This. I genuinely believe that in the near future indie games will be the sole torch-bearer for what I would call “traditional gaming”. Tighter, more focused experiences with no microtransactions or sanitized, inoffensive bloat. Games that are offline and don’t require any server handshake to function. And as the technology available to them advances, it will enable indie devs to be more and more ambitious with their vision.
I’d gladly agree to pay more in exchange for a legally binding agreement that higher prices mean video games free of predatory monetization and reasonable pay and job security for the people making the games. But we both know that they have no intention of doing the right thing, no matter how high the box price. They’re already raking in record profits while laying off huge chunks of their workforce and giving the c-suite ever-increasing annual bonuses.
They’ve perpetuated the lie that microtransactions were a necessity and the $60 price was unsustainable for such a long time that people actually believe it. Now they want to increase the box price while keeping the predatory monetization, having their cake and eating it too.
Things got very dire in the '10s, but there’s been a bit of a course correction in recent years, at least with EA. It Takes Two and the Star Wars Jedi games were microtransaction free and wonderful experiences. Only It Takes Two could really be considered weird and quirky, but it was phenomenal. First party games are also typically exceptions to the modern AAA paradigm.
My understanding is that Immortals of Aveum was the first output from a pivot of the genuinely terrific EA originals brand that gave us the likes of It Takes Two, A Way out, Unraveled, and lots more. It used to be a program that helped indie devs publish their games with EA only recouping their costs. Immortals of Aveum, ironically, had none of that magic. It was basically a Marvel story baked into a CoD campaign with magic instead of bullets.
Ideally, this will tell the suits that this pivot was a mistake and they’ll go back to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. But they’re much more likely to overmonetize everything into oblivion while laying off massive chunks of their workforce.
Apple is no doubt considering moving more heavily into the gaming space. They’re looking for more revenue streams to keep feeding the corporate fantasy of perpetual growth, and there are only so many sweat shop laborers they can exploit. Wouldn’t surprise me at all for them to buy a publisher like EA and create some steam competitor (or just leverage the Mac app store).
It’s a compelling proposition, and not one Microsoft can compete with. At least not in the mobile/tablet space. Cloud gaming is all well and good, but native hardware will always be superior. Microsoft is crazy not to be considering a 1st party handheld like the steam deck. Or at least a gaming-centric UI for small screen devices. Even just integrating something like the Xbox UI would be an improvement.
Even if your PC isn’t up to the task of running the game, it’s worth a shot to install it and see if you can do just enough to open the console, even if it’s at 2 fps. Unless you’re running a Celeron processor or something, in which case don’t bother.
Ah yes, let’s patch a harmless exploit in our purely single player game. Surely that’s far more important than any of the gameplay-degrading/breaking bugs the game carries, many of which have been carried forward from Skyrim. Can’t be giving the player the freedom to choose whether or not they want to accumulate credits faster than intended.
Your point isn’t without merit, but your framing of it certainly is. The comparison made in the initial post is apples to oranges, but your experience is nothing more than anecdote and implying digital is universally cheaper is absurd. Allow me to counter your anecdote with one of my own:
Only a few months after release, I picked up an Xbox copy of Cyberpunk 2077, brand new from a big box retail chain and with a complimentary steelbook case, for $5.
That’s a valid point. Games released in the next 2-3 years should be probably be given a pass. My admittedly layman’s perspective is that any indie game deep enough into development that switching engines isn’t feasible most likely wouldn’t require another 4 years to ship.
If someone genuinely believes that them knocking on your door and talking to you could actually save your soul in the afterlife
The act of knocking on one’s door is annoying but ultimately innocuous, true, but that ideology is a slippery slope. How better to write yourself a blank check that absolves you off your heinously cruel actions than to delude yourself with the belief that you’re acting on some holy mandate from sky daddy? The Salem witch trials and the crusades jump to mind as stark examples of religion carried to its inevitable endgame.
It may not be explicitly stated as a rule to follow, but on almost every page there are certainly actions that could be emulated. The OP didn’t specify rules or commandments; they said “open to a page and do what is written on that page”.
Slaughter an entire city of men, women, children and livestock? Yeah, that’s on the list, and was in fact an order given by sky daddy himself.
Fuck your daughters? That’s in there too.
Sacrifice your child to prove your loyalty? Bingo. Another sky daddy special.
It’s bad faith because you’re willfully ignoring the parameters set forth in the op. Obviously reading the Bible isn’t going to land you in jail (at least in the west). The act of reading anything isn’t going to get you incarcerated. The whole point of this post was “read and act”.
Thanks for the context! But why does an omnipotent and omniscient deity need me to slaughter an animal and smear it’s blood on my door to keep him from killing an innocent child? Since he’s omniscient and all, couldn’t he just, ya know, pass over my house anyway since he already knows my child isn’t one of the thousands of innocent children he intended to slaughter on this particular night?
Whether these perpetrators received the afterlife they expected, or whether such a thing exists (if it does, it certainly has nothing to do with any manmade religious doctrine), is largely irrelevant. The salient point is that they believe it exists, and that whatever they do is ultimately justified because, as the Bible so keenly reinforces, it’s okay to do objectively monstrous things (e.g. slaughtering an entire city’s worth of men, women and children) as long as you’re doing it in service of your god.
As long as people cling to these fairytales and fables as the inspired word of the creator of the universe, valuing their god more highly than other people, I don’t see how it can change. The solution would be to deconstruct and demystify the fairytales, revealing them for what they are, but when someone has bought into the delusion as hard as religious zealots tend to do, they’re much more likely to lash out than listen to reason.
How do people reenact famous battles? Recorded history, real or fabricated, can still be instructive. Take Ezekiel 9:
Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.” As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple. Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city.
An order given by God himself, to slaughter an entire city for the grievous sin of not worshipping him. Not even the children were to be spared. And yes, like most stories in the Bible, it’s likely almost entirely bullshit, but the human cruelty it conveys, and the moral justification it provides, is all too real. And if you’ve ever dealt with any real religious nutjobs, like the snake-handling, tongues-speaking Baptists I grew up around, then you know that the human brain, when fueled by delusion, is more than capable of conjuring a perceived supernatural experience.
Sony and Nintendo are both terrible, hypocritical companies in their own right. That by no means absolves Microsoft of being who they are, and the pro-consumer tactic Xbox has employed for the past 5 or 6 years is definitely a calculated move and the result of them falling hard after the Don Mattrick era, but to say that Microsoft (and by that I assume you mean Xbox) is terrible for gaming is a bad take. The gaming landscape is better because Xbox exists. Competition and choice empower the consumer. If you think Sony wouldn’t be an even shittier company without the competition Xbox provides, you really don’t understand how these avaricious corporate conglomerates operate.
Let me preface this by saying I would not be in favor of this acquisition, even though Nintendo are a bunch of overly litigious pricks that abuse the copyright system in the name of profits and treat their partners with open hostility and their eShop is a shovelware shitfest running on hardware that was already antique by the time it launched. But I really don’t see how this is anything more than Phil Spencer being a bit too transparent. Jim Ryan and Sony would jump at the chance to acquire Nintendo just as eagerly. Both PS and Xbox have been aggressively pursuing acquisitions and consolidation for years now, and Nintendo would be a crown jewel in any gaming publisher’s portfolio.
If only that was what he was saying. He doesn’t care whether they’re dependent on servers. The vast majority of physical games sold today are already nothing more than an entitlement and some of the game files, with the rest being downloaded after you insert the disc. He’s only concerned with Gamestop getting their cut, both in new game sales and especially in their bread-and-butter trade-in market.
I’m not sure why you’re trying to convince me of the merits of physical media? I did not, and do not, disagree. It’s a more flexible option, and more options is always better for the consumer. But the reality is that physical media, in its current iteration, doesn’t offer all that much protection. The only universal benefit of physical media is the ability to regift or resell. It’s a great benefit, but it hardly liberates consumers from dependence on servers.
As for my original point, it simply read to me as if this person was giving the GameStop exec credit for something he did not say. I wanted to make sure his comments were seen in an accurate light.
What needs to happen is regulation. Pro-consumer governing bodies (which don’t exist in the US, but the EU has been on a roll) mandating the right to transfer a digital license.
As for the stores, Xbox offers GameStop a small percentage of the revenue from every digital game purchased on a console sold by GameStop. That feels like a healthy compromise for an all-digital business model.
The Series S is very frequently on sale for $50 off, sometimes more, and often comes with a bundled controller or game.
The Deck is only playable in Act 1. The frame rate in other acts struggles to reach 20 FPS, even on low settings. Also, the $400 deck you’re referencing cannot even install the game unless you buy an accompanying microSD (which I can’t imagine provides a good BG3 experience) or an SSD which you then crack open the steam deck to install (which will be too intimidating to most casual, non-tech people).
$450+ is a more accurate price point for playing BG3 on Steam Deck; 50% more than the Xbox MSRP, which is significantly discounted every few weeks. The Xbox will also offer a much more convenient experience to those who want to play the game on their TVs, and the game will look nicer on that hardware.
The Deck is an awesome little device, but you’re overselling it here, and ignoring a lot of nuance.
It’s only able to hold a relatively stable 30fps in act 1. As soon as you hit act 2 it struggles to escape the teens, even on low settings. It was so bad that I had to abandon playing on Deck and move to my PC.
$100, plus the cost of the mandatory microSD or SSD you’ll need to add to even install the game on Deck, plus the $50 discount for the Series S if you have a modicum of patience. The difference is more like $175-200, and last year the Series S was $100 off for Black Friday. Assuming the game is targeting holiday 2023 for Xbox, you could potentially grab the Series S + BG3 for under $300.
And what exactly do you consider “a great experience”? Because in act 2, with the game looking as shit as it possibly can, it still struggles to stay above 20FPS. I haven’t bothered trying act 3 on Deck, but act 3 is even more resource-intensive than act 2 so I can’t imagine it fares any better. “A great experience” is admittedly subjective, so I can’t say you haven’t had what you consider to be a great experience on Deck, but vaguely describing it as “a great experience” is negligent at best and outright disingenuous at worst. My act 2 experience on Deck was abysmal, and I think most opinions on that level of performance would agree.
For those that don’t care about Linux, or portability, or the steam deck being a PC, and just want to play BG3 on their TV for as cheap as possible, the Series S is by far the best option. That the game will also look and run significantly better than it does on steam deck is icing on the cake.
And if a person doesn’t care about the steam library, linux operating system or emulation? If they just want to play BG3 and other modern games on their couch, running natively on their machine in a convenient, no-fuss manner? Will you admit that, for that person, the Steam Deck is a terrible option and they’d be far better served, both financially and visually, by buying an Xbox Series S, even at MSRP?
Yeah, this person is so deluded in their steam deck zealotry that they’ve lost touch with reality. In one comment they argue the steam deck’s value is in its Linux OS and ability to emulate Switch games, then in the next they argue that the thing is “much more convenient and no fuss”. The only convenience is in the portability. If you aren’t interested in sacrificing power for portability, that offers zero value. As for emulation, arguing that is no fuss would be laughable. Even native steam games can be iffy, requiring troubleshooting like swapping proton versions and entering launch commands. There’s a reason ProtonDB exists, and the Xbox doesn’t need something comparable.
The Steam Deck is great for what it is, but the only console it compares (and is vastly superior) to is the Switch.
Feel free to elaborate on how the Deck is convenient to someone that isn’t interested in playing on a tiny, washed-out 800p display with sub-2 hour battery life while playing BG3, and how playing on a TV is less fuss with the Steam Deck than the Xbox. Quick resume is a completely different topic that would be irrelevant, even if the Xbox didn’t already have the exact same feature.
Then when you factor in the value you get from being able to play modern games comfortably while traveling
Worthless to someone that only wants to play at home on their TV, or isn’t tethered to an outlet. It seems you’re wholly incapable of comprehending that there are people with different use-cases and priorities than your own, and for those people the Steam Deck is a vastly inferior and costlier option. Buying the device that best meets their needs doesn’t make them a fool. It’s astounding that you don’t get this.
The only reason the S is iffy here is because of couch co-op, which is already virtually extinct in the AAA space. The S is fine for what it is. But I also wouldn’t buy one at MSRP. I own 2 Series S consoles, but I paid $350 new for both and got a free headset with one of them. At $200, which is what it will likely be selling for again this black friday, it’s a steal. It’s twice as powerful as the Deck and it can properly utilize game pass.
Agreed. It’s a lack of publisher support that has created the issues with Linux gaming. To some extent I understand, given the minute market share Linux has historically possessed, but ultimately it’s just corporate greed. Valve is serving as a force for change, though; not altruistically, but a force nonetheless. Once Linux has a large enough install base, publishers will go where there’s money to be made, whatever anti-cheat concessions they have to make.
Lmao. Mate, I was an early adopter of the steam deck. I appreciate it for what it is, and I acknowledge its limitations. Meanwhile, you live in a fantasy where those limitations don’t exist and you’re unable to even acknowledge basic, objective facts. It’s fine that you love your steam deck but Jesus Christ, go touch some grass. Get outside your bubble for a second.
Curious to hear what settings you were using? Because after this steam deck fanatic kept harping about how it was a perfect experience from start to finish if you have the right settings, I went back and tried it on my Deck. In act 3, in a sparsely populated area of the city, I was hovering in the low 20s with frequent dips into the teens. With everything set to low (except textures on mediu) and all the visual flourishes like god rays, bloom, etc disabled. FSR couldn’t even improve things.
My favorite game franchise is Monster Hunter but I currently have played enough of every game in the franchise to be burnt out and am looking for something new. What I like about MH is the action combat system, the small group multiplayer and although most MH games don't have it, I'd like a game similar to this that also...
Remnant 1 was great, but Remnant 2 was"designed with upscaling in mind", which translates to “we couldn’t be bothered to optimize anything”, so even a cutting edge gaming system can’t hold a consistent 60fps without upscaling enabled. Something to be aware of.
At most you’re gonna get like $10-15 off on most 1st-part titles. Better off going physical and buying used, if you want to save money.
As for games, Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Luigi’s Mansion 3 are great. Link’s Awakening, also. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are good too, but overrated imo.
Getting both requires Game Pass Ultimate, so 70% more expensive, but still a much better value. Also, given the quality of games with gold over the past few years, a selection of 25 game pass titles will be a much better complementary offering.
The more likely reason for this, in my estimation, is wordplay. Because all of Sony’s offerings are called “PS Plus”, they can brag about having “60 million Plus Subscribers” and make their Game Pass competitor sound much more popular than it actually is. This will level the playing field.
Alan Wake Remastered. I bounced off of this when I was a kid playing on the 360, but I wanted to go back and give it another try in anticipation of Alan Wake 2. Also sprinkling in some Midnight Fight Express and Rollerdrome.
Looking forward to Baldur’s Gate 3 and Lords of the Fallen.
+1,000 for Requiem. I adored the first game, and Requiem instantly jumped into my top 5 favorite games of all time. Such a tense, beautiful, well-written experience.
Capcom President Says ‘Game Prices Are Too Low’ (kotaku.com)
lol. lmao.
Resident Evil 4 Mobile Will Cost $60 (www.ign.com)
Yeah, no.
Starfield 1.7.33 Update Patch is now available (www.gamescensor.com)
"Going digital will be cheaper for consumers because we can cut out the middle men", they said. (media.kbin.social)
Godot Engine hits over 50K euros per month in funding (www.gamingonlinux.com)
Christian roulette (feddit.de)
Phil Spencer: "getting [acquiring] Nintendo would be a career moment for me"; Nintendo's future "exists off of their own hardware" (www.resetera.com)
Archive link: archive.ph/NF2r0...
GameStop Boss Says Disc Drives Should Be Required On Game Consoles (www.gamespot.com)
"It would be great if people had to buy more of the thing," says guy who makes money selling the thing.
Baldur’s Gate 3 had to be scaled back for the Series S, but the console still has a right to exist (www.vg247.com)
It'll be the cheapest place, by an absurd margin, to play Baldur's Gate 3.
[PC] Action RPG with multiplayer crossplay (kbin.social)
My favorite game franchise is Monster Hunter but I currently have played enough of every game in the franchise to be burnt out and am looking for something new. What I like about MH is the action combat system, the small group multiplayer and although most MH games don't have it, I'd like a game similar to this that also...
I finally got a Switch! What now?
After years of lamenting about the cost, I was gifted a switch recently (
Xbox Games with Gold ending, replaced by Game Pass Core (www.eurogamer.net)
www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass/core...
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of July 16th
Another week another thread!...
Game Pass - What's your favorite sleeper hit?
What game would you have not tried otherwise that came up on XBox Game Pass and dragged you in?...