What other games are we all playing?

Finally got around to buying Cesar IV which I'd lost on my old PC drive. Also ran across another gem ie. Rockstar's Bully (Scholarship Edition) is on Steam sale at 65% off for only $5.24. Now THIS is one third gen era legacy game that really managed to age well. It's a fun, open world, whimsical school house gambit that's part sandbox (after school hours) and part mission (fun mini games rping classes like chemistry, art etc.)( structured. And filled with all the teen angst you've experienced growing up with the funniest of tropes (ie through several trope cliques the likes of the Nerds, Jocks, Preppies, Townies, Greasers and yes---the Bullies). Also one of the BEST single player action/adventure sand box games R* has made to date. And unlikely to since this was at the end of the GTA San Andreas era. Definitely worth a look if looking for legacy games to play.
 
Finally got around to buying Cesar IV which I'd lost on my old PC drive. Also ran across another gem ie. Rockstar's Bully (Scholarship Edition) is on Steam sale at 65% off for only $5.24. Now THIS is one third gen era legacy game that really managed to age well. It's a fun, open world, whimsical school house gambit that's part sandbox (after school hours) and part mission (fun mini games rping classes like chemistry, art etc.)( structured. And filled with all the teen angst you've experienced growing up with the funniest of tropes (ie through several trope cliques the likes of the Nerds, Jocks, Preppies, Townies, Greasers and yes---the Bullies). Also one of the BEST single player action/adventure sand box games R* has made to date. And unlikely to since this was at the end of the GTA San Andreas era. Definitely worth a look if looking for legacy games to play.
The problem is in the sheer amount of time to fully explore these excellent games. I already have a massive backlog of games that I've hardly scratched the surface of, and honestly think it might take me ten plus years to even make a dent without buying a single new (or "new" legacy) title.
 
The problem is in the sheer amount of time to fully explore these excellent games. I already have a massive backlog of games that I've hardly scratched the surface of, and honestly think it might take me ten plus years to even make a dent without buying a single new (or "new" legacy) title.
I faced this exact problem a couple years ago. In the end I decided to cut the frustration and simply write a bunch of games off and accept I am never going to play them.

I'm going to use a cheesy analogy, but here's my reasoning - It's like buying a fresh bread every day, but eating the one from yesterday, because it seems like a waste to throw it out. So every day you eat an old bread. All it takes to break the loop is to throw the day old bread out. Just once. You don't have to do anything else and from that day onward, you're always eating a fresh bread.

Realistically, I still tend to have a backlog at times, but I no longer strive to play every game I like, just like I came in terms with the fact that I'm never going to read ALL the books I wanted to read. And it sorts itself out in the end.
 
I faced this exact problem a couple years ago. In the end I decided to cut the frustration and simply write a bunch of games off and accept I am never going to play them.

I'm going to use a cheesy analogy, but here's my reasoning - It's like buying a fresh bread every day, but eating the one from yesterday, because it seems like a waste to throw it out. So every day you eat an old bread. All it takes to break the loop is to throw the day old bread out. Just once. You don't have to do anything else and from that day onward, you're always eating a fresh bread.

Realistically, I still tend to have a backlog at times, but I no longer strive to play every game I like, just like I came in terms with the fact that I'm never going to read ALL the books I wanted to read. And it sorts itself out in the end.

Interesting analogy... the difference here though is that games don't go mouldy (or unplayable) over time, so whilst I understand your point, it's a bit of a strawman I'm afraid.

I have a huge backlog, but mostly that is because I tend to buy games on a whim, download them, try them once to see if they work, and then go to bed or go do something else. Then I forget about them, or get distracted by something else. 5 or so new games a month through Humble doesn't help.

It's also the case that sometimes a particular game just hooks me - for no real reason - and all the other shiny things are ignored for a while. FM 2020 is just such a beast... I've clocked nearly 100 hours on that in just two weeks. 😵

But I do think there are many games that I will never play, even though I own them. And that's no fault of the game's.
 
Disco Elysium - how and what:

4 Attributes 1-6, you get 12 points to distribute. The dice are 2 W6, double 1 auto fails, double 6 always passes skillcheck. Checks range from easy to impossible (roll 20), attributes, skill and dice roll add together.
Skills can be raised with skillpoint from earned XP after level caps are hit. Up to the max of the governing attribute. Ex.: Your Psy is 2 -> Authority skill can be raised by two points. Gives you 4 and now you can calculate your odds. Medium checks are 10 I think.
This cap can be breached with consumables and "thoughts".
Health and Morale serve as "hitpoints" - two skills govern how much you have. Consumables can restore. Pretty impossible to die, imo. Apart from start scene. Maybe when you pick a whackier build?

UI is point and click and highlight PoIs. PoIs only show if you're having enough skill to notice.
Dialogue plays big role. XP wise and story-wise. You can OCD pick all the options but the game might come around and break that wall. It should give you a line to get back and save face tho. Sometimes you will be asked about lore and whether you remembered it, but you probably won't be punished for forgetting stuff. There is quite the amount to digest.

Setting is kinda like hangover after roaring 30ies. It's not a historical setting tho. It's completely fictitious with historical elements. Think alternative Earth. It gets quite whacky at some point, which I didn't expect, but when it came I was intrigued. Like some French-Belgian artsy bande-dessinée.
It is mostly a detective story. It can be depressing at times I guess. I wasn't fan of lost memory detective trope but the game does seem to make a point about its distinction to "Déjà Vu" at some point. A nice nod to a classic.

At some point I felt stuck but pulled a lever I had hesitated to which opened new place to visit and some stuff resolves quite neatly and drove the story heavily onward. Don't hesitate to pull the lever.

And that's it. I'm in the middle of it. The story got an urgent twist. The setting became real whacky (in metaphysical sense) but it shouldn't affect the detective work too much. Or does it? Might be down to what kind of character you make.
Some stuff you simply dont pass the check for. Most can be rerolled when you raised the skill points. I don't really do it scientifically. I put stuff where I seem to lack punch or where I want my strenghts to be.
There is thought cabinet - game events can give you thoughts to equip that give boni/mali while reflected and usually boni when concluded. They can be equipped and "forgotten" (gone, gone) in the thought cabinet. Soemtimes they help advancing story.

Overall I like it so far. Equip some time to play. You will read quite a bit.
 
Back to Civ VI, having a blast, 2nd best Civ after IV. Last might was a "just one more turn" kinda night, today I'm paying.

I'd like to get back into space traders frontiers, but the game set up is pretty involved, and the rules keep changing every couple updates. This itself is not a bad thing, but you pretty much need to know the game inside & out to follow, which I don't.
 
Back to Civ VI, having a blast, 2nd best Civ after IV. Last might was a "just one more turn" kinda night, today I'm paying.

I'd like to get back into space traders frontiers, but the game set up is pretty involved, and the rules keep changing every couple updates. This itself is not a bad thing, but you pretty much need to know the game inside & out to follow, which I don't.
Civ VI is very good. I haven't tried it with the second expansion, though.
 
. Last might was a "just one more turn" kinda night, today I'm paying.
Just to funny. I remember going to work at 4pm the misses playing civ 2, get home at 12:30am and I see her head in the window of the computer room as I pulled in the driveway on a work week.
 
For the past two weeks I've been totally captivated by Astroneer. I've owned it for years but only now started replaying it since it released out of early access a few months ago, so much has changed that it feels like a new game. Excellent space exploration game, I'm really having a ball with it.

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Back to Civ VI, having a blast, 2nd best Civ after IV. Last might was a "just one more turn" kinda night, today I'm paying.

I'd like to get back into space traders frontiers, but the game set up is pretty involved, and the rules keep changing every couple updates. This itself is not a bad thing, but you pretty much need to know the game inside & out to follow, which I don't.
Ye, I liked it quite a lot too. Definitely better than Civ V.
 
Same. You just can't beat playing Halo with mouse and keyboard. And at 1080p. And at 60 fps.

Just....the appalling audio. How 343, why?
 
There are rumors that they're working on a next ME.
I always liked the ME games and as you said, people expected an ME4 and got disappointed.
For 6 euro this game is a steal and I'm realy glad I got it.
Unfortunately I can't use mods on console, it's good without it too though.
You are correct. They are planning on another Mass Effect. I'm enjoying this game even more the second time as I'm paying more attention to the trivial items matched to the first trilogy. Here's the link.
 
You are correct. They are planning on another Mass Effect. I'm enjoying this game even more the second time as I'm paying more attention to the trivial items matched to the first trilogy. Here's the link.

I'm a bit further in now and I realy like this game, the different planets are made very well and I love the Remnant stuff.
Andromeda suffered from a great deal of bugs when it was released but I haven't encountered a single one yet.
Imho this is a perfectly good game with lots of hours of gameplay, those who stick with their initial verdict of this game are losing out on a lot of fun.
This happens more often, just look at NMS that made a great comeback.
I rather have a game with a bad start and a good comback then one that starts off promising and falls short in the end.
 
I finally picked up The Plague Tale: Innocence. It was in my wishlist since the launch and now that I finished Jedi Fallen Order I had a free slot in my schedule.
It's bloody gruesome, that thing. Wow. I'm hooked.

Also it has probably the first child character in the history of gaming that isn't annoying as all hell. Well done there as well!
 
I'm a bit further in now and I realy like this game, the different planets are made very well and I love the Remnant stuff.
Andromeda suffered from a great deal of bugs when it was released but I haven't encountered a single one yet.
Imho this is a perfectly good game with lots of hours of gameplay, those who stick with their initial verdict of this game are losing out on a lot of fun.
This happens more often, just look at NMS that made a great comeback.
I rather have a game with a bad start and a good comback then one that starts off promising and falls short in the end.
I've still got Andromeda on Origin Access with all the bells and whistles DLC etc...I might just give it another go.
 
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