I know there’s great love for Oblivion (I never played it when it was new), and of course Skyrim is the gold standard for new fans (I played the shit out of that and it was my first entry into the elder scrolls back when it came out 14 years ago…) but I really feel like this shadow drop of a half assed remake is just priming everyone to lower their expectations for the likely dumpster fire that is The Elder Scrolls VI.

I know its old hat nonsense of a complaint but whatever Bethesda used to be it stopped being that 20 years ago and we’re all just stuck thinking they’ll put out some new masterpiece when in reality all the talent they had back in the day has likely left for other jobs and they are now just a shitty company among countless other shitty companies putting profit over anything else and stifling anyone who might actually have good ideas on how to make good games (how unsurprising).

Lae'zel and Shadowheart can be mean sometimes, and it's okay to embrace women in video games like them.

Note beforehand. When one is a available, I will buy one.

Okay so recently on of course social media (tiktok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc) people have been spewing boner misinformation about this console. Before you down vote me to oblivion l hear me out. Yes. The console has a 120hz refresh rate... But people are saying this console is outputting 4k resolution at 120fps docked...... 120fps isn't even an option docked (tested on LTT) and not only that, only a very very small amount of games will be 120fps. Cyberpunk runs at 30fps, or 40 on performance. But people are saying it runs 60fps at 4k!? Why? Why would people just blatantly lie about this information when you can get it actually tested?

Game prices? I understand the Nintendo cult is always stiff. But for the last 10 years these people bitched about $70 games. And now they are just throwing excuse after excuse defending $80 games now. But the lie I've been hearing is "Sony has been selling $80 games since the PS5 came out" No... No it hasn't. There is not one base PS5 game for $80 ever made.

So.. why are people saying this stuff? It's weird.

Anyways. I can tell this console will be a monster in 1-2 years before the $600 OLED model drops. I'm bummed Nintendo kind of fucked the market for consumers. Now every dev will start games at $80 and no one will blame Nintendo for it in the future. (Like if Ubisoft release the division 3 for $80 people will just blame Ubisoft). Don't forget who started the price hikes (not inflation)

Amazing how this cash grab of a game has been in early access alpha development for about 8 years now, finally releases, and this is the best they can do

The monetization of World of Warcraft has evolved significantly since I played during Burning Crusade over 10 years ago. Back then, the model was straightforward - you bought the expansion and paid a subscription fee. That was all you needed to access 100% of the game's content.

Today, I'm noticing through my friends' Discord group that the purchasing model has become much more complex. Beyond the base expansion packs and subscriptions, there are now early access passes, limited-time mounts (like a $90 dinosaur mount), and promotional tie-ins with products like Mountain Dew and Doritos that offer exclusive cosmetic items. Some players are even buying these promotional codes in bulk to resell online.

Example above, someone paid over $200 just to get some of the mountain dew codes..... This shift in monetization strategy raises interesting questions about the direction of the game and MMOs in general. While additional cosmetic options can add variety and personal expression to the game, I wonder about the impact on the player experience and community. Does having these exclusive items create a divide between players who can afford them and those who can't? Or is it simply offering more choices for those who want them?

I'm particularly curious about the psychological aspect of limited-time offers. The "fear of missing out" seems to be a powerful motivator, especially with items that are advertised as never being available again. But is this enhancing the game experience or just creating artificial scarcity?

Looking forward to hearing different perspectives on this, especially from others who've witnessed this evolution firsthand. What do you think about the current monetization approach compared to the simpler model of the past? Has it affected how you engage with the game?

TLDR: WoW's monetization has changed dramatically from the simple expansion + subscription model of the past to include various limited-time purchases and promotions. People today are scalping and reselling thousand of dollars of mountain dew for in game codes

This is my very first YouTube video! 😊

I can't wait for the Pro! But many ask, What's the point? I try to answer this question and discuss how it will benefit the entire gaming industry even if most people don't buy one.

I'm about 8 hours into Death Stranding Director's Cut, and I just can't do this. I love the meditative, lonely feel of the gameplay, and I'm always down for a bonkers and absurd Kojima story. I truly hope future games implement a similar traversal system where you really need to watch your footing. But this game is heavily reliant on menus, and this is the worst UI/UX of any piece of software or media I've ever experienced in 40 years. Every single aspect makes my head hurt, from the insane amount of useless information on each screen, to the menu flow, to how directives are communicated.

I'm a little surprised purchasers never filed a class action lawsuit, and I'm more than a little pissed every recommendation I've seen didn't have a caveat for the UI.

Fuck this game, and fuck Hideo Kojima for the headache I now have. After MGS5, and this, I'm done.

/rant

Spoilers below, I want to complain, not ruin anybody else's experience with the game.

Okay, so. The main reason I play dungeons and dragons? Aside from the sense of adventure and the ability to write my own story? It's the dragons.

Now my problem is that in any and all official DnD content (and most other media tbh), dragons get absolutely fucking screwed, ESPECIALLY the good ones. It's why the ability to write my own stories with DnD appeals to me so much.

I didn't go into Baldur's Gate 3 with high expectations. I know that the idea of having a powerful force of good that isn't under player control or completely useless is beyond the comprehension of most game/show/book writers (It's really unimaginably fucking easy to have one that doesn't destroy character agency btw, just putting that out there. I can write a whole god damn essay on how to have Big Good forces that aren't fucking useless while maintaining narrative tension).

All I wanted, in the game that advertises itself on how lets you approach every problem from your own angle and with your own methods, was to be able to share a little conversation with a dragon and make sure they were okay. I didn't have unrealistic expectations. I know games aren't made around what one man wants, so I didn't hope for more than maybe three lines of dialog and an ambiguous ending where they're free and alive. I'd have been happy with that.

And Baldur's Gate 3, despite allowing you to spare, or befriend, or protect, save, speak with or at least bring some hope to EVERY OTHER ENTITY IN THE GAME, doesn't just give none of that to their one dragon that can speak. It actively goes out of its' way to make it so that the dragon has the absolute worst fate possible, significantly worse than death, will never speak to you (only to another NPC), is killed pre-adventure, has their spirit tortured for eternity, and cannot be saved, helped, or even given a ray of hope. Just. Like. For FUCKS SAKE.

I wouldn't be so pissed off it this wasn't such a common thing in games like this! But I sunk 70 hours into this game intending a little interaction with a dragon as my reward, and as far as I'm concerned, I got a flaming pile of shit thrown in my face for making it to the end. It wouldn't sting so much if they weren't the only character to get screwed to anywhere near this magnitude. It wouldn't sting so much if shit like this didn't also happen so ridiculously frequently.

Please tell me I'm not the only one frustrated with how dragons (ESPECIALLY good dragons) get treated in any form of adult media. Is it really, really so much to ask for a story where dragons don't get the deck stacked against them so unbelievably hard that even actual gods would be pretty much screwed?

A 3-year breakdown of Cyberpunk's bugs, lawsuits, and the many, many patches that brought it back.

She thought it looked stupid, but I think she had a good time with it

I found a new strategy wargame "Pennon and Battle" on Steam. It's surprising to see that there are still teams willing to make games similar to Heroes of Might and Magic III. It can't help but remind me of the good old days when I used to play H3.

From selling 1 million copies within 8 hours to becoming the 2nd most played video game on Steam.

also Youtube

I love the style and I want to see how good rdr1 is, but I know story happens after rdr2 so what do you think?

Over 10 years and I had no idea

A solo developer from Koream here. Just finished English version of role playing game as a web/app game - kicking out unreasonable AI customers in real-time chat. I'd be truly grateful if you checked it out and would love to hear any thoughts or ideas you might have! https://jinsang.app/en/

I researched hundreds of Kickstarter campaigns since 2021 to find the most successful, tracking how much money they earned, how many backers they had, their country of origin, and whether or not they've since released. What I found might surprise you! Or it might not! Or maybe you'll be mildly interested!

I'm loving it. I've played the whole series for years and I think it's fantastic. Like, I understand that it's more PC than SR2 and some take issue with that, but I feel like the hatred towards it has become a bandwagon. I personally like that it took a more grounded but still progressive position in its storytelling. I love a good friendship story. People keep saying it deviated from SR2, but I feel like those people miss that time more than they miss that game.

Regardless, having a blast. 30 hours in and counting. Yes, I waited til the Steam release lol.

Video and title aren't mine. Just posting for discussion purposes.