Today’s game is Metal Gear Solid Delta. I’ve never played a Metal Gear Solid game (well. Actually. I’ve played maybe 10 minutes of the 3DS version of 3) but I saw the remake was on sale and had been wanting to try it. I hear 3 is a good point for getting into the franchise so I picked it up on sale. I hear Delta got kind of mixed opinions from die hard fans because of some cutscene changes, but nothing too morally compromising from what I know.

My first impressions? I’ve never played a stealth game like this. The best way I can describe it is like driving a manual transmission car compared to an automatic. There’s something about the way it controls that feels very hands on and manual, down to handling camo and food.

I’m struggling to get a hang of the controls but I’m learning. This log took me a hot second because I struggled with the crouch controls. Getting knocked down by enemies when they melee me is also a struggle, as I struggle to stand back up.

Looks wise? The game is gorgeous. I had some issue with the FSR being grainy, but I switched to TSR and ran it at Native and it looks a lot better. Not perfect. But better. The water is really pretty which I’m a fan of.

Finally, the story. I’m a fan of it. There’s 3 conflicts I love as time periods and that’s the Cold War and both World Wars. Both are important to learn about and provide a fascinating backdrop. So safe to say this has my attention.

I also like how Commander Ocelot gets his shit kicked in every time we see him. It’s my understanding he grows into a role seen in future games, but here there’s something funny about him being Snake’s punching bag even though he’s a competent fighter. After he was knocked out I spent a bit just dragging him around. No reason in particular but I did get a free Mousetrap out of him. Ironic since he’s named after a cat.

Overall though this game is a new experience and I’m excited to be playing it. I’ve always wanted to get into Metal Gear Solid and buying this gave me not only Metal Gear Solid 3, but the first MGS and the original Metal Gear for the NES so I’m excited to try those too.

Hiring a PI firm, SEGA coordinated with Fusion 85 and London City Police to raid the home of the reseller, seizing the devkits. In an email erroneously sent to GamersNexus by a waste removal contractor, though, we learn that it may not be theft at hand, but rather, corporate negligence by SEGA or the waste contractors.

Nothing like corporate collusion with law enforcement and getting everything wrong.

Did you ever think to yourself “wow, I wish QWOP had some guns in it”? They Killed Your Cat is basically that premise. Some goons killed your cat ala John Wick, and now you are running down corridors murdering those responsible. You are controlling movement of each leg manually, you are reloading your weapons

A short but relentless first-person shooter featuring manual reloading, walking, and blinking, with settings that let you customize your experience. Every “normal” action has some kind of friction, for example, to reload your gun you need to pop out the magazine, insert a new clip, then slide back the safety before shooting. You need to reach a computer terminal and interact with it in order to save. And yeah, you need to take each step individually. This looks stupid, but in a fun way, and the reviews definitely seem to be saying exactly that.

Today’s game is Alan Wake 2. I finished my playthrough of this once again. Every time I finish it I have this kind of empty feeling. Like I’m beating it for the first time.

I first played Alan Wake 1 back in 2016, it was on Game Pass and my dad had rented it from Game Fly when I was little. I loved it. It stuck in my mind. Then come 2023 and the sequel releases. It builds and complements the original in such a way I can’t even begin to describe.

And in a way I guess I feel like I too am trapped in a loop. I never really find myself able to let go of the game. Every once in a while I feel this longing to go back to Bright Falls, go back to Alan; too Return.

To avoid getting too deep and personal about the game though, I played with making a Postcard! I took this one and thought it was funny. Certainly it isn’t a post card I wouldn’t mind getting in the mail.

I also love that There’s also Saga’s Mind Place. I love this. The game takes it, sets it up as this safe space. Then at the very end it rips it away from you as a safe space. As if a metaphor for the way the Dark Place works its way into your head, it works its way into the players own safe space.

To avoid over explaining points I’ve probably already gone over though, I’ll cut today off a little early. I love this game. It’s as close to perfect I feel a game has ever come and it’s left me planning a playthrough of the original (and maybe the final draft again). With the recent news about Remedy being up in there, I at least can say I’m thankful to have gotten a chance to play this. It really is one of my favorite experiences in gaming.

Here's an edited gameplay overview for Frostrail, the new wintry survival FPS from the creators of Barotrauma.

This game has an interesting premise: The Moon's orbit with Earth started to decay about a century ago. Now, the tides are so high, the remnants of humanity are stranded on a mountain peak. The Moon is going to collide with the planet in a few more decades, and there's nothing that anyone can do to stop it.

The gameplay is this:

• Various hostile ghosts are attached to the planet. The player character's job is to help these ghosts pass on with his music. This is done through a QTE system where you press the right button at the right time.
• You get to upgrade the village near the starting area with various materials you find.
• There are a few environmental puzzles around to solve, where you move things around with music.
• Most of the game is based around exploration, and the explorable area changes with time of day.

There are also some control issues that may frustrate you. Maybe 20% of the time, the game thinks you're holding a button longer than you actually are, or it ignored a button you pressed. It's very noticeable, but it can be worked around.

If you play this, take note that I got stuck after the forest area when I interacted with an object up on a cliff I revealed with the Sense ability. I advise keeping to the main mission to avoid any softlock issues.

In early 2025, when Bluepoint again pitched the idea of Bloodborne remake, the studio was told that the numbers made sense but FromSoftware didn’t want it to happen, according to people familiar with the process.

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida shared a theory last year that this might be the case, saying in an interview with Kinda Funny Games that he thought FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki was interested in remaking the classic game but too busy to do it himself and “doesn’t want anyone else to touch it.” He added that he thought PlayStation would respect Miyazaki’s wishes despite owning the franchise.

So the latest in a growing amount of PSP articles I've written is up, this time with the lead dev from 'Barcode Studia' about their latest game. This is a small team whose passion is bringing Grand Theft Auto 'mods' (I use that term loosely because the work is SO amazing) to the Liberty City Stories engine.

Their latest work is Seen in Liberty City, which brings Grand Theft Auto III to PSP and PPSSPP (the fact a game is being brought to the original PSP hardware so long after release makes me so happy!)

My interview with 1826 covers everything from how their group came together, their games, what was involved in the huge effort of bringing GTA III to the PSP, legal issues that might arise and so on. I'm so happy I got to chat to them about this one, and I hope you enjoy the article!

https://gardinerbryant.com/rewriting-liberty-city-an-interview-with-barcode-studia-on-rebuilding-gta-iii-for-psp/

Amazing launch for the franchise.

The next “let’s take a random thing and roguelite it” is here, and it’s called Dice A Million, a roll ‘em up that has you trying to roll 1,000,000 with a set of dice. As the numbers grow you will be unlocking more dice with crazy unique effects and modifiers, and getting some cool powerup rings for your hand. Speaking of the hands, there are 10 to choose from which indicate your player class. Also, the developer wants you to really notice their “cutting edge next-gen graphics”, which were all drawn on Microsoft Paint.

Who am I?

I am a former game journalist, current game developer who wants to put a spotlight on indie games and the people who make them. I run a newsletter called Indie Dispatch which is sent out Japanese Friday evenings with 5 games I’ve found that I think you should check out for the weekend. We also have some developer interviews coming up too!

cross-posted from: https://retrolemmy.com/post/34229712

Today's game is Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC. I finished it up today, and holy shit it was good. I'd say it was as good as the main game for me. It took the core of the game and did some neat things with it that really upped all the aspects in different ways i feel.

For example, these guys. I fucking loved and hated dealing with them. Typically i don't like invincible enemies, but these guys being thrown into the game where i feel like you're expected to kill most of the enemies was amazing. I was almost a little disappointed when i got the black rock gun.

Another aspect i like is that we're seeing the aftermath of Alan's work. We only really see Alan effect the story first hand at the end. Until then we're just following his trail and playing Catch up. In a way it's fitting for the story of Estevez.

Speaking of Estevez. I want more of her. The DLC took her from a "pretty cool character" too "I need more". I wouldn't mind her getting her own game. It's certainly something i could see Remedy doing too.

Another aspect of this i liked was all the themes going on, i brushed a lot on them last time so i'll mainly cover one here, but i like how it's kind of a warning against trying to control and define art. Art is this free and almost mysterious force we can't really define. Try as we might with experiments or definitions, art just can't work like that. To attempt to control that on a level would only lead to catastrophic events.

Another aspect i liked was the whole "The Marmonts were monsters begin with" idea. Really cool and human angle i liked. I especially liked the boss fight too. Mainly the cutscene before though. I don't think we've ever seen Taken on Taken violence. In a way it's almost scarier because it doesn't feel natural to the rules the story has setup. In a way that itself is fitting too the unnatural story the Marmonts created through their tampering with forces they shouldn't have.

Once i finished the DLC that's when i decided to do the screenshots. I thought it would be best with all ideas fresh in my head, plus after telling Rudolph Lane goodbye i needed a moment. In a way it really highlights how the story is the "monster". No one escapes, not even the characters from the first game. And in a way, it's not the dark presence doing it this time, it's the story itself doing it.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/pokemon/p/1824017/spoilers-pokemon-winds-and-waves-new-starters

spoiler

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Image description: The new Pokemon starters on a bright beach with palm trees behind them. From left to right. Browt, a light yellowish green chick with angry lime green eyebrows and beak. Kind of seems like an Angry Birds character. Pombon, a happy orange floofy Pomeranian dog-type creature. And Gecqua, a blue Littlest Pet Shop kind of style leopard gecko type creature. They have a light blue raindrop between their eyes.

His full story is forthcoming, but I don't know how that squares with incoming PC ports for Death Stranding 2 and the sequel to Kena. Maybe because they're only Sony published? Exclusivity of a handful of games that I may or may not be interested in still isn't going to make me want a PS5, personally.

absolutely incredible year for backyard fans. never thought id see the day it came back