General Game Discussion for March 2026

[BeardyHat]

oh and i thought i might have a jolly avatar for the forum as well. Did have a whole load of AI generated avatars as well, but this one seems to resonate with me for some reason. A jolly skull in a space suit. Perhaps symbolzing my meaningless progression in life as i keep doing something whilst being (metaphorically) dead inside. maybe symbolizing my learned disappointment and accepting mediocrity.Probably. it just looks cool or something.

I just like Skeletons...

Speaking of, I noticed in the past few years I pronounce "Skeleton" weird. Might be an accent thing? Anyway, it comes out of my mouth like, "Skele-in". It also happens with "Mountain", "Moun-in" I think it's called a "drop t". I noticed in contrast to my Sister-In-Law who's lived in New Zealand for 20 years and she really enunciates her T's in the same and similar words. Maybe it's an American thing. Anyway, yeah...

For me:
I already have Hard West 2 and Small Land

I'll give Tempest Rising, Sworn and Etrian Odyssey a shot

Chants of Sennaar and Zero Hour are not going to happen.

I'll either give Bread and Fred to @Pifanjr 's girl, or if he doesn't want it, I'll just let it expire.

Tempest Rising is alright. I put about 6-hours into it before I got kind of bored; was hoping it was more similar to Command & Conquer, which it kind of is? I think Tempest Rising kind of requires more unit diversity as you're playing the game, where I kind of enjoy the braindead playstyle of C&C where I can crank a bunch of tanks and win the game. That's my "Cozy Game".

Etrian Odyssey is pretty enjoyable. I played the entirety of IV on the 3DS and really enjoyed it, but feels kind of like an acquired taste; I appreciate that it's not full of JRPG style story and it's pretty much a straight dungeon crawler, but I also feel like it's one of those games where after you've played one, you're good on the rest.

 

[Colif]

think if you go into this game fully knowing that it will be an overwhelming clusterf*** of crazy systems and mechanics, you will enjoy it. This isn't meant for the casual gamer; this is for people who want to fully dive into that maximalist game design mindset. The excessive amounts of things you can do, the laundry list of side quests to complete, the sprawling skill tree, the huge world to explore... for people who are into that, this is shaping up to be a great game. You will be disappointed if you are wanting something with a stronger focus. This is a jack of all trades, master of none type of game, but sometimes that's exactly what you want.

it was nice knowing you... and so, this was the last post ever recorded for Neogunhero as he disappeared into a void... or at least, waits to be engulfed by one.

 

[neogunhero]

Just realized I posted an article in the wrong thread, oops.

Still plodding along in Starfield. Grinding credits, customizing my ship, sitting in my ship staring out into space... I'm not really getting much done in game. Constellation must hate me because I basically kidnapped Sam Coe and his daughter and forced them to travel across the galaxy with me. Oh well, they'll get used to it.

I said this before, but nothing is as exciting to me as the thought of playing Crimson Desert. I have fully fallen victim to the hype cycle. I'm just waiting for this game to come out, not wanting to play anything else. The good news is apparently the review embargo lifts the day before launch so we'll get a better idea of whether or not the game is good. If it turns out good, I might just buy it day one.

 

[Johnway]

I already have Hard West 2 and Small Land

if you have a copy of Hard west 2 up for grabs, i wouldn't mind taking it off your hands!

 

[Zed Clampet]

if you have a copy of Hard west 2 up for grabs, i wouldn't mind taking it off your hands!

Sure, but you'll have to give me an email address or friend me on Steam because we aren't allowed to do PMs anymore. Also, I won't pay for this one early, so we'll have to wait until whenever they take the automatic payment, which I think is April 1.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Looks like Marathon will not, in fact, be a complete failure. The people who did the playtest actually enjoyed it, and it's sitting right behind the new Resident Evil in global sales.

 

[Johnway]

Sure, but you'll have to give me an email address or friend me on Steam because we aren't allowed to do PMs anymore. Also, I won't pay for this one early, so we'll have to wait until whenever they take the automatic payment, which I think is April 1.

Thanks. i'm prepared to wait. I'll add you to my friends list. Same name on steam?

 

[Zed Clampet]

Thanks. i'm prepared to wait. I'll add you to my friends list. Same name on steam?

yep, except there is no space between zed and clampet

 

[BeardyHat]

zedandclampet seems like an odd name.

 

[Pifanjr]

Nice, there's a dark theme for the new layout now, that's something.

---

I reached chapter 6 in Dave the Diver and I'm still unlocking new content. I've played 23 hours so far and it doesn't seem like I'm particularly close to the end based on the amount of upgrades I can still buy. According to howlongtobeat.com the game takes about 35 hours, so I'd be about 2/3rds of the way through. I really didn't expect the game to go on for so long, but I'm still enjoying it.

 

[Johnway]

The PAth of exile rewards is finally revealed! after looking at it, but of me wants to get it, but another part of me remembers the amount of effort and grind to unlock stuff. It became an obsession as i begun grinding and throwing more and more time into playing it. But that Armour does look tasty. If the game wasn't so luck based and the boss fights weren't so obnoxiously difficult endgame i think it would be a no brainer. but then POE caters to the more obsessive types.

i also noticed that all the main DLC available for planet coaster for a knock down price as well. Only snag is that its mostly cosmetic theme sets and rides. more bells and whistles for a game i don't know how much time i would be sinking into it. But as someone who loves detailing (i spend hours noodling when i paint) it does seem enticing. 10-12 dollars for the lot. But i've done the math before and the 3 or 4 dlc i want will rack up £8 but spending more money then the base game is a bit silly.


Still not decided what i want to play atm. i think its the turn of an RTS game, but not decided which one. RTS is a bit of a love hate relationship at this point.

 

[Colif]

i also noticed that all the main DLC available for planet coaster for a knock down price as well. Only snag is that its mostly cosmetic theme sets and rides. more bells and whistles for a game i don't know how much time i would be sinking into it. But as someone who loves detailing (i spend hours noodling when i paint) it does seem enticing. 10-12 dollars for the lot. But i've done the math before and the 3 or 4 dlc i want will rack up £8 but spending more money then the base game is a bit silly.

clearly intentional. They know which ones sell without being added to bundles, so why make them cheaper.
You probably find they never be on special so you have to bite bullet if you want them.

I don't know where to start with next game. Nothing really grabs me.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Tips for Shoplifters!​

You actually don't have to start crouch walking the moment you come into the store. People are allowed to be here.

HOWEVER

Besides the crouch walking, the other reason people may be onto you is because you are dressing like the Hamburgler in old McDonald's commercials.

 

[Colif]

Same with hackers, don't need to say a word, the hoodies and Matrix graphics on their screen tells me all I need to know...

I hate that cliche. Or do hackers really all wear hoodies?

 

[Zloth]

Started up a new game of Distant Worlds 2 late yesterday, just because it's always so hard to find a good place to save in Jedi: Survivor when I want to quit. Got hooked and barely got to bed before 1am. Guess that wasn't such a good plan...

@Pifanjr, weren't you playing Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain??

 

[Pifanjr]

@Pifanjr, weren't you playing Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain??

I started, yes, but my wife has been hogging the good PC for WoW: Midnight so I haven't been able to play more.

 

[neogunhero]

I did play something different finally. I played a bit of CS:GO. For some reason it's now back up on the Steam store, but it's hidden so you'll have to find the link on Google. It lacks all online functionality, including community servers which was a bit disappointing. You may be able to queue with a friend but I haven't tried it. All you can do is play against bots, which is fine for me because I got to revisit some maps I haven't played in years, that brought back a lot of nostalgia.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I started, yes, but my wife has been hogging the good PC for WoW: Midnight so I haven't been able to play more.

Awe, I've been pronouncing your name wrong all this time. I was saying "Piffan Junior" and it's actually Pi-fan-junior.

 

[Pifanjr]

Awe, I've been pronouncing your name wrong all this time. I was saying "Piffan Junior" and it's actually Pi-fan-junior.

Even after I explained where it came from?

Post in thread 'How did you come up with your gamer tag (name)?'

Jul 23, 2023

I've always been terrible at coming up with names, so when my brother started playing Runescape as Pifan (as he was really into pi at the time), I just used Pifan.jr. That name stuck and it's convenient because it's never taken by anyone else. I dropped the period at some point, probably because something didn't allow periods in the username, and left it out since then since it's easier to type without.

• Pifanjr

• 

 

[BeardyHat]

I received the 1080 I'd been wanting for Oldson's computer (I think I might just start calling him that). Performance boost is near double in synthetics and a little more consistency in the games he plays, but still got dips, so CPU is definitely a bottleneck, which I figured.

Can't wait to get the RAM today and enable XMP, rebench and then start overclocking to see how things go.

Been playing HoMM 3 again recently and thinking about it in relation to other strategy games I play and I've decided, HoMM is really less of a strategy game and more of a race, which is why I can often feel frustrated with it. Having a unit killed or losing a city in Civ or any other strategy game sucks and feels like a setback, but never feels game ending.

Contrast that with HoMM and it often feels like the game is over if you lose a hero and their army, even early in the game. Losing a hero early is just such a huge setback in the race, you're unlikely to recover and if an enemy hero kills you mid/late game hero/army, they're likely just going to steamroll over you, because you don't have enough resources to build-up multiple heroes and instead tend to focus on one at a time. Plus the enemy only gets stronger and you get all the weaker for every city and resource node they take from you.

It's why I often feel frustrated with the series where I do not with many other games.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Even after I explained where it came from?

Post in thread 'How did you come up with your gamer tag (name)?'

Jul 23, 2023

I've always been terrible at coming up with names, so when my brother started playing Runescape as Pifan (as he was really into pi at the time), I just used Pifan.jr. That name stuck and it's convenient because it's never taken by anyone else. I dropped the period at some point, probably because something didn't allow periods in the username, and left it out since then since it's easier to type without.

• Pifanjr

• 

I remembered your post as soon as i started reading it. I also remembered having this exact same revelation.. Why I kept pronouncing it incorrectly I have no idea, Maybe I just liked how "Piffan" sounded. It's always reminded me of a Hobbit.

 

[Pifanjr]

I received the 1080 I'd been wanting for Oldson's computer (I think I might just start calling him that). Performance boost is near double in synthetics and a little more consistency in the games he plays, but still got dips, so CPU is definitely a bottleneck, which I figured.

Can't wait to get the RAM today and enable XMP, rebench and then start overclocking to see how things go.

Been playing HoMM 3 again recently and thinking about it in relation to other strategy games I play and I've decided, HoMM is really less of a strategy game and more of a race, which is why I can often feel frustrated with it. Having a unit killed or losing a city in Civ or any other strategy game sucks and feels like a setback, but never feels game ending.

Contrast that with HoMM and it often feels like the game is over if you lose a hero and their army, even early in the game. Losing a hero early is just such a huge setback in the race, you're unlikely to recover and if an enemy hero kills you mid/late game hero/army, they're likely just going to steamroll over you, because you don't have enough resources to build-up multiple heroes and instead tend to focus on one at a time. Plus the enemy only gets stronger and you get all the weaker for every city and resource node they take from you.

It's why I often feel frustrated with the series where I do not with many other games.

I only like playing Heroes of Might and Magic on the easiest difficulties exactly for this reason. I want to be able to explore and take my time without having to worry about getting steamrolled.

I remembered your post as soon as i started reading it. I also remembered having this exact same revelation.. Why I kept pronouncing it incorrectly I have no idea, Maybe I just liked how "Piffan" sounded. It's always reminded me of a Hobbit.

I've had people shorten it to Pif before, which I think sounds good as well. I met my wife online and her nickname for me used to be Puffin, which is engraved on the inside of my wedding ring.

 

[BeardyHat]

I only like playing Heroes of Might and Magic on the easiest difficulties exactly for this reason. I want to be able to explore and take my time without having to worry about getting steamrolled.

Funny you say that, because my wife said exactly the same thing. Which is exactly why I like the original Command & Conquer games; the AI, even on hard is predictable, so I can just turtle, build a bunch of tanks and them steamroll. That's really all I want.

 

[neogunhero]

I received the 1080 I'd been wanting for Oldson's computer (I think I might just start calling him that).

You should legally rename them. Like how the "-son" in "Harrison" is pronounced like "-sin". Oldson, Midson, Youngson. Yourself should be Beardson. Wifeson. Dogson. Goldfishson. The possibilities are endless!

 

[Zed Clampet]

Slay the Spire 2 has 430k players right now, and the US hasn't even gotten out of bed yet.

*****