it rules how gamers have rendered themselves completely incapable of enjoying anything that isn't an hours-long open world punishment slog first person shooter and their negative reviews make it impossible to find anything else
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Re: gamers being incapable of enjoying anything. I think some people are unaware that modern games are designed to max gratification, and are experiencing some sort of withdrawal when playing slow-paced games or games with fiddly/unresponsive UI.
At least I have felt something like it when I have picked up slower games (old games like KOTOR, Avadon: Black Fortress, new ones like BG3, Disco Elysium) after coming from fast-paced games where, I'm captured by the story, but there's no drive to play because there's no more rush.
Re: their negative reviews make it impossible to find anything else.
It's better to find semi-professional reviewers who go out and try the less-known stuff. E.g. Adam Millard does a year-roundup of less-known games. Splattercatgaming does 30min let's-plays of largely unknown games.
Generally, I find negative (steam) reviews only to mostly learn whether there are game-breaking bugs or some feature (or absence of feature) that might be a deal-breaker. Occasionally, you might read something that helps manage expectations (e.g. the game isn't what you thought it would be).
When GTA: San Andreas first came out, quite a few people refused to play it as the character was black, and they didn’t feel a black character ‘represented’ them.
If you want well-articulated, experience-based (read: not written for clicks/views/PR) recommendations I highly suggest checking out @caseyexplosion.bsky.social
Gamers are one of the clearest examples of not understanding what they want or enjoy and demanding to be satisfied and the industry listening to them, to everyone's detriment. The stranglehold of their uneducated opinions is felt everywhere.
Nobody in the last 15 years has ever played a bad game either. Gamers will say the latest Halo is the worst game they've ever played because the apples don't have physics or whatever without ever knowing the pain of renting Aero the Acrobat and being stuck with it for an entire weekend.
they should bring back horrible movie licensed games. maybe people will appreciate things more after they've played a marvel game made in 9 months by people who've never heard of comic books before
Except for the end boss fight, ASSASSIN'S CREED: NEXUS was just wonderful and gave the feeling of huuuuuge, open worlds. 7TH GUEST VR is also really fun. My go-to that I always play for fun & never get sick of is IN DEATH. Also, they've added mixed reality to 11 TABLE TENNIS & THRILL OF THE FIGHT
If you've never played it, THE ROOM: A DARK MATTER is super fun in the "haunted puzzle/escape room" genre, with puzzles that are satisfyingly hard but all solvable.
after GiantBomb's last talent exodus, I was shopping around for podcasts re: games and it hit me how little games coverage spans non-AAA titles; what few slip in tend to be whatever's already getting attention (uncharitably, chasing The Popular Thing, which only makes the popular thing more visible)
I feel like there's a space here for a games equivalent of indie music 'zines:
A place to draw attention to smaller or more experimental works that might have cool ideas, art, etc. There's just SO many games being made now... https://Itch.io is an impenetrable wall of big and small suggestions.
It's only a real game if a NEET has to spend weeks/months playing the game to finish it and then has to do that all over again to get one of the other endings.
The way a small number of great games have poisoned ALL the algorithms is so frustrating. Not only the way games are being designed to mimic these huge successes, but also just the way people discuss them. Not every game is (or should be) like Elden Ring/BOTW/Minecraft/RDR/etc.
I can only respond to what you give me. In the interim, the success of bg3 is down to the company behind it, the love they put into it, and their relationship to their community. TTR's are not deemed mainstream games making their success based on merit.
Baldurs Gate helped make BioWare a household name. TTRPGs are probably more popular than ever, and Larian making a name for themselves with Divinity Original Sin definitely helped.
I'm a Larian fan since the Divine Divinity days, they absolutely do what she's describing. They even went back and did an Enhanced Edition of Origina Sin 1 that turned the mediocre final area into an even worse overlong slog
Cait's post is basically reviews ruin her gaming options. I'm saying, bad games get the reviews they deserve, mostly, became the studios got lazy a la Bethesda. That point stands
My favorite CRPGs are more in the 20-30 hour range. So many classics like that. Fallout 1 and 2, Divine Divinity, Arcanum, Torment, Bloodlines, Geneforge, more recent stuff like Age of Decdence. You can't really make these outside of a very small nich now because gamers expect 200 hours
So, y'know... Do your research on the genre, or whatever it is you were trying to accuse someone else of not doing lol. Now was a great time for a BG sequel because BG2 was ENORMOUS, but you can't do a 12-20 hour RPG like Fallout 1 anymore unless you intend to sell in the five digits at best
Dating simulators should not be tagged as simulators. I am looking for games with submarines. (There is a subs not subs joke in here but I am not comedically gifted enough to find it)
The majority of games I actually spend a lot of time playing now are short indie projects, usually narrative-driven adventure games with pixel art. They're having a real second renaissance at the moment! Look for the stuff that gets highlighted around LudoNarraCon. NORCO is a recent fave
Old lady gamer here and loving later Assassins Creed games. Just finished Mirage and ToTK before that. Basically I’m marking time till Silksong is finally released (played Hollow Knight 3 times)
if you have a Switch, Ooblets is really fun and very compelling! just finished the main story a few days ago and it is cozy but also very cheeky and smart
I hate seeing reviews that are so bad faith you know they don’t give a single damn. Each time I try and find a builder it’s like trying to translate angry ancient texts
I haven't actually finished a game since Skyrim because I end up just putting it down and writing music instead since that feels infinitely way more productive.
The people who have the energy to post those long negative reviews don't enjoy anything. Even the games you described, their reviews always boil down to "but it wasn't perfect!!!"
dunno where you're looking but I haven't had that experience at all, there are loads of odd little games out there that review well and I see them without even explicitly looking for them.
that said I've gone off most AAA companies over the years so maybe that accounts for the difference
Old(er) streamers & YouTubers have been a godsend. We all have been doing this way too long & have bad hands, no patience for BS, & have seen it all. They dig up the real original slower, story-driven big titles or indie gems, saving me time+money I don't have on boring copycat lemons.
The new Robocop game was great for that reason, I felt like Robocop the whole time, ultraviolence cranked up 11, you walk slow, but you are a tank nearly immune to small arms fire, great story, great pacing. An investigation mechanics. I try of grinding in games, I want something cool
Nothing says "endless freedom" like walking into a new town and seeing an NPC you can deliver goods for, an NPC you can gather herbs for, an NPC you can escort to the previous town, and an NPC who very clearly advances the plot.
I really, REALLY loved Sea of Solitude. I seek atmosphere and story over gameplay every day, and it was satisfyingly short to play. (maybe a couple of hours top).
Controls sucked on PC though, until my husband plugged in a game controller for me.
I remember the hate Firewatch got for being short. I still think about that game years later, I really enjoyed it and the story really left an impression
i’m so wildly out of touch with modern gaming (the last game i played was Bayou Billy the other day lol) and every time i see people play new games they all just seem gruelling and not fun
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It's better to find semi-professional reviewers who go out and try the less-known stuff. E.g. Adam Millard does a year-roundup of less-known games. Splattercatgaming does 30min let's-plays of largely unknown games.
it says "monster train" (on steam)
- inkbound
- against the storm
- palworld
- dave the diver
- slay the spire (STILL)
fuckn slay the spire 4evr @~@
Like, sorry, I want to have a good time. RDR does not look like a good time. Just give me RoadRash and Tetris.
I loved that game. lol
I also often find myself going back to VR pinball; the STAR WARS one and the ET/JAWS/BACK TO THE FUTURE tables.
I don’t need to know anything about the gameplay loop or storyline in advance because it will be both accessible and fun
1. Wow, I can see why you enjoy this so much
2. Wow, I cannot understand why you enjoy this so much
A place to draw attention to smaller or more experimental works that might have cool ideas, art, etc. There's just SO many games being made now... https://Itch.io is an impenetrable wall of big and small suggestions.
that said I've gone off most AAA companies over the years so maybe that accounts for the difference
BOTW/TOTK and Elden Ring is most of what I've liked in the last several for open worlds.
I like stuff like Mario, Triangle Strategy, Etrian Odyssey, Monster Hunter, Bloodborne, Pikmin, Picross, Resident Evil etc
Controls sucked on PC though, until my husband plugged in a game controller for me.