Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, Volume 1. Mostly played streaming to my TV via Steam Link, but also played a bit on Steam Deck. I think this is an English dub of the MSX version. This isn't the NES version. It was an excellent game for its time.

Snake also seems really concerned with Christmas as you can see.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20303681

Steam store page

The art of moebius

Today’s game is New Vegas. I’m cleaning up some things before beating completing the story. Namely achievements so I don’t have to do as many on my next round trip.

This I took when I was going to do the Talent Pool quest in the Ace. I figured it was going to be a quick, 10 minute ordeal. Really easy since I had almost maxed out everything. Only, I forgot that The Tops casino hates me, so I am locked out of the quest as far as I know.

I fought my way into The Aces anyways on the off chance I could start the quest regardless and the room was empty except for a trigger happy barkeep I missed that Rose of Sharon Cassidy (who I also picked up today and is now my new favorite companion) one shot and jump scared me with the sound.

I have 17 achievements left after this before I end the game, one of which I may have to drop since It requires me to get kicked out of all the casinos and just remembered I am still locked out of the Tops. I got what I think is the hardest out of the way (The Warheads achievement) but the Star Bottle Caps quest has me a bit worried. So I may postpone that for whenever I play again.

Slowly getting really excited for this. Between the demo and now the scenes showing here, I'm starting to really dig the new visuals, and the voice work in the playable part was fantastic.

More Max! 🏳️‍🌈

Fun little game, thought I would share.

The Prompt

Anecdotally, I've seen a lot of people jaded with modern gaming. I understand why. If you only see the games that have the most marketing, which are the ones you're most likely to see for obvious reasons, then you're primarily seeing the likes of AAA games with second-job-esque battle pass FOMO tactics, loot box gambling, pay to win, and constant reminders that you're missing out on the full experience of the game like coming across fan favorite characters in the DLC of an already-expensive Star Wars game. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data", but it could be this fatigue with the games that the average person is aware of that has led to a drop in spending and the crash that the industry is currently facing (but let's not sugar coat it; there are surely other factors, too). I sympathize with these people, but respectfully, there's a whole wide world out there of great games that never ask for a dime after it's in your possession, so let's call out those games and spread the word.

The Rules

1. One game per top level comment, with the game name behind a "#" symbol so that it forms a heading, and platforms it's available on in parentheses. Leave a brief synopsis with no spoilers and a brief critique. I'll be starting us off with a number of examples. Upvote the ones you agree with, and leave a comment on the top level one for discussion.
2. The game should have no paid DLC, no announced paid DLC, and feel like a complete product as it stands right now. I actually don't mind the most common types of DLC, like what you would find in the Paradox model, but I know there's a large enough contingent of folks who really do mind, so any DLC whatsoever is a deal-breaker for this thread. I'm making an exception for soundtrack and artbook DLC since, as far as I know, the existence of this stuff doesn't bother anyone and just allows for avenues for certain artists to get a better cut for their work from super fans. I'm not making an exception for cosmetic DLC like you'd find in V Rising, as innocuous as I personally find it to be.
3. The game's first release must have been in 2024. By this, I mean that if it came out on PS5 two years ago but launched on PC this year, it doesn't count, so no God of War: Ragnarok. No collections of old games like Marvel vs. Capcom.
4. No early access games, except for games that were in early access and hit v1.0 this year. So no Palworld, but Satisfactory is on the table if you'd like to recommend it. I personally didn't care for it, but if you did, feel free to list it!
5. Only games you've played thoroughly enough to be sure you'd recommend it. If you only started playing the early chapters or levels, maybe let someone else recommend it, just in case the quality nosedives later on. I'm personally only recommending games I've finished or beaten, though that definition admittedly becomes challenging with the likes of UFO 50.

nitter link / twitter link

From the Japanese Palworld twitter (nitter / twitter). "As announced in the official PlayStation "State of Play", the PS5 version of Palworld was released today in 68 countries and regions around the world. In Japan, the release date has not yet been decided. We apologize to everyone in Japan who was looking forward to it, but all of our staff will do our best to deliver it to PS5 users as soon as possible, so we would appreciate your patience for a little while longer. We hope you will continue to support Palworld."

Hey, look! It's a Space Giraffe Tick Penguin Thing, stuck in a walkway! This guy kept walking onto my factory floor and getting trapped in weird places. I turned my back for one second and somehow he got his head stuck between my walkways! Dude... I had to remove the walkways so he could get back on all fours and move on.

Satisfactory is my #1 most played game on Steam, with 741.5 hours as of this post. I know, rookie numbers, right? But I have a library of over 3,500 games, so dedicating this much time to any single game is a major feat of accomplishment in my book.

Although I don't think it really counts, because I've definitely just left the game running 24/7 for like a week or two just to build up resources in the background. 😅

In my early gaming sessions, I didn't care to explore. I was too busy trying to get a centralized factory hub working, so I tried to build everything off my initial hub. When I needed resources that weren't nearby, I would track them down, then build spaghetti lines of conveyor belts back to my main factory so I could continue building in one location. This screenshot above is just a hint of the nightmare that was my original messy build.

I've since learned that exploring is key in this game, and getting multiple factories producing resources off many nodes around the map will significantly improve production times. I can't wait to unlock trains so I can migrate mass quantities of resources between my multiple factories.

Satisfactory has been in early release for several years now, but they just officially released 18 days ago, and the full game has been quite enjoyable! I love that there's a background story now and not just "we dropped you on an alien planet, start harvesting resources." I started over with a fresh new factory, and thanks to a bunch of tips from YouTubers (primarily TotalXclipse), I've made significant improvements to the way I build.

Also, my wife was finally curious enough to check it out, so she's working on her own factory build now! My wife isn't an avid gamer like me, but she enjoys playing a few co-op games with me and my friends, so it's fun when she gets interested in a game I'm playing.

I enjoy factory-building games like this, but Satisfactory, with its first-person view, really feels like you're in the world actually creating something. It's definitely my favorite of the genre. I've struggled get into other factory games that didn't put me right into the action. Like Factorio. Same general concept, but the overhead view of everything makes it harder for me to feel like I'm a part of the world I'm building.

Plus, I hate defending against swarms of aliens in Factorio. Just let me build in peace! Satisfactory has some aggressive alien creatures, but only if you disturb them in their home location, and they only attack you directly while you're in the area. They don't follow you far, and/or attack your factories and mess up your production.

Who the hell finds it fun to either waste time trying to lure them into a trap or chase them down? And it's so much worse against ai because they don't need to micro manage the way humans have to so it seems whenever I use them they get wrecked under the first half assed volly from any unit. This applies to literally any game. Who has fun with this shit?

Been having issues with lots of pics and getting errors. Apparently I have to reduce the already potato quality down to even more tater quality just to get it to allow upload.

Anyways, here's more Ys II on Steam Deck. A frozen statue allegedly holds interest in our red-haired swordsman.

Game Information

Game Title: Shadows of Doubt

Platforms:

• PC (Apr 24, 2023)

Trailers:

• Shadows of Doubt Early Access Launch Trailer
• Shadows of Doubt: March 2022 Gameplay Video

Developer: ColePowered Games

Publisher: Fireshine Games

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 71 average - 67% recommended - 10 reviews

Critic Reviews

CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 4 / 10

Shadows of Doubt as an idea is incredible; even the PC version of the game is fantastic; the console version, however, is riddled with issues that make it almost unplayable in its current state.

Cerealkillerz - Julian Bieder - German - 8.4 / 10

Playing detective has never felt so organic! The procedurally generated map, which can be explored completely freely, offers a wide variety of ways to track down a perpetrator - or to end up in a dead end. Gameplay systems centred around stealth, profiling and physical confrontations and status effects, a social credit system or upgrading implants create a depth of gameplay that is unheard of in this genre. However, one drawback is the repetitive process of filling in the form at the end of the case. Shadows of Doubt is unfortunately still full of bugs and glitches in its current state, but this should be tolerated in case of the first fully-fledged sandbox detective game.

GamesRadar+ - Joel Franey - 3.5 / 5

What emerges is a genuinely impressive engine for generating narratives somewhere between Raymond Chandler and Philip K. Dick, but riddled with errors and overlooked features.

God is a Geek - Chris White - 8 / 10

Shadows of Doubt is an incredibly smart and intricate detective thriller, giving you tons of freedom that can be both a blessing and a curse.

God is a Geek - Chris White - 8 / 10

Shadows of Doubt may have a few problems that hold it back, but it's easily one of the most ambitious and exciting games of the year so far.

PC Gamer - Joshua Wolens - 83 / 100

One part detective sim and one part chaos generator, Shadows of Doubt lives up to its influences as an immersive sim that actually makes good on its ambitions.

Pro Game Guides - Connell Watson - 4.5 / 5

An extremely addictive and satisfying core gameplay loop combined with exceptional gameplay, immersion mechanics, an outstanding setting, and a strong, fitting visual style make this an indie title for the history books. There is nothing like this out there, and I'd be shocked if there's anything like this again.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Brendan Caldwell - Unscored

Being a hapless detective in this superior cyber-noir will see you battle with your own brain as well as the game's bugs. Just try not to break into the wrong apartment.

Use a Potion - 9 / 10

Shadows of Doubt is simply brilliant, with its sleuthing gameplay loop proving clever, creative, and unpredictable in design to ensure that each case you solve will keep you fully immersed in its fascinating world. I was constantly amazed at how deep each case would go, and with cities on offer that are packed with citizens to interrogate and locales to explore, it’s hard not to feel blown away by the scale of it all. I haven’t played anything quite like it before, and whilst it does have some imperfections and some cases can leave you flummoxed for a little longer than I’d have liked, Shadows of Doubt offers the best representation of ‘solving a murder’ that I’ve EVER seen in gaming.

XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 6 / 10

Shadows of Doubt should be great.  A lack of variety leads to repetition so quickly that I can’t recommend this 1.0 and console release.  If the devs continue supporting the game with new content, especially something more directed like the tutorial mission, then it could potentially become an indie classic.  For now, though the game is a mere shadow of its potential.

Today's game is Fallout New Vegas. I was stuck at home all day and laid in bed playing through the entirety of Lonesome Road (wouldn't have been possible without the Steam Deck!). I got a ton of Screenshots, so I decided that I would just share multiple photos

This one I took on my way into The Divide. Just like with Dead money, it seemed appropriate.

This is a screenshot I took of ED-E right before I freed them. I have to say, for having spent so little time with them, the ending made me kind of sad. They were very entertaining and I like the conversations with them.

This is a screenshot I took of the missile as it was launched above Ashton shortly before crashing down. I have to say the journey here was hell because I had to fight 4 deathclaws. I ended up using Med-X and Psycho along with the Red Glare and spamming rockets in their direction. I spent nearly an hour trying to kill them (sometimes they'd kill me and sometimes I'd accidentally walk backwards into a hole in the ground)

This screenshot was taken just because I thought it looked neat. I don't really have any story behind it besides that. I will note that it stood out a lot more to me than the others though, as I feel like a lot of the other graffiti that wasn't obviously written by Ulysses was just random things like "Smile".

I took this screenshot on the final stretch of my road. I used a stealthboy and sneak attacked all the scorched men along the way. I also stopped and picked up the veteran riot armor, though sadly it didn't last long with its durability so I need to repair it soon.

I took this screenshot while fighting some scorched men. I thought it looked cool from the side profile I got and wanted to share it. I got the sniper rifle from the Veteran Ranger, and I used it for most of the rest of my journey. It felt appropriate since I was taking his armor, I may as well pay respects and use all that he had instead of just picking at what I wanted.

This is right before the final confrontation. I detonated all the Nukes in the area right after this screenshot (Though, I'm missing 10 so I'll have to go back and find those for the achievement) and prepared myself for the final fight.

I ended up sparing Ulysses by passing the NCR faction check and the 90 Speech check. We fought together to against the scorched men. The fight was fun. For as simplistic as FNV AI can be sometimes it did a good job of making it feel far more epic and cinematic. I ended up sacrificing ED-E to stop the Nuke, as I'm doing a morally good playthrough and I was avoiding spoilers so I didn't know if I letting it launch at someone would have consequences outside of the faction I targeted.

I came back after the slideshow and just sat with him for a bit and looked at The Divide. I listened to his final message and talked to him, before heading back.

It made me happy though to know that ED-E was transferred back to the Mojave model though, as I was surprisingly sad about it. As soon as I got back I went and activated ED-E at the Mojave Express. I also did some progress towards misc. achievements and getting endings for everything. I picked up Raul, Veronica, Arcade Gannon, and did Rex's quest. while in Jacobstown I was planning on picking up Lily but I can't remember how to get her as a companion.

Inspired by true events from this morning

For you older gamers out there, I'm gonna take you back a bit today.

Back in 1980 (four years before even I was born!), Atari released an arcade game called Battlezone that was one of the original popular FPS games. It looked like this:

Almost 2 decades later, in 1998, Activision published their own version of the game, also called Battlezone. This was the version I discovered, and I played that game on my Windows 95 computer all through my teenage years. But then I grew up and forgot all about it.

The interesting thing is, the 1998 game didn't have any background music, so I put on one of my own albums to play while I gamed. Specifically, Eiffel 65's album Europop. They were really popular in the late '90s, and that album had just dropped in 1999, when I discovered this game.

Their unique and almost haunting music made a wonderful backdrop for my game. I was harvesting resources and defending bases by myself on the moon, which felt isolating and lonely, especially when you could see the Earth far away in the background. Somehow, the soundtrack I picked just worked really well with it.

Decades later, I heard Eiffel 65's music and it brought me back to my childhood, playing Battlezone (1998). But I couldn't remember the name of that game, so I couldn't look it up. I figured the game probably doesn't exist anymore and this was just another flicker of a childhood memory that would fade into obscurity as I got older.

A few years ago, though, I bought a copy of Battlezone Gold Edition (2017) on Steam (this time developed and published by Rebellion) and despite looking completely different, it felt somewhat familiar:

That's when I noticed that there was a Battlezone 98 Redux on Steam, and it was my childhood game!! I was so excited, I immediately dumped Battlezone Gold Edition to go relive my nostalgic past.

That's the crisp 1920x1080 resolution screenshot in the main post; if I had a screenshot of the original game, it would be fuzzy and probably only 640x480 resolution. The "redux" version cleaned it up and and made it playable on modern 1080p monitors.

Granted, Battlezone Gold Edition is a very fun game to play, and I've since gone back and beaten it a few times over. They even have a 2018 sequel called Battlezone: Combat Commander which I own but haven't played yet. It looks more like a late '90s/early 2000s video game; definitely not a big budget production. Rebellion published it, but handed off development to Big Boat Interactive.

But something about Battlezone 98 Redux really takes me back to my childhood. Of course, I had to pull up some MP3s of Eiffel 65's Europop album and experience it the right way. 😉

What games take you back to your childhood?

I went back to Fallout New Vegas today. I’m hoping to wrap it up before I start to miss the game and so I can move onto either FF 7 Remake or Alan Wake II. Unfortunately I caught something last night and I wasn’t in the mood to start Lonesome Road, so I went back and grabbed an achievement I missed in Old World blues and also to sell off some more of the gold.

Turns out I missed getting all the personalities for the Sink. So I went back and did that since I thought it would be easy. I ended up running out of ammo fighting scorpions though and was lazy and decided to just sprint past them and tank the shots. Somehow I didn’t die from it, and managed to grab the last 4-ish modules.

I also had to go by Higgs Village for one, and was creeped out by it more compared to last time. I think it’s because I slowed down to appreciate it. Anyways, I got the Toaster up and running and I have to say it’s my favorite of the personalities. I wish I had one irl. So I picked a screenshot I took of my conversation with it for today’s screenshot

I hope to tomorrow to get over what I caught and start lonesome road. If not I may just start it anyways though because I don’t want to put it off too long before I fall out of the mood for New Vegas.