Guild Wars 2 has been my theme park MMORPG of choice on and off for the last 12 years, with >2500h. I have also spent ~1000h on Elite Dangerous.

The secrecy must be unrewarding, but it’s the best defense against lawsuit-happy IP holders. When word of mouth begins to spread, you better be ready to release and run because it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo’s lawyers start gunning for you.

That’s barely 15 months of console exclusivity for a flagship title. Sony’s getting there with PC releases as time goes on.

Reminds me of Guns of Icarus, but on land and extraction shootery.

Sure this is about protecting their bottom line. However the argument that this contradicts the Apple vs Epic verdict seems sound.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Steam, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series)

Pretty original mix of brawler and tower defense, with a presentation reminiscent of Okami. Avaiable on Game Pass and has a demo on Steam.

SteamWorld Heist II (Steam, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series, Switch)

Like its predecessor, it’s basically “2D XCOM with skill shots instead of randomness”. Highly recommended, perfect for gaming on the go with a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch.

Phenomenal game, if a bit short. And another impeccable PS5 to PC port from Nixxes.

OMG it’s finally happening !

• 4D Sports Driving (1990)
• Hi-Octane (1995)
• NFS: Most Wanted (2005)
• Flatout 2 (2008)
• Vector 36 (2017)
• Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
• BeamNG.drive (ongoing)

He’s well liked because he came from the trenches and has a good track record of knowing his shit. When compared with the likes of Kotick or Guillemot, it’s a breath of fresh air (despite being such a low bar). However as one of the highest execs in the entire gaming industry, this is the kind of stuff he does all year long.

Plus you know, his public-facing image is well curated and people like it.

Nostalgia drive engaged !

The Crusader series (No Remorse, No Regret) could have been built upon, with its famously cheesy live-action cutscenes.

The Quarantine series disappeared after its second installment, Road Warrior. Come to think of it, most mainstream vehicular combat games went away, like the Interstate series.

The Discworld adventure games (1, 2, Noir) were famously convoluted, but they did a pretty good job of adapting Pratchett’s world into video games.

Finally I would have liked to play the initially planned sequels to Advent Rising. I have (probably rose-tinted) fond memories of that game, but hey, you asked.

Since you enjoyed BG3, I’d strongly recommend Divinity: Original Sin 1&2 if you have not played them already.

Other than that, a few random suggestions with sizeable coop campaigns:

• Outriders
• The Ascent
• Remnant 1&2
• Resident Evil 5&6
• Saints Row 3&4
• Trine 1-5
• Valheim

In the space hulk og board game and most video game adaptations, Space Marines die very quickly to genestealers and such.

Even in the first SM game, the resilience came from doing melee executions (akin to glory kills from doom) which triggered health regen. And you were not even immune to damage during the animation !

Yeah, that’s PR-speak for “our game design and/or performance does not scale well to more than 3 players”.

In the middle of their marketing blitz they try and cover all their bases I guess.

Same here. My main issues with Anthem were the technical issues at launch and that they abandoned it so fast.

I really enjoyed the gameplay and visuals. I sometimes fire it up again, only to find I already know pretty much all this game has to offer.

A bit of an acquired taste, but the entire Earth Defence Force series can be played split screen (2P only). The best entry point into the series is EDF 5 (story reboot, QoL tweaks) which is often deeply discounted. Plus its direct sequel EDF 6 just released in the west last month

I did multiple playthroughs, over ~150h. I do not expect to return to it, now that EDF6 is out. It reaaaaaally resembles EDF5. From what I have seen thus far, it could be called an “expandalone”. There is much more difference between EDF4.1 and EDF5 than EDF5 and EDF6

It’s really good but like 30% too long for my taste. I had to push myself forward to complete it.

• Played daily dose of Helldivers 2 and some EDF6.
• Finally completed Talos Principle 2.
• Gave Suicide Squad a try.
• Returned a bit to Trine 5 here and there

It is quite delightful, which is a nice change of pace from Limbo and the others. I played it last year with game pass and really enjoyed my short time with it.

Bottom line: Konami is a weird company making odd calls and has been for a long time. Someone in charge likely decided 11 years ago that MGRR should not be released on PC in Japan and that’s all there is to it.

Like every PvE game which does not have hundreds of people working to churn out content, its playerbase will dwindle until only those who do not get bored by its gameplay stick around. Whether it’s Left 4 Dead, Payday, Deep Rock Galactic or Vermintide, those types of games follow this pattern…

And I for one, see no fucking issue with that. It’s a great game, people play it until they have had their fill and then move on. Helldivers 2 is only an outlier because of how hard it hit at launch. It absolutely does not have the content pipeline to keep a large playerbase engaged, so yeah it will not keep printing a lot of money, just a little bit every now and then.

Now excuse me as I go and spread some managed democracy.

On the other end of that spectrum, I have been playing this game on and off for the last 12 years.

NGL, I’m really digging what they are showing in this marketing campaign.

That mod is the reason I played Elden Ring in the first place. The Souls games’ reputation and gimped co-op had kept me from them. Seamless co-op turned Elden Ring into one of the best shared multiplayer adventures I have ever had.

Yes Alan Wake 2 is very good. It’s very unique and oozes with style. I really like the track Remedy is on lately, first with Control and now with Alan Wake 2, whereas their earlier games did not grab me.

You could buy the game on Steam, get the source code archive and then refund I guess. Or keep it anyway to play, I understand it’s quite good.

$200M ain’t no pocket change. One would hope such high-profile failures as this or Avengers would curb execs enthusiasm for live service games, but I’m not holding my breath.

Erm, that’s quite the bare bones trailer we’ve got here, somewhat underwhelming. Not every trailer is going to be Long Live the Lich or War Eternal, but come on.

It was fairly obvious, but at least now it’s spelled out. I for one can wait for the best version to release.

This is actually more to my taste than the crossword, thanks !

Hopefully this is more fleshed out than the first game’s basic horde mode.

I will admit that Outward is something of an acquired taste. It’s not a looker for sure, and starts a bit harsh, difficulty-wise. However it has surprising depth and a true sense of discovery. It is very rewarding once you really get into it.

Plus it really shines in co-op play. It is the closest thing I know of, that can be compared to “Skyrim, but co-op”.

I stand by my recommendation as it is very much a “B game” and pretty unique.

Here are a few picks off the top of my head:

• Control: TPS, open-ish world, present day setting, solo only
• Deep Rock Galactic: FPS, mission-centric, sci-fi setting, solo & co-op
• Generation Zero: FPS, open world, sci-fi setting, solo & co-op
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits: Action-Adventure, open-ish world, fantasy setting, solo only
• Outward: RPG, open world, fantasy setting, solo & co-op
• Remnant: From the Ashes / Remnant 2: TPS, open-ish world, sci-fi & fantasy setting, solo & co-op

tl;dr: Watch what you put online and who you friend, especially on Steam. Once it’s on the internet, it’s there forever.

That right here is very much what it boils down to. Whether it’s SteamHistory or The Internet Archive or whatever public or private data store… Any information you publish is out of your control as soon as you do.

Story-wise EDF 6 is a sequel to 5, which was a reboot. The in-game ridiculous storytelling through radio communications is part of its charm, I find.

Not sure what you are referring to. The refund policy on Steam is the same for any games, early access or not. The game’s version number or finished state makes no difference.

Maybe you are thinking of the pre-purchase situation, where you can refund up to 14 days after the game’s release, instead of the date of purchase.

Oooh I really liked the first one. Slept on it for years then played it on Steam Deck. It was a perfect game for a portable gaming system.

“Bomb” as in “not selling” ? That ship has sailed a long time ago, hasn’t it ? They made hundreds of millions through that “crowdfunding” scheme of theirs already.