December 2023 General Discussion Thread

[ZedClampet]

Store Sale Dates​

Steam: Steam VR Fest: Dec 4-11, Winter Sale: Dec 21 until Jan 4
Epic: The Game Awards Sale: Dec 7 to Dec 9, Holiday Sale: Dec 14 to Jan 4
GoG: Who knows? But here's a link to a PC Gamer article with GoG coupon codes for December

Coming to Game Pass​

Spirit of the North (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 1
SteamWorld Build (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 1
Clone Drone in the Danger Zone (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 5
Rise of the Tomb Raider (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 5
While the Iron’s Hot (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 5
World War Z: Aftermath (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 5
Goat Simulator 3 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – December 7
Tin Hearts (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 12
Far Cry 6 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – December 14

Top Game Launches (From PC Gamer)​

• December 5 — Swordship
• December 5 — Space Wreck
• December 6 — Impaler
• December 6 — Divine Knockout
• December 6 — Hello Neighbor 2
• December 7 — Chained Echoes
• December 15 — Blacktail
• December 30 — Warhammer AoS: Soul Arena

Other Notable Releases​

Last month’s list of notable games was useless because I let it be too long. Even I refused to look through it. So this month is much more curated, and I’ve also divided the games into categories. Also, there’s a joke in there based on stories published by PCG. Anyone who finds it gets praise (they always told me when I was in management that this is what people want the most, so perhaps you people-adjacents will find it desirable as well)

City Builder/Colony Sim/Engineering/Automation/Building/Design/​

SteamWorld Build on Steam

Break ground on a new frontier as the planet dies around you! Dig deep and build wide to excavate long-lost spacefaring technology, while ensuring everyone has the vital water, fuel and creature comforts they need! Do you have what it takes to reach the final frontier?

store.steampowered.com

Dec 1, City Builder, Strategy, Building

Pioneers of Pagonia on Steam

The city builder Pioneers of Pagonia is all about exploration, discovery, and reuniting the fantastical islands of Pagonia. Build over 40 different buildings, use more than 70 different types of goods, manage widely branched production chains, and get creative in establishing your economy.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 13, Early Access, City Builder, Colony Sim, Economy

House Flipper 2 on Steam

It's time to dust off your hammer - House Flipper is back in a brand-new fashion! Buy and renovate run-down houses! Or maybe you want to build new ones? Now you can! Start as a rookie Flipper and make a fortune by helping out the community of the charming town of Pinnacove.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 14, Simulation, Design & Illustration, Building

Adventure/Horror/Point&Click​

The Walking Dead: Destinies on Steam

Change the course of AMC’s The Walking Dead history. Fight walkers, relive iconic moments, and change the destiny of The Walking Dead Universe as your choices separate heroes from villains, and the living from the dead. Will you make the same choices as Rick, or will you forge your own path?

store.steampowered.com

Dec 1, Adventure, Comic Book, Horror

Hollow Cocoon on Steam

"Trapped in a cocoon, the silkworm weaves her final dream." Hollow Cocoon is a first-person horror adventure game set in 1980s Japan. Immerse yourself in meticulously recreated environments as you venture into the depths of unspeakable horrors that await you.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 6, Demo Available, Horror, Psychological Horror

PARANOID on Steam

Paranoid is a horror that tells the story of Patrick who has been living in isolation from the outside world for many years. One day he receives a phone call from his sister, who announces her visit more than a dozen years after she disappeared.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 15, From Madmind Studio, Exploration, Psychological Horror, Horror

Action/Shooter/Hack&Slash/Action RPG/Fighter/Sports​

Svarog's Dream on Steam

Awaken as a soul from the Underworld. Discover who you are and explore an ever-changing open world full of mystery. Fight the beasts and gods or ally with them. Die and be reborn in this unforgettable adventure.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 4, Action RPG, Open World, Isometric, Hack & Slash

Sledders on Steam

Rev' up your sled & dive into fresh powder in Sledders! Realistic, physics-based snowmobile simulator in backcountries full of deep snow. Ride with and against your friends in online multiplayer. Can you reach the peak before others? Show off your sled-skills now on Sledders.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Demo Available, Early Access, Sports, Racing

Kingpin: Reloaded on Steam

Kingpin: Reloaded is an enhanced re-release of the classic tale of revenge. Take control of a street gang and order your recruits to attack, defend or even do a little safe-cracking to pick up some needed cash. Use that cash to buy nastier weapons and take down your punk enemies in this intense...

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Action, Retro Shooter, Dystopian, FPS, Atmospheric

Three Kingdoms Zhao Yun on Steam

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the heroes were fighting for hegemony, and the flames were everywhere. In the game, players played the role of Zhao Yun, a well-known general of the Three Kingdoms, and interpreted the story of his youth.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 7, Early Access, Action RPG, Exploration, Historical, Hack & Slash

DIRECT CONTACT on Steam

Direct Contract is about Authentic Warfare, First-person Tactical realism experiences. Most weapons are in the same specs for each classification in today's world, making most modern combat asymmetrical.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 13, Early Access, PvP, Shooter, Simulation

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising on Steam

Rise to the challenge in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising! This powered up, revamped sequel to GBVS is more enjoyable and accessible than ever before. With simplified input options, even newcomers can engage in thrilling and strategic matches!

store.steampowered.com

Dec 14, 2D Fighter

Soulslinger: Envoy of Death on Steam

You are a gunslinger in limbo, involved in a gritty war against "The Cartel", a ruthless organization harvesting souls to break free of the shackles of the afterlife. Grow stronger with each new run, gather the essence of lost souls to take on the biggest threats in this rogue-lite FPS!

store.steampowered.com

Dec 14, Demo Available, Early Access, FPS, Roguelite, Western

One-armed robber on Steam

One-armed robber is a chaotic first-person heist game that centers around a uniquely challenging premise. Players take the role of a determined robber equipped with only one arm, tasked with pulling off daring heists on banks, shops, and various establishments.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 15, Co-op, FPS, Strategy, Simulation

Simulation/Survival/Tycoon-Business/Management​

Pre-purchase Tram Simulator Urban Transit on Steam

Welcome to Tram Simulator Urban Transit - get on aboard! In this game, you take on the role of a tram driver and manager. Drive 6 unique tram models. Transport passengers and drive them to the numerous stops. Plan your own routes, manage your timetables, and expand your tram network.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Simulation, Management

The Day Before on Steam

The Day Before offers players a uniquely reimagined journey into post-apocalyptic open-world MMO survival set in the present day on the US East Coast following a deadly pandemic.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 7, Calendar App

Booze Masters: Freezing Moonshine on Steam

Freezing Moonshine is a unsettling first-person adventure game with elements of plant cultivation, puzzles, and lots of high-proof beverages. To survive, you'll need to gather harvests, take photos, and craft a wide variety of spirits.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 13, Crafting, Simulation, Economy, Management

SeaOrama: World of Shipping on Steam

Experience the challenges of running a successful shipping company with Seaorama: World of Shipping.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 14, Simulation, Strategy, Management, Economy

Strategy/Tactical/4X/RTS/Turn-Based​

Stellaris Nexus on Steam

Stellaris Nexus is a simultaneous turn-based multiplayer 4X game offering the full spectrum of a thrilling, strategic 4X experience. Choose a unique faction and leader and challenge up to 5 other players, plotting and battling your way to galactic dominance; all in about 1 hour.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Early Access, Multiplayer, Team Based, Strategy

Born of Bread on Steam

Born of Bread is a wacky and joyful RPG Adventure, revisiting turn-based combat tropes. Play as Loaf, a flour-golem discovering this enchanting world full of humor, along with a colorful cast of buddies.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Demo Available, Turn-based, Party-based, Comedy RPG

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader on Steam

Made in a close partnership with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a story-rich classical RPG from Owlcat Games, developers of the critically acclaimed game, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 7, Owlcat, Turn-based, RPG, Choices Matter

Save 10% on Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance on Steam

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance is not just a game; it's an adrenaline-fueled journey where your strategic prowess decides the fate of mankind against the machines. After the machines took over, the greatest threats may not come from the machines but rather from other human survivors.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 7, Strategy, RTT, RTS

Pre-purchase Stargate: Timekeepers on Steam

Stargate: Timekeepers is a real-time tactics game where you lead a team of specialists through a story-driven campaign set in the SG-1 universe. Sneak your characters behind enemy lines, use their unique skills, craft the perfect plan to unravel a timeloop mystery, and defeat the Goa’uld threat.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 12, Demo Available, Strategy, RTT, Exploration

World Warfare & Economics on Steam

Control any country in the world. Have their politics, economy, and military in your hands. Shape your own version of WW3, a global pandemic, or create a custom scenario. Explore up to 66 planets and conquer through war or diplomacy. Become the ultimate strategist in the universe!

store.steampowered.com

Dec 21, Early Access, Grand Strategy, RTS

White Sands on Steam

As a commander of the Union, a semi state organization with military and research potential, your goal is to help humanity rebuild. Modern military technology will give you an edge over the bandits, but the task will be far from an easy one.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 21, Early Access, Strategy, RTS

Platformer/Metroidvania​

A Highland Song on Steam

Moira McKinnon is running away. A wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands, with open platforming and dynamic storytelling, maps and music. From the creators of Heaven's Vault and 80 Days.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 5, Story-rich, platformer

Cookie Cutter on Steam

Love turns to rage and chainsaws in Cookie Cutter, a totally unique hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania. Become Cherry, a violent android on a rage-filled quest to save her creator.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 14, Metroidvania, Platformer

CRUDE on Steam

Kosmos is an MMA fighter who suddenly finds himself teleported into a dark fantasy world and searches for a way to return home. CRUDE is a Soul-like, fantasy platformer with metroidvania elements & an open world map.

store.steampowered.com

Dec 22, Metroidvania, Platformer

Other/Physics Comedy/Puzzle​

The Enjenir on Steam

Put your engineering and problem solving skills to the test in this sandbox physics building game! Enjoy the freedom of completely gridless 3D sandbox building combined with hilarious ragdoll third person controls, offering a truly unique and hilarious "Enjeniring" experience!

store.steampowered.com

Dec 18, Physics Comedy, Building

 

[ZedClampet]

Well, so much for using Google Docs. The links didn't expand. I'll try to fix it.

Edit: Got it. Hopefully this month's highly curated, much shorter list will be more helpful than last month's.

 

[ZedClampet]

The ones I'm most interested in (for various reasons--some I expect to be train wrecks) are:

Pioneers of Pagonia. The demo was fantastic. Very well done colony sim.

SteamWorld Build: I was curious about it, and it's on Game Pass, so I'll definitely give that one a try.

House Flipper 2: But I'm going to wait for a couple of years worth of DLC before I jump in because that's where most of the furniture comes from.

Paranoid: What happens when CDPR overworks their cleaning staff? They walk out and form their own game studio and immediately become one of the most controversial studios on Steam. I'm not going to buy the game. I'm just going to watch people's reactions. (Note: The part about the cleaning staff was a joke, but the animations in their first game led me to believe this was true.)

The Day Before: After their apocalyptic year, I want to see if this is really a game. I'm predicting Mostly Negative user reviews followed by the developer pulling the game from sale.

Booze Masters: I still don't know exactly what this is. Maybe user reviews can sort it out for me.

World Warfare & Economics: Never mind the boring name. This game seems too ambitious to actually exist. I've got to see it to believe it.

 

[ZedClampet]

Oh, One Armed Robber seems good, too. Looks like a Payday game.

 

[Pifanjr]

The only game I'm really interested in is Stargate: Timekeepers, as I loved the series. I'll have to see if I can find some time to try out the demo sometime soon.

Apart from that, Stellaris Nexus seems interesting as well. I like the Stellaris world-building, insofar it exists, and I'm intrigued about the idea of a 4X game you can play within 1 hour. I don't expect too much from the Early Access though.

My actual Stellaris game has been going pretty well so far. My pacifist, spiritual people have become xenophiles and I have about a dozen different species within my empire now. I've also recently unlocked the psionic abilities of my race, which sounds cool but I'm not entirely sure what the consequences will be. Furthermore, I've improved relations with my human neighbours, who no longer view me as their rivals and I've become part of a federation with 3 other empires, so I thought I was fairly secure. However, right before I stopped playing another federation declared war on my federation, so now I have to scramble to get some defences set up. Luckily they're mostly on the opposite side of the galaxy, but since I'm playing on a small galaxy I'm not sure how much that will help. Even if I survive I expect there won't be much left of the rest of my federation.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

40K Rogue Trader has been on my wishlist for a while. Got a lot to look at CRPG wise before I get to it though.

Played a bit more Ruiner, really like the soundtrack and the shooting and movement is still fun. Also Alan Wake 2 now feels more like a Silent Hill, so back to the survival horror. Installed Lies of P and played half an hour or so as, I think I can get into this one. Might be the first Fromsoft clone that doesnt feel like a lesser imitation, at least from how it feels to move and fight in the first area.

Wartales is starting to feel like a bad grind. The trek back to a forge to get repaired is a bit of a slog, as usually my party can only manage 3 or 4 battles before a blacksmith is needed. Movement is pretty slow on the world map which doesnt help. Getting a little bored of the same enemy types, bit annoying to have to fight the same ghost animals all the time but I need the white leather to craft better weapons and armor. After 35 hours on the rubber band difficulty its a bit easy, so might be time to start another playthrough on normal difficulty to see if its more interesting again. Have a good idea of the systems now, so might work out better.

 

[Brian Boru]

World Warfare & Economics: Never mind the boring name. This game seems too ambitious to actually exist. I've got to see it to believe it

That's the one which caught my eye. I'm itching for a new game for the 2030s, so I'll pencil this in lightly as being possibly fixed and playable by then.

 

[DXCHASE]

I agree with @Pifanjr there is not much listed here that catches my interest either outside of Stargate simply because i loved the Stargate movie/series (at least until they got rid of the dude that played mcgiver).

So today is a play of random games.

To start, i played the demo for The Age of Hell. Its like Diablo meets Classic Doom/Duke Nukem 3D. Its a good modern day boomer shooter (which has been full of amazing entries lately) that is worth playing if you have any interest in this genre. You wield a hammer like a gun and its fun. Its like you are the barbarian from diablo but in doom. The guns are cool but the hammer steals the show for me.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1779060/The_Age_of_Hell/

Next up is the Stargate demo. Im not too much of a fan of these RTTs outside of C&C, but im a stargate fan so i gave it a whirl. Id rather just play a Stargate FPS. I mean its such a fitting setting imo.

Lastly, and because it was with Humble, im playing a little of WWE 2k23. Its fun, i went in, did the tutorial, picked Cactus Jack (Mick Foley / Mankind) since he was my favorite wrestler back in the day and beat the crap out of John Cena lol.

 

[Brian Boru]

Stargate … outside of C&C

Doesn't look like C&C to me, and C&C was about the farthest from RTT that a RTS could get. Stargate looks much more like Commandos to me.

Id rather just play a Stargate FPS. I mean its such a fitting setting imo

I agree, FPS would be better than RTT.

 

[ZedClampet]

If only I had known the consequences of success.

Spoiler: The fruits of my labor

If only I'd taken sex education. I tried to go back to an old save, but it didn't work.

I was forced to continue this story from the old thread because @Brian Boru was desperate to hear more.

 

[Johnway]

Whilst i'm literally at the final battle in yakuza 3 i'm taking the time to complete whatever side stuff to get an advantage. in yakuza kiwami 2 the final fight was a breeze as i was decked out with armor that autoblocked bullets, a charm that allowed heat gain to be instant, an unbreakable knife and to top it off i maxed out my skills so that once i hit heat mode i couldn't die if i had anything in the meter.

no such options in Y3 though. i can't craft a decent weapon, no game breaking gear without some seriously grindy tasks. I might lose patience and just go in with a whole load of healing items.

On other news, the POE league starts next friday and it looks to be a cracker. The league is fairly substantial and to top it off GGG are changing the meta. Great news to spice up the game. Not so great if you're not sure what class you want to play. i would like to play this one, but if i can't get a decent build sorted, consider this league a bust for stuff.

POE2 is also shaping up to be something interesting. The fact that you can switch from standard point and click to WASD keys for movement is interesting. The new class the mercenary will mean the game will play like a shooter instead.

 

[Colif]

Started watching Svarog's Dream... its not many aprg you play where you don't fight anything in the 1st 10 minutes. I don't think I will bother right now

Spoiler

That and my mouse doesn't right click still. It only works half the time.
I will just put up with that for a few days and replace it. I won't try to play any games until then.

 

[Zloth]

SteamWorld Build: I was curious about it, and it's on Game Pass, so I'll definitely give that one a try.

Seems half city builder, half Dungeon Keeper. I wonder if they'll be able to pull it off. The Dear Villagers folks kicked one a Dungeon Keeper clone recently, too.

World Warfare & Economics: Never mind the boring name. This game seems too ambitious to actually exist. I've got to see it to believe it.

Trailer production values vs. ambition seems dubious to me. I'll be curious to see if they can pull it off.

Lastly, and because it was with Humble, im playing a little of WWE 2k23. Its fun, i went in, did the tutorial, picked Cactus Jack (Mick Foley / Mankind) since he was my favorite wrestler back in the day and beat the crap out of John Cena lol.

Don't forget Dude Love! I got the game, too, but haven't played it yet. There's enough fighting in Yakuza 6.

 

[BeardyHat]

I agree with @Pifanjr there is not much listed here that catches my interest either outside of Stargate simply because i loved the Stargate movie/series (at least until they got rid of the dude that played mcgiver).

So today is a play of random games.

To start, i played the demo for The Age of Hell. Its like Diablo meets Classic Doom/Duke Nukem 3D. Its a good modern day boomer shooter (which has been full of amazing entries lately) that is worth playing if you have any interest in this genre. You wield a hammer like a gun and its fun. Its like you are the barbarian from diablo but in doom. The guns are cool but the hammer steals the show for me.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1779060/The_Age_of_Hell/

I gotta say, I didn't really care for it. I really like Boom Shoots (though, I've only played a select few. DUSK, Cultic, Ion Fury, a bit of Hedon, Amid Evil) but something about this one felt bland to me. Can't exactly put my finger on it, but it doesn't feel like it's really doing anything interesting with the concept of the Boom Shoot and the accuracy of the hammer just feels weird to me. I may give it another try, but I'm not too sure about this one.

SteamWorld Build seems pretty interesting to me. I really love Dungeon Keeper, as well as city builders and several of the SteamWorld games have really appealed to me, so I'm pretty damned curious about this one. Probably won't end-up picking it up right now, but it's definitely on the list.

 

[ZedClampet]

Played some more Lethal Company with Guido, but we really need my daughter because I'm more of a support player. I go in and pull stuff out, but then I quit and start carrying things to the ship so that we don't hang around too late. That leaves Guido all by himself going through the dungeons, and some things really require more than one person. But you also need someone on the ship because you use your computer to shut down turrets and unlock security doors. It's just not a two player game, really, even though we do okay.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Alan Wake 2 again, getting into it more but only 5 hours in as its too intense to play when I'm tired and too scary to play when the kid is around.

I edited the INI according to some advise from Techpowerups guide, disabling DOF and Lens distortion and..... Most of the blur went away, the game looks way better, and also I'm now getting 80-90 FPS with everything set to Ultra including RT! (Although still with Frame Gen and DLSS Quality enabled).

No idea at what point they decided to hide those settings from the options, it must be a stylistic choice for some unknown reason.

 

[Pifanjr]

I played some more Stellaris. The big war that broke out last time I played has luckily been contained entirely to the other side of the galaxy so far. Sadly my allies seem to be slowly losing, but there isn't much I can do about that. I only have two fleets with a combined strength of 10k and the shortest route to my allies leads through a pirate sector with two fleets around 15k each. I don't know how big the fleets are of my enemies, but considering their empires are much larger than the pirates I suspect my fleets wouldn't be able to have any significant impact and I can't really afford to lose them. Or rather, I can't afford to rebuild them, as I haven't figured out how to get a proper alloy production set up. I have abundance in every other resource now, so I must be missing something, but I didn't get much wiser from the quick Google search I did.

 

[Brian Boru]

I haven't figured out how to get a proper alloy production set up

Bing AI found this Reddit tidbit, among others:

"Build more industrial districts: Industrial Districts will be the biggest source of your Alloy production through the entire game, so build them early and a lot."

 

[Pifanjr]

Bing AI found this Reddit tidbit, among others:

"Build more industrial districts: Industrial Districts will be the biggest source of your Alloy production through the entire game, so build them early and a lot."

That was it, I somehow missed that was a thing. I set all of my planets to auto-develop as I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of the other mechanics in the game and apparently it just didn't build any industrial districts.
Now I also understand what the advice of using forge worlds was about. I thought they were specific planets you could find, but it's just the name of a specialization you can set for a planet that increases its alloy production.

I also bothered checking what kind of fleet is attacking my allies and it turns out three out of four of our enemies are about as strong as me, but one of them is a fanatical militarist who has a fleet with over 40k power. I should be able to harass one of the other ones though.

I also discovered I apparently have the highest diplomatic weight in the galactic senate and was therefore put on the galactic counsel. I don't really know how I can leverage this yet, but it seems useful.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Making me want to play Stellaris again, last played it significantly in 2016 so I bet its a completely different game now.

 

[Pifanjr]

Making me want to play Stellaris again, last played it significantly in 2016 so I bet its a completely different game now.

It is, but do you remember enough from what it was like 7 years ago to know how much it has changed?

The only change I noticed was that you no longer assign population to specific areas on the planet. There must be tons of other changes, especially since I'm playing with all of the DLCs, but I wouldn't be able to name any other ones.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

It is, but do you remember enough from what it was like 7 years ago to know how much it has changed?

The only change I noticed was that you no longer assign population to specific areas on the planet. There must be tons of other changes, especially since I'm playing with all of the DLCs, but I wouldn't be able to name any other ones.

Absolutely not . But my brain has a useful tendency to recall things as I work through them fairly well.

€200 + of DLC, of which I own Utopia and nothing else, so everyones playing a slightly different game even if you arent thinking about the species and playstyle decisions along the way.

 

[neogunhero]

Might be time to use my free Game Pass code, I’ve always wanted to try WWZ Aftermath. I played the first WWZ game and it was pretty decent, this one just seems updated in many ways and also includes a first person mode which I’m very interested in trying. And it’s cross play with pretty much all consoles which I always enjoy on co-op games.

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I got really angry at Days Gone. I’m doing a mission that I hate so much and for some reason I keep failing it. I have to sneak and hide in bushes while listening to someone talk. They keep moving around so you have to sneak and follow them. Sounds simple enough, but for some reason I keep getting caught. I check and see no one around me, so I move up, then suddenly the whole mission restarts from the beginning. I have no idea if I’m doing something wrong or if I’m just not seeing a guard who is nearby me, but I keep failing at the same point no matter what path I take. First of all I really really do not like this type of mission at all, it’s among my all time least favorite types of missions in any game. Second, the fact that it keeps failing me and having me restart at the very beginning which is about 5 minutes of sneaking and listening to a person talk, that irritates me immensely. So I put the game down for now, and bought Horizon Zero Dawn for $6 after my Steam wallet balance.

It’s a pretty decent game so far. Only about 2-3 hours into it. I read a Steam review where the person said it reminds them of newer Assassin’s Creed games and I have to say I honestly agree, specifically AC Odyssey and Valhalla, both which came out after Horizon’s initial PS4 release. The PC version looks great and is very well optimized though I did have one random crash. The movement and combat early in the game feel great and I can’t wait to start doing more. Story is pretty decent, voice acting is good for the most part but you can tell it’s a 2017 game with its slightly robotic dialogues. Overall for the $6 I spent on it I think I’ll have a good time, it feels more like the “shut off my brain and have fun” kind of game that I was hoping Days Gone was.

 

[Brian Boru]

Weather in games

BBC article about maybe the next big marketing hype. I hear they're thinking about a leaky roof at the next World Chess C'ships, just to bump the game's social media engagement—"Oh no, Magnus Carlsen's Bishop just slid on a wet patch, into Hans Niemann's Queen".

For newer members, we had a related discussion 18 months ago:

Weather in Games—best you've seen?

~15 years ago I ran a screen saver for a while which was a weather app and mimicked my local conditions—eg screen would be flashing during thunderstorm. Thought it was cool and have looked forward to more weather effects in games since. Haven't seen that much, sadly. One mission in Sniper Ghost...

forums.pcgamer.com

 

[Pifanjr]

I just got a notification from the Steam app that No Man's Sky is on sale, but when I checked I noticed that it seemed more expensive than I remembered from the last sale. So I checked Steamdb and apparently they increased the price a couple of months ago from €55 to €59.

I was curious if there were any better deals and discovered that the price increase was only for Steam. On GoG and the Windows store it's still €55, which seems strange.

I did see it's available on Game Pass as well, so now I'm considering trying that €1 first month. Maybe when my Christmas vacation starts...