Izuno

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/ https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/15/22578783/valve-steam-deck-gaming-handheld-pc

1) yes...it's derivative...but so is everything. 2) They put thought into their art design and ran with it. Personally, not my thing. However, I can't deny the level of effort and respect for the medium on display. 3) Seems like familiar-ish enough gameplay concept...it's from FROM afterall...so fuck yeah sure. Overall impression: this isn't really what I'm into but I can see the potential. Hope it delivers.

Agreed. I'm deeply hopeful for this despite not having real analysis of the gameplay quality yet. Bugs and quirks aside, the original is still one of my all time favorite games on any platform but especially PC.

Agreed. While I am biased for obvious reasons, take DoD Source vs. the original Day of Defeat. The original had a dirtiness to it. It just felt better and was actually more immersive despite the lower poly everything and blurry textures compared to it successor. The grit just made your mind do more of the suspension of disbelief. DoD Source felt too much like a game as opposed to an experience. Pretty sure someone put a long video explaining it better than I can.

1)Yeah I do get that feeling particularly from this most recent video. However, I am still hopeful for this without really knowing how development is coming along other than little glimpses from videos like this. It does feel earnest at least. I do agree with a lot of the analysis in this thread, particularly on the discussion of how Unreal 4 could lead them to make a very polished game that lacks the grit. And "epic story" and "biggest open world"...eek...I hope that is really just temp marketing word salad but them just saying that does have me worried. Keep in mind, back in the 00s GSC was telling us basically the same kings thing of things (most realistic game ever, best gameplay ever, best graphics ever, best story ever, most non-linear ever, most open world ever...) and despite not quite living up to their hype the game ultimately was still a gem. 2) After playing rough, early versions of the original game back in 2003 when I was a wee youngling in games marketing I saw the potential in the setting. We all did. Even the younger Q/A testers who previously knew nothing about what had happened before they were even born were blown away about the concept and suddenly became experts in the subject from reading historical books/articles on the topic from whatever sources available back then. We'd overhear them debating the merits of nuclear power to how much Chernobyl accelerated the collapse of the USSR. 3) HBO's mini series Chernobyl made the reactor into a character...almost like a silent demon or interdimensional monster that was just sitting there, slowly threatening death to the planet unless the people solved the problem, in part by paying for all the lies that led to the disaster in the first place. The original game, long before HBO did Chernobyl, had touches of that idea and even though it was not the same it still was a powerful intangible hook 4) Thus, I will ultimately judge S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on whether it can deliver on enough of that same hook. And by my math, this year on April 26, it will be the 35th anniversary of the disaster.

Yeah we started watching it and it's on point but not as funny as the Pandemic special. I guess just not enough Randy in the first 10 minutes (that's all we watched cause we have kids and fall asleep quickly when watching TV after 10 pm). Is there more Randy later in the episode? Wait don't tell me. Meanwhile: <rant> We know a lot of people in 20s/30s/40s gaming the system saying they are in critical IT services or childcare or something to get them eligible for the vaccine in various parts of California and other states when in fact they are not in those fields nor do they have any other condition that would make them eligible. Or they know people and are getting sneaked in the front of the line. Around where we live all the pharmacies are being very strict about verifying claims of eligibility so my wife and I can't get vaccine yet. So we are a little pissed off that people we know are gaming the system and being total douches. I mean, if I can get it in the next few weeks anyway I'm not going to care that much but it just rubs me the wrong way. My parents got vaccinated which is great but goddamn I really want to hang out with them in their house and have a meal with them already. My mom has legit cooking skills and is bursting to cook for us again. (My parents have some underlying risk factors for severe covid and FFS we are not taking any chances of accidental exposure even if they got the vaccine so we all agreed not to get together indoor without masks until my wife and I get vaccinated.) Yeah I know...first world problem here. </rant>

This is the best thread on Mapcore. I feel for everyone who has lost friends or family due to...all the the things that 2020 was and still is now that we are into 2021. I consider myself lucky that only a small # of my extended family got covid and none of them went to the hospital, but they all said it kicked their asses and are worried about the long term impact to their health. I am in a different part of SoCal (just outside LA) and home prices here are crazy. We lucked out and bought at the bottom of the last housing crash. Otherwise at the time we would not have been able to afford it. California is awesome...and incredibly frustrating and terribly run all at once. My wife and I talk about moving but everywhere...on the planet...feels like is fucked in one way or another. As for me, I've actually gotten into better shape during the pandemic. My wife got us to join a gym in 2018 and since dropping that in March 2020 we've (thanks to her) really upped our home exercise game. We have a 3rd empty spot in our garage (why I wanted this house) and now that is a legit workout center with a JKD trapping dummy, TRX system suspended from the heavy bag stand, a Favuke grappling dummy, large gym mat area for both me (grappling/movement drills) and the kids to do tumbling/dance/gymnastics. And lastly, I got really into this rope exercise thing that has helped my upper body so much. A trainer at our old gym got me into it...check it out: https://www.octomoves.com/ (Free EU shipping!) Lastly, my kids are crazy about Minecraft. It's fun to play with them and my oldest reads all the books and watches the youtubes on how to do all the stuff. She's said to me "When you make a plan in Minecraft, it works out a better. I bet life is like that." Praise Jesus.

I mean....you know.....well....in theory if it had pacing that...ok so yeah Aliens Colonial Marines had a lot of problems which...and...well the thing that worked about about Alien Isolation...what I'm really trying to say...........so look if this game can.... Meh nevermind. I'm too cynical to pull together a coherent thought...but if...

Truth.

Sorry I'm only quoting you to call out your WSB avatar. Not sure what to say but the hedge funds shorted GME to ~ 150% of the # of shares outstanding. WTF did they expect? Back on topic: that's some impressive indie horror action. How big is the team? Maybe someone who banks a few millions from fighting the hedge fund guys can help fund this game!

I'm about 3ish hours in on Xbox One...still running okay enough. No serious bugs. Definitely not as pretty as on PC or next gen, but whatever still enjoying this. Merry Christmas!

Yeah I'm still scratching my head on the double certification fails on last gen between Sony and Microsoft. I'm sure there is much more going on behind the scenes than we'll know in the near term. Somewhat related, and fwiw IGN's poll as of today: https://www.ign.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077-for-xbox-one-and-playstation-4-review One of my work colleagues got a few boxed copies...was kind enough to send to me for Xbox One so I guess I'll just wait it out as my 2019 Surface Book 3 is probably not quite up to it. <sigh>

Yeah a giant shit sandwich.

No denying that part either...and they aren't mutually exclusive. And while all those things are great, a lot of what is holding those things back from reaching their full potential is the fantasyland component of our political system.

Not exactly. The premise is that before there was even a United States, the colonists, then settlers before them, brought a way of magical thinking that has carried on to the present day. Cults? Check. Conspiracy theories as to why things are the way they are? Check. Assumption of settlers/colonists/Americans' divine right to commit mass genocide and slavery? Check. The communists have taken over the post WWII government? Check. Pizzagate? Check. Windmills give you cancer? Check. Moon landing was fake? Check. Coronavirus is a liberal hoax and not real it's all fake? Check. Bush was behind 911? Check. Trump actually won the 2020 election in a landslide? Check. Fantasyland

If you want to understand the USA's terrible response, read the book FantasyLand. SMGDMFH.

Screenshots make me want to visit a real location like that and take a tour. Nice job.

Yeah that's defintiely something I've had to explain to a lot of investor types...that as potentially interesting/powerful/whatever the PS5 and XSX might be, there is a little less excitement than we'd normally expect given the initial software lineups.

So....I'm a consultnat/analyst type in the space and have been for a while once I left the publisher side. I had a PS3, X360 and Wii (and a Wii-U in a box that I never opened...but thanks for sending me one, Nintendo!). Today I have a PS4, Xbone and a Switch. But I also have 2 kids who are now old enough to game. Hands down Switch is the best console cause of kids and the portability and 1st party games. After that PS4 is my go to. That said, I play Minecraft with both kids and we each use one console and play cross platform and it is glorious. I try to get a good Xbox game to play roughly every quarter but nothing really lasted long except for Titanfall 2 on Xbone which I finished and loved. (Of course, I could have played it on PC or PS4 but I chose Xbox One™ because I dunno just did.) Re. PS5 vs. XBSX....I prefer Playstation 1st party games and don't play enough of the Xbox 1st party stuff to really care, even with Bethesda in the mix and even with Xbox Game Pass which, let's face it, if you like the lineup and play a ton of games it is a great deal. Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn (and coming sequel) are so good on their own it's worth buying a PS4 and/or/whatever a PS5. Plus after Halo Reach I stopped caring about Halo.

Oh will put a redirect to here and lock my thread.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-09-21-xbox-buys-bethesda-parent-zenimax Discuss. Go HERE to discuss instead:

I stil think it is one of the best shooter campaign modes in recent years. Bring on TF3.

A lot of people heres have had some real tough stuff to deal with. So sorry for people who have lost loved ones or, say, have been in the hospital (Klein glad you are recovering from multiple things) as an example. By comparison we have had it easy since my wife and I are both employed, but home schooling two elementary school age kids is brutally tough, even with the "improved" distance learning that started this month compared to end of last academic year in Q2. Honestly I just come here to read about what's going on with familiar people that I've known (mostly virtually) for up to 15+ years. HOLY HELL mapcore is that old? Where are my reading glasses? Get those teenagers off my lawn! By garrr...it's been a while....

I am hyped for a movie again. Yay!

Man that was 16ish years ago. If I recall...we were working on a new shooter game concept where the developer and the senior management on the publishing side were in a screaming match about "what makes a good FPS singeplayer campaign" and they kept talking about Medal of Honor games (recall...this was in 2003). Basically one side was "WE HAVE TO COPY TEH MOHs CAUSE LOOK 'EM SALES" and the other side was "WE NEVER MADE A SHOOTER GAME BEFORE CAN YOU CHILL A MOMENT SO WE CAN PLAN?" and the insults started flying. Given I was stuck in the middle of all these people I came to mapcore to chat with smarter-er people who were more pro at level design than me to get perspective. Ah...good times back then.