpieces. Easily comparable to FMAB in terms of incredible storytelling, foreshadowing, mystery, tragedy, comedy, score, design, you name it. I have never genuinely been so shocked by the surprises in this game, but they were all so well made and fit in the story seamlessly. The tragedy and comedy, the two most important aspects of a story to me, were not only very well balanced, but were used as expert emotional devices throughout the game. The character design is incredible. Small details such as Ryuu's arm brace or Enoch's mechanisms or Iris's dolls add such character and personality even if some of these details aren't plot relevant. Each character has a unique body type, face shape, facial features, etc that it is easy to identify each character without their hair or clothes. The deigns are also so brilliant that it even taught me how to not only draw older people and children, but to be able to distinguish between teenagers and 20-30 year olds in my art (instead of all looking the same age). The animations are beautiful and so ridiculous. I always looked forward to interacting with Herlock and the witnesses. These games also have one of my favorite scores, especially the way they are able to turn established themes on their heads. The music does an amazing job at establishing setting, character, tension, emotion, you name it. Now for the story telling. Holy fucking shit. Holy shit. You don't even realize how important every small is until it hits you in the face. This is a story that will rival my 1st place spot of FMAB [in terms of all media]. It is so beautifully designed and thought over that I can only say the writers at Capcom are true geniuses to make this story. It doesn't hold back any punches but also comforts you. It toys with your emotions and is smth almost evil, but it also gives you hope and confidence and lifts you up so that you can scream to the world. The key to this is Ryuu. He's no avatar like Link but you and him share a strong bond through shared experience. It was an ingenious move to have the first story be Ryuu accused of murder, you learn the hardest way possible how to become a defense attorney of true integrity. His relations to others is this game is incredible too. The betrayal, the longing, the tenderness. Him and Susato have an incredible "sibling" bond to where I truly felt anxious without her. Not to mention Kazuma. A human through and through. Once thought to be the righteous angel, he had later fallen from heaven just to learn the truth of who he and his father really are. Even as the game has ended, I still sit and contemplate on these characters. Although it was the right decision for Kazuma to stay, I am still in pain from their separation. I really wish I could say more but it's also hard to put into words all my feelings with so little space. If I could forget this game just to experience it again, I would. An outstanding work of art. I highly recommend. My new favorite game.

#I thought I called kazuma a bastard in this journal but it was actually me calling Edgeworth a bastard in AA1 LMAO #I love kazuma but I also want to fight that man oh my god you mother fucker #let me know if you have any questions! #dgs #ace attorney #dgs spoilers #tgaa #tgaa spoilers #dgs 2 spoilers #dai gyakuten saiban #pumpkinsouppe #the great ace attorney #journal #ryunosuke naruhodo #kazuma asogi

[gir-posting]

im probably never gonna shut up about it but i cant stop thinking about how stardew valley was pretty much a perfect game when it came out. like what we already had when it released was an endlessly playable and REplayable farming game with lovely art + music and fun characters and gay marriage and fun understated lore and all of that especially at the time was considered groundbreaking. all made by one guy! and that barely would have changed over time because i'm sure that even to this day the modding community would still be adding more and more. (seriously the fanmade expansion packs are CRAZY.) concernedape could easily have gotten the overwhelmingly positive reception and moved on to bigger things.

...but then he updated the game and added MORE. continuation past what used to be considered the "end" point of the game. whole new areas! new mechanics that let you essentially become a god to pelican town! massive challenges you have to build up to for a long time! a heartfelt reward for completing EVERYTHING in the game! when that was added it was one of the biggest things i had ever seen for the whole game. i was convinced it was a major sendoff that was done out of love for the community and stardew was finally complete.

NOPE wrong because years later concernedape casually drops an update so massive that he openly stated it was better to start a whole new save just to experience everything (which, for the record, no skin off my back, i could restart the game and play it a million times.) and that's not even mentioning how it fully started as a behind the scenes update intended solely for the modding community to make it easier. has there ever been another developer that has so much camaraderie with his fans??? i think you see any other developer and are convinced that they hate the people who want to tweak their games.

i dont have any natural way to go with this im just so glad we have something this wonderful in a world where this kind of thing is so rare to see. god willing ill fondly remember stardew valley for the rest of my life

[majorplayer]

i can literally never go back to TTR at this point. i cannot possibly overstate the degree to which TTCC has permanently ruined rewritten for me in the ONE MONTH i have played it consistently this year so far. (i played it for a month when it first came out but i just never got into it back then.)

rewritten is just... so bad and unfun, relatively. it's fatally stuck in the past. it's for nostalgic people who want a few months of ignorant fun, not for long-term enjoyment. don't get me wrong, TTO was certifiably The Shit back in the late 2000s and all we stupid children loved it exactly how it was (which is how TTR still is), but how can it possibly be enjoyed anymore once you've seen the greener pastures? even if clash was almost an exact copy of rewritten and the only differences were the quality of life changes, those changes are so impactful on every aspect of gameplay that i'd still feel the same way.

but it's not even just QoL changes, clash also improves on every aspect of the story, characters, the game mechanics, etc. fuck, even just the clash team is infinitely better than rewritten's. they actually respond to emails, take action against bad actors, approve names within 24 hours (rewritten takes WELL over 1 month recently), and god man, it's so so SOOOO obvious just how passionate the clash team is about the game. it's not something they need to say out loud; it's something you straight up feel as you play it. they pour their hearts and souls into making clash the best it can possibly be.

i used to play rewritten thinking i was having fun, but i am honest to god questioning that now. i don't think i was ever having fun on it in the past few years, not seriously. it's all nostalgia for a game that suffers from crushing subscription-incentivizing design and 2003 capabilities. the entire game is going through the fucking Motions, wasting your life playing the most soul-suckingly repetitive ways disney could implement to keep a bunch of 9 year olds begging their parents for a monthly subscription back in 2009 so they wouldn't get locked out of their toon before they could complete their seventh Back Nine in a row to do one CEO before their math homework. there's not even any strategy involved in the gameplay because it's not meant to pose any sort of challenge, it's just a timesink for monthly subscriptions. clash feels fresh. there's actual strategy and it can be really difficult (in a fun way!!!!) even if you're experienced.

clash is the modern take on toontown, and man do they knock it out of the park on every single account. the fact that i have recently discovered one of my new favorite fictional characters ever and it comes from clash says a lot about how good it is. meanwhile in TTO/TTR, you can generally find people laughing about lil oldman or maybe saying they enjoy flippy, but not much else love for characters besides edge cases. the story of clash has genuine replayability. i feel actual excitement to replay the managers in clash and even to grind them, whereas i would always dread having to do another suit boss or field office in rewritten. playing it is almost like an abusive relationship. i never maxed a toon in TTO, so i really wanted to max a toon in TTR since it was the closest thing... it's such an extreme example of the sunk cost fallacy, blatantly so now that i've played clash.

the fact of the matter is, i grew up. TTO was, and now TTR is, fun for people under the age of 15, and/or people stuck in the early 2010s at the latest. despite being really into clash for such a short amount of time so far, i've already heard this sentiment echoed a number of times while playing it. no one who goes into clash with an open mind and gives it an honest chance goes back to rewritten in a meaningful capacity. no one hits 115 laff in rewritten and thinks "wow, almost all of the rest of my laff will come from suits, i'm so excited to do back nines!" meanwhile i'm about to hit 115 laff in clash and i'm not even remotely finished with the (compelling, well-written, and cohesive) story, much less doing anything repetitive. i'm only excited to continue where i'm at.

#this is a mess. i just wanted to rant #i still log into rewritten a couple times a week to keep up on my cattlelog (the urge to Collect despite no intentions to Play again) #but also to gift my few friends all the wearables since afking at beanfest while on clash is so easy and it makes them super happy :') #also so when friends see me online and whisper me i can continue telling them how much fun i'm having on clash (HINT HINT) #three of them have said they want to check out clash 😉😳😏 i'm working on wearing them down to bring them over ok #one of them said the same thing i kept telling myself for weeks before i started clash: #“i just want to max this toon and then i'll happily try out clash :) i've only heard really good things about it. i'm excited to play it!” #they're at 123 laff rn and i was at 126 laff when i was telling myself that last month right after maxing cashbot #trying my hardest to telepathically beam directly into their brain just how far from worthwhile that endeavor is without being pushy #just take a leap and go straight to clash... instant life improvement + very quick redpill for seeing how bad the rewritten experience is #clashpilled...... #original

[arttrampbelle]

Vent ahead long txt

My personal thoughts lately on the new mk "1" mk new game.

*sigh* i have never been so disappointed in my life

If anyone remotely think mk1/11.5/12. Whatever that fucking thing wants to call itself. The new mk game.

If anyone remotely thinks its gonna be good.

.....

They aren't a mortal kombat fan.

They don't have any standards.

They are blind and are consumers of hype.

They probably are a fucking reddit guy.

They don't care about the integrity of the lore,story,characters,and 30 fucking years of the series trying to get it right (but failing to do so because of greed and the incompetence of higher ups/boon)

They legit are new to this shit and dont listen to older fans when we say "THIS IS BAD,DO NOT FUCKING WASTE YOUR MONEY!"

Like if people are saying 11 was better. And that wasn't even by much. Thats how you know your game sucks.

Because despite my gripes with 11. At least the characters dont look like cookie cut outs. And at least the game has replayability. Ignore the pre battle dialogue and a majority of the storymode outside of aftermath. (And some things within because oof)

Then 11 isn't that bad. Trim the gristle and you're good.

But mk "1" ?! Nah fuck that.

Oh yeah and btw boon

YOUR NEW LIU KANG SUCK ASSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

🖕🏻💯

Not my liu kang. Because my liu kang aint stupid to fuck things up eith god powers nor take or keep god powers.

I could go on.

Milly? Yeah making her half tarkatan side a "disease"?! Yeah totally not low key racist.

Making raiden a poor helpless waif, you need to have bitch god liu kang "save" ? Yeah totally not a fucking savior complex n bias as shit there boon. Yeah doing a switcheroo isn't gonna make us like the game nor your mary sue liu kang either boon.

The crimes,absolute crimes against sub zero n scorpion?! NEED I FUCKING SAY MORE?!

Oh but kenshi is back n johnny has a van damne skin. Oooo big whoop. Like kenshi is cool but he's not that important. And giving us a skin alt costume is not enough.

You cant switch off this dumb gimmick of kameos and tag assists. You have characters be not balanced at all. Like you have supposedly a pre order for shang.....

But ive yet to see gameplay nor a thing for him. He already looks ass af. Downgraded af from what we got in 11 by a fucking looooong shot.

Shang tsung looks like a wish brand knock off dollar store lo pan. And im sorry. That's not shang tsung. Especially if you so called to hype him up to be a big bad. Its pathetic and laughable.

Especially when we got such a fucking boss ass,shang tsung. MODELED AND VOICED BY THE MYTH,THE MAN,THE LEGEND HIMSELF CARY HIROYUKI TAGAWA!!!!

You seriously gonna downgrade shang tsung for ....that fortnite looking shang tsung?!!!

Come on man!

Like shippers aside. I feel everyone (cept a few gum in their ears people) here can agree. Mk "1" is gonna suck.

And i hope it burns. And i hope people trash it. Im here for it.

Idgaf. I feel it neeeeed heavy heavy heavy backlash.

Boycott it if you need.

I love mortal kombat. I love its characters n ACTUAL lore too much to see it being treated like this.

So if it needs to die to be reborn

So be it.

Ok end vent.

#mk1 is gonna suck and they aint never gonna make a good game ever #vent #mortal kombat

[devilbombers]

Music Rambles: the drakeNieR series ost

I'm not even kidding I would have never given this game a chance if it weren't for the ost

even though i was complete ass at art I used to stream art a lot when i was around 15 and I can't really remember what I was talking about in the chat or who I was talking to in particular (AND TO THIS DAY I STILL REALLY WISH I KNEW WHO IT WAS PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHO YOU ARE) but somebody suggested I play the nier series.

again I was 15 and obviously carrying zero paper, so I still recall only just watching gameplay videos at first. Having never encountered such a unique type of storytelling and being easily worn out by older games at the time I was already seconds from dropping the game just from the beginning.

It was entirely the music that captivated me more than anything. I was so taken aback by how unique the vocals are and the gorgeousness of the orchestra i had to keep going. It was song of the ancients that kept me on. I was so curious about the completely unorthodox language of the vocals i kept moving on with the game to hear more.

I love the nier ost so much because it really goes to show lyrics seriously dosent matter when it comes to music. if it sounds good; it sounds good and i sincerely think people should stop pretending understanding the language or lyrics matters.

This soundtrack is exceedingly special to me as well for the fact it transcends understanding. it dosent even matter if you know the context, the music is so masterfully composed you know what emotion it vividly illustrates nonetheless. case in point; my mom often witnesses me stream it and constantly asks me "why are you listening to such sad music all the time"

This is probably a given sidenote, but I absolutely hated the soundtrack for the first Drakengard game. It actually feels like my head is repeatidly being struck with an iron pipe. They had to replace the composer for a reason, the reception for the first game was so bad because of the music they had to make sure the soundtrack was good in the new games.

Anyways, I absolutely love Keiichi Okabe and all the vocalists. But of course especially Emi Evans. Clearly a vessel of god with a voice like that; to me I think she's too good for this buisness to be honest lmao.

My favorite songs in order

NieR

out of all the games; I think the original nier soundtrack is the most memorable.

Kaine's salvation

Ashes of dreams

Song of the ancients

Grandma

Shadowlord's castle

Emil sacrifice

Repose

This dream

His dream

The ultimate weapon

Cold steel coffin

The incomplete stone

The wretched automatons

Blu-bird

Nier Automata

personally i think it pales a lot in comparison to the original soundtrack because i think a lot of the songs lack replayability. But i still like it a lot don't get me wrong!

Voice of no return

Peaceful Sleep

Fortress of Lies

Pascal

Vague Hope

Blissful Death

Wretched Weaponry

A Beautiful Song

Weight of the world

City Ruins

Amusement Park

Mourning

Emil's shop

Drakengard 3

Honest to god i kind of really hated this game but I think the characters are kind of funny and there are some story elements worth salvaging so I can't really say I hated it all the way. Love or hate it, the soundtrack was IMMACULATE

probably the best of all the soundtracks in terms of production. I feel very strongly that the compose went the hardest on this one

Kuroi Uta

Empty Tone

Fallen god

Leap wishes - Egrigori (Two's song)

The Comrade's Song - Abdiel (One's song)

Thirteenth Chapter

Leaf of chaos

The upcoming battle - Armaros (Four's song)

The rising fool - Galgaliel (Five's song)

Redeemed Invasion - Almisael (Three's song)

better end

#music rambles

[tuulikannel]

I finished my first playthrough of Chrono Cross a little ago. I’ve now started my first (and definitely not last) replay. I know I've said it before, but thanks again, @solarsavoy, for introducing this game to me! It's definitely one of the... uh.

I was going to say, one of the best games I've played, but seriously, given that in addition to the Danganronpa games, I’ve only played stuff like Tetris (and some ancient games that really give away my age: Alone in the Dark and Space Quest), that isn't saying much. ^^;; But yeah, this is definitely in the DR tier for me, DR2 tier, even (my favorite, in case you didn't know. ^^)

Chrono Cross is the first game of its kind that I’ve ever played, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I got to say it set the standard really high. Its got everything: a meaningful story with fun twists, great characters in great numbers, excellent music, and yeah, it’s quite pretty too. (lol, I feel like I could just copy&paste here everything Solar said about it in her post. XD) I'm really looking forward to getting all the characters I missed on the first round as well as seeing the other endings. (It also has great replayability, tbh.)

A really fun game that I could recommend to just about anyone. ^^

Off to the new game!

#chrono cross #game rec

[theeeveetamer]

Pokemon direct thoughts!

I know this direct happened like twelve hours ago but I had to go to class.

Lmao what the fuck are these wheels. Why are the box legendaries bicycles.

Seriously why is pokemon so opposed to just letting me ride a fucking pokemon like a horse or something? Why does there always have to be weird gear and platform seats and equipment??? Just lemme hop on an Arcanine and hold onto the mane for dear life!!!!!

They even have animations of them running! Why can't you just make them run/swim the whole time?????

Pleaaaaaaase let the grass cat stay quadrupedal

Kinda wish they showed off more new pokemon. I know they want to keep some element of mystery but like... I'm really worried we're gonna get another Kalos-tier dex where I struggle to make up a full team of 6 I like with just the new 'mons.

I'm hoping we get a new Eevee this time around. It's been like three gens GF come on!

Looks like they're replacing the Dynamax gimmick with some weird crystallization gimmick? I'll... see how I feel about it

While Pokemon is pretty uniquely well suited to open world games... I'm kind of over open world games, tbh. I'm hoping there's more to it than just catching dozens of the same pokemon over and over (I liked PLA but like... really, open world games bore me a bit) otherwise I'm not sure

OH MY GOD THE LEGENDARY'S NAMES LITERALLY HAVE "RIDE ON" IN THEM ASDFGHJKL

I'm really glad they're adding "no set gym order" as a feature, considering it's been canon since the 90's that Gym leaders just scale their pokemon based on the trainer they're facing.

But no new information on the other two stories??? This is actually something I've wanted in Pokemon for a long time: a game that isn't JUST doing the gym challenges. Like I always thought it'd be cool if you could play a game and do contests instead of gyms as your points of progression. So I'm a little iffy that they say there's three stories... but the only one they talk about is the gym story. Do you have to do all three at once, or can you only go down one for a whole playthrough? I kind of hope its the latter, because the replayability of this game would be GREAT.

I WANT THAT EEVEE BACKPACK (hint for new Eevee? please? New Eevee? Just a crumb of Eevee?)

"Co-op play" do NOT make me interact with other human beings you bastards

Oooooh the tera types thing is neat. Kind of like hidden power, but a whole gimmick on its own. I'm more into this crystal thing now.

Ok looks like you don't just have to wear the dumb school uniform the whole time? I hope not. It looked like there was a shot of someone wearing like a hoodie and other clothes.

Overall I'm like... 6-7/10 on this right now. It has some neat stuff. I really like the idea of the box legendary being with you the whole time (I wish they'd done more with that in Sun and Moon), the open world freeform gym order is a really great idea, I like the pokemon we've seen so far, and the multiple stories has me intrigued. But I gotta see more before I really commit.

I was leaning more toward Violet but... tbh... I think the Scarlet legendary's wheels look less stupid on their riding form and I'm shallow enough to let that sway me if I don't see more tangible differences between them in Violet's favor

#pokemon #pokemon direct

[bichitosdecolores]

i finished rain world and downpour so here are my thoughts :3

(really long post below)

survivor, vanilla cat

spoilers start

you are cat. you are alone scared week and confuse. you encounter big computer robot. you eat her brain. get instructions on how to die by another computer robot how is mad because he cannot die. you go and die. 10/cat

spoilers end

ok but seriously, survivors campaign is my favorite because is infinitely replayable, you can go through it in so many different ways… the sense of discovery and immersion is immaculate. and most importantly, unlike (most) other campaigns, when playing survivor i didn’t feel like playing as a video game character, i felt like survivor. i understood perfectly how the silly cat was feeling and why it was doing what it was doing. it’s really weird in a video game to be able to make you feel so connected to a character, specially to a silent blob in a cryptic world.

Campaign: 10/10 best ca(t)mpaign.

Cat: 9/10. really versatile cat.

Story: 9999/10 again, this is one of the very few games i’ve played where the story IS the gameplay. and what a catntastic story it is.

(i’m bad)

arti, artificier, kaboom mom

you go commit a murder. and you explode. that’s about it.

Campaign: 6/10. really fun, also incredibly unfair and at times. the one i’m less likely to replay ever, but i did enjoy it a lot.

Cat: 10/10 you go kaboom and it big fun.

Story: 8/10. i like it!. not as strong as survivor but it is really good. is still the story of a cat and i like that, also the way the flashbacks play is really cool.

(i’m still bad)

gourmand, round cat, the most powerful being on heart.

i killed more things in this campaign that in any other, and i wasn’t even trying.

Campaign: 8/10 good old campaign. i like it a lot, it’s really similar to survivor but with a hard optional hard quest. i didn’t give it a higher score because, one, since is the first campaign in the dlc and also the most similar to survivor i find it quite boring to play (though on replay it’s not such a problem), and two, the difficulty in this one is reallyy weird. it either completely unfair or ridiculously easy and no in between.

Cat: 7/10. it’s really silly, in the best way possible. really fun when is being fun but infuriating when it isn’t.

Story: 10/10. gourmand literally said fuck this depressing world i’m going to have the time of my life, and it did. and i love it for that.

(i’m kind of good)

Rivulet, Ruffles, The Silly

you fast. that it.

Campaign: 9/10. it’s so much fun. i didn’t even found 5p region frustrating (even though it’s definitely not the best). also i found the use of the campaign objectives very good implemented. the refraction cell is so fun to carry around, swimming feels awesome, exploration is great and the movement is so fun. (although, combat and spears are literally rendered useless by rivulet speed and i don’t love that). will replay for sure

Cat: 9/10. again, incredibly fun but it kind of breaks half of the original mechanics of the game.

Story: 10/10 emotionally, 5/10 lord wise, 4/10 cat wise, so like 6/10. idk, i love the story it tells for moon and pebbsi pebbles because it makes me sad and happ, but i also don’t like it because it kind of ruins the feeling and theme of the original game a little and also because rivulet makes no sense at all. i have a google document with like 4 theories to make it makes sense and while writing that was fun, it is obvious that none of them are cannon and that rivulets story is only a way to keep telling moons and pebbles story, is no longer the story of a cat and that makes me sad. top 3 ending screen art though.

(ruffles goes brrr)

spear master, 7, the cat of the saddest robot

i have. way to many feelings on this to make it make sense but i’ll try.

Campaign: with pearl? 8/10, it’s just kinda annoying, i hate that pearl. with a little bit of passage cheese? 9/10, it is so fun. i like this campaign because it feels very very alien. the other downpour campaign also feel like they don’t fit in this world as good as the vanilla campaigns and while in those cases it makes the campaign a little worst then the original, i’ll like to argue spearmasters is the only one in which the effect is opposite.

light spoilers start

as we learn spearmaster was artificially created and heavily modified by seven red sums aka the best character in the game.

light spoilers end

the way they feed is stabbing things and is so weird. they look like they don’t belong, they play like they don’t belong, this cat creates spears made of bone out of its tail! it’s insane. they are too strong, they don’t feel part of the food change as much as they feel like they are disrupting it. but unlike rivulet speed, arti explosives or gourmand… godlikenindes?, it is the point. they were created artificially for exactly this. they can beat all and every preparator because they were designed to do so. not only that but the story also feels so much more natural, closer to survivors immersion then any of the others, because yes, you are just following a straight path, doing a set mission. but not because the game says so but because your creator says so. because that is your only porpoise. no exploration and wonder and open world. you go do what you were told by that who designed you to be unable to fit in this world. and it makes playing as sm so engaging.

Cat: 10/10. literally survivor but with infinite spears, it takes the pre existing mechanics of the game and just makes them more accessible so you can mess around. feeding is still weird, why did you take away its mouth? (i’m taking to you suns)

Story: 8/10. this is going to be long again, so sorry. Ok so first things first. the reading the transmissions as the primary way of storytelling is not my favorite, but it works. the environmental storytelling in this one is crazy good, (spoilers start) seeing moon in her full structure right after survivor and rivulet is heartbreaking and breathtaking. pebbles is also pretty good in this one. he is clinically insane, i love him. (spoilers end) overall is a great story but not the most compelling for how is told.

until!

that reading works if you analice sm campaign as the others, but as i said before, i think the weird and unfitting in this campaign is what makes it better than the others. for example, the method of storytelling requiring you to reed this long messages between iterators kinda of kills the immersion at times and feels out of place. this is in my opinion the point. sm is not supposed to find and read this, this is NOT their story, in the eyes of their creator, they are not even a character in it but a mere tool. so yeah it feels like the story is disconnected because, again, it is. my favorite part of sm campaign is this feeling and the context provided by the iterators conversations; that they are so close to being gods, so isolated from the world, so disconnected by design, unable to fully experience life, that they will create and use living feeling creatures like sm and hunter as tools without malice but out of ignorance and disconnect. and i love that because it reminds us how insignificant slugcat and all creatures are in comparison to these semi immortal machines, it gives us once more a glance of this world and its story making us wonder what it once was and making the world feel interesting and endlessly big, just as survivor’s campaign did.

Also it has suns and sig in it so 100/10 i love grape cat

(i killed more scavengers as sm than arti, i feel bad)

saint

look. i played the campaign, i read the wiki, i watched videos on it, i still don’t get it.

Campaign: 7.5/10. the world looks insane, the level design is really good, the art gorgeous and the echoes hunt is pretty fun and interesting. moon and 5p are great too. finding 5p made me tear up, something no other game had ever done, so yeah. good. and then you get to rubicon :)))) also as i said, the story looks cool! i wish it made sense. i can make silly theories for rivulet but there is no explanation for saint that doesn’t obliterate the rest of the cannon (if it is pleaseee tell me)

Cat: really fun, it’s almost a new game with pretty much every mechanic of the original removed or drastically changed. and while i understand some people may (understandably) dislike this, i think they are really well implemented mechanics, i had a lot of fun. (until the end when the game took way to many of those drug mushrooms and the mechanics, level design, enemies and everything else went rubicon, if you know what i mean. (for the record, i didn’t have a terrible time at rubicon and i don’t hate it as much as a lot of people do buut i do think is a bad ending mechanically speaking, but i’m no game designer so what do i know). i’ll love to replay it and i’ll likely do. and then quit just as i get to rubicon :))

Story: ???/10 what the hell just happen

(i killed a single spider!)

in summary, play rain world or else

ok thanks for reading i’ll go back at obsessing over yellow depressed robot

#red plays games #red plays rain world #pros of being bored: i wrote this :3

[beevean]

Tell me 10 things you like about ShTH plz? :)

Oh? :D

In no particular order...

I like the replayability, the fact that you have 326 ways to beat the game, and it's not tied to any reward so you're really free to play as many times as you wish in whatever way you can. I take about an hour to finish a path, so at any moment I can start the game and complete it in a new way.

You can also create some cool paths, like 3 of them where you help Charmy, Espio and Vector, or the Pure Dark path which is a cohesive horror story, or a path where you help Eggman as much as you can, or a path where Shadow gets redeemed by his love for Amy (no really)...

Some endings are ripe fanfiction fuel, like the one where Shadow swears loyalty to Black Doom, or the one where he exiles himself on the ARK. I also feel real feelings for both the Pure Dark endings, where Shadow is completely gone, and either surpasses Black Doom in villainy and becomes Gerald's tool again, or betrays Rouge at the last minute :(

There are some cool details in the game itself, like how you hear Gerald's voice in GUN Fortress (at the peak of Shadow's villainy) but Maria's in Final Haunt (where Shadow is at his most heroic); or how The ARK not having a Hero mission reflects how too far gone Shadow is, while on the opposite Lost Impact not having a Dark mission reflects how Shadow's true nature is good; or how GUN soldiers don't attack Shadow in either Westopolis or Lost Impact, because he's not a target yet.

The personality of the supporting cast. They're given a small chance to be fleshed out, especially Maria - I love when she says that Shadow used to run down slopes, or that she thinks that Artificial Chaos are lowkey cute <3

The way you revisit old stages is, to this day, the best way to call back to past games I've seen in the series. It's not just "hey do you remember X": if you go to Prison Island, it's destroyed, onverrun by vegetation and acid, because it's still suffering from the effects of the bomb that Eggman detonated in SA2. You mainly traverse The ARK in the air, but if you get off the Black Volt, you'll recognize parts of Final Rush, and The ARK's theme is a remix of Final Rush! You visit the interiors of the ARK again, but during important flashbacks. It's not random nostalgia bait, it's continuity. (sadly, this means that lil me could not get the references because I hadn't played SA2 yet lmao)

I genuinely enjoy certain missions, like Circus Park Hero or Air Fleet Dark or Lava Shelter in general - I swear that parts of the game are really fun!

The gun system is well done, I just wish you could hold multiple weapons. You have plenty of cool weapons, and when you're in a Hero/Dark state and you have infinite ammo, ohh the catharsis factor goes off the charts >:D

the game is hilarious and I made a whole post about my favorite wackiest moments lmao, I think it's endearing and I cannot take it seriously

The music is lit, insultingly underrated, and even poignant at some point - very few Sonic games have tracks the likes of Lost Impact or GUN Fortress

#sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #shth #is a good game #or at the very least fun

[linuxgamenews]

Experience the Adrenaline Rush with KIBORG

KIBORG port for the story-driven action game still due for Linux with Windows PC, plus a free Demo. Thanks to the incredible Sobaka Studio team for their talent and hard work. Available to try out yourself on Steam via Proton. I've got some exciting news about the port for all you action-packed adventure fans out there! Let's talk about KIBORG, the new sensation that's about to hit the gaming world. It's not just another title; it's an adrenaline rush waiting to happen. You're in a world where every second counts. You're jumping from crisis to crisis, so you've got to be smart about the time you have. The story-driven action demo I got my hands on, it's just a taste, but it's wild. You're gearing up for a massive showdown, and you've got just a few days to prep. Think you can tackle the FINAL BOSS? I bet you're keen to find out about the KIBORG port.

We already have KIBORG successfully running on Linux, so yeah, it will be released to Linux for sure We using Unreal, specifically Unreal Engine 5.3

The use of Unreal Engine 5 explains the dynamic art style. It looks like the developers are aiming to expand their platform reach. There's also Steam Deck support as well, the presence of a native build is certainly a promising hint. It seems like there are more developments on the horizon. So we'll have to see how native the UE5 build is. Now, let me level with you – the full story isn't in there yet. It's coming, and it sounds epic. But for now, you get to see the bones of this beast. And yeah, some stuff might change (they're still tweaking things), but that's where we come in. The devs are all ears for feedback. So, jump onto their Discord, share your thoughts, and let's make this thing shine.

KIBORG - New Demo Trailer (no official port yet)

Even before we have a port for KIBORG, this is like a roller coaster of action and story. So, whether you win or lose, the story charges ahead. And you're not just playing – you're shaping a rebellion on a distant prison planet. Here's the kicker: it's a mash-up of brutal combat, endless replayability, and time management, all set in a dark sci-fi universe. You're sending clones on missions, and every choice, every upgrade, it's all on you. The enemies? They're tough mutants, criminals, you name it. Your goal? Be the ultimate war machine. Time is precious, so every KIBORG mission takes a day, and with each week, a new journey ports you into challenges that test you. It's all about making smart choices. And there's no 'game over'. Every win, every loss, it's part of your story. The missions are always different, and always challenging. And the tech? You're decking out clones with cybernetic implants, creating these amazing combinations that change how you look and fight. Combat is intense – think hand-to-hand, weapons, and strategy. You've got to be smart about your resources and how you fight. And when you need a breather, your base is your sanctuary. It's where you prep, craft, and hang out with some seriously unique characters. Try the Demo via Proton 7.0-6 and see for yourself, it's worth it. So, gear up, because when the KIBORG port hits, every moment counts in this game. Due to making its way onto Steam for Linux and Windows PC. The story-driven action release date is still TBD.

#kiborg #action game #story driven #linux #gaming news #sobaka studio #ubuntu #windows #pc #unreal engine 5 #Youtube

[onewomancitadel]

I was reading old posts by David Gaider on Tumblr (preserved in an archive) and it was really interesting reading that they basically weren't prepared for how seriously players took romance in their games. Romance was basically incepted in RPG's by Bioware, and kind of added in as a sort of lark? But there emerged a pretty significant playerbase who expected romance in Bioware games and suddenly romance became a not-uncommon thing to generally expect in RPG's committed to the genre bit. It was sort of implied that this was a female fanbase this but I would argue that the latter of these things (general genre expectation) is now an RPG player attitude irrespective of gender.

These are old posts from ~2015 mind you, so it's possible that his position has changed and of course, Bioware is staffed by different people now, but it was interesting that in these posts he essentially viewed it as a sort of female fanbase problem but also something which distracts from the RPG experience - nevertheless they sought to cater to this inadvertent legacy. I thought this was absolutely crazy but also sort of an inevitable feedback loop, because if you don't take romance seriously as an actual roleplaying element, of course it's going to feel silly and divorced from not just the RPG experience but the world you are experiencing, and subsequently roleplaying in. If it's just there for funsies, or because perverts want to roleplay threesomes/harems/sex stuff, then yes, romance will feel silly. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy and is what makes revisiting these sorts of RPG's difficult, because inevitably I am going to encounter their idea of a sexpot fantasy they think the player wants. See also: attempts at animating sex scenes to be titillating.

I personally do not enjoy viewing RPG's as dating simulators (although this is their general reputation) and I especially do not like romance divorced from the character/plot/overall narrative experience, especially in a world where I am experiencing the story through roleplaying and interacting with other characters! To me, romance is an incredibly powerful way to realise that world, see new sides to characters they would not reveal to anybody else, to reveal things about my roleplayer character, to reward looking deeper, and you know, to even reward things like replayability (and encourage experimenting with different characters).

I thought this was especially interesting in light of how the Solas/Lavellan romance was realised, because I really do not feel like Solavellan is a romance which feels arbitrary. It seems like they really did put the effort in, and this does go for the other romances too, but I think you can go even further. I mean, even in light of this I wondered about, say, the portrayal of previous romances, like I always thought Fenris' was quite unique, but it seems almost like their concern with romance historically was 'how to appease players' fantasies?' and in which case I don't think this is the most interesting and maximising approach to the medium.

Again, I'll totally allow that these posts are old, Bioware has new staff, this sort of attitude may not be consistent RPG to RPG company, but I have seen this attitude expressed about romance in RPG's generally, on repeated occasions, and seeing it espoused by Gaider was very intriguing. I didn't realise how deep this attitude went, even to the developers, and it sort of does the explaining for why I find Solavellan compelling. It doesn't feel like it falls into (too many) of the traps of a traditional RPG romance - although I would say it does at times - and I think its ending is one of the most successful since it cannot be divorced from the narrative stakes at all.

#may the dread wolf take you