I play games with my wife every now and then and it’s great. I wouldn’t say regularly but every few months we’ll play something like State of Decay 2 or Astroneer and get really in to it for a week.

As long as it stays customisable I’m fine with it.

I mostly play on the Xbox anyway even though the dashboard is frustratingly full of ads and basically all customisation was removed…

I have claimed most of the games and some have been real gems. I’ve bought a few games too because they were the cheapest option.

Personally I don’t have a problem with the Epic launcher as it’s just a launcher which is fine by me. I use GOG Galaxy anyway and I’m not a fan of Steam either so don’t care about that aspect.

I don’t really bother but I do have some related stuff like unofficial patches and fan remakes/mods of my favourite games.

F1 Manager 2024

I like to play it while watching a movie on another screen.

Get them a month (or 3) of PC Gamepass so they can play everything and find out what they like.

That’s good to hear. My daughter is a bit older than your kid and she loves Goose Game so much.

A Short Hike

Untitled Goose Game

I played it when released to Gamepass and it got boring quickly so hopefully now there is more to it.

It is a beautiful looking game though.

Skate 3

I’ll just load it up, find a new spot and make some clips.

Shenmue

Well normally I play it every December but not this year as my Dreamcast and PS4 were put into storage and I haven’t had time (or space) to get them back out.

There was a plan for a DVD add on but obviously the console died before any of that stuff was released. I still think that was a minor reason for the failure though as it was more about consumer/studio trust in Sega.

It died with Dreamcast but the console was certainly not the cause.

I don’t think I’ve completed a single one this year as I like to bounce around and play lots.

Most of the games I play are also single player and none of this “games as a service” crap so I am very bad at finishing anything.

That was a nice article. A sensible way to make a game and I hope it does well.

no time to admire the view

Apparently everyone wants instant gratification and we need to be on to the next scripted moment, then the next one, and the next… No time to admire anything you see.

The best thing about Gamepass is all the non-AAA games that I wouldn’t normally get to play because there is a lot more variety in them.

The store page literally says “steam deck playable”…

Also with this you will get a key to add the game(s) to your Steam library.

I’m not even sure what I just read…

I feel like this is lost on most people nowadays which is sad.

I don’t doubt what you say but there is a whole other audience that don’t care, want or need it to be on Steam. I’d assume the crossover between open-source fans and Steam isn’t much… and commercial success isn’t the focus.

You don’t need to wishlist it though?

I know a Steam release is planned down the line but it is a free game so you gain nothing by having it on Steam compared to standalone version.

For anyone reading, have a look at Beyond All Reason instead.

Colin McRae: Dirt 2

I really wanted to play something arcade (and without all the bullshit of cosmetics and jackpot spins etc that modern games have) etc so I downloaded a copy of Dirt 2 and it’s been great fun. It handles really well and actually looks good when upscaled.

I did have to install Games for Windows Live though 😔

I wouldn’t go that far but I do block users that post this shit.

Yeah… no thanks. They should have kept the COD name away from whatever monstrosity this is…

Great video though.

I very much doubt that people are watching games exclusively though. They are probably working, playing a game themselves (I watch while playing Football Manager etc…) or glued to their phone.

Yeah it’s a bit of a slog with too many but I find it’s perfect for Epic and Microsoft games.

If you use GOG Galaxy it has Epic store intergration to launch games, and then closes the app when you quit too. Never have to see the Epic launcher.

That’s a good point. I haven’t bought a physical game for a few years now and I’m certainly not buying anything digital close to full price. The majority is probably under £10.

They are on to the last episode now but it’s all overdue by like 5 years at this point so who knows.

That was true last generation of consoles but nowadays I suspect it is very different.

Yeah it’s changed a lot over the years but is such a unique experience I recommend it to everyone.

They still haven’t released all the story mode chapters but survival mode is by far the best way to play.

The Long Dark

Getting lost in the snowy wilderness I so much fun. I have many “oh shit” moments that kinda don’t happen once you learn the maps and improve.

There is always a need for those 3, 5 or 10 hour games. Something short and sweet instead of the mindless grind of a live service game. I recommend looking in your backlog for something different every now and then.

AI generated?

Most definitely. Welcome to journalism I’m 2024…

I hope it includes bouncing cars again. That was the funniest bug I’ve seen in a while.

5 years is a reasonable age but you’ll need to post your full specs.

State of Decay 2, I’m not normally one for zombies but so far so good. I need to convince my wife to join as it could be more fun in co-op.

I was looking at these just yesterday. I’ve not played any (but have all 3 in my GOG from freebies) and the age and look of TW1 kinda put me off but you’ve convinced me to give it a go.

Ridiculous amount of game crashes and lost saves were the big issues so I refunded the game. Overall I found 23 much more enjoyable but I agree that the depth just isn’t there to make it last.