You’re not wrong, but Quake Arena was good. Maybe not even F2P, but dedicated multiplayer chaos.

I think the 2016 approach was almost there. They outsourced the multiplayer so they could focus on the campaign, however there was a disconnect between the teams. I think now would be a good time to revisit that idea and take the spirit of dark ages and put it into a separate live service.

Hell maybe that’s the answer: Doom: Death Match. A free to play online shooter that mimics aspects of the classic games. If it’s done with care and love it could be a hit. That could be the next Doom “product” after dark ages.

It does look like hella fun, but I’m still pretty pissed about what they did to Mick. They seemed to have hired an outside “firm” to handle the music so it’s probably going to be very impersonal. It’s really a shame cause Doom 2016 was such an excellent work of art that perfectly modernized a classic.

Conversely, Doom Eternal was an insanely well crafted love letter to Doom as an IP that pushed the boundaries of the run and gun gameplay of Doom.

I do like the direction of Dark Ages tank-like heavy strafe style, but I feel like it might lose some of the magic if they change too much of the sauce.

Lacking multiplayer is a big shot in the foot. This could’ve been the game to revitalize the multiplayer aspect of Doom. Eternal’s was trash and 2016 was fine but was way too disconnected from the core game to be memorable. It’s a damn shame they just threw their hands in the air. Classic Doom Multiplayer is completely unmatched and as great as the Night Dive remasters are, it’s not the same as ladder matches back in the day.

Sega needed a comeback. He’s right that a lot of Sega has been conservative for the last few years, but when AAA studios are shitting the bed left and right, companies like Sega and Nintendo manage to capture the magic of gaming like an indie developer can still.

I’ve already appreciated the amount of “fun” Sega brings to the table. Some classic IPs are absolutely batshit too like Kid Chameleon, Vector Man, Virtual On, Comix Zone. There’s so many unique experiences they can make from them.

Hopefully they can maintain focus on fun like a smaller studio but still deliver polished big products.

Animal Well.

Well balls. Oh well, looks like I’m just gonna start the journey again.

I did the apple arcade version. I wonder if I can transfer my progress when I eventually get the steam version.

They should’ve never messed with the original avatars. Xbox finally had their own aesthetic in a way that Nintendo always seems to have. Then they went and changed everything.

This can either be a really great release or a really crap one. The original Rayman is a gem. It is deceptively hard though, so a remake with potential to buff the player wouldn’t be the worst thing. I also don’t hate the modern Rayman art-style, it would work pretty well with the original world and landscapes.

Fingers crossed it doesn’t suck.

Sam Altman always rubbed me the wrong way. He always seemed like he was trying to be the “humble” Steve Jobs - just as tyrannical and stubborn, but he was doing it “to better humanity” with AI. I call bullshit, he’s just another tech billionaire asshole.

With all these billionaires popping up how do we keep forgetting that the guillotine exists?

The absolute best arcade racer to me was always NFS Hot Pursuit 2 for PS2. The physics were so much fun and the cars were a curated selection of cool.

Always loved the Project Gotham Racing series, especially 3. Tons of fun to drift in those games. The Kudos system was definitely a unique feature.

Been playing through the Ridge Racer games most recently. Damn these are just fun to play.

Sega Rally Championship will always stand out as some of the best driving physics early on.

Art of Rally and Art of drift are hella fun “zen” games with a unique art style.

I was always a sucker for some of the cash-in Fast and Furious era car fad games. Juiced, Tokyo Extreme Racer (out before all of it) Street Racing Syndicate, NFS Underground, Midnight Club 3. They’re all fun but driving is always just ok.

My short list though: Gran Turismo 4 Forza Motorsport 4 or 6 (4 is less grindy I feel) NFS Most Wanted 2

I do love my Steam Deck. It has changed the way I play games. Its hackability had only added to its charm.