December 2025 General Games Discussion

[Pifanjr]

I downloaded a couple of demos on the Switch to try out. First was Islanders: New Shores, which is a bit like Dorfromantik, one of those games where you have to score points by filling limited space with objects that give points based on other objects you've placed. In this case, you're putting down buildings on small islands that get (or lose) points based off of the other buildings in a limited radius around it.

Then I tried out Shogun Showdown. I've played an early build on Itch.io and it seems the final version isn't too different.

Lastly I played a little bit of Rise of the Slime, a deckbuilding game, which seems promising but I only played it for a couple of minutes.

 

[BeardyHat]

Thank you

Yeah, it does look a bit bland. It could be that it is more appealing for those who played Dark Age of Camelot and those early ones, or perhaps Guild Wars. I'm going to keep half an eye on it, but that is about it.

I might jump back into LOTRO since I have just rewatched all the movies. Maybe take my horse and visit Bree and The Shire. It's a very cozy and accurate game for any LOTR fans. I also have to watch this video when I get the time

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYipECdYpXc&t=4010s

DAOC was actually my first love right after EQ. I played it what felt like a ton, though I never got any higher than like level 30 or something on my Friar, but the vibes in the Camelot areas were impeccable.

I actually did go back to LOTRO for a bit when they first launched those progression servers a couple of years ago and it was fun for a bit, but I admit, I'm not a huge LOTR fan. Though I did initially play it quite a bit when it came out; one of my fondest memories in all of MMO's is wandering around on my Hobbit (don't recall my first class, but I do remember liking Warden a lot when it came out) and getting completely lost in, I think it was called, The Old Forest. Felt like a proper maze and when I finally made it out of there, it was so cathartic, loved every second of that.

And I did end-up watching about 45 minutes of that particular video! Well, having it on in the background anyway. Sent it to a buddy of mine who is a big LOTR fan, but I'm not sure if he watched it or not, given its length.

@BeardyHat Btw, have you tried Where Winds Meet? It is a surprisingly refreshing RPG game set in ancient Chinese times of mythology and such. It got some of that MMO feel, and so far I have been having a blast just roaming around doing stuff like fishing, petting kittens and finding dungeons. It's free and kind of takes me back to the Age of Wushu MMO. Unfortunately, that game was waaaay too PTW , so kind of nice to be able to run on walls and do martial arts in this one. If you ever take it for a spin, I would recommend using the Chinese voice with English sub, because the English voicing is really bad.

Where Winds Meet on Steam

Where Winds Meet is an epic Wuxia open-world action-adventure RPG set in ancient China at the tenth century. Players will assume the role of a young sword master as they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their own identity. Let the wind carry your legend on an epic journey to the East!

store.steampowered.com

I'll have to check it out; definitely intriguing given that it's free to play, which makes it a much easier sell and the setting is a nice change.

I am a bit weird when it comes to MMO's though, I love the old style of combat. Something like WoW or EQ, where I can kind of play the game and do other stuff at the same time, if that makes sense? It's not that I'm trying to dual screen or anything, but I just like the slow pace of early MMO combat and how I don't need to necessarily be totally focused on the game, even though I do tend to focus my full attention on it. Something about clicking buttons and/or autoattacking just has my attention more easily, which is the one thing it looked like that Ashes of Creation has.

But I also might just be at the wrong time in my life for MMOs anymore. I played them pretty steadily from like age 14 to 30-ish and then I had kids and a family and not as much time anymore.

One game I have been meaning to invest more time into is Erenshor

Erenshor on Steam

Erenshor is a single player RPG with the soul of a classic MMO - built for players who miss the journey. Partner up with Erenshor's signature SimPlayers and explore an open world where every reward comes with a story. Discover thousands of items, quests, raids, and secrets - all at your own pace.

store.steampowered.com

Played the hell out of the demo about a year back and bought the game as soon as it released in EA, but I haven't actually touched it since then. I would like to actually get in there, but I keep finding other stuff to play, though I'm sure the mood will strike eventually.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Man, Absolom looks really fun, but its not on sale and I have a ton of games to play still.

Played the Slay The Spire board game today with some friends. Have to say its a really fun adaption, its played as co op and you have to discuss the order youre going to do things with the other players because you can play any of your cards in any order. The characters play very similarly to the digital game, almost all the same moves but with some small differences. Really want to get that as well now as it wasnt mine, its playable solo or up to 4 players.

Robocop Rogue City is hilarious, the shooting is pretty fun, but the in between parts where youre just being a cop are brilliant in a very dumb way its hard to explain. Having to fetch someones towel for them so they can sign a get well soon card as Robocop just tickles me somehow. Also blew up ED 209 so 7.5/10 so far.

The King Is Watching is my current go slow game. Theres a lot of different build options but theyre kind of all heading towards the same thing. Its also a little annoying how almost every game is a cruise until you hit the final boss, but youre unlocking starting bonuses and new options after each run so it doesnt feel like a waste of time too much. The music is excellent too.

 

[Pifanjr]

I've been playing a bit of Balatro on my phone again. I've just been going through the decks I haven't really played yet and doing the second or third stake.

I got to ante 11 three times now. In the last one, which happened just now, I got a negative version of the joker that gives +1 mult multiplier per empty joker spot in the black deck (which gives you +1 jokers) really early. Then I got the joker that copied the most left joker. This gave me a X36 multiplier, which was insane.

I also got the voucher that ensured I got the most played hand in every planet booster, which allowed me to get my straight to level 15, plus a negative joker that gave +4 for every even card.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

The mobile version of Balatro is really good, I'm still playing it occasionally.

 

[neogunhero]

I've been playing a bit of Balatro on my phone again.

The mobile version of Balatro is really good, I'm still playing it occasionally.

Agreed, it's one of the few mobile games I can tolerate. However after putting hours into the mobile version of Luck Be A Landlord, I kind of wish that Balatro mobile had a portrait view mode. I think it could work, though it would be a bit cramped. I just prefer portrait mode games over landscape most of the time.