He can deep-throat my dad’s days-dead dog’s decaying dong.

I’ve just finished Prey - absolutely loved it btw. Next I’m thinking maybe Dishonored, maybe Control, maybe Wolfenstein 2. Haven’t decided yet. I’ve also not finished cyberpunk, I pick it up every now and then.

TBF those do sound cool as fuck!

They certainly patented it.

Ah gotcha, cheers. I guess I’m old fashioned but I kinda just like a shotgun mostly when gaming.

But yeah I’m thinking maybe I should give it another try, I did really like the style.

Yep I’m right there with you. Artists of all types should be entitled to the proceeds of their work. Also, if I were creative and something I’d created was plagiarised, I’d be unhappy about that too. Just because a big company abuses a system doesn’t mean it shouldn’t protect individuals.

I tried 3 just to see what all the interest was about, but couldn’t get into it. There were loads of guns and none of them seemed great or much different from each other. Was I supposed to collect them and sell them? I wanted to like it cos I enjoy the art style, maybe I should give it another go sometime.

No art, no poetry, no video games. . .

IMO creators should have better protections - the current laws don’t seem to stop AI gobbling up their work. But at the same time this Nintendo thing is obviously bullshit. I’m surprised the court * allowed it. Probably a decision made by a very old Christian man who doesn’t understand what games are and can’t use a smartphone.

* Oops decision was made by patent office who really should know better

They don’t seem to be protecting creators from getting their work subsumed by AI, so they’re clearly not fit for purpose. But I do think there needs to be some protection for artists and creators, it’s just that either the present laws are shit or the courts can be bought.

Maybe we need more women working in game design. I don’t know the figures, but I’m guessing they are underrepresented. We probably need more diversity in games generally. It feels like this should be obvious to studios too - the more diverse your team, the more likely your game is to appeal to a diverse audience = a larger pool of customers.

I recently started gaming again after a twenty year gap. Back in the day I used to go for high difficulty and complete everything. Now, I’m playing on easy difficulty setting. Partly cos I’m in my 50s, reactions are slower and my hands are a bit fucked up. Partly because I want to enjoy the story and the experience - if I get stuck on a fight and keep dying I get frustrated eventually and angry with myself for not being as good as I want to be. That feeling is not what I’m gaming for, so yeah, easy setting.

I haven’t played hollow knight because I’m told it’s frustrating and difficult, and, while the aesthetic really appeals to me I don’t wanna be frustrated. But I’m so happy for all the people who have been waiting for this and are enjoying it, sometimes we do get nice things!

Thanks! So I’m thinking to play amnesia next but you’ve just added to my wishlist.

I’ve been recommended alien isolation but never alien v predator. You think it’s worth a look then? Sounds like you get just what I meant about jump scares, I’ll check it out.

Yeah I’ve been playing prey and enjoying it. I’m really crap at games that need coordination tho, playing it on easy mode and feeling cautiously confident rather than bullet proof.

I’ve just looked up a plague tale, thanks for the suggestion, looks just what I’m after.

I struggle with retro aesthetic. I grew up with 8 bit graphics and got no desire to return to those days now that computers so much better! But I’m not closed to anything.

And yeah I entirely agree with you about horror. I don’t want something that just scares me, I wanna be appalled.

Thanks!

Yeah I’ve meant to play subnautica but I only really have time to game for an hour or so in the evening and seems like subnautica might take more commitment.

Played soma. Liked it, liked the atmosphere and the end a lot.

Haven’t played outer wilds - I’ve heard the recommendations, somehow mostly avoided spoilers. I know I should but seems like first part takes a while and I’ve not got past it. Maybe it should play that next.

Yep, thanks, that looks great. Actually I don’t know what to make of the trailer but I’ll give it a try, cheers.

Thanks I’ll look em up

Now that sounds like a solid recommendation right there! I’ve just bought it, thanks mate.

(It’s safe to come out now)

Oh wow okay that makes it intriguing! I’m guessing some NPC info will suggest that they’ve done bad things but they had a traumatic background? Others will be upstanding Christian Sunday school teachers who are suspected of domestic abuse but nothing proven? The shabby secret millionaire, the person who will always help anyone out but has a ten thousand yard stare? The little guy who’s scared of everything and everyone pities. The pretty woman who committed the unforgivable sin of having a sex life. The wealthy salesman who knows his customers will spend years paying for useless crap. Etc etc

Yeah you could do a lot with that!

Still, I kinda think you’ve got to involve the player on an emotional level for it to really bite em hard. You could definitely do that through diary, letters, recordings etc. You could actually make it pretty fuckin dark, especially if the player suffers consequences for not hurting anyone.

If you can do it right.

Hey if it works out, sounds like something I’d buy.

Okay, I’ve just looked these up, are we talking amnesia the dark descent? Yeah that looks right up my street.

Interesting idea.

I think the moral choices people make when gaming are often different from the choices they’d make IRL. Who amongst us hasn’t taken down an NPC with a shotgun just because they were irritating?

You can get closer to an accurate reading of a player’s moral compass if you can make them emotionally involved with the characters or the game. If you have been manipulated into caring about the fate of an NPC, you’re more likely to go out of your way to help them, even if it is too the detriment of your own character.

It’s that successful emotional manipulation that, IMO, is one of the signs of genuine art. No idea how to accomplish this. Good luck with the game, like I say it’s an interesting idea.

Yeah, wasn’t disagreeing with you. Capitalism is a fundamentally unsustainable system, it’s always going to eventually metastasise into a situation where a very few control almost all of the resources and the vast majority are desperate and impoverished. There might be meritocratic aspects to it in its early stages, but later on skills, talents and hard work won’t get you shit unless you’re rich.

TBH I’d just say were seeing capitalism approach its final inevitable form.

It’s cute that people still think voting will help.

IMO the score for the good the bad and the ugly is one of the all time classics and Ecstasy of Gold is incredible.

Yeah I feel the same way. I grew up with 8 bit graphics and every time I pick up my steam deck I’m amazed at how things look today, how far we’ve come. I have no desire to go back to the way things were. I know this means I may miss out on some cool experiences, but there’s so much other stuff to play and so little time. It’s great that people enjoy the retro look but it’s not for me.

Yeah Judas looks interesting.

Hey mate I’m enjoying your posts and I’m happy to see you’re playing prey - because I am too. I’m old, only started playing games again after a twenty year gap when I got a steam deck last year, and I’m pretty crap at them all!

So help me out here - how the fuck do I deal with phantoms?

No violence!

Had this on the spectrum. I spent so many hours trying to map this game, think I ultimately failed. Yeah it’s a classic for sure.

I’m pretty sure that was the year I was mostly playing Populous, on the Amiga IIRC, or maybe spectrum. I think my little brother may have had a copy of this though. There were some good games back then, the late 80s were when they really started to branch out into genres that we still see today.

I kinda feel like I should finish the games that I start, but I often don’t. I don’t get a lot of screen time so if a game becomes hard work or I lose interest - I move on to something else. Feel a bit bad about leaving it unfinished tho.

The RoboCop game is actually supposed to be quite good. I recently picked it up on sale, haven’t played it yet.

WTF did I just read? Fuckin weirdos. That is uncomfortable on so many levels. Poor kid. I remain traumatised from the time I had to remove all the malware from my dad’s computer. That was twenty years ago, he’s dead now, but I still carry the abominable image of him in his wheelchair, pulling his decrepit knob to Thai ladyboys, with the dogs lined up on the sofa watching. Ignorance is bliss. Ho hum, conservatives eh?

Looks like I’m unaware of something horrible. . ?

Lol okay, I do try to listen to recommendations like that - I’ll put it on my list. It’s a pretty long list tho!

So, i started gaming as a kid on the Sinclair spectrum. Though I had a Tandy trs80 before that and a zx81, iirc they both had 1k ram so weren’t really able to do much other than pong. The spectrum, though, had 48k, the BBC b had 32, and they could load and save files to a cassette tape. You could do so much more with them, and on the BBC at least you could code both basic and assembly. Anyway, I really enjoyed gaming on both of them - the graphics were either 8 bit ASCII or basic line drawing, but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment. And I didn’t know that a better visual experience would ever be possible, I was just delighted that games existed.

Later on, I got more into coding and later still into stuff that wasn’t computer related. I had a PS2 for a while but didn’t use it much. Fairly recently I picked up a steam deck and have started playing games again, I’ve got a few decades worth of stuff that I missed - played bioshock for the first time a few months ago! I’m entranced by how much the experience has broadened and deepened from those early platformers on the spectrum - it’s incredible progress.

But I don’t get a lot of screen time so I’m cherry picking - a lot of my wishlist comes from recommendations on here actually.

And yeah, I’ve noticed that some of those recommendations are for games with retro style graphics. I understand that it’s maybe easier for smaller developers - but developers can surely manage 2D without that blocky 8bit look, I think they choose not to and I think it’s a fashion choice. Same goes for sound. I guess if you live long enough, your childhood stuff really does become cool again.

I’ve not played any of the games you mentioned - maybe I’m missing out, but there’s plenty of stuff I find visually pleasing, I’m unlikely ever to run out.

Otherwise, though, I’m happy - albeit slightly perplexed - to see that the pixelated look is somewhat en vogue. Maybe it’ll help the games I so enjoyed as a kid to survive and even find new audiences. It’s just not my thing, not anymore. Personally, I enjoyed games like that when they were all that was available but now my eyes have been opened, I’ve seen the future, and have no desire to go back to my pixelated past!

It’s been a while since I played deathloop but I seem to remember you can only save the game certain times, I think only when you’re in the tunnels and time has passed.

Yeah, I’d travelled to Asia, had a bunch of jobs, and left university by then. Time flies eh.

Edit - probably my age is why I can’t abide games with the pixelated retro style graphics. Having grown up with that stuff I have no desire to return to the days of terrible blocky graphics. Though it’s nice if it enables younger ppl to enjoy older games.

I mean, I’m sure these jobs exist, social media manipulation is neither new or difficult. They’re probably outsourced to India or somewhere though.

But it’s a bit of a pathetic excuse for bad managers to use to cover their failing. I think they should have some sort of evidence before they start squawking about it.

Yeah I’m playing cyberpunk for the first time and really enjoying it. i don’t know how much it innovates, but I’d say it was certainly a good game.

Eve is older than star citizen isn’t it? I don’t play either but I think it’s fair to say eve had a twenty year headstart.